Melbourne | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Aug

Sun, ski and kids’ iPads apps for good, not evil: travel deals August 18

Ski-in, ski-out Falls Creek, Victoria

As the rain and hail beat down, a week in Byron Bay is sweet music to the ears in this office. But then, so is the idea of hot chocolate in the snowfields, especially as Falls Creek has cracked the one-meter mark! Sun, ski: choose your passion. There’s also a cool new kids’ iPad application that is (a) cheap (b) educational and (c) won’t send you into a world of spam and irate sword-wielding cats demanding you buy more, more and more.

NEW SOUTH WALES

Sneak away to beloved Byron Bay for a long weekend of
surfing, coffee and music. Save 15 per cent when you book a three-night package
at BreakFree Eco Beach between September 21, 2013 – March 31, 2014. Costs from
$432, three nights, studio room. breakfree.com.au.

VICTORIA

Stay three nights at Falls Creek and get a three-day lift
pass and three days of ski or board rental, parka and pants and snowsports
school for kids. From $499 adults, $405 kids (3-14 years) 13-29 September,
quote ‘snowtime intro’. 1800 453 525, skifalls.com.au/deals.

CANADA &
ALASKA

Get a free return flight to Canada (just pay taxes) and
one free night when you book an APT Canada tour by October 25. The 19-day tour
of the Canadian Rockies and Alaska departing April 14, 2014 costs from $10,395
a person, twin share. 131 398, travelscene.net.au.

KIDS

Turn the iPad into a weapon for good with the new Kid
Tracks app, aimed at kids 6-12 years. Download the free app and then buy
‘tracks’ for 99c each, which lead kids (and their virtual pet) through 46
attractions in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

The multiple-choice questions
mean kids learn and earn, with prizes at the end. You get to visit the Old
Melbourne Gaol, Harbour Bridge or even the Art Gallery of NSW with serenity and
sanity intact. kidtracks.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun-Herald newspaper

Aug

Pony ballet in Melbourne, private islands in Cambodia: travel deals

Song Saa island, Thailand

Pssst, life is full-on, sometimes deals don’t always fall on your desk when you planned. If you’re ready to go, and go now, check these little babies out!

GO NOW: MELBOURNE

Combine a night of horse ballet and a city stay with the
Cavalia show and Fraser Suites Melbourne until August 18. Get Gold tickets and
an overnight stay in a deluxe studio from $429 for two people, saving $60. 1800
800 488, frasershospitality.com.au.

GO SOONER: LORD
HOWE ISLAND

Keen birders and lovers of luxury take note: stay seven
nights at Capella Lodge and get free flights from Sydney and a free night until
September 30. From $3900 a person, seven nights. (02) 9918 4355,
capellalodge.com.au.

GO SOONER: CAMBODIA

Check in to Song Saa Private Island, in the Gulf of
Thailand, for four nights of sustainable luxury. Pay half price until September
30, from US$3298 (A$3637), double, all-inclusive for four nights in a jungle
villa. +855 236 860 360, songsaa.com.

KIDS

Let the kids run away to the circus, take over the kitchen
or create art from beach debris at Club Med Cherating, Malaysia. Save on stays until
September 1, from $1057 for adults, $614 for kids 4-11yrs, seven nights. 1300
855 052, clubmed.com.au.

This article was published in the Sun-Herald newspaper (Australia), Belinda Jackson

Aug

Do Peru with divas or Prague on a pittance: Travel deals & kids on the road, August 11 2013

African drumming for families at the Darebin
Music Feast, Sept 18-29, musicfeast.com.au

Forget play doh, get the kids to shake it with an African drumming session this school holidays. Otherwise, hit Perth with a budget, Peru with a bunch of divas or find a bargain in Prague’s historic old town in this week’s domestic and international travel deals.

GO NOW: WESTERN
AUSTRALIA, PERTH

Save on stays in a four-star self-contained
studio apartment at All Suites Perth, with midday
checkout and free wifi included on two-night stays Friday to Sunday until early
December. Normally $300, costs $256, two nights, quote “Studio Stay 2
Save 20%”. 1300 88 7979, wotif.com/hotelW4628.

