Queensland | GlobalSalsa: travel writer Belinda Jackson

Sep

Strange and wild ghouls and snow: travel deals 2 Sept

Morning at Machu
Picchu, Peru (Intrepid Travel)

It’s all strange, wild and ghoulish in Tassie and Dracula’s Romania, and the locals say it’s puking in Victoria’s Falls Creek (translation: it’s snowing heavily, so get on down!)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Mantra on Frome, in the centre of Adelaide, is throwing
open the doors on its new balconies, with a weekend package that includes
dinner for two and a bottle of wine at Mantra Hindmarsh Square’s Sq
restaurant as well as late check-out,
saving $197. Costs from $219 a night for stays on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
nights until December 2. 131 517, mantra.com.au.

QUEENSLAND

Melt the ice in your bones with a quickie getaway to Palm
Cove, a hop-skip north of Cairns. Stay four nights at the Reef House, a
colonial-style beach house, pay for only three. You’ll also get 20 per cent off
hotel meals, free wifi, breakfast, and a sunset Brigadier’s Punch in its Brigadiers
Lounge as well as free DVDs. Mention this page and get $25 credit in the
hotel’s spa. Stay until October 1. Costs from $129.50 a person per night, twin
share. (07) 4080 2600, www.reefhouse.com.au

NSW

Hit the big smoke with a budget stay in town and catch
one of the many festivals keeping the city alive including Crave food festival
throughout October. Stay three nights at the 3.5-star Travelodge Hotel, near
the Thai strip on Wentworth Ave, close to Hyde Park and Oxford St, and save 20
percent when booked by October 7. Costs
from $95 a night, minimum three-night stay. 1800 846 835, hotels.com

TASMANIA

Eerie Port Arthur, Tasmania

It’s a strange and wild corner of the world, down there
in Tassie, and the Theatre of the World, a collaboration between the Tasmanian
Museum and Art Gallery’s Pacific bark cloths and Museum of Old And New Art’s
(MONA) treasures should have you panting to head south. A four-night Art &
Place package includes accommodation at the Mercure Hobart, priority access to
MONA Theatre of the World tickets, 30 per cent off its catalogue (normally
$80), Mona Roma fast ferry tickets, a bottle of Moorilla Muse chardonnay and a
Tasmanian Attraction ticket. Save $793, costs $662 a couple. (03) 6277 9900,
mona.net.au/short-breaks.

VICTORIA

The snow has been falling thick and fast in the ski-in,
ski-out Falls Creek resort. Catch the last few weeks until the season ends and
save up to 50 per cent on peak season rates. Stay five nights at Trackers
Mountain Lodge White Space for $1130 an adult including bed, breakfast,
dinners, ski lift pass, ski lessons and snow equipment hire. Kids up to 14
years cost $720 and also get free Kids Club from 6-9pm. Also includes afternoon
tea, Winter Christmas on Wednesday nights (with turkey, eggnog and all the
trimmings) on stays September 7-30. 1800
453 525, skifalls.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Shoot the breeze in Broome, with sunsets over Cable Beach
and the Indian Ocean at your doorstep. Stay seven nights in a Shinju studio the
Pinctada Cable Beach resort and get airport transfers, welcome drink, daily
buffet breakfast, a five-course spice trail dinner and a one-hour couples’
treatment at the resort spa. Save up to $525 on stays before September 30.
Costs $2086 a room for seven nights. (08) 9193 8340, pinctadacablebeach.com.au.

Novotel Saigon Centre

VIETNAM

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is a city of extremes,
with a wild street food scene and ultra-glam sky-high bars. The 4-star Novotel
Saigon Centre is the newest digs in town, with a gorgeous open-air pool and
breakfast buffet worth the trip alone. Snap up an opening deal which includes
free wi-fi and 10 per cent off spa treatments until October 30. Costs from
USD$100++ for a superior room a night. +84 (0)8 3822 4866, novotel.com.

NEW ZEALAND

Pop in on the neighbours and see what’s going down in
Auckland. Stay three nights, pay for two at the five-star Langham Hotel
Auckland in a Classic room. The hotel is a short amble from the waterfront and
the main shopping areas. Includes buffet breakfast each day as well as a free
tour of Auckland’s city sights and wineries as well as airport transfers. Book by January 17, 2013, travel until
September 30 and December 14 – January 20, 2013. Costs from $489 a person for
three nights, twin share. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

ROMANIA

Brasov, Romania

Explore an untouched corner of Europe on a Taste of
Transylvania’s six-day private tour. Sleep with Dracula in medieval Sighisoara,
lunch with local farmers, visit the castles of Bran and Peles, explore the
gothic charms of Sibiu and Brasov and lunch at Romania’s two top wineries. In crazy
Bucharest, your address is the historic Athenee Palace Hilton. Book by
September 30 to save $150. Costs $2032 a person. 1300 668 844, eetbtravel.com

PERU

Home of Machu Picchu and
Paddington Bear, Peru gets all the South American gems: tracts of Amazon
jungle, ancient civilisations and roasted guinea pig. There’s pisco sours to be
drunk, sand dunes to be climbed and the tour includes a homestay with a local
family on Lake Titicaca. Sign up for Intrepid Travel’s 21-day Peru Encompassed
journey, departing Lima October 18, and save $952. Costs $2828 a person, 1300 018 871, intrepidtravel.com.

