Surfing has to be up there as one of the greatest things in the world to travel to. No matter where in the world you are – be it Europe, the Americas or back home Down Under – there’s bound to be a gnarly beach ‘nearby’ that is worth heading to.

REVIEW | We’ve all got a chequered Australian past. But could yours destroy your life?

When KARL MATHIESEN was asked to interview Jonathan LaPaglia, one of the stars of the new Australian drama series The Slap, little did he realise that it would result in a profound consideration of contemporary Australian culture.

Did you hear the one about the Kiwi who was so cheap he decided to row home from Australia?

This week’s decision by the Gillard government to ditch laws that discriminate between asylum-seekers coming to Australia by sea and those who come through airports could be the first step on the government’s road to redemption – even if they took it for the wrong reasons.