Oct

52 Weekends Away: food and wine in Gippsland

Temptation personified. Photo: Belinda Jackson

On a break from Cairo, here’s a little number from beautiful East Gippsland. If you’re in that neck of the woods (think Lakes Entrance way), make a beeline for this little beauty.

BAG END AT RIVENDELL

926 Stephenson Road, Tambo Upper, Vic
Phone: (03) 5156 4317 or 0419 302 074
Web: arkenstone.com.au

The location
Tambo Upper is an East
Gippsland hamlet located amid rolling farmland off the highway between
Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance. Rivendell is a 44-hectare property built
on the hilltops; you can look out to the spectacular Gippsland Lakes, a
favourite spot for boaties, fishermen and birdwatchers.

The place
Rivendell is a working Angus beef farm with two self-contained cottages that have also been named after things or places in The Lord of the Rings
– Arkenstone, a wheelchair-friendly, three-bedroom cottage, and the
one-bedroom Bag End, which we stayed in. In an earlier incarnation, Bag
End’s bedroom was a concrete water tank; it’s still circular, but now
it’s filled by a comfy bed and lined with racks of wine, available for
purchase. Both cottages have well-equipped kitchens and there’s a spa
tub in the garden. The farm is home to peacocks and guinea fowl, sheep,
hens and horses.

The experience
Start the day with
owner-chef Josh Thomas’s excellent breakfast and end it with a
three-course dinner. In between, there’s always lunch: the nearby
Nicholson River Winery serves platters that complement its renowned
Gippsland pinot noirs. Rivendell hires canoes and mountain bikes to
enable visitors to explore the picturesque Tambo River and the East
Gippsland Rail Trail.

Don’t miss
East Gippsland’s vibrant
villages. Bruthen is at the start of the Great Alpine Road and here you
can sink a local brew at the Bullant Brewery before popping into the new
Bruthen Bazaar. Metung, on the water’s edge, has a thriving cafe scene
and breakfast at The Metung Galley is highly recommended. There’s also a
farmer’s market on the second Saturday of each month.

Need to know
Cost: From $240 a night.
Distance: 3.5 hours’ drive (310km) east of Melbourne.
Children: Yes.

This story, written by Belinda Jackson, is part of 52 Weekends Away, published in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Oct

Building Interest: architectural tourism

Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring
Resort, China.

Build it and they will come. Or will they? Belinda Jackson rounds up the best newcomers on the architecture scene.

Could you visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower? Or
miss the Blue Mosque when in Istanbul? The Tower Bridge is a London
essential and Cairo’s pyramids are possibly the oldest tourist site on
the map.

But tell friends you’re going to Oslo to see the new design
by Renzo Piano and chances are you’ll be tarred with a try-hard hipster
tag. “Architecture is the great public art,” says Eoghan Lewis,
architect and founder of Sydney Architecture Walk, in defence of
architectural tourism.

While not buying into the tallest-fattest-most-brightly-coloured
debate (“Do people really travel to see the new tall?”), he readily
admits to admiring Burj Khalifa, but describes Sydney’s Opera House as
“the most important 20th-century architectural moment”, matched only by
Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia basilica, in Barcelona.

The Cardboard Cathedral, New Zealand.

However, if you were so inclined, the battle for the tallest,
longest and shiniest building has just two serious contestants: the UAE
and China, with Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, at 829 metres, currently the
tallest building in the world. Pitch that beside Australia’s loftiest
offering, the Gold Coast’s Q1, and we come out looking positively puny
at just 322 metres high.

Architecture aficionados have their 2013-14 diaries full,
with a smorgasbord of beautiful little offerings from Britain and plenty
of Zaha Hadid curves in Asia.

Off the list is the tediously square new George W. Bush presidential
centre. And while we’d love to jet to Lima for sheer wackiness, its
cliff-hanging hotel is, unsurprisingly, still at the planning permission
stage, while Shanghai’s Songjiang Hotel, where two floors are
underwater, won’t open till 2015.

Back home in Australia, now is the time for quiet, beautiful,
subtle achievers. Read on for a baker’s dozen of great new
architectural statements going up around the world.

ASIA

Here’s a statistic that will probably be outdated by the time we go
to print: nine of the 20 tallest buildings currently in construction
across the world are in China. But just because they’re tall doesn’t
make them fabulous: they have to be beautiful, too.

At heart, many travellers are mountain goats who need to
climb to the top for the birds-eye view of a new city. So take a look at
the new Shanghai Tower, which erupts from Pudong, one big paddy field
until a couple of decades ago.

he stats are impressive: the futuristic
skyscraper designed by American super-firm Gensler, was “topped out” in
early August at 632 metres, making it China’s tallest building; well
under Burj Khalifa. It is expected to be overtaken in the sky race even
before its completion by the ambitious Sky City, in Hunan, which aims to
scrape past the Burj by nine metres. Is it just me, or does this smack
of playground politics? Would it make you plan a trip to Hunan to see a
pointy tower that won’t fit in your camera lens?

Still big but less pointy, the new Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring
Resort, also near Shanghai, is dominated by what’s unscientifically
been dubbed a “doughnut”. Perhaps “glowing horseshoe” is a kinder term
to describe Beijing-based MAD architects’ work: the ring is covered in a
metal skin covered with LED lights, which erupts 100 metres high from a
lake. The resort opened this year to the tune of about $1.5 billion and
should win dinner parties as the ultimate Shanghai weekender.

The Iranian-born, British-based architectural powerhouse Zaha Hadid
has been one seriously busy woman, with the new Dongaemun history and
culture park opening in Seoul next year. With her signature organic
curves, Hadid’s “urban oasis” is in the centre of old downtown Seoul and
includes a design museum and traditional Korean gardens. Detractors say
Hadid hasn’t tried hard enough to keep the old city but her admirers
won’t be disappointed (ddp.seoul.go.kr/eng/).

As an aside, while she’s not everyone’s cup of tea, Hadid’s
work definitely is admired by a group of Chinese builders, who have
pirated her Beijing Wangjing SoHo complex, in Chongqing. The copy may
even be completed before the original is finished, in 2014.

For more organic forms and materials, head to Kontum City in
Middle Vietnam for a cup of coffee at the waterside cafe in Kon Tum
Indochine Hotel. Designed by Vo Trong Nghia architects, the cafe’s roof
is upheld by 15 gigantic bamboo columns inspired by Vietnamese fishing
baskets. The cafe is on the shortlist for an award at this month’s World
Architecture Festival at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore (indochinehotel.vn).

Den Bla Planet, Denmark.

SCANDINAVIA
For most, the drawcard of Copenhagen’s Den Bla Planet (The
Blue Planet) won’t be the architecture, it’ll be the 20,000 marine
animals wriggling around on display at this new aquarium, designed by
Danish architects 3XN. The largest aquarium in Northern Europe, Den Bla
Planet holds seven million litres of water inside, is encircled by a
reflection pool outside, and the building’s form is inspired by a
whirlpool, a visual treat from the air when you fly in to nearby
Copenhagen Airport. Australian aquarium architecture specialists
Crossley Architects, who spent almost four years working on the project,
name the Amazon display as the best in show (denblaaplanet.dk). The aquarium has just won its category for display architecture at the 2013 World Architecture Festival.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Masdar City

Normally, we’d associate the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with excess:
the world recreated in man-made islands (“Anyone for Nigeria?”) or very,
very big, pointy towers, a la Burj Khalifa. Abu Dhabi’s new World Trade
Centre won’t disappoint on that count but for something completely
different, Dubai’s bankroller is also home to a sustainable,
zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city.