ITALY

If the blue waters of Capri are beckoning, answer the
call on an 11-day Bellissimo tour that starts in Rome then works its way down
to Pompeii and the divine coastline of Capri and Naples before delving into the
mysteries of Assisi, Venice, Florence and Siena. Includes first-class hotels,
dining in a Tuscan olive grove and a farewell dinner to say ‘ciao’ in Rome.
Book the September 24 tour to save $485 a person. Costs $3050 a person. trafalgar.com

TOURWATCH

Chelsea Flower Show

Next year, the Chelsea Flower Show celebrates its 100-year
anniversary. Australian-owned Botanica World Discoveries takes you to the show,
with five and 10 day tours of London’s premier floral display. “While the site
at the Ranleigh Hospital gardens is compact, the displays are just
sensational,” says Botanica founder Judy Vanrenen, who has been taking
Australians to Chelsea since 2005. “It’s a full-on floral experience.” The
five-day tour starts in London on May 20 and includes tours of London’s private
gardens, as well as four nights’ accommodation in the four-star Crowne Plaza
London, St James. The 10-day tour includes entrance to eight other beautiful
gardens in southern England and Wales. Costs from $2,655 a person, twin share (5
days) and $5795 a person, twin share (10 days) 1300 305 202 botanica.travel.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Aug

Travel deals 26 August 2012

Masai
Mara tribe, Kenya

Meet the Masai, the 12 Apostles or the hamlets of the Nullabor Plains on an epic trans-Australian journey.

QUEENSLAND
Pay $111 a night – a discount of 33 per cent – when you
book three nights at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast until
December 20. Located close to beaches and popular attractions like Australia
Zoo and Aussie World, the resort also provides free catamarans, kayaks, bikes
and mini putt putt golf, plus a water trampoline on the resort’s man-made
lagoon. Kids’ Club and babysitting services are available. 1800 072 277,
novoteltwinwatersresort.com.au.

VICTORIA
For many, the highlight of Victoria’s beloved Great Ocean
Road are the 12 Apostles near Apollo Bay. For others, it’s the local waterfalls
and rainforest walks. Check into the YHA and grab a winter special: stay three
nights, pay for two, saving $95. Costs $190 a double/twin room for three night stays
before September 20. (03) 5237 7899, yha.com.au.

NSW
Tootle down to Merimbula, on the south coast, to
rediscover what holidays used to be like when you were a kid. Cute villages,
broad sweeps of empty beach, jetties for dropping a line off and dolphins and
whales cruising by. Book two nights in an apartment or townhouse at the
4.5-star Coast Resort before September 21 and save almost 50 per cent. Facilities
include heated pools, tennis courts and big balconies. Costs from $360 for two
nights. 1300 130 483, travel.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Quay West Resort, Bunker Bay

Trade your Weet-Bix and morning news for views of Bunker
Bay, three hours south of Perth in the Margaret River region. The vista from
the terrace of the Quay West Resort is of the blue waters of the Indian Ocean,
and brekky is drawn from local produce, with a splash of sparkling wine, as
befits the locale. Save $65 on bookings before September 30. Costs from $478
for two nights for two people, midweek (Sun-Thurs), includes breakfast for two.
13 15 15, quaywestresortbunkerbay.com.

TRANS-AUSTRALIA

Cross the continent in four days, from Perth to Sydney on
The Ghan, stopping at historic crossroads and watching the scenery of desert,
mountains and the Nullarbor Plain pass your window. Red Sleeper cabins sleep
two, with beds that fold into day lounges, and the trains feature newly
refurbished Matilda Cafés and new Red Gum lounges. Take a friend for free when
booking Perth to Sydney in a Red Sleeper before October 31. Costs $1510 for two
people, 132 147, greatsouthernrail.com.au.

TASMANIA

One of the country’s top lodges, Saffire Freycinet, on
the Freycinet peninsula, comprises just 20 beautiful suites looking out to the
Hazards Mountains. Book a deluxe suite for four nights, pay for three and get
all meals and dinner drinks, activities including guided walks, fishing, golf, wine tasting, canoeing, cooking demos
and learn to mix the perfect cocktail.
The deal also includes $100 to spend in the spa until end September.
Costs $5400 a suite, 1800 723 347, saffire-freycinet.com.au.

Slick and sweet: Eurostar

FRANCE
It’s easy to slip a little ski weekend in on your British
adventures – the Eurostar runs from London to over 40 ski resorts in the French
Alps, including Courchevel, Tignes, and Les Arcs. Book now for travel between
December 21, 2012 – April 13, 2013. Costs from $123 a person (standard class)
or $190 (standard premium class). Travel agents or raileurope.com.au.

