Queensland Campaign

MAY 5, 2019

ANNABEL LANGBEIN ‘The best meal of my life’

Top tips for a trip to Tropical North Queensland

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BOTH SIDES OF It’s the gateway to holiday heaven, but Brisbane has its own charms, writes Olivia Fairhurst

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HO EX US CL E US O IV F E T R TO AV EL

ith the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast at arms’ reach, Brisbane is often overlooked when it comes to holidaying. But I spent four days exploring the city and found it delivers ample choices for visitors. Think: high-rise buildings providing dinners overlooking the river, leisurely bike rides, garden walks, manmade beaches, island retreats, hot air balloon rides and Italian architecture. Why travel halfway around the world when Brisbane is right in our backyard?

As we sit down to lunch, the Story Bridge takes pride and place as our view. The river flows beneath, carrying kayakers and the CityHopper, a free inner-city ferry service. Yeah, you got that right, free.

Dining at the Alchemy Restaurant, my choice is the Gold Coast King Prawns with garlic and pernod butter followed by an irresistible risotto.

The service is impeccable. A first taste of the food and hospitality Brisbane has to offer.

Next, an afternoon with Hop On Brewery Tours and who better to guide it than a Portland, Oregon expat?

She’s also a self-confessed history nerd, and promises this brewery tour isn’t just going to be about tasting beer.

We start at Newstead Brewery, in an original 1940s steel warehouse with beamed ceilings.

There’s a warm yeasty smell in the air — unusual, yet comforting — like a mulled wine at a winter German market.

We’re handed a taster to sip on as the brewer gives us a personal tour, running through the different procedures. And as we sit down, six more tastings of beers with varying smoky, Brisbane sweet and sour notes are placed in front of us.

PACIFIC QUEENSLAND The tour guide gives endless knowledge on the OCEAN production, culture and history behind each and Byron Bay every beer.

NEW SOUTH But it’s a famous Brisbane story behind WALES 50km The Mayne Thing golden lager’s branding — a butcher’s meat cleaver — that catches my attention. Our guide tells us that in 1848, a sawyer was robbed and murdered. The GETTING THERE following year Brisbane man Patrick Mayne Return flights from bought a butcher’s store with what he claimed Auckland to Brisbane, plus a two-night stay, twin share, are was funds from his small wage as a labourer. priced from $599.

Others believed it actually came from the money Mayne stole when he committed the hot.co.nz murder.

DETAILS Either way, this was the beginning of his queensland.com business ventures and he became one of the wealthiest men in Brisbane. It’s said on his

death bed in 1865, Mayne also confessed to the murder of a priest. His widow believed insanity ran in the family and banned their five children from having children.

The family’s inheritance funded the site of the University of Queensland and the estate’s income is still contributing to the medical school there.

And I thought it was just a delicious beer with a cool label.

If you love Italian food or a meal with a view, the riverside Persone restaurant will blow you away. From its second-floor location you can see the city lights reflecting on to the water and Brisbane’s version of the London Eye, setting the perfect dining atmosphere. There’s glamorous modernised 60s decor, with plush teal velvet seating.

We sit in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and I order the arancini balls — the crispy-coated fontina cheese-infused rice spheres drizzled in a

QUEENSLAND ON SALE

ragu sauce certainly do not disappoint.

Raviolo d’agnello with spring lamb and a butter sage sauce is new to me, but the butter and sage brings out the flavour of the exquisite lamb and pasta. Baby carrots glazed with honey, goats yoghurt and hazelnuts have the perfect amount of sweetness and crunch.

The mains sit at around $30, offering fine dining at a reasonable price. It would be the perfect restaurant to end the holiday on a high, and is certainly the nicest Italian food I’ve tasted outside Italy.

The following morning, with the sun blazing, we hire bikes and take a relaxed ride through Fortitude Valley to the river’s edge.

The high-rise buildings peep through the gaps in the Story Bridge. Purple jacaranda trees line the shoreline and a view reminiscent of the New York skyline, there is an air of relaxation.

We reach the Botanic Gardens where the greenery leads us across a bridge to the

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F LY I N G A I R N E W Z E A L A N D Flights & 7 night stay from

749

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SAVE UP TO

33%

pp from Auckland

share twin in a One Bedroom Apartment located in either Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast

Travel: Selected dates 06 May-31 Aug 19.

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THE STORY

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YO U R P E R F E C T BRISBANE BUCKETLIST

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Sip cocktails 21 floors high with jaw-dropping views across Brisbane from your perch atop Emporium Hotel South Bank.

Paddle around Moreton Bay’s famous shipwrecks inside a transparent kayak.

Wished you had wings to visit 11 breweries in one day? Pterodactyl Helicopters prove dreams do come true with their pub crawl tours from the sky.

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Test the acoustics of the cavernous spaces, once holding Brisbane’s water supply, with a performance by the Underground Opera Company.

Flights & 7 night stay

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Laneways in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

A beer-tasting paddle at Newstead Brewery Brisbane, on the Hop On Brewery Tour.

Qiu Zhijie’s Map of Technological Ethics 2018 On display at Brisbane’s Goma.

Photos / Tourism and Events Queensland, Olivia Fairhurst, Chloe Callistemon

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30

per family (2 adults & 2 kids 2-11yrs) in a Two Bedroom Apartment from Auckland Travel: Selected dates 06 May-20 Aug 19

Flights & 2 night stay %

from

599

$

Taste glamorous modern Chinese cuisine at Donna Chang, set inside a 1920’s era bank, one of Brisbane’s most famous heritage buildings.

Calling all league fans - 16 teams, 8 games, 4 days – NRL Magic Round 9-12 May 2019.

Indulge your sweet tooth at Eat Street Northshore’s Kombi Alley, home to incredibly decadent and Instagram-worthy desserts.

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Grab tickets to GOMA Up Late and enjoy the current exhibition with the help of some food, drink, and live music.

Join the city’s best dressed brunch crowd, enjoying boutique shopping and the chic bars and cafes that line James Street.

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BRISBANE

GOLD COAST FAMILY

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The Story Bridge.

G R E AT LO CAT I O N

H OT FAVO U R I T E

from

Clockwise from main:

Balinese-themed garden, a tranquil abode in the middle of the city. We’re greeted with a tasting platter of three coffee styles, one which tastes more like iced tea and suits Brisbane’s warm weather.

Down an alleyway lined with rubbish bins, Bean may at first appear a little dodgy, but on turning the corner it’s like Dr Who entering the Tardis — the cafe’s entrance is an authentic British telephone box. The other side reveals steps down to a popular getaway with a homely feel.

Adorned with lamps, bookshelves and English styled decor and furniture, the room is filled with everyone from young groups socialising to middle-aged men working on their laptops. A comfortable place to enjoy a cuppa.

After a whirlwind four days, Brisbane has managed to push its way into my heart. And if all the new and innovative openings are anything to go by, it’s going to get only better.

Take a free Brisbane Greeters Tour to discover the city’s hidden stories and art trails.

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27

%

pp

share twin in a Next Standard Queen Room from Auckland

Travel: Selected dates 24 May-31 Aug 19 INCLUDES: Breakfast for 2, late check out, 4 x mini bar items per day, FREE WIFI & more

*Lending criteria, fees, terms & conditions apply, visit www.hot.co.nz/finance-offers.

“TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE YOUR QUEENSLAND HOLIDAY EVEN BETTER.”

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manmade beaches in Southbank. Resort vibes carry us to our final destination, Goma, the Queensland Art Gallery’s Gallery of Modern Art. We’re here for our personal tour of the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, which runs until April 28.

A work in black calligraphy stands before us, constructed by contemporary Chinese artist Qui Zhijie, reaching to the ceiling.

The map is marked with the locations of world issues. “Tongue in cheek, but serious topics,” says the curator.

The remainder of the tour leaves me in admiration. And with the work of more than 200 artists, this Triennial marks itself as a free activity for visitors of all walks of life and cultures.

If you’re pushed for time, Walk Brisbane’s tours embody the history and the culture of the city.

Our choice of the day is the Laneways Cafe Tour.

The first cafe we enter opens up into a

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travel

22 | Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Opinion

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A trip to the Maldives proves even more magical without alcohol, writes Bryony Gordon

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ober holidays. Just the words used to be enough to strike fear into me.

They seemed no more likely to me than choosing to take time off to climb Everest. To me, not drinking alcohol on holiday went against the very grain of going on holiday: it seemed perfectly pointless to go away and not sit on a terrace with a cocktail (or six) pretending to watch the sunset. And speaking of sunsets, I had, until last year, never experienced one on a holiday that hadn’t been framed around sundowners, from drinking huge tumblers of Tusker beer in the Maasai Mara to knocking back pints of Piton in St Lucia. As for sunrises . . . well, if I had seen one that I remembered, it was usually

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traveller because of the crushing sense of anxiety that came rushing to me as the sun broke through the horizon, reminding me that I hadn’t yet been to bed. Holidays were the only place you were actually expected to drink all day every day (“you’re on holiday!”); they provided the perfect enabler for my alcoholism.

And then . . . well then I was sent to rehab, in the autumn of 2017, and started attending AA meetings, and honestly, the thing I was most worried about was not my first Christmas, birthday or New Year’s Eve without a drink, but my first holiday. I knew, in a very privileged, First World way, that our initial jaunt to sunnier climes would be a huge test that would indicate just how successful I would be at this whole sobriety lark. So, somewhat impulsively (moi?), I booked something immediately.

I chose the Maldives, for two reasons: it was the first foreign place I had ever been and I immediately felt a sense of calm; we had gone there on our honeymoon, and all I really remember was the quality of the cocktails and the speed at which the amazing staff would bring you a drink, sometimes when you hadn’t even

ordered one. I burst my eardrum — not diving, as you might expect in a place as beautiful as the Maldives, but by drunkenly putting a cotton bud in my ear — and that had put an end to any trips we had planned to see the aquatic life of the Indian Ocean. I felt a bit ashamed at all I had missed. We could have been anywhere hot in the world, really, except perhaps for the Middle East, where such fervent drinking in a bikini would probably have had me arrested.

So this was honeymoon mark II — and without the booze, something for which I was grateful on the three flights out to our chosen island. Before, planes meant free alcohol. Now I sought out mineral water and sat with a hydrating face mask on and got my nails done during the stopover in Abu Dhabi airport (who knew?), feeling relieved that I wouldn’t be arriving with a hangover. We arrived at our resort, Anantara Kihavah, in the Baa Atoll, a Unesco reserve, just before sunset (I was too busy gawping at the private pool in front of our villa to notice it). After a buffet dinner breathtaking in its deliciousness, we went back to our “room” for an appointment with some Slumber Gurus, aka two women who

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Anau. Day 10: To Invercargill, Bluff, Optional: Stewart Island. Day 11: The Catlins, to Dunedin (2 nts) Visit Larnach Castle, Olveston House.

Day 12: Taieri Gorge Rail Journey. Day 13: Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo. Day 14, To Christchurch, join flight (incl), met & returned home. info@kiwiexcursions.co.nz, www.kiwiexcursions.co.nz Optional Tours at extra expense.

For Bookings & Brochures Call the Kiwi Excursions Team 09 930 7682.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2019 | 23

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Photo / Jailam Rashad

gave me and my husband incredible massages before running us a “bath” filled with essential oils — and by bath, what I mean is a sort of mini pool in an outside bathing and loo area bigger than our entire ground floor back home.

I was so tired that I avoided it, fearing I might drown — something that never occurred to me on the umpteen occasions I had arrived on holiday, hit the bar, and jumped in the pool fully clothed. I went to sleep feeling soothed, which I think is what you are supposed to do on holiday.

I soon learnt that the best way to avoid evening temptation was to make the day count.

I cycled around the island with my daughter and we went on boat trips to look for dolphins.

We spent hours in the trampoline park attached to the kids’ club, ate fresh sushi for lunch, and every morning I would get up and exercise as the sun rose. One day, I did aerial yoga with an instructor who guided me through poses in a sling, and I watched the sky turn pink upside down. On other mornings I would step into the Muay Thai boxing ring (airconditioned, of course), and spar with a delightfully camp young man from Bangkok who appreciated my, um, bulk and lack of maintenance (“the glamorous women, all they do is squeal”).

After six days of swimming, and a few more massages in the overwater spa, watching the sea life go by as I had my shoulders kneaded, it was time to move to another resort near the airport, although Naladhu Private Island felt a million miles away from anywhere built up.

From the pool and the sundeck outside the villa, you are unmistakably in the Indian Ocean — and what feels like the wild side of the Indian Ocean, at that. Our villa was right on the edge of the water, and at times it felt as if we were at the edge of the world. When the tide was up, sharks swam straight past us.

When it was down, tiny stingrays sunbathed in the shallows, along with all sorts of peculiar sea creatures straight from the depths of a David Attenborough series.

At Naladhu, there were a million things to do, and all of them seemed to involve doing not very much at all. Staring out at the sea was not something I was minded to do much of when I was on the grog, but here it was hypnotic and meditative. A walkway from the island gives you access to two other resorts, where you can use the kids’ club and watersports facilities.

We would drop our daughter off, then swim back through the water and read by the pool, or sit on the overwater swings. Each morning, I did a yoga or Pilates class. I joined in with aqua aerobics, and didn’t feel the slightest bit self-conscious. At night, I sat on the day bed outside our villa, reading and listening to the waves. Sometimes, I fell asleep there. And when I woke to the sun rising, I knew that I didn’t need booze to make the world look beautiful. Quite the opposite, in fact.

