Among Life’s An Adventure’s new pack-free guided walks is its eight-day Cape to Cape and Bibbulmun walk, which combines two of the company’s most popular treks.
On their own, the Cape to Cape Track and the Bibbulmun Track showcase some of Australia’s finest wilderness areas and coastal scenery but when combined offer clients not only a taster for these two iconic walks also the chance some of what southern WA is famous for — food-and-wine experiences.
The first four days are spent on the best of the Cape to Cape walk in the Margaret River region, with its timeless landscapes of high limestone cliffs and pretty heathlands.
From there they head to the Karri Valley near Pemberton to start the Bibbulmun walk. They’ll experience the tranquillity and beauty of the Karri and Tingle Forest as well as some of Australia’s most magnificent coastline.
Early-bird prices are from $5195.
Visit www.lifesanadventure.com.au.
Lying down on the job? Just part of the entertainment at the Cunnamulla Fella Festival.
It was once the town where bullock teams passed through and shearers spilled from bar windows.
Today, Cunnamulla, in Outback Queensland, is known for its natural beauty, outback hospitality and one famous week at the end of August when cowboys and bull riders, shearers and stockmen, foodies, travellers, music lovers and visitors from all over Australia converge to celebrate the Cunnamulla Fella Festival.
A larrikin-inspired country celebration starring live entertainment, bushman challenges, music, motorbikes, horse, plus the PBR Bull Ride — otherwise known as ‘the toughest sport on dirt’ – the Cunnamulla Fella Festival is about as Outback and as authentic as any experience could be.
The Cunnamulla Fella Festival events begin from August 24, with the festival proper from Saturday, August 30 to Sunday September 1.
Visit cunnamullafellafestival.com.au.
The Granary … the convict-built stone building dates back to the early 1800s.
The Granary at Tasmania’s Richmond Hill offers boutique heritage accommodation in a country setting.
The convict-built stone building dates back to the early 1800s near the quaint country town of Cressy, a 20-minite drive from Launceston.
Guests can enjoy the space in the two queen suites and two single beds that are available.
A shared kitchen provides equipment for cooking your own meals — to be enjoyed in front of the wood fire in the shared lounge. The dining room seats six people and three large sofas offer cosy respite at the end of the day.
Guests are welcome to wander through The Granary orchard and pick fruit from the trees.
Visit www.granaryrichmondhill.com.
Koala-research program … the safari starts with a tour of the wildlife centre.
The Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre, near Ipswich, Queensland, is conducting a koala-research program and tour.
Currently operating on a Tuesday and Friday, departing at 2.30pm, visitors will join a team of researchers on their weekly monitoring activities.
The safari starts with a tour of the wildlife centre before moving to the first koala hot spot, where participants will assist the researchers in locating and checking the welfare of the koala community.
There is the option of start the weekend with lunch at Homage before joining the tour.
After the two-hour expedition a cold drink will be waiting by the campfire.
Cost is $75 per person with 75 per cent going towards the wildlife centre’s research projects.
Phone Claire Sinclair on 0403 514 939 or visit www.spicersretreats.com.
Kakadu’s Dreaming@HomeBillabong … camping with luxury touches.
Kakadu’s new glamping village, Dreaming@HomeBillabong, will open on July 1, offering high-quality accommodation that combines the rustic attraction of the ‘bush’ with modern creature comforts.
Established on its own exclusive site in the grounds of Cooinda Lodge & Camping Ground, Dreaming@HomeBillabong offers 20 permanent upmarket Outback Retreat tents, set beneath a canopy of shady trees.
Along with 10 glamping tents for couples, there are 10 tents with a separate annex of bunk beds, making them ideal for families and friends travelling together.
The new glamping tents are built on an elevated platform to ensure year-round usability and minimal environmental impact. The canvas tents have one solid wall, a glass front door and a deck with outdoor furniture.
All bedding features high-quality mattresses, toppers and linen.
