Red Hill, Canberra: its walking tracks, scar trees and ochre earth underfoot will always transport me

What is a favourite place if not one built upon our fondest memories? Would I like to write about my favourite place? The invitation inspired me to recall so many magical places – from north-east Arnhem Land to Mediterranean island hamlets with idyllic quayside tavernas, from the Melbourne Cricket Ground on grand final day to Dickensian London pubs, from picture postcard villages beneath snow-capped alpine peaks to the haunts of my literary giants and on to Joshua Tree and Hagia Sofia. Conti...

By Paul Daley