Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 - January 2023 i Australian Traveller

APPARENTLY, THERE ARE THOUSANDS of towns in Australia, so when we decided to put it out to our subscribers, industry partners and contributors to tell us their absolute favourites, to be collated into a Top 50 list, we ended up with a long list of contenders. Many are well known and well loved, but it was great to see towns that I had never heard of before make the cut. The winner of the number one position was clear (I’m not going to spoil the surprise on page 74), but every one of the 49 destinations that follow it are deserving of being in the mix (along with those that made it onto an honourable mentions list – sorry, there were just so many and we didn’t want anyone to…

THE PORTER HOUSE HOTEL – MGALLERY, SYDNEY Sydney’s slickest new stay has opened within a 36-storey mixed-use tower in the reimagined Porter House precinct. The Porter House Hotel – MGallery began life as a tobacco factory and warehouse in the 1870s. While the exterior draws attention for its soaring abstract mural, Ripples & Droplets, the interiors of the new urban sanctuary pay homage to the building’s history with soft curves, arches and circles a recurring theme. The heritage-listed Porter House will include three different F&B venues: Henry’s Bread and Wine, Dixson & Sons and Spice Trader cocktail bar. porterhousehotel.com.au MOTEL MOLLY, MOLLYMOOK Good golly, Miss Molly. The former Surfbeach Motel in Mollymook , where the main draw is the surf and sunshine, has had a makeover. The retro-inspired hotel, reimagined…

Reviews EVEN BEFORE I ENTER QT Hotel Newcastle – the just-minted transformation of a retail icon in the heart of the city – I’m greeted with fun and high energy. Delightfully clad in riotous colour, the ‘Director of Chaos’ offers a smiling welcome and a precursor of what’s to come. I’m entering territory that’s deeply familiar, a spot once occupied by Scott’s Ltd, a department store from the 1890s, then David Jones some 60 years later, and the scene of a considerable chunk of my family’s spending. Empty for more than 10 years, this heritage-listed building now has another shot at being a central part of the city, its facade refreshed and internals transformed into 104 five-star rooms and suites. No elongated reception and oversized foyers here – instead, a…

THERE IS SOMETHING INDEFINABLE about Broome. Fringed by an ancient and unrelenting desert, this town in Yawuru Country is an ocean-side oasis that exhibits a certain flimsiness. It’s as if any attempt to hold her would yield instant dissolution, leaving nothing but a few cagey crabs burrowing into the silty mangrove sand. Certainly, to travellers emerging from the surrounding Kimberley, besmirched with pindan and blinking dry eyes at the sight of this border town, Broome is a mirage. She quenches desert thirsts with tall glasses of beer and elevates spirits through jovial retellings of what lies beyond her frontier skirt. In the heat of the day, her bewitchingly clear waters twinkle as artificially as a cruise ship pool. Come nightfall, her weary skies, silhouetted by unflappable ungulates, diffuse the heat…

CRYSTALBROOK FLYNN IS THE FUN ONE of the bunch: a social butterfly of a five-star hotel. True to form, there’s a giant chocolate freckle waiting to welcome me when I check into my Sea View Suite, where splashes of hot pink enliven a luxe coastal palette of sea greens and sand golds and a generous balcony places me right on the Cairns Esplanade with unbroken views of the Coral Sea. I soak in the tourism town’s sunshine and instant holiday vibes and, having inadvertently skipped both breakfast and lunch, devour the sweet treat with abandon. The modus operandi of Crystalbrook Collection is responsible luxury, and I feel similarly guilt-free about everything I do here. From a signature treatment at the Eléme Day Spa (I’m sold on the ‘risqué’ and lymph-stimulating…

IF THERE’S A PRETTIER TOWN in Australia, I’m yet to see it. Bright may well be located in the fissures of north-eastern Victoria, but you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to a 19th-century mining town in Colorado. Set at the south-eastern end of a pine-clad valley dwarfed by the Australian Alps (and more specifically by Victoria’s tallest mountain, Mt Bogong), its leafy streetscape is dominated by century-old-and-then-some heritage buildings, some of which remain from the Victorian gold rush era of the 1850s. Its leafy avenues planted with elegant European trees blaze with colour in autumn, while wildflowers bloom just beyond town. The Ovens River flows right through Bright, providing a hell of a backyard view for the cafes, restaurants and breweries built by its banks. Here, with its…

