Travel | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Jun

Spotted by locals: Ella Hooper’s High Country

Ella Hooper: singer, songwriter, musician.
“I seem to do more cultural stuff in the country.
In the city, it’s overwhelming.”

Pop-rock
chanteuse Ella Hooper returns to her High Country heartland for a
girls’ weekend exploring the villages and towns of the Strathbogie
Ranges and beyond.

VIOLET
TOWN, about a two-hour drive north of Melbourne, is home turf for Ella
Hooper, who hit the limelight heading the rock band Killing Heidi with
her guitarist brother, Jesse, before going acoustic as The Verses. She
says Winter, her favourite song from the Verses album Seasons, is an ode
to going home. “It’s about healing there when you don’t know quite
where life is taking you.”

Now
a solo artist with a just-released single, Haxan, Ella says she usually
takes the train to Violet Town. “I’m a public transport girl. I read,
veg out, listen to music. I get a lot of writing done.

There’s
inspiration in motion.” Ella’s recent weekend visit with friends also
took in Euroa, Benalla, Swanpool and Dookie. About 1000 people live in
Violet Town and it’s a quiet place, except on the second Saturday of
each month. That’s market day.

“There’s the bushies and the
artists from up in the hills, the pseudo-hippies who wear a lot of
purple and do a lot of yoga, and the townies. The market’s really all
about seeing who’s in town,” Ella says.

“I usually stock up on
Wallygrubb Soaps. This time I bought honey, vanilla and goat’s milk,
lemongrass and green clay, and “Jungle Jim” soap, which has patchouli,
clove and cedarwood in it. I also bought a bottle of riesling from Falls
Vineyard & Longwood Wines, a winery in the Strathbogie Ranges, and
some sweet candied walnuts from The Honeysuckle Produce Store, which is
my mum’s nut company.”

Between Benalla and Shepparton is the
village of Dookie, home to about 250 people and the famed Dookie
Emporium & Cafe. “I’m a bit of a vintage tragic,” confesses Ella. “I
love old clothes and I’m a fan of kitsch. I love the Benalla op-shops,
but Dookie Emporium is the creme de la creme. Everything is handpicked
by the couple who own it, both of whom have worked in film and theatre.
On this visit, I can’t believe I didn’t come out of the emporium with a
hat: I love pillboxes and bonnets. But I bought a beautiful, moth-eaten
silk blouse which is full of holes, but I had to have it. And a pair of
antique sailor pants, which I can’t stop wearing. The cafe also serves
the best coffee in the north-east.”

Another Dookie drawcard among
the region’s rich red volcanic soils is Tallis Wines. “It’s not a
well-known wine region, but the viognier is amazing and I bought a
really complex dessert wine, which I don’t usually drink. They’re so
passionate at Tallis, they’re really into their dirt and the vista’s
gorgeous.” Ella and her girlfriends shared a Tallis Wines’ cellardoor
tasting platter of local produce including caperberries, walnut bread
and olives.

Euroa Butter Factory

Benalla Art Gallery, housed in a modernist building,
and Swanpool’s historic arthouse cinema are also must-visits, Ella says.
“I seem to do more cultural stuff in the country. In the city, it’s
overwhelming. Swanpool Cinema is one of my favourites. People dress up
to go there, wearing bowties and black-and-white suits, which is kitschy
and cute. I used to dress up as a kid. The film selection is really,
really good, and there’s always a double feature. I dream of having a
party in full ’50s gear there one day.”

Summer visits to the High
Country include taking cool dips in local waterfalls. Polly McQuinn’s
weir, about a 30-minute drive south of Violet Town, is a favourite.
“It’s haunted,” says Ella, matterof-factly. Polly McQuinn was a settler
who fell in the water one night and was never seen again.
“They
say the waterhole is bottomless. No one I know has ever touched the
bottom, and I’ve been swimming here since I was a little kid.”

