Tigertales October - November 2017 by Citrus Media

tigertales

TAKE ME AWAY

Australia | October – November 2017

tigerair.com.au Australia | October-November 2017

CHEERS SQUAD ➔ Taasha Coates from the Audreys sings the praises of the perfect local pub

G R E AT A U S T R A L I A N B I T E

W E E K E N D WAR R IOR S

GOING TROPPO

Going swimming with great white sharks

Two very different travellers take on Hobart

Heading off on a North Queensland road trip

WELCOME ON BOARD

Tigerair continues to grow New routes, additional flights and new customer innovations

igerair Australia continues to grow in line with consumer demand. Recently we flew 25 million passengers in Australia as more people than ever are choosing to fly with us. This issue, we celebrate new Brisbane to Canberra services, which launched 14 September, and we announce new services connecting Hobart with Gold Coast commencing 7 December, just before the upcoming peak summer travel period. We also continue to look at ways to enhance the customer experience, with new products and innovations to make booking and flying Tigerair better than ever. In September, we launched the airline’s official Facebook Messenger chatbot “Toby”, who is designed to help customers search and book the best value flights, retrieve existing bookings and answer questions on common topics such as baggage allowances. To start a live online chat with Toby, simply visit Toby’s page on our website (tigerair.com.au) or on our Tigerair Australia Facebook page. Alternatively, you can chat to Toby by opening Facebook Messenger and searching “Toby Tigerair Australia.” We’re also very excited to announce that, coming soon, we’ll introduce a new world of inflight entertainment options thanks to our recently announced inflight product offering with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (TCFF) and Fox Networks Group, to provide our customers with access

to recently released movies and TV titles. The new inflight entertainment programming will be progressively rolled out across our entire fleet of aircraft – just ask the cabin crew for more details if you want to know more or how to access our free and paid inflight entertainment offerings. In further good news for Tigerair customers, the airline also announced recently that it will install state-ofthe-art, slimline leather seats across our fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft from March 2018. Features of the new seats include enhanced comfort, adjustable headrests, an additional storage pocket for personal items and a builtin tablet/phone holder on the back

of the seat, complementing the airline’s new inflight entertainment product. Finally, we’re thrilled to once again be the major airline partner for the Airlie Beach Festival of Music – read more about the event in this edition of Tiger Tales (page 29). To keep up to date with all the latest Tigerair Australia news and deals, remember to follow us on Facebook (Tigerair Australia), Twitter (@Tigerair AU) and Instagram (@tigerairaustralia). Happy travels! We look forward to welcoming you onboard again in the near future.

Peter Wilson, Tigerair Australia Acting CEO

“We’re also very excited to announce that, coming soon, we’ll introduce a new world of inflight entertainment”

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Good from the ground up... and away

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CONTENTS

Destination directory Inside this issue… wherever you’re going, we’ve got you covered ENCOUNTER

g a l l o p in t h e jungle

ENCOUNTER

s w im in d a r w in The best local waterholes for a dip

Go Horseriding at Cape Tribulation

49 35

THE POINTY END

Go horseriding in Cape Tribulation

WORDS JO STEWART

iding from the rainforest to the sea is one of the best ways to experience Cape Tribulation’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed landscapes. Surrounded by misty mountains and deep green paddocks that are wet underfoot, it’s hard to think of a better place for a horse stable. I’ve just been dropped at the starting point of Cape Trib Horse Rides, a small stable plonked smack bang right in the middle of paradise. Even before starting the ride, I’m struck by how intensely beautiful Tropical

North Queensland is. Seemingly a world away from the concrete-laden cities most of us live in, a trip to Cape Tribulation is a cinematic experience. It’s humbling to think that this part of Australia is home to the world’s oldest rainforest (at a whopping 165 million years old, the Daintree Rainforest pre-dates the Amazon). An experience suited to everyone from risk-averse Nervous Nellies to seasoned riders, our guides assure our small group hailing from ê

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Tigertales10_p35-37_E4 PointyEnd_Cape Tribulation PC.indd 35

21/9/17 9:49 am

F E AT U R E

w il d , w il d l if e We celebrate the best local pubs

PHOTO JOSIE WITHERS

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WORDS PAUL CHAI PHOTOS XXXXX

Power Without Glory. As for music, well, it’s given birth to a whole genre: pub rock. And no wonder. It’s easy to romanticise these temples of amber, still kitted out as they are with the emerald tiles, stained glass and gleaming brass of yesteryear; untroubled by changing technology and shortened attention spans. So, since there’s nothing like a good local to make you feel at home in a new city, we’ve polled five barflies on the pubs that spawned them. Funnily enough, there’s not a plasma-screen TV, spindly bicycle-seat stool or strip-lit bistro in sight.

TAASHA COATES GIGGING AT ADELAIDE’S GRACE EMILY

Nothing says “Welcome, stranger” like a good local pub. You know the type: a jukebox programmed to help you cry into your beer, footy on an ancient telly and a surly landlord. Jenny Valentish checks out some local heroes he great Australian boozer is so embedded in our culture that it has been immortalised on screen in a canon of classics: Blue Murder, Jack Irish, Underbelly, Two Hands, Dirty Deeds, The Hard Word, Death in Brunswick and Wake in Fright. It’s also the sturdy constant in literature – Lennie Lower’s Here’s Luck, Peter Temple’s Truth, Andrew McGahan’s Praise, Jane Harper’s The Dry, Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, Ray Lawler’s Summer of the 17th Doll, David Malouf’s Johnno, Richard Flanagan’s Road to the Deep North, David Ireland’s The Glass Canoe and Frank Hardy’s

sydney's best brews Take the Inner West Ale Trail

Cheers to the local pub T

ENCOUNTER

Swim with sharks in South Australia

Musicians aren’t known for commitment, and yet The Audreys’ Taasha Coates so loves her local that – for better or for worse – she wound up there on her wedding day. “We got married at a venue in town, then had the party,” she recalls – though it’s a bit hazy – “then, at around 11pm, my husband and I went on to the Grace. At one point he disappeared, so I went into the men’s toilet to look for him. There was a man in there who gave me the most puzzled look: a woman in a wedding dress is standing behind me at the urinal…” The Adelaide native started hanging at the CBD hotel when she formed The Audreys in 2004, and so well is it regarded by musicians that when she was writing last year’s solo album, Taasha Coates & Her Melancholy Sweethearts, she road tested the material through a residency. “The bandroom has a sticky carpet, old velvet curtains, and a couch that’s been there for years,” she says. “I suspect I’ve probably slept on it.” The main bar has the same kind of creased charm. “It’s cluttered with music and sporting memorabilia and knick-knacks, covered with dust. There’s a great fireplace with one of those mega candles on the mantle that’s been leaking wax for about 15 years,” Coates says. “They play Americana and alt-country through the PA, and throw mini-festivals of Adelaide acts. Every Monday they have Billy Bob’s BBQ Jam and often someone touring through town will get up.” In fact, the Grace is a popular after-show spot with bands playing Adelaide’s larger venues. “Just recently, Tim Rogers was playing at The Gov, so he’d turn up at the Grace at one in the morning,” she adds. This November, The Audreys will be touring the country, revisiting their first album, Between Last Night and Us. But can that live up to the glory of presenting an award to her local? After The Grace was inducted into the South Australia Music Hall of Fame, it was Coates who did the honours at the pub’s own ceremony. “My name’s even on a plaque for having presented them with that, but I don’t think they’ve put it up yet,” she muses. “Now might be the time.” Grace Emily Hotel, 232 Waymouth Street, Adelaide; graceemilyhotel.com.au

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19 Go beyond the cellar door in Victoria

Editorial & Art Editor Paul Chai Designer Cynthia Lau Creative Director Stephanie Goh Sub Editor Adam Scroggy Production Manager Ian Scott

Advertising National Advertising Manager Stephanie Kavanagh (02) 8188 3668 stephanie@citrusmedia.com.au

Printed by Bluestar Web Cover photo Taasha Coates, photographed by Josie Withers

Management Financial Controller Stuart Harle Director Jim Flynn Publisher Steve Maidens (02) 8188 3670 steve@citrusmedia.com.au Tiger Tales is published on behalf of Tigerair by Citrus Media, PO Box 20154, World Square NSW 2002 Tel. (02) 9186 9186 citrusmedia.com.au

© 2017 All rights reserved. Reproduction or distribution in any form, in whole or in part, is prohibited without prior written permission from the copyright holder. Citrus Media is not responsible for the views and opinions of contributing journalists. Although the advice and information in this book are believed to be accurate and true at the time of going to press, neither the authors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

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T H E TA S T E O F TA S M A N I A Book a flight now for the annual Taste of Tasmania food festival on the Hobart Waterfront in December. The festival offers visitors the chance to sample the best produce Tassie has to offer from 70 stallholders. Hobart, December 28 – January 3; thetasteof tasmania.com.au

M A M M O T H S: G I A N T S O F T H E I C E AG E The Australian premiere of this exhibition about when mammoths roamed the earth is at Sydney’s Australian Museum in November. Check out life-size models of these huge beasts and see a 42,000-year-old preserved baby mammoth. Sydney, November 18; australianmuseum.net.au

G L AC E On the back of a pop-up earlier in the year, star pastry and dessert chef Christy Tania has opened Glace in Melbourne. Tania’s artisanal ice cream flavours include boozy date – sticky date putting soaked in rum with vanilla ice cream. Just in time for the warmer weather. Melbourne; glacefrozen.com

E X P E R IE NC E S D E F E N C E O F DAR W I N This immersive experience seeks to provide visitors with a better understanding of what it was like during the bombing of Darwin during the Second World War. It’s interactive and digital with a theatre experience designed to take you back to February 19, 1942. Darwin; defenceofdarwin. nt.gov.au

MU S IC PAU L D E M P S E Y Grab a ticket now for the Something for Kate front man doing a rare solo show on the Coffs Coast. Dempsey will play the C.ex Club in December, and you can catch Bob Evans (aka Jebediah’s Kevin Mitchell) doing a show at the club in November. Coffs Harbour, December 15; cex.com.au

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HOUSE OF DIOR The exhibition House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture is the hot ticket at Melbourne’s NGV in October. It’s exclusive to Melbourne and a direct collaboration with Dior to display 140 garments designed by the fashion house from 1947 to today. Melbourne, until November 7; ngv.vic.gov.au

BRITISH INDIA The boys from British India set off nationwide on their Forgetting the Future tour. Future is the band’s sixth record and was recorded with Holy Holy’s Oscar Dawson, who tweaks the band’s sound but doesn’t stray to far from their rock roots. Nationwide, Oct-Nov; britishindiaofficial.com

D I AL O G U E I N T H E DAR K New to Melbourne, Dialogue in the Dark is a social enterprise that has been around for 25 years. The idea is a sensory journey in total darkness where you’re led by guides who are blind or have low vision, and you learn to interact like they do. Melbourne; dialogueinthedark.com.au

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THE POINTY END

Take a break with the Peep Tempel

WORDS PAUL CHAI

elbourne trio the Peep Tempel have spent nearly a decade on the road and recorded three albums Joy, Tales and their eponymous first release in 2012 – which guitarist and singer Blake Scott jokes is “two more than we thought we would make.” Now, as they tour Joy, the band has announced they will be putting their brand of observant, character-driven rock on ice, with the guys set to take a hiatus after the current set of shows. “We will all continue to play music but, personally, I probably feel I just need a bit of time to do some reading or chill out. Certainly after these shows I wont be jumping back into anything,” Blake says.

