Australian Traveller

WHEN WE SAT DOWN to nut out the details of our annual outback issue, we couldn’t avoid once again viewing the decisions we were making through the filter of the pandemic. Of course we wanted to concentrate on all the outback regions that have been do

Editorial director LEIGH-ANN POW Deputy editor IMOGEN EVESON Art director ANITA JOKOVICH Sub-editing CARLA GROSSETTI Digital editor-in-chief KATIE CARLIN Digital deputy editor ELIZA SHOLLY Digital campaign executive MIKAELA STOLLZNOW Se

All the spots to add to your oenological itinerary when visiting the historic NSW wine region of Mudgee. SEARCH ‘FOOD AND WINE’ IN OUR EXPERIENCES TAB With a ban on climbing in place since 2019, we take a look at the incredible variety of experience

Hilton Sydney has completed a $25 million renovation, with everything from new carpets and artworks to smartTVs and Italian armchairs installed throughout its 547 rooms and 40 suites.The makeover also includes the introduction of new, larger, corner

Having been starved of foodie events in the past year, it is time to start adding a few choice festivals to your calendar for the year ahead. Cheers to that! MELBOURNE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL will return to generate a buzz in and around theVictorian ca

For a few blissful moments, I have Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool all to myself. I float on my back and can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this relaxed, breathing in the fresh alpine air and the landscape itself: a sailor’s blue sky and white fluffy

With Michelin-starred executive chef Matteo Vigotti overseeing the menu, the multimillion-dollar, 170-seat SETA SYDNEY in the heart of the CBD was two years in the making, and has resulted in opulent interiors by designer Michael McCann (Felix, Mr. W

The GLASS HOUSE MOUNTAINS are a captivating sight as you drive north to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane. Stand atop one of the peaks as the sun rises over verdant farmland, and you’ll be in awe of the stunning vistas. Walking around the bases or to

Queensland road trip’ quite like rustic, centuries-old pubs and quirky personalities. Of course, if you’d prefer your long stretches of open road bookended with stylish stays and activities, you won’t have to dig very deep. Whether you’re dreaming ab

WHILE THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES in the past year where parts of our own country have never felt so far away, spare a thought for those looking to get from A to B in the early days of Federation when the only practicable means of travel between the easter

WE’RE ALL INCLINED to hurry through regional towns and cities on a road trip. Big mistake in Dubbo. Instead of hours, budget days. The flourishing hub of the Western region is the highlight of a quintessential Aussie road trip that leads you from cit

I’m on a five-day, 61-kilometre guided walk through rainforest along the edge of an extinct volcano – immersed deep in World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest (of the Main Range National Park). This is one of Queensland’s first eco-tourism projects

Each of the 199 guest rooms at Midnight Hotel comes complete with its own bespoke artwork, the creation of which was tasked to New York-born, Australian-based artist, Thomas Bucich. Each piece in the Relic series is rendered in reclaimed Australian w

The funky art-filled ALABAMA HOTEL offers affordable rooms with a boutique touch. Decked out in soul-soothing shades of green on the waterfront, MOSS HOTEL steeps you in Hobart heritage. MACQ 01 HOTEL is a storytelling hotel on Hobart’s historic Macq

Eight kilometres from the CBD in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills is PENFOLDS’ first ever vineyard, MAGILL ESTATE, complete with cellar door and restaurant. From here, continue on for an exploration of the Adelaide Hills: a country idyll of a cool

PENNICOTT WILDERNESS JOURNEYS will take you out of the city to the rugged coastline of pristine Bruny Island on a thrilling wilderness cruise in one of its famous yellow eco boats. The ROYAL TASMANIAN BOTANICAL GARDENS are the second oldest in Austra

The pools with a view at CROWN METROPOL and THE CULLEN MELBOURNE – ART SERIES are worth the stay alone. NOTEL’s rooftop Airstreams are the city’s quirkiest stay. Melbourne does high end well; try W MELBOURNE, the GRAND HYATT and THE LANGHAM.

The rivalry between the Victorian capital of Melbourne and Sydney to its north has always been heated, but pitting these two cities against each other is selling both of them short. The fact is that Melbourne, with its buzzing restaurant scene, gente

Book into a STREET ART TOUR of the city’s hidden underground treasures with Melbourne Street Tours, or unleash your creativity at one of its FREEHAND SPRAY-PAINTING WORKSHOPS. Visit the stunning Glenn Murcutt-designed ISLAMIC MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA in t

Catch a ferry to one of the sand islands on Brisbane’s doorstep: MINJERRIBAH (NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND) or MOORGUMPIN (MORETON ISLAND) offer nature in spades and serious beach time. Visit MT COOT-THA, the closest mountain to the CBD, for panoramic vie

When it comes to seriously stylish accommodation at a surprising price point, Canberra spoils with choice. The roster of hotels offering up exuberant design elements, unique inclusions and gracious services includes ABODE KINGSTON, MIDNIGHT HOTEL, EA

This gem of a national park close to the centre of Darwin boasts Aboriginal and Second World War history, wetlands and mangroves and sweeping views back to the city. After visiting MAGNT, explore the rest that the waterside suburb of FANNIE BAY has t

The Canberra region is a prodigious wine-making location, with more than 140 vineyards and some 30 cellar doors. Head to MURRUMBATEMAN to do a leisurely bike tour to sample the wares. If you can’t make it to the annual CANBERRA TRUFFLE FESTIVAL, head

The VIBE HOTEL in SUBIACO is near to a string of fashion boutiques and galleries. THE ADNATE, PERTH – ART SERIES HOTELS is a draw for arty types with its 25-storey mural. Perth does posh well with COMO THE TREASURY, the most indulgent digs in town.