WHERE TO STAY
Ella stayed at Ain Garth (”our home”), a self-contained cottage in Violet Town. (www.violettown.org.au).
Built in 1910, the cottage has pretty period features, including
pressed metal ceilings and polished baltic pine flooring, along with
modern finishes. Ain Garth has four bedrooms, several living spaces and a
large garden and is perfect for a group of friends or families who want
to stay within walking distance of Violet Town’s shops.

Holiday-makers
seeking a chic retreat should head to Beechworth’s newest
accommodation, the Stone Tryst Spa Villas. Three luxury self-contained
villas, each featuring hand-built drystone walls, polished eucalypt
floors, log gas fire and a spa bath built for two, are built on a hill
overlooking the town’s stunning gorge. Floor-to-ceiling windows in
villas showcase the views, and guests have free use of bikes and helmets
– a perfect way to explore Beechworth’s historic sites and lively
dining scene (www.stonetryst.com.au).

FOOD & WINE
Built in 1901 on the banks of Sevens Creek, the Euroa Butter Factory (www.euroabutterfactory.com.au)
now houses a boutique B&B, restaurant, cafe and store. Ella and her
friends stocked up on cheesecake, muesli slices, corn fritters and
coffee from the cafe. The butter factory’s Delivery Room Restaurant has
built a reputation using ingredients from its own gardens and from
artisan producers in north-eastern Victoria.

“I’m a white-wine
girl. It’s less harsh on my throat than reds. I love pinot gris and
grigio. Oh, and riesling,” Ella says. One of her favourite locals
vineyards is Tallis Wines, in Dookie (www.talliswine.com.au), between Benalla and Shepparton.

Beechworth’s Bridge Road Brewery (www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au)
serves hand-crafted beers and has a pizza kitchen turning out great
combinations, especially when matched with a tasting plate of beers.
Housed in an old coach house behind Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel on
Beechworth’s Ford Street, the brewery has a beer garden and children’s
play area.

Ruffy Produce Store and Cafe on Nolans Road (www.ruffy.com.au)
in the Strathbogies, is famed for its lunches. It’s open Friday to
Sunday, so on this visit home, Ella and her friends dropped in, ordering
smoked lamb and horseradish sandwiches, zucchini fritters with haloumi
and poached egg, and a Japanese pancake – okonomiyaki. Ella recommends
the store’s pantry, too. “You can buy jams, preserves and pickles.
Ruffy’s got a real general store vibe, and its home-made stuff is
great.”

Where to picnic with produce from Ruffys? On the rocks at
nearby Polly McQuinns Weir, of course. The weir is on Seven Creeks
between Euroa-Mansfield Road and Merton-Strathbogie Road, where McQuinns
Road and Galls Gap Road meet.

EXPERIENCES
The
Violet Town market has been running for 35 years on a ”make, bake or
grow it” basis. It is held on the second Saturday of each month from
8.30 am to 1 pm. Local produce, including regional wines, are a
favourite buy.

Benalla Art Gallery’s collection includes
paintings, prints, works on paper, textiles, ceramics and sculpture. The
gallery is open from 10am to 5pm daily. (www.benallaartgallery.com)

Swanpool
Cinema, on the Midland Highway at Swanpool, is a not-for-profit
community theatre, operated by volunteers. You can catch foreign and
arthouse flicks, from silent movies to new releases. Get in the mood and
don your best coat-tails and 1950s-style fashion, then settle in for a
double feature. (www.swanpoolcinema.com.au)

Ella
Hooper says Gooram Falls, on the road between Euroa and Mansfield, is
another waterhole popular with the locals. It’s faster flowing than
nearby Polly McQuinns Weir. “If you’re feeling brave, you can go behind
the waterfall, but it still freaks me out when there’s a lot of water,”
she says.
At Beechworth, the brave and ghoulish can check out a
site considered one of the most haunted in Australia – the former Mayday
Hills Lunatic Asylum. The brave tour the site at night, but day tours
are available, too (www.beechworthghosttours.com).

Spotted by Locals is brought to you in association with Tourism Victoria. See more content from around Victoria on Twitter via #spottedbylocals

Belinda Jackson

This morning’s headlines from Bhutan: chillis, archery and elections

A Nepali-Bhutanese vegetable market trader.

