Blog

Oct

Doing the Nile in style: travel deals 7 October 2012

Do the Nile in style, let Versace bags you a pool lounger on the Gold Coast or shop it up in Melbourne and Malaysia.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Yes, there are bargains to be had on the crazy Perth
hotel scene, creating a great excuse to go west and throw yourself into the
city’s delicious food scene, led by the newly crowned top eatery in town,
Fraser’s in Kings Park. Save 40 per cent on room rates at the Mantra on Murray
until March 31, 2013 when you stay on Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights. Costs
from $169 a night in a queen studio. 131 517, mantra.com.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Mount Lofty House lives up to its name, with panoramic
views over Adelaide and out to sea, yet it’s only 15 minutes from town. Stay at
the boutique country hotel and save up to 50 per cent with its ‘Discover the
Adelaide Hills’ package which includes overnight accommodation, breakfast for
two and one of three activities in the Hills: lunch for two at The Locavore in
Stirling, wine tasting at Shaw & Smith cellar door and winery, or a round
of golf for two at Mt Lofty golf club. Costs from $249 a room. (08) 8339 6777, mtloftyhouse.com.au.

The Novotel Melbourne on Collins

VICTORIA

One of Melbourne’s best shopping hotels, the Novotel
Melbourne on Collins, is 20 years old in October, and marks the occasion with a
$7 million make-over. Stay two nights until November 11 and get 20 per cent off
the best available rate, pay only $20 for breakfast (normally $29), $20 for
valet parking (normally $35) and $20 for internet (normally $27.95 a day).
There’s also a $20 deal on antipasto tasting platters and 20th birthday
cocktails. Costs from $412 a room, two nights. (03) 9667 5800, novotelmelbourne.com.au.

NEW SOUTH WALES

The
recently renovated Sebel Resort & Spa Hawkesbury Valley’s new midweek
‘Polynesian Stay & Spa’ package with a Polynesian inspired spa treatment at
its Villa Thalgo day spa. An hour from the CBD in Windsor, the 4.5-star hotel
spa’s deal includes overnight accommodation for two in a deluxe spa room,
breakfast, $50 to spend at the restaurant and two hours of body scrubbing,
lagoon water bath and a Mahana massage. Normally $499, costs $289 a night,
Monday to Friday until December 28. 131 515, sebelhawkesburyvalley.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

There’s no need for
bagsing your poolside lounger at dawn at the Palazzo Versace: the staff will do
it for you. In fact, you don’t know poolside lounging till you’ve lounged by
the lagoon at the Gold Coast’s most luxe address. We’re talking private
cabanas, chilled face sprays, platters of summer fruits, PV’s own sunscreen, a bottle
of sparkling wine and two nights in a superior room. Save up to $910, costs
from $938 for two people, for two nights. (07) 5509 8000,
palazzoversace.com.au/packages.

TRANS-AUSTRALIA

Traverse the country, from the chasms of the Blue
Mountains, across golden hay plains and the vast interior desert on a train
journey across Australia. Save 30 per cent on all journeys in Gold Service from Sydney to Perth, aboard The Indian
Pacific when you book by December 24 for travel until March 31, 2013. Save
$630, costs from $1584 a person, twin share. 132 447, greatsouthernrail.com.au

MALAYSIA

One of the best shopping destinations in Asia, Kuala
Lumpur is easy to get around, and Malaysians love a bargain, from the five-star
malls to Chinatown knock-offs. Bargain hunters will also love the 25 per cent
saving on the four-star aparthotel Swiss Gardens Residences. The recently
refurbished hotel between Chinatown and the main shopping strip, Bukit Bintang,
and has a free shuttle bus. Book by 14 days in advance until December 15,
travel by December 30. Costs from $103 a night. 1800 846 835, hotels.com.

USA

Soak up the magic at California’s Disneyland, staying at the Disney Paradise Pier hotel, which gets you in an hour earlier than the general masses. Kids stay free with the Disneyland Resort Magic package, which includes four nights’ accommodation, a three-day Park Hopper Bonus ticket, dining with Disney characters and airport transfers. Book until October 31, travel January 2 – February 14, 2013 (excluding January 18-19). Costs from $1009 adults, $325 kids, twin share, four nights. 1300 747 400, creativeholidays.com.

NEW ZEALAND

Stay four nights or more at The Rees Hotel Queenstown and
receive a NZD$100 voucher to spend in hotel’s True South dining room, as well
as complimentary wi-fi internet, free parking and a late check-out. Offer valid
for stays from October 7 – December 20. Email reservations@therees.co.nz with
“Booking Code SHD” in the subject line. Costs
from $390 a person, twin share. +64 (0)3 450 1100, therees.co.nz.

VIETNAM

Be one of the first to stay at the new Banyan
Tree Lăng Cô hotel in central Vietnam, which opens 1 November. Expect pool
villas, fabulous spas and an 18-hole championship golf course. Normally
USD850++ a night, its opening specials cost from USD735 a night (two night
minimum) plus USD765 worth of hotel credits to spend at the bar or the spa. Or
stay three nights, add round-trip transfers as well. Book now for stays from
November 1 – March 31, 2012. Costs from USD1470++ a room for two nights. +84 54 3695 888,
banyantree.com.