Set beside Abu Dhabi’s airport, Masdar City is designed by
British architect Norman Foster of Foster & Partners. A so-called
“arcology” project, which marries architecture and ecology to create
self-sustaining, densely populated cities, Masdar City runs on solar
energy – sensibly, given it’s built in a sunny desert.

Expect
super-modernity from the car-free city, which is connected by little
driver-less pods, but expect also lessons from the past, such as wind
towers, or barjeels, Iran’s ancient alternative to air-con (masdarcity.ae).

The Shard

BRITAIN
Architects
feature consistently in the top 10 sexiest occupations, which must make
Renzo Piano, co-architect of Paris’s Centre Georges Pompidou,
absolutely irresistible. Britain is currently revelling in golden years
and Piano’s Shard, which opened in February, is the new jewel in
London’s skyline. Stats first: topping 310 metres, yes, it’s the tallest
building in Western Europe, with 11,000 glass panels and, amazingly, 90
per cent of its construction materials are recycled. It’s not just a
viewpoint, the tower will soon house a hotel, four restaurants and
residencies with a price tag from £30 million ($50 million) (the-shard.com).

Shard aside (and we haven’t even gone to Glasgow’s
Commonwealth Games build), this year’s top talking points are all
low-to-the-ground historical landmarks, led by the new Mary Rose museum
in Portsmouth, which opened in May. The Mary Rose, a 16th-century Tudor
warship, was built on these docks in 1510, sinking after 34 years’
service. She was raised from the bed of the Solent River and four
centuries and $56 million later, is now encircled by a modern museum
displaying her sunken treasure. The museum is designed by architects
Wilkinson Eyre, the name behind Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay and the
Crown Sydney resort at Barangaroo (maryrose.org).

Going further back into the mists of time, the new visitors
centre at Stonehenge is set to open in February next year, after two
decades and more than $60 million spent on planning and construction.
The building has sparked interest among the design community for the
hurdles it faced: the low-key design, by Denton Corker Marshall, sits
lightly on the ground so as to not disturb nor detract from the ancient
Salisbury plain (stonehenge.co.uk).

The Mary Rose.

Serious design aficionados already have their names down for
the chance to sleep amid the serene architecture of celebrated architect
Peter Zumthor, winner of the RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2013. The Secular
Retreat, which taps into the concept of “ecclesiastical architecture”
(read “monastic use of rammed concrete”) is located among the rolling
hills of South Devon and will be completed in 2014 (living-architecture.co.uk).

OCEANIA
As a half-Tasmanian, here’s a sentence I never thought I’d
utter: “You must go to Glenorchy and check out this amazing piece of
architecture.” The Glenorchy Art and Sculpture Park (GASP!) sits on the
banks of the Derwent River, just a couple of kilometres downstream from
another fine architectural statement, Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

GASP, Tasmania

Designed by the young guns at Room 11, a boardwalk that curls around the
bay to MONA opened in 2011, followed in April by a new pavilion of rose
glass and concrete that juts out over the river. GASP! is already a
popular promenade and there are plans for regular art events and a new
social enterprise cafe and food truck. Ferry to MONA and hire bikes to
coast down to GASP or borrow free Art Bikes in Hobart and ride 30
minutes to GASP! (gasp.org.au, arts.tas.gov.au/artsatwork/artbikes).

Across the pond to New Zealand, the Cardboard Cathedral in
Christchurch officially opened in late August, already has a solid fan
base. Designed and donated to the city by “emergency architect” Shigeru
Ban after the Anglican cathedral was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake,
the temporary cathedral is an exercise in the resilience of faith and
community. Made from gigantic cardboard tubes, it has a life span of
about 20 years (christchurchnz.com/planning/cardboard-cathedral).

Architecturally, across the world there is no one trend:
there are small conversations and there are immense statements. With
Australia’s and the world’s top awards soon to be announced, the
conversation continues.

FIVE CITY ARCHITECTURE TOURS
MELTOURS ARCHITECTURE TOUR
Found in Melbourne; costs $39, phone 0407 380 969; see meltours.com.au.
SYDNEY ARCHITECTURE WALKS
Costs from $30; phone 0403 888 390; see sydneyarchitecture.org.
CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION
Costs from $10; phone +312 922 3432; see architecture.org.
THE BAUHAUS TOUR
Found in Tel Aviv, Israel; costs $18; see bauhaus-center.com/tours.php.
EDINBURGH ARCHITECTURE TOURS
Found in Scotland, phone +44 1620 825722; see edinburgharchitecture.co.uk.

FIVE MORE OCEANIA BUILDINGS

MELBOURNE
Occupying the corner of Swanston and Victoria Streets, the
super-restrained Design Hub by Sean Godsell Architects is tipped to
clean up at this year’s national architecture awards, agree Eoghan Lewis
and Jerome Miller, of Meltours Architecture Tours. The building’s
“skin” is a grid of disks that can be rotated to catch the sun,
ultimately to power the building. Jerome also names 700 Bourke Street,
Docklands worth a look for its vivid “slices”, best seen from Southern
Cross Station.

CANBERRA
Opened in February, the National Arboretum is 250 hectares
dominated by a dramatic amphitheatre with secret gardens, cork oak
forests and high-arched, stone-clad visitor centre overlooking Lake
Burley Griffin, designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects and
landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean (nationalarboretum.act.gov.au).

SYDNEY
The new Prince Alfred Park+Pool in Surry Hills is designed by
Neeson Murcutt Architects and Sue Barnsley Design. The 50-metre heated
outdoor pool lined playfully with palms and smart, sunny yellow
umbrellas, set amid grassy mounds that “fold” over the main building,
hiding it from street view (princealfred.org).

AUCKLAND
The Auckland Gallery Toi o Tamaki has just been named 2013
World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival. It was
remodelled by Sydney’s FJMT and Auckland-based Archimedia and reopened
in September 2011 (aucklandartgallery.com).

This feature by Belinda Jackson was published in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Sep

How to choose the ideal holiday home

Peppers Bale Penthouse, with over 300sqm of Luxury, in its
Absolute Beach Front Penthouse.

Here’s a thought guaranteed to scare you: Christmas is coming. If you’re planning the great Australian holiday, here are a few tips when booking a holiday home that will set you ahead of the pack.

But don’t be shy: keep scrolling down and you’ll also find the winners of the 2013 Stayz best holiday rentals for lovers of pets, the great outdoors and each other.

BOOK WELL AHEAD
In
peak times, such as Christmas, school holidays and the ski season,
houses can be booked out 12 months in advance. Otherwise, allow at least
three months.

GO OFF-PEAK
Most properties
have midweek specials and some beach areas drop their prices in the
colder months or throw in an extra night free. Traditionally, May is the
slowest month.

BE ADD-ON AWARE
Many owners
add special touches, particularly in their downtime, such as breakfast
baskets filled with home-made jams and eggs from their own hens, or a
bottle of local wine on arrival.

STAY LONGER
Some
properties have two-night minimum stays on the weekends, and up to
seven-night minimum stays in the peak seasons. Staying two weeks usually
attracts a lower rate.

GET MOBILE
If you’re flying in, book your car at the same time, so you’re not left stranded on the ground.

Stay with the stars

Our top picks of the Stayz 2013 holiday rental winners.

INDULGENCE WINNER
Toraja Luxury, NSW
A luxury pad with 180-degree ocean panoramas just outside Byron Bay. Sleeps six.
Who goes there? Honeymooners and lovers (of each other and of luxury).
When to go All year round thanks to the swimming pool, open fireplace, outdoor lounges and gourmet kitchen.
Must-visit local attraction The sparkling beaches of Broken Head and Lennox Head.
Guest comment
“The pool area is a beautiful spot to while away the hours … the
verandah [and all of the windows in the house] look out over rolling
green pastures to the sea.”
Trip notes From $470 to $1100, minimum three nights, stayz.com.au/115047.