THERE’S A FORCE THAT LURES PEOPLE to Echuca, and it’s like the pull of the moon. They come as kids, then return with their own families. They come for the sense of calm and connection. That force is the mighty Murray River. At 2508 kilometres, it’s Australia’s longest river and Echuca sits at its closest bend to Melbourne, a 2.5-hour drive south. In the late 1800s, Echuca was Australia’s largest inland port, full of paddlesteamers pootling back and forth along the river. Today a few paddlesteamers still whistle their way along the Murray, anchoring the town in its history and serving as a reminder that life here revolves around the river. People come for the serenity, for watersports, wine, sunny skies (Echuca claims more sunny days than the Gold Coast)…

WHEN I MOVED TO Western Australia nearly two decades ago, Esperance was my first stop. I still wonder if I should’ve stayed there. I spent six weeks working at the local ABC, and with every dawn drive past tourmaline-blue ocean polka-dotted with islands, I fell a little more in love. A painting I bought capturing the transfixing coastline and its long row of Norfolk pines still hangs on my wall, reminding me every day of this isolated town clutching on tight to the far southern rim of Western Australia. It’s close to nothing, and yet I’ve returned many times. Each visit, I’m drawn to the Great Ocean Drive, a 34-kilometre strip of bitumen that goes past so many flour-white beaches that it aches to keep on driving. I resist flicking…

THERE SEEMS TO BE AN unending expanse of sky and sea in Port Macquarie, so much so that it’s hard to distinguish where one stops and the other begins. The two seem interchangeable, the far-off horizon stretching forever, like a frayed blue ribbon. You’ll find locals and visitors enjoying all the location offers every which way they can. Dotting the water on paddleboards. Surfing empty point breaks. Fishing. Kayaking. Following a creek through subtropical jungle. Slurping fresh-shucked oysters just metres from where they are farmed. It’s a slice of paradise. Where you can glimpse rare shorebirds, dolphins and whales hugging close to the coastline in winter. When you’re not exploring the long, white arcs of sand, or taking advantage of the legendary photo opportunities from the lighthouse at dawn, you…

MY FRIENDS ARE SURPRISED when I tell them a visit to Albany is like a blind date that goes really, really well. The description on the brochure, a port town in WA’s great South West, did little to highlight the revelatory conversation starters the town had in store for me, the surprises and pleasures that spending time with it would bring, and how it would woo me with its bookstores, bakeries and beaches. Albany has style and sophistication, but it also has a rugged edge, sitting as it does between the coast and the outback. Alongside the blossoming cultural scene, where film and foodie festivals abound, there’s also the possibility of mountains to climb, historical tales to uncover, and adventures to be had. Wandering the streets of Albany, I am…

SO, YOU’VE DECIDED IT’S TIME for a weekend getaway. You’re craving a coastal retreat for some sand and sun. Then again, you’ve been imagining a rural idyll with green pastures dotted with dairy farms and award-winning wineries. The good news is it’s a win-win if you’re visiting Berry. The picturesque town of Berry, only a two-hour drive south of Sydney in the NSW Shoalhaven Region, is a popular escape for stylish city slickers. It’s perfectly positioned between the pristine beaches of the South Coast (Seven Mile Beach is only 10 minutes away) and the fertile farmland that sweeps all the way to Kangaroo Valley. There’s heritage charm in abundance along Berry’s tree-lined Queen Street and the quiet backstreets, chock-full of cutesy bakeries and cafes, boutique homeware stores and buzzy restaurants.…

LIKE MANY MEDIUM-SIZED regional cities, Busselton has a bypass road that has both pros and cons. For years, people en route to the Margaret River region would take the shortcut. Lately though, drivers – myself included – are veering around the roundabout, into the freshly polished main street and down onto the revitalised foreshore. It turns out Busselton – known as ‘Busso’ to the locals – has been unfairly overlooked. Before you even reach the dazzling coastline – the sheltered blue expanse of Geographe Bay fills every inch of peripheral vision – there’s reason enough to pause. First stop should be Bistro Breton, a thoroughly French crêpe house where traditional buckwheat flour is used, just like in Brittany (mais, oui!). A few doors down, Alberta’s is a hole-in-the-wall 50-seater run…

Where to brunch: Breakfast is served all day, every day at MRS JONES CAFE, in what used to be the town’s butter factory. Secure a table in the garden, then wander around the adjoining art gallery while you wait for delights to arrive. Where to roam: Strap in for an hour of visual marvels along the MT SHADFORTH SCENIC DRIVE. Let your eyes wander over stretches of leafy vines, up undulating hills and across verdant farmland, with the moody Stirling Ranges and Porongurup granite boulders on the horizon. Where to picnic: Throw down a rug, bring sandwiches and treat yourself to the breathtakingly good chardonnay at SINGLEFILE WINES. The estate encourages BYO picnics on the grass, in view of the line of geese that roam, in single file, around the…