GO SOONER: PERU
& ARGENTINA

Get a five-star stay and half-day city tour of Lima when
you book a 14-night tour of Peru & Argentina by August 30. The group will cover Macchu Pichu, fabulous Buenos Aires and Mendoza.
Departs 10 November, quote ‘SHPERU’, $7699, travellingdivas.com.au.

Staré Město: Prague’s evocative old town.

GO LATER: CZECH
REPUBLIC

Stay four nights, pay for three in a range of Prague
hotels from November 1 until December 28 including the four-star Hotel Leonardo, from $50 a night with breakfast. 1300 363
554, beyondtravel.com.au.

KIDS

Let your little musos get their groove on at the Darebin
Music Feast, in Melbourne’s inner-north in the upcoming school holidays,
18-29 September. Expect pop-up performances spaces, CD launches and shows by
young artists including Miss Eileen and Yorque, African drumming workshops and
family go-go dance classes. Free (some require bookings), musicfeast.com.au

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Aug

Skip to the sun or travel with a conscience: travel deals, August 4, 2013

Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket

If now is the winter of your discontent, get thee to Thailand: to Phuket, to be precise. Or Burma, which is so hot right now – in the tourist sense as well as talking temperatures.

Australia’s Gold Coast is always a favourite escape for us southerners, though this time, it’s with a twist for the kids (because kids appreciate posh labels, don’t they?). But if you want to embrace winter, do it with a conscience, in Melbourne’s only carbon-neutral hotel, in this week’s travel deals.

GO NOW: MELBOURNE

Alto on Bourke is Melbourne’s only carbon-neutral hotel.
Stay in its studio rooms from $158 (normally from $238), and get breakfast,
unlimited organic, fair-trade coffee and free bike hire. Book by August 16 for
travel until October 26. 1800 135 123, altohotel.com.au.

Alto on Bourke, Melbourne

GO SOONER: THAILAND

Dusit hotels
worldwide, including the Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, are giving guests 35 percent of their accommodation
costs to spend on dining and spa treatments. Suite upgrades are available for $54.
Costs from $139 a double, room only, until end September. (02) 9410
3405, dusit.com.

GO LATER: BURMA

Meditate with monks on a The Golden Land of Burma tour that includes lunch
with the Intha tribe. Save 15 percent on selected departures until March 11,
2014. Costs from $3630 a person, twin share. 1300 836 764, coxandkings.com.au/au/15off.

Inle lake fishermen, Burma

KIDS: GOLD COAST’S GLAM BABES

Chic children take tea at the Gold Coast’s iconic Palazzo
Versace hotel. Its new Little Fashionistas high teas are served on Versace
china (that’s brave!) overlooking the hotel’s lagoon. The menu, for groups of
eight or more, includes lemonade spiders, toffee apples, cake pops and the
omnipresent macaroons. Costs $12 for children 12 and under, (07) 5509 8000, palazzoversace.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun-Herald newspaper

Jun

TOURWATCH: Tall ships returning to Australia

Turn the clock back a century, to the era of the
tall ships.

The 55-meter Lord Nelson (pictured) is sailing
the world, arriving in Australia in August. Join the barque
as it sails from Fremantle to Perth and across to the east coast before voyaging
on to New Zealand, where you can take the wheel as one of the voyage crew,
supported by a professional sailing team.

Sailors must be over 16 years but no
sailing experience is required and some cabins are wheelchair friendly.

Costs
from $1770 a person, eight days from Adelaide to Melbourne, departing August
17, or $4390 for the 20-day journey from Sydney to Auckland, departing October
8, which includes a cross-Tasman Tall Ships race.

1800 331 582, outdoortravel.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

May

Deep fabulousness in Vietnam, heli-ski New Zealand or frock up in Melbourne: travel deals May 19, 2013

InterContinental Danang Sun peninsula Resort, Vietnam

Is this the most gorgeous photo ever? It was a toss-up between this fabulous shot of the restaurant at the InterCon Danang, designed by Bill Bensley, or the awesome NZ heli-skiing shot below. Reader: I chewed my nails for you. Enjoy this week’s best international and Australian travel deals.

