Over here in Western Australia we have successfully managed to keep the state free of COVID-19. But in order to do so, we have had to cut ourselves off - not just from the world, but from the rest of the country too. Luckily for Western Australians, this beautiful State we call home is full of amazing things to see and do.

Described by Lonely Planet as “a wonderful mess”, Valparaiso is certainly one of Chile’s most unusual cities. But that’s a big part of its charm. Just a 90-minute drive from Santiago, it’s an ideal destination for a day trip.

For travellers looking for an exciting South American adventure, Chile’s capital city has become a very popular destination in recent years. While Santiago has long since served as the gateway to the country for most visitors, its appealing cosmopolitan culture does a wonderful job of enticing tourists to stick around to see what this incredible city has to offer.

For much of the world, the South Pacific is almost impossibly far-flung, and it can take a prohibitive amount of time and money to get to. Luckily for us in Australia, they are among our closest neighbours.

The Margaret River region has recently been named Wotif’s top 10 Aussie towns for 2020. So it is timely for me to share some of the best nature sites of the region.

Everyone who visits Peru goes to Machu Picchu at some point. For many people it is the main reason for visiting the country. It is without doubt one of the most recognisable places in the world, and one of the most photographed. It is considered to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, as it is one of the most significant pieces of human patrimony.

We had just taken in Cusco, their empire's capital, and were planning to make our way to Machu Picchu. It was tempting to head straight there, but between these two sites is a place nobody should miss. The Sacred Valley of Urubamba was one of the Inca's most important places and, as such, it has a particularly high number of impressive ruins. We decided to take a day taking in the sites of the valley.

Christmas in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland, truly feels like stepping into Santa Claus' world. The snow drapes everything in white softness and Christmas illuminations light up the streets.

Cuscos was the capital of the once sprawling Inca Empire, the city is very much a living city, not just an open air museum.

The Andes are, without question, among the most dramatic places on earth. Stretching like a spine from the southern tip of the South American continent all the way to Colombia in its very north, they are the world’s longest and its second highest mountain range.

I had always loved beautiful images and found natural landscapes inspiring, but in my home country of Malaysia I had never really thought about making them myself. When I arrived into Perth, Western Australia more than a decade ago I found myself in a very different landscape – one that I couldn’t resist photographing.

Tasmania is famous for its stunning waters embedded in magnificent rainforests and national parks. There are 230 known waterfalls in this island State. This famous Wilderness World Heritage Area is a landscape photographer’s haven.

The Danish capital is often overlooked considering the famous alternatives in neighbouring countries. Images of Paris, Berlin or Amsterdam are instantly recognisable to most, yet the same cannot be said of Copenhagen. Those cities top many must visit destination lists but if you are in the area, then you should seriously consider visiting Copenhagen.

Many people have the impression that being a landscape photographer is a glamorous career choice. It is perceived as a chilled out job with lots of travelling and plenty of opportunities for fun and adventure. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth because it can be one of the most challenging and stressful jobs. Yet at the same time being a landscape photographer can also be a rewarding career. I have compiled a list of top tips and advice for wannabe landscape photographers, based on my own experience.

My second article for Freo Pages has recently been published. Sunrises and sunsets was the theme of my latest piece. I’ve always enjoyed photographing the natural landscape, and I’m particularly interested in the magic of sunrises and sunsets.

While Milford Sound attracts the majority of visitors, having now seen both I had come to the conclusion that I prefer Doubtful Sound. It is no less spectacular, and as Milford Sound draws most of the tourists it is more peaceful and less crowded. Measuring roughly forty kilometres, and with several different arms, we could have easily spent more exploring all its nooks and crannies. The relative lack of people also lets it retain its lonely charm and adds to the feeling that you have reached the end of the world.

As a photographer I love exploring my own backyard. I was recently asked by the editor of Freo Pages, an online community magazine, to contribute an article and to share some of my photographic work. So I made a few trips to Fremantle to take a series of photographs for publication.

We had already seen snow on the Duffers Saddle, but the glaciers of the West Coast region promised to provide an even more exciting winter experience.

The mountains of New Zealand’s South Island have caught the eye of travellers from across the world in recent decades. Running down the island like a spine, they are one of the world’s best examples of pristine mountain scenery, rivalling the Alps and the Rockies. The peaks are interspersed with fjords, lakes and pine forests while quaint little towns nestle in whatever flat space they can find.

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city. But with less than 300,000 people living within the city limits, it had a nice small town charm, which we weren’t expecting. Nicknamed ‘the capital of the fjords’, Bergen sits hemmed in between the surrounding mountains and the Byforden.

We had just spent an enjoyable couple of days in Oslo, soaking up the atmosphere of Norway’s fascinating capital. Without question, seeing the history of the country embodied in the old buildings, and getting the full New Year’s experience surrounded by people in such a special place was truly unforgettable. But now we were eager to see and explore some of Norway’s famous natural attractions.

Scandinavia is a part of the world which captivates me. It is a land of dramatic scenery, rich history and mysterious folklore. It’s rugged, windswept landscapes couldn’t be much less like the arid expanses of Western Australian that I call home, and they also make it a photographer’s dream. Having already been enchanted by Finland, Iceland and Sweden, I was excited to see what Norway had to offer.

I had been in Japan for a while now, and had enjoyed visiting Kamakura, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Yokohama. My final stop however, was one which everyone has heard of – and one which I was excited to visit again. Japan’s capital, Tokyo, known across the world as a sprawling, futuristic hive of activity and one of the biggest cities in the world.

For someone who lives in sunny Perth, Australia, it’s been a long held dream of mine to spend a white Christmas somewhere in the northern hemisphere. Prior to my visit, I pictured Iceland to be a very cold country with frozen landscapes, snow-covered peaks, black sand beaches and sky scraping geysers. But this magical island country in the North Atlantic Ocean has a lot more to offer than what I initially imagined.

Kamakura is one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations thanks to its long history and coastal location. There is an abundance of things to see in and around the city, and it has a reputation for having a relaxed atmosphere.

Having spent some time in Osaka and Nara, I hopped onto the Kintetsu Rail and travelled a short distance inland to the city of Kyoto. I was excited to reach Kyoto, a city steeped in history, and home to many fascinating and photogenic attractions scattered around the metropolitan area. Kyoto is also renowned for being one of the best places in the country to see Japanese cherry blossom.

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to visit Japan during cherry blossom season. Every year, from February to early May, parts of the country explode with pink as the native cherry trees start to blossom. My imagination captured by the evocative fairy tale images of this natural event, I finally got the chance to visit Japan last year, when I organised a trip during Easter, to see the cherry trees in full bloom.

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting one of the cleanest and most unspoiled destinations in the world - Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Finland. In this beautiful icy wonderland the air was so crisp and cold I could feel it deep down in my lungs and the water is so pure you could drink it straight from the streams. When the sun rose, the blanket of white snow reflected the pinkish glow of the horizon.

I hadn’t planned to go to Stockholm on my trip around the Nordic countries, but circumstances saw me over there anyway. We had spent two days and two nights in Stockholm and had been pleasantly surprised by it. The city is clean and organised, and the people are very friendly.