Kara Murphy Images

05/18/2026

We had another magical experience in the lagoon this past weekend. At one point, 16 sea turtles (mostly green plus a hawksbill) were within view - feeding, resting, getting cleaned by little fish, and just hanging out in the caressing water of the incoming tide. None of my pics showed 16 turtles in one frame, but this one has nine. Thank you, peaceful turtles, for letting us be in your world for a little while.

02/17/2026

My story covering a few things to do on either side of Kyoto's Kamo River.

Got a trip booked to Kyoto? Start taking notes.

01/21/2026

Love these memories of some of our family's favourite things to do in Port Douglas. While some excursions aren't dog-friendly (the reef, rainforest, and boat tour), our Cavoodle Moondance enjoyed the rest of them with us repeatedly.

Relish rainforest, reef, reptiles and more from this chic and chilled North Queensland village.

11/21/2025

I loved being in Kawaguchiko - for the views of Mt Fuji, of course, but also for the beautiful museums and some of the people we encountered. This poem celebrates that, and is also a reflection on Katsushika Hokusai’s mesmerising 1839 artwork, ‘Boy viewing Mount Fuji’, which I’ve loved since seeing in the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery many years ago.

Mt Fuji, an active volcano and Japan's highest peak (3776m), has inspired art and poetry for centuries. My poem, 'Views of Mt Fuji', imagines how several peo...

11/17/2025

Sake, sweets, and sacred spaces: my Escape.com.au story covering 7 things to do near Narita Airport before (or after) a flight.

Perhaps you’re flying into Narita International Airport and want to spend a night nearby. Or maybe you have a few spare hours before checking in for your flight back to Australia.

09/30/2025

Delve into both sides of my favourite Great Barrier Reef island, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort. My Escape.com.au story: https://www.escape.com.au/destinations/australia/queensland/which-side-of-lady-elliot-island-should-you-visit/news-story/07364cbc4243320f0617dc2393edc6fc

Here's what to consider before you start planning your summer getaway to the Great Barrier Reef.

09/26/2025

You can see ‘Pa’s dear old fiddle’ and so much more when visiting the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri, where Wilder wrote her Little House books. Here’s my story covering my experience: https://www.escape.com.au/destinations/north-america/usa/i-visited-the-real-little-house-on-the-prairie-in-mansfield-missouri/news-story/03618608e39a18ae31a59ce1199e1454?ampsld

Ambling between literary sites, I wonder whether American author Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) plotted conflicts with fictional Nellie Oleson on this 1.2km trail that links the two homes she lived in on Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri.

09/17/2025

Today, September 17, is , a day to celebrate manta rays and raise awareness of threats they face. This video features some special moments I've had observing these gentle giants (and other lovely marine creatures) on Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort over the past decade, set to some words about its underwater world. Encountering mantas is always a thrill, and I always leave the water touched by their grace.

Moments with mantas (and other beautiful marine creatures) from our time snorkelling off Lady Elliot Island, captured over the past decade. We've been fortun...

05/17/2025

Happy to see my sweet fur baby’s face in today’s Escape.com.au, in my article covering a dog-friendly stay in lovely Hervey Bay in a Camplify van with BIG4 Holiday Parks.

https://www.escape.com.au/destinations/australia/queensland/i-took-my-dog-on-the-ultimate-petfriendly-campervan-trip-to-hervey-bay/news-story/6c706ab315dc8c32b449c896e1e72117

02/16/2025

How far would you travel for love? Back to 1912? Here's my story covering a tour of Grand Hotel, setting for the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time.

“Is it you? Is it?” Actor Elise McKenna murmurs these words to playwright Richard Collier when, standing beside a lake, she sees him for the first time. Later, she explains what she meant: Are you the man who’s going to change my life?