— Telegraph Group Ltd

E O XC US L E US O IV F E TR T AV O EL

STAY LONGER FOR LESS IN QUEENSLAND F LY I N G A I R N E W Z E A L A N D .

SUNSHINE COAST

RO L L I N G S U R F R E SO RT Flights & 7 night stay from

779

ADD 3 NIGHTS FOR

$

$

99

pp

pp

share twin in a One Bedroom Apartment from Auckland Travel: Selected dates 29 Apr-20 Sep 19 SAV E 2 2% ^

S U N S H I N E C OA S T

T RO P I CA L N O RT H Q U E E N S L A N D

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Flights & 7 night stay from

879

$

Flights & 7 night stay

ADD 3 NIGHTS FOR

$ pp

from

99

1079

$

pp

ADD 3 NIGHTS FOR

$ pp

share twin in a One Bedroom Apartment from Auckland

share twin in a One Bedroom Studio from Auckland

INCLUDES: Late checkout (subject to availability)

INCLUDES: Continental breakfast daily

Travel: Selected dates 29 Apr-19 Sep 19

Travel: 11 Aug-22 Sep 19

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199

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“TO G E T H E R W E CA N M A KE YOU R QU E E N S L A N D H O L I DAY E V EN B E T T E R . ”

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CONDITIONS: Valid for new bookings only to 09 Mar 19 or until sold out • Flights are Economy Class (Seat+Bag) flying Air New Zealand from Auckland. Sunshine Coast flights are to Brisbane. Tropical North flights are to Cairns, travel is subject to day of the week travel restrictions • An additional $10pp applies for travel on Monday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday in both directions • ^Savings are on accommodation • For full terms and conditions visit hot.co.nz/queensland CMPQLD2019

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Q U E E N S L A N D YO U R WAY W I T H H O U S E O F T R AV E L .

If you’re looking for diversity, the Sunshine State has so much to offer Kiwis for a memorable holiday.

WHY WE LOV E QU EENS L AN D SO EASY TO AC C ES S. There are direct flights to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns from a number of New Zealand cities and towns. Plus, Brisbane is the gateway to the whole of Queensland from there you can fly to the magical Whitsunday islands, the stunning Southern Great Barrier Reef and even to Mount Isa for an outback adventure. Alternatively, hire a rental car for a road trip (ask us about our many recommended itineraries) or select from a range of rail journeys across Queensland.

VA LUE. Fierce airline competition has meant plenty of bargain flights and sales pop up frequently. Staying in an apartment allows you to selfcater, and because the state offers fantastic nature-based activities, you can have a lot of fun for very little dollar. Enjoy tramping in the rainforest, outdoor picnics, open-air markets, bike rides along the coast plus endless beach and water activities – the choice is yours.

FAM ILY FR IE ND LY. The Gold Coast is always popular with Kiwi families. Who can resist the beaches, diverse resorts, easy dining and ever-changing to-do lists? There’s also Port Douglas. Just one hour north of Cairns, its wildlife habitats, Four Mile Beach (with patrolled swimming), and easy access to the Great Barrier Reef make it a playground for families.

F OO D H AV EN . Brisbane’s glossy dining scene is perfect for cosmopolitan nights out, while the Gold Coast is home to more relaxed, al fresco dining. Don’t miss The Lamb Shop in popular Broadbeach.

Inspired by souvlaki, the lamb is roasted over hot charcoals for up to four hours. Yum. If you’re on the Sunshine Coast, stop at Bistro C. It enjoys an absolute beachfront position overlooking Noosa’s Laguna Bay. Then, in Tropical North Queensland there’s The Humpy greengrocer. Something of a locals’ secret, it sells delicious locally-grown produce - perfect for picnics.

S HO PP I NG . Queensland’s best shopping is arguably in the Gold Coast. From the revamped Pacific Fair, with its world-class high street stores, to Robina Town Centre for big Aussie brands. If you like Champagne at beer prices, Harbour Town offers up to 70% off various labels. Head to Brisbane to join the city’s best dressed brunch crowd, enjoying boutique shopping and the chic bars and cafes that line James Street. Then there’s Noosa, the hippest beach town on the Sunshine Coast, wander down Hastings Street for its many boutique stores and surf shops.

A DV EN TU R E. Pick a beach, any beach along the 7000km Queensland coastline to surf a break. Swim, snorkel, dive or sail the famous Great Barrier Reef, if it’s not on your bucket list it should be.

For a shot of adrenaline head to the World Heritage-listed Daintree, the world’s oldest rainforest, and go Jungle Surfing on a zipline or exploring with a local Aboriginal guide. This is just a taste of the adventures on offer in Queensland!

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O F F T H E B E AT E N T R AC K If you’re looking for a handful of Queensland’s hidden secrets, these are our favourites to seek out:

1 / F R A S E R I S L A N D.

The world’s largest sand island filled with quiet beaches, angel white sand and turquoise water. Head inland for serene swimming in the iconic Lake McKenzie or take a dip in freshwater Eli Creek – some points of the creek are fast-flowing, perfect to float down in a tube..

2 / SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF

One of Queensland’s best wildlife encounters is situated at Mon Repos beach from January to March. Tiny footprints pitter-patter across the beach as turtle hatchlings scramble from their nests and race towards the ocean.

3 / O U T B AC K

QUEENSLAND

From red deserts once trampled by dinosaurs to luscious waterholes, Queensland offers the most accessible Outback adventures in Australia. Choose a rail journey, guided tour, self-drive (or a mix of all!) to experience the adventure of a lifetime across this incredible landscape.

4 / W H I T S U N DAYS

As the largest of 74 islands in the Whitsunday archipelago, Whitehaven Beach is one of our favourite spots.

Boasting angel-white sand and liquid teal sea, arrive by air or by sea and dig your toes into the world’s purest sand.

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H OU S E O F T R AV E L’S

QUEENSLAND TIPS T H E M U C H - L O V E D T R AC K For all you regular Queensland travellers, here are some of our new picks to entice you back again.

5 / BRISBANE After a spot of shopping, head to glitzy Emporium Hotel, take the elevator 21 floors up to The Terrace. Here you’ll enjoy South Bank’s only rooftop bar, take in the panoramic city and river views while sipping on signature refreshments.

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STACEY LEITCH House of Travel Kapiti Coast Australian Ambassador W H E N TO G O. Queensland is blessed with an enviable climate of warm sunny days year-round, but if you want to miss the hottest months GC, SC and Brisbane are suitable from Mar-Nov when the humidity isn’t too high.

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

H OW LO N G TO G O F O R .

6 / GOLD COAST

Trend-setters love the GC’s latest dining hangout, the ocean-fronting Burleigh Pavilion; culture vultures make a beeline for HOTA (Home of the Arts), and foodies hit up Miami Marketta for the delicious street food and ambience..

Minimum of 7 nights, but ideally 10 nights as this allows a good mix of exploration and down time. Also if you book an apartment then the longer you stay the cheaper your nightly accommodation rate becomes.

G E T T I N G A ROU N D. I’m a big fan of hiring a rental car. If you are heading to Brisbane or the Gold Coast then the public transport is easy and convenient but if you want to explore the hinterland then a car gives you the freedom to do this at your own pace. If you’re checking out the Sunshine Coast or Tropical North Queensland then having a car at your disposal will allow you to see and experience so much more. Ask your consultant to give you some self-drive itinerary ideas to get you started.

WHITSUNDAYS

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OUTBACK QUEENSLAND

7 / SUNSHINE COAST

Discover the remote Alexandria Bay (or A-Bay to the locals) located in Noosa National Park, only a 3km hike to the isolated beach’s golden sands and sparkling surf. Take a picnic, catch up on your holiday reading and watch the surfers catch waves at this hidden gem.

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QU E E N S L A N D APA RTM E N TS. A couple things to be aware of when booking a Queensland apartment. Firstly, as each apartment is individually owned, the décor may differ between apartments and from what you may see in a brochure or on a website. Second, you generally won’t have the extra services or facilities that you would expect from a hotel.

Apart from that, apartments are a great value-for-money option for a fantastic holiday!

SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF

1

FRASER ISLAND

P E RSON A L FAVE S.

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8 / T RO P I CA L N O RT H QU E E N S L A N D

Cardwell Spa Pool in Girringun National Park is easily Australia’s best kept secret.

A natural lagoon in the crease of rocks and rainforest, this sparkling waterhole swirls like a nature-made jacuzzi.

G O L D C OAST

SUNSHINE COAST

TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

FLIGHTS & 7 NIGHT STAY

FLIGHTS & 7 NIGHT STAY

FLIGHTS & 7 NIGHT STAY

from

749

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779

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“TOGETHER WE CAN MAKEYOUR QUEENSLAND HOLIDAY EVEN BETTER.”

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share twin from Auckland Travel: 17 Jul-31 Oct 19

share twin from Auckland Travel: Selected dates 13 May-30 Nov 19

share twin from Auckland Travel: Selected dates 13 May-30 Nov 19

D O U B L E YO U R S T AY ! A D D 7 N I G H T S F R O M

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D OU B LE YOU R STAY ! A D D 7 N I G H TS F RO M

$ 1 9 9pp for travel 13 May-03 Jul 19 $ 2 9 9pp for travel 23 Jul-24 Sep & 16 Oct-30 Nov 19

$ 3 2 9 pp for travel 13 May-05 Jun 19 $375pp for travel 04 Aug-20 Sep & 16 Oct-30 Nov 19

$ 5 9 9 pp for travel 17 Jul-20 Sep & 08-31 Oct 19

INCLUDES: Continental Breakfast daily

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SUNSHINE COAST

We have great seafood in NZ but there is just something about tucking into a bucket of prawns or sampling delicious Moreton Bay bugs while relaxing with a wine in the Queensland sunshine. Also, when I’m on the Gold Coast I always ask for an apartment with a hinterland view where you can watch the sunset, see the broadwaters sparkle and enjoy the hinterland lights at night – it’s just stunning.

travel

24 | Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Australia

» 1

BRISBANE’S ISLAND G E TAWAY S

The Tangalooma Shipwrecks are a wellknown landmark on Moreton Island. 15 vessels, deliberately sunk in the turquoise waters, provide a haven for a variety of reef fish, coral formations and marine life, creating an amazing wreck dive and snorkel site. Glide over the wrecks in transparent kayaks or by night take a glow-inthe-dark canoe for a spin.

Right on Brisbane’s doorstep are 2 of Australia’s largest sand islands – Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island, affectionately known as ‘Straddie’. Just a hop, skip and jump from Brisbane’s CBD, both offer a place to exhale amongst stunning natural landscapes.

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Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in the world and only accessible by 4WD, making it one of the most rugged and beautiful sanddriving destinations on earth.

Explore on a quad bike, 4WDing, or experience the exhilaration of sliding down a giant sand dune up to 70Km/h on your own toboggan.

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People flock to Straddie for its idyllic beach life and laid-back vibe. The local reefs are teeming with marine life, with a chance to swim with the local manta rays in the summer months. The surf breaks are some of the best in the country or take a rejuvenating dip in Brown Lake, the pure rainwater is tinged brown by the native tea trees.

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The jaw-droppingly beautiful North Gorge Walk at Point Lookout is a must for all visitors to Straddie. Stretching 1.5 kms around rocky headlands with stunning coastal views, at the right time of year it is the perfect vantage point to watch humpback whales as they pass close to the coastline on their annual migration.

Little ripper

Investment and imagination is transforming Brisbane’s riverbank, writes Ewan McDonald

P

erhaps it goes with the territory, of being the little brother.

While Sydney and Melbourne bicker about everything from who’s got the bigger population, better coffee or best football code, Brisbane is getting on with life and with living.

Queensland’s capital buzzes.

Look up and it’s in the tower cranes; look around and it’s on the street, in the lanes and along the riverbanks. Apart from Christchurch, you won’t find a Pacific city that is transforming itself as dramatically, or as rapidly.

Rewind six years and Brisbane’s prime real estate — the riverbank beneath the famed Story Bridge — was a rubbish dump of rusting, dilapidated warehouses and wharves at the end (or start) of the riverside boardwalk.

No more: welcome the state’s hottest new dining and lifestyle precinct, Howard Smith Wharves.

The 3.5ha, $200m-plus redevelopment is about much more than bars and restaurants. Sure, there are plenty of those: Mr Percival’s, an octagonal bar and deck sits over the water underneath the bridge. The DJ and often musi-

Fine fare from Bucci restaurant. Photo / Supplied

cians perform, literally, on the top shelf.

Felons craft brewery mashes and pours inside an 800-seat gastropub; Greca is a contemporary taverna; Toko a casual Japanese diner and Stanley a Cantonese restaurant.

Incorporated are a dozen “cutting-edge event spaces” from heritage buildings to outdoor spaces nestled under cliffs and green landscapes for pop-ups, weekend markets and concerts.

Event venues and a boutique hotel, too.

CEO Luke Fraser emphasises that 80 per cent of the area is allocated to public space and designed to reacquaint locals with their waterfront — to walk, ride, scoot or sit and chill in the grounds. It extends beyond the riverfront, he says.

“We’re part of a large-scale vision to transform Brisbane into a must-visit tourism, recreation, dining and lifestyle destination. While we’re embracing the site’s history, our focus is on creating spaces where locally made food and beverages can thrive.

“We are investing $17.5m on landscaping to create grassed play areas, inner-city edible gardens to supply our restaurants, a walking track and dedicated cycle path, a kayak base and soon our own ferry wharf.”

