Where … Gol Gol on the Murray River When … Monday, May 13, 2013 What … An early-morning storm throws a rainbow over the southern bank of the Murray River near just a stone’s throw from the historic Gol Gol Hotel. Visit the Gol Gol Hotel website … posted Sunday. October 4, 2014
Category Archives: Australia
So nice, named it twice …
HOTEL Hotel – a boutique address in Canberra’s New Acton neighbourhood which is a favourite with locals when it’s time to wine and dine – is quickly becoming the place to stay in the national capital. The hotel is packed with character, almost every item in the building tells a story, and a swag ofContinue reading “So nice, named it twice …”
Sunburnt country …
THIS could be the spot Dorothea Mackellar was standing when she penned the most memorable stanza of her ode to Australia. I can’t see the jewelled sea, but I know there’s a turquoise stretch of salt not far to the north, and from this corner of Home Valley Station in the Kimberley I spy theContinue reading “Sunburnt country …”
Home Valley Station …
Where … Home Valley Station, the Kimberley, Western Australia When … Saturday, May 31, 2014 What … The sky turns a ranbow of pastel colours as the sun sets behind the Cockburn Range in the eastern corner of Western Australia’s magnificent Kimberley. Visit the Home Valley Station website … posted Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Street-art stay …
BRISBANE’S first street-art hotel has opened in Constance Street with TRYP Brisbane welcoming its first guests. The property, which is also the first TRYP by Wyndham hotel in Australia, is in the heart of the Queensland capital’s entertainment district and inside the business precinct emerging on the outskirts of the CBD making it popular withContinue reading “Street-art stay …”
Sun, surf and …
IT seems a few lazy days on the beach, a good dose of culture, and a stay at a luxury resort top the holiday wish list for Australian travellers. The vacation preferences are revealed in a study just completed by Wotif – the website that lets those looking to book accommodation grab last-minute deals onContinue reading “Sun, surf and …”
Shepherds Flat …
Where … Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm in Shepherds Flat, Victoria. When … Monday, December 13, 2010 What … Lavender growing in a pasture at Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm, in Shepherds Flat near Daylesford, shows that summer has arrived in central Victoria. Visit the Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm website … posted Monday, September 22, 2014
Anzac link …
ON November 1, 1914, the first Anzac troops bound for the Great War’s bloody battlefields left Albany in a convoy that stretched more than 12km into the Southern Ocean when it steamed away from the West Australian coast. For many of those on board the 38 vessels it would be one-way journey as they wouldContinue reading “Anzac link …”
Population 70 …
THIS must be the most beautiful time of day in the Outback. The sun is plunging towards the horizon, casting a captivating shade of gold on the landscape and forcing long shadows to fall on the red dirt where buildings stand on the gibber plain, and there’s only a sliver of vibrant blue holding theContinue reading “Population 70 …”
Place of prosperity …
I THOUGHT I had a pretty good picture of Tasmania’s convict experience. I had been to Port Arthur and done the ghost tour on a dark night, seen the graves on the Isle of the Dead, walked across Richmond Bridge, stood at Eaglehawk Neck, and talked to Judith Cornish who spent days at Hobart’s FemaleContinue reading “Place of prosperity …”
Which Queensland island is right …
THE Queensland coast is flanked by an abundance of idyllic islands. From the exclusive enclaves on Haggerstone and Lizard islands in the state’s far north, to the empty stretches of sand on South Stradbroke Island close to Brisbane, there are dream destinations waiting for those travellers ready to holiday on a spot that’s surrounded byContinue reading “Which Queensland island is right …”
Grape expectations …
MURRAY Gomm is crazy for apples. Not the everyday varieties found in the over-stacked bins at Coles and Woolies, but the rare and curious versions that only to grow in the well-tendered gardens of old country homes and long-forgotten orchards. It’s this love of apples, a passion the Albany winemaker can trace backContinue reading “Grape expectations …”
Australia’s Mr Bean …
CHARLES Bean is one of my heroes. I didn’t think much of the man when I studied Australian history at Melbourne University – he seemed snooty and aloof when I was wading through his Great War histories doing research for essays and exams – but the post-academic investigations that have come with travel revealContinue reading “Australia’s Mr Bean …”
