The spectacular Jurassic Coast, England’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famous for its rocks, marine fossils, remarkable landforms and stunning natural beauty.It spans over 180 million years of geological history, being the only place on earth where due to extremely active marine erosion, rock formations from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods can all be seen in one location.Impressive natural features include arches, pinnacles, hollowed out coves, crumbles, stack rocks and a fossilised forest.The Jurassic Coast makes up a 150 kilometre stretch of the English Channel coastlines of Dorset and Devon, and forms a section of the longer South West Coast Path walking trail.The relaxed and pretty seaside town of Weymouth (photo Weymouth harbour) makes an enjoyable base from which to explore the area, and is an easy couple of hours from London by train or car. Local buses from Weymouth to the nearby Jurassic Coast destinations mentioned below are plentiful and inexpensive.Chesil Beach is breathtaking, a dramatic steeply-shelved shingle ridge beach stretching for kilometres (29) from the Isle of Portland into the distance, and comprised of millions of pebbles and stones (mainly flint and chert from and Jurassic rocks) of different shapes and colours, some as large as potatoes.Author John Fowles described it as “above all an elemental place, made of sea, shingle and sky, its dominant sound always that of waves on moving stone: from the great surf and pounding … of sou’westers, to the delicate laps and back-gurgling of the rare dead calm….”. Beautiful Lulworth Cove is a favourite spot for fossil hunters and the gateway to a breathtaking coastal path featuring a range of eye-catching natural rock formations, such as Stair Hole and Durdle Door.Over time the power of the sea cut through the resistant Portland limestone layer at the mouth of the cove, with waves then bending into an arc shape when pushing through the cove’s mouth, thereby creating its horseshoe-shape.Striking Durdle Door, which resembles a dinosaur drinking (very fitting for the ‘Jurassic’ Coast), is an example of a natural limestone arch, and a lovely place for a fresh dip on a warm summer’s day, after an exhilarating walk along the scenic coastal path to reach it.Durdle Door and its surrounds have been featured in a range of music videos, films and TV programs.Bellinda Dunn, Kiama

With an urge to experience the world, I thought there was no better place to do it than the land of fire and ice.Known for its rugged landscapes and scenery, my friend and I called a cosy campervan our home for three weeks while we travelled the coast of Iceland.In the 21 days, we experienced everything the small country has to offer.We made friends with locals and tourists, hiked up volcanoes and through canyons, walked across glaciers, explored surprisingly small towns, swam in hidden hot springs and wandered behind countless waterfalls.A highlight of the trip was our three days spent driving through the Westfjords Region.Around every corner was a new mountain towering above you.It was also where the majority of the hot springs were and each day we would find a new one to jump into.The Eastern Region of Iceland is where I stumbled across my favourite town.Seydisfjordur is a small fishing village hidden between huge snow-capped mountains with hundreds of small waterfalls falling down its cliff face.We travelled through the town on bikes, and I couldn’t help but feel like Walter Mitty.By travelling to Iceland in April, the transitional month from winter to summer, we got to experience the best of both seasons.We saw the adorable Atlantic Puffins – 60 per cent of the population migrate to Iceland in the summer months – and were lucky enough to experience the magical Northern Lights, which are seen in the winter months.With no itinerary to follow, every day held new and unexpected adventures.Every morning we jumped in the front seat of our camper and drove through Iceland’s insane and beautiful nature before pulling up to a new patch of grass with a different awe-inspiring view.I wouldn’t have done it any other way.Cassandra Zaucer, Kiama If you’d like to share your travel story, send your postcard to: [email protected] 

For oyster lovers there could be no greater indulgence than a weekend away down the NSW South Coast for the famous Narooma Oyster Festival celebrating the Rock Oyster, native to New South Wales estuaries.The festival is held on the shores of the picturesque Wagonga Inlet in Narooma on the first weekend in May and is a feast for the senses for lovers of this complex, delicious and luxurious salt-water bivalve mollusc.2023 did not disappoint. Oyster lovers came out in force, delighting in the bounty of freshly harvested and shucked oysters on offer, served at the height of the season and the peak of their glory.A favourite on the New South Wales food and beverage calendar, the festival boasted a packed schedule of general admission activities as well as special ticketed experiences commencing on Friday afternoon concluding with an oyster hangover breakfast on Sunday morning.Attendees enjoyed produce from dozens of oyster and other food and beverage vendors, live music, market stalls, oyster shucking competitions as well as light projections and spectacular fireworks on Friday night. A real treat for the kids young and old!The delectable Rockies were served ‘au naturale’, with a myriad of dressings - traditional kilpatrick and mornay to more unusual offerings like the New Orleans“Po’ Boy”.This was a rich concoction of cooked oysters with spices in a creamy bacon sauce, served in a hollowed out ba- guette. Sound rich? It was!Ticketed events included a Long Table Dinner, Yuin Native Food Exploration, Ultimate Oyster Experience Masterclass, Champagne and Oysters cruise on the inlet, Saturday night salty Festa and more!To cap off the festivities, the grand finale Sunday Hangtown Fry breakfast at Club Narooma included oyster omelettes, as well as bloody/virgin Marys, garnishedwith - you guessed it - fresh oysters.Exhausted but not defeated we made our way back home to Kiama with treasured memories of a wonderful briny weekend.Sofia Cappodanno, KiamaIf you’d like to share your travel story, send your postcard to: news@ thebuglenewspaper.com.au 

After an exhausting three years, a resort holiday was in order – that is, paying to be fed and watered in comfort, along with having my bed made.Researching options across Bali and Fiji, I leaned towards the latter because of the shorter flight. A friend who returned from Fiji recommended the Intercontinental Fiji on the Coral Coast and this was the confirmation I needed to finalise a booking.Train travel and transit through Sydney and Nadi airports were full of smooth moving queues. The one-hour cab drive from Nadi airport had me arriving in the early evening, just in time to witness the spectacular sunsets that the Coral Coast is so well known for.The hotel welcomed me with a hearty ‘Bula’, multi-strand necklace, a brief hug and a reminder that it was a homecoming. After checking in, I was shuttled to my room – and what a delight! The generous space opened to a large balcony, offering panoramic views of the sea and an atoll less than 200 metres offshore. And six more nights of those spectacular sunsets.Quickly hooking my Wi-Fi and emptying my suitcase, I then headed out into the night-time gardens to find a meal, grinning from ear to ear and feeling enormous gratitude for my good fortune. The smile and the gratitude remained with me for the entire trip.If it was another holiday, I might regale you with descriptions of all the activities available to a visitor to Fiji – water sports, island hopping, horse-riding on the beach, outdoor massages, forest hikes, mountain climbing, mud baths, golf. Perhaps I might also tell you about the hotel facilities such as evening cocktails, spas, shopping, kid’s activities, cultural events and daily fitness.But I wasn’t on that holiday – so I did none of these things.Instead, I surrendered to the warmth and genuine friendliness of the Fijians, I surrendered to the tranquillity, privacy and comfort. I swam, slept, read, relaxed and came back to myself.George Elliot wrote, ‘adventure is not outside man: it is within’ – and those quiet, reflective, peaceful seven days in paradise cleared the way for a small but perfectly formed adventure.Tracey Henderson, KiamaIf you’d like to share your travel story, send your postcard to: [email protected]