Fiona McIntosh returns to England in search of new stories

Well, most of you know I've been to the UK recently. I wanted to get life going again after the couple of years of uncertainty and waiting. I wasn't in London for much more than a few hours. This photo was snapped, waiting at lights, on my way to Heathrow Airport to come home but I was so thrilled to see Big Ben looking clean and majestic after years under scaffolding and wraps.

What's Cooler than Coolamon? We revisit the NSW Riverina

While our international borders were closed, I racked up many thousands of kilometres crisscrossing the country and exploring roads and regions that have escaped me over the years.

Historic Australian Pubs and Hotels

One of my nerdy pastimes is to photgraph old and historic Australian pubs. Yeah, I know, some people like churches, and I get that, but I'm not particularly religious and I prefer a lager over a sermon any day.

And because I travel on the road a lot, I get to see a lot of pubs. I sometimes stop for a drink or a meal, sometimes I stay overnight. What enthrals me about old Aussie pubs is the stories that have been told around these bars and the histories attached to these buildings.

I'd love you to join me and share any yarns you have about old Aussie pubs and hotels. Were you a publican? Did you grow up in a hotel with parents who were? Did you buy an old hotel and restore it as a new home. Please share.

Below is a continually updated slideshow of hotels I have visited. Some I've just driven past or found on a lonely country road - others I've spent some time in.

Read more with these great books. 

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Overland Corner Hotel - oldest pub on the Murray River

This classic colonial inn, reputedly the oldest surviving hotel to be built along the Murray River, has had a colourful past, hosting patrons ranging from bushrangers to ghosts.

Argyle Emporium - the haunted old Goulburn police station

Ghost Among the Books

Once upon a time these halls and walls echoed to the sounds of shackles and handcuffs accompanied by the cruel shouts of the jailers. Today it’s deathly quiet, the silence only interrupted by a few quiet footsteps, some muted conversations and the muffled turning of pages as eager fingers riffle through an intriguing volume.

Land's End: Eyre Highway to Head of Bight

The Eyre Highway from Ceduna to Head of Bight is so flat you can see the curvature of the Earth.

Words: Kris Madden

A fiery ball of yellow at the end of the road transforms the flat, A treeless, bluebush-studded landscape into an upside-down replica of the Aboriginal flag. We're driving from Ceduna to the Head of Bight along a section of the Eyre Highway, and I'm feeling hypnotised by the long, straight road, which is the only thing ahead of us as far as the eye can see.