THAILAND

Stay eight nights, pay for just four at the Kata Palm
Resort & Spa, in southern Phuket, down past Karon Beach, and you’ll also
get breakfast daily, return airport transfers, one dinner and a 30 minute
traditional Thai massage for each person. The deal runs until October 31, in a
superior pool view room. Costs from $245 a person, twin share. 1300 138 755,
travelindochina.com.au.

FIJI

You deserve sun: specifically, you
deserve Fijian sun. Book five nights at The Westin Resort & Spa and save up
to 50 per cent. Includes return flights with Air Pacific, airport transfers and
daily breakfast. Book by September 28, stay between November 1-December 27 and
January 6-March 31. Costs from $1169 a person for five nights, twin share,
including flights. 1300 358 382, coralseas.com.au.

ENGLAND

Though the Olympics are now over, London will always have
Wimbledon, from June 24, 2013. Book before November 30 and get 5 per cent off
three-night packages, which include a reserved seat for two days at The
Championships on Centre and No. 1 court, three nights’ accommodation, breakfast
daily, London Travel cards, programs, admission into the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis
Museum and lunch at The Wimbledon Experience Club. Costs from $2049 a person,
twin share, 1300 730 023, keithprowse.com.au

SOUTHERN
AFRICA
Wildebeest migrating across the Masai Mara, flamingos on
Lake Nakuru, sunrise over Mt Kilimanjaro. Scenic Tours’ ultimate African small
group tours spend 31 days on a Grand African Adventure, from Cape Town to
Jo’berg via Tanzania and Kenya. Save up to $1600 a couple on 2013 tours when booked
by December 31. Costs from $15,695 a person, twin share. 1300 723 642, scenictours.com.au.

TOURWATCH: TRANS-SIBERIAN
RAILWAY ADVENTURE
High on many people’s hit list, the Trans-Siberian
railway crosses from Vladivostok, in Russia’s far east, to the capital, Moscow,
over 15 days. The Golden Eagle is a luxury train that covers the epic 10,600-kilometer
journey, its highlights including the onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral in
Moscow and Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, in remote Siberia. Forget
rough sleepers – cabins have underfloor heating, DVD players, power showers and
there’s fine dining in the restaurant. The package includes $700 air credit per
person, two nights’ accommodation before the trip, tour guides in nine stops,
all meals, transfers and tipping. Costs from Book before November 30, 2012 for
travel on February 24, 2013. $14,495 a person, twin share. 1800 044 066, www.travel-associates.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Aug

Champagne free-flow on sale! Travel deals: 12 August 2012

Tadrai Island Resort, Fiji

Get classy in Britain, test the champagne free-flow in Langkawi or slip into something comfortable in the Kimberley.
TASMANIA
Some of the world’s most pure air blows through Strahan,
a fishing village on the west coast of Tassie. Base yourself here to cruise the
Gordon River, catch the West Coast Wilderness Railway or to taste the divine
wine and cheese that results from such purity. Book a hilltop
standard room at the Strahan Village and pay half price until
September 30. Costs from $55 a person a night, twin share.1800
420 155, strahanvillage.com.au

VICTORIA

The seaside town of Queenscliff, an hour from Melbourne,
grooves to the tunes of the Blues Train, a steam train that shakes, rattles and
rolls over the rails to Drysdale and back, serving up dinner and a blues show.
The ‘D’ carriage is for dancing and there’s a bar on board, too. Stay two
nights at the Big4 Beacon Resort and get two tickets to the train, worth $185, transfers
to the train, a recovery brekky hamper and noon checkout. Costs from $272.50 a
person for two nights, twin share, 1800 351 152, beaconresort.com.au.
Tickets are also cut from $92.50 to $50 during August and September. 132 849, ticketek.com.au.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Get a bird’s-eye view of the Red Centre with a balloon
flight over Alice Springs and its dramatic surrounds. Stay two nights at the
four-star Crowne Plaza Alice Springs and get upgraded to a Mountain View room
and a 30-minute balloon flight. Kids under 19 stay free, pay $209 for
ballooning. Book by 3pm October 5, stay until October 12. Costs from $439 an
adult. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

NSW

Families can discover the heart of Sydney when they book
a premier room for four nights, and pay for just three at the five-star Sydney Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel. The
hotel will also throw in a family pass to Taronga Zoo and free internet. Book before January 31, stay now until
September 30, December 16-24, 2012 and January 2-31, 2013. Costs from $1074 per
family (2 adults +2 kids) for four nights. 1800 044 066, travel-associates.com.au.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The quiet, fern-lined pools of Zebedee Hot Springs, on El
Questro cattle station, are the most ecologically sound spa you’ll ever
encounter. Soak it up in between outback hikes, bush-bashing down the Gibb
River Road, ogling crocs in Windjana Gorge, exploring the Bungle Bungles and
ancient caves on this nine-day Wild Kimberley tour. Accom is a mix of permanent
tents and al fresco camping. Was $2195, save 20 percent on September 11
departure. Book by September 7, costs $1756 a person. 1800 018 871, intrepidtravel.com.

