EXPLORE Most Read Articles on ZINIO

IT WAS JUST past noon on a sunny Saturday last August when longtime fishing buddies Jacob Bell and Craig McDonald decided to call it a day. Since 6:30 that morning, they’d been fishing from Bell’s 18-foot aluminum runabout on Texas’s Lake Waxahachie, about a half hour south of Dallas. Trolling for bass and lazily drifting from Bell’s vintage boat, they’d landed a half dozen keepers. “Not a bad day’s work,” Bell told McDonald as he steered the runabout to the boat ramp where Bell’s truck and boat trailer were parked. As he dropped off McDonald, Bell heard screaming coming from the lake, some 50 yards offshore. He sped in his boat toward the scene, where he saw a girl, had to be around 13, hollering and waving an arm. She…

BRING ON THE BEGONIAS Ballarat’s three-day Begonia Festival over Victoria’s Labour Day long weekend (March 9–11) will once more be taking over the city’s Botanical Gardens. The Conservatory will be displaying its collection of rare begonia specimens, as well as paying homage to the recently reconstructed Ballarat Botanical Gardens Fernery, one of the oldest ferneries in the country. Guest speakers include ABC Gardening Australia’s begonia enthusiast Jerry Coleby-Williams and sustainability leader Hannah Moloney, as well as River Cottage host and chef Paul West. Add to that Monday’s community-led Begonia Parade, all manner of family-friendly entertainment, market stalls and food trucks, and you might find the long weekend is not long enough! ballaratbegoniafestival.com Melbourne in bloom This year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS) is set to be a cracker.…

WHAT IF THERE was a kind of food that tasted delicious, came in thousands of varieties, could be eaten raw or cooked in an endless number of ways, and helped prevent most of the major diseases killing Australians? Well, this kind of food does exist—it’s fruits and vegetables! Given these facts, the real question is, why are only 6 out of every 100 Australians eating the recommended daily amounts of these natural wonders? Plenty of people have grown up never eating healthy foods, says Marion Nestle, PhD, who is an author, nutritionist and molecular biologist, who specialises in food studies. Or they may not know how much to aim for. The Australian Dietary Guidelines currently recommend two servings of fruit and at least three servings of vegetables each day. A…

HARD DRIVES ON BACKORDER FOR TWO YEARS AI data centres trigger HDD shortage. The race to achieve AGI (artificial general intelligence) has pushed constituents to invest in and build data centres at a pace far outstripping our ability to make them. The DRAM shortage is proof of this. Now storage is taking a hit, with delivery times for enterprise-grade HDDs currently delayed by two years. That means if a firm wants to buy large-capacity hard drives, the backbone of nearline storage, it has to wait 24 months due to long lead times. As the news cycle suggests, AI money doesn’t wait for anyone, so hyperscalers are now switching to QLC NAND-based SSDs to avoid these backorders. This could lead to consumer SSD prices rising worldwide, as most value-oriented models use…

WHEN HURRICANE HELENE barreled toward Florida’s west coast on Sept. 26, 2024, authorities ordered the evacuation of the small community of Indian Rocks Beach, located on a barrier island just 7 to 10 feet above sea level. But with the Category 4 storm forecast to miss them by more than 100 miles, many residents, including surf instructor Marty Thomas, 52, stayed put. Then, just before nightfall, with the power to the island cut off, a massive storm surge breached the town’s seawalls, dumping water into the streets. Thomas watched it grow from nothing to ankle high in minutes. He rushed to warn his neighbors in the single-story, six-unit complex where he lived. Thomas’s neighbors Mike Moran and his girlfriend, Heather Boles, began loading their dog and three cats as well…

OVERALL WINNER AND WINNER LANDSCAPE JASON KEELER @eye_kaptured REDUCTION BURN JASON Keeler’s dynamic and evocative Photographer of the Year winning series wowed our judges by doing one thing all great imagery must do – put the viewer right into the action. New Zealand-born and now based in Queensland, Keeler has previously been recognised in our sister competition, The Landscape Awards. The predominantly self-taught photographer has continued to refine his eye since that earlier win. For Reduction Burn, Keeler focused on a subject familiar to many Australians. “Travelling home late one evening, I was lucky to come across a reduction burn,” he explains. “I pulled up, grabbed my camera and tripod, and jumped out as the Rural Fire team monitored the burn. My jandals and feet were quickly blackened as I got…