Cruising the Nile in style, Egypt.

EGYPT

Cruise the Nile with 11 of your best friends on a private
dahibaya, an elegant, 19th-century style riverboat, and save up to $21,300. The
boat has six cabins and a plunge pool and includes all meals, drinks, entrance
fees and an Egyptologist to explain the region’s rich treasures. Valid on
departures until February 23. Normally, $44,300 costs from $26,780 for 12
people for seven nights. 1300 851 800,
abercrombiekent.com.au.

Melbourne’s Arts Centre

TOURWATCH

In November and December, Melbourne resonates to one of
the great operatic events, Wagner’s four-opera Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle). Directed by Australia’s Neil Armfield and
conducted by Richard Mills, three cycles of the epic will be performed at the
Arts Centre Melbourne. The package includes eight nights at the Sofitel
Melbourne in a superior king room, daily breakfast, airport transfers, four
performances and transport to the Arts Centre. It also includes three small
group touring experiences in between the operas, including a tour of
Melbourne’s fantastic alleyways and arcades, a full day on the Great Ocean Road
and a day on the Mornington Peninsula, lunching and wining. From November 18 –
December 13. Costs from $5760 a person, twin share. (02) 9957 4511,
maryrossitravel.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald newspaper

Oct

Lighthouses and London: travel deals 30 September

Cape Schanck lightstation, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

From lighthouses to London, the chill of Beijing in winter to Tahitian summers, read on for this week’s international and domestic travel deals.

VICTORIA

The Mornington Peninsula’s in the midst of a Spring Fling, with 30+ special offers in its vineyards, galleries, accommodation and restaurants until end October. Down the tip of the peninsula, 90 minutes from Melbourne, stands the gleaming white Cape Schanck lightstation, and your bed for the night. Normally $158 a couple, costs from $110 in the self-contained Inspector’s Room, with breakfast and entrance into the museum. 1800 804 009, visitmorningtonpeninsula.org.

QUEENSLAND

There’s nothing like a post-winter pick-me-up than a
five-star escape to Noosa, with its superb restaurants, super-cute boutiques
and rainforest walks to secluded beaches. Check into the Sheraton Noosa Resort
& Spa and save 20 per cent on the room rate, with free breakfast for two
adults thrown in as well. Book by October 31, stay until December 22. Costs
from $204 for a superior twin room, a night. 1300 888 180, zuji.com.au.

Tasmania’s Derwent Valley
PIC: Tourism Tasmania and Geoff Murray

TASMANIA

Small, yet perfectly formed, Tassie is the ideal
self-drive destination, with hidden beaches, tiny wineries and oh-so-twee
villages made for meandering. The
self-drive Touring Afterglow package includes seven nights at one of 12
Innkeepers Apartments across the state, seven days’ car rental with a free $75
petrol voucher (October 8-December 21), entry for two into the Museum of Old
and New Art’s Theatre of the World exhibition, a World Heritage cruise for two
and a National Park pass, all up, worth $3433 for two people. Travel between
October 1 – December 21 and save up to $1235. Costs from $1099 a person. 1300
130 269, tassieafterglow.com.au, innkeeper.com.au.

NSW

Golf aficionados know the 18th hole at the championship course at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley has been redesigned, now a 454-meter par-5. Get out there and try it for yourself with a Stay and Play package, which includes two rounds of golf with a cart, deluxe room accommodation and breakfast, saving 30 per cent, or $136, off the regular rate. Available Sundays – Thursdays until December 31, book three days in advance. The hotel also offers free kids’ club. Costs from $280 a night for two adults. 138 388, crowneplazahuntervalley.com.au/stayandplay.

El Questro homestead, Kimberley, NT.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Stay four nights, pay for three at the five-star El
Questro Homestead, a working cattle station in the eastern Kimberley. Don’t
worry, you won’t be coughing down cattle dust at The Homestead, a luxurious pad
enjoyed by the likes of Our Kylie. The deal includes all meals, most drinks and
tours around the station, such as the dramatic Chamberlain Gorge, on stays now
until October 30. Costs from $3645 a person. 1800 044 066 travel-associates.com.au.

TURKEY

Bodrum is Turkey’s playground, and with good cause: it’s
got the warm waters of the Mediterranean, a 15th-century castle and lots of
architectural ruins, sunshine galore and, the clincher, Turkish cuisine. Stay
two nights for the price of one at the 81-room Maçakizi hotel. Costs from $145 (E116) a night
including breakfast, wi-fi. until October 30. 1300 896 627, mrandmrssmith.com

ENGLAND

South Kensington is more London than Hugh Grant, what
with Kensington Palace, the Victoria & Albert Museum and two Royal Parks,
not to mention the High Street Ken boutiques. The Mercure London Kensington is
one of 1400 Accor hotels across the world currently doing a pay three-stay two deal,
knocking a third of your hotel bill. Book until October 21 for stays until
November 11. Mercure London Kensington costs from $367 for three nights. 1300
656 565, accorhotels.com/staysave.