The lead singer says he’ll miss making records even though they can often take a lot out of him, and he’s grateful for the success the band has seen, nominating a European tour and the band’s first appearance at the Meredith Music Festival in 2015 as highlights. “Meredith is a festival we really wanted to play. I think most Melbourne bands do, and to get the opportunity not only to play it but to play it at five o’clock in the afternoon to a full amphitheatre was a real buzz,” he says. “And it’s just one of the those times when we were very conscious to savour the moment and take our time to enjoy being out there. Nothing can really beat that.” ê

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THE POINTY END “We will all continue to play music but I probably feel I just need a bit of time to do some reading or chill out“ Now that he’s a man of leisure, we asked Blake to share with us some of the places the hiatus might take him:

The Old Bar

Catch the Peep Tempel See the band for (possibly) the last time as they head off on their national Totality tour. They close the tour to a hometown crowd at the newly revamped Forum Theatre on November 3, but they can also be found at the Bald Faced Stag in Sydney on October 28, the Foundry in Brisbane on October 21, and the Miami Tavern on the Gold Coast on October 20. For more dates and info, facebook.com/thepeeptempel

THE PEEP TEMPEL PLAN TO TAKE A BREAK AFTER THEIR TOTALIT Y TOUR

“A splendid little bar in Fitzroy (74-76 Johnston Street, Fitzroy; theoldbar.com.au). It feels like your lounge room, only filled with people you’d never let in your house.”

Wilsons Promontory “You’ll need to hike for kilometres to find a beach,” he says of this popular Melbourne weekend getaway. “You’ll be so hot that you’ll enter some of the most treacherous waters on earth to cool off, and then get the worst sunburn you’ve ever had, as there’s absolutely no shade. Still, you’ll want more. Make sure you stop in at the Fish Creek Hotel (1 Old Waratah Road, Fish Creek; fishcreekhotel.com.au) on the way down.”

Coober Pedy “Where humans live underground like ants. The only place in the world that you stay home to die, and friends and relatives come by and throw flowers on your roof.”

The Sunset Strip (Lake Menindee) “A strip of shacks on Lake Menindee, just south of Broken Hill in NSW. Absolutely pristine white sand. I can be a bit of a drowning risk on beach holidays as I’ve a deep passion for rice wine. So this is perfect, as the lake is completely dry. A stark reminder that the earth is in fact round and warming with haste.”

TAKE THEM TO THE PROM Wilsons Promontory is a popular Melbourne getaway.

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Darwin “The sailing club is a great spot to whittle away the day,” Blake says. “The crocodile farm (now Crocosaurus Cove) was a touch overpriced, but if you head to the same spot at the river each day to fill up your canteen you’ll get to see one up close.”

Thailand “Anywhere in Thailand,” says Blake when discussing overseas getaways. “The heat, the food. The side-of-the-road soup shacks en route to any location are the greatest.”

Berlin

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“My favourite city. So peaceful and free. You can pretty much do whatever you like, as long as you’re not bothering anyone else. Daytime in the parks or just wandering. Great bars, great people.”

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Melbourne, Darwin and Adelaide; tigerair.com.au

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Why I live in

t o w n s v il l e

THE POINTY END

Steve Price was born in Melbourne and left for Townsville “34 mango seasons ago.” “Pricey” is now the breakfast radio king in the Tropical North Queensland town. What makes Townsville a great place to live? I love the lifestyle and the people – fun-loving troppo Aussies that stick together, love their sport and love their home. We have more tropical islands than you can poke a thong at; the Great Barrier Reef; one of the best wreck dives in the world, the SS Yongala; and wines at sunset. How has the area changed in the past few years? We have some new adventures to our local wilderness areas – the incredible SeaLink tour (sealinkqld.com.au) to the Cape Cleveland Lighthouse is a beauty, the Palm Island settlement adventure, and great fishing trips to the best light tackle marlin grounds in the world. Where do you go after work to wind down? Never too far from a beach – we have heaps. Never is a day the same, never is a beach the same so, I wander the beaches with my Tenterfield terrier. What’s the one thing a tourist must do? Try Bowen mangoes in season. See a sugar cane burn in our cane heart of the Burdekin. Have an incredible seafood platter at Danny Meares’ famous Watermark restaurant (72-74 The Strand, North Ward; watermarktownsville.com.au) on the Coral Sea. Have a beer with locals at the Picnic Bay Pub (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Esplanade, Picnic Bay; picnicbayhotel.com.au) on Magnetic Island. See our military history at Jezzine Barracks (townsville.qld.gov.au). Was that more than one?

HEAR STEVE PRICE Steve Price does the 5-9am breakfast shift on Townsville’s 4TO, part of the Southern Cross Austereo Network. For more information, visit 4tofm.com.au.

Tell us something only a local would know. Whatever we know, we are happy to share. Here are few of my faves: Devonshire teas at Ivy Cottage (66 Mt Spec Road, Paluma; ivycottagepaluma.com) in the rainforest, with the birds pinching your scones. Townsville Bitter on tap at the Townsville Brewery on a Friday night (252 Flinders Street, Townsville; townsvillebrewery.com.au). And frosty mango ice cream on the highway to Ingham.

MORE CELEBS Hang out with some well-known faces in their favourite pubs.

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THE POINTY END

THE SPLURGE

CAMEL BEACH HOUSE Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

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comes to you in widescreen via the floor-to-ceiling windows so you can watch the changing blue hues, the crashing waves and the sun-dappled sea spray from a comfy leather couch. Bang for your buck: The isolation. This isn’t just beachfront; this is your very own beach on a 250acre oceanfront property with nothing to distract you

WORDS PAUL CHAI

hy it’s worth it: This wooden cube, inspired by the area’s simple fishermen’s shacks, sits so alone amongst the scrubby sand dunes of Mount Camel Beach you feel like a zoo exhibit for the passing pods of whales and dolphins in the wild Southern Ocean. From inside your steel-clad home, in the eclectic, book-filled living space, that same ocean

ultimate beach house Watch the sun set on your very own stretch of South Australian coast.

from the untamed South Australian coast. Take a walk along the shell-and-rock-lined goat track that leads down to Mount Camel Beach, visit the tidal rock pools of the Mount Camel Headland, or throw a provided line and tackle into the surf. In the morning you’ll wake to whale-watching from the end of your bed and sea birds keeping their eye on the only property in sight. The digs: The layout is simple with two bedrooms at either end of the house, and a combined living/cooking space, but the soft finishings are high quality and the decor is full of personality. Camel Beach House feels like being invited over to your well-travelled friend’s house to admire their Mexican sculptures, Balinese masks and towering cactus collection, the latter of which sits at the back of the house near two sheltered day beds. Queen beds are decorated in colourful throws and modern Australian photography and art cover the walls of the bedrooms and dominate the living space. It’s eclectic and it works. Must-do experience: In your fridge you might find a jar of Seafood Mezze pickled prawns from nearby Venus Bay. Take them out to the deck at sunset with a glass of

wine and turn up the in-house Marshall speakers with your favourite playlist – there are no neighbours to stop you. The damage: Camel Beach House costs $375 per night to rent out in low season and $430 per night otherwise. There’s a minimum stay of three nights due to the maintenance of such a remote location. camelbeachhouse.com.au

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Adelaide from three destinations; tigerair.com.au

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THE POINTY END

Go behind the cellar door in Victoria

WORDS PAUL CHAI

ellar door visits used to be pretty predictable: turn up, taste some wine and buy a polite bottle … or six. But as our understanding of wine matures, so too have the cellar door experiences. Ultimate Wine Experiences Australia (UWEA) offers nearly 100 of these new experiences at various wineries around the country. But for this story, I’m concentrating on wineries in the Victorian countryside, from Milawa to the Strathbogie Ranges. On a family property in Milawa, northern Victoria, John Francis Brown started making wine 128 years ago in a barn surrounded by sheep and hay bales. He created Brown Brothers, and also gave us one of the country’s first cellar door

restaurants 24 years ago with Patricia’s Table (named for the Brown matriarch). Brown Brothers has identified four types of wine tourist: the wine discoverer, who is new to wine; the wine explorer who wants to know everything; the wine settled, who knows what they like and sticks with it; and the wine connoisseur. “We used that information to develop product to take to the tourism market,” says cellar door manager Darren Vincent. “We started creating these products from a simple tour to a three-day immersion visit.” At Browns that means a tour that takes in the production process where we taste a hot-pink coloured rose made from tempranillo and meet ê winemaker Katherine Brown hard at work. We

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THE POINTY END

Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula

T H E D A I LY G R I N D Pizzini matriarch, Katrina, keeps the author on his toes with a morning cooking class.

P IC NIC A M O N G S T T H E A R T AT M O N TA LT O Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove has held a sculpture prize each year for the past 12 years and displays the entrants among their lush vines. Situated on the Mornington Peninsula, this is an outdoor space that people want to engage with, so their popular experience is a picnic on the grounds.

H AV E L U N C H W I T H T H E T A L E N T BEHIND DE BORTOLI DeBortoli’s gourmet food and wine experience offers the best of the Yarra Valley on a plate, and in a glass. Guests start with a gourmet tasting right next to the cheese room where the De Bortoli’s age a range of cheeses and while this is a well-loved combination combining a Rococo NC Premium Cuvee with a Meredith’s Goats Cheese in DeBortoli’s award-winning cellar door makes everything taste better. ultimatewineryexperiences.com.au

finish at Patricia’s Table sitting down to a wine-matched meal that might include fried quail breast and terrine, apple kimchi, yuzu mayonnaise and peanuts to the soundtrack of acorns falling on the tin roof. Not far from the Browns live the Pizzinis, tobacco-farmers-turned-winemakers in the King Valley who helped popularise Italian varietals like sangiovese and barbera. The Pizzinis offer cellar-door cooking classes by matriarch Katrina, and it’s a masterclass in simple Italian cooking. The best cooking classes don’t just impart recipes – they impart knowledge, and Katrina Pizzini’s

MONTALTO VINEYARD ON THE MORNINGTON PENINSUL A

A Tavola! Cooking School is full of tips and secrets that stay with you after the class has finished. In fact, I learn to make a simple pizza sauce that is now a staple in our household on Sunday evenings. A short drive away in the dramatic Strathbogie Ranges sits Fowles Wines, who understand the need for an enhanced cellar door experience. “Seeing behind the cellar door is particularly important to Fowles because our vineyards and winery are actually separate to our cellar door,” Ian Firth says. On a Fowles tour you’ll visit the main winery operations a short drive away, but a few hundred metres higher in the hills. Guests can taste the future vintages in their ê infancy; sweet pungent glasses of grape

“Katrina Pizzini’s A Tavola! Cooking School is full of tips and secrets that stay with you after the class has finished”

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THE POINTY END

juice that only a winemaker could love, but which will eventually become the sort of wine that made Fowles the first Victorian winery to win the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge trophy for Australia’s Best Shiraz. Fowles also offers a game experience that showcases the winery's unique take on food and wine matching. “What sets us apart is our food and wine matching philosophy,” Firth says. “We are the first winery in the world to actually blend a wine to specifically match game food.”