Plummeting chili prices upsets Tsirang farmers: chillis (a national staple) have fallen from Nu 150 to as little as Nu 15. The Bhutanese currency is the Ngultru, which is tied to the Indian dollar. Nu 53 = AUD1.

Alcohol liver disease top killer (140 people died from it in the past year, making it the top killer).

Full out to file in nominations: candidates for the upcoming national elections have till today to complete their registrations.

And the Film Association of Bhutan archery team defeated Dhen Truk 11 in two straight sets in the Silver Jubilee archery tournament.

According to the daily zakar (kind of like horoscope), tomorrow is a good day to conduct daily rituals only. It’s also a bad day to start military training, to hand and take over office, to shift house, start new business, marry or sell land.

It is also a good day for rituals (laza) for those born in the tiger and rabbit years, generally a good day (sogza) for those born in the monkey and rooster years, and a bad day (shedza) for oxen and dragons

Jun

Fags are going to pot and booze gets the boot in the healthy kingdom of Bhutan

Punakha dzong

It’s been a while between posts, because it’s been a while since internet. Hell, it’s been a while since electricity.

But what it lacks in power (ironic considering it’s selling hydro-electricity to India) Bhutan makes up for in enlightening ideas.

Here’s a few to consider:

Politicians
must retire at 65 years, even the king. In any case, you’ve got to be able to get into the administrative offices, such as the Punakha dzong, pictured, a building
accessible only by what can be described as a rather beautiful ladder. Can’t get up it?
Can’t go to work (lordy, think of some of our Aussie fatties trying to edge their way up this one!)

The first
Sunday of the month is car free in the major towns. It used to be every Tuesday, but was overturned by public demand. Tuesday’s obviously a biggie for reform as…

…Tuesdays are ‘dry days’ which means no booze is sold in the country (except in tourist hotels). The locals just brew arrak – like whiskey – from barley at home. Wait, isn’t barley a
superfood?

Pot grows
wild on the roadside, the government encourages school children to rip it out.

Selling
tobacco is illegal and you pay 200% duty on any imported fags. This is the
place to go when you’re contemplating quitting. I haven’t been hanging around the bars, so I have seen only three guys smoking; and two of them were hunched over like they were behind the school toilets, and the others were in a snooker hall, flagrantly ignoring the ‘no smoking’ sign.

Jun

Down on the farm, Bhutan style

My farmhouse, Phobjike valley

It’s seven o’clock at night and the family has sat down for dinner. I can’t say the Jones
family, because Bhutanese don’t use surnames. But to draw you a picture,
there’s four generations in the room: granny and grandpa, mum and dad, their
daughter, her two-year-old daughter and seven-year-old niece.

They sit in a large circle that includes me, my guide Tshering and driver Tensing.

There are no tables or chairs in the Bhutanese house. Everyone sits on thin mats around the bhukhari (wood stove), and I admire the effortless half-lotus position that the 79-year-old grandfather, Tshewangla, adopts for his light dinner.

The white rice is sticky and is rolled with your hand into a tight ball and daubed with chilli cooked in
cheese sauce. Chilli is not a flavouring, chilli is a vegetable to be eaten at every meal, including breakfast.

Until 18 months ago, the women did all the cooking on a two-ring gas burner and on the wood stove. There was some light from the solar panels, but electricity has
changed all that. The warm kitchen is all very comfortable, with a fluorescent light above and a home-grown soapie on tv. A little cat sleeps by the wood
stove, and I spot a rice cooker, microwave, toaster and fridge. Butter and cheese are still often wrapped in rhododendron leaves to stop it from going hard.

Namgay Pem and her husband Phub Gaytshey.

“Electricity has changed our lives,” says Namgay Pem, the mother of the house. It’s helped them to have better sanitation and everyone loves the soap opera, which won an international award for its role in educating people about the dangers of HIV.

That night, as a special guest in a full house, I sleep in the altar room. Namgay’s husband, Phub Gaytshey, is a lay monk, and the room’s walls are covered in
elaborate paintings that pulsate with colour. One complete wall is taken up with a deep altar which Phub attends carefully each morning.