AFRICA

Hit the African road, from the Kruger to the Kalahari, on
a seven-day overland tour. Your chariot is a safari vehicle, your bed a
sleeping mat. Spot the big five, hear the roar of Victoria Falls, sink a
sundowner on the Chobe River. Book by November 30 for travel until December 26,
and save 25 per cent. Costs from $756 a person as well as a local payment of
US$250 a person. 1300 320 795 adventureworld.com.au

The Temple of Heaven, Beijing.

CHINA

If you don’t mind rugging up, you can snap up a bargain
on a 14-day tour of China’s wonders, from the Forbidden City to Xian’s
Terracotta Warriors, the water town of Wuzhen, and, of course, the Great Wall
of China. Save $1000 a person and get two extra days in the itinerary on six winter
departures in February and March 2013, includes air fare from Sydney, visas,
four-star hotel accommodation, most meals and three cultural shows. Costs from $2880 a person, twin share. 1300
788328, helenwongstours.com.

TAHITI

Celebs love Tahiti, and with new flight-accommodation
packages, we commoners can learn to love it too. Save up to $660 a couple when
you book an Over Under Bora Bora deal, which includes return airfares with Air
Tahiti Nui from Australia to Tahiti,
domestic flights from Papeete to Bora Bora, breakfast, three nights at the
Intercontinental Tahiti Resort and four nights in an overwater bungalow at
the Maitai Polynesia Bora Bora. Book until March 31, 2013, travel between
November 1 – December 20, January 20 – March 31, 2013. Costs from $3250 a
person, twin share. From travel agents, 1300 858 305,
tahititravel.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Marrakech, Morocco. PIC: Belinda Jackson

The scent of the desert pervades Morocco’s beautiful
cities, the shifting sands dictating the style and colours of Meknes, Fez and
Marrakech. This tour goes off-track to palm-fringed oases, isolated kasbahs and
through the Sahara by camel and 4WD, to bed down for the night in a Berber tent. You’ll also visit the impossibly beautiful
seaside village of Chefchaouen and Roman ruins at Volubilis, before finishing
in Casablanca, with its tumble-down glory and gritty realism. Souks, alleyways,
traditional crafts and stucco villages: the tour’s style is about exploring,
rather than flag-waving guides, and you’ll sleep in family-owned riads – traditional buildings facing an internal
courtyard – as well as Western and Moroccan style hotels. Departs November
16-30 with a maximum of 14 guests. Costs from $3140 a person, twin share. 1300
783 188, activetravel.com.au.

SOURCE: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Oct

Stranded on Hayman Island

My beach villa, Hayman Island, Queensland

The view from my room is of a sandy beach, azure waters and palm trees: it’s the quintessential Queensland holiday ideal. Forget about leaning over the balcony to get the view, just roll over in bed and there’s all that maritime beauty, staring you in the face.

The resort on Hayman Island reopened last August after a $30m renovation, $4m alone spent on plants and landscaping, overseen by landscape guru Jamie Durie.

This morning started with yoga then pastries at breakfast, a bushwalk across the island’s ridge for a spot of turtle spotting while snorkelling, a little massage in a rainforest cabana and lunch was a bento box crammed with prawns, oysters, avocado and general divineness.

Even though we’ve been having very unQueensland weather of clouds and wind, I’ve managed to sport a spot of sunburn, and the high winds meant none of the expedition boats went out, and the internet also got knocked for six.

But if I was to be shipwrecked anywhere, a beach villa on Hayman wouldn’t be hard situation to live with.

Sep

Cape Town the best beach spot in Africa

Clifton Beaches, Cape Town, www.capetown.travel

Now here’s an interesting snippet: apparently the best beach town in Africa is Cape Town.

Thrashing last year’s winner, Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh, Cape Town also trumped Bazaruto in Mozambique, Diani Beach in Kenya and Tanzania’s Zanzibar Island at the 2012 World Travel Awards.

South Africa also won best airline (SAA), top villa (Ellerman House & Villa), best train (The Blue Train) and best safari lodge (the unrivaled Shamwari Game Reserve, which is where Brad Pitt soothed his heart, post-Jen, and Nicholas Cage proposed to his waitress).

Sep

Feral at Dreamworld, flora in Canberra: travel deals 23 September 2012

Go feral at Dreamworld, or floral in Canberra or find out if it really is all happening at the zoo, in San Diego.

TASMANIA

Can’t decide between drinking beer or hunting for Tasmanian tigers? Do both when you stay the Cradle Mountain Chateau, at the northern side of the dramatic national park that includes Tassie’s best-loved mountain and serene Lake St Claire. The 60-room hotel includes a Wilderness Gallery featuring photography of the region’s dramatic scenery and night tours of the local animals. Save 55 per cent on stays until December 20. Costs from $65 per person, twin share. 1800 420 555. cradlemountainchateau.com.au.

ACT

Floriade celebrates 25 years in 2012.