THERE’S A LOT OF BEAUTY seeping through the somewhat post-apocalyptic outback Queensland landscape of steep stony escarpments and red earth stubbled with native grasses. The Longreach Region is at the heart of this untouched wilderness and proving more popular than ever thanks to its fascinating heritage, out-of-the-box experiences and charming regional towns. Pack your Akubra. Here are seven reasons to give Longreach some love. 1. HAVE A CRACKING GOOD TIME AT THE AUSTRALIAN STOCKMAN’S HALL OF FAME Celebrate Australia’s ‘land and peoples’ at this fully immersive centre, which pays tribute to Indigenous Australians and early explorers while bringing the stockman’s experience to life. The lively mustering show also includes trick horses and dogs. stockmanshalloffame.com.au 2. GEEK OUT AT THE QANTAS FOUNDERS MUSEUM Aviation geeks have Longreach marked on the map…

THREE HOURS WEST of Melbourne, Warrnambool is on the rise. The town is growing with city folk arriving in search of a sea change, but it’s at that sweet spot where you can still enjoy a relatively undeveloped seaside town as well as a little luxury and a decent meal. Come here to inhale the ocean air and relax. WATER AND WHALES Everyone gravitates to Warrnambool’s coastline, whales included. On Logans Beach, a viewing platform overlooks a nursery where southern rights have brought their calves for centuries. From June to September, they can be seen lolling about as little as 100 metres from shore. Logans is good for a surf, too, while the gentle arc of Lady Bay is patrolled for safe swimming. Perhaps most idyllic are the rockpools, white…

I RELOCATED FROM MELBOURNE in 2015 to complete my Certificate III in Captive Animals and have worked as a zookeeper for the past six years. I love my work. When I first arrived at the zoo, my favourite animal was the lion. That’s since changed. Working on the conservation breeding programs has given me a greater appreciation for endangered animals such as the greater one-horned rhino, and our own greater bilby and the Tassie devil. I love the way the Tassie devil growls. And I love how cute and charismatic they are. A highlight of working here is hearing the primates do their territorial calls in the early morning. And watching the herd animals moving in packs. It’s an exciting place to work. I work in Division 2 at the…

THE 7 DREAMIEST AIRBNBS IN LAUNCESTON Whether you’d prefer to cosy up in a quaint cottage, base yourself in a sleek apartment or rest up in a nature retreat – Launceston has a fantastic range of Airbnbs to suit any style. 10 BRILLIANT CAFES IN MUDGEE FOR BRUNCHING The only guide you’ll ever need when it comes to Mudgee’s thriving cafe scene, these 10 spots are the ultimate brunching locations with coffee even a Melburnian would approve of. AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO YAMBA’S BEACHES This stunning town on the NSW North Coast is one of the hottest locations right now. Whether you’re an experienced surfer or more of a sunbather, this is everything you need to know about Yamba’s beaches. TOP THINGS TO DO IN DAYLESFORD AND SURROUNDS This bohemian…

READY TO RUMBLE You won’t need to consult a map to find Rumble, tucked away neatly at The Star Sydney. Start at the Michael Reid Art Bar and then stroll along until the aromas of garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander hit you. Chef Benjamin Tan’s menu sings of Southeast Asia and is a powerful collision between sweet, sour, spicy and salty. Expect tangy with a kick in dishes like the som tam prawn salad and moo palo (five-spiced, soy-braised pork neck) in this sophisticated space, with its pretty interiors designed by award-winning studio Etic. Recycled mahjong tiles adorn the bar, vintage ceramic plates and bamboo hats decorate the walls, and rattan screens divide the main dining area from the semi-private dining room at Rumble, a stone’s throw from the Lyric…

Park life CONSIDERED THE JEWEL in the crown of the vast Katherine region, Nitmiluk National Park covers more than 292,008 hectares in a colourful collision of ancient cultures and the type of raw, rugged nature that takes your breath away. It’s famous for its spectacular sandstone country and 13 age-old gorges including iconic Nitmiluk Gorge. People visit not only to marvel at the landscape’s grandeur, but to really get amongst it too: a true outdoor adventurer’s paradise, Nitmiluk offers the opportunity to hike, bike, cruise, canoe and swim. All under the custodianship of its Traditional Owners. The park is owned by the Jawoyn people and managed under a 99-year lease by the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission, in association with Jawoyn people, culture and traditions. The best time to…

