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Riley Wilson

Riley Wilson

Travel writer

Riley Wilson is a freelance journalist and editor specialising in travel, food, architecture and agriculture. She is a former desk editor at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and the creator of the Greater Good newsletter.Connect via email.

Convicts made the bricks to make their own prison.

The notorious Australian site where cruelty was an art form

Visiting this Tasmanian World Heritage-listed site can be an eerie, unsettling experience.

  • Riley Wilson
The Federation-style timber Yungaburra Hotel.

The unexpectedly cool Queensland town you’ve probably never heard of

We came for the waterfalls. We stayed for the passionate locals who make this heritage-listed rural town a destination worth detouring for.

  • Riley Wilson
Bonnet Island, which lies at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour in western Tasmania.

Haunted and beautiful, this wild Aussie coast is like no other

Tasmania’s West Coast boasts World Heritage wilderness, wild terrain like no other and a tragic history.

  • Riley Wilson
Strahan Village overlooks the wild waterfront.

A cosy stay on Australia’s ‘edge of the world’

Epic views abound at this hotel on the edge of the country’s second-largest natural harbour.

  • Riley Wilson
The rooftop pool at Drifter, Byron Bay.

New stylish Byron stay mixes hotel and hostel

The Drifter brand’s new Byron Bay property encourages spirited camaraderie with social spaces designed for everything from podcasting to poolside DJ sets.

  • Riley Wilson
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The Indian Pacific on track near Broken Hill.

The verdict on new, extended version of Australia’s epic train journey

The great train odyssey has been reimagined in an itinerary that gives travellers time and breadth to experience the gems of the Australian outback.

  • Riley Wilson
Hilton Garden Inn, Albany.

Hilton spin-off in WA makes elegance look easy

The first Garden Inn for the Hilton brand in Australia, the Albany waterside property leans into its role as a focused-service hotel.

  • Riley Wilson
Preservation Hall.

The ramshackle music hall that stole my heart in New Orleans

Preservation Hall has been championing jazz in a ramshackle wooden hall off Bourbon Street since 1961. The story lives in the song.

  • Riley Wilson
The only thing you need at Kittawa Lodge is more time.

Ultimate island stay leaves nothing to be desired – except more time

The whole point of this remote Tasmanian destination is that you don’t leave. I happily followed that memo.

  • Riley Wilson
The Indian Pacific stops in Cook, population of four.

Not quite a ghost town: The Australian destination with just four residents

The remote South Australian town of Cook was once home to a thriving population. Now, its ghosts outnumber its residents – until the train pulls in.

  • Riley Wilson