OMID’S BOMBSHELL BOOK PRINCE ANDREW The one thing the royal family might all agree on is that the Duke of York, 63, is a problem. The shocking allegations of sexual misconduct caused a firestorm of controversy for The Firm. Omid Scobie writes that King Charles would “lay awake worrying about his brother” and how best to deal with the fallout. He also claims Prince William was the one “pushing to strip Andrew of his roles and status” without any hesitation. “Someone needed to be the firm hand in that situation, and he felt the family [was] being too soft,” Omid quotes a source close to William. “The whole thing was casting a long shadow over the entire institution… over all of them.” DUCHESS MEGHAN Naturally, Omid, who the UK press…

THE DAY THAT SUKI PADDINGTON MOVED from Melbourne to rural Tasmania with her husband, Kevin Cho, was a bittersweet one. The newlyweds had been excited about moving into their first home – a cosy 1950s cottage, just 20 minutes from Hobart, with “beautiful ocean views”. But just 24 hours earlier, Suki’s mum and best friend, Margy Grieve, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. “Everything changed,” Suki says. “I didn’t want to leave Melbourne. I wanted to rent the Tassie house out and stay with Mum. Because she was such a kind person, she said, ‘No, it’s your home, I want you to live in it. I want you to start your journey and I’m not going to hold you back.’” Suki and Kevin boarded the Spirit of Tasmania with heavy hearts,…

Well, Andrew, I grew up in Griffith, so it’s always good to hear from people in the Riverina. I love your question as you’ve given me quite a lot of detail, meaning I can give you a better answer. I also enjoyed your sense of humour regarding one of the most awful financial assets, a car. First, I want to congratulate you on how you have articulated your financial position. It might work better if I send you my details and you can advise me! Seriously, though, you’ve done a great job. I particularly like the important finetuning, such as insurance to protect your girls and yourself, as well as the smaller things such as the Raiz account. You are all over the big stuff: maxing super contributions, a $1000…

On 1 September 1939, Post Office engineer Tommy Flowers found himself in Berlin to take part in a European conference about telephone systems. Germany invaded Poland the same day. Flowers and a fellow British delegate went to the British embassy to let them know where they were staying. “The young man at the embassy... looked at us and said, ‘You people must be mad, there’s going to be a war in a few days’,” Flowers said in 1998. “Which surprised us a bit.” The British duo spent the next day with their German counterparts on the committee, trying to play it cool, but the next morning the embassy called to say they had to catch the next train out or else. A tense eight-hour journey through Germany followed, but the…

Your home is full of objects waiting in the wings for their second act. From clever upcycling ideas to simply finding a use beyond chucking it into the bin, these ideas come direct from our team – so they’re tried and tested! Ready to see things differently? Here’s how the BHG team reinvents and reimagines the everyday, one onion peel or old T-shirt at a time. In the garden 1 Eggshells for tomatoes I like to wash and save eggshells to crush into a fine powder and sprinkle on the soil when planting tomatoes. While it can take a while for the calcium to break down, I’ve been able to grow abundant cherry tomato plants that have tripled in size since using this technique – and what’s more, in the…

Surviving 50 years in the caravan industry is no mean feat and Royal Flair managing director, Billy Deralas, believes that innovation, customer relationships and an unwavering commitment to quality over quantity are among the key ingredients to the company’s success. ROYAL FLAIR’S GROWTH The business was established by his father Peter Deralas in 1975 as New Home Caravans in Reservoir, Victoria. In the early 1980s, Peter moved the business to Campbellfield, at a time when there were only about eight other caravan builders in the outer north suburb of Melbourne. He renamed the business Royal Flair in 1990. By 2010, the number of manufacturers in the new Victorian mecca of van building had swelled to about 100 and Royal Flair had to start thinking outside the box, producing family and…

EVER SINCE its local release in 2021, the Genesis GV70 premium mid-size SUV has impressed with its luxury feel. And while it’s the backbone of the brand’s global sales, in Australia Genesis’ sales have been modest so far. Now it’s embarked on a period of new or refreshed product over the next few years, with the refreshed GV70 premium mid-size SUV one of the first. Pricing starts at $78,700 plus on-road costs for the entry-level model and three models are available: base Advanced (2.5T only), mid-spec Signature and top-spec Signature Sport. The least expensiveV6 asks $98,200 +ORC and the top-spec 3.5T Signature Sport we tested is $100,200 +ORC. While that’s not cheap, the GV70’s value is obvious: the BMW X3 M50 it competes against asks $128,900 +ORC and then you…