PORT DOUGLAS IS A VIVID PLACE, crayoned in blues and greens and popping with colour from pretty flowers and foliage. It’s where southerners go to be liberated from their heavy coats and boots in winter and to escape their city lives over summer. It’s where you’ll find colourful livewire characters holding forth at the pubs, sun-kissed backpackers twirling fire sticks on the beach, and wannabe locals trying to manifest a sea change. This is Yirrganydji Sea Country and it’s where the jungle spills down to the sea, and where you can try forest bathing and wild swimming all in the same day. The former fishing village was put on the map more than a few decades ago as a destination thanks to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and…

MUDGEE, HOME TO TRIBES FROM the Wiradjuri Nation, feels far from the highway. You get a sense of space here, as the road from Sydney steadily gains elevation through the Blue Mountains before stretching into the broad Cudgegong Valley beyond. Mudgee is memorable for many reasons. For starters, there are no traffic lights in the town centre, which means you can change down a few gears while exploring its charming main streets and broad boulevards, known for its Federation-style buildings. Interest in the municipality of Mudgee is also high thanks to its collection of world-class wineries, quirky cellar doors, authentic farm-to-table eateries and five-star accommodation, all of which act like a beacon for gourmands. Find out why Mudgee was named both NSW and Australia’s Top Tourism Town in 2022 with…

ORIGINALLY A SYDNEYSIDER, YOU MOVED TO ORANGE IN 2019. WHAT DREW YOU TO NSW’S CENTRAL WEST? We started off as tourists. We’d come to Orange F.O.O.D Week. My partner Sarah [Crowley] is from Orange and we’d visit her family. We picked the food festival as the perfect time to go. We always bought tickets to Forage – it’s a walk through the vineyards, where you spend the day tasting wine and trying local produce. That became an annual tradition for us. Then in 2019, the head chef position came up at The Union Bank. So, here we are. THE BEST PLACE TO STAY? If you really want to treat yourself The Byng Street Hotel seems to be the go-to for everybody. They’ve done an impressive job renovating and setting it…

AS A HISTORIC GOLDMINING TOWN that was once the stamping ground of infamous bushrangers, Beechworth could stray into contrived tourist-trap territory. Instead, the north-east Victorian town is experiencing a renaissance thanks to an entrepreneurial community of new and veteran business owners whose exceptional food, beer and wine offerings are giving out-of-towners fresh reasons to visit. EATING THERE Start the day with a latte made on a baby-pink La Marzocco coffee machine at TINY OF BEECHWORTH, a cute coffee haunt that also serves cocktails after 4pm. Around the corner, PROJECT 49 stocks panini, salads and soups, plus a top range of local wines, olives and pantry essentials sourced from small-scale, local producers. If you think all honey tastes the same, the BEECHWORTH HONEY shop will certainly set you straight. With more…

STEEL YOURSELF FOR THE DEEP, rich vein of far-out experiences and panoply of paradoxes that define Broken Hill, starting with its unmissable ‘mullock’ heap, which rises over a town centre crisscrossed by streets named in honour of dug-up bounty such as silica and sulphide. As the birthplace of (long-gone) BHP, the heritage-listed Silver City is certainly comfortable in its industrialised skin, with more underground traffic lights controlling the subterranean economy (about 100) than on the streets above (just three). Yet The Hill is the very antithesis of the ephemeral modern FIFO mining town. Perhaps due to the Priscilla effect (partly filmed here) and a buoyant arts scene, it is arguably the most diverse, inclusive outback town full stop, fostering a ‘Do what you wanna do, be what you wanna be’…

OH AIRLIE BEACH, are you the most misunderstood town in Australia? You don’t even really have a beach, do you? You’re more a collection of tiny golden-sand bays that drain right out at low tide. And visitors use you – don’t they? – as a stepping stone to somewhere else: the Whitsundays, the 74 dreamiest islands in Australia just offshore, one of the best sailing destinations on the whole planet. Many of you have no idea how good Airlie Beach actually is, because you probably bypassed it and flew direct to Hamilton Island. Airlie Beach is a mix of very good places: there are traces of Byron, with its bounty of backpacker bars, but its streetscape is more an amalgamation of Port Douglas and Magnetic Island. Airlie’s main street is…