Canberra bursts into colour with Floriade, its annual
flower extravaganza, until September 23. Now in its 25th year, highlights of
the festival include The Best Exotic Marigold Tea House, with Indian teas and
music in a wildly exotic setting, and Floriade NightFest, comedy, music and
light displays from 6.30pm nightly, floriadeaustralia.com.
Murrays’ bus service has a web special providing daily return services between Sydney and Canberra until October 14.
Normally $83 return, costs $59 return. murrays.com.au.

VICTORIA

Knock two of Victoria’s most beautiful walks off your bucket list with a two-up walking deal with Park Trek. Spend four days walking the coastal Great Ocean Walk (November 3-6) then head inland and upwards, for another four days in the Grampians (November 8-11). You’ll carry just a small, light daypack, and the price includes all accommodation, meals and expert guides. Book two tours, save $110. Costs $2190 a person. (03) 9877 9540, www.parktrek.com.

Bustin’ some moves at Dreamworld

QUEENSLAND

The price of unlimited happiness is $59.99. That’s the
cost of a kids’ ticket that gives unlimited visits to Dreamworld and WhiteWater
World from now until June 30, 2013. New this summer is Kung Fu Panda Land and
new rides in Wiggles World, and there are balloon twisters, roving beatboxers,
magicians, and, from September 22 to October 7, evicted Big Brother Housemates
(pssst, you can watch BB being filmed live at Dreamworld Studios for $15).
One-day tickets normally cost $69.99 kids/$109.99 adults, but the Unlimited
World Passes also include a free SkyPoint Observation Deck annual pass, worth
$29, that shoots you to the top of Q1 tower, at Surfers Paradise. Costs $59.99
for kids, $109.99 for adults. (07) 5588 1111, dreamworld.com.au.

OUTBACK AUSTRALIA

Birdsville, the Alice, Kakadu, Uluru: the Outback is calling, and what better way to see it than by private aircraft? This 12-day journey covers 10,000 kilometres, visiting the iconic towns of the outback, including Katherine, Broome and Longreach. Includes all meals, accommodation and guides. Harvey World Travel clients also get one night’s pre-tour accommodation at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, and airport transfers. Book by October 31, and save $1000 on travel between March-August 2013. Costs from $13,495 a person, 132 757, harveyworld.com.au.

NSW

There’s no tv, no phones and a no-talking ‘quiet room’.
Scared yet? Spring-clean your body and mind at Solar Springs Retreat, in
Bundanoon, on the Southern Highlands, which has 20 per cent off its
all-inclusive packages during spring. The new three-night midweek ‘Seriously
Spring Time’ deal includes accommodation, all meals and three spa treatments –
a facial, foot therapy and body buff. Also included are guided bushwalks, yoga
and meditation and health and fitness talks. Valid until November 30, costs
from $820 a person, twin share, or $1540 a couple for three nights. (02) 4883
6027, solarsprings.com.au.

EUROPE

If
the road and a GPS are your friends, discover Europe by hire car. Sydney’s globalCARS is offering free pick-up
and drop-off, valued up to $640 in Rome and Madrid, at 33 locations across
Europe and the UK during 2013. Includes unlimited kilometres, insurance with no
excess and 24-hour assistance. Book and pay by October 31. Costs from $27 a day
for six-month leases, $42 a day for 26-day leases. Contact
travel agents, 1300 789 992, globalCARS.com.au.

San Diego, USA

USA

It’s all happening at the zoo, specifically San Diego
zoo, which is celebrating the birth a baby boy panda. Stay four nights at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel, pay for three,
and also get a one-day pass to the zoo, which is just 10 minutes from the
hotel. Book by 3pm March 29 2013, travel until March 31, 2013. Costs from $379
a person, twin share. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

ABU DHABI

Cancel all ideas of Abu Dhabi as solely a desert
wilderness. Check into the waterfront Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by
Anantara, stay five nights and pay four on stays now to October 31, 2013. Otherwise,
book 45 days in advance and pay by December 31, and save 15 per cent off your
room rate. Costs from $84 a person, twin share, in a deluxe room with balcony,
including breakfast. 1300 665 673,
sunislandtours.com.au.

PORTUGAL

Getting off the beaten track in Europe is possible, with
a nine-day tour of Portugal, visiting castles, cathedrals and Roman temples
including the evocative Belem Tower, in Lisbon. Balancing the history are
visits to its beaches and famous vineyards of the Douro Valley. Save 10 per
cent when you book and pay by December 27, for travel March 30 – October 12. Includes
luxury coach transport, accommodation, meals and airport transfers. Costs from
$1665 a person, twin share. 1300 237 886, insightvacations.com.

MALDIVES

All island resorts are not made equal, as the Gili
Lankanfushi (formerly Soneva Gili) amply demonstrates, to wit its 45 rustic
chic overwater villas, the overwater bar and Mr Friday, who can do everything
from pack your bag to look after the kids. Stay seven nights on the private
island, get three nights free on stays till December 19, when booked by
December 12. Virtuoso guests will also get a room upgrade, 30-minute spa
treatment for two and a private sunset sail. Costs from $4330 a room, seven
nights. (02) 9957 4511, maryrossitravel.com.