Rates for the glamping tents during the peak season will be from $229 per night for a couples’ tent.
Visit www.kakadutourism.com.
Walking the Amalfi Coast … a quintessential area of Italy.
UTracks offers a range walks ranging from four to eight days across Italy priced below $1500.
From the stunning lakes district, awe-inspiring Alps and picturesque Tuscany, down to the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia, UTracks has something to offer.
The company’s eight-day self-guided ‘Classic Amalfi Coast’ walk, for instance, is priced from $1320 per person twin-share.
This quintessential area of Italy, with its colourful towns clinging to craggy coastlines with azure waters lapping below, includes walks that wind through villages and citrus groves along donkey paths, visiting the towns such as Positano, Ravello and Amalfi.
Visit www.utracks.com.
Colourful fun aplenty … snorkelling in the Caribbean.
In September next year, Ecruising is offering a 19-night ‘Caribbean Mardi Gras’ journey, with 15 nights on board Mardi Gras, the latest offering from Carnival, which will see guests cruising through the Caribbean, topped and tailed with stays in downtown New York and Florida’s coastal city of Orlando.
Set to debut in early 2020, Mardi Gras has been designed with fun and entertainment in mind. Along with its state-of-the-art rooms, the ship will feature six themed areas packed with experiences for eating, drinking and having fun, including the thrilling BOLT™ — claimed to be the first rollercoaster at sea.
There will be stopovers at places such as: the Dominican Republic’s Amber Cove, home to the country’s only cable car; the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan, where passengers can take a horse-ride through the rainforest or hop on the Xtreme zipline; and St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for a chance to parasail above its stunning beaches.
Priced from $5339 per person twin-share, the 19-night journey includes return international economy airfares, all accommodation, and transfers in New York and Orlando.
Phone 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel.
Changeland … Exodus’s 14-day adventure discovers a cultural staple of Thai life.
The silver screen is celebrated for its power to enchant moviegoers with sights, sounds and stories from every corner of the globe.
Exodus Travels will take visitors to the sky in search of favourite cinematic settings.
Changeland, for instance, is the story of two friends who embark on a journey to Thailand and discover their own relationship may be more strained than they realised – but it’s nothing a holiday can’t fix.
Exodus’s 14-day ‘South East Asia Adventure Family Holiday’ — where social media can (almost) be forgotten — discovers a cultural staple of Thai life, the Cai Be floating market, and embraces the local way of life at a Vinh Long island homestay, where guests will sample local dishes and leave with plenty of stories to share.
Visit www.exodustravels.com.
Death Valley … an increasingly popular destination.
A new destination marketing organisation, Destination: Death Valley Junction, has been created to inform visitors of the variety of lodging and sightseeing available in the region, including tours providing transportation.
Death Valley Junction, with a population of fewer than four people, is a speck of a Mojave Desert community just east of the of Death Valley National Park.
Its website showcases both natural and manmade places to become immersed in the landscape and includes 19 bookable lodging options as well as tour options.
One major attraction is the Amargosa Opera House, made famous by Marta Beckett, a ballerina who performed to a small but packed house of delighted visitors for 50 years.
Visit www.destinationdvj.com.
Fusion food … Macao will be a star of Sydney’s 2019 Good Food and Wine Show.
Macao and its fusion food will be one of the star attractions at the prestigious 2019 Good Food and Wine Show, International Convention Centre Sydney, from June 21-23.
As a designated UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the Asian centre will have a virtual kitchen at the annual consumer show, preparing and serving visitors such traditional Macanese favourites as african chicken and minchi along with ever-popular signature dessert, serradura.
Macanese food is considered one of the world’s earliest forms of fusion cuisine, dating back to the sixteenth century when the first Portuguese seafarers settled in this corner of China.
Its mix of Portuguese, Chinese, South East Asian and African ingredients ensures the cuisine’s uniqueness to the region.
Phone (02) 9261 1488 or visit www.visitmacao.com.au.
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