Since the shock announcement of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s divorce last week, the world has been waiting with bated breath. What could have possibly gone wrong in one of Hollywood’s seemingly strongest marriages? Well, according to sources within their inner camp, it seems it hasn’t only been their family, friends and fans who’ve been left blindsided – it’s Nicole herself. “She has so many questions and not enough answers and she’s seeking a face-to-face with Keith in Nashville,” spills our insider. “She’s completely confused and can’t believe this person, this very special confidante, has not only gone AWOL in her life, but has been hiding secrets from her.” The source adds, “He’s only communicating through his lawyer and it’s led to frustration and a sense of betrayal.” THE GIRLS…

The multi-award-winning Kokoda Caravans is going through its biggest raison d’être since its inception in 2011. Under the leadership of Trevor Price and Price family ownership since 2019, the household brand has refocused its ranges to be more cutting edge, extreme and more capable while also bringing manufacturing in-house — a change necessitated to get the exacting quality Trevor demands of the company. Bringing manufacturing in-house is a major pivot from what the company once was: a brand without a factory that used contract builders to manufacture to order. I feel this was one of the major drivers of the eventual sale of the brand to the Price family in 2011. Having someone else do the hard work led to, let's say, challenges in quality control and adaptability to change.…

It started with a stair runner. Kathryn had fallen in love with one she’d seen online – Hartley & Tissier, laid with precision on a staircase in a home designed by The Classic Outfitter – and knew it would be perfect in her house. “I hadn’t appreciated how difficult it would be to lay on the curves of our staircase,” she says with a laugh. “But the installer did a fantastic job.” That attention to detail echoes throughout this refreshed harbourside home, where Kathryn lives with her husband and their two young children – Sophie, four, and Alexander, two. What was meant to be a quick kitchen and bathroom update soon evolved into something bigger. “A new build might have been easier!” jokes Kathryn. Though the original bones and structure…

ON THE CUSP OF THE last month of the year, in that wrinkle of time before Christmas is really upon us, I am allowing myself a moment to stand still. It’s been a year of change. The farm sold. All the trauma of uprooting ourselves from a place we loved means I’m both twinged with homesickness and loving the process of learning this new place. My other loss is more personal. This is the second column I’ve written without the reassuring presence of my black labrador snoring under my desk. After 16 years of being only a dropped hand away, she went downhill very suddenly a few months ago. It was at the time when the rain would not stop falling and the wind blew over all the trees and…

It was a reportedly $6 million once-in-a-lifetime trip to Colombia with the red carpet rolled out for Prince Harry and wife Duchess Meghan. But the 39-year-old father-of-two couldn’t have looked less enthused to be spending four luxurious days in the spectacular South American country. FAR FROM HOME While Meghan, 43, salsa danced the days away with a huge grin on her face, Harry was pictured at the sideline looking lost in thought and glum, as if he wished he were elsewhere. And according to an insider that is exactly the case for the prince, who was preoccupied with thoughts of his son Prince Archie, five, who was due to start school in California just a few days after the couple arrived back to Montecito. “Harry’s tendency to leave most of…

PENELOPE ROBERTSHAW Bondi surfer EDITOR’S COMMENT Penelope Robertshaw says this shot from inside the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach was captured during a light rainfall. “This surfer gifted me with a striking foreground subject for the beach and headland beyond,” she says. What we liked about Penelope’s image was how she not only captured a busy beach setting, but also drew our attention to the young surfer surveying the scene, presumably before heading down to the water. There is a hint of apprehension in her expression perhaps, but also a quiet confidence. That mix of emotion adds depth to the moment and brings something different to the frame. TECHNICAL DETAILS Nikon Z7 II, NIKKOR Z 24 mm f/1.8 S lens. 1/800s @f10, ISO 640. LLEYTON MUNDT Brighton sand EDITOR’S COMMENT…

PREMIERE PARTY Enjoying her first trip to Australia after her split from Hugh Jackman, Deborra-lee Furness was beaming as she walked the red carpet at the Sydney premiere of her new movie Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 alongside her co-stars, including leading man Eric Bana. “Deb looks like someone with a new lease on life!” commented one fan online. And what about a new love? PERFECT COUPLE? Filmgoers couldn’t help but notice a buzz on the red carpet between Deb, 68, and her longtime friend, TV presenter Richard Wilkins. While they’re both industry professionals, one friend of Dickie’s who was at the event said the chemistry between the pair was obvious. “It suddenly clicked that they’d make the perfect couple,” says the source. “I think Richard and [Deb] would…