ROMANCE WINNER
Liptrap Loft, Vic
A rustic shack in Walkerville, south Gippsland. Sleeps six.
Who goes there? Bushies for privacy and a Japanese bathhouse.
When to go Summer for the beach, winter for the whales and their calves in Waratah Bay for R&R.
Must-visit local attraction Wilson’s Promontory, 30 minutes away, is a naturist’s delight.
Guest comment
“Eccentric in a beautiful way, the furniture is a delight.We will
return in winter to hunker down with the fire and listen to nature’s
best.”
Trip notes From $190 to $265 a night, minimum two nights, stayz.com.au/22270.

OUTDOOR WINNER
The Evening Star, Vic
A polished two-bedroom cottage outside Bright, in the Victorian High Country. Sleeps four.
Who goes there? Mountain lovers, bike riders, kids over 10 years old.
When to go Autumn for the colour.
Must-visit local attraction Bright’s foodie scene and Hotham’s ski fields are 45 minutes away.
Guest comment “Deafening silence, crisp mountain air and amazing views from a gorgeous house where all the little touches have been added.”
Trip notes From $250 (weekdays) to $400 (weekends) a night, minimum two nights, stayz.com.au/19289.

ECO-FRIENDLY WINNER
Riversdale Retreat, Vic
A super-slick eco-cottage at Chewton, near Castlemaine. Sleeps three.
Who goes there? Melbourne foodies. Shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival Awards 2009.
When to go Great for a cold-weather getaway.
Must-visit local attraction Daylesford and the restaurants and vintage shopping in Kyneton and Castlemaine.
Guest comment “It
felt a bit like a groovy city pad in the middle of the bush. Even
honoured by visits from kangaroos and red-bellied robins. Enjoyed
bushwalking and the marvellous Chewton market.”
Trip notes Costs $220 a double (Monday-Thursday), $265 (Friday-Sunday), minimum two nights, stayz.com.au/66476.

PET FRIENDLY WINNER
Noosa Holiday House, Qld
A three-story house at Castaways Beach, near Noosa. Sleeps eight.
Who goes there? Pet-owning design lovers.
When to go A minute from the beach, summer is hugely popular.
Must-visit local attraction The restaurant strip at Sunshine Beach; Peregian Beach design markets.
Guest comment “With
the home being on three levels, we were able to have time to ourselves
and our children loved the free Wi-Fi. Dog loved the backyard … lots
of great bush, beach and rainforest walks.”
Trip notes From $550 to $900 a night, minimum five nights, stayz.com.au/55345.
Stayz is a division of Fairfax Media.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun-Herald newspaper

Aug

Shacktastic! Great Aussie holiday homes

Getting away from it all? Not any more — we want holiday homes that have it all… (or, as I’ve subtitled this piece in my noisy head, how we traded the caravan for the castle.)

For generations of Aussies, summer holidays always started with a
long, “I spy”-dominated drive to the beach.

The accommodation was either
a caravan park, where kids ran rampant from dawn until dusk and the
queue at the shower block was the essential meeting place, or the
classic beach shack, built on a shoestring and furnished with the
cast-offs from the family home.

We’ve always loved our beach
shacks: hidden from view on the white-sand beaches of the NSW south
coast or up in idyllic Byron Bay, you’ll see them among the dunes along
the South Australian coastline, tucked away down sandy lanes on the
Bellarine and Mornington peninsulas, so laid-back they’re almost
horizontal.

Stayz, a division of Fairfax Media, recently held its annual awards for
the best holiday rentals in seven categories including best for pets,
romance, families and eco-friendliness, as well as a people’s choice.
Judged by a panel of travel industry experts with guest ratings and
reviews in the mix, the results are an eye-opener.

These days the locations are different: we’re not just running to the
beach any more. Sure, there are winners in Noosa, Byron Bay and on
Culburra Beach, just outside Nowra, but there are also winners in the
Victorian foodie region around Kyneton, in the genteel NSW southern
highlands and another on the sleepy east Gippsland coastline.

“The
mix of holiday homes is changing,” says Anton Stanish, general manager
of Stayz. “We’ve also got more inner-city serviced apartments,
especially on the Gold Coast. They’re so convenient for fly-in
holidaymakers. And we’ve got more unique properties.”

Choose your dream: a tree-house? A castle? A lighthouse? Or a yurt? A
train carriage or go underground to a subterranean B&B? You might
need a jetty for your own boat, or helicopter access for a particularly
dramatic arrival. While the shape of the holiday house has changed, so
have our requirements.

Nowadays, remember to take your iPad and
smartphones, Stanish says. Far from getting away from it all, a huge
percentage of holiday homes now have Wi-Fi. We’re holidaying
differently: we expect great beds, pay-TV and internet access. We’re out
to “enjoy ourselves” and “we’re no longer doing hardship”, he says.

Indulgence winner: Toraja Luxury just outside Byron Bay.

With
the rise in demand comes the rise in agents happy to supply, and not
just traditional real estate agents. The last year has seen a rush of
activity among the online players, which include behemoth Stayz, which
has more than 40,000 properties on its books, HomeAway.com.au with
19,000 holiday listings, and wotif.com, which launched a dedicated
holiday homes service in March 2012.

Newcomer Airbnb, which lets people
advertise not only their homes but also rooms, launched in Australia
late last year, and has gone public about its intention to take on Stayz
in the holiday rentals market.

With such choice available, you need to choose carefully. Think about
what you’d use the property for: obviously, a couple chasing romance
doesn’t need to pay for a two-bedroom house and if you’re a large group,
check that there are enough bathrooms for you all.

Groups also
need to ensure they have enough transport, especially if you’re booking a
country house, such as a Victorian farmhouse B&B.

If you want
to eat in a different restaurant every night, is a country retreat
really for you, or would it be better basing yourself in a foodie town,
such as the beloved spa town of Daylesford, Victoria, where you can
totter home afterwards, bypassing the need for a designated driver? And
while pool fences are compulsory in Australia, it also goes without
saying that kids and cliff-top retreats don’t mix.

Villa Vivante, Coffs Harbour, is perched 750 feet above the Pacific
Ocean,
it’s a vivid image of the beautiful villas on the Cote d’Azure
in
the South of France.

If you’re
packing the pets, check that the local beaches or parks are leash-free:
in summer, many beaches ban dogs in daylight hours. Hound-friendly
holiday homes are on the increase and the advantage for holiday home
owners is that dog owners are a sturdy bunch, with the market not so
reliant on good weather.

“Many dog owners are happy to get a break
from the city all year around to give their dogs a run, so dog-friendly
holiday rentals are becoming increasingly popular,” says Stephen
Nicholls, Fairfax Media’s national Domain editor and property
trend-watcher.

However simple or complex your wishes, at the end
of the day, it’s still a holiday. We’ve come a long way for the best
getaway. In many properties, you’ll also find quality linen supplied,
brand toiletries, top-brand coffee machines… all the lovely things we
may not necessarily have at home.

You can tick off the five key
factors that make a good holiday home: uniqueness, good value, the right
space and size, exclusivity of use and that old real estate mantra,
location, location, location.
Once upon a time, you just added
water – think beaches, rivers or lakes – to make the perfect holiday
home. Now, we expect dependable internet, luxury linen, professionally
kitted-out kitchens and a plethora of entertainment options from
restaurant strips to theme parks and, of course, a great beach.

The
great Australian getaway definitely has changed as our households have
changed, with more singles on the move, as well as couples young and old
without kids. Holidaymakers, as Nicholls points out, want to travel
with their pets, with a group of mates, or take a holiday that leaves a
lighter footprint on the planet.

