I've now spent 5 years exploring this massive amazing country and we're in the early stages of our Rusty Compass Australia independent, cultural travel guides.
We now have an extensive and growing list of things to do in Sydney - check it out here. We also have a bunch of travel videos from across Australia with lots more in the pipeline in 2026.
I've been planning to do Rusty Compass in Australia for years. I've long believed there is an opening for the Rusty Compass style and community. As AI is used by big tech to trash travel, the need for homespun authentic travel advice is greater than ever.
Australia is a spectacular place. Nature has been kind. Nature's gifts were well cared for by First Nations Peoples for 60,000 years. White man's record over the past 200 years since colonisation, has been patchy. But the breathtaking natural beauty of this place is still accessible to everyone.
Australia doesn't really position itself as a nation of compelling stories. Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, The Barrier Reef, Uluru and other natural marvels dominate Australia's tourism marketing. But Australia is also a nation of huge stories. Like everywhere, they're good and not so good, but the more you get to know Australia, the more fascinating Australia becomes. That fascination imbues everything we do.
The worst excesses of decades of climate denial and crimes against Australia's rich and diverse natural habitat are slowly being wound back. It's a long and tough road and Australia is still a fossil fuel powerhouse. The forces driving eco-devastation are the best funded and most powerful in the country. It takes a brave government and brave people to stand up to them. American friends will note Murdoch toxicity is active here too - it has proven less effective. But the battle for facts, science and integrity rages. Despite its pervasiveness, Murdoch toxicity is somewhat checked by our democratic system. The power is very real though and the complicated political currents that are in play globally are impacting Australia too.
Australia's historical stories are compelling - from the extraordinary ancient Indigenous civilisation, to the brutality and dispossession of the founding of the British prison colony, to the transformation to a prosperous, diverse, liberal democracy. Many wounds remain unhealed and many of the officially propagated vices of the colonial arrival have proven hard to expunge. The stories are as big as the land.
I've spent decades thinking about Australia and 5 years re-exploring it up close - immersing myself in history as well as the many quirks of the modern nation. I've also spent a lot of time thinking about my own time and upbringing here in Sydney's West.
My decades abroad give me the privilege of viewing Australia as an outsider. That's something that will come in very handy as I expand Rusty Compass across the country. I hope to bring a unique view to this travel guide, as a somewhat estranged native returning home.
If Australia's stories interest you, check our Sydney walking tours here.
This guide is evolving in stages with an initial primary focus on Sydney.
Check out our independent travel guide to Sydney here.
THESE PAGES ARE ALWAYS IN DEVELOPMENT, COME BACK AND SEE US SOON FOR MORE AND SEND US YOUR SUGGESTIONS
Twitter: @rustycompass
Rusty Compass is an independent travel guide. We’re focused on providing you with quality, unbiased, travel information. That means we don't receive payments in exchange for listings and mostly pay our own way. We’d like tourism to be a positive economic, environmental and cultural force and we believe travellers deserve disclosure from publishers. Spread the word about Rusty Compass, and if you're in Saigon, pop in to The Old Compass Cafe and say hi. It’s our home right downtown on Pasteur St. You can also check out our unique tours of Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney at www.oldcompasstravel.com Make a financial contribution using the link below. Even small amounts make a difference. Thanks and travel well!