We would love to hear from you. There's a great prize for the best letter each issue and tell us what you think, where you've been, or ask any questions you have about the caravanning lifestyle. Email us at team@caravanworldmag.com for the chance to win. LETTER OF THE MONTH Hi John, My top travel tip is to make a list of things to do and to pack. We start this a few weeks before we go, and I've found that this ensures I have all bases covered and don't miss anything. I keep the latest list and update it if I want to add something for the next trip. It can make a huge difference in ensuring a smooth journey and an enjoyable holiday. Mike Boje A Hi Mike I love…

Laundry might not be the first thing you think about when dreaming of life on the road, but when you're living full-time in a caravan, keeping your clothes (and bedding) clean becomes part of the weekly rhythm. Whether we're parked up in a caravan park, off-grid for weeks at a time, or road-tripping in just the truck, we've figured out what works–and what definitely doesn't. Here's how we keep our clothes (and bedding) clean while travelling full-time around Australia. OUR ONBOARD WASHING SETUP In our current caravan, we've got a 3kg wall-mounted front-loading washer/dryer combo. It's compact, efficient, and installed correctly, so it's whisper-quiet–even on the spin cycle. Of course, you'll feel a little more movement when you're washing heavier items like towels, but overall, it's very smooth. While off-grid,…

HELLO, GORGEOUS The next step in Polestar’s lineup was revealed in Germany, with the stunning 5 low-slung grand tourer set to go on sale globally in 2026. Making up to 650kW of power and 1015Nm of torque, the 5 sprints to 100km/h in as little as 3.2 seconds. It sits on a bonded aluminium platform and was developed in the UK, and uses a 112kWh battery for up to 670km WLTP range. the Wrap LIMITED EDITION FORD EVERESTADDED TO LINEUP Ford Australia has plugged a gap in its Everest large SUV lineup with a new limited edition 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-wheel drive variant of the secondfrom-top Sport model. Priced from $71,190 plus on-road costs, 700 examples of the Everest Sport Bi-Turbo 4x4 will be sold and all are also fitted with…

I’ve just spent a few days (and it does take a few days) wandering around the recent NSW Caravan Camping Holiday Supershow. For the most part, the weather was kind, but there were a couple of days when being inside a building or tent was an advantage. While checking up on something else, I came across a 2011 Victorian caravan show report. There were several points of interest. For example, the price of a very upmarket, specialist caravan was a mere $141,250. For that same caravan today, given the ‘options’ that are now standard and the post-COVID price rises, you could add another $80,000 without too much trouble. In that same report the writer (not me, although it sounds like it) expressed concern that the caravan had an ATM approaching…

MAZDA OUTLINES REFRESH, DEBUTS NEW VEHICLES AT JAPAN MOBILITY Mazda’s presence at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show saw the unveiling of bold new concept vehicles – and the frank admission that parts of its current Australian model line-up require refreshing. On the concept front, Mazda revealed the Vision-X Compact (top) and Vision-X Coupe (right). The Compact is a city-oriented, five-door hatch concept that experiments with a significantly smaller footprint and advanced driver-association technologies. The Coupe builds on Mazda’s sporty credentials, featuring a sleek silhouette and design cues hinting at rotary or hybrid powertrain possibilities. Both concepts reflect Mazda’s “Joy of Driving Fuels a Sustainable Tomorrow” theme, and signal how the Hiroshima-based brand sees its design and mobility future unfolding. At the same time, Mazda Australia acknowledged that some existing models…

WHAT STARTED AS A SMALL COMMISSION to refresh some soft furnishings in a heritage home evolved into the complete overhaul of Myee, an 1880s double-fronted weatherboard cottage in Bowral, in the NSW Southern Highlands. “The initial visit was to help refresh the soft furnishings, but it ended up being a full-scale design project,” says interior designer Anna-Marie Bruechert from Beautiful Home Life. “I found myself with a very expanded brief that included everything from the joinery to the bespoke trim on the lampshades, and even a spa deck in the garden.” The storied four-bedroom property is situated in the heart of Old Bowral, just a block from the town’s heritage-listed Bradman Oval, on the traditional lands of the Gundungurra and Dharawal people. It has been home to the Santo family…

‘These past few years have been brutal for Charles’  At the last minute, just days ahead of Christmas, the Prince of Wales had to step away from his young family’s holiday festivities to dash overseas on an urgent trip – on behalf of his father, King Charles III. Prince William travelled to Kuwait to pay tribute to the Middle East nation’s late ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf, who died on December 16. But some are wondering why King Charles handballed such an important and diplomatically respectful task to his son. “Other monarchs, including King Felipe of Spain and King Abdullah of Jordan dropped everything to fly to Kuwait, so it was a little surprising that Charles didn’t make the trip himself,” a royal watcher tells New Idea. Now, our sources can…