Families are also more
adventurous – no staying at home just because we have young children,
and thanks to rising petrol costs, lower airfares and more services to
regional airports, many visitors will arrive at their destination by
plane rather than a long road trip through countless country towns. Baby
boomers are happily blowing their children’s inheritance on holidays,
while the core holiday home market – inter-generational travel, which
sees grandparents holidaying with all their kids – has always been a key
holiday rental market.

While villa rentals are on-trend in our
favourite international destinations such as Bali and Thailand,
Australia’s stepping up to the plate; which is particularly timely as
our obsession with overseas travel is set to wane as our dollar winds
back recent gains.

Building on our existing love of a beach shack,
those holiday homes are now a bit glossier, more polished, with
matching linen and chic, gingham-checked breakfast baskets featuring
sumptuous piles of regional produce.

Something that hasn’t changed
is that the most popular spots for holiday homes remain within 2½
hours’ drive of our capital cities. “That’s about as long as young
families with two kids in the back seat can tolerate for a weekend
break,” Nicholls says.

For Sydneysiders, the south coast is a hot
locale. Destination NSW says the most popular spot in the state for
Sydney short-break holidaymakers is the south coast, with 23 per cent of
us heading there, while the north coast gets 17 per cent of the
traffic, and the Hunter Valley 15 per cent. The beach towns of Hyams
Beach, Nowra and Huskisson remain popular as well as Nicholls’ personal
favourite, Jervis Bay, right on the 2½-hour mark.

While it’s
traditionally quiet in the middle of winter, Todd Gallant from Hyams
Beach Real Estate says the beachside spot, which sells itself as having
the whitest sand in the world, is increasingly popular with
holidaymakers, though official tourism figures show its biggest rival is
NSW’s north coast, with tourist traffic to Byron Bay currently booming,
and we’re not even talking about across the border to the holiday mecca
that is Noosa.

Not quite as far away from Sydney, Pacific Palms –
specifically Blueys Beach – is just under three hours’ drive north of
Sydney on the appropriately named Holiday Coast, a strong lure for
time-poor north shore holidaymakers.

As the six-week summer
holiday fades into a nostalgic haze, the long weekender continues to
rise in popularity: four-day mini-breaks are hot right now.

For a full-list of the winners of this year’s Stayz Group Holiday Rental Awards, see stayz.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sydney Morning Herald/The Age

Jun

Spotted by locals: Lisa Gorman’s Great Ocean Road

Lisa Gorman: fashion designer,
entrepreneur, mother

Melbourne fashionista Lisa Gorman takes to the Great Ocean Road.

Lisa
Gorman’s childhood was spent traversing the Great Ocean Road, so when
this stylish Victorian recently went home for the weekend, her local
knowledge came to the fore.

“WE
WERE FOUR SMALL GIRLS, fishing for eels, of all things, in the Erskine
River,” recalls fashionista Lisa Gorman of family holidays spent on the
coast. “Being from Warrnambool, we spent our holidays in Lorne, Port
Campbell and Wye River,” she says. “We’d do a little fishing before
breakfast, then we’d swim. We were always in the water.”

Lisa
and her husband, Dean Angelucci, recently took their young family to
her favourite local places, and discovered new experiences, on the way
to seeing family in Warrnambool.

The chief drawcard along the
Great Ocean Road is undoubtedly the Twelve Apostles near Port Campbell,
while Cape Otway is the place to spot koalas. However, the addition of
African-style safari tents set on wooden platforms at Cumberland River
Holiday Park near Lorne also caught Lisa’s attention. “It’s a gorgeous
caravan park,” she says. “The safari tents are perfect for really bad
campers like me. You just turn up and they’re already set up for you. It
was a great discovery. We’re staying there next time.”

This
holiday, Lisa, Dean and their children spent a night at Azure, a beach
house in Wye River. “For a sheer, slick, high-end holiday residence,
Azure is amazing,” she says. Ocean views unfold from the balcony, and
the property is about a five-minute walk from the township, where the
family dined at Wye Beach Hotel.

“It was packed, with a good, local feel, not that holiday-tourist feel, with interesting hearty pub food being served.”

The riches of the Wye River General Store

For
breakfast the next morning, Lisa visited an old favourite, the Wye
River General Store. Recently refreshed and given a touch of city aplomb
by celebrity architects Six Degrees (think Newmarket Hotel in St Kilda
or the Boatbuilders Yard at South Wharf), the store showcases local
produce. The family stocked up on chocolates, Zeally Bay sourdough from
Torquay and the famed Irrewarra muesli, produced near Colac, about an
hour north of Wye River.

The store’s great coffee helped fuel
Lisa’s drive from the sheltered bushlands of Lorne to Apollo Bay, where
the family stopped for calamari at Bayleaf Cafe and took a walk on the
pier. But there was no swimming in the chilly waters of Bass Strait.
“Lorne and Wye River are quite protected where the bush meets the beach,
but after Apollo Bay it gets really wild,” Lisa says.

A night at
the chic Great Ocean Ecolodge, built in a conservation park adjoining
the Great Otway National Park, meant the family woke up with wildlife on
their doorstep, before driving on to Cape Otway Lighthouse to take a
tour of the building. “It’s two-and-a-half hours from Cape Otway to
Warrnambool, and the drive between the cape and the Twelve Apostles is
gorgeous. It just continues to roll, with fruit trees mixed with gum
trees,” Lisa says.

There were thousands of tourists at the Gibson Steps,
she says, and at the Twelve Apostles the wind was howling. “There’s a
photo of me there, my hair at an 180-degree angle across my face. I look
like Cousin It. But it was still a sky-blue day.”

From Port
Campbell, the family drove into the hills at Timboon, 16 kilometres from
the coast. The towns along the Great Ocean Road really know how to feed
their visitors, serving a mix of the ocean’s bounty and
western-district farmland produce.

A hot tip for foodies, Lisa says, is
to pack a portable cooler and make for Timboon Distillery, where the
shelves are laden with local fare – from Arabian-style pomegranate
dressing to pear chutney, goats cheese and freshly-baked loaves. Lisa
stocked up on L’Artisan’s Mountain Man organic washed-rind cheese and a
bottle of Newtown’s Ridge chardonnay. As she drove away, she realised
she’d forgotten to stock up on Parratte smoked eel, but that’s okay –
she’ll be back soon for another taste of her childhood region.

WHERE TO STAY
When
Lisa Gorman and her husband, Dean Angelucci, took their children on a
recent weekend break, a leisurely drive from Melbourne to Warrnambool,
Lisa’s home town, via the Great Ocean Road beckoned. The family spent
two nights on the road: one night at a designer beach house at Wye, the
other at a chic eco-lodge.

Azure (stayz.com.au/83824)
is a contemporary four-bedroom beachhouse that sleeps eight people and
has 180-degree views of the Great Ocean Road and the township of Wye
River. “Azure is immaculate, with spectacular views of the coastline,”
Lisa says. “It’s a really beautifully appointed house.”

The Great Ocean Ecolodge (greatoceanecolodge.com),
established and operated by the Conservation Ecology Centre, is
adjacent to the Great Otway National Park and hosts a welcoming communal
dining table.

Founded by Shayne Neal and Lizzie Corke, the
solar-powered eco-lodge’s ethos is impressive. “It’s a private business
and not-for-profit, taking care of wildlife and the bush: it’s a very
well-rounded concept, and they’re a multitasking gang,” Lisa says.
“Shayne will take you out at dawn to look for koalas or at night to look
at sugar gliders, then he’s pouring you a local pinot or two, while
chef Kylie is very conscientious and super-knowledgeable about local
produce. And her apple pie! It’s great for families, very educational,
with beautiful food and in a really beautiful environment.”