“We are the first winery in the world to actually blend a wine to specifically match game food”

A VINE TIME Getting out of the cellar door and into the vineyards and wineries teaches you more about winemaking.

Established in 1860, Tahbilk is the grand dame of the Strathbogie region wineries and it offers a unique tour. Our task is to blend a red wine using four distinct wines: oaked shiraz, unoaked shiraz, oaked merlot and unoaked merlot. I’m a little concerned as during training by back palate seems to have gone to sleep, but our tour guide helps make some adjustments – though I don’t think I’d get a job making wine any time soon. But the experience is interesting given that the group of proto-winemakers splits down the middle, one side preferring a shiraz-dominated wine, the other merlot. It perfectly highlights the personal nature of winemaking.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Melbourne from 10 destinations; tigerair.com.au

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THE POINTY END

THE FEAST 1 0F 2

SHOULD THIS GO ON INSTAGRAM? Instagram has changed the way many restaurants approach the appearance of the food they serve

WORDS PAUL KRISTOFF ILLUSTRATION JESSICA HU

ntil recently, food only needed to look appealing at the dinner table in the context of the restaurant itself, but today, with every dish around the world being photographed and showcased online for potentially hundreds of thousands of people to see, the need to stand out among this wider audience has become an essential part of restaurant marketing. There are pros and cons to the way this aspect of the dining experience has developed. One of the most obvious positives is that food, on a whole, is presented far better than it used to be. “Art on a plate” used to be restricted to those who could afford to eat at finedining restaurants, but now the average diner can be served artistically presented food at even the most casual brunch spot. Fierce competition has forced restaurateurs to raise their standards, and this in turn has democratised pretty food.

The same is true of a restaurant’s interior design. Today, everyone can enjoy eating in spaces imagined by some of the world’s top designers. A great dining experience is always about more than just the food, and dining in a beautifully designed place often adds something extra. Having said that, these very same things have also had a detrimental effect on aspects of the dining experience. Food might look better, but it doesn’t necessarily taste better. There are countless examples of style over substance, with restaurants prioritising food that will look good on someone’s Instagram feed over how the food will actually taste. Take pancake stacks – it used to be enough that pancakes tasted great, were light and fluffy, and had well-balanced flavours. But now, pancake stacks come lathered with sauce, topped high with ice cream-filled cones, fairy floss, edible glitter, popping candy, and anything else imaginable.

The result is a polished, photo-ready look that, much like the freakshake with its structurally unsound piles of different desserts, makes taste an afterthought. The flavours aren’t well balanced, and figuring out how to tackle the thing on the plate takes more thought than it should. We’re all to blame for this. As consumers, we’re much more likely to engage with something that’s visually appealing, colourful, bright and interesting. In response, restaurateurs operating ê

GR A M-WOR TH Y BITE S This year in the UK, the Daily Telegraph reported just how important Instagram is to the restaurant industry. Quoting research from Italian restaurant Zizzi, the paper said 18 to 35-year-olds spend five whole days a year browsing food images on Instagram, and 30 per cent would avoid a restaurant if its Instagram presence was weak.

zizzi.co.uk

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"THINGS WON'T CHANGE AS LONG AS PEOPLE RATE FOOD SOLELY ON VISUAL APPEAL" in an industry with razor-thin margins do what they can to, excuse the pun, feed our appetite for this. Food Instagrammers, in their never-ending quest for likes and validation, are more than happy to oblige, often omitting from their feeds interesting, less visually appealing food that their audience should know about. Recent changes to the Instagram algorithm, which prioritise content that gets lots of likes within the first hour or two of posting, has further encouraged this. As a prominent Instagrammer myself, I performed an experiment. I posted a photo of some deep-fried Szechuanspiced duck with greens – a dish of predominantly browns and dull greens. It was one of the best things I’d eaten in recent months, and in the comment, I indicated that people should make an effort to try it at the restaurant in question. Engagement on the photo was relatively low. Shortly after, I posted a photo of loaded lobster fries I had recently tried which ticked all the boxes for an Instagrammable photo: gooey cheese, gravy and lobster atop a pile of French fries. It was a disappointing dish that failed to live up to its promise, and the comment reflected this. As expected, there was a lot of engagement, with many people tagging in their friends with comments along the lines of "omg we have to try this".

THE POINTY END THE FEAST 2 0F 2 Will things change? Probably not. As long as people continue to engage based solely on visual appeal, without paying much attention to the comments, and as long as Instagrammers prioritise likes over everything else, the state of play will remain as it is. Don’t feel too dismayed though, as you can make a difference. Engage with Instagrammers who care about more than just a pretty photo, and take a few seconds to read the comments. In the meantime, here are some great spots around Australia that serve not just Instagrammable food, but less photogenic, tasty dishes too.

Basta (Fitzroy, VIC) Basta recently opened on Fitzroy’s Gertrude Street offering a menu of simple Italian dishes with plenty of influences from head chef Piera Pagnoni’s hometown of Bologna. It’s about home-style food cooked right, using local, seasonal ingredients. All pasta is made on-site, by hand, and the tagliatelle beef ragu topped with grated grana pandano is fantastic. There are more Instagrammable dishes on the menu, but the tagliatelle is a must-order item.

Shadow Wine Bar (Perth, WA) The recently opened Alex Hotel is Perth’s first independently run hotel, and its wine bar, Shadow Wine Bar, has already built a reputation for focusing on casual, classic European dining. There’s some pretty stuff on the menu, owing more to the vibrant produce than any attempt at appealing to Instagrammers, but the dish that people keep coming back for is the plain-looking, utterly delicious crab spaghettini.

Mamak (Sydney, WA) This one-time food cart has two physical locations in Sydney and one in Melbourne and is famous for serving up some of the best roti around. The buttery layers of roti goodness combined with

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a few Malaysian curries always go down a treat, and it’s irrelevant that the brown on brown on brown meals, served on a basic metal tray, don’t quite lend themselves to a pretty photo.

Jellyfish (Brisbane, QLD) Jellyfish in Brisbane’s CBD takes seafood seriously, sourcing a daily school of eight to 14 species of fish daily, and recommending to diners the best way to enjoy each species. It’s one of the best places in town for seafood, including the humble battered fish and chips. From a photography point of view it’s yellow and more yellow, but the taste and texture is fantastic.

Le Carpe Diem (Adelaide, SA) Pancakes piled high with all kinds of fillings and toppings might be all the rage, but at Le Carpe Diem the focus is on the traditional French crepe. These flat, folded squares of goodness are filled with traditional ingredients like ham, Swiss gruyere and egg, or less traditional ingredients. They aren’t the most photogenic thing, but the taste will transport you to the streets of Paris in an instant.

THE CITY L ANE Paul Kristoff is the editor-in-chief of food, travel and culture online magazine The City Lane, and he is one third of the craft-beer podcast team Brunswick Beer Collective. Visit thecitylane.com and brunswickbeercollective.com to find out more.

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THE POINTY END

Go upmarket in Airlie Beach

WORDS MATT SHEA

’m sitting in a handsome black-and-white fine diner. It’s all tiles and wood and elegant rattan-style furniture stretched out over an expansive deck. The South African beef short rib in front of me is perfectly cooked, the accompanying Negroni finished just so. The waiter, an American, is a real pro. With the sailboats gently bobbing in the moonlight beyond, this could almost be some minor inlet on Sydney Harbour. But it’s not. This is Hemingways (60 Shingley Drive, Airlie Beach; hemingwaysairliebeach.com.au), almost 2,000 kilometres north on Abell Point Marina in Airlie

Beach. Owned by the Marina’s Paul Darrouzet, it’s a restaurant that signals a transformation taking place all across town. Some of that transformation hasn’t been by choice. It was forced upon the region by Cyclone Debbie. The Category 4 storm slowly boxed its way south along the coast in late March and early April, Airlie taking a hit fair in the face. When we arrive, four months later, clues of the destruction are still there if you know where to look. Even the towering peaks that surround the town have changed colour, the trees stripped of much of their foliage. ê

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W H I T S U N D AY C O A S T

THE POINTY END

There's plenty of stunning beaches to match the delicious food.

CHOPPERS AND CHEERS, OR JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE WHITSUNDAYS

But Airlie has bounced back. The backpackers still spill out of the bars every night, and tourists are once again piling into the airport on the Whitsunday Coast. And as it picks itself up, it’s changing. Hence Hemingways. Most nights it fills with locals and visitors eager to tap into a level of service and style of food and beverage usually reserved for the big smoke. “Because Airlie Beach is such a tourist town, you get people from the metro areas where going to nice restaurants is just what they do,” says Joscelyn O’Keefe, marketing manager for Abell Point Marina, which owns the restaurant. “There was definitely a market for this.” Hence also Walter’s Lounge (Mantra Boathouse Apartments, 33 Port Drive, Airlie Beach; walterslounge.com.au). Like Hemingways, it has a views of pristine waters and multimillion-dollar boats, only this time closer to Main Street overlooking the Port of Airlie Marina.

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This is a darker, more charismatic and more booze-driven venue. Owner Heath Bentley’s written-on-the-wall cocktail list might feature a cherry bourbon sour one night or a Tommy’s Fire-breathing Dragon (think a Tommy’s Margarita but with hot sauce) the next. Again, though, it’s the food that sets Walter’s apart. Chefs Rob Mohr and Craig Drew have created a menu so good it earned a Chef’s Hat in the 2017 Good Food Guide. Fair enough too – share plates of cured salmon with turmeric, fennel and lime with puffed buckwheat, and a braised beef cheek served with spiced fruit, toasted nuts and fresh grapes might be driven by local produce, but each is delivered with a flare usually reserved for the inner city. Accommodation is also changing. Our digs, Heart Hotel (277 Proserpine Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach; hearthotelwhitsundays.com.au), sits slap bang in the centre of town on Main Street. But this is no sweaty backpackers. Brand new in November last year, Heart

UPMARKET DINING Airlie Beach is aiming to become the Monaco of Australia.

“Beautiful boats, beautiful hotels, nice places to dine and a terrific high street – everyone is really lifting their game“

is a handsome little property inspired by a traditional Queenslander-house – think high-pitched roofs and timber cladding, the rooms themselves decked out in an understated luxe of white and grey. Don’t sweat if you’re overlooking Main Street – the rooms have been carefully soundproofed – but we request something facing Airlie Bay. The payoff is a brilliant Queensland sunrise over the water. Early the next morning we wander down from the hotel to the waterfront. Joggers once again glide past million-dollar boats. On the holiday homes, the tradies whistle away as they hammer and drill at their works. There’s something about the Queensland sun. “It’s a new Airlie Beach,” O’Keefe says. “It’s got a reputation for being a backpacker town. There’s a lot of that, but it was Paul who said, ‘I don’t see any reason why Airlie Beach can’t be the Monaco of Australia’ – beautiful boats, beautiful hotels, nice places to dine and a terrific high street. Everyone is really lifting their game.”

t ig e r a ir f l ie s TASTE THE FRESH NEW FL AVOURS AT AIRLIE BEACH

to the Whitsunday Coast from Brisbane and Sydney; tigerair.com.au

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T HE P L AY L I S T

THE POINTY END

Pack these on your next trip away

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FRUITS “Two bananas and a Royal Gala apple.”

AHEAD OF THE PACK Mark Gable, lead singer, The Choirboys

1 THE BREATHING EFFECT

THE FISHERMAN ABIDES

The Absolutely 80s Show plays the Airlie Beach Festival of Music; airliebeach festivalofmusic.com.au

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TECH

IPHONE “To play Blue Block or to watch a movie on the airline entertainment system.”

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INTERVIEW PAUL CHAI ALBUMS MATT SHEA

Throughout the ’80s you couldn’t walk into a pub without hearing the opening chords to Run to Paradise, the single that rocketed the four-piece from Sydney’s Northern Beaches to fame. What followed was decades of touring earning a reputation as one of the country’s greatest live bands Mark is currently touring again as part of the Absolutely 80s Show, with fellow lead singers like Dale Ryder (Boom Crash Opera), which is surely a lot of ego to squeeze into one band. “Generally we get along pretty well,” Mark jokes. “But there is a certain amount of crap to put up with. ‘I don’t think I’m that important anymore.’ Lie! ‘I don’t care where I go on in the show.’ Lie!” Mark’s last trip was to the US city of Nashville, well-known as a music town, but he says he thinks it’s even taking over as a hub for musicians from the contemporary home of Los Angeles. When travelling, the Choirboys lead singer is always seated in the aisle. “I like to be truly independent, so if you’ve got the aisle it gives you easy access to anything on the plane.”

A remarkable jumping-off point for exploring Southern California’s exciting new era of jazz music, The Breathing Effect produce a percussive, soulful and always accessible take on the form. The Fisherman Abides is an often intensely personal sophomore album of gossamer guitars and languid organ Perfect for… a long weekend fishing

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THE POINTY END

Go horseriding in Cape Tribulation

WORDS JO STEWART

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THE POINTY END

all over the world that the biggest problem we’ll encounter is getting our horses to stop eating along the way. After fitting our helmets, we enter the stables to be assigned a horse. I’ve always thought that a horse’s name is a harbinger of things to come, so I’m delighted to be riding a horse called Touchstone (and not Hellboy who is also in the mix). Touchstone sounds reliable, gentle and noble. Hellboy sounds like trouble. Like many visitors to this corner of the world, horse riding wasn’t on my radar. Within striking distance of the Great Barrier Reef, I’d always thought of Cape Tribulation as a base to go on snorkelling adventures, rainforest hikes and beach walks followed by a cool beer in the shade. Yet here I am clip-clopping through the Daintree aboard a trusty steed, wondering why more people don’t ride horses in these parts.

“We ride with ocean waves crashing on one side and prehistoric rainforest on the other“

The details Cape Trib Horse Rides is open all year round except for the month of February. Morning and afternoon rides last for two hours and cost $110 per person; capetribhorserides.com.au Cape Tribulation Beach House offers accommodation options suitable for everyone from backpackers to families, couples and singles. A bed in a dorm costs as little as $29 per person while a beachfront cabin offers more privacy and comfort for $180 a night; capetribbeach.com.au

TROT TING AROUND See the Daintree rainforest differently – on the back of a horse.

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RIDE ALONG ONE OF AUSTR ALIA'S MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACHES

Apart from a few short bursts of trotting and cantering along the trail, the riding pace is relaxed, giving us plenty of time to appreciate everything we see. Sure, the rainforest is a beautiful sight to behold from distant lookouts, however it’s the finer details that come to the fore when meandering on horseback. A striking blue butterfly fluttering through the air with grace, a 400-year-old strangler fig dominating the rainforest with quiet certainty – these are the things we observe from our saddle. Bursting through the dense swathes of trees and tropical shrubs, we emerge into the light and gently make our way across the sands of Myall Beach. With the tide out and a long stretch of soft sand ahead, we ride with ocean waves crashing on one side and prehistoric rainforest on the other. Living up to her name, Touchstone proves to be a dependable steed who keeps her place, never straying from the group. With a few gentle tugs of the reins I can guide her left or right, but it’s barely needed. Trusting Touchstone to do the right thing leaves me free to soak up the pure joy of riding along one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches. Turning back to ride through the rainforest once again, we canter for a small stretch. Not unlike putting your foot on the accelerator when driving on the highway, leaning into Touchstone we speed through the rainforest rhythmically, then slow down to a trot before winding our way back to the stable. Plodding into the stable where the horses will enjoy a hard-earned rest, I mention to a fellow rider that I loved the experience so much I wish I could come back the following morning for another ride. Confessing that she also rode yesterday, I get the feeling that back-to-back horse rides are commonplace round here.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Cairns from Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney; tigerair.com.au

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THE POINTY END

TRAVEL & WINE 1 0F 2

THE PASSENGER Paul Chai, cellar doer Cellar-door experiences are great fun; the wine tastes better, I feel like I leave more knowledgeable about wine (I probably don’t) and I like to think I have saved a bit of money too (though I have never really bothered to work out if this is true). I like meeting the winemakers, learning about their approach to winemaking and the simple, but very helpful, act of trying before I buy. I’m a complete sucker for the idea of a special cellar-door release, that I can only buy from the cellar door itself. My wife often says I’m a marketer’s dream, and perhaps she’s right.

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The best cellar doors are theatrical with big wine barrels (Tahbilk) and storied buildings (Brown Brothers), and have someone pouring the wines that has a real passion for the product (Fowles). I love that the whole experience of visiting a cellar door is changing, something I experienced on a recent trip with Unique Wine Experiences Australia (see story on page 19) when I found that tasting and dining are just the beginning to exploring the world of cellar-door wine discoveries. On a trip of just a few days, I made gnocchi in a cooking class, blended my very own vintage of red wine and had a picnic amongst the

vineyards on the Mornington Peninsula. Cellar-door visits are now their very own subsection of travel. I love when cellar doors step things up a bit, like the fun Reverse BYO at Hanrahan Vineyards in the Yarra Valley (you bring the picnic, they provide the wine) or tasting wine amongst the stables at Arundel Farm Estate just near Melbourne airport in Keilor (it’s still an operating horse stud). If you love wine then the cellar door, done well, is like an immersive shop where you get to have a play with everything, ask questions and leave with a few bottles for a cellar of your own. ê

ILLUSTRATION JESSICA HU

A round-table chat with three different travellers. This issue’s topic: cellar-door tourism

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THE POINTY END TRAVEL & WINE 2 0F 2

I HATE WHEN THE PERSON BEHIND THE IMPOSING WOODEN BAR ASKS ME WHAT I THINK OF THE WINE, AND THEN LOOKS AT ME SMUGLY LIKE IT’S A TEST. THE WHOLE THING FEELS LIKE I’M SITTING A JOB INTERVIEW FOR A JOB THAT I DON’T WANT. Connor McLeod, hard cellar Is there a more pressured sales environment than the cellar door of a vineyard? You have driven miles down a dirt road, made small talk with the owner, had a free sup of their latest drops and then they ask you: would you like to buy some wine? It’s a brave person that says, “No, thanks I’m just here for a free guzzle and I’m off.” I always feel pressured to buy at least one bottle, even if it tastes like grapes were squashed by a herd of elephants with tinea. And if I actually do like the wine, then I’ll always buy too much. The maths goes something like this: Wow, I really like this wine, and I never know when I will be back in this area (even if it is just the Hunter Valley near where I live) – better make that a case! I always leave a cellar door feeling ripped off, upsold and wined out.

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Sarah Mitchell, food and wine

I find the idea that there is “etiquette” very off-putting – things like don’t serve yourself, or don’t wear strong perfumes (or you’ll affect the tastes of fellow punters). I realise these are in place to put off yob groups, but the idea of rules just makes the whole thing more elitist. There are no rules for shopping for shoes. And don’t get me started on a “shop” that has as its centre a large brass bowl full of people’s spit – you don’t find a spittoon in Dan Murphy’s. I hate when the person behind the imposing wooden bar asks me what I think of the wine, and then looks at me smugly like it’s a test. I’m more of a fast-drinking, start-my-cellar-again kind of drinker. I’m not a buff, and I can’t really tell whether I’m smelling blueberries, blackberries or gooseberries. The whole thing feels like I’m sitting a job interview for a job that I don’t want.

I will only go to a cellar door if they feed me. I can’t really get behind the idea of just hanging around tasting wine on its own, but I love a good cellar door restaurant where you can imbibe along with a great meal, putting the wine in context and allowing you a no-pressure environment to take a few of the winery’s best-loved drops out for a spin – and discuss them with your lunch date without the owners listening in. In the Yarra Valley, that might mean heading out to Mandala Wines (1568 Melba Highway Dixons Creek; mandalawines.com.au) and their DiVino Ristorante – a glasshouse with amazing vineyard views. Or De Bortoli, which has an amazing cellar-door diner and a room where it matures its own cheese. Touring Margaret River it seemed that every meal was had in – or near – a winery, and my only regret was that I couldn’t take more wine with me. And there’s nothing quite like finding a small regional winery that pumps out simple food like pizza or pasta that you can match with the wine of your choice. Because food and wine go so well together, it just seems a shame to taste on its own, and I find I can get a little wined out – but team my tasting with a plate or two of food and I’m definitely a cellar-door fan.

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THE POINTY END

Taste Sydney’s Inner West Ale Trail

H WORDS LISA GRIPLAS

ome to all things craft beer, the Inner West boasts some of Sydney’s best breweries, with many opening their doors to quench the thirst of locals and visitors. You can discover where and how beer is made and explore a range of beers you may not know exist. Most are within walking distance from each other and easily accessible by public transport, making it the perfect afternoon activity when visiting Sydney.

a Scottish convict employed to row supplies across the local Cooks River, Willie the Boatman’s tasting room opened in 2015 and names all its beers after local luminaries, including the Albo Corn Ale named after Labor MP and Marrickville resident Anthony Albanese. With a variety of craft beers available including a pale ale, golden ale, ESB and IPA, the brand also offers the lesser-known gose – a German-style beer with a slightly salty taste. 202/75 Mary Street, St Peters; willietheboatman.com

Willie the Boatman A short stroll from Sydenham Station, in the old Taubmans Paint Factory as part of Precinct 75, sits Willie the Boatman. Named after William Sparks,

Batch Brewing Company Walk in the opposite direction from Sydenham Station and you’ll stumble across local

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THE POINTY END

New brewer goes wild One of the newest – and perhaps most unique – hop-filled hangouts to open its doors in Sydney is Wildflower Brewing & Blending. Having spent the past four years as a commercial brewer in Sydney and France, Texan-born Topher Boehm’s dream to have his own brewery came to fruition earlier this year. Tucked away in a Marrickville warehouse dating back to the 1890s in Sydney’s Inner West, Wildflower focuses on beers made with native yeast and aged in French oak wine barrels to create a selection of Australian Wild Ales, or wild-fermentation beer. “Wildflower means two things to us,” Boehm says. “Firstly, the literal reading – we are focused on making 100 per cent wild ales that are entirely indigenous to NSW. The second part is less tactile and surrounds the imagery a word like wildflower evokes. In this instance, Wildflower conjures a less engineered psyche. It is my true goal as a blender to bring this spirit to the beer world.”