ORNATE ALEXANDRA FOUNTAIN stands proud in the middle of Pall Mall as cars loop around it. Wide streets are lined with Victorian-era architecture, and hectares of lush parkland are dotted with trees that are almost as old. Like an aristocratic lady, Bendigo has the kind of timeless beauty that isn’t flashy or try-hard. Her history stretches back to 1851 when the discovery of gold made her (for a while) the richest town in the world. I’ll admit that it’s often one thing that lures me here initially. Bendigo Art Gallery has made a name for itself internationally, hosting absurdly impressive exhibitions for a regional town – Princess Charlene of Monaco visited to open Grace Kelly: Style Icon; Priscilla Presley to open Elvis: Direct from Graceland. But there is so much…

THE HALLOWED HALLS of the 159-year-old Hahndorf Inn are filled with the melodic sounds of German polka music. The jovial tunes are played by Herman and Heidi – a husband-and-wife duo who perform on matching vintage accordions while dressed in traditional lederhosen and dirndl. Merrymakers feast on pork knuckle, bratwurst and apfelstrudel, regularly clinking together steins of German bier or shots of schnapps. Prost! But we’re not in Bavaria. And it’s not Oktoberfest. It’s just a regular weekend at the Hahndorf Inn, nestled in Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement in the undulating Adelaide Hills. Hahndorf was settled in 1839 by Lutheran migrants who came to Australia seeking religious freedom from Prussia. They arrived via the ship Zebra, helmed by Captain Dirk Meinertz Hahn, who negotiated the land on behalf of…

IT’S ALL ABOUT REEF AND RANGE in Exmouth, Australia’s Top Small Tourism Town of the Year for 2022, which sits pretty at the northern gateway to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. This rare and protected proposition covers 604,500 hectares and stretches more than 300 kilometres along the remote WA coast, incorporating the wonders of the Ningaloo Marine Park – where people come from all corners of the world to swim with awe-inspiring whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales – and the grandiose landscapes of the Cape Range National Park. In a fabulous contrast of colourful underwater world and rugged, arid land, it includes the largest fringing reef in Australia, a must for keen divers and snorkellers, and an extensive karst system and network of underground caves and water…

AUSTRALIA’S BEST VANILLA slice. It’s a hotly contested title and the ensuing discussion has been known to cause furious debate. But I don’t need a verdict. I’m quite happy to eat my way through a shortlist, which is one delicious reason to visit Sorrento, the quaint-as-can-be seaside village on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. You’ll find The Vanilla Slice Cafe on Sorrento’s main drag and yes, you should absolutely pop in for a slice of finger-licking Australiana. As sugar-dense as this iconic slab of quivering vanilla custard is, time spent in postcard-perfect Sorrento gets a whole lot sweeter. About 90 minutes’ drive south-east of Melbourne, Sorrento has the hallmark qualities you would expect from a coastal town, which is to say, irresistible vistas, laissez-faire vibes and a glut of experiences that put…

I FIRST VISITED MOOLOOLABA about 20 years ago to enjoy a beach holiday with my beau that revolved simply around the surf and sand. But these days, I would drop anchor in Mooloolaba for a multitude of reasons. For starters, I’d make a pilgrimage here primarily to enjoy fresh-caught prawns at the Prawn Star, now moored in both Mooloolaba and Cairns. I’d also go to rub shoulders with loafer-clad yachties and the young surfie set listening to live music at The Wharf. A cruise up the Mooloolah River with Indigenous-owned Saltwater Eco Tours is also a must to learn about the Kabi Kabi’s rich culture with tour guide and Traditional Owner Bridgette Chilli Davis. But back to the world-class seafood. Mooloolaba is very much on the map for foodies thanks…

FOR ME, BELLINGEN MIGHT just be the perfect town. Perhaps that’s because I grew up in Glastonbury, New Age capital of England, so I feel right at home with Bello’s bohemian vibes. On the Traditional Lands of the Gumbaynggir people, it lies on the wide and beautiful Bellinger River in verdant hinterland halfway between Sydney and Brisbane (and 30 minutes’ drive south-west of Coffs Harbour). The town prospered as a dairy farming community in the early 20th century – the rich soils of the surrounding valley plus ample sunshine and rainfall ensuring good pastureland – before an influx of people seeking an alternative lifestyle in the 1970s and ’80s weaved in DNA that changed its trajectory. This hippie history is documented in a film, Bellingen – The Promised Land, that…