Even in its early days, it’s impressive. For this Aucklander, it’s a lesson in how badly our council and port company have failed us.

James St in Fortitude Valley was a Mad Max landscape of car yards, decaying buildings and

vacant lots a few years back. Now it’s a tree-lined, vine-laden street of vibrant architecture and life.

In fashion, ambitious locals, Australian designers and international labels cluster here, names like Gail Sorronda, Natasha Schweitzer, Francis Hendrie; brands such as Camargue, Calexico, Aje, Camilla, Zimmermann; flagship stores you’ll see in malls and main streets from New York to Newmarket. Ditto homewares.

Jewellery. Furniture. Decor, galleries and spas.

James St is also home to some of the finest of Aussie dining — Middle Eastern-inspired Gerard’s Bistro and the Italian favourite Bucci — , alongside casual eateries and more cafes than you could shake a recyclable stirrer at. There are upwardly mobile take-home treats at the James St Market, and coffee roasters abound.

For wine or cocktails Cru Bar (think about it) and Gerard’s are best. For something more relaxed head for Sixes and Sevens, a swish version of the traditional Queensland pub, or the craft-beer haven Tippler’s Tap. City-dwellers spend so much of our urban life on high streets that we often overlook the byways. Sue Hammond, from the free and highly recommended Brisbane Greeters volunteers, took me into the city’s little-known lanes.

The most extensive is Fish Lane, running five blocks from the Southbank artery of Grey St deep into original suburbs.

Cafes, bars, artisans, street art line the cobblestones; don’t miss Wandering Cooks, a kitchen and outdoor dining-room for food entrepreneurs and wandering musicians.

Hidden near Queen St Mall is Burnett Lane, where you can kick start the day with coffee in deep, dark Brew or brighter, breezier Felix, shop

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Main: A glittering time around Story Bridge; Shopping on James St (below). Photos / Tristan Brazier, Getty Images; Supplied

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yourself silly, and come back for a late-night bar hop at the same places.

Next to Central Station are Gresham Lane, with its out-of-time whisky bar and contemporary food court, and Albert Lane’s global cuisines.

In Fortitude Valley, two entrepreneurial brothers with long family connections to the suburb have revived three unloved service lanes that were once home to dumpsters and delivery vans.

Winn Lane is now the place for bohemian boutiques, burgers and live music; Bakery Lane for fashion, craft and cafe startups; California Lane for a slightly more upmarket offering of coffee, cocktails, food and fashion.

Brisbane is exciting already, but they’ve only just begun. The mega-project is the $3.6b, 27ha Queens Wharf redevelopment in the city’s heart, on the riverbank where — I’m sorry to remind them of this — history records the British convict colony was founded in 1825. It later became the heart of state government.

Now, promising to “change the face of downtown Brisbane forever”, are rising a casino, hotels, restaurants, bars, outdoor public spaces and foreshore, and a new pedestrian bridge to South Bank.

Scheduled for completion in 2022, the project is taking shape on the site of former government buildings between the city’s CBD and riverbank, reframing many heritage buildings.

The “little brother” can often surprise everyone.

I keep telling my big brothers that.

SUNSHINE COAST

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SUNSHINE ON A PLATE The holiday coast’s hinterland is a different world, as Ewan McDonald discovers

Spicers Tamarind Retreat and chef Daniel Jarrett (below).. Photos / Visit Sunshine Coast

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HO EX US CL E US O IV F E T R TO AV EL

ater dragons skitter from pools to join diners on the veranda, perhaps looking for scraps — though their favoured entree is insects. Dragons, pools, boardwalks, artfully placed trees and rocks: an Asian vibe, though we’re high above the rainforest and waterfalls in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

The tastes, too, are Asian; creations of Daniel Jarrett (pictured right), the French-trained, fusion-inclined, much-awarded chef at Spicers Tamarind Retreat. And about to become even more exotic: in August, the kitchen hosts Zaiyu Hasegawa from Den, two Michelin stars

and high in the planet’s top 20 on the more contemporary San Pellegrino charts.

What draws one of the world’s most exciting and creative chefs from Tokyo to Maleny, an undeniably pretty and generally untouristed mountain village 80km inland from Noosa, better known for galleries, country markets and healing crystals than haute cuisine?

The Curated Plate. It’s a new festival being served around the Sunshine Coast from August 8-11 that digs rather deeper than the celeb chef overpriced degustation menu tiny tasting glass of most food and wine bunfights.

Though big names and bigger hats are heading north, the weekend will concentrate on

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the coast’s produce and producers, sustainable practices, artisan culture, health and wellness.

You don’t need to visit on four days in August to appreciate the other face of the region. Its tourism authority has appointed a first food ambassador: Alejandro Cancino grew up on a farm near Buenos Aires, was the UK’s 2008 Young Chef of the Year, has worked in the world’s best kitchens (Mugaritz, Spain; Bulgari, Tokyo), and helmed Brisbane’s leading Urbane.

A year ago, Alejandro, wife Paolo and baby daughter Lola left town.

In the mecca of barbies, this cheerful, passionately spoken chef has become an evangelist for plant-based cuisine with his Fenn Foods brand and Lola’s Pantry cafe and catering business in a suburban shopping centre just

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6 7 Beers on offer at Brouhaha..

Approval from Slow Food Noosa for commitment to sustainable, fresh and locally sourced produce.

But it goes beyond tomatoes, berries, yoghurt and honey: like many GETTING THERE enterprises in these revived and Air New Zealand flies direct reviving communities, the team from Auckland to the Sunshine plays the same game with just Coast from July until October with about everything bought, sold or one-way seat fares from $289. used on the premises. airnz.co.nz Much of this may not feel like the DETAILS long-held image of the Sunny Coast. queensland.com But as Tamarind GM Ryan Dillon points out, “The Sunshine Coast isn’t just about beaches and sun.

“There’s a completely different world in the hinterland.”

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For the ultimate in serene tranquility, the Noosa Everglades are a must. One of only two Everglade environments on the planet, the area is best explored on an eco-cruise or in a kayak.

Considered amongst the best in Australia, the Coast’s thriving craft breweries are found in picturesque locations along the coast and in the Hinterland. Grab a sober driver, join a set tour or why not create a custom tour for your drinking pals.

Try a unique once-in-a-lifetime driving experience on the Great Beach Drive between Noosa and Rainbow Beach. Accessible only by 4WD, join a tour and drive the 70km sand highway, see the coloured sands of Rainbow Beach, stunning views from Double Island Point Lighthouse and the impressive Carlo Sand Blow.

With 15kms worth of trails to explore right on the doorstep of Noosa’s Hastings Street, Noosa National Park delivers some mighty fine coastal views, natural tidal pools for swimming and keep your eyes peeled for koalas snoozing in the trees.

Known as the biggest and best art, craft and produce market in Australia, The Original Eumundi Markets, is renowned for its locally made artisan treasures and is a must visit.

The smooth waters of Pumicestone Passage is the perfect place to explore on a stand-up paddleboard, kayak, catamaran or jet ski and is home to dugongs, turtles and dolphins.

The Sunshine Coast isn’t short of festivals that celebrate the best of the region’s fresh food, produce, beer and wine. Check out The Curated Plate in August and Noosa Food & Wine Festival in May, to name just a few.

No trip would be complete without a visit to the world-famous home of the Crocodile Hunter.

Yep, crikey, we’re talking Australia Zoo. Plus your visit helps to support numerous conservation projects.

Learn to make authentic (and incredibly delicious) Thai dishes at the Tamarind Cooking School at Spicers Tamarind in Maleny or become a cuisine master at one of the region’s many other award-winning cooking schools.

If you ever want to escape the endless beaches and epic surf, the Hinterland is home to hidden waterfalls and freshwater swimming holes that are so unbelievably beautiful. Or hike to the peak of one of the Glass House Mountains for epic views.

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minutes from the beach in Maroochydore.

“It’s about how we can make it easier for people to eat plant-based food. It makes you healthier, you have less impact on the world, it’s really positive. Rather than removing things from the plate, I prefer to add through flavour. It’s much harder but I like it,” he says.

Cancino admits his vegan venture is a work in progress. “With plant-based food, if you go to a cafe now, it’s okay and you will eat it, but we need years and decades to get it to the highest level.

I want to accelerate that and be able to say I’ve done my bit to get animal produce off the plate.”

But he’s not about dissing the region’s traditional delicacies. Cancino would just like visitors to realise that there’s much more on the Sunshine Coast platter than bikinis and Speedos, pizzas and prawns.

Back up the hill, Josh Donohue concentrates on more traditional Aussie flavours.

The self-confessed beer obsessive moved from the Big Smoke a couple of years ago, bought an air-conditioned minibus and runs craft beer tours.

Well, he calls them craft beer tours, but as the afternoon unwinds, it becomes apparent that the artisans of the hinterland are united in a “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” symbiosis.

Through the once-farming, now near-hipster communities of Maleny, Mapleton and Montville (spot the theme there?), brewers, cheesemakers, coffee roasters, chefs, beef and dairy farmers, organic fruit and vegetable growers, beekeepers and B&B hosts have created a highly sustainable lifestyle — in all senses of the words.

It’s an ethos exemplified by Brouhaha, the highly awarded brewery and kitchen crafted from the unpromising surrounds of a small-town medical centre in Maleny. (Fortunately, rather like Titirangi’s celebrated Long Drop, on the other side of the place there’s a panorama of the rainforest from the sprawling deck.)

In the industrially chic microbrewery, all stainless vats and black-and-timber decor, head brewer Matt Jankauskas creates sours and saisons, pale ales, stouts and seasonal beers.

When he’s done with the mash (used grain), it’s trucked down the road to Maleny Wagyu, which repurposes it to fatten their beasts.

Later, at Brouhaha, chef James Ostridge has the pick of the cattle for his kitchen and uses virtually every cut in nose-to-tail dishes. Unwanted scraps become pet food, sold from the brewery.

The signature dish: Maleny wagyu ragu, beef braised in milk stout and blonde beer, slow-cooked for five hours and served with pappardelle pasta, parmesan and rocket.

The house rule is to use local producers wherever possible, recognised with a Snail of

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W H AT ’ S N E W O N T H E S U N S H I N E COA ST IN 2019 Discover what’s new on the menu for the Sunshine Coast this year, giving you more reasons to explore all the region has to offer.

1

The Curated Plate Australia’s most exciting new 4-day culinary festival is set to make its debut 8-11 August.

International chefs, local legends and world-class producers all come together to showcase the regions finest local produce with a focus on sustainable practices, artisan culture and health and wellness.

2

Farm to Fork Brewery Tour Follow the journey from paddock to plate, and pair it with the perfect brew, on this newly launched tour with Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours. Discover how brewers and producers work together, with lunch at awardwinning Brouhaha Brewery, sampling local food paired with the perfect local brew.

3

Historic Rail Experience Having been restored to it’s former glory in late 2018, The Mary Rattler takes passengers back in time on scenic journeys through the rich landscape of the Mary Valley. This year introduces ‘Retro Fridays’ on board their 1960’s Silver Bullet railmotor and the ‘Rattler Picnic Train’ including a gourmet picnic hamper filled with local delicacies.

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New thrills at Aussie World Strap yourself in and hold on tight, Aussie World is set to launch a new ride that will challenge even the most daring of thrill seekers. The Typhoon SX 360 will be the first of its kind in Australia, catapulting guests up to 80km per hour on a full inversion at 360°.

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE Ewan McDonald rolls along a road like no other

I

f everything is famous for 15 minutes, Teewah Beach has overstayed its welcome. Its claims to fame may last millennia. It may be one of the most important places you’ve never heard of.

To get there, Craig manoeuvres his 4WD past Noosa’s high-rise hotels, beachside boutiques. cafes and canalside mansions to an old-fashioned cable ferry that tugs us across the Noosa River.

Here, sands and swamps and forests are such a contrast to the 21st century resort that only a Queensland politician could try to turn them into apartments and gated communities.

Fortunately, they were out-campaigned.

On this 4WD tour, we rumble along a back road that ends where marshes open to wide, wind-ruffled Teewah Beach.

Officially, this is a highway: the Great Beach Drive.

It’s also the only place on Earth where two Unesco biospheres touch. Biosphere: a land, sea and coastal ecosystem where locals combine conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in their community. The planet has 686 — think Galapagos, the Central Amazon, Florida Everglades.

Australia claims nine, including Noosa and adjoining Great Sandy; we have none.

These ancient land and seascapes are home to 44 per cent of the continent’s birds, 1365 plant varieties and 711 animal species. Throw a boomerang from Hastings St and just about anywhere it passes is protected and protecting.

As we motor along hard sand at sea’s edge, we see few if any buildings, only beflagged tents (the Broncos and Bundaberg Nation are favoured), fishers (Craig’s keen

Double Island Point on the Sunshine Coast.

Photo / Tourism & Events Queensland

Fraser Island Maryborough Sunshine Coast Noosa 50km

Coral Sea

Double Island lighthouse on the Sunshine Coast. Photo / Great Beach Drive 4WD Tours

Driving on Teewah Beach, Queensland. Photo / Great Beach Drive 4WD Tours

eyes pick out the lines, and we skirt them), surfers (“best breaks anywhere”) and birds.

Craig brakes, reaches for binoculars to point out an osprey on a tree stump. King of the shore, the black and white apexpredator obliges with a demonstration of fishing and flying.

First stop is Red Canyon, a cleft in the cliffs where I realise the rockfaces towering above the sand are not rocks: they are layer upon layer of eroding, reforming, scudding grains of sand.