FOOD & WINE
Summer
or winter, holidays with children usually include requests for
ice-cream and Dooley’s Ice Cream, made in Apollo Bay, recently took home
the gold at the 2013 Grand Dairy Awards for its liquorice variety. “We
always ate ice-cream as children on holidays along the Great Ocean Road,
but I think I’m eating more now,” Lisa says. Dooley’s liquorice is
very, very good.”

The tasting platter served at Timboon Distillery (timboondistillery.com.au)
was another foodie highlight, she says. The region’s artisan producers
are well represented in Timboon’s menus – think Old Lorne Road olives,
an Istra salami or ham, toasted sourdough, three cheeses including
Meredith goat cheese and a soft cheese from Apostle Whey – with Timboon
Fine Ice Cream to finish. In winter, soup shooters are added to the
menu. Many travellers also take the local food trail, known under the
umbrella of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans (visit12apostles.com.au), to sample everything from malt whisky to chocolates to berries and highland beef pies.

Wye River General Store (wyerivergeneralstore.com.au)
stocks a robust wine list that includes Bellarine Peninsula gems such
as Provenance pinot gris from Bannockburn, Lethbridge riesling and
Gosling Creek sauvignon blanc.

EXPERIENCES
“The
Great Ocean Road is not just about the views, it’s also about the food,
the walks. It’s about nature, and it’s about the ocean,” says Lisa.
Cape Otway Lighthouse (lightstation.com),
at the “junction” of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean, has
self-guided and guided tours, including a ghost tour which takes you up
the spiral staircase to the top of the light tower. “It was crazily
windy when we were there. They tell you to take off your hat and
sunglasses before you walk out onto the balcony,” says Lisa.

A key
calling card of the Great Ocean Road are the limestone stacks of the 12
Apostles, an hour by car from Warrnambool. At nearby Port Campbell,
visitors take the Gibson Steps up a 70-metre cliffside walk for the
breathtaking views from the top. Another formation of stacks, the Bay of
Islands, is 10-minutes west of Peterborough.

Treasures can also
be found indoors on this coast, too. “Ten minutes past Warrnambool,
Mailors Flat Demolition & Antiques is a big treasure hunt,” Lisa
says. “The owner, Bernie, has some great old stuff – whole staircases,
knobs, parts of buildings.” (www.visitwarrnambool.com.au)

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

Source: Belinda Jackson, Good Weekend Magazine

Apr

Chic digs in Paris, Siem Reap and Melbourne: travel deals April 14, 2013

Geikie Gorge, Western Australia.

A Parisienne apartment, Raffles hotel in Siem Reap, and the Como Melbourne: this week’s international and domestic travel deals are all about chic digs.

NSW

Looking for an easy, passport-free school holidays? Take a spin on Katoomba’s Scenic Railway (scenicworld.com.au) or watch battle re-enactments at Ironfest in Lithgow, April 20-21 (ironfest.net). The Blue Mountains is also celebrating the first recognised European crossing, with re-enactments of the path of explorers Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth in 1813 (visitbluemountains.com.au). Families of up to four can save $72 on a two-night stay at the Blue Mountains YHA until July 31. Includes breakfast daily and free wi-fi at the art deco property in Katoomba. Costs from $240, two nights. (02) 4782 1416, yha.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

The luxury of holidays is doing what you want: and if you want to stay in and watch movies, then order the Outrigger Twin Towns Resort’s Movie Munch Package. The deal includes free popcorn and retro lolly bags, as well as a free room upgrade and daily breakfast. The hotel, at Tweed Heads-Coolangatta, is beside the Twin Towns Services Club, which has just had a $21 million renovation, with a new line-up of entertainment including Pete Murray, Lee Kernaghan and the Blue Oyster Cult (yes, really). Costs from $298, two nights until April 30. (07) 5536 2121, outrigger.com.au.

TASMANIA

Delve into the beauty of the Tarkine wilderness, as seen through the eyes of top nature photographer Steve Parish, who rates a dawn shoot on the Pieman River as one of the highlights of his 50-year career behind the lens. He is hosting a five-day residential workshop at Corinna Wilderness Retreat, an old goldmining town in the Tarkine, for photographers to help them capture that perfect moment. There are night photography walks and post-production workshops, as well as kayaking trips and early-morning river cruises on the hunt for platypus and birds. The tour runs from August 18 to 23. Book by May 31 and save $1500. Costs from $3250 a person. (03) 6446 1170, corinna.com.au.

VICTORIA

Melbourne’s Toorak is hot again, with smokin’ eateries including misschu, MoVida Bakery and Claremont Tonic all just five minutes apart. Stay three nights in the slicked-up Toorak icon, the Como hotel, pictured top left, and pay for just two nights, as part of Accor’s global Stay 3, Pay 2 sale. Book by June 25 for stays until June 30. Costs from $366, three nights. 1300 656 565, accorhotels.com.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Hit the north-western coastline on an 18-day adventure from Darwin to Perth, and save up to $450 a person. Highlights include stays in El Questro, Karijini’s National Park in the Pilbara, at Ningaloo Reef and Monkey Mia – expect ghost towns, camel rides, empty deserts and sparkling beaches. Book by April 30 for one of nine departures between May and September. Costs from $6545 a person, twin share. 1300 300 036, travelmarvel.com.au.

NEW ZEALAND

Scenery and food are two of Queenstown’s signature experiences. Get both with the Rees Hotel’s dinner, bed and breakfast package, on April 27. The hotel is serving a five-course degustation menu with Waiheke vintages by Destiny Bay up against Bordeaux France for $237. Stay a second consecutive night for just $40. Costs from $438.20 a person, two nights, quote “ASHCS”. therees.co.nz.

FRANCE

If you’ve come to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, you won’t be disappointed. There it is, as seen from your bedroom window, just 15 minutes’ walk across the Seine. You can rent out two bedrooms in this wildly creative mansion or share the B&B and make new friends. Book by May 31 for stays until November 30 and save $50 a night. Costs from $165 a night, two people, including breakfast. petiteparis.com.au.

FIJI

Check in to a week at the Fiji Hideaway Resort & Spa on the Coral Coast and get up to $1000 in bonus extras such as return airport transfers and $F500 ($270) credit for resort food and spa treatments. Includes return flights with Air Pacific, meals, some drinks, and under-12s get to play, stay and eat free. Book by April 30 for travel in May and November, with additional dates available with a surcharge. Costs from $1440 a person, twin share. myholidaycentre.com.au/fiji.

PERU

Walk in cloud forests and witches’ markets, from Quito to La Paz. Intrepid My Adventure Store is knocking 15 per cent off its South America trips booked until May 15 for travel until August 31. The 36-day journey includes camping, homestays, Machu Picchu at sunrise and a Mancora beach sunset. Save $526, costs from $2969 a person, twin share. 1300 018 390, myadventurestore.com.

EGYPT

Visit the home of two of the seven wonders of the ancient world (including the Giza pyramids, pictured) at half price. Tempo Holidays’ 11-day Wonders of Egypt tour, which visits Cairo and Alexandria and spends four nights cruising the Nile from Luxor to Aswan, is offering two for the price of one on tours departing May 3-17 and July 12-26. Book by April 30; includes internal flights. Costs from $3230 for two people, twin share. 1300 558 987, tempoholidays.com.