Snorkelling at Orpheus Island, Queensland

QUEENSLAND

The secretive hideaway of Orpheus Island, off the coast
of Townsville, is sheer island luxury. Stay five nights, pay four, saving $1400
a couple. The package includes sensational meals from the kitchen of Cheong
Liew protégé Arie Prabowo, selected wines and beers, use of dinghies, cats, and
snorkelling equipment as well as a daily nature-based experience, be it a
sunset cruise, fishing or island tour. Stay till January 21, including the
Christmas period. Costs from $5600 for two people. (07) 4777 7377,
orpheus.com.au.

MALAYSIA

Oh, they know how we like it, at the Datai Langkawi. The
grand dame of Langkawi is cutting 25 percent off its regular rates with a
stay-three, pay-four deal until December 19, and includes daily breakfast with champagne
on free-flow. Accommodation is a deluxe
or superior villa and also included are limo transfers, a private dinner on the
beach for two, 120 minutes of spa treatment per person, a mangrove tour and guided
nature walk. Costs from $2338 for four nights. +60 4 959 2500 www.dataihotels.com

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

UNITED KINGDOM

Sometimes, a bit of class doesn’t go astray, especially
when you’re upgraded from standard to lovely first class. Buy a BritRail Flexi
Pass for four or eight days by August 30 through International Rail and get a
free upgrade to first class when you use the pass any time in 2013, travelling
through England, Scotland and Wales. Costs from $355 for a four-day pass. 1300
387 245, internationalrail.com.au.

JAPAN

If you can’t get enough of winter, now’s the time to
think about the Christmas ski season. Ski Hakuba and stay just 150 meters from
the ski lifts at High Mount Hotel. The deal includes breakfast and a six-day
lift pass. Book by 3pm September 28, travel December 14-29, January 3 – April
30. Costs from $1099 a person, twin
share for seven nights. 1300 130 485, travel.com.au.

Innsbruck, Austria

AUSTRIA

The capital of the Alps, Innsbruck, has city breaks
including a three-night stay in a four-star hotel and a 48-hour Innsbruck Card,
worth E35, with E227 value. Includes a guided walk through the medieval town, rides
on seven cable cars, a sightseeing bus tour, entrance to museums including the
Ambras Castle, Swarovski crystal museum, a cocktail at the town’s casino, and
there’s coffee and cake in the clouds, at the Alpenlounge Seegrube restaurant.
Costs E219 (A$256) a person, twin share, for three nights. +43 512 56 2000, innsbruck-packages.com.

FIJI

The new adults-only Tadrai Island Resort is sleek and
chic, with the Mamanuca islands’
signature white sand beaches. Includes champagne on arrival, all meals, drinks
and butler services. Stay seven nights and get one return flight from Australia
to Nadi with Air Pacific, stay 10 nights and they’ll give you two international
return flights. Book by September 11, travel until December 16. Costs $10,077
(two people, seven nights) or $14,399 (two people, 10 nights). (07) 5524 5222, tadrai.com.

TOURWATCH: Lord
Howe Island

When you breathe your next yoga breath, your lungs are
filled with the pure air of Lord Howe Island during this wellness retreat with
yoga teacher Charlotte Dodson. You may have spotted her recently teaching Lara
Bingle, and other radiant celebrity followers include model Miranda Kerr and
fashion designer Kit Willow. Pinetrees
Spring Wellness Retreat’s six-night packages include two daily yoga sessions
with Charlotte, daily fitness sessions, wholefood cooking classes, organic
gardening classes and wine tasting (that’s organic wine, of course!) Ayurvedic spa treatments are also available and then
there are the island’s everyday charms – snorkelling, swimming, kayaking and
mountain climbing. Runs from September 3-7 and November 17-23. Costs from $1270 a person twin share
(excluding airfares). (02) 9262 6585, pinetrees.com.au.

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald

Jul

TRAVEL DEALS: 22 July 2012

Hong Kong kids do masterclass

Everyone loves a bargain, even if the transport to your resort is a luxury speedboat. It’s the Maldives, of course. Or why not swim with whales in the Kingdom of Tonga? As you do… it’s all here in this week’s travel deals.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
With the MacDonnell Ranges as your
hotel’s backdrop, there’s no mistaking you’re in the Territory. The Alice in the Territory hotel is close to
the airport and 2km from town, with a complementary shuttle bus to Todd Mall.
There are also free in-house movies and a kid-pleasing pool, where we white
southerners can show off our office tans. Normally $165, costs from $110 a
night until August 31, 1800 002
333, quickbeds.com

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

August means
Arts in across the state, with the massive South Australia Living Arts (SALA)
visual arts festival running from August 3-26. Oaks Embassy, in downtown
Adelaide, is throwing in free breakfast when you stay two nights or more.
Normally $194 a night, a one-bedroom apartment, which includes use of the pool,
gym, sauna and spa, costs $139 a night until August 31, two-night minimum stay,
1300 721
514, oakshotelsresorts.com