A few clicks along the 80km drive it’s morning tea time. Tea, ginger slice and culinary appropriate Anzac biscuits in a grassy reserve. Giant goannas eye crumbs; we don’t feed animals from the table in my family.

The curving white sand and blue ocean reaches a dramatic full stop at Double Island Point (Cook’s mistake: it’s two cones of an onshore extinct volcano), one of the best and most popular surf spots.

Craig has keys, so we open the gates and drive up to the 1884 lighthouse and extinguished lighthouse keepers’ homes; it’s solar-powered these days.

From the bluff, I can see for miles: 51km down Teewah Beach to Noosa Heads, north to Fraser Island, out to Wolf Rock where nurse sharks breed. The best view is down: languid turtles, gliding rays, tumbling dolphins. Right season and humpbacks would be lumbering to Fraser Island breeding grounds.

Honeymoon Bay is an expanse of white silica broken by a small lagoon, testament to ever-shifting sands: “15 years ago, this beach didn’t exist,” Craig says.

Lunch. Craig unfolds an awning from the SUV’s roof, pulls out camp chairs and tables and unpacks the esky.

On this remote beach, advanced Australian fare: rolls, fruit, sweets, chilled wine and beer.

On to the showstopper. Coloured

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E O XC US L E US O IV F E TR T AV O EL

CHOOSE YOUR QUEENSLAND EXPERIENCE!

Discover must-see destinations, delicious food, memorable activities and views for days

Noosa. Its 1975 origins were as a Sands is a 200m-wide crescent of sand, minimalistic campground surrounding hemmed by tall “cliffs”, topped by forest. the idiosyncratic owner’s homestead Those trees and mineral deposits have on 26ha of Noosa River waterfront — he dyed the sands into layers of different would decide on first glance whether you colours: reds, yellows, browns, whites, greys, pinks. The number of colours pitched tent or p***ed off. depends on who’s telling the story, but More enlightened owners have there are certainly 50 shades of orange. re-imagined it as a world-leading ecoTime for Craig’s party trick. He digs tourism facility inside the national park, out clods and draws pictures five minutes’ boat ride from on the beach. It’s easy to Noosa Everglades and Carlo Sand Blow on the imagine the original a 25-minute shuttle Sunshine Coast.

Photo / Tourism & Events campers doing the ride from Noosa.

Queensland same thing over It helped they the past 20,000 already ran kayak years. and boat cruises We’re nearly on “the River of at the end of Mirrors”, one this stretch of of only two the road, but everglades there are a systems on couple more Earth. We’ve gawps — Carlo mentioned the Sand Blow, other. huge dunes that Sensitively extend far inland, and imaginatively and Mudlo Rocks. designed, there’s Out-of-towners often camping, motorhome drive unsuitable vehicles and glamping sites, past this bluff as the tide comes education and conference facilities in. Rainbow Beach’s hotel bar at standards required for power, has a photo wall of shame water, sewerage and waste of $70,000 drowned offservices in such a fragile GETTING THERE roaders that weren’t (“24 area, while not upsetting Qantas flies direct from a year on average,” Craig the locals, a mob of Auckland to Brisbane. Flights reckons). kangaroos that’s long + 6 nights from $699 on sale now at House of Travel.

Exhilarating, expansive lived onsite. hot.co.nz and exotic, but this is the The restaurant’s vast DETAILS Lesser Great Beach Drive. terrace sprawls out of the queensland.com The Really Great Beach former owner’s lounge; Drive continues for 300 his bedroom is now the bar more kilometres, on to (literally) serving craft beer from the and around Fraser Island, returning camp’s artesian wells. to the mainland near Hervey Bay. Glamping with an onsite microI head into nearby Cooloola National brewery?

Park and a unique venture, Habitat That’s my idea of roughing it.

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With just a 2.5 hour drive between these two stunning destinations, it’s easy to experience both. With your rental car you’ll have the freedom to explore the amazing hinterland, coastal towns and National Parks.

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YO U R P E R F E C T F R A S E R COA ST BUCKET LIST

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Whale Watching From late July to early November, there is no place like Hervey Bay for breathtaking, up close and personal encounters with humpback whales. It’s the only known destination on their migration from Antarctica to the Great Barrier Reef and they use the calm, protected waters around Fraser Island as a calf kindergarten to teach their young how to adult.

The Fraser Coast is home to big nature experiences. A comfortable 3-hour drive from Brisbane or 2-hours from The Sunshine Coast, the region offers affordable island, bay, beach and heritage experiences in an unrivalled natural environment.

2

Fraser Island This world-heritage sand island is the largest in the world and holds incredible natural experiences; huge sand blows, towering rainforests, over 100 freshwater lakes, the Maheno Shipwreck and a 120km beach highway. You’ll want to cross off floating down Eli Creek in an inflatable tube and a dip in Lake McKenzie from your bucket list!

3

Lady Elliot Island With no boat access, Hervey Bay is the perfect launch spot for a 40-minute flight to this coral cay, which is the closest Great Barrier Reef Island to Brisbane. Located in a highly protected green zone, it’s a sanctuary to more than 1200 species of marine life, regarded as one of the best snorkelling destinations on the reef and is best known as the home of the manta ray.

4

Tobruk Dive Wreck The Fraser Coast has an extraordinary new world-class dive wreck attraction in the waters off Hervey Bay – the ex-HMAS Tobruk.

Sitting on its starboard side gives a strikingly unique experience for divers of all levels, with beginner divers being able to access more of the ship, which would normally only be available to experienced divers.

spontaneity A spoonful of

Meeting Maryborough’s favourite children on a military and literary trail helps Ewan McDonald swallow his disappointment when Hervey Bay plans go awry

T

he Gods of Travel do not always smile upon us.

You will know those days — the one when you were in London for the first time and Big Ben was shrouded in scaffolding. The day you were in Florence and the museum you dreamed of visiting was closed on Mondays. The afternoon you were in Barcelona and Messi was playing at Camp Nou at 8pm, and your cruise ship was sailing at 6.

There are two ways of dealing with this. One is to find the nearest bar and sulk for the rest of the day. The other is to take the opportunity to try something new, different, spontaneous. (Note: Option 2 does not necessarily rule out finding the nearest bar.)

So it was in Hervey Bay. There are two reasons the world comes to this Queensland resort. One is World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, just offshore, where rainforest trees grow on sand dunes, there are 250km of sandy beaches, and dingoes (and other wildlife) may freely roam.

The other is its documented claim to being the

A statue of Duncan Chapman, the first Anzac ashore at Gallipoli, is part of the Walk With the Anzacs experience.

best place on the planet for whale-watching encounters.

There had been storms and high seas, so the island was off-limits. The whales had consulted their devices and decided it was not their time of year to venture north. Which brought me to Option 3: taking a car and finding out why Hervey Bay and the Fraser Coast is a favourite playground for Queenslanders and out-ofstaters.

I didn’t have far to look.

The Esplanade runs for 16km along the foreshore, separated from the wide, sandy beach by a green belt interspersed with occasional nature groves, seafront cafes, jungle gyms and yacht clubs.

Sailing boats, that is, not superyachts.

Trading under the Hervey Bay name are a strip of suburbs — Pialba, Torquay, Scarness, Urangan — baches, dairies, motels, campsites, a pub or three. It’s got the feel of board shorts and sarongs, icecreams and fish’n’ chips.

The endless summer holiday that Kiwis and Aussies used to have, and here you still can.

Because the 123km of Fraser Island shelters

Hervey Bay from ocean surf and the seabed is shallow and flat, the beaches are perfect for young families. In the campsites, teens park utes and pitch tents next to grey nomads sipping savvy blanc under motorhome awnings.

For water-lovers, it’s paradise with an ocean view: swimming, fishing, paddleboarding, windor kitesurfing. For me, something new, different, spontaneous: driving a jetski.

Possibly not the most recommended hobby for someone who learned to drive after his fifth significant birthday, and to swim some time later, and has a phobia about drowning. But hey, with Aquavue Watersports guide Darren Wah as the backseat rider, I was skimming the ripples in no time. No, there are no photos, but we don’t need to go into the reason for that.

Half an hour’s drive inland, the historic riverport of Maryborough honours its favourite children with distinctive but different memorials.

Duncan Chapman was the first Anzac ashore at Gallipoli. The city has invested four years, $5 million and 10,000-plus volunteer hours into Walk With the Anzacs, an outdoor, interactive experience in Queens Park, just a block from his home, that is much more than a war memorial or cenotaph.

His statue was erected and a bronze boat, representing the landings, was placed in the park to commemorate the 1915 centenary. Now the memorial has been extended to an original, emotive and emotional military trail.

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Tuesday, April 2, 2019 | 19

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Hervey Bay and the Fraser Coast is a favourite playground for Queenslanders and out-of-staters (left); for water-lovers, Hervey Bay is paradise (above); crossing the road in Maryborough, you’re reminded of Mary Poppins’ author P.L. Travers, who was born here.

Photos / Visit Fraser Coast

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Chapman’s statue faces a landscape of weathered steel columns, 8m high, echoing Anzac Cove and the cliffs above. As visitors walk past the “cliffs” and statues, motion sensors trigger voices from speakers; soldiers recount war and sacrifice. The final act: Māori soldiers singing a hymn in te reo moments before they go into battle.

To the sound of marching feet, the trail leads into the Western Front Walk, more voices chronicling later battles in Europe, where Chapman and thousands died; stories of journalists and nurses; heartaches of wives and families.

As Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour said at last year’s unveiling, “This goes beyond a memorial. It’s about understanding the sacrifice made by men and women over a century ago. It fills in gaps in the understanding of how The Great War affected Australians.” This New Zealander, too.

The town also commemorates its favourite daughter, P.L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins, and has an annual storytelling festival and a statue of her umbrella-unfurling nanny outside the bank building where her father was manager.

On four pedestrian crossings, the traffic lights flash a red Mary Poppins for wait and a green Mary Poppins with umbrella raised for cross now. But Maryborough can be quiet on a wet Monday afternoon. I pressed the button and waited for the lights to change. And waited.

Eventually, I crossed anyway. I doubt Mary Poppins would have approved.

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With just a 2.5 hour drive between these two stunning destinations, it’s easy to experience both. With your rental car you’ll have the freedom to explore the amazing hinterland, coastal towns and National Parks.

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TASTE OF PARADISE There’s a whole lot more on the Gold Coast, writes Ewan McDonald

K

HO EX US CL E US O IV F E T R TO AV EL

itsch and clamour: that’s what many think is the currency of the Gold Coast.

Drive 10km south, turn off the Gold Coast Highway and you’ll find someplace different: Burleigh Heads, where you can stand on the beach and see the Surfers Paradise highrises through the sea spray and sun haze, and they’ll seem an illusion.

Unpack a board and you’ll learn why locals insist this is the real surfers’ paradise. Tune into their wavelength, and you’ll find what you least expected: the GC as a shrine to wellness, healthy living and mindfulness.

Over the past few years, there’s been a new wave of eateries, spas and activities that are far removed from the reality-show version of the strip.

Such as Paddock Bakery. Behind a picket fence and rambling garden, former builder Ben and interior designer Ursula Watts rejuvenated an 80-year-old suburban villa into a bright, airy cafe.

While the name, antiques, knickknacks, bags of flour, and wood-fired ovens (open to view behind glass walls) give the impression of an old-time farmhouse, the rustic wholefood menu — much more than Carb Heaven — and style are very definitely seasonal, locally sourced and The Paddock Bakery on the Gold Coast contemporary.

Photos / The Paddock Bakery Commune is grungier: the obligatory tattooed arms working the coffee pumps, neighbours free-range produce, and intentionally blurs the and work-from-homers hanging out with the newspaper (honestly), books or even talking to lines between what’s breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Lovechild is the supreme example of plantone another among vintage furniture and posters. based dining on the Coast. Naturally abbreviated If the onetime convenience store now looks like, GETTING to “the LC”, it’s a collective of vegan and organic feels like, smells like and tastes like the blueprint THERE kitchens operating under one roof and for an urban, eco-friendly, environmentally Air New Zealand flies aware cafe, with its choice of healthy staples courtyard. The bar pours local craft beers and non-stop to the Gold Coast cocktails. and keeping the carnivores happy with from Auckland and Christchurch. bacon and egg rolls, it’s because it is. Highly Open seven days and nights, from Alternatively fly to Brisbane and it’s morning coffee and bagel to salads and laterecommended. a one-hour drive to the Gold Coast.

House of Travel has flights plus 7 night ramen and kebabs, it’s designed to be You’ll have to drive into the countryside nights from $799 on sale now. hot. friendly (read, non-threatening) to those who to find Pasture & Co in the Currumbin Valley, co.nz but it’s worth the trip. The bright and breezy don’t think it’s a meal without meat. For me, DETAILS Burgers vs Kebabs’ meatless wrap with cheese, cafe is part of Ground at Currumbin, a small queensland.com development including produce markets sited sauce, lettuce and fried onions. Fries, natch, and next to The Ecovillage residential community. my initial taste of a GC IPA. It’s not all about the food. To show that the best The all-day menu, designed to suit all tastes, diets and intolerances, relies on organic, spray-free, things in lifestyle are free, every Monday and

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Wednesday morning more than 100 residents line up in seaside Justins Park for tai chi sessions, compliments of the council.

For those who prefer to work off their stress more actively, Burleigh Heads National Park has a number of trails. The wild headland creates the famous surfing point break (a designated heritage site).

