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The Rubicon Heritage Trail
The Rubicon Heritage Trail is a peaceful weekend escape tucked away in Victoria’s Rubicon Valley, about two hours northeast of Melbourne. At just a few hours long, it’s the kind of walk that feels rewarding without requiring too much effort. The trail follows old narrow-gauge tramlines and aqueducts, winding through lush Mountain Ash forests and…
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Black Bluff: It never gets easier
Black Bluff and I have a long history. It’s the kind of climb that sticks with you—not just because of its eye candy natural views or its place in Tasmania’s ominous Penguin Cradle Trail, but because it humbles anyone who dares climb it. I’ve hiked it three times now, and it hasn’t gotten any easier.…
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Review: William Dalrymple’s The Golden Road
William Dalrymple’s The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World is a monumental work of scholarship that seeks to recentre India’s role in global history, dismantling long-held Eurocentric narratives. While ambitious in scope and rich in detail, the book’s dense academic approach may prove challenging for casual readers, particularly those drawn to the more urgent contemporary…
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AI in Higher Education Symposium Review (Sydney, 7 February, 2025)
Here is a review of the AI in Higher Education Symposium at the University of Sydney on Friday, February 7, 2025. These are all the sessions that I attended (and there were lots!). I have incorporated the information from my notes and the conference program and used NotebookLM to assist in the compilation. Introduction The…
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Review: The TEQSA toolkit on generative AI strategies for Australian higher education
The TEQSA toolkit on generative AI strategies for Australian higher education, released in November 2024, provides a comprehensive framework for institutions navigating the challenges and opportunities of AI integration. This emerging practice guide addresses three critical dimensions: Process, People, and Practice. The toolkit emerges from TEQSA’s June 2024 request for institutional action plans addressing gen…
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A Boxing Day escape to Lismore
The long inland route from Melbourne to Lismore has become a ritual, especially during Christmas when coastal routes transform into parking lots of misguided hedonists. Boxing Day found us at the Star Lodge in Narrandera, a grand railway hotel constructed in 1916. The two-storied red brick building dominates its corner site with substantial double-storey verandahs…