TOURWATCH

Exploring Patagonia, Chile

The only way to explore Chilean Patagonia is by
horseback. You’ll need to know the difference between nose and tail for these
five-day expeditions, which explore the wilds of the end of the earth on a
series of day rides past glaciers and mountains of unimaginable beauty, with
your gaucho bro. Each night, you’ll
return to the sublime Hotel Salto Chico, in Torres del Paine National
Park, with its spectacular mountain views and an outdoor hot spa that will surely
become your second-best friend (after your horse) at the end of a day in the
saddle. The tours depart once a month from October, cost from $2780 a person,
twin share, includes all meals, drinks, airport transfers and equipment. +56
2395 2800, explora.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Sep

Groovy is the new gold: vintage Ballarat a-go-go!

Nostalgic … makeover maven Miss Lulu. Photo: Belinda Jackson

Forget the pioneering days of the rush – instead dig the nostalgia of Ballarat’s new vintage scene, writes Belinda Jackson.

“It all started with my glasses. I always wanted cat’s-eye glasses,” says Miss Lulu. Perched on a high bar stool, her redskin margarita is as pink as her hair, which is teased into sky-high 1940s curls. Was I the only person in Ballarat who didn’t know they’re called victory rolls?

This is the swimsuit for the curvalicious.

“Vintage just suits Ballarat,” says the self-styled 1940s pin-curl pin-up, whose glittering bolero jacket, black bustier, deep cleavage and wide skirts have the whole restaurant entranced.

Eclectic Tastes cafe, Ballarat. Photo: Belinda Jackson

Ballarat’s always had a nostalgic scent about it – the re-created gold rush town of Sovereign Hill is on the city’s outskirts and the main drag, Sturt Street, is lined with monuments to past glories, from the Boer War to Burke and Wills’s inland excursion. There’s a bandstand dedicated to Queen Alexandra (King Edward VII’s missus), squat Queen Victoria overlooks the rotundas, turrets and cenotaphs, and the old Southern Cross flag of the Eureka Stockade hangs in the beautiful art gallery. The top hotel is Craig’s Royal and the theatre is Her Majesty’s, one of the best preserved in the country.

Antiques, Goods & Chattels, Ballarat. Photo: Belinda Jackson

But Victoria’s third-largest city has a new groove, with a rush of fresh blood bringing a 1940s-’70s vintage scene to town, spearheaded by the likes of Miss Lulu who, in three hours, will transform you from trakky-dakked slob to pert and perky ’50s pin-up girl or goth rockabilly – or perhaps your heart’s more psychobilly? With your newly set big hair, red lips and a wiggle in your walk, it’s time to hit the streets to dress the part.

First stop is a burgeoning vintage enclave on Main Road, headed by That Little Vintage Shop, a cornucopia of fox furs, fabulously wide-brimmed hats, ’60s knits and evening coats harking back to days when it took time to get dressed.

Owner Jennifer Bottomley studied fashion in ’60s London and has been running the shop for 17 years. “Y’all right there, love?” she calls out to a customer, her northern English accent weaving through the piles of clothes. Her collection dates from the 1920s, but the ’80s is quite ’20s, she says as she runs a hand over a $1000 Canadian raccoon fur, designed for pleasurable stroking.

Across the road, cute little ’50s-style cafe Cake Bakeshop sells old-fashioned paper straws, invitations and party favours for baby showers and kitchen teas while churning out the cupcakes, coffee and macarons in old-school lolly flavours.

Nearby, Antiques, Goods & Chattels suggests serious fustiness, but it’s awash with ’60s kitchenalia and garagenalia, and a carousel horse greets me on entrance. I snap up a fabulous old wooden painter’s stepladder, still authentically spattered with paint, perfect for slinging some woven Arabian saddlebags over (or for changing light bulbs).

Swimwear by My Sister Pat. Photo: Simon Schluter

It’s on the next block down on Main Road that this vintage scene starts to become serious.

My Sister Pat designs and manufactures beautiful ’50s-inspired swimsuits – more like playsuits – with classic halter and tie necks and boylegs that bestow instant booty. I clamber out of my jeans and into a super-cute little blue-and-white polka dot number and, va va voom, I’m transformed into instant ’50s pool kitten. A very slim woman is in the next cubicle; you know, the type who rocks a bikini. Is it mean to note that in the same style swimsuit, she just looks … well, left wanting, to be perfectly frank? This is the ultimate swimsuit for the curvalicious.

Sifting through the racks beside me is Debbie, a rock’n’roll aficionado who’s into the Ballarat Rockers, a social rock’n’roll dance club that meets on Friday nights. She’s shopping for the perfect outfit for an American rock’n’roll holiday through Memphis, New Orleans and, of course, Las Vegas. “Usually, I make my own,” she says, “so I don’t look like everyone else.”

