Steven Raidis at Raidis Estate in Coonawarra, South Australia invited me to hold an exhibition in his Cellar Door as a part of the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival on May 6-9. I made the decision to focus on the isolated Xinjiang province of north western China.

Raidis Estate is well known regionally for exceptional wine served with traditional greek food, and MedEast will combine photography with Fassoulada soup and Mezze platters from the Mediterranean.

I listed a Top 5 Destinations from my travels around the world, but one spot I neglected to include was a pretty important one; home.

South East South Australia was home for 17 years and before moving to London I got the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks back there in the sun.

The Nude Olympics. And not in Athens, but at the beautiful Masiln Beach, just a 30 minute drive south of Adelaide. I have seen many things travelling, but sometimes the quirkiest things are in your own backyard. For some, sadly, the event hasn’t been held for the last three years due to a lack of volunteers to stage it – time for intrepid travellers to help out! ***Please note there is some nudity, but it’s pretty tasteful.***

One of the last jobs I completed in Australia before I moved overseas was the Tour Down Under cycling race in Adelaide. The race is starting again with a criterium in Adelaide on Sunday and I’ll be tuning into my TV in London to see what happens.

My tip for this years race is 2008 champ German Andre Greipel for the overall honours, with RadioShack working hard for Lance to win a stage. I’ve released a gallery of images from the 2009 race for you to have a look at.

As the numbers on the distance marker on the Dukes Highway to Adelaide tumbles the reality of my departure is slowly absorbed. That and the fabulous little countdown widget on my mac which indicates hours rather than days till I get on Qantas flight QF97 to Hong Kong.
I’ve been working as a professional editorial photographer for a relatively short time; five years, but in that time I’ve had an exhilarating career, covering The Ashes cricket, AFL Grand Finals, PGA Golf, Federal Elections, ATP Tennis, music festivals, motor racing, Asian Champions …

On the 9th of February I had the privilege of being the photographer for Kim & Parish. They had such a relaxed and fun wedding at Cafe Salsa at West Beach.