On the rocky Oceanview walk, six-sided volcanic columns rise from the sea; in season there might be humpback whales. The Rainforest circuit is a natural wonderland of forest and wetland landscapes and wildlife. Either way, take a picnic.

But in this part of the world wellness and wellbeing should be practised in the water, not next to it. So I head to a huge warehouse behind a strip mall in the dusty suburb of Tallebudgera.

Well, it was. With their parents’ help, Natalie

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5

YO U R P E R F E C T G O L D COA ST BUCKET LIST

Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast

1

Burleigh Heads’ newest hot spot is Burleigh Pavilion located above the infamous Rick Shores.

With panoramic oceanfront views, it is a 240-seat restaurant with a Michelin-starred chef and a laidback beach bar wrapped into one.

Drive your way through 3-levels of high-tech golfing fun, mouthwatering eats, pumping tunes and multiple bars at Top Golf.

Whether you want to surf, swim, or relax, hitting the beach is a must; watch the pros surf Snapper Rocks, take a dip in the calm waters of Tallebudgera Creek or laid-back family friendly Nobby Beach, get amongst the action at iconic Surfers Paradise Beach or find learner-friendly waves at Currumbin Alley.

The Goldie is a haven for beer buffs. Sink the beloved XPA at Balter Brewery, go for the 28 at Burleigh Brewing Co, try the Eggnog Stout at Black Hops and top it off with a TTIPA from Lost Palms.

The Gold Coast is home to not one, but five large scale theme parks and they have all the goodness you would expect: grand shows, roller coasters and furry, friendly animals. The complicated part is choosing which one to visit first.

The Collective in Palm Beach is a foodies dream.

With 5 different restaurants serving the one space, an indoor/outdoor bar area and industrial-inspired rooftop bar, it is a one-stop shop for good times.

Explore World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park from multi award-winning O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat nestled in the Hinterland. This nature lover’s utopia is bursting with eco-activities from the famous Tree Top Walkway to off-road segway tours.

Croissant Eggs Benedict. Doughnut French Toast. Got your attention? These are a few of the heavenly treats we suggest you try at 2 of the Gold Coasts’ iconic breakfast destinations – Bam Bam Bakehouse in Mermaid Beach and Paddock Bakery in Miami.

Follow one of the great walking tracks along the rocky foreshore and through the rainforest of Burleigh Head National Park and watch out for humpback whales from Tumgun Lookout Jun to Nov. Indulge in some retail therapy; beachside boutique shopping on James Street in Burleigh, luxury shopping experience at Pacific Fair, suburbanbased Robina Town Centre, designer outlet stores at Harbour Town or Australia’s most-loved boutique designer markets – The Village Markets.

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Ewan McDonald masters standup paddleboard yoga at Tallebudgera Creek

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8 The perfect place to try, for the first time, standup paddleboarding. I hadn’t counted on having to do yoga on the board. There is no escape: I have to go with the flow, Sarnia, a gentle, serene, Hawaiian-born tutor, and I float, sometimes paddling, sometimes standing, leaving speedboats and their wake, kids and their yachts, mums and their children, to a rippling, shallow, clear, sandy arm of the river.

Soon there’s no one around but us and our boards and the birds. In the morning sunshine, we stretch, breathe, relax, float. Pure Aloha Yoga, Sarnia calls it. Or bliss.

And to my surprise I master the art and the craft. Unlike when I tried jetskiing further down the coast at Hervey Bay. Fortunately there were no photos of that. This time there were.

Unfortunately.

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and Charlie Evans, sisters behind Greenhouse Canteen vegan restaurant, converted the building into The Bath House, a day spa along the lines of a Turkish hammam.

Rinse off under an outdoor shower then bliss in a warm, herbal-aromaed hydrotherapy spa, sweat in a eucalyptus wet steam room, chill in an outdoor magnesium plunge pool, and gasp in the dry sauna. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat, for an hour or so, until the massage therapist arrives.

And before you face the real world again, head upstairs to the terrace for plant-based bites or perhaps something that bubbles like the spa pool, but you are allowed to drink.

Nearby, Tallebudgera Creek is a safe haven for boating, swimming, kayaking, kids to play, families to picnic. Sarnia Rose meets me in a riverside park.

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4

GET UP, GET OUT, GET THERE In Tropical North Queensland, there’s an activity for everyone. Eli Orzessek picks some of the best

HOT AIR BALLOON

The Atherton Tablelands present the perfect conditions for hot-air ballooning, with 300 sunny days a year — so you’ll often spot flotillas of balloons hovering above. Why not join them for a ride? Ballooning is accessible and affordable in the north, with a range of companies offering options that are fun for the whole family. With most balloons launching at dawn, it’s the perfect way to watch the sunrise, with a unique perspective of the landscapes and wildlife below — just remember to bring your camera.

GREAT BARRIER REEF

You can’t visit Tropical North Queensland without taking in the jewel in its crown, the beautiful Great Barrier Reef. You could easily spend weeks exploring this World Heritage listed site, dotted with tropical islands. To make the most of this incredible underwater universe, you’ll need to get in the water.

There are many snorkelling and scuba diving excursions on offer to get up close and personal with the coral and abundant marine life under the surface — you’ll see tropical fish, sea turtles, stingrays and maybe even a humpback whale. For a comfortable view, take a ride in a glass-bottomed boat — or see it from above on a helicopter tour.

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HO EX US CL E US O IV F E T R TO AV EL

Tropical North Queensland is known as the wedding capital of Australia for good reason. With warm dry winters, you can enjoy

World Cups in 2014 and 2016, as well as the 2017 UCI World Mountain Bike Championships.

The region is also home to Australia’s oldest operating downhill trail, the Kuranda DH, which has produced several World Cup stars over the years. If you’re after something a bit gentler, ride through the rainforest on the Musgrave Track on the Cassowary Coast or take the kids for a ride along the golden sands of Mission Beach. In Cairns, the tropical climate ensures you can ride at any time of the year — but in the heat of summer, head to the Atherton Tablelands for a cooler journey.

an outdoor ceremony at one of its many memorable locations. Say “I do” at a chapel overlooking the sea in Port Douglas, under the canopy of the rainforest, on a deserted island beach, or in the gardens of a five-star resort.

Aside from the locations, you’ll find plenty of local wedding planners who can ensure your special day is picture-perfect.

EXPLORE THE RAINFOREST

Immerse yourself in nature with an adventure through the rainforests and grasslands of Tropical North Queensland — home to 3000 plant species, more than 400 species of birds and 100-plus mammal species, you’re bound to see something you can’t see anywhere else on Earth. The Daintree Rainforest is the oldest tropical rainforest in the world, boasting many walking trails that are perfect for bird-watchers.

When it has been described by Sir David Attenborough as “the most extraordinary place on Earth”, it’s well worth shacking up here for a night or two in an eco-lodge. And if you’re keen to see North Queensland’s most famous resident — the massive saltwater crocodile — take a cruise down the Daintree River and you’ll likely spot one.

Above: Hot air ballooning over the Atherton Tablelands.

Below: Relaxing in Mossman.

Photos / Tourism and Events Queensland

If you enjoy the old-school glamour of train travel, there are plenty of ways to see North Queensland’s incredible landscapes in style.

CYCLING

Whether you’re an adrenalin junkie or looking for a leisurely ride with the family, north Queensland has trails to suit every rider.

Serious cyclists can test themselves against the world’s best on the Smithfield Trail, a rainforest trail that hosted the Mountain Bike

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COVER STORY

| 05.05.19 |

5

YO U R P E R F E C T TROPICAL NORTH BUCKET LIST

Yungaburra Markets. Photos / Tourism and Events Queensland

1 GETTING THERE Air New Zealand flies nonstop from Auckland to Cairns from March to October. Outside of this season you can fly via Brisbane to Cairns. airnz.co.nz DETAILS queensland.com

Cycling on Mission Beach.

Kuranda Station.

Take a journey through ancient rainforest on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, on a day trip from Cairns to the village of Kuranda. The ride takes an hour and 45 minutes, with plenty to see along the way — as well as natural beauty, the railway is also a feat of engineering, constructed in the late 1800s. You can also ride on the Bally Hooley, one of the last steam locomotives used by the Mossman Sugar Mill — it’s an icon of Port Douglas. However, for a truly iconic experience, jump on board the Savannahlander — a classic 60s “silver bullet” railmotor — for a four-day journey through the Outback.

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The diverse ecosystems of the tropical north make the area unique as a food-producing region. So as you’d expect, it’s a foodie’s paradise. Taste the familiar flavours of the tropics — fresh mangoes and pineapples, reef fish and wild-caught prawns — but also try some unique offerings including rainforest nuts, fruit and native spices used by Aboriginal people for millennia. In the Atherton Tablelands, you’ll also find tea and coffee plantations, as well as cattle and dairy farms producing milk, cheese and yoghurt. You can take an organised tour through the area, or just grab a map and plan your own DIY culinary excursion. Also be sure to check out the markets — such as in Yungaburra or Rusty’s Market in Cairns — you might just find some delectable treats to take home with you.

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Upulo Cay on the Great Barrier Reef.

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Nothing says #lifegoals than catching a ride in a helicopter over the mindboggling coral formations of the Great Barrier Reef to your own private sand cay, it’s pretty much the best place in the world for a beach picnic.

See the spectacular Barron Falls among the ravines, rugged mountains and rainforests up high from the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Swim with Dwarf Minke Whales as they come to play in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. This is the only place in the world where you can interact with these majestic creatures.

Take your morning meditation to the waters and history-soaked wilderness of the Mossman River for a guided stand-up paddleboard tour. The core workout is an added bonus to feeling calm and serene.

Explore World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef on a full-day outer reef cruise — snorkel, dive, soak up the sun and marvel at this amazing underwater universe.

Get a bird’s eye view of the Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef at Cape Tribulation by sailing through the World-Heritage listed rainforest on a zip line, including five eco-friendly treetop platforms.

Dive with the famous potato cod, weighing up to a whopping 30kg (if you didn’t know, it’s a fish!), at Lizard Island’s Cod Hole. This Dive site is one of the best in the world.

Step into a fantasy at Paronella Park and discover moss-covered castle ruins, waterfalls and a bamboo forest.

Discover the diversity of Fitzroy Island with its pristine coral beaches, amazing snorkelling right off the beach and national park trails with views so beautiful you might overwhelm your social media audiences.

Dine under fairy lights and chandeliers in the middle of the rainforest while listening to Aboriginal storytellers and tasting Aussie dishes at Flames of the Forest.

trav

18 | Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Winter Holidays: Australia »

Let the sunshin

Holidays were easier pre-kids, but Jared Savage finds the Sunshine Coast is a great way to recharge the batteries

M

y wife and I were DINKS, the last time we travelled.

Double Income No Kids.

Camel rides in the Middle East.

Ski trips in Poland. Cruising the Mediterranean. Sailing the clear, clear waters of Croatia. So many glorious, carefree days as we ended our OE in England and drifted east across Europe for weeks on end. That was five years ago. It may as well have been a lifetime.

Returning to our home in Auckland, we knuckled down and concentrated on our careers.

Bought a bigger house. With a bigger mortgage.

Had a baby. Then with No 2 on the way, still juggling our jobs, escaped the Auckland rat-race for Tauranga. The memories of brunch in Barcelona or trekking the Cinque Terre faded fast.

And though we dreamed of travelling overseas again, a trip to the dairy with young kids can quickly turn into a nightmare.

Last year, however, life got easier; mostly because our youngest finally started sleeping through the night.

My wife went back to work, and with more cash coming in, a long-awaited trip to visit her sister in Australia no longer seemed out of reach. And, if we’re being open and transparent, our change in circumstances coincided with a far more appealing destination.

My in-laws and their kids had lived in Alice Springs — not without its attractions: Uluru anyone? — but uprooted themselves to the Sunshine Coast this year.

Catching up with the cuzzies was now just a cheap direct three-hour flight to Maroochydoore, not halfway across the world’s smallest continent. Sun and surf in the middle of another dreary Kiwi winter? Sunshine Coast here we come!

Of course, we were no longer DINKS. Military precision was needed to ensure, with two littlies in tow, that we checked into Auckland International Airport by 7am.

The plan was to set the alarm for 3.30am and whisk the kids from their comfy beds into car seats. With the SUV already packed, they’d nod off within five minutes of leaving home. A peaceful journey up State Highway 2, with little or no traffic, they’d wake up just in time for breakfast in the departure lounge.

Simple. Well, that was the plan anyway.

We had only pulled out of the driveway — literally — when Mr 4 spewed everywhere.

Never wanting to miss out on anything, Ms 1 joined in.

Some might argue it was better to clean up the mess at home in Tauranga, than on the road. Which is true; except both children doubled down either

side of the Karangahake Gorge.

We weren’t even halfway to Auckland and the plan, with the military precision, had gone out the window (if only everything else had).

The dreadful realisation we had yet to even navigate the check-in, let alone the flight, with two crook kids slowly dawned on us. Did we need to cancel to avoid risking contagion for the other passengers? What’s the protocol in this situation?

We pulled into Auckland International Airport at daybreak, and as the sun rose, so did everyone’s spirits.

There is something wonderful about the joy in a child’s face at experiencing something for the first time. For weeks, possibly months, Mr 4 had insisted on reading Richard Scarry’s A Day at the Airport in anticipation of our holiday. While checking-in was a mundane task for the adults, Mr 4 was living and breathing his favourite book.

His excitement was a timely reminder there would be many “firsts” on this holiday. Not to sweat the small stuff, but enjoy the little moments.