After Phub demonstrates his ritual of offering tea, incense, water and three prostrations to the altar, the two little girls show me their new three-day-old calf, safe
in a manger attached to the kitchen, and we pop a few arrows: archery is Bhutan’s national sport, and their obsession is comparable to, say, the AFL or English league.

We clamber in the 4WD to slip and slide up the muddy driveway, waving to the family. There is no word for ‘goodbye’ in Dzongkha, only ‘see you again’.

Jun

What they’re wearing in Bhutan right now: fashion show in Thimphu

My first
night in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, was spent at a glamorous fashion
parade. My second night was spent sitting on a farmhouse kitchen floor, eating
rice with my fingers with a family of potato farmers.

Curve ball
tourism?

Absolutely the place to be in Thimphu this week was
the fashion parade that marked the opening of the new National Textile Museum
building.

Everyone was there. Even one of

Bhutan’s five queens – who is the
museum’s patron – was there, with plenty of princes and princesses into tow, mobbed by Bhutan’s paparazzi and observed eagerly and reverentially by
the rest of the population.

The dress that brought the house
down and the crowd to its feet.

The fashion
show was a collaboration of designers from Bhutan’s fledgling fashion industry
and two Indian designers, the Bollywood designer Rita Kumar and the fabulously
suave Rajesh Pratap Singh.

Models were a mix of locals and Mumbai imports: the
super-Indians had the strut and polish, while a few Bhutanese girls radiated
shyness. The boys were all doing their best
‘OMG-my-girlfriend-talked-me-into-this’ look and, in a country that created
Gross National Happiness, they all had perfected the p*** off stare.

The show
ran through the latest kiras (women’s
traditional dress) and ghos (men’s wrap), which must be worn at work and for
official functions.

Having said that, I have seen farmers happily striding the
paddocks in the gho, usually tartan, which looks like a shave coat worn with a
pair of long socks. It is more attractive than it sounds, while the kiras, shimmering
with gold threat, were beautiful.

Then INXS
kicked up and the designers let their heads go. True to form, the paparazzi’s
cameras went into overdrive whenever a mini-skirt came on the catwalk (rare)
but the biggest applause was for a fairytale gown that swept the floor.

A traditional kira.

It really
showed another face of Bhutan: there wasn’t a hiking boot in sight, and it was
touching to see the Bhutanese absolutely bursting with pride for their
beautiful new building and the fashions by their own.

They were
also extremely lucky, as the monsoon season seems to have come early this year
– it generally doesn’t kick off till late June, early July – there was not one
drop of rain on the elaborate outdoor production. I assume it was the work of
the lamas, who dictated when the building should be opened.

“But then,
the lamas were consulted as to when the elections should take place, and they
were rained out,” commented one (foreign) cynic.

For a
country that got TV in 1999, they’ve come a long way, baby.

Jun

Searching for the face of Bhutan

I wish lived in a different, less politically-correct age, so I could write like
Norman Lewis, who wrote that “The mulatta girls of Havana were seen to flaunt
the biggest posteriors and the narrowest waists in the world”.

I’d write
that in this queue, waiting to check in to the flight to Paro, there are
Indians – plump, handsome little men doing business in the perfume trade. And
there are Asians: Louis Vuitton-toting Japanese, Chinese from Shenzen. And then there are those whose faces are
blurred by geography: a group of people who look like they’ve been mashed
between the two super-countries of India and China.

Dark skin and
full lips of an Asian face, but straight narrow noses and small eyes, the eyes
of a mountain race who were born closer to the sun than the rest of us.

The check-in counter
is down the back of Bangkok airport, along with Uzbekistan and Israeli
air, but the airport is eerily deserted. Amongst the luggage, I count 15
flat-screen tvs and six clear plastic carry bags stuffed with duvets and a
large dog, yelping his distress from his cage.

I can hear
other Australians behind me, some serious cameras slung nonchalantly over
shoulders, but at 5.10am, they’re already talking gear.