TOURWATCH

Journey into Cambodia’s elaborate Khmer culture on a
five-night tour, staying three nights at Raffles
Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap and two in Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom
Penh. Meet eminent Cambodian artists, learn the secrets behind shadow puppetry
and classical dance, and get into the kitchen to cook the recipes from the
Royal Palace of Cambodia. The tour also reveals charitable projects in Phnom
Penh’s Lotus Blanc restaurant and Siem Reap’s Artisans d’Angkor’s Silk Farm.
Includes a traditional Khmer spa treatment, helicopter flight over Angkor and
sunrise at Angkor Wat. A Journey
Through Khmer Culture costs from $3095 a person, five nights, twin
share. 0011 800 1723 3537 (toll free), raffles.com.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Mar

Where Maggie Beer relaxes, Fleur Wood eats and wellness and eco escapes: Good Weekend

Where does Maggie Beer truly relax, and Fleur Woods
find a Victorian gourmet getaway? Part of Good Weekend’s 52 ExtraordinaryJourneys that cover wellness retreats and eco-escapes.

MAGGIE BEER, cook,
restaurateur, author
The experience: Consistency, attention to detail and utter relaxation
on Kangaroo Island.
“I have visited the Southern Ocean Lodge four times, as
I host a Kangaroo Island Food Safari each year. Recently, I stayed at the lodge
for five days. I’m a detail freak and I appreciate every little bit. The luxury
is the staff, who are lovely people. It’s in the swivel chairs you sit on. It’s
in the way everything is so restful, and how every window is set to capture a
view: the first time I walked into the lodge’s great room, it took my breath
away. It’s in the greeting on arrival, the freshly made lamingtons served and
the good-quality tea. On my last visit, we walked the cliffs to Hanson Bay
every morning, and every morning the staff would offer to pack us cut fruit on
ice or a picnic and rug. We sat outside for every meal we could, eating the
best food, using seasonal, local produce. The lodge’s signature scent is lemon
myrtle, so there’s a sense of the bush. I don’t relax easily unless I’m by the
sea. Here, I am so relaxed, I just give myself over to it.”
Dream to reality: Regional
Express (rex.com.au) flies daily from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island; Sealink
(sealink.com.au) has a daily ferry service from Cape Jervis on the mainland.
Southern Ocean Lodge, Hanson Bay, two-night stays from $990 a person a night,
twin share. southernoceanlodge.com.au

WELL-BEING

CLEAN
SKINS, TAS
The experience: Chardonnay body scrub, pinot bath and a glass of wine.
Snuggled in the wild dunes of Tasmania’s far north-east, Barnbougle Lost Farm’s
spa menu includes vinotherapy – embracing blends from the nearby Tamar Valley’s
cool-climate wines. Think chardonnay exfoliant, pinot noir body mask, then a
still-water pinot bath.
Dream to reality: Barnbougle Lost Farm, Waterhouse
Road, Bridport, is one hour’s drive from Launceston. Fly direct from
Melbourne’s Moorabbin Airport. Rooms from $190 a night, twin share; 150 minutes
of vinotherapy from $320 a person. lostfarm.com.au

MASSAGE THERAPY, NT
The experience: Waterfall “treatment” in
subtropical climes.
Nature’s hand replaces that of the therapist, no booking is required, and there
are no man-made products – just an invigorating pummelling. In and around
beautiful Litchfield National Park south of Darwin, the popular Florence Falls,
Wangi Falls, Sandy Creek (Tjaynera Falls), Surprise Creek Falls and Buley
Rockhole can deliver neck-and-shoulder workouts. The best time to try is early
in the
dry season, May-June.
Dream to reality: Litchfield National Park is a
90-minute drive from Darwin. Walk from carparks to individual waterfalls.
travelnt.com

PAMPER PACKED, WA
The experience: A splendid bolthole and secluded
beach in the south-west.
Injidup Spa Retreat’s 10 villas have heated plunge pools, ocean views, in-villa
dining and an in-villa massage service. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of
the World network, Injidup is adjacent to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and
within driving distance of the Margaret River wine-and-dine bounty, yet well
suited to travellers who seek to be alone, but pampered, near a brooding sea.
Dream to reality: Injidup is a three-hour drive
southwest of Perth. Two-night weekend villa stays from $650 a night.
injidupsparetreat.com.au

TUB THUMPER, SA
The experience: Barossa bush bathing.
The seven-suite Kingsford Homestead, built in 1856, has an alfresco two-person
bath set in a private corner of the estate. Guests are handed a basket
containing a bathrobe and salts before they walk into the bush to bathe.
Dream to reality: Kingsford is an hour’s drive
north of Adelaide. Two-night stays from $1780 for two. kingsfordhomestead.com.au

BODY CAMPS, QLD
The experience: A Noosa ‘‘bodibreak’’ for those
made of tough stuff.
Train like a pro under the direction of Life’s A Gym coaches: think
bootcamp-style sessions on the beach, in the ocean and pool, as well as
running, bike riding, and stand-up paddling and surfing sessions. The regimen
is bespoke and includes fitness and nutrition advice.
Dream to reality: Fly direct from Sydney or
Melbourne to Sunshine Coast Airport. Stay at Outrigger Little Hastings Street,
Noosa. Four-day ‘‘bodibreak’’ from $1650 a person, twin share. lifesagym.com

ECO

WINGING
IT, QLD
The experience: Savannah meets wetlands meets
lodge comforts.
Wake to a chorus of brolgas after a night’s sleep in an African-style tented
stay overlooking the 2000-hectare Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve
in
the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns, in Far North Queensland. The Wildlife
Conservancy of Tropical Queensland spent 10 years developing the reserve.
Dream to reality: By car, it’s about a 90-minute
drive from Cairns or Port Douglas. Lodge stays from $229 a person a night, twin
share. Cairns-Mareeba train and bus services available. Transfers from Cairns
to the Jabiru Safari Lodge are available by special request.
jabirusafarilodge.com.au

BEST BEDS, SA
The experience: Stylish digs deep in native
forest.
Winter and early spring bring forth flowering plants and orchids at the
spectacular Tanonga, a 100-hectare property on the Eyre Peninsula where more
than 25,000 native trees, shrubs, grasses and sedges have been planted to help
restore the land. It’s a robust landscape of incredible views, with two
architect-designed, self-contained lodges sitting among it.
Dream to reality: Regional Express flies daily
from Adelaide to Port Lincoln. Tanonga Luxury Eco Lodges are a 20-minute drive
from the airport. Lodge stay is $310-$340 a night. Minimum two-night stay.
tanonga.com.au

BORN WILD, TAS
The experience: At home on the edge of the wild
Tarkine.
Corinna is a former goldmining settlement, its riverside workers’ cottages and
stores since renovated and an additional 14 retreats built to complement the
settler vernacular. On the southern side of the Tarkine – the largest temperate
rainforest in Australia – Corinna has rainwater on tap. While you’re there,
take a Pieman River cruise on the stunning Arcadia II, a 17-metre vessel made
of huon pine in 1939.
Dream to reality: Corinna is a three-hour drive
south west of Stanley or 90 minutes north of Strahan, on Tasmania’s west coast.
One-bedroom retreats from $200 a night for two people. corinna.com.au

STYLISHLY SOLAR, VIC
The experience: Corrugated-iron “bush
shelters”, courtesy of architects.
Self-contained studios insulated with sheep’s wool and decorated with found and
recycled materials form The Odd Frog, built on
4.2 hectares in Bright in Victoria’s north-east. It’s a solar-powered stay,
with grey water going to the orchard, walking and cycling tracks (including the
sealed Murray to the Mountains rail trail) nearby, and Bright’s shops a short
stroll away.
Dream to reality: Bright is about a three-hour
drive from Melbourne. Nearest airport is Albury, NSW. Studios from $150 a
night. theoddfrog.com

ROO THE DAY, NSW
The experience: No plastic, thanks, we’re
permaculture people.
Tucked between a sandstone escarpment and the Morton National Park, Kangaroo
Valley has National Trust-listed landscapes and village buildings, a
long-standing ‘‘no plastic bags in shops’’ policy, and tourism operators who
are upfront about their efforts to reduce their carbon emissions. About 1300
people live in the valley, and it’s
a badge of honour for many that there are no traffic lights in the area.
Dream to reality: Kangaroo Valley is a two-hour
drive south of Sydney. kangaroovalleytourist.asn.au