AT FIRST FLUSH, THE GREEN HILLS of Gerringong look a little bit like England. The cows grazing nonchalantly on pasture that rolls, dramatically, all the way down to the edge of the cliffs. The unabashed bucolic nature of the scene looks clipped straight from a period drama like Poldark. And yet. This tiny town just a stone’s throw from Kiama on the NSW South Coast is every bit Australian. It’s a classic Aussie beach town, where life revolves around Werri Beach. A popular surf spot patrolled in warmer months, this main beach is bookended to the north by a sheltered lagoon favoured by young families who swim in its shallower waters. And to the south by Ourie Rock Pool, chipped into the rock shelf in the 1930s to cater to…

A SLEEPY FISHING HAMLET flanked by sweeping green hillsides and known for its wild seascapes, Stanley was crowned Tassie’s Top Tourism Town for 2021. Its heritage streetscape with chocolate-box weatherboards looks straight out of a movie set (and in fact it is: the town was transformed into a romantic period backdrop for the 2016 film The Light Between Oceans). The three-hour scenic drive to get here from Launceston cuts through countryside and follows the coast road along the shores of Bass Strait before reaching the far northwest; don’t resist the temptation to pitstop in equally delightful towns like Penguin. And once you’ve dropped anchor in Stanley, set like a tiny jewel beneath the remains of an ancient volcanic plug, it’s time to slow right down. Stroll the streets and breathe…

Adapted from Tim Winton’s acclaimed novella, Blueback is a coming-of-age movie starring Mia Wasikowska that showcases the coastline of Western Australia’s Great Southern region at close range. At Winton’s suggestion, Bremer Bay was chosen as the location for the fictional coastal community of Longboat Bay. “I just fell in love with it immediately,” says director Robert Connolly. With the combination of the muscularity and beauty of the landscape: “the deep epic beaches and the scale of the ocean, but also these intimate and idyllic little bays.” Capturing one day still, turquoise waters and the next, epic storms with lightning bolts on the horizon and a massive swell, it’s a place of extremes, which makes sense when you consider its location at the bottom of the state, and beyond that, Antarctica,…

25 NOVEMBER – 18 DECEMBER CARMEN COCKATOO ISLAND, SYDNEY, NSW Opera on Cockatoo Island launches this November with an edgy new adaptation of Bizet’s much-loved Carmen. Acclaimed mezza-soprano Carmen Topciu will take on the title role of the fiery gypsy for Opera Australia’s open-air event, which includes motorcycle stunts, a dance troupe and nightly show of fireworks.opera.org.au 9–11 DECEMBER > SOUND & SENSE FESTIVAL MARGARET RIVER, WA Helena Rathbone is all set to lead the ACO Collective back to WA on a pilgrimage to Vasse Felix, as part of its exciting series of concerts at this annual festival held on the grounds of the Margaret River region’s founding winery. vassefelix.com.au UNTIL 11 DECEMBER AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM, SYDNEY, NSW Jason Perry’s captivating image of a…

Sydney/Warrang BONDI TO COOGEE If you want to soak up some of Sydney’s famous coastline, the Bondi to Coogee walk is six kilometres of impressive scenery. An easy footpath hugs the coast all the way, undulating around sculpted sandstone cliffs and headlands and dropping in at numerous divine beaches and ocean baths. Ocean gazing aside, highlights include Aboriginal rock engravings near Marks Park, the famously photogenic Bondi Icebergs ocean pool, Clovelly Bowling Club with its panoramic ocean backdrop and heritage-listed Waverley Cemetery. If you want to press pause and take a swim, Gordons Bay underwater nature trail is fascinating (mask and snorkel required). The walk might be short but by the time you factor in a few swims and cafe stops, it’ll probably take a while. Public transport to either…

THE WORD IS DEFINITELY OUT: Noosa is a very special place. It’s become our perennial family favourite: the swimmers, the wanderers, the adventurers, the foodies, the weary mums, tribes of kids – all enticed by different temptations. It seems we’re far from alone in loving Noosa. On Kabi Kabi land in the heart of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, it’s a place where beaches, forests, waters and mountains collide in a panoply of picture-perfect postcard scenes, with almost eternal sunshine the backdrop. One minute, we’re in the midst of world-class shopping and dining, nonchalant bush turkeys at our feet, yet mere steps to sandy beaches. The next we’re shrouded in dense rainforest, necks craned for a glimpse of a koala or black cockatoo in the canopy above. Of course there are stunning…

JUST BEYOND THE END of the Great Ocean Road, historic Port Fairy could be the perfect set location for a British detective series. The spirits of whalers, sealers and fishermen may live on its 60-plus National Trust-classified buildings, but the town once known as Belfast isn’t stuck in the past. Behind its timeworn exterior, you’ll find a creative community with an eye on the future. EATING THERE For your morning caffeine hit, head to PORT FAIRY COFFEE ROASTERS where you can also buy beans to take home (dark roast fans will love the Dead Man’s Blend). BANK ST + CO is another go-to coffee and brunch spot. COFFIN SALLY has set up shop in an old undertaker’s building, but there’s nothing dead about this jumping pizza joint. If you like…