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While most breweries use commercially available yeast, Boehm cultivates native wild yeast from flowers such as wattle blossoms and dandelions he has foraged from NSW and, in fact, has recently released a 100 per cent NSW beer in collaboration with Voyager Craft Malt and Ryefield Hops. “Native yeast is everywhere,” Boehm says. “For me, it's about giving my beer a sense of where they come from. I am pretty obsessed with the uniqueness of Australian plants and am convinced that it translates to our microflora too.” 11-13 Brompton Street, Marrickville; wildflowerbeer.com

favourite Batch Brewing Company. Owned by two Americans who now call Australia home, this brewery/tasting room is showing why the craftbeer scene in the US is so huge. With big, hoppy beers, the West Coast IPA and American Pale Ale are crowd pleasers, while special-release beers include Pash the Magic Dragon and Trippy Hippie’s Double Rainbow. Grab a tasting paddle and try them all. A rotating selection of food trucks take up residency Thursday to Sunday, ensuring you won't go hungry. Batch is open seven days, with tours running on the weekend. 44 Sydenham Road, Marrickville; batchbrewingco.com.au

The Grifter Brewing Company In a large, old laundromat, three mates opened a brewery in 2015 that has continued to go from strength to strength. Offering a range of staples such as the Big Sur West Coast and Brainstorm session IPA, its experimental beers – such as Demon Lungs smoked porter and C-Boogie

“Young Henrys has been responsible for spearheading the rise of craft beer in Sydney“ Sydney Beer Week 2017

cucumber Kolsch – are some of the limited release beers pouring amongst an everchanging tap list of interesting beers. What started as a one-off beer, the Serpent’s Kiss watermelon pilsner is now a regular of Grifter’s taps, with its clean and refreshing taste perfect for the warmer months. 1/391-397 Enmore Road, Marrickville; facebook.com/thegrifterbrewingcompany

Young Henrys Perhaps the most well-known craft brewery in the area – and one of the most popular nationwide – Young Henrys has been responsible for spearheading the rise of craft beer in Sydney. With six taps and two handpumps pouring the core range, including the popular Newtowner, there’s also room for limited-release beers, along with its refreshing cloudy apple cider for the non-beer drinkers among us. Not satisfied with just brewing beer, Young Henrys also offers a unique take on the London Dry style of gin, along with moonshine. 76 Wilford Street, Newtown; younghenrys.com

Dave’s Brewery Tours has been a part of the local beer scene in Sydney and beyond for over four years. Dave’s offers walking tours to help people learn about – and taste their way through – Sydney and Newcastle’s beer and pub history. Take the Hunter Valley Hop Hunter tour, get to know Balmain with a guided pub walk or check out some of the new local brews on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Dave’s is also heavily involved in Sydney Beer Week that runs from October 20-29. It features a host of activities, from an Australian vs. New Zealand tap takeover to beer-and-cheese pairing nights. For more information, daves.com.au and sydneybeerweek.com.au

BEER'S ON TAP AT WAY WARD BREWING CO, IN CAMPERDOWN

Wayward Brewing Co Despite not being walking distance from its Inner West cousins, Wayward Brewing Co is well worth the visit. With an on-site brewery and large cellar bar housed in a former winery, this craft beer haven is a maze of rooms, furnished with a repurposed interior of vintage, 70s-style couches, theatre seating and even a gloriously mounted Royal Enfield motorcycle, paying tribute to the romance of travel and adventure. Its core range includes the popular Charmer India Red Ale and Sour Puss Raspberry Berliner Weisse, while limited releases have been known to include an oatmeal IPA and Summer Saison. Tours, food trucks and live music are all on offer at various times throughout the week. 1 Gehrig Lane, Camperdown; waywardbrewing.com.au

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Sydney from eight destinations; tigerair.com.au

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THE POINTY END

1 2

drone's-eye view

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QUEE NSL A ND

We sent a drone to hover above the Brisbane River area so you can scope out the hot spots to visit...

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ROMA STREET STATION

B I C E N T E N N I A L B I K E W AY

W I L L I A M J O L LY B R I D G E

The main rail link to get you into the centre of Brisbane, the Roma Street Station is also a commercial and social hub for the city. translink.com.au

Running along the Brisbane River from Toowong to the CBD, the Bicentennial bike path is just one of many paths in this bike-friendly city. The path is lowered below the road so you can enjoy your ride fume-free. visitbrisbane.com.au

Originally named the Grey Street Bridge, this art deco crossing was first opened in 1932, just 11 days after the Sydney Harbour Bridge. slq.qld.gov.au

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This $63 million-dollar creation completes a pedestrian and cycling loop to allow access to the vibrant South Bank precinct and the city's art gallery precinct. visitbrisbane.com.au

Part of QAGOMA – the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art – GOMA is the newest of the two buildings and has a focus on more recent art, as the name suggests. qagoma.qld.gov.au

Located on the southern banks of the Brisbane River this cultural and foodie hub is popular with visitors and locals, and there are extensive parklands to explore.

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THE POINTY END

Get wet in the Top End

WORDS CATHERINE BEST

t’s one of the great ironies of Australian travel: the destinations most conducive to swimming are often the places where you really shouldn’t. With a tropical climate and year-round balmy temperatures, Darwin is the ultimate getaway for southerners escaping cooler climes. But what the Top End lacks in cold, it makes up for in crocs – lots of them. Crocodiles almost outnumber humans in these parts and it’s crucial you know where to swim. Here’s a rundown of the region’s top swim spots where you can get wet safely. DARWIN WATERFRONT RECREATION LAGOON The shimmering centrepiece of Darwin’s revamped waterfront precinct, the Recreation Lagoon is an

enticing spot to enjoy a splash. The man-made horseshoe lagoon is fringed by a sand beach and a sprawling lawn studded with palm trees. A sea wall and mesh nets protect the enclosure from any marine nasties, and the lagoon is regularly flushed with seawater to keep the water fresh. With pockets of shade on the foreshore and shallow, calm water, the lagoon is a great, central spot for a refreshing swim, particularly for families. DARWIN WATERFRONT WAVE LAGOON For thrill seekers looking for some surf with their swim, the Wave Lagoon serves up an assortment of waterborne fun. Occupying the eastern end of the waterfront precinct, the complex features a ê

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BULEY ROCKHOLE IS A TOP DARWIN PICK FOR TAKING A DIP

THE POINTY END

large chlorinated saltwater pool, a shaded toddler pool and recreation areas with umbrellas and sun lounges. The main pool is two metres at it deepest point, with simulated waves of up to 1.2 metres high. The waves operate on a cycle, with 10-minute breaks in between, attracting boogie boarders and body surfers who enjoy fun in the sun under the watchful eye of a lifeguard.

and native forest. There’s a small gushing waterfall at the shallowest pool, which is ideal for small children, and steps lead into the larger pools. Small, inquisitive fish dart at swimmers’ feet, and the fine-pebbled creek bed means there’s no squelching mud to contend with. Swimmers in board shorts and bikinis sprawl across the park’s expansive grounds, and there’s an abundance of shaded picnic tables.

and terraced pools than a rock hole. Buley is easily accessible and popular with day-trippers and tour groups, but it’s not difficult to find a quiet spot if you wander a little downstream. There are deeper pools for confident swimmers, big calm puddles for little tackers and mini cascades for those who like to sunbake on the rocks with a torrent of water pummelling their shoulders.

BERRY SPRINGS NATURE PARK Natural swimming holes don’t get much more idyllic than Berry Springs, about 40 minutes’ drive south-east of Darwin’s CBD. A series of freshwater swimming holes meanders between thickets of pandanus

BULEY ROCKHOLE An hour south of Berry Springs, off the Stuart Highway, Buley Rockhole is one of Litchfield National Park’s top picks for taking a dip. Despite the name, it’s more a series of cascades, trickling streams

LEANYER RECREATION PARK Shrieks of delight compete with the roar of water at this public park, as a giant bucket empties onto a colourful play space. But the focal point of the Leanyer Recreation Park is the three 100-metre long waterslides that send riders plunging and twisting down four storeys into shallow landing pools. For those not keen on an adrenaline rush, the other highlights are the 2,000-square metre walk-in swimming pool and kids' cascading paddle pools. The park was recently refurbished and also features a large, soft-floor water playground, shaded barbecues and picnic areas, an all-abilities dry playground, skate park and a cafe. Best of all, it’s free.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Darwin from Brisbane; tigerair.com.au

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Cheers to the local pub PHOTO JOSIE WITHERS

he great Australian boozer is so embedded in our culture that it has been immortalised on screen in a canon of classics: Blue Murder, Jack Irish, Underbelly, Two Hands, Dirty Deeds, The Hard Word, Death in Brunswick and Wake in Fright. It’s also the sturdy constant in literature – Lennie Lower’s Here’s Luck, Peter Temple’s Truth, Andrew McGahan’s Praise, Jane Harper’s The Dry, Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, Ray Lawler’s Summer of the 17th Doll, David Malouf’s Johnno, Richard Flanagan’s Road to the Deep North, David Ireland’s The Glass Canoe and Frank Hardy’s

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TAASHA COATES GIGGING AT ADELAIDE’S GRACE EMILY Musicians aren’t known for commitment, and yet The Audreys’ Taasha Coates so loves her local that – for better or for worse – she wound up there on her wedding day. “We got married at a venue in town, then had the party,” she recalls – though it’s a bit hazy – “then, at around 11pm, my husband and I went on to the Grace. At one point he disappeared, so I went into the men’s toilet to look for him. There was a man in there who gave me the most puzzled look: a woman in a wedding dress is standing behind me at the urinal…” The Adelaide native started hanging at the CBD hotel when she formed The Audreys in 2004, and so well is it regarded by musicians that when she was writing last year’s solo album, Taasha Coates & Her Melancholy Sweethearts, she road tested the material through a residency. “The bandroom has a sticky carpet, old velvet curtains, and a couch that’s been there for years,” she says. “I suspect I’ve probably slept on it.” The main bar has the same kind of creased charm. “It’s cluttered with music and sporting memorabilia and knick-knacks, covered with dust. There’s a great fireplace with one of those mega candles on the mantle that’s been leaking wax for about 15 years,” Coates says. “They play Americana and alt-country through the PA, and throw mini-festivals of Adelaide acts. Every Monday they have Billy Bob’s BBQ Jam and often someone touring through town will get up.” In fact, the Grace is a popular after-show spot with bands playing Adelaide’s larger venues. “Just recently, Tim Rogers was playing at The Gov, so he’d turn up at the Grace at one in the morning,” she adds. This November, The Audreys will be touring the country, revisiting their first album, Between Last Night and Us. But can that live up to the glory of presenting an award to her local? After The Grace was inducted into the South Australia Music Hall of Fame, it was Coates who did the honours at the pub’s own ceremony. “My name’s even on a plaque for having presented them with that, but I don’t think they’ve put it up yet,” she muses. “Now might be the time.” Grace Emily Hotel, 232 Waymouth Street, Adelaide; graceemilyhotel.com.au

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LOCAL PUBS LIKE MANY JOURNOS, BRIGID IS A REGUL AR AT “THE SHAKEY”

BRIGID DELANEY LITERARY LIGGING AT SYDNEY’S SHAKESPEARE Brigid Delaney is the author of Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness. When it’s time for a retox, she schedules in Sydney’s Shakespeare Hotel, preferably around the weekday 6-8pm happy hour. In a manner befitting of its literary namesake, The Shakey has long been a haunt for journalists. Delaney started drinking there back when she was a staff reporter for The Herald, and it’s still on the home turf of The Guardian, for whom she is now a columnist, and The Daily Telegraph. Every now and then she likes to run an inky finger along the blue-tiled bar, to reminisce about scoops and stoushes past. “It’s a real journo’s pub,” she explains. “Back in the early 2000s you’d get reporters from rival papers hanging out and talking about the news of the week.” There’s another incentive to visit: her book group with fellow author/journalist Benjamin Law is held in one of the rooms upstairs, while another friend runs a writers’ workshop.