QUEENSLAND
Avoid the queues
and head to the Gold Coast’s Sea World, main picture, out of the school
holidays and save up to 80 per cent on stays at the 4.5-star Broadbeach
resort, which includes unlimited entry to Warner Bros Movie World, Sea
World and Wet’n’Wild Water World. Stay two nights and get a free Dolphin
Discovery presentation at Sea World. You’ll get 25 per cent off food
and drinks, the kids’ club and free wi-fi. Valid until July 14. Costs
from $79.90 a person, twin share, $20 a child. 133 386, seaworldresort.com.au.

NSW
Sydney
Airport just grew up, with its first airport hotel in the international
terminal – Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel opened on May 7. The hotel is
celebrating with an opening special, free wi-fi and $35 to spend in its
Blackwattle Grill and sports bar. The 318-room hotel is one minute’s
walk from the international terminal and includes 24-hour room service.
Costs from $205 a night. (02) 9313 2500, rydges.com/sydneyairport.

TASMANIA
There’s
a rugged beauty to the Henry Jones Art Hotel, pictured above left,
which has had everyone from whalers to jam-makers on its stone floors on
Hobart’s waterfront. Book a night in a deluxe spa room and get
breakfast for two, free wi-fi and $50 towards dinner in Henry’s
Restaurant, saving a cool $178. Stay before September 30 and quote
PT014. Costs from $355. 1800 420 155, puretasmania.com.au.

TOP END

Hawke Dreaming camp

The wet season is
over, the roads are dry and the wilderness camps of the Top End are open
for business, including the Hawke Dreaming luxury tented lodge. Located
near Ubirr in a restricted section of Kakadu National Park, the lodge
has just 12 tents, with en suites and decks. Book by June 30 and save 15
per cent off the regular rate. Normally $265 a night, pay $225.
Self-drive travellers can save 10 per cent when they stay five nights at
any of APT’s exclusive luxury network of lodges across the Northern
Territory and Western Australia, including the Bungle Bungles and
Mitchell Falls. Includes dinner, bed and breakfast. 1800 240 504,
kimberleywilderness.com.au.

VICTORIA
Have
a Hollywood moment in Melbourne, at the Hollywood Costume exhibition at
the Australian Centre for the Moving Image as part of the Melbourne
Winter Masterpieces program. The Sofitel Melbourne normally costs about
$450 a night, but the Hollywood Costume package includes one night’s
stay, breakfast and two tickets to the exhibition, which has the
costumes of Scarlett O’Hara, Holly Golightly and Jack Sparrow. The
hotel’s Atrium Bar is shaking up Hollywood-inspired cocktails during the
exhibition, until August 18. Costs from $360. (03) 9653 0000,
sofitelmelbourne.com.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Set
at the start (or the end) of the Great Ocean Road, Mount Gambier is a
great base for wine tourism up into Coonawarra, for exploring the wild
and empty beaches along the Great Australian Bight or just taking in the
classic genteel sight of the town’s astonishing Blue Lake. Save up to
20 per cent on two-night stays in a self-contained apartment in the
4.5-star Precinct on Jardine. Valid on stays until August 5. Costs from
$800 for two nights in a three-bedroom apartment (sleeps six).
travel.com.au.

VIETNAM
One of the
world’s best new hotels, according to Conde Nast Traveler, is the
InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, pictured, on the Son Tra
Peninsula, halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. To celebrate the
opening of the new Harnn Heritage Spa, packages include a three-night
stay, breakfast and yoga and 25 per cent off spa treatments, and a
one-hour massage. From $930 a night. 13 83 88,
danang.intercontinental.com.

SWITZERLAND
Switzerland
can be so cliched, and don’t we love it? Trafalgar’s new eight-day
Swiss Delight takes it a step further with a cable car ride to Mount
Pilatus, chocolate making and folklore tales at a traditional “stubete”.
Book by July 10 to save 7.5 per cent. Costs from $1688 a person, twin
share. Book a Singapore Airlines flight to Europe from $1999 with a
Trafalgar guided tour, and your friend flies from $899. Book flights
before July 31. 1300 663 043, trafalgar.com.