WHILE THE LOW-RISE streets of Margaret River town have their draws – a smattering of walls streaked with murals; pavements draped with a canopy of foliage; and chunky benches crafted from locally sourced timber to perch on as the sun warms your back – there’s little that’s particularly twee about this town. No chocolate-box heritage buildings, or sweeping scenic backdrop worthy of a screensaver. What makes Margs sing is its eclectic feel: part tourist town and part local workhorse, it’s where the region’s population of surfers, vintners, artists and chefs all converge to fuel up on coffee and cocktails, fix their mountain bikes, or pick up a new wetsuit. You can feel the buzz just by strolling the main street. And of course it has all of the Margaret River…

FOR AN AUSTRALIAN COASTAL town with an outstretched hand to would-be holidaymakers, Yamba is a little unique. Long has the town welcomed guests to frolic in her surfside waters, weary from road trips and keen to let the sunlight evaporate burdens of everyday life. But it remained just a faint blip on the radar for the longest time. Strange, because this northern NSW town stockpiles the holiday goods, from yawning beaches pocketed with rockpools to gentle inlets and rivers, and a collection of off-beach entertainment. Don’t get me wrong, people came, memories were forged, and childhoods routinely blasted with salt spray, Paddle Pop ice-creams and sunburn. But the hype never seemed to reach that of other destinations with equal assets. That has all changed now, though. And, if you haven’t…

IT’S EASY TO MAKE FRIENDS in Byron Bay. It’s full of people from elsewhere with infectious energy and impulses. It’s a holiday town, where every day is a shindig and tourists extend their stay so long they become accidental locals. Head to the northern car park at dawn or dusk each day and you’ll find people walking barefoot along the beach, surfers dusting the sand off their feet, and van lifers sipping from steaming keep cups of coffee. Travellers fly here from different time zones. Friends drive down from Cairns and up from Sydney for the music festivals. It’s a world of big skies and digital nomads carving out niches. It’s where you will encounter whales and pods of dolphins, see sunsets the colour of molten gold and rockpools teeming…

I’VE BEEN SPENDING TIME in the NSW Southern Highlands town of Bowral since I was a mere slip of a girl. Growing up just 45 minutes away meant it was our chosen ‘Sunday drive’ destination, and the place we’d head for weekends away to mark family milestones. We were regulars at its annual Tulip Time festival; there are far too many pictures of my sister and me in matching outfits posing next to fulsome blooms and young women in traditional Dutch dress, complete with clogs. I even decided in my 30s that it would be the place I’d retire to when the time came. So I have watched with curiosity and a dash of jealousy as my favourite town has become everyone’s favourite town in the last 10 or so…

THE TOWN OF KIAMA HAS STOOD in silent witness to the famed Sydney summer holiday exodus (similar to Africa’s mass migration of wildebeest only with SUVs and boogie boards) for decades. A scenic two-hour drive from the city centre, the town is at the top of ‘must-book’ lists year in and year out. But while other coastal hotspots have suffered from such adoration, with high-rise developments and smashed avo holiday price hikes, Kiama has retained a laid-back aura and sunny disposition reminiscent of the sun-bleached halcyon days of the ’70s and ’80s. Albeit with some seriously good cafes, bars and restaurants thrown in for good measure. While the first arrivals here were the Dharawal people and the nomadic Wadi Wadi tribes, holidaymakers began arriving in earnest in the late 1800s,…

A 75-MINUTE DRIVE WEST of Melbourne, Ballarat was voted Victoria’s Top Tourism Town in 2021 and is recognised as a UNESCO Creative City. Its rich culture of artisans and dynamic culinary offerings tucked into reinvented goldrush buildings is a winning formula for a long weekend of wining, dining and soaking in the new wave of creativity that taps into the city’s past. A place in constant evolution, newcomers on the scene include pop-up restaurant Peasant, open Friday and Saturday evenings for just a few diners at a time in Ballarat’s historic Bank of New South Wales, and serving a five-course degustation of rustic European fare. Meanwhile chef Derek Boath’s Underbar, Ballarat’s destination restaurant since it opened in 2016, is relocating to brand-new boutique digs at Hotel Vera (sister property to…

