80ish Cities

Travelling has been a passion of mine since the age of 8, and I have been incredibly fortunate to have travelled to 45 countries so far. As a way of re-living some of the wonderful memories I have of my global roamings, I wanted to create an "Around the World in 80ish Cities" gallery.

These awesome cities are listed in the order I've visited them in the last six years - basically since I started shooting in digital. And I've picked each specific photo not necessarily because it's a great photo, but because it most reminds me of the place. Some cities appear more than once - I've been lucky enough to get a second, third and fourth crack at some of them. In any case, all of these cities remain happily etched in my heart and memories.

This collection also shows my photographic journey - shot entirely with a Canon Digital Ixus point and shoot camera from July 2004 - April 2008. My first DSLR, the Canon EOS 400D, started travelling with me in May 2008, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II since September 2010. As I sifted through thousands of photos to pick my favourite, sentimental 80ish, the words of Peter Allen echoed through my mind:

I've been to cities that never close down,

from New York to Rio and old London town,

but no matter how far or how wide I roam,

I still call Australia home.

I'm always travelIing, I love being free,

and so I keep leaving the sun and the sea,

but my heart lies waiting over the foam,

I still call Australia home.

All the sons and daughters spinning 'round the world,

away from their family and friends,

but as the world gets older and colder,

it's good to know where your journey ends.

Someday we'll all be together once more,

when all of the ships come back to the shore,

I'll realise something I've always known,

I still call Australia home.

#1 - Sydney. The sentimental favourite, and my home town.

#2 - Christchurch, July 2004. The historic cathedral, before the earthquake.

#3 - New York, September 2004. My first visit here. Awestruck!

#4 - London, October 2004. My playground from October 2004 - May 2008.

#5 - Frankfurt, December 2004. Quick trip for work.

#6 - Paris, December 2004. The amazing Christmas window displays.

#7 - Singapore, December 2004. Scene of an awesome chilli crab lunch.

#8 - Graz, January 2005. A picturesque Austrian city of bizarre sculptures.

#9 - Cork, February 2005. Blarney Castle. Yes, I kissed the Blarney Stone.

#10 - Cardiff, March 2005. Rugby anyone?

#11 - New York, March 2005. Easter time in the Big Apple.

#12 - Glasgow, April 2005. Everyone needs a cone on their head...

#13 - Santander, April 2005. Gorgeous Spanish seaside resort town.

#14 - Kilkenny, May 2005. Another castle seen on the fab road trip with Mum.

#15 - Bath, June 2005. Historic Bath in summer - glorious!

#16 - Amsterdam, July 2005. Scenic canals and watery streets.

#17 - Hong Kong, July 2005. Non-stop Honkers!

#18 - Edinburgh, August 2005. The Military Tattoo - truly an amazing show.

#19 - Hastings, September 2005. The British seaside in summer.

#20 - Bristol, September 2005. Saw this bustling port town on a road trip with Dad.

#21 - York, September 2005. The Shambles in the historic old town.

#22 - Munich, September 2005. One very big weekend in the beer halls...

#23 - Prague, October 2005. One of the most beautiful cities anywhere!

#24 - Narita, December 2005. Quick stop en route to Australia.

#25 - Tenby, January 2006. A weekend on the wild Welsh coast.

#26 - Budapest, January 2006. A gorgeous winter wonderland. It was freezing!

#27 - Reykjavik, February 2006. Feeling on top of the world in Iceland.

#28 - Gibraltar, April 2006. A Barbary Ape looks over the city's runway.

#29 - Tangiers, April 2006. Remains of a yummy meal in this Moroccan port town.

#30 - Paris, April 2006. The City of Love. Nuff said.

#31 - Brighton, April 2006. Down at the seaside.

#32 - Porto, May 2006. Home of port, in Portugal!

#33 - Lisbon, May 2006. I celebrated my birthday here on a weekend with Nic!

#34 - Sintra, May 2006. Bizarre architecture in this cool little portuguese city.

#35 - Dubrovnik, July 2006. Croatia's stunning walled, seaside city.

#36 - Split, July 2006. Another gorgeous Croatian city by the sea.

