What better way to commemorate a Good Friday show than by talking about Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean near Chile, and Christmas Island, an Australian territory located in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia.
Both these islands were named after the days they were discovered by European explorers.
Each is utterly unique.
Listen to find out more about Easter and Christmas Islands.
My wife and I recently enjoyed a long tour of Europe. We arranged it ourselves, and decided that in order to see much of Europe we should travel by train. The trains in Europe are fantastic, and we only travelled during the day so that we could enjoy as much of the countryside side as possible. As it turned out, we caught 22 intercity trains. We had a Eurail Pass, which was invaluable as it gave us great flexibility, and a Swiss Travel Pass when we spent some time in Switzerland. Travelling by rail through Europe is a fantastic adventure.
Travelling around Europe by rail, and using your Eurail Pass and Swiss Travel Pass.
We had a brilliant time in Zermatt, Switzerland. This mountain village is famous for having the best views of The Matterhorn. The village itself is very pretty. Only electric cars are allowed in the town, so you don’t get any traffic noise. The main for visiting Zermatt are for skiing and for taking the three cable cars to the Glacier Palace, which is located at a height of over 3,000 metres. The Gornergrat cog railway is also a great experience, and the views from the train are spectacular.
China is one of the most fascinating countries on Earth. With a population of over 1.4 billion, and a history going back thousands of years, China is full of surprises. Climbing the Great Wall, visiting the Forbidden City, enjoying the overwhelming site of the Entombed Warriors, and just wandering through this mass of humanity is a great experience. In this episode of Australia Overnight, we introduce you to one of the world’s most misunderstood countries.
In this episode of Australia Overnight with Tony McManus that’s syndicated through radio 3AW Melbourne, we chat about China
I have visited the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona twice. The first time in 1977, and then in 2025.
The first time the site was covered with cranes and although it was fascinating, you really couldn’t get a grasp of just how spectacular this building is.
In 2025 just one crane remained, and the building is almost complete.
The exterior is absolutely stunning, but the interior is simply magnificent. The architect, Antoni Gaudi has used natural light, which shines through hundreds of panes of coloured glass, to give the building an ephemeral effect that is absolutely breathtaking.
If you visit Barcelona a visit to the Sagrada Família should be No. 1 on your bucket list.
Click the link to watch the TikTok video:
Gnomesville is located in the Ferguson Valley in the Southwest of Western Australia, at the corner of Wellington Mill Rd & Ferguson Rd, Wellington Mill.
It’s basically a village that is comprised completely of gnomes.
It’s a collective artwork created by thousands of anonymous contributors, constantly evolving, and full of personality. You can add your own gnomes if you wish, or just enjoy the work of other contributors.
Visiting Gnomesville makes you feel good. It has a wonderful variety of gnomes, and their stories are quite enchanting.
Gnomesville is about a two-hour drive south of Perth, but it’s not on a main road, so it can take a bit of finding.
Click on link to listen:
The Northern Territory is Australia’s true outback. Located in the far North of the country it has just two seasons – the wet and the dry. The Daly Waters Pub is about a five hour drive south of the Northern Territory’s capital city Darwin. This is probably one of the world’s quirkiest pubs, and a very entertaining and interesting place to visit.
Western Australia has over 3,500 beaches (Yes, that is correct as WA has 12,500 kms of coastline [7,770 miles]). Jurien Bay is about a two and a half hour drive north of the capital city Perth. This video shows you how delightful it really is.
Here is the audio of one of my regular broadcasts on Tony McManus’s Australia Overnight that is broadcast on Melbourne’s 3AW and syndicated to a number of other radio stations.
Sabah and Sarawak are two Malaysian states that are located on the island of Borneo, which is the world’s third largest island, and a very interesting place. These two Malaysian states both feature beautiful beaches, magnificent rainforests, historic cities, adventure and some amazing experiences.
Both of these Malaysian states are fascinating places to visit if you like destinations that are absolutely unique and astoundingly beautiful.
Lake Como
My wife and I really enjoyed staying in the town of Lecco, which is a town on the shores of Lake Como, Italy’s best-known lake. From Lecco we cruised Lake Como to the tourist town of Bellagio. With its narrow streets, steep stairs and interesting shops, Bellagio also has great views of Lake Como. The ferry trip to and from Bellagio was a really beautiful trip, one which we’ll remember for years to come.</p>
Here is my appearances on Fred Mafrica’s The Couch: