Innholdsfortegnelse for May - July 2024 i Australian Traveller

WE’RE LUCKY TO LIVE in a country so full of wonders. Whether that’s a bucket-list grade wonder: your first time standing in the presence of Uluru or swimming with whale sharks at Ningaloo. Or the kind of wonder that reveals itself to you somewhat more subtly: the thrill, perhaps, of spotting your first wombat in the wild, of drinking a cold beer on a hot day at an old-school pub or of stumbling across a world-class art exhibition in a regional town. My first visit to the Top End five years ago had this effect on me – a feeling that lingered long after I returned home and compelled me to return again; I write about my most recent visit to Arnhem Land on page 134. And I spent the…

BEYOND BREATHTAKING Journey Beyond has launched its first-ever series of multi-train packages for 2025. One of the four multi-train packages available is a six-day all-inclusive journey from east to west. Board the Great Southern in Brisbane and wind down Australia’s east coast to Adelaide before joining the Indian Pacific to Perth. Or experience three capital cities from Darwin to Sydney during an eight-day adventure onboard The Ghan and Indian Pacific. journeybeyondrail.com.au CULTURAL DEPTHS AAT Kings has collaborated with Discover Aboriginal Experiences to curate its new Aboriginal Culture & Australian Highlights tour for the 2024–2025 season. The 13-day tour focuses on cultural immersion from the city to the outback with highlights including a dot-painting experience at Uluru, a glimpse behind the scenes at Sydney Opera House and a Dreamtime Dive &…

Forget rolling out the swag. Vast pastoral properties across Australia are being transformed into luxe destinations that give visitors an immersive taste of life on the land. By day, guests at Bullo River Station, in the Northern Territory, can lean into life on a working cattle farm as herds are mustered through pastures dotted with kangaroos. Unpack the station’s loftier objectives by night in a guestroom designed by Sibella Court. Turn to page 52 for more.…

FOR DECADES, PIALLIGO HAS been home to those seeking a pocket of country living in the city. Most of the action in this rural suburb on the outskirts of Canberra is centred around Beltana Road, its main drag, which is dotted with garden centres, nurseries and orchards. Beltana Road also enchants with cafes, galleries, gift shops, great eats and the occasional alpaca or wandering colony of peafowl. The precinct is full of surprises. More recently, delicious temptations have been added to the mix: an artisan food emporium, French pâtisserie, spit-roasting shack and fine diner have collectively raised the culinary bar. Pialligo’s connection to food goes back a long way. As the place of vegetable market gardens and orchards in early settler days, Pialligo was Canberra’s original food bowl, where the…

IT’S EARLY SUMMER when I take a road trip to explore the gourmet offerings of Victoria’s South Gippsland region and my adventure quickly proves fruitful. I’m seduced by signs urging me towards a rest area just minutes after I’ve turned onto the South Gippsland Highway. There, I find a farmer selling cherries, boxes of almost-ripe mangoes, plump stone fruit and sweet strawberries. I load up my basket with snacks for the road and head for Inverloch. HIDDEN GEM IS A PEARLER We have dinner reservations at Pearl, a modern Malaysian restaurant tucked away in a residential part of town. Worth hunting out for the slow-cooked beef rendang alone – made with Gippsland beef, of course – this restaurant is a surprising introduction to a gourmet weekend in this often underestimated…

I’D READ QUITE a bit about Ningaloo (or Nyinggulu as it’s known in the Baiyungu language) before I finally visited. The commentary largely centred around the life-spawning reef that hugs the north-west coast of Australia, the remarkable sea creatures that live there and the vibrance of its colours. The superlatives are accurate. In fact, the brilliance of the turquoise waters and almost blindingly white sands is even more startling in the flesh. But it wasn’t until I arrived at this place where the desert meets the ocean deep that I appreciated another dimension. While most of the fanfare is focused on the reef, the other two arms of this triple treat of nature also deserve attention: the rugged wilderness of Cape Range National Park; and Exmouth Gulf, the reef nursery…

THE 100 61 Kimberley Coast, WA A cruise taking in the Kimberley’s cinnamon-red cliffs, crocodile-dotted rivers and diamond-scatter of islands remains one of life’s great trips. The combination of incomprehensible age, beauty and wonder on water is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially when reaching name-drop destinations like Horizontal Falls, the rising-from-the-ocean Montgomery Reef and the 80-metre-plummet of King George Falls. It’s not the only way to reach the Kimberley’s extremities, of course. With the Broome to Cape Leveque Road now fully sealed, remote coastal escapes can be accessed via 4WD and in some cases, 2WD. Aboriginal-owned Mercedes Cove Exclusive Coastal Retreat, which maxes out at 18 guests, beckons with clifftop safari tents. Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm’s new safari tent circle is hotel-standard and lures with Aboriginal-led tours of the…

Epic Aussie train journeys What better way to explore Australia than via its network of railway routes? Mix in a bit of onboard luxury and add some stops along the way for a bygone travel experience. THE WORLD’S BEST SUNSET It was an honour to have an Aussie destination named the world’s best place to watch a sunset. But were we all surprised to learn it was Ulur-u? This ancient landmark is officially the best stop to watch the sun drop; just another reason to add it to your bucket list. YOUR GUIDE TO AUSTRALIAN BEACHES If Australia is known for anything, it’s our beaches. And as a land girt by sea, we’re definitely not lacking in them. So how do we possibly choose which ones to visit? Fear not…

True colours Many would be surprised to learn that Australia is one of the largest producers of diamonds on the planet. However, the rich, primeval geology of the landscape has birthed vast deposits of precious stones that span the colour spectrum, from honey-hued agate to iridescent opals. “I honestly think Australian gemstones are some of the most magnificent in the world,” says jewellery designer Marina Antoniou, whose eponymous label showcases the beauty of Aussie gems. The variety of colours is a continuous source of creative inspiration for Marina, who handcrafts each piece in her Sydney workshop. “For instance, there are the greens of Queensland chrysoprase, the hues and intricate patterns of Northern Territory turquoise, the sunset shades embodied in South Australian white and crystal opals and the earthy tones of…

AS A RESTAURANT REVIEWER, when a chef brings your food to the table, it’s usually a sign your cover has been blown. It can be hard to remain incognito when interviewing chefs makes you well known to the hospo crowd. Some even stick your photograph up in the kitchen. But everyone in the restaurant at Margaret River newcomer de’sendent receives this special treatment. It’s a clever move by the executive chef of the dark, intimate 35-seater that opened late January. Evan Hayter decided that chefs running tables meant fewer wait staff and more chefs, which means more hands on deck to prepare the food. And what all of this amounts to is an easier path towards reaching his north star: zero waste in the kitchen. Evan developed a reputation for…

FANCY A HELI FLIGHT THROUGH a chasm of winding gorges? What about a swim, Crocodile Dundee-style, in a safe, remote waterhole? Or perhaps a hair-whipping airboat ride across floodplains filled with birdlife? Station stays are evolving to bust the stereotype of a microwave meal and a swag rolled out in the dirt. Savvy operators across the country are raising the bar with enchanting offerings, encouraging travellers to reimagine what a night or three in the bush may look like. As properties gravitate towards sumptuous touches, alongside immersive experiences in offbeat locations, they’re drawing people to the bush in droves. MORE THAN BILLY TEA Throw a dart at a map of Australia and you’ll likely find a station stay that’s stirred some alluring additions into their brew to offer more than…

21 Flinders Ranges, SA Studded with more than 200 fossils, the nine-metre Alice’s Restaurant Bed records the very dawn of complex life on Earth. But the most astonishing thing about this 600 million-year-old slab of rock in the newly opened Nilpena Ediacara National Park is that visitors are allowed – even encouraged – to touch silverfish-like Spriggina, raisin-shaped Attenborites and Parvancorina that look like buttons stamped with an anchor. Visit nearby Wilpena Pound in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, which looks like the aftermath of some cataclysmic eruption, and gaze up at the unblemished night skies over Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, and it’s easy to see why this region has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status. 22 Lake Argyle, WA Classified as an inland sea, Lake Argyle is one of…

41 WA Museum Boola Bardip Boola Bardip means ‘many stories’ in Whadjuk Nyoongar, the Country on which WA’s arts and culture hub sits. And indeed, it’s those First Nations stories and perspectives that wash over you from the minute you step into the museum, which rises above the heritage buildings of Perth CBD (Boorloo). The visionary $400 million museum aims to educate visitors through an array of themes such as the beauty of the state’s rugged landscape, the diversity and spirit of Western Australians and the state’s impact on the world. 42 Bendigo’s art scene, Vic Five years ago, Bendigo was designated Australia’s first-ever UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy. In recent years, the old gold rush town has become an epicentre of art and design,…

THE 100 71 Climbing Lord Howe Island’s Mt Gower Heart in mouth, head in the clouds. Below, the iridescent coral lagoon that bracelets the island Sir David Attenborough once described as “so extraordinary it is almost unbelievable”. Above, a cloud forest where moss drips from the branches of mountain apples and providence petrels come thudding to the ground by your feet. As one of Australia’s most iconic day hikes, climbing the primordial peak of Mt Gower on Lord Howe Island is a serious challenge, which delivers a huge amount of kudos upon completion. If you manage to score a clear view from the top, you’ll have even more bragging rights. Wear the T-shirt that says “I climbed Mt Gower and survived” with pride. 72 Torres Strait in a day…

91 Adelaide to Birdsville (and beyond) South Australia has some of the country’s most accessible outback but also some of its most fabled. This choose-your-own-adventure, 4WD-only journey begins in earnest in the southern Flinders Ranges. Your options are as wide as your time and budget. Stop at Ikara/Wilpena Pound for big-payoff hikes. Check out fossils of earliest-known life at Nilpena Ediacara National Park. Side-trip to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary for a ridgetop sleepout and yellow-footed rock-wallaby spotting. Appreciate the ancient and modern cultures of the Adnyamathanha on an Elder-led tour at Nepabunna. If you’re truly prepped for the outback, you can explore either the Birdsville or Strzelecki (via Innamincka) tracks northwards, all the way to that mythical outback pub (and beyond). 92 Great Ocean Road, Vic As far…

AS A CHILD, OUR FAMILY HOLIDAYS WERE ALWAYS TO… Shoalhaven Heads (1). We’d stay in these pretty rundown apartments for a week or two over summer and walk barefoot to the deserted beach every day, eating dinner at the local RSL at night. We did this for maybe a decade. MY DREAM DESTINATION IS… Mexico. My favourite travel memories are from the Yucatán (2): visiting Chichén Itzá and shopping for hammocks in Merida. MY CARRY-ON LUGGAGE ALWAYS INCLUDES… A spare pair of underwear. You never know when your flights are going to get cancelled or when you’ll be stuck overnight without your luggage. MY LAST HOLIDAY READ WAS... I read a lot of comic books. But I think the last proper book I read on holiday was Live from New…

Notes scribbled down on the Lake House, Daylesford, read like the makings of a poem. Silver birches. Sunshine. Seasonality. Passion. Produce. It’s been 40 years since an intimate restaurant built by the late artist and builder Allan Wolf-Tasker and his chef wife Alla opened in regional Australia. More than 76 chef ’s hats later, the Lake House has evolved from those humble beginnings to become a destination in its own right that exemplifies regional Victoria. We talk to trailblazing chef Alla Wolf-Tasker about the Lake House and the family’s legacy. Turn to page 24 for more.…

On the doorstep Executive chef Jacob Davey (ex- three-hatted Restaurant Botanic in Adelaide) draws inspiration for the menu at LVN, the new Bird in Hand restaurant, from sustainable ingredients sourced straight from the Adelaide Hills. LVN nods to the initials of Lalla Victoria Nugent, daughter of the Woodside winery’s founders Andrew and Susie who are known for their dedication to art, design and excellence in food and fine wine. birdinhand.com.au VELVET UNDERGROUND More is more at Castlerose, the restaurant and bar that has moved into the subterranean space beneath sister venue Clementine in South Melbourne. The considered use of velvet, dark timbers, marble and Italian terrazzo is a wink to the opulence of grand European venues. Expect elevated bar snacks from head chef David Yuan such as tinned duck rillettes,…

IT’S A WELCOMING SIGN to find your bed already turned down when you check into your room at the Pan Pacific Melbourne for the hotel’s sleep program. A quick flick through the in-room guide for Happy Sleepers reveals a range of hot tips to get you ready for a good night’s sleep, such as having a light meal for dinner. And the menu here is curated accordingly, with ingredients conducive to sleep such as lavender milk, warm oatmeal and a light turkey wrap. Also recommended is a series of light yoga stretches to help transition to a state of calm, with instructions for five easy poses for beginners. You can also request a soothing bath be run for you with a menu of products designed to enhance relaxation. There’s a…

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE TO NZ: Dannielle Neaves, NSW VIRGIN VOYAGES CRUISE: Naomi Rahim, Vic SUNSHINE COAST FOODIE GETAWAY FOR TWO WITH VISIT SUNSHINE COAST: Michael Marusic, NSW WELLNESS ESCAPE AT JW MARRIOTT GOLD COAST RESORT & SPA: Aimee Brazel, NSW LIZARD ISLAND RESORT STAY: Gemma Madeley, NSW K’GARI AND LADY ELLIOT ISLAND ADVENTURE: Russell Charters, Vic SHERATON GRAND MIRAGE RESORT PORT DOUGLAS STAY: Andrew Sparrow, Qld INCLUSIVE STAY WITH NOOSA EAT & DRINK FESTIVAL: James Selmon, NSW CRYSTALBROOK COLLECTION LUXURY HOLIDAY: Tara Lee, SA TWO-NIGHT WEEKEND STAY AT QUEST: Monica Porreca, Qld; Carla Troncone, SA; Jenny Marsden, Qld; Angela Ralph, Qld; Kate White, WA; Mary-Anne Danaher, WA; Brent Dawson, NSW; Sigrid Kutsar, NSW; Luana Moreno Chaves, SA; Lisa Black, Vic ESCAPE TO COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS: Rachael Archer, Qld ACCOR STAY:…

REGRETTABLY, I WAS A LATECOMER to snow holidays and their affiliated joys. While I’d always longed to frolic in water’s crystalline form, circumstance and a northern coastal upbringing kept me away until my mid-twenties. By then, film-fuelled notions of knitted Fair Isle jumpers, mulled wine sipped by log fires and pine-hemmed gingerbread houses dusted in sugary snow were hard-set in my mind as benchmarks for wintry beauty. So, when in the early bloom of a new relationship, my then-boyfriend (spoiler: now husband) took me to Thredbo, expectations were high. This must be true love and surely will unlock new levels of romance. There will be cute beanies, mountaintop embraces and I will, of course, be fabulous at snowboarding, impressing with my obvious agility. I was unprepared for two things. First,…

51 Aussie oysters Creamy, briny and umami-rich, oysters encapsulate the taste of our oceans and waterways. These microcosmic morsels vary in flavour, depending on region and species. For instance, buttery Sydney rock oysters are heralded as some of the best in the world for their intensity and complex flavour profile. Plump Pacific oysters in Coffin Bay (pictured) soak in nutrient-rich southern seawater, which lingers in the form of a subtly sweet aftertaste. And the sinewy flesh of Angasi oysters from Tasmania delivers a salty, zesty sucker punch to the palate - a perfect accompaniment to a glass of Tassie sparkling. 52 Aboriginal Bush Traders cafe, NT This not-for-profit organisation in Darwin’s CBD brings a bush tucker twist to classic Aussie brunch. Ancient flavours take on a modern spin…

THE 100 81 Rowley Shoals, WA Look down on Rowley Shoals from above and you might find sunlight catching on the somewhat-secret ecological treasure, scattering sequins over the sea. Some 300 kilometres north-west of Broome, Rowley Shoals Marine Park is characterised by spectacular intertidal and subtidal coral reefs, exceptionally rich and diverse marine fauna and pristine waters. The intertidal reefs, which comprise Clere, Imperieuse and Mermaid, are set about 30 to 40 kilometres apart. Pack your bathers: the shallow sparkling lagoons are popular with snorkellers thanks to the clarity of the water, colourful coral and abundant marine life. 82 Hawkesbury River, NSW Sitting on the balcony with the Hawkesbury River unspooled in front of you like molten silk, watching the colours change as the light fades over…

See you soon OUR WANDERLUST was fuelled when we uncovered 100 emerging destinations and experiences last year. But with our travel landscape constantly evolving, we’re keeping our finger on the pulse. Next, we’re deep diving into 2025 and beyond. We’ll reveal hidden regions that are surprising us. Trailblazing operators exploring places from new angles. Towns to mark on your map. And the experiences that will be permanently etched into your travel memory bank, like the latest addition to the Great Walks of Australia collection, the Flinders Island Walking Adventure in Comfort. See you in August!…