In an age of mass production, My Sister Pat guarantees that no more than six swimsuits are cut from the same cloth. “Except for the red-and-white polka-dot swimsuit, because everyone wants to be Marilyn,” says owner Rosemary Gilbert-Waller. “Except me. I want to be Grace Kelly,” she states, flicking the record player as Connie Francis has a little meltdown and starts to jump.

Connie, Grace, Patsy Cline, Audrey Hepburn … “It’s an era of beauty, and it hasn’t been lost,” Gilbert-Waller says of her label, which is now stocked internationally, from Cannes to Canada. What started off as a vintage shopping trip in Ballarat is fast turning into an education on being womanly and the art of feminine elegance.

“I like going to places where I fit the decor,” says the epitome of girlish glamour, Miss Lulu. The newly refurbished Mallow Bar and the cosy Babushka Bar both get the thumbs up for their retro looks, as does high tea on Sunday afternoons at Craig’s Royal Hotel, with its ’50s chairs and lounges and swish velvet curtains. Eclectic Tastes cafe has a whiff of nanna chic about it, with its knitted tea cosies and teasets, which get the edge thanks to a backdrop of red walls, Mao-pop paraphernalia and raunchy Indian film posters.

The Oceanic Lounge in Portico Wine Bar, on Ballarat’s main drag, Sturt Street, is a local favourite as it’s a regular venue for the nine-piece Ballarat Ska Orchestra. Yes, Ballarat has its own ska orchestra, belting out its signature ’60s Caribbean beats, and it also has its own roller-derby league, where six teams of rockabilly chicks hit the rinks. Expect ’70s boardshorts, kneepads and a smattering of tatts.

Vintage chicks say the new Front Bar is your best option for a drink and a little shakin’ to some ’60s soul sounds without the uni or clubbing crowds. Alternatively, if you were at a loose end on a Wednesday night, you could go go-go dancing. “I just thought, Ballarat needs this!” says Miss Daisy Amazing, a dancer who teaches an enthusiastic crowd the moves of the ’60s. And for $12, you, too, can strut out like a retro Miami groover.

To live the vintage dream completely, you’d be shopping at De’s Recycled Fashions for ’60s nylon dresses – think royal blue with gold paisley – or for vintage crockery and what some say is the town’s best coffee at Vegas and Rose, stockist for runaway sensations Trunk & Orderly’s handmade weekender and school cases.

And for seriously cool vintage fabrics, haberdashery and the cutest kids’ craft gear, The Crafty Squirrel is a must-visit. If you thought crafty equals fusty, the notion is dispelled by designer and uber-craftster Morgan Wills’s perky rockabilly ‘do, married with an apple-green cardie and a floral apron that on me would scream “frump!” but on her is just damned cool. Every Friday, she dons a vintage apron and pops a photo up on her Facebook page to a bevy of waiting fans.

“I love all that cutesy Japanese and Korean aesthetic, and French vintage,” she says, but it’s the Australian kitsch that is totally adorable; souvenir tea towels renewed and reborn into cushions that fly off the shelves. The non-sellers appear to be all from Canberra – no comment. Wills steers us down to the edgy Red Brick Gallery, where a nearby power pole, wrapped in crocheted rugs, leads the conversation naturally into “yarn bombing”, or “knit tagging” if you prefer the English term.

“Ballarat’s always been known for its antique shops,” says long-time antiques dealer Sherryn Bailey of Antiques, Goods & Chattels, “but many owners are now passing away.” In their wake comes the new guard, a wave of crafty artists and tricky-minded business girls. Sure, Ballarat still has Sovereign Hill and its gold rush attractions, but there’s life in the old town yet. It’s just life from a different era.

The writer was a guest of Ballarat Regional Tourism.

Five other things to do in Ballarat

1 Hire a bike and cruise the lovely Ballarat Botanical Gardens and Buninyong Botanic Gardens, established in the 1860s. Welcome Nugget Bike Hire, 0423 268 618, ballarat.com/ballaratonabike.

2 Well up with pride in front of the original Eureka flag at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia’s oldest regional art gallery. artgalleryofballarat.com.au.

3 Buy up at the farmers’ markets: Ballarat Fresh Produce Market (first Saturday of the month); Ballarat Lakeside Farmers Market (second and last Saturday); Buninyong Farmers Market (third Saturday).

4 Uncover a hotbed of talent by designers and emerging artists at the quarterly Design Exchange market — October 7, December 16, Mining Exchange, 8 Lydiard Street North, thedesignexchange.com.au.

5 Walk the monuments of Sturt Street: two kilometres of central gardens with bandstands, statues and fountains.

Trip notes

Getting there: Ballarat is a 75-minute drive from Melbourne. Rental cars can be hired at Tullamarine, or V/Line (vline.com.au). Fast trains operate from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station to Ballarat.

Staying there: Martin Place sleeps nine at a pinch in two queen bedrooms and bunks in the kids’ room, which is fantastically kitted out with toys and books, and is also pet-friendly. From $215/night midweek, 12 Martin Street, 0429 439 448, www.montroseofballarat.com.au.