Bhutan, I’m ready.

Jun

En route to Bangkok

Bangkok airport.

The
soundtrack: Terry Oldfield on the chimes and meditation bowl, churning out a
Healing Sounds journey – to get that pre-Bhutan Buddhist feelin’.

The book:
Norman Lewis’s ‘The World, The World’ – going old school, back to my early
love, where travel writing all began.

The scene: it’s like a cheerful cocktail party around me, with Campari and
Singha beer going down with handfuls of salty nuts.

The
airline: Thai Airways – thank goodness, the attendants don’t look like overplayed
drag queens and neither are they so beautiful that it turns me into
Insta-Frump.

The
destination: Bangkok and the Novotel Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Airport – “try the breakfast buffet, try
the pool, try the beds!” urges the hotel’s PR, Cyn Dammerer. With less 10 hours
on the ground (thanks to a 6.50am onward flight to Paro), I’ll see what I can
do, Cyn.

Jun

From British royalty to Victorian winery walkabouts: travel deals June 2, 2013

Mediterranean flavour: Santorini is the final destination
in Maeve O’Meara’s Greek gastronomy tour.
Photo: Getty Images

Australia

Queensland
Make a
date for a night in at the movies, at the QT Port Douglas hotel. Of
course, being in the tropics, it’ll be moonlight cinema. Stay any
Friday, Saturday and Sunday night between June 22 and October 6 and the
Locals Package gives you a complementary upgrade to a one-bedroom villa,
as well as two tickets to the flicks and breakfast for two in the
Bazaar restaurant. Quote code “moonlight01”. Costs from $199 a night.
(07) 4099 8900, qtportdouglas.com.au.

Victoria
Discover
the rich red and white Rhone varietals and sweet muscats of Rutherglen
at the Rutherglen Winery Walkabout, Australia’s longest running wine
festival, on the weekend of June 8-9 (winemakers.com.au).
Stay at the Tuileries and save 20 per cent on Sunday to Friday nights
until September 30. They’ll include a country breakfast and three-course
dinner for two at Tuileries Restaurant, including the unlimited wine
buffet, which showcases the region’s top drops. Usually $346 a night,
costs $276 a room, a night. (02) 6032 9033, tuileriesrutherglen.com.au.

Tasmania

Love
a snowy winter but hate long-haul travel? Freshwater on Berry is a
two-bedroom lodge in Miena, on the Great Lake in Tassie’s central
highlands, two hours from Hobart. Opened just six months ago, the local
attractions are all natural, from horse riding to bushwalking, mountain
biking and hunting. Usually $170 a night, stay two nights or more and
save $20 a night, with a bottle of Tasmanian wine thrown in to the
bargain. Valid on stays from July 1 to September 30. Costs from $150 a
night (two-night minimum).

Northern Territory
Check
in to the red heart of Australia, at one of our most iconic hotels,
Longitude 131˚, a luxury tented camp that curls along the sand dunes
facing Uluru. This three-night package includes all meals and drinks,
tours exclusively for Longitude guests and airport transfers, and
they’ll include a 15-minute helicopter flight over Uluru. Book by
September 30 for travel until November 30, and quote “escape”. Costs
from $2805 a person, twin share. 1300 134 044, longitude131.com.au/escape.

Travelodge Phillip St, Sydney

NSW
Be
a city slicker for three nights at Travelodge Phillip Street, main
picture, where you can walk to the best museums and art galleries as
well as the Opera House, the Rocks and Hyde Park. You’ll save 30 per
cent on stays until July 31, from $160 a night, with a buffet breakfast
included. Costs from $480 for three nights. 1300 886 886, travelodge.com.au.

Western Australia
Warm
up in the west, with a winter weekender special saving $100 at the
Metro Hotel, Perth. Stay one night in an executive room and get
breakfast, a bottle of sparkling wine and chocolates, noon checkout and a
$10 Coles voucher. Available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights
until August 31. Costs from $299. 1800 004 321, metrohotels.com.au.