FLEUR WOOD, Sydney fashion
designer
The experience: Towns that let the tables do the talking.
“Victoria’s Daylesford region is a foodie revelation All
we did on a weekend visit was eat. My favourite restaurant is Kazuki’s –
modern, Japanese-inspired bistro food. There’s beef and foie gras on the menu,
but it’s very light. It’s my kind of food and I wanted everything on the menu.
Wombat Hill House cafe, in the botanic gardens, is a great place to take kids
and the food is fresh, organic and healthy. We had lunch in the conservatory
and were struck by the delicious salads with fresh herbs and the local spring
water. I did manage to get to Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa and visit Lavandula, a
Swiss-Italian-style lavender farm for the signature lavender scones, of course.
It is really beautiful, a good place for a post-spa afternoon tea. There are so
many restaurants, yet there’s still an Australian country town aesthetic about
Daylesford. With a husband and young baby, plus restaurants and spa treatments
to experience, I didn’t have much time for shopping, but we took home some
home-made apricot and almond jam. So much of the food is local and organic and
there’s a real pride in growing and producing your own foods. It’s such a great
community. If it was just outside Sydney, I’d be there every second
weekend.”
Dream to reality: Daylesford
and the Macedon Ranges is north-west of Melbourne. Self-guided touring
recommended. visitvictoria.com

This article originally appeared in Good
Weekend. Like Good Weekend on Facebook to get regular updates on upcoming stories
and events – www.facebook.com/GoodWeekendMagazine

Source: Belinda Jackson, Good Weekend Magazine

Mar

Loving Mungo and Malaysia: travel deals 3 March 2013

Tiptoe through the tulips, snap up a bargain stay in Malaysia or go mad for Mungo in our own wilderness, at the edge of the Outback. (Ok, so this column is up a little bit late, but you never know when a bargain will strike!)

NEW SOUTH WALES
Wring the last out of summer with a quickie getaway to the far northern NSW coast, for great fish & chips and quiet, sandy beaches, just 20 minutes south of the Gold Coast airport. Save 20 per cent on stays at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa, Kingscliff, and get buffet breakfast, in-room movies and internet access thrown in on stays until September 10. Costs from $564 for three nights in a one-bedroom spa suite. 1300 987 600, peppers.com.au.

NORTHERN TERRITORY
The time poor don’t have to miss out on the beauties of the Top End: the five-day Mysterious North journey whisks you around the crown jewels, including Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks to swim in waterfalls and view Aboriginal rock art galleries. There’s also a cruise down Katherine Gorge and glamping at Wildman Wilderness Lodge to round up a perfect week away from the office. Save $105 when you book six months before departure; tours depart between May 12 and October 20. Costs from $2075 a person, twin share. 1800 467 747, inspiringjourneys.com.au.

The Terrace Hotel, Perth

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

With Chanel now open on Perth’s King St and photographs from New York’s Museum of Modern Art showing in the Art Gallery of Western Australia, our western cousin is a sophisticate, indeed. Add to the mix a new boutique hotel, situated on St Georges Terrace in Perth’s happening West End. The elegant buildings of the Terrace Hotel were built in 1892, and the 15-suite hotel starts at $505 a night. Book the ‘Weekend Warrior’ and they’ll add a cocktail and full breakfast for stays on Friday and Saturday nights until April 1. Costs from $495 a night, (08) 9214 4444, terracehotelperth.com.au.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The InterContinental Adelaide

Adelaide is celebrating all things
maritime with the arrival of the JMW Turner exhibition, Turner from the Tate,
showing until May 19. Book a Turner Art Package at the InterContinental
Adelaide and save $132. The offer includes one night’s accommodation, two
tickets to the exhibition, breakfast for two and 2pm check-out. The hotel,
which is a short walk from the Art Gallery of South Australia, can also arrange
VIP guided tours of the exhibition.
Costs from $228 a night. 138 388, icadelaide.com.au.

VICTORIA

On your bikes, girls, it’s time to explore the Victorian
High Country on a Girls Own Bicycle Adventure. Bring your own or hire one of
Snowy River Cycling’s mountain or hybrid bikes. The six-day tour starts and
finishes at Orbost, in East Gippsland, and covers up to 50km a day (depending
on terrain, weather and mood) staying in national park lodges and farmhouses.
Departs May 5 and includes a basic bike maintenance workshop and an op shop
frock night. Save 20 per cent, or $229, on bookings made by April 5. Costs
$1416 a person, twin share. 0428 556 088, snowyrivercycling.com.au.

The Baglionio, London

ENGLAND

An Italian hotel in London – how could you go wrong? And
it’s on sale too. Stay two nights for the price of one, making the Kensington
hotel, the Baglionio, an outrageous steal. There’s a two-night minimum, and the
offer is valid on deluxe rooms until April 1. Smith members also get a bottle
of prosecco into the deal as well: and it’s free to join. Costs from $462 for
two nights. 1300 896 627, mrandmrssmith.com.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia’s five-star hotels are fabulous, and fabulously
priced. The luxury Saujana Hotel in Kuala Lumpur includes an 18-hole championship
golf course and 260 hectares of tropical gardens. Snap up Malaysia Airlines
discount return flights and team up with a four-night stay at the Saujana. Book
by March 31 for travel until November 13, costs from $1057, or $753 flight
only. directflights.com.au.

NETHERLANDS

A Dutch deal is hard to find, but the tulips are
plentiful on Outdoor Travel’s Bike & Barge tour through Holland in the
springtime. Highlights include the world’s biggest flower auction, happening Amsterdam,
Delft and a cheese farm in Gouda, as you bike in between cruising the serene
riverways on a 10-cabin craft. Non-cycling partners are welcome. Save up to
$300 per cabin on departures on April 7 and May 12 only. Costs from $1600 a
person, includes most meals and bike hire. 1800 331 582, outdoortravel.com.au.

CHINA

The best of China is on display over 21 days, from
Beijing to Hong Kong, with Xi’an, Shanghai and the Yangtze River in between.
The China in Depth tour is a hotpot of pandas, Sichuan cooking, Great Walls and limestone crags and
five-star accommodation includes the new Westin Xia and Fairmont Beijing.
Partners fly free from Australia on bookings made by March 31. Costs from
$10,420 a person, twin share. 1300
723 642, scenictours.com.au

JAPAN

Japan just got even cheaper, thanks to a strong Aussie dollar and 15 per cent off World Expeditions’ Japan trips, including its Family Explorer. There are bullet trains, geishas, wasabi farms and fish markets, folk villages and the neon madness of Tokyo on this 12-day trip. The discount applies on bookings made before March 31 for departures July 1 to December 31. Costs from $4,390 a person, twin share. $3746 for kids 6-11 years. 1300 720 000, worldexpeditions.com.

TOURWATCH Mungo
National Park

“I think Aussies are really interested in Mungo National
Park,” says Janine Duffy of Echidna Tours. “It’s like a cathedral of our
history, but we can’t quite understand it.” The ancient landscape of Mungo is
near the meeting place of the Murray and the Darling rivers, in far western
NSW: think out Broken Hill and Mildura way. The Mungo Outback Journey is a
private journey with guides from the local Paakantyi Tribe who spend three days
showing you the beauty of the desert, from brilliant parrots and fairy wrens to
extinct marsupials, and the
remnants of 50,000 years of Aboriginal history. Fly in to Mildura to pick up
the private three-day tour, staying at the pretty river town of Wentworth. Runs
from March to November. Costs from $1350 a person, (03) 9646 8249, echidnawalkabout.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Feb

Places in the heart: Anthony Field

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is ”chill city” for Anthony Field, aka the Blue Wiggle, who says visiting the red heart of the Northern Territory is like going on a retreat.