It was just as Princess Anne was about to mark her 75th birthday in typically unshowy fashion that a ghost arose from her past. Fortified by a lifetime’s devotion to duty, the Princess Royal is a woman well-prepared for almost anything – except perhaps the return of the bizarre figure behind one of the most shocking events in modern royal history. On the night of March 20, 1974, as Anne and her then-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, were returning to Buckingham Palace in a chauffeured limousine, they were ambushed by Ian Ball, a 26-year-old gunman whose plan was to kidnap the princess, then demand a £3 million ransom from her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Four people, including Anne’s police bodyguard, were shot before the chance arrival on the scene of a…

“BEING ON THE BEACH IS FUNDAMENTAL to my life,” says artist Jo Victoria from her home and studio in Mossy Point, a laid-back hamlet on the South Coast of New South Wales. “It’s the beautiful light, the colours of the ocean, the direction of the wind, whether there are dolphins, whales or seals, or if the sea eagles are flying. I look for every little detail every day.” Her husband John, 67, surfs daily, but Jo is content walking along the shore with Olive, the couple’s lively two-year-old German shepherd-labrador cross. “Every day on the beach is a different experience. It calms my mind and connects me to deep time and something way bigger than me,” says Jo, 60. Jo’s connection to this landscape and its storied layers fuels her…

ADULTS TYPICALLY HAVE 206 bones and 350 joints, which are made of bones plus the tissues that hold the bones together: cartilage, tendons, ligaments and nerves. With so many moving parts working hard every day, it’s no wonder that many people experience pain, stiffness or soreness in one or more of these connections. The smallest joint in the body is in the ear, and while it plays a crucial role in hearing, most of us aren’t even aware it’s there. The largest joint is the knee. Knees and other large joints like hips, shoulders and elbows are the ones that tend to become painful. We’re often quick to blame joint pain or stiffness on getting older. But it’s not just older folks who experience joint pain. Athletes and just plain…

Last Christmas Eve, as the Prince and Princess of Wales stood in Westminster Abbey with their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, the carols they sang in celebration of those who had shown “love, empathy and kindness” would have soared to the vaulted ceiling with particular poignancy. The Royal couple were perhaps reflecting on the love and kindness that helped them endure the most “scary and unpredictable” year of their marriage as Catherine fought cancer. “It brings you face-to-face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you never considered before,” she had revealed. “And with that, a new perspective on everything.” In January this year, they shared a photo of Catherine looking happy, strong and officially in remission, along with a tender tribute from Prince William. “The strength you’ve shown…

Some people say the safest place to store passwords is in a notebook. After all, a pen and paper can’t be hacked. But in practice, writing down full login details for every website and app you use is a tedious task that’s not without risk. Many sites now insist you use long, complex passwords containing numbers and special characters, which leaves plenty of scope for error in your notebook jottings. Entering a ‘1’ instead of an ‘l’ or a ‘0’ instead of an ‘O’ will prevent you from accessing an online account. It’s therefore wiser to save your logins in a password manager, so you can fill in those username and password boxes automatically. The easiest option is to use the tool built into your web browser, such as Google…

FAMILY AND FRIENDS MEAN THE WORLD to Kirsty and Darren Porter, long-time residents of the Tweed Shire in New South Wales, on Bundjalung Country. This feeling is amplified at Christmas time, when loved ones f lock to the Round Mountain home the couple have spent five years making their own. “We’ll have 20 people at a long table on the verandah for Christmas lunch, and we’ll eat and drink and just spend time together. It’s my favourite day,” says Kirsty. The verandah hasn’t always framed the Porters’ three-bedroom, 1904-built Queenslander. In fact, the home hasn’t always sat on this 12-hectare slice of farmland that Darren’s family has owned for nearly five decades. “We purchased the land from Darren’s mum in 2018,” says Kirsty, 51, about the meaningful location where she…

Elvis Presley’s life is about to hit the big screen once again in Sofia Coppola’s upcoming biopic Priscilla. But this new take on the legendary singer’s life couldn’t be more different to Baz Luhrmann’s recent hit Elvis – and granddaughter Riley Keough is “not coping at all”. Leaked emails reveal her late mother Lisa Marie Presley was unhappy about the movie, calling the script “shockingly vengeful and contemptuous” and revealing how she feared the retelling of her parents’ meeting when Elvis was 24 and Priscilla just 14. In messages sent four months before her death, Lisa said she did not understand Sofia’s “need to attempt to take my father down on the heels of such an incredible film using the excuse that you are trying to tell my mother’s story,…