Shopping there:

De’s Recycled Fashions, 202 South Street, (03) 5332 8300.
Miss Lulu’s PinCurl Pin-Ups, 0433 207 814.
My Sister Pat, 74A Main Road, mysisterpat.com.au.
Red Brick Gallery and Emporium, 218A Skipton Street, 0402 416 097, redbrickgallery.com.au.
That Little Vintage Shop, 13 Main Road, 0425 731 639.
The Crafty Squirrel, cnr Errard and Urquhart streets, (03) 5331 4548, thecraftysquirrel.com.au.
Vegas and Rose, 96 Humffray Street North, (03) 5332 4287, vegasandrose.com.au.

Eating there:

Craig’s Royal Hotel, 10 Lydiard Street South, (03) 5331 1377, craigsroyal.com.au.
Cake Bakeshop, 30 Main Road, (03) 5333 3384, cakebakeshop.com.au.
Eclectic Tastes, 2 Burbank Street, (03) 5339 9252.

Living in the vintage scene:

Babushka Bar, 59 Humffray Street North.
The Mallow Hotel, 18-20 Skipton Street.
The Front Bar, cnr Mair and Peel streets.
Miss Daisy Amazing’s Go-Go Dancing, 14 Camp Street, 0448 314 445.
Ballarat Roller Derby League, ballaratrollerderby.com.au.
Ballarat Ska Orchestra, facebook.com/ballaratskaorchestra.
Ballarat Rockers, ballaratrockers.com.

More information: Ballarat Regional Tourism, (03) 5320 5758, visitballarat.com.au.

Sep

Flowery prose on capturing flora

‘Telopa speciosissima’, Miss Maund & Benjamin Maund
(1837-42) Engraving on paper, hand coloured.

This beautiful image is the hero picture for the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s upcoming exhibition, Capturing Flora, which opens this Tuesday. Ballarat is in the midst of a spring fling, with its botanic gardens about to bloom, spring racing at the start gates and a flurry of farmers markets and design exchanges.

Details: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 – Sunday, December 02, 2012, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Timken Foundation Community Gallery, Mars Gallery, Ian Potter Foundation Gallery, Victor Gordon King Gallery

Admission: $12, Concession $8, Child and Gallery Member Free

capturingflora.com.au, visitballarat.com.au

Sep

Judi’s India, wild things and skydiving: travel deals 16 September 2012

Judi Dench does India

Channel Judi Dench in India, throw yourself out of a plane in Torquay or take the kids to where the wild things are.

NSW

Sydney’s biggest hotel, the Four Points by Sheraton
Sydney, is celebrating a $20 million refurbishment with its new rooms
introductory package. The 682-room behemoth on Sussex St overlooks Darling
Harbour, so make sure your rooms have a water view for Friday night fireworks
followed by dinner down on the Cockle Bay strip. Save $365 a night, costs from
$235 a night on stays in its new premium rooms until December 27.Includes
accommodation for two, as well as free wi-fi and breakfast for two, worth $80.
(02) 9290 4000, fourpoints.com/sydney.

TASMANIA

Being the start of the Bay of Fires lodge walk and the Cradle Mountain huts walk are two reasons to visit Quamby Estate. Two more great reasons may be the ten sweetly restored guest rooms of the historic 1830s Launceston hotel, and the 50 per cent discount tag. And when you learn it’s the sister property to Sir Richard Branson’s Makepeace Island, in Queensland, you know you won’t be slumming it. Expect immaculate golf links, top Tassie produce on the table and world-class local wines in the glass. Normally from $190 for a standard room, costs from $95 a room until September 30. (03) 6392 2135, quambyestate.com.au.

Kids go wild and free on Kangaroo Island, South Aus

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Children go wild and free on Kangaroo Island during the
school holidays and October long weekend. Up to three kids between 3-14 years
travel free on the SeaLink ferry, saving up to $144 when travelling with two
paying adults and a vehicle, and the adults get a discount voucher booklet
thrown in, with savings at cellar doors, restaurants and attractions on the
island. Travel until December 14. Costs from $96 an adult return and $184 for a
car return. 131 301, sealink.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Save $1200 per couple when you book four nights at the
Kimberley’s newest resort, the Berkeley River Lodge. The only way there is by
float plane from Kununurra, and its eco-villas, fishing tours and river
cruises, included in the price, are worth the trip. For travel now until March
31 (the lodge closes for wet season October 16 –January 31, 2013). Costs $5976
a couple or $4488 for solo travellers (saving $1100) for four nights. 1300 851 800,
abercrombiekent.com.au.

VICTORIA

Skydiving above Torquay ,Victoria.

Get a birds-eye view of Victoria’s magnificent coastline – if your eyes are open – when you leap out of a perfectly good plane at 3050 meters, and save up to $225. Book an ‘Escape to the Skye’ package which includes a night in a studio room at the Peppers The Sands Resort and one or two tandem skydives, and get breakfast, a free upgrade to a view room, a bottle of wine and chocolates, noon checkout and free car parking. Available from Wednesdays to Mondays, until November 30. Costs from $550 a couple, one person jumping or $899 a couple, for two people jumping. (03) 5264 3333, peppers.com.au.