#37 - Trogir, July 2006.Yet more Croatian gorgeousness.

#38 - Lake Bled, August 2006. The picturesque Slovenian countryside.

#39 - Lubljiana, August 2006. A wander round Slovenia's capital.

#40 - New York, October 2006. The bright lights of Broadway.

#41 - Dublin, November 2006. U2's old haunt - The Temple Bar precinct.

#42 - Vienna, December 2006. Christmas markets and Gluwein in chilly Vienna.

#43 - Singapore, December 2006. An unexpected visitor on Sentosa Island.

#44 - Cessnock, March 2007. The gorgeous Hunter Valley.

#45 - Narita, March 2007. A peaceful corner of Tokyo - Asakusa.

#46 - Rudesheim, September 2007. Er, more food - yummy strudel!

#47 - Heidelburg, September 2007. Such a beautiful, historic town.

#48 - Meersburg, September 2007. The old town of Meersburg.

#49 - Mainz, September 2007. The BEST pork knuckle ever!

 #50 - Konstanz, September 2007. We crossed into Switzerland for the day by ferry.

#51 - Chur, September 2007. Crossing through the chilly Swiss Alps into Italy.

#52 - Stresa, September 2007. The stunning Lake Maggiore - road trip with da folks!

#53 - Casablanca, December 2007. One huge mosque!

#54 - Rabat, December 2007. A walled city by the sea.

#55 - Erfoud, December 2007. A market town in Morocco's very holy city.

#56 - Fez, January 2008. A working leather tannery - much shopping ensued!

#57 - Essouira, January 2008. I loved the blue doors in this Moroccan seaside city.

#58 - Marrakesh, January 2008. The bustling night market.

#59 - Salzburg, February 2008. The hills were alive with the sound of music...

#60 - Singapore, March 2008. The best meal on the planet. Nuff said.

#61 - Bratislava, April 2008. Last of the European weekend getaways.

#62 - London, May 2008. One of my favourite parts of London.

#63 - London, May 2008. One final tourist shot of my second home :(

#64 - Istanbul, May 2008. One of the craziest, most fab cities anywhere!

#65 - Ankara, May 2008. Ataturk's impressive tomb in Turkey's capital.

#66 - Goreme, May 2008. The surreal landscape of Capadoccia.

#67 - Hacibektas, May 2008. The spiritual capital of Turkey.

#68 - Konya, May 2008. It some time to get these ladies smiling...but they eventually did.

#69 - Side, May 2008. Ancient Turkish ruins under the moon.

#70 - Olympos, May 2008. More ancient Turkish ruins.

#71 - Kas, May 2008. Mountains, roses and boats - Mediterranean living at its best!

#72 - Dalyan, May 2008. Amazing tombs in the cliffs at Dalyan.

#73 - Pamakkale, May 2008. Surreal landscapes in south-east Turkey.

#74 - Ephesus, May 2008. The ruins of a once mighty city. Still pretty impressive eh?

#75 - Troy, May 2008. The iconic trojan horse at Troy.

#76 - Gallipoli, May 2008. A day on the Canakkale peninsular.

After living in London for 3.5 years, I was ready to come home. My visit to Gallipoli made me particularly appreciate what it meant to be Australian. I also realised the things I missed and loved about Australia - my family and friends back home, and the light, colour, beauty and freedom we are so lucky to have.

#77 - Brisbane, September 2009. My new home town lights up for the annual Riverfire.

#78 - Port Macquarie, June 2010. One of my favourite places on the East Coast.

#79 - Melbourne, September 2010. A day in Melbourne before
heading down the Great Ocean Road

#80 - Narita, January 2011. An amazing meal, shared with Mum in Narita.

#81 - Tokyo, January 2011. Stunning temples at Asakusa
- 6 weeks before the devastating earthquake.

#82 - Enoshima, January 2011. A pretty seaside town on Japan's east coast.

#83 - Kamakura, January 2011. More Japanese gorgeousness.

#84 - Brisbane, January 2011.

And so awaits my next adventure. Vietnam and Cambodia are on the "to do" list for this year. But for now, I'm enjoying a balmy Brisbane autum, in the country I most love.