I first went to Uluru in the 1980s and I’ve been back five or six times, twice with my wife, Miki, and our three kids. I used to love driving from Alice Springs, but now I fly. The first thing I always do is get a photo with whomever I’m with, lying in the red dust. People can’t believe it when they see the colour of the ground.

It’s a totally different style of holiday to when I was a kid. I love my mum and dad, but Dad’s idea of a holiday was driving to Canberra in a Holden station wagon with seven kids, no seat belts. We got kicked out of the Australian War Memorial for being too noisy. It made the Canberra Times.

Mum was very protective of us: at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show, we had a rope tied around our waists. We got in the papers again. Uluru’s the real Australia, the real spirit. You can actually feel it. It’s like going on a retreat. You can even meditate, walking around Uluru and around Kata Tjuta.

Yes, it’s beautiful to watch the colours change on the rock at sunrise or sunset, but in the midday heat, there are secret waterholes in the shade. We pick desert roses and other native flowers – and my children actually put down their Nintendos for the weekend.

The main thing is to switch gears in my brain. Uluru is chill city, even though it may be 40 degrees. However, I don’t really care about the heat. We’re going back there. I think all Australians, if they can get there, should go to Uluru. It’s something we should all do. It’s the heart of Australia.

The Wiggles’ national Taking Off tour starts in March. thewiggles.com.au

Source: Belinda Jackson, Good Weekend/SMH

Feb

Dine in the desert, lap up the luxury: travel deals 3 February 2013

It could only be the Maldives.

Lap up the luxury in the Maldives, dine in the desert beneath the stars at Uluru or snigger like a schoolboy in Cappadocia, in this week’s domestic and international travel deals.

TASMANIA

Small and beautiful not only describes the island of Tasmania, but also Hobart’s sleek boutique hotel scene, led by the bellwether The Islington. The last word in chic, the 11-room hotel is offering 20 per cent off dinner, bed and breakfast in its lush Garden View rooms when you stay Wednesday to Sunday. Normally $585 a night, rug up and save $117 a night on stays between April 1 and September 30. The offer includes a three-course a la carte dinner for two. Book by February 28. Costs from $468 a night. 1300 896 627, mrandmrssmith.com.

VICTORIA

Now the holiday crowds have gone, you can soak up the
beauty of the Great Ocean Road in relative peace. Stay three nights in a cabin
at the Big4 Beacon Resort in Queenscliff and they’ll include a Movie Munch
popcorn pack, free DVD hire, mountain bikes, two meals for the price of one at
Terindah Estate vineyard, half price on a South Bay eco-tours discovery tour
and a bottle of chardonnay from local vineyard, Scotchmans Hill. Excludes
Saturday nights, the Bellarine Getaway
Package is valid until August 31. Costs from $330, three nights. 1800 351 152, beaconresort.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

The Sebel Resort Noosa, Queensland.

If you thought Noosa’s locals couldn’t get any more buff and beautiful, wait till the Kellogg’s Nutri-grain Ironman and Ironwoman series comes to town on February 24. Get into the action with a stay at the refurbished Sebel Resort Noosa, on Hastings Street. Stay in a one-bed spa apartment and get 35 per cent off, kids stay free and you’ll also get free internet. Stay two nights or more, and get free bike hire or surfboard hire. Book by February 28 for stays until June 20 (excluding Easter), and quote the suitably vigorous promo code ‘outdoors’. Costs from $259 a night. 131 515, sebelresortnoosa.com.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

It’s still summer out in the west, where the turtles are
nesting and the manta rays are swimming. Do your bit to keep the turtles happy
with a guided tour to spot Green, Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles (08 9949 1176, exmouthwa.com.au), Stay at the nearby Novotel Ningaloo Reef in
Exmouth and get five nights for the price of four on stays until March 28.
Costs from $1100 a room, five nights. (08) 9949 0000, novotelningaloo.com.au.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Tick the Northern Territory many icons off your bucket
list in one swoop, on the 11-day Territory Explorer, including Uluru, Alice
Springs, Kakadu and Katherine Gorge. Highlights also include a Sounds of
Silence dinner in the central Australian desert, a slap-up feed at Daly Waters
pub and two nights at the Sails in the Desert resort at Uluru. Book by March 31 and your partner gets free
flights into Ayers Rock and out of Darwin, tours depart between June and August.
Costs from $5665 a person, twin share.
1300 723 642,
scenictours.com.

THAILAND

Get into the thick of Bangkok’s gold-obsessed Chinatown
with a three-night stay that includes breakfast daily, welcome drinks, free
wi-fi and 20 per cent off at the hotel spa. Rooms from the 11th floor up of the
three-star Grand China hotel include views of the city and Chao Phraya river.
Book by March 31 for stays between April 1 and October 31. Costs from $95 a
person, twin share, for three nights. 133 133, flightcentre.com.au.

TURKEY

The pun-worthy rock formations of Cappadocia, Turkey

Turkish history resonates with Australians, and the
battlefields of World War I are on the itinerary of this seven-day ‘Turkish Delight’ coach tour through
a remarkable country. Other highlights include the ancient cities of Troy and
Ephesus, the Convent of the Whirling Dervishes in far western Konya and the
pun-worthy rock formations of Cappadocia. Save 10 per cent when you book by
February 20, excludes tours during the ANZAC period, April 18-25. Costs from
$828 a person, includes four-star accommodation and most meals. 1300 362 844, tempoholidays.com.

BALI

Beat the rush for flights and book your April holiday
before March 1 to save $726 on a seven-night stay at Club Med, Nusa Dua. The
offer includes all meals, open bar and snacks, kids’ club, sports activities
and daily entertainment. They’ll also include airport transfers and Club Med
membership with travel insurance on travel. The deal is valid for travel until
April 30. Normally $1913 for adults, costs from $1187 for adults, $692 for
children, seven nights. 1300 855 052, clubmed.com.au.

The Viceroy Maldives.

MALDIVES

You may not
have celebrated Maldives National Day on January 25, but the five-star Viceroy
Maldives, on Vagaru Island, has marked the occasion with a discount on its 61
luxe beach and waterfront villas. Book by February 17 and save up to $760 a
night on stays until March 23. They’ll also include breakfast daily and a free
upgrade to the next villa type, if available. (Minimum stay four nights between
February 4 – 17).
Costs from $910 a
villa, a night. viceroyhotelgroup.com.

SPAIN & FRANCE

Paris and Barcelona: does it get any better? It does,
when you include the French wine regions of Bordeaux, St-Emilion and Sauternes,
then add Seville, Ronda and Granada into the mix. The Splendours of France
& Spain tour spends 18 days ambling through these two European superstars,
with departures on May 5 and September 29. Book before February 28 and get $200
off the luxury coach tour. Costs from $4435 a person, twin share. 1300 237 886,
insightvacations.com.

South Australia’s incomparable Flinders Ranges.

TOURWATCH

Capture the vastness of central Australia with a new
aerial landscape photography tour, led by the highly experienced photographer Peter
Elfes. The six-day tour skims over the beauty of the Flinders Ranges and Lake
Eyre in light aircraft, and gets down on the ground with walking and 4WD tours
and photography workshops. There’s also an overnight stay in Marree and visit
to Andamooka included, with flights by Air Wilpena, which has been running
scenic flights in the region since 1959. The groups will have a maximum of 12
guests and tours depart June 4-9 and October 22-27. Costs from $4475 a person,
single room, including all flights and tours. (08) 8648 0004, airwilpena.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

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