ODYSSEA AT CITY BEACH, CLANCY’S FISH BAR and HAMPTONS CITY BEACH are three top spots to take in the ambient sounds of the Indian Ocean while watching the waves roll in on the West Australian coast. Some of WA’s oldest vineyards and newest cellar door

Stay in the heart of Darling Harbour at OVOLO 1888, a funky, art-filled hotel. LITTLE NATIONAL is a fab new fancy CBD hotel that is small but perfectly formed. Expect palatial public spaces and a bit of pomp at luxury hotel THE LANGHAM, SYDNEY.

Take yourself for a dip in a harbourside pool like MACCALLUM POOL at CREMORNE POINT, DAWN FRASER BATHS in BALMAIN or the famed ANDREW (BOY) CHARLTON POOL. CARRIAGEWORKS FARMERS MARKET in EVELEIGH is a Sydney institution. It’s where you will see the w

LIVING IN REGIONAL VICTORIA is awesome but being cut off from Melbourne for much of last year? Not so much. When lockdown restrictions were lifted, I treated myself to a long-overdue stay at Zagame’s House, a luxury boutique hotel I’d been eyeing off

66 Lygon Street Carlton,Vic zagameshouse.com.au Verdict: This sleek, city-fringe hotel delivers a modern guest experience within striking distance of Carlton’s pizzerias, wine bars and gelato shops. Score: We rated: Friendly, caring staff mad

WE ALL LOVE A CHEEKY LITTLE secret, right? Fleur is just that. Like a whispered conversation, she hides shyly inside a grandly restored historic hotel called The Royal, which sits smack bang at the heart of Perth’s metropolitan core. The 138-year-old

531 Wellington Street, Per th, WA; theroyalhotelperth.com.au/fleur Verdict: Intimate yet gently quirky space with delicate, flavour-driven dishes; it feels special occasion but with fun on the side. Score: We rated: The touches that show care

68 Tweed Street, Brunswick Heads, NSW; chaletmotel.com.au Verdict: Lovers of Palm Springs design will dig this retro beauty, with plenty of bang for your budget buck. Score: We rated: The free cruiser bikes for guests.The list of local recomm

THEY’RE A DYING BREED, our retro motels. Being bulldozed to make way for townhouse developments, or languishing in a state of disrepair – less nostalgic jewels, more the types of places you’d want to BYO sheets. But on the drive into one of the east

THE NSW SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS has a quaint appeal built on the back of its charming towns, bucolic landscape and distinctive seasons. The region (the traditional land of the Gundungurra and Tharawal people), officially known as Wingecarribee Shire after

WILPENA POUND is an extraordinary 800-million-year-old natural amphitheatre that rivals Uluru in grandeur. Only 430 kilometres north of Adelaide, it is the traditional homeland of the Adnyamathanha, or Yura people. Picturesque WILPENA POUND RESORT, t

After being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Garma festival, run by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, is due to take place this year from 30 July to 2 August. yyf.com.au Airnorth (airnorth.com.au) and Qantas (qantas.com) have flig

Half an hour’s drive from Karratha and covering nearly 5000 hectares of the Burrup Peninsula is Murujuga National Park, where ancient rock engravings that help make up the largest concentration of petroglyphs in the world are etched onto a landscape

Fly to Perth and then onto Paraburdoo or Karratha with Qantas, pick up a hire car and spin those wheels.To recreate the trip in this article, go Paraburdoo-Karijini-Onslow-Mackerel Islands-Karratha-Burrup Peninsula, or vice versa. Stay in one of 73 l

Driving to St George takes about four hours fromToowoomba without stops; or less than six hours from Brisbane.You can fly from Brisbane orToowoomba on Rex Airlines. rex.com.au There are numerous hotels and pubs in Balonne Shire offering accommodation

NAME: DUX COFFEE LOCATION: HAWTHORN, VIC DESIGN: PIERCE WIDERA TUCKED INTO AN ARCADE in the funky Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, Dux Coffee is small in stature – just 24 square metres to be precise – but it has style to spare. The revitalisation of

IN 2018, KERRY AND ALASTAIR HOUSTON upped sticks from Hobart with their young daughters to breathe new life into an old sailors’ tavern at the heart of a little fishing village on Tassie’s north-west coast. Built in 1849, Ship Inn Stanley has been tr