THAILAND
Get
four free nights in Phuket when you book eight nights at the five-star,
award-winning Merlin Beach Resort, close to Patong Beach. Facilities at
the resort include a kids’ club and pool, day spas and a range of bars
and restaurants. The deal includes breakfast, airport transfers,
restaurant discounts and a two-hour massage or half-day Phuket tour.
From $466 a person, twin share. Valid until October 31. 1300 883 887,
travelonline.com.

CHINA

The lobby of the new Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai

Just
a few years ago, the glitzy Shanghai district of Pudong was mere rice
paddies: now it’s home to the newest Mandarin Oriental hotel, which
features more than 4000 original artworks. Opening packages include stay
two nights and pay just one with free wi-fi, or the Discover Shanghai
package, which includes one night’s accommodation, free wi-fi and up to
$300 in spa or restaurant use. Valid until September 30. From $661. 1800
123 693, mandarinoriental.com.

SOUTH AMERICA
South
American adventurer Explora has been combining eco-adventure and luxury
for 20 years and celebrates its birthday with a free night on
four-night stays in remote lodges in the Chilean Patagonia, Easter
Island and the Atacama Desert until October 14. Stay four nights at
Atacama, which includes airport transfers, meals and open bar, and daily
explorations via horses, vehicles, boats and foot. From $2720 a person,
twin share. +56 2 2395 2800, explora.com.

TOURWATCH

So you can’t sing, but you can still ski like a rock star
amidst the snowy peaks of New Zealand’s South Island. Southern Lakes Heli Ski’s new all-inclusive,
one-week heli-skiing package gives you unlimited heli-ski runs. “As long as
your legs can keep going, then so do you,” they promise. And if the weather
gods get moody, there are golf pros, bungy jumping and Central Otago wines to
drink. Join a group with an Unlimited Package, which guarantees first and last
tracks each day, or the Private Package for groups of four or more gets your
own chopper and 8,500 square kilometers of heli-ski exclusive terrain to
explore. Includes five-star accommodation, meals and guides. From June 30 –
September 30. Costs from $7500 (Unlimited) or from $13,499 (Private) per
person. +64 3 442 6222, southernlakesheliski.co.nz.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

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

Apr

Step into the Famous Spiegeltent or on board a private jet for an African safari: travel deals April 7, 2013

Intercontinental Sydney

Private jets are back, people. You mean you didn’t know they were out of style, and had been hanging onto yours in a hangar out the back? Let someone else do the flying while you skim the continent of Africa. Or try Knight School in Sydney or glamp on the Great Barrier Reef in this week’s international and domestic travel deals.

NSW

Want to know what’s happening in Sydney? The InterContinental Sydney’s chief concierge and Les Clef d’Or member David Patt suggests Cirque de las Symphony (April 18-20) or perhaps Knight School for kids during the school holidays. Sydney’s also is in the midst of its autumn thoroughbred racing season, with the Sydney Cup Day on April 27, and there are more thoroughbreds on display at the Art Gallery of NSW, at the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize winners’ annual exhibition. Stay two nights at InterContinental Sydney before April 30 and get 20 per cent off your room as well as a free breakfast buffet for two. Costs from $250 a night. 1800 781 066, sydney.intercontinental.com.

TASMANIA

Hobart’s iconic Wrest Point, on the banks of the Derwent River, has hit plenty of benchmarks: Australia’s first legal casino, Hobart’s first five-star rooms, and now it’s celebrating 40 years in the business with a Ruby Anniversary package. Stay in a premier suite and get room service breakfast, a box of Tasmanian red fruit, a Huon pine cheese platter and knife with Ashgrove Rubicon Red cheese, a bottle of House of Arras vintage Rose 2004 and, to finish, a commemorative ruby necklace by goldsmith Gavin MacSporran. Costs from $950 for two, saving $216. Valid until February 10, 2014. 1800 703 006, wrestpoint.com.au.