Thankfully, breakfast in the airport passed without the children bringing it back up — as did the flight itself.

Even so, I could feel my blood pressure come back down to normal as we descended into

vel

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 | 19

Australia Noosa Heads

Queensland Sunshine Coast Mooloolaba Caloundra

Checklist SUNSHINE COAST GETTING THERE Qantas flies daily from Auckland to Brisbane with return Economy Class fares starting from $535. qantas.com

ne in

Maroochydore. Tropical trees, blue skies, and temperatures in the mid-20Cs beckoned behind the tarmac. We made it.

T

he Sunshine Coast is a string of coastal settlements in southern Queensland, about an hour’s drive from Brisbane, stretching across roughly 65km of beaches and headlands.

In some respects Sunny Coast, as the locals call it, was like our home in the Bay of Plenty. Traditionally a magnet for retirees drawn by the warmer climate — including New Zealanders who fly over in the winter months — younger families are now flocking there in droves.

There are more jobs, and with growing employment, more houses. Hundreds and hundreds of homes — as well as new schools and a new hospital — being built in new subdivisions.

So new, in fact, we couldn’t find my sister-inlaw’s house on Google maps; the streets don’t exist in cyberspace yet.

There is nothing quite like arguing over driving directions, so after a quick cuddle with the cousins, it was a relief to reach our destination 12 hours after leaving home.

We were staying nearby in Caloundra, about 25 minutes south of the airport, one of the many beachside settlements dotted along the coast.

It was the perfect holiday spot for a young family.

Tired and grumpy kids (or even mums and dads) don’t always want to be strapped into a car, so for a couple of days, we just explored our new neighbourhood by foot.

Caloundra is a headland with a different beach around every corner, plenty of playgrounds (always covered in shade), and a vibrant cafe

ACCOMMODATION Oaks Oasis, in Caloundra, is great for families. oakshotels.com ONLINE visitsunshinecoast.com

The Sunshine Coast and its hinterland is a perfect playground for families; Jared Savage’s youngesters meet the locals (bottom right and facing page).

Pictures / Jared Savage; Supplied

culture. All linked together by a boardwalk, where the sea was never out of sight.

Everything was within walking — or, for Mr 4, scooter — distance, which meant we could enjoy what Caloundra had to offer but get back to the resort in time for the little one’s sleep.

We were staying at the Oaks Oasis Resort; definitely a sanctuary for young families. The Water Park — a shallow pool with a waterslide playground plonked in the middle — was a hit with kids and parents alike.

They had a blast splashing around, while we cooled our heels with a drink in hand.

With an 18-hole mini golf course, giant jumping pillow, trampolines and tennis court, Oaks Oasis is the epitome of “family friendly”.

A

fter a few days recharging the batteries, it was time to go further than where our feet could take us.

Noosa, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba all offer more than just white sand and sea views. Although there is smug satisfaction from lying on the beach in the knowledge the temperature in New Zealand won’t reach these heights for another three or four months.

There’s plenty of fine wining and dining, as well as shopping, to keep you entertained.

Sea Life in Mooloolaba is the Sunshine Coast’s answer to Kelly Tarlton’s, an underwater aquarium well worth a visit, especially if the weather takes an uncharacteristic turn for the worse.

In particular, the live seal shows — scheduled at regular intervals throughout the day — are worth timing your visit to watch.

For those tired of the sun, sand and surf, or just

want a change of scene, head inland to the rainforest of the Hinterland, punctured by the famed Glass House Mountains. But for animalobsessed children, or parents living vicariously through them, no trip to the Sunshine Coast is complete without visiting Australia Zoo. Perhaps better known as the life’s work of Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, the zoo — and its cast of colourful creatures — is back on television this year for the first time since his untimely death in 2006. While his children Bindi and Bob have grown up, and into his boots as the faces of Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin’s personality and passion for conservation are still at the heart of everything they do.

There is every Aussie creature you can think of — the entire cast of Wombat Stew — as well as an impressive African safari field. But, crikey, the true stars are the crocs. There is a daily show at the Crocoseum (Crocodile Coliseum, geddit), where thousands of visitors can watch trainers interact with the dangerous reptiles.

In their natural habitat, crocs use murky water to camouflage themselves from prey. A dream of Irwin’s to help educate the public, the Crocoseum uses a system of channels and gates so the water in the ponds is clear. This allows visitors to see how crocs move and behave in the wild and it’s quite incredible to see the giant crocs swim through the water without a ripple; invisible in a serene billabong. The climax of the show is when one of the crocodiles leaps vertically out of the water, using its tail as a spring, to snatch a chicken dangling in the hands of the nervous trainer. It’s awesome. “What do you think of that mate?” I ask Mr 4, sitting in my lap.

He was asleep.

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16 | Tuesday, May 14, 2019

GO GREEN ON T H E G O L D COA ST While defining the term eco-tourism can be as slippery as a Wet’n’Wild slide, we can be sure that treading lightly and going green is a worthwhile way to go when visiting the Gold Coast. And if you’re an earth-friendly traveller wanting to do the right thing, the news is all good.

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1

Nightfall Camp

The O’Reilly family pioneered eco-tourism in Australia and multi-award winning, advanced eco-accredited O’Reillys Rainforest Retreat offers every guest “green” experiences, whilst supporting the history, heritage and education of the surrounding World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park. This iconic Australian tourism experience is the perfect nature escape.

2

Beyond its well-deserved reputation as an award-winning wellness sanctuary, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat is not all about personal nurturing. This Hinterland oasis is fully accredited and ecotourism certified, plus a committed member of the “Land for Wildlife” program, which means it’s focused on protecting the land and all the incredible creatures that call it home.

3

Located next door to World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park, Nightfall Camp is a spectacular setting for a spot of glamping. If being immersed in wilderness isn’t enough to satisfy your eco-desires, Nightfall goes to great lengths to ensure guests are treated to a proper eco-experience – think solar power, organic food, sustainable waste treatment and more.

4

You might have heard of QT Gold Coast as a luxury-meetsquirky hotel in Surfers Paradise, known for its spa, high tea and rooftop bar. What’s not so well known is that QT’s rooftop garden is all about converting an unused space into a fully functioning green garden. With seasonal fruit and veg direct from the roof to the table, QT Gold Coast is leading the green charge.

Circle of life

Ewan McDonald explores ancient lands and new taste sensations beyond the Gold Coast

he satnav insists it’s an hour down the M1 from Surfers Paradise to the turnoff, but it’s wrong. It’ll take something closer to 180 million years, for I’m driving into the heart of Gondwanaland.

World Heritage-listed, the mountains behind the Gold Coast are still cloaked in rainforests akin to those that covered the ancient supercontinent. They’re home to more frog, snake, bird and marsupial species than anywhere else in Australia. Many plants and animals are found nowhere else; most are rare and threatened.

And that’s only the wildlife. Hinterland towns and villages, and the surrounding Scenic Rim region, are a total change of pace and space from the beaches, restaurants and nightlife down on the coast.

I park at one end of the largest town, Tamborine Mountain (or Mount Tamborine — no one quite knows where the hinterland starts and ends, and local signwriters have a similar lack of agreement about their town’s name).

It’s Titirangi on steroids; arts and crafts, tea and coffee shops, cake and fudge boutiques.

Because “The Mountain” is ringed by hobby farms growing avocados, kiwifruit and macadamia nuts, there’s an impressive menu of artisan food and beverage producers.

The place feels like a ring of happy accidents.

Witches Chase cheesemakers Meredith and Andre Morris wanted to find a place that served their two great loves. They couldn’t, so they built their own cheesery and invited Fortitude Brewery to join them and Long Road Bistro too.

Michael and Alla Ward bought a citrus farm and turned the second-grade fruit into schnapps.

Twenty years on, the current owners of Tamborine Mountain Distillery create more than 60 award-winning vodkas, gins and liqueurs, with flavours such as eucalyptus, honey and macadamia.

Witches Falls is the mountain’s only winery, although its grapes come from a wee way away in Queensland’s Granite Belt. Around the hinterland and Scenic Rim are a growing number of well-regarded vineyards, most offering cellar-door tastings or restaurants.

You’re close to nature here. At just about every bend in the road there’s a walking track through rainforests with panoramas of cliffs and waterfalls. One of the easiest strolls is to Curtis Falls; in half an hour I’ve walked through rainforest to the viewing platform where waters cascade into the rockpools below.

Back in the car for the 50km of single lanes, hairpin bends, blind corners, major roadworks to repair cyclone damage, into Lamington National Park, 20,000ha of subtropical rainforest.

We’d probably call the drive a state highway over here, although few of our major roads have the spellbinding views over sheer cliffs.

The air clears and cools — it’s sometimes up

Curtis Falls (top); Fortitude Brewery is among an impressive menu of artisan food and beverage producers (above).

to 7C cooler here than on the coast — as I reach O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, a family-owned guesthouse and resort on private land inside the national park.

Threatened by logging and farming, the park was created in 1915, one of Queensland’s first protected areas, after vigorous campaigning from locals led by the romantically named Romeo Lahey.

The O’Reilly family had come to the plateau to set up a dairy farm.

That didn’t turn out well but the hospitality business, founded in 1926, did.

I park outside my chalet and get the bags out of the boot. A friendly pademelon — smallest member of the kangaroo family — scurries out of the bush to show me the way down to my digs. The door was open, so he poked his nose inside to check all was well before bounding back into the bush. At least he didn’t hang around with his paw out, waiting for a tip.

The resort is at the centre of more than 150km of trails designed by Lahey and built during the 1930s Depression. He noticed that cows’ paths on the hills never had a gradient of more than 1:10 and laid out the tracks so walkers would not be

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Tuesday, May 14, 2019 | 17

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O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat is a guesthouse inside Lamington National Park; pademelon (below) can be seen in the hills. Photos / Supplied; Getty Images

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out of breath. Some are short, others take up to seven hours.

At night, it’s a mere 15 minutes’ drive then a 10-minute walk to creek banks to sit in the deep dark silence and watch glow worms at play. On the way there’s an encounter with a possum; as the only Kiwi in the group I have to justify to a dozen Australians why we think they’re a pest.

“I’ve never heard of one eating a bird’s egg,” I’m told. “They’re vegetarians.” Just another one of those transtasman cultural differences, I guess.

The Tree Top Walk, 15m above the ground, provides the opportunity to walk through the forest canopy; braver hearts can climb the ladder up a strangler fig to a 30m-high observation deck.

Lamington’s plants are among the oldest and rarest on Earth. Roots of some Antarctic beeches are more than 5000 years old; other plants are relics from the last ice age.

The Lamington underground orchid is one of only four flowering plants to complete its life cycle entirely underground.

This area is also home to an incredible variety of wildlife, including marsupials (and not only pademelon and possums), rare and threatened birds and butterflies. The blue Lamington crayfish is found only here, in pools and streams 450m above sea level.

Some of it’s quite tame: the park guides’ favourite trick is to feed the birdlife every morning, a wheeling and chirping and squawking and diving and pecking riot of feathers and colours.

Perching, too, usually on visitor’s heads or hands.

And, as the fiery red sun drops behind the greygranite cliffs, sitting at the rustic bar with a local craft beer, there’s a sense of wonder at the myriad shades of the rainforest, here in “the green behind the Goldie”.

travel

28 | Tuesday, May 21, 2019

BRISBANE’S L A N E WAY S Move over Melbourne – Brisbane’s strong list of hip laneways is ever-growing. Sip coffee from a hole-in-the-wall café, spend an evening small-bar-hopping or enjoy a gastronomic delight surrounded by some of Brisbane’s best street art - discover each laneways own unique character and charm.

1

Fish Lane in South Brisbane stretches along 6 blocks and is the lanewayof-choice for pre-show antics. Home to a 10-seater gastronomic cocktail bar, a dedicated vegan burger establishment, some of the best pizza in Brisbane, 40 flavours of gelato and a rib shack, to name but only a few of the residents of this hip laneway.

2

Locals love Bakery Lane in Fortitude Valley for its communal alfresco dining area and boutique shopping. On the weekend its bursting at the seams with people flocking to indulge in bespoke cocktails with a side of live jazz and a hint of downtown New York, authentic Italian pizza and killer beats, delicious Korean fusion and endless sweet treats.

3

Eagle Lane in the CBD is home to legendary Brisbane hotspot and super hip music bar ‘Brooklyn Standard’ with live acts playing funk, rhythm and blues. Plus Brisbane’s first authentic American Sports Bar ‘Fat Angel’.

The laneway ramps up it’s cool factor with regular pop-up gigs, street parties and artistic installations.

4

The CBD’s Gresham Lane is a bustling food hub, with ‘Red Hook’ bringing a taste of New York style street food and ‘Melt Brothers’ dedicated to the gooey goodness that is the grilled cheese sandwich.

By night, it’s all about ‘The Gresham’, steeped in history with some of the highest calibre whiskey, rum and wine in the country.

Sunshine state of mind

Ewan McDonald gets a taste of the good life in Brisbane

S

omething’s happening here. You can see it in the cranes in the sky, the holes in the ground and the orange cones on the streets.

Underground rail through the central city, a second airport runway, a cruise-ship terminal, downtown renaissance.

New apartment, shopping and entertainment concepts in the suburbs.

We’re not talking about Auckland. Stimulated by major events, fuelled by a state governmentled, private enterprise-funded infrastructure boom, Brisbane is on a roll.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s ministry claims $1 billion is being invested in tourism projects.