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This red-brick hotel has stood on a corner of Devonshire Street since 1879, close to the Belvoir Theatre and hemmed in by Surry Hills’ fashion wholesalers. “It’s still quite cheap, despite the fact that Surry Hills has completely gentrified,” Delaney says. While Delaney likes to join the throng of the front bar or chat with mates on one of the green leather couches, there’s also a dining area for The Shakey’s famed $13.50 meals, such as lasagne, steak and schnitzel. The hotel has retained much of its old-school charm, and the dim lighting and central bar give it the feel of that pub where everybody knows your name. What was it called again? The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Sydney; shakespearehotel.com.au.

Photo Credit|IG@sarahmbosworth

E S T. 1 9 9 9

W W W. M A D E I N E A R T H . C O M . A U L O S

A N G E L E S

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LOCAL PUBS

“The pub lies on an enchanted bit of earth, near the waters of the Brisbane River. If I’m driving past I feel the hotel winks at me“ ROBERT CRADDOCK GAME ON AT BRISBANE’S STORY “The thing about a good pub is you should be able to relax, and I always feel my pulse slows the moment I walk through the door of the Story Bridge Hotel.” That’s sports reporter Robert Craddock, who’s more accustomed to following the action… but then, for sports fans, coming to the Story is a fitting warm-down. After there’s been a big event at the Gabba – be it cricket or AFL – punters trickle in to dissect the game. “Former Test cricketer Ian Healy has a charity lunch here every year,” Craddock says, “and you can usually see the occasional famous face, but it’s not a hoity-toity star-spotting scene.” The Story was built in 1886 and has been family-owned since 1967 – you’re likely to spot publican Richard Deery doing the social rounds on your visit. While, as

Craddock notes, “it’s got a quaint charm about it,” the pub is also so vast it ought to have its own postcode. The Deerys restored many of its original features, and added the Shelter Bar, Main St Bar, Outback Bar & Grill and SBH Cellars. As you might imagine, a few fine traditions have been established over the years, including the Australia Day Cockroach Races, and one of Brisbane’s biggest AFL Grand Final parties – which spills out into a massive street party. Last word to Craddock, who sighs wistfully: “The pub lies on an enchanted bit of earth, with the waters of the Brisbane River not far away. If I’m driving past I almost feel the hotel winks at me.” The Story Bridge Hotel, 200 Main Street, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane; storybridgehotel.com.au

FULL OF STORIES The Story Bridge Hotel in Queensland is a true local.

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Visit Kenzan Japanese restaurant for some of the freshest sushi and sashimi dishes in Melbourne, along with Ă la carte dishes and surprising specials. The restaurant has been in its current CBD location for 35 years, and is the most awarded Japanese restaurant in Melbourne. Enjoy an authentic Japanese dining experience.

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LOCAL PUBS

LAURA DAVIS PERTH FUNNY BUGGERS A FUNNY THING HAPPENED AT THE BRISBANE

The fact that comedian Laura Davis is about to board a flight to take her show, Cake in the Rain, to the world-famous Edinburgh Comedy Festival, is a testament to The Brisbane in Highgate. “I cut my teeth there, dating back to my second-ever gig about 10 years ago,” she says. “A lot of people did their first gigs there and went on to be well-respected in the industry. Because it’s run by artists, it’s always really welcoming. It nurtured a lot of people.”

Perth’s known for its stand-up scene, thanks to the Fringe Festival in January/ February, The Comedy Festival in April/May and venues such as The Comedy Lounge, but it’s The Brisbane that’s the beating heart. The hotel sits on Beaufort Street, a tempting stroll away from the boutiques and bookstores of Mount Lawley. A 2004 reno accentuated the hotel’s original 1898 features, while opening up the main space with a bold architectural design. There’s also a large, tropical courtyard for summer swilling. For comedy fans, however, the important stuff happens upstairs. “You go through a secret door and there’s a theatre called Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den that seats about 100 people,” Davis says. “It’s a custom-built space and there’s something on most nights a week.” An obvious attraction is Shapiro Tuesday, the cult open-mic night that sells out most weeks. It’s named after maverick LA comedian Rick Shapiro, and local comic Josh Makinda even fundraised enough money to bring Shapiro over to appear there. On Fridays there’s Stand Up Night, which Davis ran for four years, and on Saturdays The Big HooHah! improv club takes over. “I have a lot of affection for the building,” says Davis. “It’s comforting. Comedians will definitely be down at the main bar, too. At Christmas time there’s a lot of expat comics who come home and sometimes do homecoming spots, like Claire Hooper, Dave Hughes, Dave Callan and Rove McManus.” The Brisbane Hotel, 292 Beaufort Street, Highgate, Perth; thebrisbanehotel.com.au

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LOCAL PUBS

JOSH MURPHY CHEWING THE FAT AT MELBOURNE’S COMMERCIAL After a hard day crisping pigs’ ears and macerating fennel, celebrated chef Josh Murphy likes to unwind at a no-frills local – and he’s been a regular at Fitzroy’s Commercial Club Hotel for more than 10 years. The loyalty is such that he followed his favourite publican here from St Kilda’s Prince Bandroom. Good pubs are all about good characters, after all.

Murphy’s own CV includes being one of the team that launched Three One Two in Carlton, a long stint as head chef at Flinders Lane’s legendary Cumulus Inc, and being a former partner of the Builders Arms in Fitzroy (another great old boozer). He’s also been known to travel to the dark side, having done a three-month residency at Folonomo in Sydney’s Surry Hills. But it’s the 1850s-built Commercial he calls home. “It’s a really comfortable, local pub in the very traditional sense,” he says. “There’s a great playlist, the footy’s always on, and there’s always debate over the bar. You make friends there. I love sitting up at the bar in the afternoon, having a few glasses of Carlton Draught and chatting to Paddy about footy.” Publican Paddy is a St Kilda fan, but as a house rule has it, “Everyone is allowed to barrack for their team as long as everyone else is allowed to barrack for theirs.” Another drop of Commercial wisdom is: “Your local should feel like a pair of jeans you’ve had for ages – comfortable and reliable.” Quite right, too. Having lived in Sydney, Murphy reckons, “It’s very difficult to find any pub like that. If I’m in Melbourne at a loose end in the afternoon I’ll pop in and have a couple of games of pool and a pizza or a steak.” Murphy’s newest venture is opening in November – a restaurant/bar with fellow chef Rory Cowcher, called Harley & Rose. Tragically, being in West Footscray, it’s not in the same postcode as the Commercial. However, that matters not. “Even when it’s not my actual local any more, I just find myself on the 96 tram, on the way to the best Carlton Draught in Melbourne.” The Commercial Club Hotel, 344 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne; commercialclubhotel.com.au

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth; tigerair.com.au

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DESTINATION HOBART

DE S T IN AT ION HOB A R T

S T E P H A NIE

has headed to Hobart to meet the makers of some of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artisan produce.

weekend warriors ONE

DESTINATION, TWO DIFFERENT VENDORS VS OUTDOORS

ADVENTURES

W IN S OR

is a Tassie local with a love of the great outdoors.

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WEEKEND WARRIORS

SLICE OF HE AV EN I’m told the best vanilla slice in town is found at quaint Little Missy Patisserie (151 Argyle Street; facebook.com/littlemissypatisserie). I walk in to find a fresh batch being crafted in front of me. The leatherwood honey-laced cream doesn’t disappoint!

HIGHER GROUND The best way to orient yourself in a new city is on higher ground – I grab my hire car and head straight for the epic views from Mount Wellington/ Kunyani, then stop and see barista Chris for a quick coffee at Lost Freight (facebook.com/lostfreight), a cute shipping container-cum-cafe halfway down.

FEEL GOOD FOOD Time for an early lunch, and Hamlet Cafe (40 Molle Street; hamlet.org.au) is calling. Apart from serving up healthy, wholesome food, they help long-term unemployed, disabled and disadvantaged with hands-on experience in the kitchen and front of house.

S T E P H A NIE

starts with a mountain view then starts her Tassie story.

f r id ay

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PA RK LIFE You cannot wander too far in Hobart without coming across a park, a walking track, or a tree-lined square. I start with a stroll walk in the Queen's Domain, a green space on the city fringe overlooking the River Derwent where locals exercise before and after work. It is home to both grand Government House and the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (gardens.rtbg.tas.gov.au).

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H A RBOUR M A S TER

WATER WORK S Hobart has one of the most picturesque harbours in the world, so join a guided 2.5-hour city paddle with Roaring 40s kayaks (South Hobart; roaring40skayaking.com.au) that starts and finishes in Sandy Bay and takes visitors behind the scenes of the working waterfront to discover the heart of the Tasmanian capital.

Wandering around the Hobart waterfront is always fun. You can watch the fishermen unloading their catch, maybe meet up with a local seal or two, and enjoy a typical local lunch of freshly cooked flathead and chips from one of the local fish punts for lunch.

DESTINATION HOBART

A R TFUL DINER John Glover is one of the most famous artists in Tassie history, and Landscape Restaurant (23 Hunter Street; landscaperestaurant.com.au) is adorned with originals, as well as an incredible local wine list and fresh produce. The gin oysters are the best.

OPENING DOOR S THE S TOR Y BEGINS It’s time to check into my digs for the next couple of nights. The freshly minted MACq 01 Hotel (18 Hunter Street; macq01.com.au), is Australia’s first storytelling hotel bringing tales of 114 intriguing Tasmanians to life.

MACq 01 employs four full-time storytellers, so I take one of the daily tours to learn about people featured at the hotel, the waterfront history, and finish in the Story Bar in time for sundown with a handcrafted Tassie gin.

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W IN S OR

enjoys both land and sea on an al fresco adventure.

BEDDING DOWN

YACHT S UP Stroll or cycle from Salamanca to the foreshore of the upmarket suburb of Sandy Bay. Marieville Esplanade is popular with locals walking their dogs and also features a children’s playground. Further along the waterfront is the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania (Marieville Esplanade, Sandy Bay; ryct.org.au) – and the water here is usually dotted with small craft.

TR ACK S TA R The 2.1km Truganini Track (greaterhobarttrails. com.au) begins at Sandy Bay and follows Cartwright's Creek before climbing steeply to the Mount Nelson Signal Station via a memorial to Tasmanian Aboriginal matriarch Truganini. There are magnificent views over Storm Bay to the Tasman Peninsula. The walk back down is less strenuous.