IN 2021, LAUNCESTON WAS named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, an official acknowledgment that Tasmania’s second-largest city is truly a delicious destination. You could call it a knock-on effect from Hobart-based tourist vortex Mona, which draws thousands of visitors to the state for festivals such as Mona Foma, which was established in 2009 in Hobart and first held in Launceston in 2019. Or, you could put it down to the city’s natural beauty and pure produce drawing some serious culinary talent to the island. Kim Seagram, chair of FermenTasmania, the state’s champion for fermented foods, worked on the UNESCO campaign. She says the region was built on food, from early bread mills that supplied grain to Sydney’s colonial population to the cider that gave the state its Apple Isle…

COFFS HARBOUR LOCALS know better than to leave town for a beach holiday. Why would they? Instead, they take advantage of the city’s idyllic 30-degrees latitude (which leads to mostly sunshine-filled days and a minimal chance of rain) to surf, swim and enjoy a seaside staycation. While technically, Coffs Harbour’s population deems it to be a city, its covetable culture and lifestyle makes it feel more like a coastal town. As well as being nirvana for those craving a beachside hang, Coffs is an ECO Tourism Destination, offers a slew of sustainable activities, has a super-slick food scene, brilliant bars and breweries, and family-friendly stays to boot. Use our guide on where to eat, stay and play in this eco-accredited destination. EATING THERE Take the guesswork out of the equation…

YOU KNOW CROISSANTS ARE important to a small town when no less than three artisan bakers serve its 1542 residents. Robe, on South Australia’s limestone-clawed coast, takes its flaky French pastries seriously – they’re usually sold out before noon. Demand may have something to do with the 15,000 visitors it greets each summer, though I suspect locals are generally at the front of the queue. Well-placed Robe is about 335 kilometres from Adelaide, 520 kilometres from Melbourne and only a 40-minute drive from the cattle farm where I grew up. It was my family’s holiday idyll, loved across every season; a place to run uncontrollably down sand dunes, to walk for miles along spirit-level-flat beach and to boogie board in gently frothing white water until our hands turned blue and…

I HAVE THE FEELING THAT I am being watched. I’m sitting in a giant bay window looking out to uninterrupted rolling countryside, its subtle green and taupe shadings muted by the corpulent clouds that hang low in the sky. I’m utterly alone and yet I can sense a watchful gaze against the back of my head. As I wait for the rain that is promising to come, a slightly damp yet sprightly sheep meanders across the expanse of glass, as if walking across a big-screen television, pausing momentarily to throw me a quizzical look as if on cue and then exiting, stage left. Another sheep follows in exactly the same manner, then another, and another stretching in a conga line across my line of sight. The last sheep trots into…

THE ROAD BENDS BACK and forth time and again as you arrive in Narooma, and the vistas are incredible. The big draw is the blue water, which is a national marine park home to sea lions, whales, dolphins, octopuses and a vast congregation of manta rays. Staring out to sea here is like indulging in colour therapy. Tourists from Victoria and the ACT have been trickling here for decades. But they didn’t arrive in substantial numbers until Justin Hemmes turned up. The hotelier owns a property nearby, and has invested heavily in the area’s fortunes. The ocean is central to the way of life here which is precisely what appealed to Hemmes and the many sea-changers that followed him. Best of all: you don’t need a superyacht to enjoy it;…

THE NEW BYRON BAY. It’s a phrase rolled out often as holidaymakers and sea changers continue their quest to find the perfect under-the-radar spot that hasn’t yet peaked to roll out their towel or take out a mortgage – ideally a place that blends all that Byron-esque beauty and beaches for days with a laid-back lifestyle to sink right into and just enough quirk, personality and creativity around town to keep things interesting. Plus a spot or two to get good coffee. One of the latest recipients of this moniker, Yeppoon does indeed tick all the above boxes. Located on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast at the gateway to the Southern Great Barrier Reef and 25 minutes’ drive from the lush Byfield rainforests, Yeppoon is a hidden gem in an area of…

KALBARRI HAS BECOME MY FAMILY’S accidental winter getaway. I say accidental because I never planned it to morph into an annual tradition. It was meant to be a quick stopover on our way to the dugong and dolphin zones of Shark Bay, another four hours north. But Kalbarri has charmed us with its slow unfurling of natural beauty. We stayed two nights one year, then booked a week, and now seven days seems barely enough. Kalbarri lies about 6.5 hours’ drive from Perth, just enough to make it an effort. The reward is an off-the-highway town with more locals than holiday houses, where people go because they want to, not because they have to. Clustered on the land of the Nanda people, the population sits a touch over 1500. The…