Good times for visitors. There’s a whole new collection and selection of eateries, bars, hotels and spas — especially at the luxe end of town.

EATING / DRINKING Even the most one-eyed Queenslander might have agreed that, a few years ago, eating out was not Brisbane’s favourite sport. A degustation of new chefs and restaurants blowing into the city from around Australia and across the globe, and the Sunshine State’s advantage in growing superb produce, have changed that.

In the magnificent surroundings of the former Queensland Savings Bank heritage building, Donna Chang blends Chinese influences and Aussie ingredients — crisp-skinned roast duck with Davidson’s plum, more yum cha choices

than you can shake a chopstick at, knock ‘em dead desserts.

Gerard’s Bistro might sound Gallic; it’s a stunning take on Middle Eastern shared platters, using spices, ferments and breads and — unusually in this part of the world — a contemporary take on plant-based dishes.

Little Valley and Honto trace their pedigree to renowned Rick Shores restaurant in Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast. Little Valley plays variations on Chinese themes while Honto takes a similar approach to Japanese cuisine.

Buzzy Howard Smith Wharves, underneath the Story Bridge, incorporates Felons Brewing, Mr Percival’s (an over-river bar), and restaurants including Greca, a modern Greek taverna; Toko, a new izakaya; Stanley, guided by Hong Kong street food, and ARC, for wine and inspired lighter dishes.

At the new hotels, the Calile brings Greek icon Hellenika from the Gold Coast; the Emporium breathes new life into Belle Epoque, its French bistro, patisserie and champagne bar; at the W, Three Blue Ducks is a fun brasserie, the latest in a series famed for its “straight off the beach” approach to cooking and eating.

Worth a nibble: Black Hide steakhouse at the Treasury casino; Persone Italian beside the W; Restaurant Dan Arnold, contemporary French; Heritij, modern Indian; Golden Pig, pan-Asian; Philip Johnson’s revived, revitalised E’cco Bistro; and Joy, a tiny Japanese-Nordic treasure.

Worth a tipple: Mosconi (Fortitude Valley) and

Maeve (South Brisbane) and Corella (Woolloongabba) are excellent wine bars. For cocktail lovers, the Boom Boom Room and the Gresham in the city; Maker (South Bank) and the Press Club (Fortitude Valley).

STAYING If your idea of a hotel is a clean bathroom, fresh sheets and a place to sleep, you won’t have a problem finding somewhere in Brisbane. But if you want a little more fun, a little more funk, a destination in itself, check into these vibrant new beds, breakfasts, and much more.

When the W Brisbane opened less than a year ago, it was the city’s first new five-star hotel in 20 years. The $800 million, 305-room property has panoramic views over the Brisbane River and design inspired by indigenous culture: a perspex “river reeds” sculpture, tide-patterned carpets, earth tones and Queensland artworks.

We are not talking minimalist, though. Each room features custom furnishings, a mix-bar, 55-inch TV and “outback drum”-styled bathtub.

Bars and restaurants include the zebra-patterned first-floor Wet Deck bar; there’s a luxury day spa, too.

Opulent, glamorous, the Emporium lifted its skirts and moved across the river to South Bank a year ago — to be facelifted into something even more decadent.

The sweeping staircase, the elevators with ever-changing underwater images, the 23m infinity pool on the rooftop, the glitzy Terrace cocktail bar, are standouts. Each of the 143 suites, claimed to be the city’s largest hotel rooms, features a gold-framed mirror that transforms into a giant

travel

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 | 29

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From left: Brisbane skyline (main); Felons Brewers (above); Little Valley restaurant. Photos / Hafiz Ismail, Getty Images; Supplied

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SHOPPING Step back a few years and Fortitude Valley was a blowsy netherworld of strip clubs, cheap dosshouses and used-car yards. Now, James St is a tree-lined, vine-laden boulevard of 130 specialty shops, entertainment and high-end hotels.

Ambitious locals, Australian designers and international labels cluster here; so too the premier fashion labels you’ll see in malls and main streets from New York to Newmarket. Ditto homewares.

Jewellery.

Furniture.

Decor, galleries and day spas.

Nearby, two brothers with family connections to the suburb have revived three unloved service lanes: Winn Lane for bohemian boutiques, burgers and live music; Bakery Lane for fashion, craft and cafe start-ups; California Lane for an upmarket choice of coffee, cocktails, food and fashion.

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TV-info-entertainment screen and an onyx bar.

In Fortitude Valley, the 1950s Miami-styled Calile is designed to be the resort you have when you don’t have a beach. Its 175 rooms surround an elevated pool with outdoor dining, cabanas, sun loungers, hanging gardens and palm trees.

At Howard Smith Wharves, just-opened Fantauzzo doubles as a contemporary art gallery, featuring original artworks and more than 500 prints by Melbourne photorealist painter Vincent Fantauzzo.

If there’s no room at these inns: the Westin offers the city’s first swim-up bar; Ovolo Inchcolm is an art-deco beauty housed in 1920s doctors’ rooms; quirky, rock-star-themed Ovolo The Valley is its livelier younger sister.

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SUNSHINE COAST

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THEY DO IT WELL The Sunshine Coast justifiably flaunts its assets, writes Ewan McDonald

Farmers markets are always popular.

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efir, kombucha or kimchi? Rain therapy ritual, moonlight yoga or vinotherapy?

Name your choice of detoxicant or favoured form of stress relief and one strip of Queensland is only too happy to oblige.

Australians tend to nickname their regions geographically — “the Harbour City”, architecturally — “the City of Churches”, or ironically — “the Lucky Country”.

And you might think the 140km strip of beaches, mountains and rainforest, rivers and lakes from Caloundra to Rainbow Beach has gone that way too. Comparatively recently, the formerly loose bunch of diverse coastline and hinterland communities were merged into “the Sunshine Coast”.

But no. This area takes a step — or a paddleboard or backrub — further, flaunting its natural and enhanced assets as “the Wellness Capital of Australia”.

For the regional tourism organisation, Visit Sunshine Coast, and CEO Simon Latchford, it’s more than a slogan. (The slogan, by the way, is “naturally refreshing”.)

HO EX US CL E US O IV F E T R TO AV EL

Salute to the coast on One Tree Hill. Photos / Tourism and Events Queensland.

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Ingredients are the scenery, quality fresh produce, myriad cooking classes, exotic spa treatments, adventure sports, watersports such as surfing and standup paddleboarding, yoga and cultural festivals, walking and bicycle trails, including the Coastal Pathway and hinterland walks. Add the climate, which increases the opportunities for most if not all of the above.

“A lot of regions offer yoga and spa treatments, but there’s something about the landscape of the Sunshine Coast that makes us such a natural destination for health and wellness holidays,” Latchford says. “To some extent, it is in our DNA.” Spas and retreats range from the indulgent to the esoteric: the Chenrezig Buddhist Institute, Calm Living Meditation Retreat or the Lift Gallery’s sound spa, natural healing rooms and music performances. The peaceful, natural spaces of the Glass House Mountains and hinterland are an obvious place to relax, refresh, mediate or remediate.

Clean eating, too. Coastal plantations and hinterland farms have a reputation for quality produce; vegan and vegetarian consumers have

SUNSHINE COAST

| 09.06.19 |

wildlife, unfold to the tumbling waters and rock bathing pools of Gardners Falls. (Hint: bring a towel and some, ah, refreshment.)

The place made its name with the awardwinning Tamarind restaurant, now in the hands of much-lauded chef Daniel Jarrett, trained in the French tradition but — in keeping with the restaurant’s tradition and the resort’s style and theme — putting his own spin on classic Thai and contemporary Chinese and Malaysian dishes.

Cuisine plays a large part in the retreat’s appeal, with a renowned cooking school, and in its Spa Anise. With four treatment rooms and a hydrotherapy room with therapeutic spa, rain shower and steam room, there’s a lengthy menu of pampering, from an hour of blissfulness to the fivehour ultimate retreat, beginning with exfoliation, foot and body massages and unwinding to a champagne lunch on the “relaxation deck” overlooking the gardens and rainforest.

If you’re going coastal, the sprawling, gated Peppers Noosa Resort will get you as close to nature as possible: the 4000ha of the Noosa National Park is literally over the fence.

Opened almost 10 years ago, but constantly made over, the eco-conscious gated leisure community climbs up a forested hillside from the bustle of the bars, restaurants and boutiques of the town’s main drag, Hastings St. At first glance, the four-storey blocks housing 198 apartments, villas and penthouses with eateries, playrooms and carparks might look as if they should be in a city suburb rather than neighbouring a national park.

However, they’re softened with greenery and the theme is sustainability, from solar design and extensive reforestation, biodegradable bathroom products and energy-efficient lighting.

The in-house Stephanie’s Ocean Spa is the current owner of Australia’s Best Luxury Resort Spa title, boasting 11 treatment rooms, including a private geisha bathing suite. The treatment menu includes raindrop detoxes, mineral colour floatation therapy and vinotherapy wine bath immersions.

They claim anti-ageing properties for that one.

I’m not so sure: years of careful and consistent applications of shiraz don’t seem to have improved my complexion or constitution.

Spicers Tamarind Retreat and Spa.

no difficulty in sourcing healthy food stores, farmers’ markets or organic restaurants.

Heading to the hinterland, the relaxation therapy begins a few metres after leaving the motorway about an hour north of corporate Brisbane and beginning the run along Steve Irwin Way, past farms and forests and the peaks of the Glass House Mountains, and the Crocodile Hunter’s zoo.

Then the road climbs sharply; take time out to pause, breathe clean air and gaze down to the coast and out to the Pacific, before ambling through rainforests and paddocks and one-time farming hamlets that now host B&Bs, antique shops, galleries, cafes, wineries and cheese shops.

The road doesn’t quite go ever on: at Maleny village you turn into a quiet country lane where, hidden behind eucalypts, is Spicers Tamarind luxury retreat and spa.

Tucked into 7ha of forest, valley and riverbank, are luxury villas, from one-bedroom homes with outdoor hot tub and seven pavilions for groups of up to four adults. The grounds, teeming with

FACT BOX

GETTING THERE Air New Zealand flies non-stop from Auckland to the Sunshine Coast seasonally between July to October. Outside of this season, fly to Brisbane and it’s a 90-minute drive to the Sunshine Coast.

DETAILS queensland.com

9

TO P P L AC E S TO R E J U V E N AT E I N T H E S U N S H I N E COA ST

1

Get reacquainted with nature and breathe deeply as you explore one of the many hinterland and national park walking trails — from a short stroll to see Buderim’s Serenity Falls to a slightly longer one to cool down under Kondalilla Falls near Montville.

2

Book a Beyond Experiences ‘Noosa Fresh Air’ package, you’ll take a stand-up paddleboarding yoga class, be treated to a pedicure at the Noosa Marina (complete with bubbles), eat a healthy lunch at Noosa Boathouse and cruise down Noosa River in an eco electric boat.

3 4

If you want to cancel out the noise and chaos of the world, head to Eudlo for an introduction to meditation at Chenrezig Institute.

Explore the pristine eco-system of the Noosa Everglades during a 1/2-day or full-day tour with Kanu Kapers, or a two-day/one-night canoe safari with The Discovery Group.

5 6

Feel the wind in your hair as you canter along Noosa North Shore beach with Noosa Horse Riding.

Join a morning SUP yoga class on the Noosa River with Kat Harding (@yogakiss) between October and April, or book in for one of her yoga retreats.

7 8

Breathe in deeply and feel your respiratory system benefit from the natural healing properties of the Salt Caves in Mooloolaba.

If you really need some serious time out, inside the gates of Ikatan Spa. They offer fullday retreats combining massage, yoga, meditation and spa treatments, along with fresh and healthy meals.

9 10

Take some time out to meditate in an Epsom salt-loaded water pod at The Float Space in Maroochydore.

Channel your healthy chakras into the kitchen with a healthy cooking class at Kunara Organic Marketplace.

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travel

30 | Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Australia

»

Brisbane scores on a magic weekend Matt Heath finds the Queensland capital is in a league all of its own

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veryone knows Brisbanians love their league. Everyone knows it’s warm in Brisbane. Everyone knows Brisbane’s in Queensland.

But did you know Brisbane is a place of culture, fine dining, art and architecture? I didn’t.

A couple of weeks back a few mates and I headed over for the inaugural NRL Magic Round at Suncorp. It was a spectacular weekend but the real surprise was Brisbane itself.

Like many Kiwis, my Brisbane experience has generally been leaving the place as soon as I arrived. Touching down and then getting straight on a train to the Goldie or renting a car and fanging up to the Sunshine Coast. This time we really put Australia’s third largest city through its paces.

Things kicked off with cocktails on several rooftop bars in the mid-May subtropical heat before heading out to a couple of interesting underground bars. Including Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall. A stylish live venue decorated with dead animals and velvet curtains, it was like drinking inside a Nick Cave music video.

Next morning, we were up super early, brighteyed, bushy-tailed and feeling 150 per cent healthy and good. So we jumped straight into an Elite Helicopter.

Our informed and devilishly handsome pilot flew us 35km northeast in a little Robertson R-44 across the city, over thousands of large houses with pools to Moreton Island.

It’s the fifth largest all-sand island in the world and the water around it is so crystal clear that from the air we could see sharks, rays, a bunch of shipwrecks and even dugongs.

Indian Ocean

Australia Brisbane Sydney

Checklist BRISBANE GETTING THERE Air New Zealand flies daily from Auckland to Brisbane. airnz.com DETAILS For more information on visiting Brisbane, see queensland.com.