After so much exercise, a good meal and comfortable bed are needed. Enjoy a $65 “let us feed you” menu at current Hobart dining hotspot Fico Bistro & Vino (151 Macquarie Street, Hobart; ficofico.net), and then head for the budget city centre Alabama Hotel (72 Liverpool Street, Hobart; alabamahobart.com.au), where quirky Art Deco-inspired rooms will set you back just $100.

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WEEKEND WARRIORS

B AGEL S A ND B A NTER All the caffeine has got me hungry. I stop at Bury Me Standing (104 Bathurst Street; facebook.com/BuryMeStandingHobartTown) for one of Alesha Peckels' famed bagels and shmear. A Minnesotan, she got waylaid in Hobart and now sells her much-loved bagels from a little hole in the wall and the Farm Gate Markets.

RISE A ND SHINE Up early, I take a wander around Macquarie Wharf and take in the delicious view of Mount Wellington/ Kunyani as she wakes.

COFFEE RUN The coffee scene is Hobart is as strong as an espresso. I join a Hobart Walking Tour (hobartwalkingtours.com.au) to visit seven different cafes, meeting baristas and bean nerds along the way.

S T E P H A NIE

rises early, grabs a bagel and gets crafty with the locals.

S AT UR D AY

08:00

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K NOCKING OFF There is 3,000 hectares of bushland within the city boundaries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and dozens of different walks and cycle trails in and around Kunanyi/ Mount Wellington, which towers over the city. Just a short walk from suburban West Hobart, Knocklofty Reserve is a bushland area with a trail that reaches the peak of Knocklofty at 375 metres above sea level. This is rough, steep woodland terrain.

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HOPS TO IT

TURNING ON THE WATER WORK S Home to reservoirs that capture water from the creeks and waterfalls of upper Mount Wellington, Waterworks Reserve is a sprawling green area that also has shaded lawns and play areas popular with young inner-city families.

I enjoy lunch, and maybe a beer or two at Cascade (140 Cascade Road, South Hobart; cascadebreweryco.com.au), the oldest working brewery in the country, before embarking on the Cascade Trail, a 2.4km walk during which you'll encounter a range of vegetation, an old stone bridge and even wallabies. At the end you can continue up Kunanyi/Mount Wellington on the Myrtle Gully Track.

DESTINATION HOBART

QUICK DRINK It's back to Macq 01 for a costume change before dinner, and I pop my head into the Story Bar for a Tassie whisky and soda before dinner. What a view!

COUNTR Y CR A F T S I’m given a tip that the best handicrafts are found at the Country Women’s Association Shop (1/165 Elizabeth Street; cwatas.org.au) and I’m not disappointed, walking away with fudge, tomato relish, and a knitted beanie handmade by local members.

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CHEF ’S TA BL E I hand my tastebuds over to the talented young chefs Oskar Rossi and Federica Andrisani, at relative newcomer, Fico (151 Macquarie Street; ficofico.net). Their handmade pasta is incredible! They even hand-deliver some courses, with the opportunity to ask all about their dishes.

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WATERFRONT DINING The Salamanca waterfront precinct is one of Hobart's liveliest and the ideal spot for a pavement feed and drink. Options range from burgers, to Italian, fine local wines to artisan brews and craft cocktails.

TA K E ME TO THE RIV ER Back towards town, enjoy strolling Hobart Rivulet Park, a pretty and winding 2km riverside track in South Hobart that meanders along the delightful Hobart Rivulet. A chance to get away from it all within just a few minutes of the city centre.

goes for a morning walk, heads to a brewery and goes back to the harbour.

MUSEUM TIME Located on the Hobart waterfront, the Mawson's Huts Replica Museum (Morrison St and Argyle Street, Hobart; mawsons-huts-replica.org.au) is an accurate replica of the Antarctic encampment of explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, built between 1911-1914 at Cape Denison in the Australian Antarctic Territory. It marks Hobart's status as “the gateway to Antarctica”.

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WEEKEND WARRIORS

M A K ER S G A L ORE Wandering through the Salamanca Arts Centre, I find so many incredible artisans. I choose some beautiful earrings from The Maker (5/77 Salamanca Place; themakerhobart.com.au).

L OC A L FA RE Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fresh morning and I go in search of breakfast. Ginger Brown (464 Macquarie Street; no website) doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disappoint. With mountain views, a retro vibe, great coffee and lines out the door, I wish I had booked!

TO M A RK E T Could I fit in more food? Yes, of course! I spend an hour talking to the producers and makers at the Farm Gate Market (104 Bathurst Street; farmgatemarket.com.au), downing six delicious oysters en route because I can!

S T E P H A NIE

goes shopping in Salamanca, gets coffee and checks out some street art.

S UND AY

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MORNING COFFEE Hobart mornings start slowly but there is no better spot to watch the city come to life than from over breakfast at one of the many traditional cafes in and around Salamanca Place. Most offer outdoor seating for sunny days.

FERR Y RIDE

PIER PRESSURE Brooke Street Pier is the point of departure for fast ferries heading to MONA, Hobart's art museum. It is also a shopping precinct where visitors can taste local delicacies, including sheep cheese from Grandvewe, salmon and trout from Huon Aquaculture and wines from Domaine Simha (domainesimha.com).

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Take the MONA ROMA ferry (mona.net.au/visit/ferry-to-mona) for a short cruise northwards to the iconic museum. Alternatively, hire a bike or mountain bike from Hobart Bike Hire (hobartbikehire.com) and ride via the cycleway for around an hour via Cornelian Bay and its historic boat sheds.

DESTINATION HOBART

A R T ON THE S TREE T S GE T TING H A NDY My eye is drawn to the incredible art in the window of Handmark Gallery (77 Salamanca Place, handmark.com.au) and I stop to spend some time enjoying their latest exhibit, which changes regularly and features Tasmanian artists.

COFFEE A ND CONTEMPL ATION

Hobart street art is gaining momentum so I take a wander through the city to find the work of some of Australia’s best – Stormie Mills, Ghostpatrol, Phibs and Tom O’Hern.

Time for caffeination. Occupying prime position at the end of the pier, the Brooke Street Larder (Brooke Street Pier, Franklin Wharf, Hobart; brookestlarder.com.au) is the place to sit in the sunshine. A wayward dolphin even swims past with the MONA Ferry, whose terminal is in the building.

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heads to MONA, takes a ride and ends the weekend with a burger.

S TA NDA RD FA RE

ON YOUR BIK E

MUSEUM OF E V ER Y THING Explore MONA (655 Main Road, Berriedale; mona.net.au) in suburban Berriedale. There are currently over 2,000 works by 200 different artists. The new exhibition “The Museum of Everything” runs until April 2, 2018. You can enjoy lunch, a snack or a wine tasting at MONA's wine bar or The Source restaurant.

Cycle the 30km back to town, or head a little further north en velo to the GASP foreshore sculpture trail or the historic Cadbury chocolate factory (cadbury.com.au). The peckish, like me, can stop for a refreshment at the Valhalla ice cream shop and creamery.

Grab a burger at The Standard (52 Liverpool Street, Hobart; standard-burgers.com), in a city centre laneway, or enjoy happening local eatery Tasman Quartermasters, where you can dine on chairs and tables on the pavement.

FANCY AN ADVENTURE? If you want to be one of our Weekend Warriors, get in touch.

tigertales@citrusmedia.com.au

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Where the wild things are 70

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WILD SOUTH AUSTRALIA

PHOTO SOUTH AUSTRALIA TOURISM

Windswept, untamed and home to the ocean’s most feared predator, Paul Chai takes a trip along South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, the country’s southern coastline whose beauty was carved by the harshest of elements.

started this trip as a predator – devouring the best seafood that South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula has to offer – but now I feel more like the prey. I’m submerged in the chilly, choppy waters of the Southern Ocean, barely a metre away from a 3.2-metre-long great white shark that slides sinuously past our cage, keeping one dark eye on us. Inside the cage it’s a white-knuckle ride as our steel fortress is buffeted by the strong seas. All we can hear is our own breathing and the metallic clank of cage colliding with boat. The water is clear but tainted pink, as blood and burley drift past us; shards of sunlight pierce the water and the great white makes another pass. She has turned around and I can see a cross-hatched scar just beneath her eye. Her dorsal fin lists slightly to one side. She’s frighteningly beautiful, and I’m well aware that on her turf I’ve just been knocked off the top of the food chain. She whips her tail suddenly in our direction and, for a moment, she’s close enough to touch. Then she’s gone, and a school of ê mackerel takes her place.

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WILD SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Wildlife in the city The one utterly charming thing that distinguishes Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills from other wildlife parks is the flash mob of potoroos that greets you as soon as you enter the grounds. I have kids, so I’ve been to many zoos and wildlife parks, but this is the first time I’ve felt so charmed by a group of native rodents who dart around underfoot and haltingly take pellets from your hand with their whiskers tickling your palm. The park also offers free-range red kangaroos, that are imposingly large up close, emus eyeballing you as you enter their enclosure and the yellow-footed rock wallabies – you can also cuddle a koala. environment.sa.gov.au/ clelandwildlife

Two nights earlier, my first taste of the Eyre Peninsula is a parcel of cooked Venus Bay prawns left as a gift in the fridge at Camel Beach House (see The Splurge, page 16). I’ve driven down to the isolated shack, the only property set along the ferocious coast of Mount Camel Beach, from Ceduna via Baird Bay and Streaky Bay, where I spot a dolphin just a few metres from the jetty. Now, at Camel Beach House they know to keep things simple. The huge windows are your entertainment as you watch baby-blue sky turn to billowing black storm clouds and heavy rain give way to mist from the crashing waves. As the sun sets and a sudden squall turns the sea from blue to white, I eat the local prawns on the deck with a Pikes Riesling from the Clare Valley, near Adelaide; in the morning I’ll be sent on my way with a full rainbow bracketing the waves in front of the deck. The changes come so fast it’s like I’m watching a meteorological time-lapse video that finally gives way to bright stars as night comes. Inside the house, it’s time to throw some gnarled logs into the pot-bellied stove and curl up on the couch. Come morning the sea is grey and fitful and I watch for whales just by sitting up in my bed, then make some breakfast and a plunger coffee and I’m on my way. My destination is Coffin Bay and the Camel Beach rainbow follows me along the peninsula, making an appearance at the sheer cliff drop near Cummings Monument, over the white-rock dusted plateaus near Sheringa (with its Wild West-looking roadhouse) and behind the neon-yellow fields of blooming canola. I turn off for Coffin Bay on the western tip of the Lower Eyre Peninsula and pull into Oyster Farm Tours to find my host Ben Catterall already wearing his fetching waders. After some wrestling with these oversized gumboots I’m ready to join him, and we walk down the foreshore and straight into the calm waters of the bay. JETTIES, POTOROOS, OYSTERS AND ROADHOUSES

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WILD SOUTH AUSTRALIA f r e s h e s t. o y s t e r s . e v e r . Ben Catterall takes an oyster tour out into Coffin Bay.