Victoria’s Yarra Valley

VICTORIA

With frosty nights and sparkling days, the Yarra Valley
glistens in winter, and its chief drawcards – cellar doors, art galleries and
country walks – are perfect cold-weather activities. Overlooking Healesville, hip
little hideaway Mt Rael’s winter special knocks $100 off two-night midweek stays
(Sun-Thurs) until August 31. Normally from $175 a night, costs from $250 for
two nights, (03) 5962 1977, www.mtrael.com.au

WESTERN
AUSTRALIA

Cape Lodge, Margaret River

Dripping with awards, including best boutique hotel in
Australia, the five-star Cape Lodge has the best neighbours: Margaret River, Voyager
Estate (with its new wine room) and the whale-filled Indian Ocean. Surrounded
by vineyards, it has just 22 fabulous rooms, a stand-out restaurant and top
cellar doors nearby, but bless, you can still do a twilight kangaroo safari. Normally
from $475 a night, book before August 26 and pay from $349 a night on midweek
stays, 1300 130 485, travel.com.au

Peppers Ruffles Lodge

QUEENSLAND

The Gold Coast hinterland is laid at your feet when you stay at
Peppers Ruffles Lodge & Spa, which is set on the hills overlooking this
magnificent stretch of Australia’s coastline. Peaceful and lush, the new one
and two bedroom owners’ villas’ midweek special includes gourmet breakfast, a
fruit basket and nightly turn-down service with chocolates and port. Normally
from $750 a night, costs $1318 for two midweek nights until end September, 1300
987 600, peppers.com.au

NSW

Learn the art of directing
a perfect plume of wine (aka: spitting) on a weekend away in Mudgee. Trelawney
Farm is throwing in six bottles of Logan’s wine for guests staying the weekend in
the 1880s farmhouse. Set 4km out of Mudgee on 25 acres, each room in the Coach
House and Barn End Cottage has its own style, and is
kitted out with home theatre, open fireplaces and linen. Costs $2500 for two-night
weekend for up to 10 guests. Or stay three, pay two nights on midweek stays
(Sun-Thurs) before December 15, costs $1600 for three nights, 0423 330 833, www.trelawneyfarm.com

THAILAND

The new Centra Coconut Beach Resort Samui is set on Thong
Tanote Beach, a quiet corner on happening Koh Samui. Comprising 53 rooms and
villas, the resort is celebrating with opening specials. A superior pool view
room costs from $58 a room a night, including breakfast, until October 31, +662
101 1234, centarahotelsresorts.com

HONG KONG

Let the kids conquer Hong Kong with a family summer
getaway at the SkyCity Marriott Hotel, on Lantau island, near Hong Kong
Disneyland and the Giant Buddha. Kids can do a junior masterchef or master
housekeeper class (help with the housework!), and the hotel is adding $60 of
dining credits, 10 percent off spa treatments and 6pm checkout. Costs from $250
a room (2 adults, 1 child), 1800 251 259, hongkongskycitymarriott.com

BALI

Anantara Seminyak Bali is celebrating a Three Day Weekend
Getaway from August 16-19 with a poolside breakfast, side-by-side hour massage
or perhaps a chocolate facial for the kids, and a dance party at the resort’s
SOS Supper Club, one of the most happening hotspots on the island. Those with
kids will get a half-day free babysitting and daily ice cream. Save $180 (and
get a whole lot of extras) costs from $ 1,239++ a room for three nights, +62 361
737 773, anantara.com

USA

If
you’re up for the great American roadtrip, kick off with Contiki from LA on the
Southern Adventure, and cross the country from California to Louisiana. The
13-day tour ticks off the Grand Canyon and Vegas, baby, and shows how they do
barbies in Texas and cruise in New Orleans. Book 6 months in advance, save $105, costs
$2034, book 12 months in advance, save $209, costs $1930 a person, contiki.com.au

MALDIVES

Synonymous with luxury, the
tiny islands of the Maldives have got it all: white sand beaches, tropical
palms, baby blue lagoons. Stay seven nights at the Taj Exotica Resort &
Spa, and pay for six. Fifteen minutes by luxury speedboat from Mali airport,
the hotel is located on its own private island, naturally. The deal is also laden
with extras, including a romantic beach dinner, a la carte breakfast, a sunset
cruise and 15 percent of spa treatments. Travel until November 30, book by 15
November, costs from US$5223 (A$5097) for seven nights. (02) 9957 4511,
maryrossitravel.com