International

Indonesia
Children
are welcome at Seminyak’s Serene Villas, which have pool fences, toys,
cots, movies and games, and a special children’s menu. Book a three- or
six-night stay and get all that plus two complimentary meals for each
child, as well as discounted entry into Bali’s ultra-kid-magnets
Waterbom Park and Bali Safari Park. Save 20 per cent on stays until
September 30. Costs from $1130 for three nights, or $2415 for six
nights, for two adults and up to three children sharing a two-bedroom
villa. +62 361 730 899, serenevilla.com.

Abu Dhabi
It’s
official: the best of the Middle East’s desert resorts, according to
the World Travel Awards four years running, is Anantara’s Qasr Al Sarab,
in Abu Dhabi’s Empty Quarter. It’s got all the romance, with camels,
sand dunes and falconry. Stay five nights in a one-bedroom pool villa
and save up to 40 per cent. Book by July 22 for stays until July 31.
Costs from $1026 for five nights. +971 2 886 2088, anantara.com.

Oman
Gorgeously
traditional, Oman is a glimpse into the real Arabia, without the Dubai
glitz. Each of the 213 rooms in the new Crowne Plaza Duqm face the
Arabian Sea, with its shipbuilding history and tales of Sinbad. There
are five restaurants and lounges and the hotel’s opening special sees
rooms from $200 a night until September. 1800 007 697, crowneplaza.com.

Bolivia
From
the witches’ market in La Paz to the dazzlingly bright Uyuni salt flats
and the pre-Colombian terraces around Lake Titicaca, Bolivia is a blur
of colour and contradiction. Save 10 per cent when you book the new
13-day Bolivia Explorer tour. Book by June 30 for departures between
June 7 and November 8. Includes transport, guides and most meals. Costs
from $2115, twin share. 1300 763 338, bfirsttravel.com.

Greece
Dine like a goddess on the heavenly Greek isles, with SBS Food Safari
host Maeve O’Meara leading you off the beaten track to the islands of
Evia, Limnos and Lesbos, to finish with a bang in Santorini. “Each day
is a perfect little jewel,” O’Meara says. “You have a range of the best
regional produce, meet all our favourite Greek characters and feast on
dishes you’d never find in restaurants.” Includes accommodation,
internal flights, luxury sailing, most meals and wine. The tour runs
from September 3 to 15. Costs from $7250, twin share (save $700), $8200
for singles (save $800). (02) 8969 6555, gourmetsafaris.com.au.

Tour watch

With
a royal warrant from the Prince of Wales on its sleeve — the only one
of its kind in the world — expect fabulousness when checking in to the
Ritz London. Britain is deep in coronation mode, celebrating Queen
Elizabeth II’s 60th anniversary on the throne, and the Ritz has tickets
to the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace, from July 11 to 14. Its
Festival Fantastic package includes two nights’ accommodation, English
breakfast (naturally), dinner in The Ritz Restaurant, tickets to the
festival, and champagne and canapes when you’re there. Valid on
check-ins between July 11 and 13. Costs from $1789 a person, twin share.
1800 222 033, lhw.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Jun

Katrina Pizzini’s ricotta & spinach gnocchi with creamy blue sauce

Here it is: the easiest gnocchi recipe ever, fresh from the Victorian high country. I took a photo and threw it up online, but someone suggested it made them want to throw up, so I may refrain from the graphics at this point.

Gnocchi
1kg ricotta
500g spinach blanched, cooled, liquid squeezed out and pureed
120g grated parmesan
1tsp grated nutmeg
170g plain flour
5 large egg yolks

Sauce
2tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
600ml cream
3 tbsp fresh chervil, finely chopped
250g blue vein cheese (D’Ambert if you can find it – camembert is ok, too)

Katrina Pizzini in action, Cheshunt, VIC.

Gnocchi: Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined – the rougher the better. Mould a handful of mixture into a large sausage then roll onto a lightly floured bench until 2cm in diameter.

Cut the sausage with a flat-blade knife on the diagonal and place the gnocchi onto a lightly floured tray. Continue till all the mixture is used.

