The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement
Craig Tansley

Craig Tansley

Travel writer

Craig Tansley is a Gold Coast-based freelance travel writer with a specialty in adventure, and a background in the South Pacific.

The Calile Hotel Brisbane – a frequent award-winner.

An insider guide to the best places to stay in Brisbane

If you haven’t been recently, you won’t recognise Brisbane – this former big country town is now one of Australia’s most sophisticated cities.

  • Craig Tansley
Mondrian Gold Coast’s seafood diner, Haven.

The Gold Coast’s best places eat and drink

The Gold Coast’s dining scene used to revolve around surf clubs. Now a throng of talented chefs has turned the region into a genuine foodie hot-spot.

  • Craig Tansley
Colourful harbourside homes dominate the barren landscape.

The most British place on Earth is almost 13,000km from Britain

As I sit down to a breakfast of black pudding and a pot of English breakfast tea, paid for in British pounds, the contrast with my last destination is shocking.

  • Craig Tansley
In the Dolomites, I won’t do the same run twice, in seven days.

In 25 years of skiing, this Olympic region delivered my best ever trip

With the highest concentration of Michelin stars in the French Alps, it’s no coincidence that the concept of the gourmet ski safari originated in the Dolomites.

  • Craig Tansley
Nothing can prepare you for the scale of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Think of the destination that’s overwhelmed you most and multiply it 10

This is so much bigger and it’s better. And there’s no one here except us.

  • Craig Tansley
Advertisement
Castle Geyser, just along from Old Faithful.

How to avoid the crowds at the most popular US national park

All you have to do to avoid a whopping 98 per cent of the crowds in Yellowstone National Park is walk.

  • Craig Tansley
Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

More Aussies are discovering my island paradise, but they can’t change it

I grew up in a place where no building is allowed to be higher than the tallest coconut tree. It remains my happiest place on Earth.

  • Craig Tansley
Supplied PR image for Traveller, check for reuse
​xxgoldcoasthotels23
12 Gold Coast hotels and resorts for different budgets by Craig Tansley
QT Gold Coast pool

The Gold Coast’s best hotels and resorts for different budgets

If it’s been a while between check-ins, just know the “Glitter Strip” has traded its gaudy sequins for something far more tailored.

  • Craig Tansley
United is in talks with its labour unions on voluntary options that are focused more on a bounce-back than on "survivability."

This airline is better – and cheaper – than rivals for flights to the US

After enduring more than 13 hours in an economy seat with a rival recently, on this flight I feel like I’ve been upgraded.

  • Craig Tansley
Overwater bungalows along the coast of the Raja Ampat Islands.

The 14 beach and island escapes to visit in 2026, before everyone else

From the French Riviera to Asian and Pacific hideaways, these slices of paradise won’t be under the radar for much longer.

  • Craig Tansley