The remarkable story of how an Australian nurse became an award-winning travel writer and acclaimed photographer working alone in some of the most offbeat places on earth. This was trailblazing travel in a time well before the internet: before travel rating websites advised where to stay and before mass tourism disturbed the culture of many countries. In 1979 Christine Osborne travelled with the Buckingham Palace Press Corps to cover Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's tour of the Arab states. The hat incident of the title refers to a moment in Nizwa, in the Sultanate of Oman, when the Queen became separated from the royal party in the labyrinthine souq. Christine's other adventures in Yemen, Pakistan, Morocco, Ethiopia and Iraq are rounded off with letters to her mother who had never left Australia. Travels with My Hat: A lifetime on the road is an extraordinary account by a cool-headed young woman carrying her camera-bag and wearing her trusty blue hat.

Travels with My Hat

Arts & Photography

Christine Osborne

Photography & Video

Christine Osborne Pictures

Osborne, Christine

The small Arab state of Qatar on the western shore of the Persian Gulf was a slow starter in development when compared with neighbours Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. Although the country had enjoyed good revenue from oil since the mid-seventies, its ruler was reluctant to embrace change. As recently as 1975 capital Doha, had only a single first-class hotel and one bank and people still lived in goat-hair tents in the desert hinterland. When a huge off-shore natural gas field began production in 1989 a decision was taken to replace the old emir. The rise of Qatar following the assumption of power by his son, HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in 1995 was meteoric. Not only in the streets of soaring skyscraper but in desert reclamation schemes, aviation and communications, notably Al-Jazeera an international 24-hour English-language news channel. The FIFA World Cup held in 2022 introduced the tiny nation to a worldwide audience of some 5 billion people. But this book is not an appraisal of Qatar's achievements. Rather it is a look back, via a unique set of photographs, at "Old Gulf Coast" days. 
Christine Osborne is an Australian photojournalist and author of books on the developing world including The Gulf States and Oman examining the impact of oil on local Arab society.

Old Gulf Coast Days: Qatar

Unique images of Oman taken following the explosive development which began with the accession to power of Sultan Qaboos bin Said who replaced his father in a bloodless coup in 1970. Today the country has become a popular destination for cruise ships and tourists seeking escape from the northern winter. Most visitors find it fulfills their dream of "Old Araby" because in the process of progress, Oman has been careful to preserve its past. Historic buildings have been restored, local crafts encouraged and tribal traditions maintained. More recently Oman has acted as a mediator in conflicts in the Middle East. Sultan Qaboos (1940-2020).

Old Gulf Coast Days: Sultanate of Oman

Old Gulf Coast Days: United Arab Emirates

Wajid & the Perfect Pearl: Tales from Old Araby

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Books by Christine Osborne Pictures