Top chef returns …
CHEF Jim McDougall always knew Mildura was a food bowl but it wasn’t until he left his home town for the big smoke that he realised just how good the ingredients were in the Murray River settlement. The Mildura native, who started his career with the great Stefano de Pieri at the river city’s iconicContinue reading “Top chef returns …”
Good cheese and good cheer …
THERE’S no shortage of great places to dine in the Yarra Valley. Almost every winery in this esteemed grape-growing region — said to be Victoria’s first winemaking enclave with a history stretching back more than 160 years — has a restaurant or cafe worth visiting at meal times. So it wouldn’t occur to mostContinue reading “Good cheese and good cheer …”
Majestic migration …
IT’S when the weather turns cold that the whale-watching action heats up in Australia as pods of the marine mammals head north to escape the icy chill of Antarctica. Every state plays host to humpbacks and southern right whales from May and November, with destinations from Bruny Island in Tasmania’s southeast corner to Cape LevequeContinue reading “Majestic migration …”
Surf coast …
GEELONG was named in 1827, surveyed in 1838 and proclaimed a city in 1910 with everyone from pastoralists and lighthouse keepers to gold miners and mariners playing a part in growing the port settlement. That history is celebrated in Geelong and around the Bellarine Peninsula with vintage estates and thoughtfully curated museums recalling the daysContinue reading “Surf coast …”
Discover Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula …
THE Mornington Peninsula offers a feast of opportunities for people looking to escape. Sarah Nicholson reports on the best of the best. BEST FOR GOLF FORGET the best in Victoria, or even the best in Australia, the Mornington Peninsula is one of the best places in the world for golf. While it’s hard toContinue reading “Discover Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula …”
Black Saturday survivor …
KIM Rycroft is a Black Saturday survivor. The Narbethong resident, and the force behind Saladin Lodge, one of the region’s most delightful B&B properties, lost her home in 2009 when one of the February 7 fires burst out of the Black Range State Forest and tore across her bucolic block. Rycroft lost the historicContinue reading “Black Saturday survivor …”
Explore the outback …
MY father, John, loves the Outback. The more sunbaked the landscape, the happier he is. And while most of us dread a dirt track full of potholes and corrugations winding through hundreds of kilometres of dusty land, that’s his idea of a great day out. So he was jealous that I saw the Flinders RangesContinue reading “Explore the outback …”
High country history …
→ When visiting an historic hilltop hamlet it’s only right to stay in an historic cottage … THERE are not a lot of options when it comes to accommodation in a little spot like Walhalla. The Star Hotel offers pub-style digs, there are a couple of B&Bs around the place, and those who really wantContinue reading “High country history …”
Glamping at the Prom …
I HAVE introduced my dad to something new today. He is no stranger to camping, having slept on the ground from one end of Australia to the other, but tonight is the first time he’s engaged in the very civilised activity of glamping. Instead of pitching our own tent, and then curling up in aContinue reading “Glamping at the Prom …”
And now for Rotto …
I’VE been to Rottnest Island a few times now – we used to hang out there during my uni days when a group would make the journey across Gage Roads to the patch of land sitting just off the West Australian coast – and the pace of those previous visits was always very relaxed. WeContinue reading “And now for Rotto …”
Free-o …
WELCOME to Perth, home of the big blue sky. I spent my first full day in Fremantle enjoying the sunshine and warm weather, strolling the streets remembering what I love about this place. Freo was one of Australias first settlements, so the streets stretching back from the busy port are still clogged with colonial-style architectureContinue reading “Free-o …”
Lake Eyre …
Where … Lake Eyre in South Australia When … Monday, April 5, 2010 What … Flying over Lake Eyre in a small plane, while on an expedition through the South Australian outback with APT Tours, I snapped this picture of the flooding water creeping across the desert. Visit the Lake Eyre page on the TourismContinue reading “Lake Eyre …”
Far Near Or Here 