Royal security drama The recent break-in at Windsor Castle was enough to put an already stressed-out Prince William and Princess Catherine on edge, and that was before the security threat made global news. But it seems it’s King Charles to the rescue for worried son William, 42, and his young family – with the monarch offering up Clarence House as their temporary home while security is tightened up around the palace grounds. “The entire royal family are concerned by this break-in and the King’s not wasting any time issuing a full review of security and issuing appropriate upgrades,” a royal insider tells Woman’s Day. “But in the meantime, the biggest priority is the safety of William and his family. Charles is horrified that intruders were able to get…

In the years since Prince William and Prince Harry’s famous fallout, the one hope has always been that the brothers’ children won’t be dragged into their royal row, but all that’s set to change when Prince William, 43, ascends the throne. According to palace sleuths, he intends to strip Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan’s children Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, of their HRH titles in a bid to futureproof them from misusing them like their parents Harry and Meghan, who – despite agreeing to give them up when they decided to become non-working royals in 2020 – are still using them. ROYALS NO MORE “William believes Harry and Meghan have been using their titles for commercial gain, while doing none of the work that goes along with being…

JET ENGINE SHORTAGES THREATEN AI DATA CENTRE EXPANSION Hyperscalers race to buy every jet engine they can find. Faced with multi-year delays to secure energy grid connections, data centre developers have been racing to bolt ex-airliner turbine cores onto mobile generator trailers. These so-called aeroderivative gas turbines, long used in military and offshore energy, are now being ordered in bulk to deliver fast-start bridging power for hyperscale AI clusters, which face a deepening energy crunch. But the supply is running out. Siemens Energy said this year that more than 60% of its US gas turbine orders are now linked to AI data centres. GE Vernova is currently quoting 2028 or later for new industrial units, while Mitsubishi warns new turbine blocks ordered now may not ship until the 2030s. One…

Keen to downsize, Justine and Andrew sold their family home with a lengthy settlement of six months to allow plenty of time for them to find the next place. With just seven weeks left before this period was up, Justine found a four-bedroom home for sale 600 metres away in a beachside suburb of southern Sydney. “Andy was out surfing and by the time he came home, I was running out the door to see it,” recalls Justine. “We both saw the potential in it immediately.” The location held special significance for Justine and Andrew, who had previously owned a home on the same street when their two daughters were little. PLANNING PROCESS As soon as the place was theirs, Justine called her best friend Ky Drury, founder of interior…

BMW UNVEILS IX3 LAUNCHING NEUE KLASSE ERA At the IAA Mobility show in Munich in early September, BMW introduced the new all-electric iX3, the flagship model of its Neue Klasse platform. Offering up to 805 km of range (WLTP) and 400 kW superfast charging (enough for a 350 km boost in just 10 minutes), the iX3 sets new standards in electric efficiency and performance. It’s built in Hungary with a focus on sustainability – production powered by renewable energy and achieving a 42 per cent reduction in emissions compared to its predecessor. Loaded with AI-powered driving features and state-of-the-art computing, the iX3 will reach Australian roads mid-2026. the Wrap RAV4’S AUSSIE LINE-UP Toyota Australia has unveiled its local line-up for the sixth-generation RAV4 due mid-2026, introducing its first-ever Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV)…

Despite fierce competition from Amazon, Meta and TikTok, Google remains the most notorious tech company for invading its users’ privacy. It tracks you around the web, across your devices and even in the real world, collecting your data so its ‘partners’ can target you with personalised ads. In previous features, we’ve recommended ditching Google Search for more private search engines such as DuckDuckGo, and Chrome for a a less intrusive browser like Brave (or DuckDuckGo again). But what about other Google tools such as Gmail, Google Drive and Google Password Manager? These store sensitive data including your emails, personal files and passwords, but Google infamously doesn’t protect that data using end-to-end encryption. Although there are alternative tools that do, they can be tricky to master and you’ll need to switch…

I LIKE WINTER FOR its lack of snakes, for the promise of spring, for comfort food and firesides. I like a hot drink when I’m in from the cold. I like a long bath, and the way the winter sun hits my desk for most of the working day. And that’s about it. I don’t like much else about winter, which is a shame for a Tasmanian. I don’t enjoy the crisp air (‘crisp’ is just another word for cold and drying). I hate the early darkness and I don’t enjoy the layers and layers of clothes. I look silly in long boots, wool makes me itchy, hot wine is disgusting and don’t get me started on hot gin. I worry about our cows in the cold – their milk…