VICTORIA

The Famous Spiegeltent is in town and Robyn Nevin is
treading the boards at the Southbank Theatre. Kick up your heels on a Friday
night at Melbourne’s coolest hotels, the Art Series, which comprises the
Cullen, Blackman and Olsen. Their Weekend Retreat deals include $25 to spend
inhouse – think food, movies or bike hire – and they’ll work in a room upgrade
as well. Valid for Friday – Monday nights until August 31. Worth around $280, costs
from $209 a night. 1800 278 468, artserieshotels.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

Get shipwrecked in style on tiny Wilson Island, which can accommodate just 12 guests in six luxury tents on the beach, with hammocks, housekeepers and chefs as befits the ‘glamping’ (glamour camping) tag. The rate includes all meals and non-alcoholic drinks and return boat transfers from Gladstone. Booking the whole island saves over $300 on the individual rate: book by June 30 for stays now until May 4, from June 30 2013 – January 27, 2014 and March 1-31, 2014. Costs from $6499, two nights. 1800 044 066, travel-associates.com.au .

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Indijup Spa Retreat, WA

Very private, very fabulous, the Indijup Spa Retreat in
Yallingup is three hours south of Perth, overlooking the Indian Ocean and is
said to lure the likes of Our Kylie. Each of the 10 villas has pools and
panoramas on tap and the spa products are by another WA success story, Sodashi.
Stay seven nights and save up to 39 percent at the five-star retreat on stays
until September 10. Costs from $2765 a
villa, seven nights. travel.com.au.

NEW ZEALAND

Skiers, carve up a snow bargain in Queenstown at Oaks Shores and Oaks Club Resort, on the glacial Lake Wakatipu. Rooms start at $109 a night until June 27, rising to $134 a night between July 15 – August 31, with a minimum three-night stay. Book until April 21. Costs from $327 a room, three nights, or $717 for a two-bedroom lakeview apartment, three nights. oakshotelsresorts.com/oaks-club-resort, oakshotelsresorts.com/oaks-shores.

Holiday Inn Express Phuket Patong Beach Central

THAILAND

Phuket’s newest hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Phuket
Patong Beach Central, has just opened and is offering a lovely, long opening
special until October 2013. The deal includes breakfast and high-speed wi-fi.
There are 277 rooms with private balconies, just a few meters from the beach
and within walking distance of Patong’s shopping and dining strips. Costs from
$65++ a night. 1800 007 697, holidayinnexpress.com.

TANZANIA

Mneba Island, Tanzania

A tiny dot in the Indian Ocean off the coastline of
Zanzibar, Mneba Island hosts just 20 guests at one time. Stay three nights at Mnemba
Island Lodge and get a free one-way flight from Zanzibar. The private island is
famed for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs and dive sites, and the rate
includes all meals, drinks and water sports, including two dives a day and
sunset dhow cruises. Book by December 31. Costs from $755 a person, twin share.
andbeyond.com.

IRELAND

From fair Dublin to bustling Belfast, the 12-day Country
Roads of Ireland tour crosses borders, the Burren, Giant’s Causeway and the
Cliffs of Moher, for a broad-ranging exploration of an island whose influence
is disproportionate to its size. Save 5 per cent, up to $124, on bookings paid
in fully by April 30 on departure from April to October 2013. Costs from $2301
a person, twin share. 1300 237 886, insightvacations.com.

PERU & THE
AMAZON

Train it to Machu Picchu then sail through the Amazon. Is
there any more to life? This 13-day small-group tour sees you climb to the top
of Machu Picchu on the luxury Hiram Bingram train, visit the Sacred Valley of
the Incas and the home of their empire, Cuzco then dive into the Amazon on the
M/V Aria and local skiffs. Book by 21 April and they’ll include free travel
insurance, worth up to $660. Costs $11,695 a person, twin share. 1800 252 053,
billpeachjourneys.com.au.

TOURWATCH

The private jet is back: luxury tour operator Abercrombie
& Kent takes to the skies once again in a remodelled Boeing 737, with just 40
guests going on African safari by air. The journey traverses the continent, visiting
seven countries in 19 days, from the rock-cut churches of Ethiopia to the Cape.
A&K founder Geoffrey Kent will lead a three-day Serengeti safari, and the
group has exclusive use of luxury camps in Uganda’s jungle, treehouses in
Zambia, and there are private helicopter rides over Victoria Falls and feast in
the Namibian desert. The keywords are luxury, experience and exclusivity. The
adventure departs from Rome on March 2, 2014. Costs from $76,497 a person, twin
share. 1300 851 800,
abercrombiekent.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun-Herald

Mar

Can’t get to Afghanistan? Here’s the next best thing.