TOURWATCH

Snorkelling with whales, Tonga

Snorkelling with humpback whales not on your bucket list?
Perhaps it’s because you thought you never could. The Kingdom of Tonga is a
favourite hang for the massive mammals between July and mid-October. Like many
humans, they are lured by the warm waters for romance, using it as a stopover for
love on their migration from Antarctica. Stay one night at the Scenic Hotel
Tonga, in Nuku’alofa, six nights in the Puataukanave Hotel, Vava’u, and have
two day’s whale watching with the chance of getting up close and personal. The
tour also includes four dives over two days including all diving gear, return
airport transfers and a guide. For travel between August 14-21 and September
4-11, costs $2003 a person, twin share, 1800 044 066, travel-associates.com.au

Source: Belinda Jackson, Sun Herald newspaper

May

PLAY BRISBANE: Fun and sun rolled into one

Streets Beach

The sun is shining, bronzed
people are bouncing about in bikinis and boardies…then everyone packs up and
goes back to the office. Don’t you just love a beach in the middle of the city?
Streets Beach, in South Bank, has got it all: sand, palms, lifesavers
and warm, crystal-clear waters. Open all year round, take a dip then coffee in
the restaurant strip overlooking the lagoon. Perfect. And perfectly Queensland.

Brissy loves its indie
culture and two of its best-loved contemporary performing arts spaces, the Judith
Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts and the Brisbane Powerhouse, oblige. The cosy little Judy loves a spot of cabaret
and shines a spotlight on local work, while the Powerhouse hosts film festivals, theatre and is a
major site for the Brisbane Festival. Upcoming visitors include Henry Rollins, blues
guitarist Harry Manx, comedians Judith Lucy and Candy Bowers and classical
pianist Sally Whitwell (judithwrightcentre.com, brisbanepowerhouse.org)

Get a grip on Brisbane and its
surrounds, with views to Moreton Bay, by climbing Brisbane’s architectural
icon, the Story Bridge, 80 meters above the Brisbane River. If you think
bridge climbs are for pre-schoolers, go one up and abseil down the pylons (storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au)
If jumping off a high bridge isn’t your idea of a cool time, instead,
work your photography and climbing skills simultaneously when you climb the bridge
with a professional photographer who’ll help capture the panorama, using your
own camera equipment. Photography climbs
are held monthly (blue-dog.com.au)

For aimless ambling in the sunshine, South Bank Lifestyle Markets
are flush with craft, food, fashion and homewares. Open Friday evenings, all
day Saturday and Sunday on Stanley St, the stalls get a decided fashion bent on
the first Sunday of the month with the addition of the Young Designer Markets, where you can buy direct from the designer
(southbankmarket.com.au, youngdesignersmarket.com.au). Saturday nights in the West
End get a whole lot funkier when the West
End Twilight Markets are in town, with artisan stalls, providores and free music
by indie performers (cnr Wilson & Boundary St, 2nd and 4th Saturday of the
month, westendtwilightmarkets.com)

For the crush of your classic band pub or the roar of the
latest club, you’ll be asking your taxi to take you to Fortitude Valley. The
Valley’s spit-and-sawdust days are fading as the latest openings combine sexy
bites with well-crafted drinks: take a look at the late-night supper club La Ruche (680 Ann St) and its neighbour
the Bowery Bar (676 Ann St). Veteran Cru Bar is still regarded as one of the best wine bars in
town.

Oh Hello! gathers all the pretty
twentysomethings in one place (621 Ann St) while at ManaBar, you can drink cocktails (for the adult in you) while
hammering video games (for the inner child) (420 Brunswick St).

Archive Beer Boutique

Keep an
eye out for Alfred
& Constance, two heritage houses revamped to
include a gastro pub, underground cellar and late-night dessert café by the
Limes Hotel crew, opening July (cnr Alfred & Constance St). Other hotspots across the city include
Woollongabba for Matt Moran’s tapas and rum cocktails at edgy Canvas, its new little sister, Public Bar & Kitchen in the CBD (400
George St) and the West
End’s The End (73
Vulture St).

CRAFT
BEER REVIVAL

Real beer drinkers, rejoice! Brisbane is enjoying a
revival of craft beers, the charge is led by the West End’s Archive Beer Boutique (100 Boundary St,
West End). Add to your list The Scratch
for Gold Coast operation Burleigh Brewing’s My
Wife’s Bitter (8/1 Park Rd, Milton) and newcomer’s Super Whatnot’s grunged-out wine bar, which keeps Brissy brewers
Bacchus on tap (Burnett La, CBD).

May

SHOP BRISBANE: Indie vibe is right on trend

Brisbane’s
burgeoning fashion scene has a home in inner-city Paddington, a veritable
boutique-crawl up Given Terrace, with plenty of stand-out cafes in between for
stamina. The vibe is indie rather than lables, with an emphasis on good
cutting, great textiles and individuality.

It all heats up one corner of Given
Terrace, where a cluster of Brisbane designers share the love: take a look at Surafina, where its design duo Laura
and Rechelle are responsible for Brissy’s smart and sexy mums in saucy
above-knee skirts and structured riding jackets. Five minutes and these two
will have your number pegged.