Dugongs being large bottom-feeding sea cows.

Waiting for us on a remote paradisiacal beach were the friendly people at Go Fish Queensland.

They had rods, food and refreshments. All we had to do was eat, drink and cast right off the beach. It was one of those mornings when you think “I can’t believe how lucky I am.” Then back on the choppers and back to downtown Brisbane — all before lunch.

Unfortunately, there was a mix-up in our next transport option. I and two other big units ended up on one tiny Green Cab tuktuk. Although comfortable for us, it was a brutal ride for our little peddler. Australians have a strong sense of sav-sucking fairness and seeing that poor guy struggling up over the Victoria Bridge pulling us fatties got some solid comments. “Come on guys, you’re killing the poor fella.” Then another comment from a friendly couple as we raced passed the artificial Streets Beach: “Why don’t one of you big fellas do the peddling?”

But we weren’t going to be pushed around while being dragged around, so we sat tight and

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15 minutes later we arrived sweat-free and ready to party at the Jetty, a great spot serving Indonesian/Australian food. Followed by an hour or so of bubbles by the river watching the beautiful people whizzing by on their Lime Scooters. So many breaths of fresh air.

Mid-arvo it was off to the NRL Magic Round which was . . . well, magic. Every team in the competition playing over a weekend at one stadium — Suncorp. What a stadium too.

Centrally located with the kind of high angled seating that gives even the top back row a great view, it’s one of those grounds that focuses completely on the action in the middle. Obviously, our enjoyment was heavily enhanced by the Warriors come-from-behind victory over the Dragons. Twenty unanswered points! Australia is such a great sporting nation with such passionate fans. That’s why as a Kiwi visitor it’s so good to watch them get smashed.

A massive 140,000 people attended this firstever Magic Round. They were treated to a slick, entertaining event. A great idea and a huge

travel

Tuesday, June 11, 2019 | 31

Brisbane city; Suncorp Stadium (top); Matt Heath (second left) at the NRL Magic Round.

Photos / Getty Images; Supplied

success — one we celebrated heartily at the Valley (the party district) afterwards.

The Story Bridge was built in the Great Depression to get people working. It’s a massive iron structure that spans the brown snake. The Story Bridge Adventure Climb is spectacular, high up and exhilarating in a slightly terrifying way. What better way to start a day than sightseeing at sobering high altitude. Luckily we all passed the breath test. You’re not allowed up there steamed.

As soon as we were back down we headed underneath to the Felons Brewing Co. The place is named in after the four felons who discovered Brisbane. Apparently, they escaped a prison colony, stole a boat and when the official discovery party turned up they were already on the banks drinking beers. Years later, they are brewing tasty beers by the river in honour of these great Australians/criminals.

More spectacular Magic Round action followed and some further terrible behaviour in the Valley.

This city has a lot of active hours. We ended our final night at Death and Taxes, an old-world cocktail lounge and wine bar in Brisbane’s oldest laneway, Burnett Lane. Sitting in the flash leather-clad interior trying the widest array of obscure whiskeys/whiskies this side of Ireland or Scotland or somewhere where they have lots of whiskies/whiskeys. Delicious.

The NRL Magic Round is a great event and it’s happening at Suncorp for at least the next two years. Well worth the flight over.

But when you go make sure you take the time to experience Brisbane. A place of fantastic food, people, buildings, choppers, boats, islands, fishing, culture, cocktails and beers.

Love Brizzy.

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16 | Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Australia

»

Depths to the dunes in a day Olivia Fairhurst has the perfect summer’s day snorkelling and tobogganing island-style in Queensland

A

s the catamaran ferry glides through the ocean, a strip of land comes into view. Thirty eight kilometres of Moreton Island to be exact.

Throughout the 90-minute journey from the mainland, the overcast sky gradually splits to reveal blue skies sprinkled with cotton-candy clouds.

Island life just a short journey away from big smoke Brisbane.

The river of trees meets the endless white sand. Dusty cliffs bear buildings. But as the land nears, the water upstages its competitors. Turquoise ripples intertwined with teal reefs. The shore hits you with an entourage of colour.

Our first adventure of the day is snorkelling through the Tangalooma Wrecks. A water baby myself, it’s a first to be snorkelling through 15 sunken ships. Donated by the Queensland Council, the ships peek above the water. And on their bright orange and brown rust, coral has made itself at home. The result — a manmade coral reef where a mixture of tropical and cool-water fish circle.

The team at Sunset Safaris gears us up with wetsuits, gloves, masks and flippers to protect us from the ships’ ragged edges. Holding on to a jet ski, we’re pulled out about 200m to the wrecks. Dunking my head under, I’m welcomed by thousands of fish. “There’s one shark,” the instructor says. “But he’s friendly.”

The world stops in its tracks as the coloured movement and sunlight flares slice through the

White sand meets turquoise water on Moreton Island; see the coral reef and fish from a transparentbottomed kayak. Photos / Tourism and Events Queensland

blue, leaving me captivated. A different fish breed at every glance.

“Turtle, turtle!” I hear. I frantically look around before settling myself in a swimming lane above it. It comes up for air before speeding off under the wrecks.

Next form of transport: the transparent-bottomed kayaks. Floating above, it’s a perfect opportunity to capture the moment.

The tour guide explains that the most colourful, bright fish of the school, the parrot fish, eat coral and excrete it into the sand. The process is important for Moreton, the third largest sand island in the world.

We fuel up with food, ready for the next

expedition: sand tobogganing. Imagine sledding through snow but island style. Four-wheel driving along the beach, the breeze lightly touches our faces and the shore glistens in the sun before we veer off into the Australian bush. A bumpy but adrenalin-fuelled ride leads us to a field of white sand. We stand beneath the hill, like a line of Mad Max characters ready for battle.

Humans versus the dunes.

On conquering the climb, my board is waxed and as I lie down nerves come to say hello. Pull the board up and put your foot down to straighten up, I’m told. I set off.

Picking up speed, an instant smile spreads on to my face. Butterflies in my stomach make me crave more. I come to a gradual stop and despite the haul back up the hill, it’s worth two more trips.

As the day ends and we depart on the ferry, I leave with the feeling of the end of a summer’s day — exhausted, satisfied and grateful.

Sunshine Coast

Queensland Moreton Island Brisbane Gold Coast

Checklist MORETON ISLAND GETTING THERE Air New Zealand flies from Auckland to Brisbane, with one-way Seat fares from $227. airnz.co.nz DETAILS queensland.com

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| 17.03.19 |

1 Great Barrier Reef tour

2

A day out on the Great Barrier Reef is a must-do when in Port Douglas. If you’re visiting with kids, Quicksilver Cruises is a great option. They’ll take you out to the Agincourt Reef, on the very edge of Australia’s Continental Shelf, to explore this underwater wonderland. They can snorkel to their hearts’ content, or stay dry and explore the stunning reef from the comfort of a Quicksilver semi-sub, which goes a metre below the surface. quicksilver-cruises.com

21

offers a number of extra experiences you can book — including a kids’ club, a breakfast buffet with the birds, and a night-time tour to see nocturnal animals. wildlifehabitat.com.au

3 Lady Douglas River Cruise

3

2 Wildlife Habitat

Meet the locals at this immersive wildlife experience on the outskirts of Port Douglas. Kids can cuddle a koala, feed the kangaroos, meet pythons and crocodiles and walk among the birds. The park also

Departing four times a day from the Port Douglas Marina, a leisurely cruise on the Lady Douglas is a great way to spot crocodiles in their natural habitat among the mangroves. Although a croc-sighting is not guaranteed, the company claims to spot them on 90 per cent of their trips.

Kids get the chance to drive the boat, and are given activity sheets where they can tick off sights along the way. And if your little ones don’t like to sit still, there’s plenty of space for them to move around the boat. ladydouglas.com.au

PORT DOUGLAS They’ll be wild about the options in Tropical North Queensland, writes Eli Orzessek Port Douglas Photo / Tourism and Events Queensland

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Return airfare from Auckland nd 1 night in Budapest including breakfast b kf 14 night river cruise: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Durnstein, Melk, Passau, Regensberg, Kelheim, Nuremburg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Wertheim, Miltenberg, Rudesheim, Koblenz, Cologne, Amsterdam Option to extend your stay in Europe

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CONDITIONS: All cruise packages are based on Twin share, inside cabin and costs are per person. Availability is current as at 12 Mar 19 and deals are available until date shown or until sold out. Space is strictly limited and is subject to availability at time of booking. On board credit where shown is per cabin & must be spent on board and is not refundable in cash. All passengers are bound by the individual cruise lines terms&conditions, please ask your consultant for a full copy. Current Deals must be paid in full at time of booking or as shown. All passengers must have a valid passport with more than 6 months validity at the end of their holiday. Travel insurance should be taken out at time of booking to cover in the event of any unforeseen cancellation. Included airfares are based on special non refundable economy fares, ground transfers are not included unless specified, any hotels included are on a room only basis unless specified. ESTA Visas are required for Itineraries visiting USA ,Canada, India, China, Vietnam & Sri Lanka. Visa costs are not included. If travelling on a non NZ passport other visas + NZ re-entry permits may also be required, please check with applicable embassy Quote your AA Smartfuel number for 50c off per litre.

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Tuesday, May 7, 2019 | 3

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Noosa T for

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he Noosa region offers an array of beachfront towns and remote communities — along with the everglades (pictured), a natural wonder.

Cafe Aromas Noosa (aromasnoosa. com.au) is a local favourite, offering a simple yet perfectly formed menu, which is influenced by local and seasonal ingredients from their own Maravista Farm.

Enjoy Aromas’ legendary coffee as you peruse a menu. Order prudently (we need to save some coin for dinner) and grab a bakery sandwich from Hastings Street Bakery opposite Aromas for the next part of your adventure. $25 While many seekers of pristine wilderness are drawn to Noosa National Park and the walking trails from Laguna Bay to Hell’s Gates, insiders head a little further out to the Noosa Everglades. Kayak with Kanu Kapers (kanukapersaustralia. com) through the pristine waters.

The picturesque area is bursting with more than 44 per cent of Australia’s birdlife and more than 1365 species of plants. Self-guided tours through the everglades are $99, guided tours cost twice as much. This kayak tour will keep you busy from 8am-3pm and, boy, will the next part of your day feel wellearned.

After a day of hard yakka out on the water, you deserve a break. Make your way back to Hastings St for a beer in the shade and as soon as you’re ready, dinner.

Drawing heavily on Italian tradition, Locale Noosa (localenoosa.com.au) offers a seasonal menu using the best in local produce. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, Locale Noosa sits in a protected corner of Hastings St just a few steps from the golden sands of Noosa Main Beach, perfect for an after-feast stroll. This fantastic menu of pasta and seafood isn’t cheap and you’re going to want a beer or two. This will blow the rest of the budget but you deserve it. You can get at least a couple of their amazing dishes and a few drinks for $100.

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Travel lines

TOTAL: $224

Where we are

There have been six reported fatalities because of turbulence since 1980. “All were caused by people not being buckled into their seats when the plane hit dangerous weather conditions,” reports Eleanor Barker.

Ask Away » p4 The cagou — a bird endemic to New Caledonia — is generally monogamous, partnering up for life.

Pacific Islands » p10-p11 A ban on climbing Uluru — the 348m-high, 550 million-year-old monolith at the heart of Australia — comes into effect in November. But, even if visiting before that ban comes into effect, smart travellers will respect the wishes of the local Aboriginal people and stick to walking around the rock rather than climbing up it.

Winter Holidays: Australia » p12 Skiers visiting Japan should consider getting their Japan Rail Pass in advance. It gives unlimited travel with most rail companies for seven, 14 or 21 days, from $391.

Asia » p22 Te Aturangi Nepia-Clamp, CEO of Tairāwhiti Voyaging Trust, cracked three ribs while pulling in a marlin on a handline with three other sailors aboard Sir Hector Busby’s waka Te Aurere.

“It was at least six-foot long, before the bill, and it fed 23 people for nine days so it was worth it,” he says. “But it was pretty painful to breathe for a while.”

He Tangata » p26 New York restaurateur Danny Meyer made news in 2016 when he banned tipping at his 13 restaurants. The move was hailed as a positive effort to eradicate the unfair pay disparity in restaurants and to offer employees a more reliable income, less vulnerable to the whims of customers.

Opinion » p29 Passengers in the First Class cabin of a Qantas A380 can choose to eat dinner together, with the suites converted for couples to dine.

Flight Check Omnibus » p30 In Svaram sound healing — which you can experience at the fabulous Svatma hotel, in Tamil Naidu — musical instruments are used to bring “the system into deeper coherence”.

“I’d never heard of sound therapy before,” writes Winston Aldworth. “But I can say that now it rings a bell.”

Room Check Omnibus » p32 Readers considering a trip to Iran might want to keep in mind the fact that it can be issue when later applying for an ESTA visa to enter the USA. Letters to the Travel Editor » p34

Travelling is the ruin of all happiness!

There’s no looking at a building after seeing Italy.

Frances Burney

The new TWA Hotel, which opens at New York’s JFK Airport next week, will feature a 19.5m infinity pool with an observation deck overlooking the runways. “There’s simply no better place in the world for plane-spotting, and enjoying a cocktail,” says developer Tyler Morse. “He clearly hasn’t been to the scenic lookout on Auckland’s Puhinui Rd,” says our acerbic Travel Wires columnist.

Travel Wires » p35

ss aboard a Qantas Ben O’Brien flew First Cla w appears on p30 . . . revie A380. His Flight Check

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