Gold hair pendant, 1st century BC – 1st century AD.
Photo: Thierry Ollivier

Afghanistan’s been on my wishlist for years, but it seems every time there was the hint of open borders, the country would become a flashpoint for disaster on a global scale.

So I could only imagine the wondrous beauty hidden in the mountainous country until yesterday, when the Melbourne Museum launched its latest exhibition, Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures.

The exhibition has more than 230 priceless artifacts from archaeological sites along the Silk Route. Afghanistan was the crossroads for the trading network, and the riches are decorated in motifs from the ancient world, blurring Indian, Greek, Persian and local mythological creatures and legends into one beautiful culture.

The story goes that a hill of Bactrian gold lay undisturbed for 2000 years, before being discovered in the late ’70s and held by the National Museum in Kabul. The museum was destroyed between 1992 and 1995, and what remained was looted.

Sutara Arian from Channel 31’s
Afghan program, in national dress
at the opening yesterday.

So it was thought the gold was destroyed or melted down by warlords during the Soviet War or under subsequent Taliban rule, but the exhibition’s curator, archaeologist and National Geographic Fellow Fredrik Hibert – described by ABC’s Jon Faine yesterday as a real, live Indiana Jones – found it preserved by a courageous band of ‘keyholders’.

Hibert led a team into Afghanistan in 2003 and opened the vaults to reveal Afghanistan’s treasures, some of which have found their way to Melbourne.

Gold, turquoise, pyrite and bronze were wrought into diadems, pendants, statuettes and, the showpiece of the exhibition is a collapsible nomadic crown garnished with golden birds and the Tree of Life.

There are also beautiful photographs from Afghanistan today, including scenes from the Hindu Kush, terraced wheat fields of the Kunar River vValley and the ruins of a royal Greek city founded by Alexander the Great’s followers, Aï Khanum.

The exhibition was supposed to have been opened by the Governor-General, but leadership spills (the non-story of the day) stole her away. However, we did spot a tv-crew from Channel 31’s Afghan program, including host Sutara Arian (pictured) in gorgeous traditional dress. You can catch her program at 1.30pm Thursdays.

Collapsible nomadic crown, 1st century BC – 1st century AD.
Photo: Thierry Ollivier

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul

22 March – 28 July 2013
Adults $24, concession $16, children $14, 131 102, Melbourne Museum

Jan

Lame Van Halen leads Melbourne limping into 2013: opinion

Happy new year, everyone!

I hope you saw Christmas in with a bang from London, New York, or the back blocks of Gippsland (for those whose work won’t let them leave the confines).

Melbourne’s tallest buildings sang with a symphony of fireworks and about half a million people headed in to the city for the 10-minute display. The alcohol-free apparently event went off well, with police happy and lots of smiling tourists kissing for the TV cameras. However, the Letters to the Editor in today’s Age newspaper turns up the tarnished side of the PR coin:

“We attended New Year’s Eve in the city,” writes Fiona Jackson. (Yes, she is related.)

“I cannot fathom why, at Federation Square at 7.30pm, early 1980s music was being blasted and the stage lay empty. Duran Duran and Van Halen? Did the organisers just whack on the golden oldies radio station? At Flagstaff Gardens between 11pm and midnight, at least 2000 people soberly waited for fireworks, bereft of an MC or live entertainment. A 90-second countdown video and a DJ was embarrassingly lame.

“Here were missed opportunities where Melbourne could have shone and put on local acts. Many underemployed performers would have jumped at the gig. Let’s put some effort into the experience, not just crowd management.”

An excellent point regarding under-employed musos, and given the stories circulating in the press regarding heavy-handed policing at the MCG and other events, perhaps the jibe of crowd management vs experience has found its mark?

PS: Sadly, I can’t share any Melbourne fireworks pix with you, not least because I wasn’t there. And to whip them off the City City of Melbourne home page would be absolutely too naughty, considering the content 😉

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