Nearby, the mood in Maiocchi is too cute, but with tunnel vision, you can get
your geisha on, with her oh-so-ladylike Sino-fab prints in the sweetest dresses
and skirts. While you’re in the hood, check out happening Brissy bag label
LouenHide at Olive Home.

Further
along, Given becomes LaTrobe Terrace where you’ll find stalwart fashion veteran
Chercher La Femme with its delicate
silk and linens in whites, neutrals and naturals, where classic tailoring and
functionality are key. Take a sticky down the back of the shop for the sweetest
babywear in town. Straight across the road, the renovated Queenslander that is
home to La La La Trobe buzzes to a
younger beat, evoking saucy boudoir with its two own funky labels, She’s Gone La La and La La Luxe. The look is a little boho
rock star, a little naughty girlishness, courtesy of a blend of ethnic knits,
leopard pant and a splash of gypsy whimsy.

The other
major haunt for local label lovers is Fortitude Valley, where the big, brash
fashion names bunker down with up-and-coming boltholes of gorgeousness.

There’s
a certain sleek glossiness to the James St precinct, amply demonstrated by Nat-Sui,
whose vertiginous, handmade heels have been seen
garnishing the legs of such celebs as Delta Goodrem and Deborah Hutton, while
the scent is supplied by Libertine Parfumerie. This Parisian-style
little boutique stocks rare fragrances, many custom designed for royalty and
screen stars. Current best-sellers include Grace Kelly’s ‘Gin Fizz’, first
designed in 1955.

Admirers
of handmade beauty will resonate with Incub8r, where crafty
artists showcase one-off pieces, from handbags to picture frames, jewellery to
clothing. Speaking of clothing, while you’re on a roll in the area, check out Drobe’s
racks range from the intense to the minimal, featuring local designer Kate
Anderson and Jessica T for accessories and bags. Brisbane milliner Felicity Boevink’s vintage-inspired creations can be found in the Brisbane multi-brand staple, Jean Brown, in the Emporium precinct.

Homewares
hunters will find their soul’s delight in the vintage treasure troves of
Woolloongabba’s Logan Rd strip and the old Queenslander houses that line
Paddington’s main drag, Latrobe Terrace.

Start with French-farmhouse
inspiration at Blake & Taylor, whose weatherboard Queenslander is
filled to the eyeballs with toile prints, cute signs, cunning coat hooks and
overstuffed chairs before continuing up the hill to the far more severely
edited AP Design House, which brings single, beautiful items from the
world into one warm space. Find beautifully blended gold micron jewellery by
one-to-watch Brisbane label Angle Diamond Dot mixed with Belgian linen duvets
and rugs from Sardinia.

Put a few hours aside to wander the antique and vintage
shops along the strip until you hit Paddington Antique Centre at the top
of the terrace, with 45 antique dealers trading in anything from life-sized
models of cows to green glasswear, vintage jewellery and taxidermy in one
hyper-ventilatingly crazy mish-mash. Minimalists need not bother entering.

BREAKOUT: Winn Lane

The
newest, coolest little shopping strip in town is Winn Lane, a tiny nook off Ann
St in Fortitude Valley. Barely six months old, it supplies rich pickings in the
form of Brisbane fashion luminaries Easton Pearson’s younger EP label, Sunday
Social for rare and vintage threads, cute local accessories by Ruby
& Prankster, spanking new Atavist Books for secondhand treasures and Flamingo Café, which creates the
coffee that keeps it all ticking along nicely (winnlane.com)

Address book

Chercher La Femme, 2 LaTrobe Tce, Paddington, chercherlafemme.com

La La La Trobe, 21 LaTrobe Tce, Paddington,
lalalatrobe.com

Surafina, 204-208 Given Tce, Paddington surafina.com

Maiocchi, 216
Given Tce, Paddington maiocchi.com.au

Olive Home,
218 Given Tce, Paddington
olivehome.com.au

Nat-Sui, 19 James St,
Fortitude Valley, nat-sui.com.au

Easton Pearson, 60
James St, Fortitude Valley, eastonpearson.com

Incub8, 368
Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley, incube8r.com.au

Drobe, 669 Ann
St, Fortitude
Valley, drobeonline.com

Jean Brown,
1000 Ann St, Fortitude Valley, jeanbrown.com.au

Libertine Parfumerie, 181 Robertson St, Fortitude Valley, libertineparfumerie.com.au

Subfusco, 61
Gray Rd, West End, subfusco.com

Tanya Mrnjaus, idcouture.com

Blake & Taylor, 11 LaTrobe Tce, Paddington, blakeandtaylor.com.au

AP Design House, 15
LaTrobe Tce, Paddington, apdesignhouse.com.au

Paddington Antique Centre, 167 Latrobe Tce, Paddington,
paddingtonantiquecentre.com

Hamptons Home Living, 180 Latrobe Tce, Paddington,
hamptonshomeliving.com.au

Source: Sun Herald

Feb

Rise and shine: the new islands of the north

Chopper cam: an uninhabited island in the Palm Island group.

After a flurry of sales and makeovers, Queensland’s islands of the north beckon anew.