This Month MG QS Into the breach IN THE AUSTRALIAN market it’s been observed that without a large seven-seat SUV in your line-up, you may as well not bother selling cars given their enduring popularity. Until now, MG was one such brand but that’s now been fixed with the arrival of the new MG QS – launched with keen pricing, a spacious cabin and a long list of features to establish a foothold in the segment. For now, there are two QS models taking on the likes of the Toyota Kluger and Hyundai Santa Fe here: the entry-level Excite and upper-spec Essence, the latter of which is equipped with all-wheel drive. MG’s cabins have come a long way in just a few years. The new-generation ZS, for example, gives off…

Elite Paralympic Snowboarder, Sean Pollard, vividly recalls the exact moment that a 3.5 metre great white shark first ‘bumped’ his leg, on an overcast October day in 2014. What began as a blissful, solo-surfing session at one of his favourite beaches soon became a fight for survival - as a tag-team of volunteer first responders, ambulance personnel, hospital staff and the Royal Flying Doctor Service triaged and treated Sean’s catastrophic injuries. But it was also Sean’s incredible courage, stamina and resilience during the actual shark attack that day, that ultimately helped to save his life. Sean was given his first surfboard at the age of 8 and he quickly became obsessed with catching that next ‘big wave’. Sean, his mum and two younger brothers moved to Bunbury, Western Australia when…

INSIDE STORY Chyka & Bruce’s home Who lives here? Entertaining doyen, author and TV personality, Chyka Keebaugh, her husband Bruce and Cavoodle, Otto. They’re both founders of catering and events company The Big Group. Their adult children, Chessie, 31, and BJ, 29, are frequent visitors. How do you like to entertain? Chyka: “We love cocktail parties and dinner parties; we can comfortably seat about 12 people here.” Bruce: “Sometimes it’s nicer to have three or four people over for a beautiful lunch, so you can really connect. That said, I often end up inviting everybody.” Best styling tip? Chyka: “Move your decor around every couple of months. I get so much joy from changing things up.” “OUR HOME IS LIKE A LITTLE JEWEL BOX IN THE SKY” WE LOVE… colour…

INSIDE THEIR $500M divorce! NOW 2010 The shock news that golden couple Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban had split after almost two decades was quickly usurped by the even more surprising allegations that Keith may have already moved on … with a younger woman on the country music scene! Nicole, 58, is said to be devastated, having spent months hoping for a reconciliation, even after Keith moved into his own bachelor pad and instigated their separation. “Nicole wanted to fight for them, but Keith had already checked out,” a source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter. The source added, “[Nicole’s] not naive. She heard the stories, she saw the signs. At some point, the truth becomes impossible to ignore.” Talk about Keith, 57, dating again, with a woman who’s name hadn’t…

LIQUID This was a tough competition to judge this month! There were many entries that nailed the brief, and really made us think about the many creative ways you can enter a theme like ‘Liquid’. But of course, there can only be six published shots. Here were our picks. LYN FORBES Harbour bridge reflections EDITOR’S COMMENT Lyn Forbes was at the north end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, when she noticed the abstract reflections of the bridge in the water, especially when a ferry or boat went past. “The metal of the bridge was reflected in small circular areas, in constant change,” she says. We’re suckers for water reflection shots, and this is a stunning example, edited with a gentle hand and just enough under exposure to keep a sense…

As palace officials confirm that the royal family are “exploring all options”, including taking legal action over the shocking naming of two very senior members as “royal racists”, insiders say Prince Harry is desperate to return to the UK to make amends with his family. “Harry knows it’s bad and he wants a face-to-face with his father to try and defuse the situation. This whole nightmare has been a huge wake-up call for Harry and he knows he needs to come home and talk to his family,” a palace insider tells Woman’s Day. “Harry has honestly not been prepared for how it’s all unfolded and he feels like things have gone way too far and he doesn’t know what to do.” Last week British broadcaster Piers Morgan named two senior…

Last year, Australians logged 15.2 million caravan and camping trips and 57.1 million nights away, spending more than $10 billion in the process. With caravan sales booming across Australia, it can be tricky to work out how reputable a manufacturer is or how well the product will hold up to the climate and conditions Australia throws at it. In fact, think back to the last time you bought a caravan. At any point did you stop to consider where your product was manufactured or if it would even be legal for Australian roads? How can you tell if a brand-new or second-hand vehicle won't get you pulled over on the drive back from your weekend away? AUSTRALIAN-MADE: WHAT IT REALLY MEANS Dealing with origin first – Roy Morgan research shows…

