Louise Southerden is this year's Travel Writer of the Year, and has won the Responsible Tourism Writer of the Year and Best Travel Journey of the Year awards, at the prestigious Australian Society of Travel Writers gala awards night held in Shanghai, China, this week.
Louise Southerden is a prolific writer and travel photographer and is a regular contributor to a range of publications, including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald, Women's Health and WellBeing, Voyeur (Virgin Blue) and The Australian Way (Qantas), Backpacker Essentials, Outdoor Australia and G, the green lifestyle magazine. She is based in Sydney and has been freelancing for 13 years.
"Travelling and writing are my passions and I consider myself very fortunate to combine them in my career. It is a real privilege to have so many incredible experiences in spectacular destinations all over the planet, and to share these experiences with others through my writing – but to then be recognised by my peers is overwhelming," says Louise.
The Responsible Tourism award – which Louise previously won in 2006 – was for a story about Lord Howe Island, one of Australia's most eco-friendly destinations, published in G magazine. The Best Travel Journey of the Year award was for a feature on kayaking in the Arctic, in Outdoor Australia.
Louise's photographic skills were also recognised; she was a finalist in one of the two photography categories.
In addition to her regular feature writing, Louise writes a green travel blog for the G magazine website (www.gmagazine.com.au). She is also the author of Surf's Up, The Girl's Guide to Surfing, published by Allen & Unwin; the second edition will be in bookstores from 5 December 2008.
For further information on the ASTW awards see www.astw.org.au