After the devastation left by last year’s cyclone season, several
islands and resorts have refreshed and changed hands, including Orpheus,
Lizard and Dunk islands, Fitzroy Island Resort and the celebrity haunt
Bedarra Island Resort, which was reportedly sold for just $6 million.

Six million dollars seems to be the magic number, as Orpheus’s new
owner has also just snapped up a tropical island for about the same
small change.

Cheong Liew and Arie Prabowo

The only way to the resort is via the skies in the
teensiest little helicopter, an egg beater that skims over uninhabited
islands, lonely atolls, the ruins of a former leper colony and busy Palm
Island, with a population of between 2000 and 3000 indigenous folk.
Orpheus’s new owner knows which side his bread is buttered on: he also
owns The Botanical in Melbourne’s dress circle, South Yarra, and has
lured Cheong Liew out of retirement to set the tone for the resort’s
kitchens with his protege, Arie Prabowo.

Orpheus Island is a hilly dot 80 kilometres off the coast of
Townsville, in the Palm Islands group. Lashed by Yasi’s cyclonic winds
last year, the resort recently reopened and, if it plays its cards
right, will be one of those hideaways where sneaky celebs have no need
for wearing wigs or bad ’80s fashion.

To read more about the new islands of the north, click here

Jan

Right wavelength: Heron Island

Turtles viewed from the island’s quasi-submarine

“INFANTS are just hand luggage,” a travel veteran told me before the
arrival of a Jackson jnr. “Take them to all the posh restaurants before
they can walk, and travel.”

“Families should stick to holidays in Queensland and stop
inflicting their kids on the rest of us during long-distance flights,”
sniped a chorus of online travellers. Snipers, we took your advice.

So,
wary of the many evil eyes cast by business travellers on a red-eye up
to Brisbane and onward to Gladstone, the first family holiday is to that
bastion of family holidays, north of the border.

Heron Island is a coral cay 72kilometres off the coast of
Gladstone. It’s a two-hour ferry journey or, if you’re flush, half an
hour in a chopper.

To read more, click here

Nov

Cairns pulls at the heartstrings

Cairns lagoon. Skin cancer central, but does have some shade!

On a busy corner of tropical Cairns, I could see OK Souvenirs, Koaland and Louis Vuitton. Then I got trampled by a Japanese tourist group. A woman outside my hotel window smoked rolled cigarettes and spat tobacco and invectives at passers-by, the hotel concierge went AWOL while I was trying to haul baby, pram and bags up the front stairs, and it was hot, humid and heavy. Cairns, I was quite prepared to hate you.

But the next morning, I’d softened. The concierge had materialised at the Cairns Hilton, which has just had a $6 million renovation. The streets were full of cute open-air cafes and restaurants and locals and travellers were splashing happily in the lagoon, a clear water pool in the middle of town. I liked the notices pinned telling you where to take baby flying foxes that have fallen out of the trees above, and the primal squeak of a hundred furry little bodies hanging from the branches like over-excited black fruit.

Flying foxes, just hanging out in Cairns.

Then, there was the discovery that the Hanuman restaurant in the Hilton is of the same family as the legendary Darwin Hanuman, and I was unnaturally thrilled to learn they even do bento, basically upmarket take-away, comprising two perfect curries, rice and some rather exciting pickles.

Pulling out of the harbour on a boat turned toward Fitzroy Island, I could smell the massaman curry and jasmine rice, and the prospect of enjoying it on a tropical island seemed pretty damned good. Cairns, welcome back into the heart.

Oct

Luke, Luke, Luke. It’s all about you. Even before you waltzed up to my table last night in the new Hilton on the Gold Coast, in your chef’s whites advertising airlines and restaurants, it was all about you.

I thoroughly enjoyed (and how often can you say this of cheap airline food) the tortilla with roast beef, vintage cheese and mesclun leaves as we flew up from Melbourne to the Gold Coast. There was the branding: Food by Luke Mangan. It was a deliciously far cry from your beef pie I ate with the same airline enroute to Fiji recently. Luke, leave rustic alone, please. It was so rustic, it comprised three enormous chunks of cow, so big that the wibbly plastic airline knife had no impact on it, leaving a plane of diners chewing like the animal they were consuming.

Then, last night, as we tossed over the difference between striploin, fillet and tenderloin, you schmoozed the room, smiling and shaking hands like the best-trained celebrity chef. Your name was on every plate that was laid on our table (and let me admit, there were many plates laid on our table).

Oh, how we ate. We ate the kingfish sashimi, with the most divine crust of ginger, eschallot and Persian feta. We at chargrilled quail on shredded zuchinni studded with pine nuts and currants. We at the tenderloin, we at the striploin. God help us, we went back for desert: chocolate three ways (which does sound a bit pervy) and a strip of sunshine-orange cheesecake.

I need to lie down. I need to run a marathon, or whatever the people of the Gold Coast do each morning. I need restraint, I need to avoid you, Luke.

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