Rowntree's greatest journey

SITTING with Catriona Rowntree, you soon notice a few things.

First there is her kindness, she could make anyone smile.

Then her bubbly persona, which makes you feel like you are in high school again, having fun with your best friend.

And then finally and perhaps most importantly her strong heart, especially when it comes to family.

Family is the driving force behind Rowntree's life, which seems to have gone from strength to strength: from studying journalism, to working in radio, then joining Channel Nine as a researcher, before finally becoming a travel presenter on Getaway  in 1996, which she is back on today, and being the ambassador for Australian Wool Innovation and Landcare.

However, in the past two years things have been tough for Rowntree, especially with the loss of her grandmother and greatest inspiration, Riria Smeaton.

``We were the best of friends,'' Rowntree said in Launceston earlier this week.

``I feel her guidance every single day and I tried to live up to the example that she has set to me. I'm the youngest of four and my grandmother had to kind of pick up the slack with me because I am from a completely nuts family, so she had to tuck me up under her wing and I supposed I thrived under her tutelage.''

Rowntree was in Launceston, sitting outside the Grand Chancellor in a white lace cocktail dress preparing to launch her new book A Grandmother's Wisdom: Lessons Learnt at my Nan's Knee .

``It's a book about the wisdom my grandmother passed on to me, which I would like to pass on and share with others,'' Rowntree said.

``I didn't even know I would rave on about my grandmother's advice as much as I did, but a publisher came to me two years ago and said why don't the two of you write a book together.

``At the time my grandmother was struggling with her health so I thought this could be a great motivator, and I hoped it wasn't going to be a memoir. Unfortunately, it became the latter.''

Rowntree admitted it then became torturous to write, because after her grandmother died, she then gave birth to her second son Charles, now 2, and found out her father had cancer.

And when it seemed things couldn't get worse, in October last year, Rowntree was let go from ifGetaway  after 17 years' service.

Yet, somehow she found the strength to finish the book in honour of her grandmother.

``I only just finished writing it two weeks ago,'' she said. And before this interview, Rowntree had not even seen a finished copy.

``But there is a huge sense of relief that I finished the last chapter, because it was something my mum really wanted me to do. And I hope my mum likes it.

``Because at the end of the day, who cares what anyone else thinks and who cares about the trinkets you find throughout life, it's really about your family.''

And with the success of her book launch, so too came another success. Rowntree is once again working on dhifGetaway  and taking in her 18th year.

``Believe it or not, I was asked to come back on the show and do a South America trip,'' she said.

``So it's Rio, Machu Picchu, Peru, Brazil, and Argentina . . . and I'm off next week. And I've never been to Rio before so I'm so excited about that.''

So it is the clear the show is not ending yet.

``All I know is I still do voice-overs every week, I do those voice-overs from my kitchen bench now but it's still on every weekend and I think that's a testimony to Aussies having a passion to travel.''

And as if another overseas trip isn't enough, Rowntree is also about to launch her new baby clothes range.

``And as soon as I get back I'm finishing this book tour,'' Rowntree said. ``So life is nuts. But I just roll with it.

``I thought once I moved to the country it'd be over, then I thought once I had children, it would be over, but I've found you just have to embrace what's in front of you and, in my case, take what's in front of you.''