Where does your passion for travel and the outdoors come fromAlthough I was always keen to dance, sing, perform and put on shows indoors, my upbringing was always active and often outdoors. I worked on our farm – my siblings and I went boar hunting and surfing and I grew up learning more about agriculture and animal husbandry than you could imagine. I then got a job in a surf shop and being in the open air, the desire to explore was second nature to me. Travel is just an extension of that, and it still gives me the same thrill today as it did when I was a youngster looking around wondering what to make of the world.

 

Q. What makes travelling special for you?
Obviously the place is the main thing, yet you can be in the best location in the world, but if you don’t have companionship and great people around you, it counts for nothing. Our press tours are long, sometimes exhausting experiences, but we get to visit incredible cities in major continents and most people would love that opportunity to explore. Yet there have been times when it’s a lonely experience where all you crave is a friend to share somewhere with; so that really crystallises for me what travel should be about – shared experiences with great people.

 

Q. You’ve always done a great job of advertising the virtues of Australia as a destination – is that intentional?
Of course – I’m so proud of Australia and I miss it so much when I’m away. If I was asked to name a place I love to visit it would be Byron Bay (pictured, over page). It was where I got married and I’ve said it’s the sort of place I can see myself living and bringing up my family. That east side of Australia is so beautiful and there are so many coves and bays to explore. You can walk around and not see anyone for hours and it’s that sort of seclusion that I seek when I have time to myself, as my daily life is quite hectic and I’m usually surrounded by a lot of people. Tranquillity is very important to me. The Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast hold such happy memories for me and just that feeling of being free.

 

Q. You work a lot and you’ve been living in London and the US for many years. Do you ever get homesick for Australia?
I’m always homesick. But it’s not the same as when I was 17 and moved to Melbourne. Now it’s this feeling of not being part of the crazy dinner conversations we would have. Whenever I go back home, we get back into it and trade stories about what’s going on in our lives – it’s surreal, but being homesick is just part of travel and I think that’s okay.

 

Q. You also love hitting the ski slopes – would that be your perfect active break?
Yes, that or being in the sea. For an active pursuit, skiing and snowboarding is by far the most sociable because it’s a combination of exhausting and exhilarating. There’s always the need for a good dose of downtime and that’s when the social part comes into it. It’s the sort of holiday where you can let your hair down, but because you’re back out on the slopes the next day, you blow away that fog very quickly.

 

Q. What other active holiday locations would you recommend?
Hawaii is an incredible place to visit. The surfing is great and everything feels fresh, open and so alive. The people are also incredibly warm and there is a sense of culture and respect for what such a small island has achieved.

 

Q. You recently shot the thriller Terminal in Budapest. What was that experience like?
Budapest was fantastic, but it was a very intense work project and enveloped us while we were there. Shooting Terminal was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was one of those shoots where you wish you had more time to see your surroundings. What I did take from Budapest was the architecture and the elegance. It has a very raw edge, but many parts are just stunningly beautiful and you sense that behind every corner and down every street there is real history and a story to be told. I love to go somewhere and explore, and Budapest gave me that feeling. It was a serious place but inspirin