I spent an hour with a troop of kangaroos in a nature reserve in Australia's capital city, Canberra. The city is nicknamed the Bush Capital because walking or cycling just a few minutes from the city centre brings you into nature. Most of the kangaroos were placid but one male decided I might be getting a little too close and gave me the old "watch it mate" hard stare. 

If you're wondering 'where can I see kangaroos in Canberra', 'which Australian cities tend to be frequented by kangaroos' or 'are kangaroos dangerous', this episode might give you some answers.

Listen to a podcast about spending an hour with Canberra's capital kangaroos.

Photo © copyright Matthew Brace

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe. 

This is the first of a new, occasional City Nature Walks series, highlighting the wonder of nature in urban environments. 

I walked through beautiful Westerpark in north Amsterdam on an unseasonably cold early summer day. The land is made up of lush, half-flooded meadow, narrow canals and the odd brick home. The woods are full of poplar, ash, lime and beech trees plus some hawthorn and elder bushes, while down on the meadow are graceful weeping willows. 

If you're wondering 'where can I find natural beauty in the city of Amsterdam', 'what are some hidden gems in Amsterdam', or 'what are some of the best places to see nature in Amsterdam', this episode might be able to help.

Listen to a podcast about taking a city nature walk through Amsterdam.

Photo © copyright Matthew Brace

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe. 

I joined an old friend to take a walking safari in a lesser-known corner of Bali, far away from the mopeds, the gridlock and the grind. We strolled through a forest in the West Bali National Park in the island's far north-west, exploring its mangroves and monsoon forest, watching rare rusa deer and meeting some beautiful but endangered Bali Starlings.

If you are wondering 'is West Bali National Park worth visiting', 'what kinds of wildlife can be found in the West Bali National Park', 'where can I see the Bali Starling' and 'what are some hidden places in Bali', this podcast might have some answers.

Listen to a podcast about taking a walking wildlife safari through a national park in a secret corner of Bali.

Photo © copyright Matthew Brace

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe. 

I walked the Munjip Trail on the south coast of New South Wales in Australia. The 15km (9-mile) coastal path winds through woods and along beaches with spectacular views over the South Pacific. It's a place where the spirits of ancestors gather, so it’s culturally as well as environmentally important. 

It seems it's musically important too; among the eucalyptus trees I met a man playing the bagpipes, about as far from Scotland as you can get! Never a dull moment Down Under.

If you are wondering 'what does Munjip mean', 'why is the Munjip Trail special' or 'what are the best walks on the south coast of New South Wales' then this podcast might shine some light.

Listen to a podcast about walking through Australian nature on the wonderful Munjip Trail.

Photo © copyright Matthew Brace

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe. 

I spent a magical evening on a sand dune at Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, listening to a very tuneful gecko singing at sunset to attract a mate. The park – in Namibia in southwest Africa – occupies almost 50,000 sq km (more than 19,000 sq miles) and has a remarkable variety of wildlife considering it is in one of the driest deserts on the planet.

If you wondering 'what is the Namib-Naukluft National Park', 'what is Namibia famous for' or 'what is special about Sossusvlei', this podcast episode might help.

Listen to a podcast about a singing gecko on a Namibian sand dune.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay via free-use site www.pexels.com

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe. 

I sat on the edge of a mighty crater which houses the deepest lake in the United States. It was a truly magical experience to witness this natural phenomenon in south Oregon, watching a September sunset silhouette the spooky Phantom Ship and turn the water to molten gold.

If you are wondering 'why is Crater Lake so famous', 'how did Crater lake get so deep' and 'is Crater Lake still an active volcano' this podcast might give you a few clues.

Listen to a podcast about watching a September sunset over mighty Crater Lake.

Photo © copyright Matthew Brace.

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe. 

I went back to my hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon to search for midsummer spirits in an enchanted English woodland. 

If you are wondering 'why is Stratford-Upon-Avon so famous', 'what was Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream play inspired by' and 'what are some good hikes on the Welcombe Hills', this episode might give you some clues.

Listen to a podcast about a very literary nature ramble in Shakespeare's footsteps.

 Photo © copyright Matthew Brace.

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe.

I braved thick fog and damp reindeer to reach the very top of Europe. I shunned the tourist traps of Nordkapp and instead walked the Knivskjelodden hiking trail which ends 1km north of Nordkapp.

If you are wondering 'what are some interesting facts about Nordkapp', 'is Nordkapp worth visiting' and 'what is the Knivskjelodden hiking trail', this episode might have some answers for you.

Listen to a podcast about hiking to the northernmost point of mainland Europe.

 Photo © copyright Matthew Brace.

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe.

I arrived at a small temple tucked under an overhanging cliff in Japan, having gone there on the advice of a complete stranger. That advice turned out to be gold, as I came face to face with a statue of the Buddha more than 1,200 years old – the oldest one in Japan. It was a spiritual experience.

If you are asking yourself ‘what to do in Utsunomiya', 'is Oya-ji a very rare temple because it is in a cave' or 'where can you see the oldest statue of the Buddha in Japan', this podcast episode might have some answers for you.

Listen to a podcast about seeing the oldest statue of the Buddha in Japan.

Photo © copyright Matthew Brace.

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe.

I wandered inland from tranquil Te Ngaere bay on the North Island of New Zealand (Aotearoa) and discovered a secret wood. It was populated by giant tree ferns and guarded by the spirits of the land and lively local birds called pee-waka-wakas. The wood was deeply soothing and the perfect spot to try some forest bathing in the southern hemisphere, without the risk of snakes disturbing the peace.

If you are wondering ‘where can visitors participate in forest therapy in New Zealand’, 'why is forest bathing good for you', or 'is forest bathing worth it’, this podcast episode might help to answer those questions.

Listen to a podcast about forest bathing in a tranquil wood in New Zealand.

Photo © copyright Matthew Brace.

Travel, nature, wellness. This is Six Minutes Somewhere Else.

Contact me via LinkedIn.

Don’t forget to like and follow/subscribe.