Drop the gnocchi into boiling salted water about 20 at a time. They’ll sink to the bottom and when the gnocchi rise to the surface, cook for a further minute or two. With a slotted spoon, scoop the gnocchi from the water and place into a serving bowl.

Sauce: Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion. Add the garlic, white wine, bay leaf and peppercorns and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add the cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the cream sauce, add the chervil and the crumbled blue vein cheese.

Pasta, Ravioli & Gnocchi
Class $140 per person, Vino e Vita wine club $130 per person
This
class is not just about how to make pasta and the perfect gnocchi.
Participants will learn how to make interesting ravioli fillings and the
different sauces to go with the different pastas made.

May

Drink in the coffee, Rhone varietals or a Himalayan vista: travel deals 26 May 2013

Drink coffee in Brisbane, Rhone varietals in Rutherglen, or just drink in the view in the Indian Himalayas.

Victoria
Discover the rich reds, Rhone
varietals and sweet muscats of Rutherglen at the Rutherglen Winery
Walkabout, Australia’s longest-running wine festival, on the weekend of
June 8-9 (winemakers.com.au). Stay at Tuileries and save 20 per cent on
Sunday to Friday nights until September 30. They’ll include a country
breakfast and three-course dinner for two at Tuileries Restaurant
including its unlimited wine buffet, which showcases the region’s top
drops. Usually $346 a night, now $276. (02) 6032 9033, tuileriesrutherglen.com.au.

New South Wales
Ski
or board Perisher and Thredbo from the central
location of the Snowy Mountains’ Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa,
which is 15 minutes from either ski resort. Normally studio apartments
cost from $250 a night but the resort has two-night stays with a hot
breakfast, $100 to spend in the spa or restaurant, discounts on ski
hire, day spas, and free shuttles to the Skitube to Perisher. Available
from June 7 until October 6. Costs from $593 for two nights in a studio
apartment (sleeps two), or from $1034 for two nights in a two-bedroom
apartment (sleeps four). 1800 020 524, lakecrackenback.com.au.

Queensland
Check
in to Brisbane’s new Traders Hotel and they’ll give you a coffee
machine. Yes, really. Book a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night stay and
get a Nespresso U machine, worth $299, along with early check-in and
late checkout and a $50 voucher. There’s free wi-fi, too. The hotel is
opposite the Brisbane Transit Centre on Roma Street and within walking
distance of the spectacular Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern
Art. Book by June 30 for stays until December 29. Costs from $298 a
night. (07) 3238 2222, www.tradershotels.com/brisbane.

Thailand
The
new 277-room Pullman Phuket Arcadia is on Naithon Beach, 15 minutes
from the airport. It has sunken lounges with wine libraries as well as a
kids’ lunchtime restaurant by the pool, and spa aficionados will
appreciate the French Payot range. The hotel’s soft-opening special
means you can pay as little as $105 a night, saving 30 per cent off the
best rate on stays of three days or more, with breakfast and wi-fi
included. Valid until October 31. Costs from $315 for three nights. pullmanphuketarcadia.com.

Vietnam
The
coastline of Nha Trang boasts much natural beauty, and then there are
the hotels. The lush Evason Ana Mandara, main picture, sits on its own
stretch of sea, which obligingly issues lobsters for the table. Stay
seven nights and pay for five, with a villa upgrade, breakfast, airport
transfers and an hour-long massage for two in its spa. Includes return
international flights with Vietnam Airlines. Costs from $2032 a person,
twin share. Book by June 15 for stays until December 19. 1300 138 755, travelindochina.com.au.

India
If
exploring the Indian Himalayas in winter does it for you, this new
22-day Zanskar Ice Trek fits the bill. World Expeditions freely admits
this is one of its most adventurous treks, with minus-30-degree nights,
frozen river trekking and remote high passes. The tour departs from Leh
and includes all meals, internal flights, bilingual guides, sleeping bag
and jacket. Save 15 per cent off the second traveller when two people
book together; singles save 7½ per cent. Book by June 21 to depart on
February 2. Costs from $3900 a person, twin share. 1300 720 000, worldexpeditions.com.