SWITZERLAND

Hot chocolate, hot cheese: two good reasons to love Switzerland.
Explore both on its two-for-one deal on its four-day Swiss Pass, for unlimited
rail, bus and boat travel through the mountains in all their autumn glory. Book
until November 27 for travel between September 1 and November 30. Costs from $246
for two people for four days. From travel agents or raileurope.com.au

NEW ZEALAND

Feeding time at Wellington Zoo

Wellington is wooing junior jetsetters with a splash of kids’ activities during September and October. Become a world explorer at Wellington Zoo, while Zealandia takes kids through a wildlife sanctuary after dark. They can explore the planets at Carter Observatory, or go crazy at Capital E National Theatre for Children. Accommodation deals include one night at the Amora Hotel Wellington for two adults and two children, with breakfast, and a family pass to Wellington Zoo, from $199, until January 20, 2013. +64 4 473 3900, wellingtonnz.com.

MALAYSIA

An hour’s flight from Kuala Lumpur, looking over the
South China Sea, the newly scrubbed-up Club Med Cherating Beach offers jungle
walks and rock climbing for adults and kids. The resort now includes a new
adults-only Zen Space and a baby welcome for littlies up to 23 months. Book
until November 18, travel November 1 – April 30 2013. Adults save $345, kids
save $137. Costs from $915 for adults, $372 for children (4-11 years), twin
share, for five nights. 1800 258 263, clubmed.com.au.

CENTRAL AMERICA

You can spot a toucan on this nine-day journey through Guatemala,
Mexico and Belize. There are macaws to be glimpsed, old Spanish towns and Mayan
ruins to explore and lolling in the waters of the Caribbean is compulsory.
Departs Antigua, Guatemala, on October 29, book by October 24 and save25 per
cent. Costs $1365 a person. 1300 018 871, intrepidtravel.com.

BOTSWANA & ZAMBIA

Walk the plains of the Kalahari Desert and cruise the
Linyanti waterways in this 11-day safari, staying in tented camps and lodges.
Book now for travel between November 10 – March 20 (excluding December
20-January 10, 2113) and save $3048 a person.
Kids 6-14 years also get half-price accommodation in a family room.
Costs from $8994 a person, includes international flights ex-Sydney, full
board, all transport, night game drives and most drinks. 1300 363 302, africanwildlifesafaris.com.au.

TOURWATCH

Doing India a la ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’

Do a Judi Dench and check into the ‘Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel’, which is actually a former rural palace an hour from the Rajasthani
city of Udaipur. The hotel, which is now
an equestrian hotel, is not quite as dilapidated as in the movie of the same
name, assures TravelManagers, which is leading a 12-day private journey through
the movie’s colourful film locations. Must-see destinations are ticked off – e
Taj Mahal, Delhi’s Udaipur’s Red Fort and Udaipur’s picturesque lake, starting in Delhi before moving
to Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar and Udaipur. See elephants wandering the roadsides,
run a sea of vivid orange marigolds through your fingers at a flower market and
take a horse safari in rural Rajasthan. Costs from $2020 a person, twin share
(four-star) and $2127, twin share (five star), excluding international
airfares. travelmanagers.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald newspaper

Sep

London canteens and Indian tea houses

Today, I’m relying on photos to tell the story, rather than words. These are two beautiful spaces that crossed my desk this week:

Pop Up Canteen is, as the cafe branding suggests, in London, a feature of design junction, the London design festival now in its second year, from 19-23 September 2012. Here’s what they say about the space:

“Pop Up Canteen, a special
collaboration between the Canteen group
of restaurants, Transport for London
(TfL), with furniture supplied by Modus
and lighting from Very Good &
Proper. Canteen, which has a number of permanent sites across London, draws
heavily on TfL’s utilitarian chic for its interiors, which is what made this
collaboration such a perfect fit. The canteen will be designjunction’s largest
eatery on the top floor and the space will be art directed by Michael Sodeau.”

And my second-favourite image this week is the Best Exotic Marigold Tea House, at Floriade, Canberra’s own celebration of Spring, running 15-23 September 2012.

“Floriade visitors can enjoy a selection of exotic Indian teas and treats whilst being swept off their feet by the beautiful Indian inspired surrounds,” promises the press release.

Sep

Five-star kids: Cinderella and sugar overload at the Langham

Proving that it’s never too early or late to start Disnifying your life, my diary now includes a date for the Langham hotel’s Cinderella Children’s Tiffin. It is the ultimate date for Melbourne’s five-star kids.

The menu includes Tiara cookies, Kiss the Frog in Jelly, Love Heart cupcakes and, of course, there’ll be Fairy Bread. Groan-ups may gravitate toward the scones, jam and cream. Oh yeah!

The tiffin will be featured at the hotel during the upcoming school holidays. I’m expecting plenty of pink frocks and fairy wings. I don’t believe I’ll be disappointed…

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Five other things to do in Ballarat

Trip notes