The new cars rolling onto Australian roads have been safer yet somehow never the road toll is still rising across the country. A government plan to halve deaths by 2030 is in ashes and there is no indication on why the National Road Safety Strategy – adopted with considerable fanfare in 2021 – is failing so miserably. Is it the roads, is it the drivers, is it the cars, is it distraction, or drugs, or fatigue, or too much speeding? How can it be so bad when 5-Star ANCAP safety ratings are considered the bare minimum for new-car acceptance in showrooms? “We’re pretending we can still live in the 1950s. And it’s not working,” Professor Stuart Newstead tells Wheels. “If I had a magic wand I would wind our transport…

THE PALISADES FIRE in Los Angeles burned Charlotte Tragos’s home to the ground. The height chart from when she was a child was marked on the kitchen wall. Family heirlooms filled the cupboards. Her parents’ wedding video from the 1990s was stashed away in the basement. All of it is gone. “It was a pretty special and unique house,” says Tragos, who fled with her parents, her younger sister and their three dogs when the fire broke out on Jan. 7, 2025. All the teenager took with her was her high school diploma, her dog’s ashes and a pair of sneakers. “The streets were packed with people running, driving on the wrong side of the road,” she says, adding that everyone knew they were running for their lives. A few…

A SHARED PASSION FOR SUSTAINABLE FARMING and healthy living led chef and holistic nutrition and performance coach Scott Gooding and his wife, actress and director Matilda Brown, to launch The Good Farm Shop in 2021. Their Sydney-based company produces nutritious ready-meals made from sustainably sourced ingredients. For Matilda, it’s a lifestyle approach with deep roots – her parents, actors Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward, own a beef cattle property in the Nambucca Valley on the Mid North Coast of NSW. After battling years of drought and bushfires, Rachel embarked on her own journey into regenerative agriculture – a process reflected in her engaging and inspiring 2023 documentary Rachel’s Farm. As parents to three children – Scott’s 15-year-old son Tashi, Zan, five, and Anouk, three – Scott and Matilda take a…

Out of all the questions I receive, there is one that appears with monotonous regularity: Were you always this bonkers? But coming in at a close second is “What’s with the bum bag?” And I get it, my little emotional support waist bag is probably a controversial accessory, but I do strap one on. Every day. Without fail. It’s not a phase – it’s who I am now. And here’s why. It started with practicality. I got sick of handbags. The weight on one shoulder, the digging for keys, the strap that slides off at exactly the wrong time or makes a spectacle of your bosoms by sitting exactly between them. I got sick of needing two hands and a torch to retrieve a lip balm. So one day, in…

Keith Urban has fallen hard. The country star has gone from the Oscar red carpet to playing his old hits for rich folk at Mar-a-Lago parties – and friends say he’s having big regrets over his shock split from soon-to-be ex-wife Nicole Kidman. Since announcing their divorce in September, Keith, 58, has thrown himself into work, filming the second season of The Road with Blake Shelton, playing his usual Vegas residency, and – in a move that’s stunned Hollywood – quietly accepting private gigs for US President Donald Trump’s inner circle. Taking anything he can Sources close to the singer say he’s becoming “more and more isolated” and “doesn’t care what people think”. “He’s got to pay the bills – and divorce lawyers don’t come cheap,” says a pal of…

Reaching a 55th year of publication is a rare achievement in the publishing industry, especially in the days of online information overload. But it's the overload of the net that keeps readers coming back to the simpler, trustworthy pages of Caravan World. You might not agree with everything we say, but if you don't, we welcome your comments or criticism and are prepared to deal with the consequences of getting things wrong. A DIFFERENT WORLD When the humble, 44-page first edition of Caravan World hit the newsstands in September 1970, the world was a simpler place. John Gorton was the prime minister after assuming the role when Harold Holt was lost in the surf near Portsea. Gorton, a polarising figure, resigned from the job after falling out with his fellow…

Alan Jones has some typically direct advice for Oscar Piastri. “He just needs to keep the dickheads away. Not let things get under his skin,” Jones says bluntly. The 1980 world champion knows the kid is good and confidently predicts he will be a world champion at some stage during his Formula One career. That’s a big vote of confidence from one of the toughest racers to ever strap into a grand prix car. So, here is some history and context. Jones is brutal and honest. He has no time for BS and, even at 80 years of age, delivers his opinions like a one-two punch in the ring. There were times when he really let his fists do the talking, once in a road-rage confrontation in London and another…