“All around you in the bay are the rusting bones of the old French system for farming oysters, poles where the oysters used to hang“

Oyster Farm Tours offers the freshest oysters you’re ever going to eat. As you sit at a small wooden table, waist deep in the waters of Coffin Bay with a glass of white wine in hand, Ben will shuck oysters for you to try – both the popular Pacific oyster and the less-popular, more intensely flavoured angasi oyster, which is native to Australia. All around you are the rusting bones of the old French system for farming oysters, poles where the oysters used to hang, but now oyster farmers use a system of baskets connected by lines, so the oysters can be raised and lowered in the water with ease. It’s an Australian invention and the old European infrastructure is slowly being reclaimed by the sea. Coffin Bay oysters are purchased as five-millimetre sprats (baby oysters) from Tasmania, but it’s the pure water of the region that shapes them into the prized items on the nation’s menus. Coffin Bay is surrounded by national park, the local population is small and

respectful of the water, and the bay traps the nutrients so the oysters are constantly sitting in an all-you-can-eat phytoplankton buffet. Back on our tour, we’ve come to the tricky part. Ben hands me a chain-mail glove and a short, sharp knife and attempts to teach me to shuck an oyster – get your knife in at the two-o’clock position, cut the muscle that keeps the shell closed, then separate the bivalve from its shell and flip it for presentation. Oysters aren’t the most attractive-looking creatures, but my first attempt at shucking is still best described as ugly. The second is no oil painting either, but both taste amazing – like a slap in the mouth from the sea itself. At the conclusion of our oyster fest, Ben takes me on a tour of the town that’s also known for the migration of kingfish in October and November and we stop to check out a large family of emus that have strayed into town from the nearby national park. Daddy Emu has his claws full (he raises the brood, not mum) as he has around a dozen spindly youngsters following his lead. Sharks are also never very far from the conversation and Ben tells me of a famous local, a tagged great white known as Shark 28, that has been recorded travelling from Eyre to Ballina in northern New South Wales. For lunch I head to 1802 Oyster Bar + Bistro – built by Ben for those landlubbers who would prefer their oysters in a restaurant – but I’m shellfished out, so a local Port Lincoln flathead in turmeric and Parmesan with a spiced aioli makes a great substitute. ê

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EXHIBITIONS ART FAIR EVENTS

CITY-WIDE FESTIVAL

@TARNANTHI #TARNANTHI

ART FAIR

TARNANTHI AT THE GALLERY

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

PRESENTED BY

TARNANTHI.COM.AU

ART GALLERY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA ADELAIDE

WILD SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Swimming with seals If you want to hit the water with something more playful that predatory, try the Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience where Alan Payne is on first-name terms with the local seal colony, having run swimming tours here for years. It’s a short boat ride from the base on the beach at Baird Bay, and Alan says the sea lions are liable to come up and touch noses with you, or play with rocks. They also offer top-notch accommodation right next to the experience headquarters. bairdbay.com

The afternoon sees me drive the rest of the way to Port Lincoln, where I have an early night, for tomorrow I’ll be up early for a date with a great white shark. It’s a dawn transfer to the deck of the Calypso Star, for the shark cave diving experience. There are a few operators in the area but Calypso is the only one allowed to use burley and bait, which increases the likelihood of a great white sighting. Nature has delivered a wild ride out to the Neptune Islands, past Cape Catastrophe, so named by British explorer Matthew Flinders because he lost eight crew members in these dangerous seas. He named the surrounding islands after his lost comrades – islands like Hopkins, Williams and Thistle – but the islands further out he simply “left to Neptune”. We anchor in the sheltered cove of South Neptune Island, in sight of a dilapidated former lighthouse keepers’ residence that once housed a fugitive from the law. And what better place to hide out than on one of the last pieces of land before you reach Antarctica, battered by the harsh ocean winds? The former criminal resident was only found out when he was seen on television walking behind a TV news reporter who was doing a story on a shark attack in the waters around the island.

That is, after all, the reason we are moored here. This is great white territory, the deep, clear feeding grounds where 40,000 nearby fur seals risk their life daily plunging into the Southern Ocean for food. On board the Calypso Star, the cage is dropped, burley is tossed overboard, and we wait. I grab some polarised sunglasses and climb up to the top deck for a better look, and it’s barely half an hour before a dark, ominous shape sidles up to the boat, her fin breaching the surface of the water as if she was from Shark Central Casting. I think the first sighting of this monster of the sea, appearing from nowhere beside our boat, is the most frightening of all, the experience both sudden and silent. Then we all pull on our wetsuits and take the plunge ê into the cage. Bull sharks might be the

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2016 Bronze Tourist Attractions

WILD SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The details THE SHARKS Calypso Star Charters was started by Rolf Czabayski in 1990. Rolf was a game fisherman who could catch and release great whites and holds the final world record for the capture of a great white that weighed 599kg. The Calypso Star was custom built in 2000 to carry a shark-diving cage and current owners Ron Forster and Andrew Wright now offer full-day shark diving adventures from Port Lincoln. For more information check out sharkcagediving.com.au

THE OYSTERS From a central spot in Coffin Bay, Oyster Farm Tours’ one-hour experience, eating, shucking and learning about the area’s famous bivalves is an immersive (literally) and fascinating look at thehumble oyster. For more information visit oysterfarmtours.com.au

THE HOTEL With a prime position overlooking Boston Bay, the well-located Port Lincoln Hotel, with its seafoodcelebrating Sarin’s Restaurant, offers bus transfers to your shark cage diving experience. 1 Lincoln Highway, Port Lincoln; portlincolnhotel.com.au

THE BEACH HOUSE

PHOTOS SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION, SOUTHAUSTRALIA, PAUL CHAI

For an immersive, private and utterly memorable beachside retreat, Camel Beach House is a boutique coastal getaway for lovers of wild coastline and simple, chic retreats. Eyre Peninsula; camelbeachhouse.com.au

pugilists of the sea, but there’s a grace and beauty to the great white in front of us. I watch the 3.2-metre female make a few passes, then get out of the cage for a break from the cold. From the deck I watch the shark swim languidly toward the bait when it’s cast – a frilly, fleshy collection of tuna lungs and entrails – but it’s pulled away from her easily. Local laws prevent feeding the sharks and if they take a bait you have to wait a while before another one can be put into the water, but you sense if these muscly predators wanted to get the bait they could. Instead they seem content to play the game of bait and switch, humouring their human playmates. Being underwater with a great white shark is such a jarring experience, such a sensory slap – the cold, the cage and the proximity to an apex predator – that, a few minutes out of the cage, I can hardly believe it just happened. My great white appears in my mind’s eye, almost indistinguishable from the video clips I’ve seen on nature programs. There’s only one thing for it: I shrug on my weight belt, attach my mask and climb the ladder back into the churning seas. This is a true once-in-a-lifetime encounter – so I better do it twice.

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Adelaide from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne; tigerair.com.au

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Go south, young man A classic Queensland road trip in reverse, driving from Cairns to Brisbane youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll pass offshore tropical islands, explore Spanish castles in the rainforest, and eat your fair share of fresh seafood. Matt Shea takes a campervan along a huge expanse of the northern coast. PHOTO TOWNSVILLE TOURISM

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QUEENSLAND ROAD TRIP

ere’s a fun fact. It takes longer to drive from Brisbane to Cairns than it does Brisbane to Melbourne. That’s how big Queensland is. “It’s amazing, but a mission,” one local tells us about the route north. The amazing part is the scenery and the hundreds of places to visit, she says. The mission part is the endless queues of traffic that file onto the Bruce Highway on any given day. The secret, she says, is to fly into Cairns and then drive south. Maybe it’s still a mission, but it’s one that pleasantly zigs against the grinding zag of the northern trip and its heavier traffic. So, we pack our bags, fly into Cairns and pick up “Britney”, our cutely named Hippie Drift camper. Then we hit the road. Mission accepted.

DAY 1: CAIRNS TO PORT DOUGLAS To go south, first you must go north. Or, we’re so close to Port Douglas it would be rude not to. The staff at Hippie Camper in Cairns get a wild look in their eye when they tell us the hour-long drive north along Route 44 is one of the best in the country.

Turns out, they’re not kidding: vertiginous hills plunge straight into the sea, each turn of the swooping road unveiling another pristine beach or inlet. Port Douglas is a destination worthy of the kilometres. Gathered together on a bucolic northeastern-facing headland, Macrossan Street – the town’s central strip – has a busy, buzzy hum during the day, coffee shops such as Sparrow (39 Macrossan Street; facebook.com/sparrowcoffeeco) and The Little Larder (487/40 Macrossan Street; facebook.com/thelittlelarderportdouglas) pumping out espresso every bit as good as you might find in Melbourne (it needs to be, given the numbers of Victorians hanging around the place). At night the attention turns to the many bars along the high street. We start at the grand old Court House Hotel (Cnr Wharf & Macrossan Streets; courthousehotelportdouglas.com.au) before walking down to On the Inlet (3 Inlet Road; ontheinlet.com.au), the region’s famous seafood restaurant. An almighty pile of prawns and mussels later, we’re back at the van and its seaside spot, ê satisfied with day one.

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QUEENSLAND ROAD TRIP

THE QT PORT DOUGLAS IS A GREAT SPOT TO STOP FOR A REST

DAY 2: PORT DOUGLAS TO MISSION BEACH We head out of Port Douglas early the next sun-kissed morning, heading back through Cairns and onto the Bruce Highway, the major arterial that runs 1,650 kilometres all the way to Brisbane. Thankfully, we’re not going that far today, turning off at Innisfail to begin a slow climb through the sugarcane fields towards Paronella Park (1671 Innisfail Japoon Road; paronellapark.com.au). Opened in 1935 by Jose Paronella, the Spanish expat’s dream was to create a castle next to Mena Creek Falls. Now, it’s like stumbling across the land time forgot, ancient, moss-covered edifices emerging from the rainforest. Owned since 1993 by Mark and Judy Evans, the couple has slowly restored much of the park, including the Instaworthy tennis courts and fountain. Still, it’s the phenomenal Kauri Avenue that steals the show – the gentle giants planted by Paronella all those years ago now dwarfing the surrounding foliage. We eventually pull ourselves away from the park and take our van down to sleepy Mission Beach, our home for the night. Groups of backpackers keep us

company at The New Shrub (44 Marine Parade, South Mission Beach) as we debrief over a couple of beers.

DAY 3: MISSION BEACH TO TOWNSVILLE The next morning, we swoop along the Tully Mission Beach Road back to the Bruce Highway. Our destination is Townsville, a few hours away, but not before we stop for a picnic lunch at Cardwell, a quiet seaside town that looks out upon the hulking Hinchinbrook Island. Townsville itself is a handsome and surprisingly lively small city. We arrive via

the almighty Castle Hill – dodging teams of joggers along the way – for views straight across Cleveland Bay to Magnetic Island, before parking up and ambling along The Strand, the city’s seafront greenway, stopping for sundowners at Longboard Bar & Grill (80 Gregory Street; longboardbarandgrill.com). After dark, we head around the corner to Flinders Street and its older, heritage-listed buildings. Dinner is at the rambunctious Rambutan (113-119 Flinders Street; rambutantownsville.com.au), a backpackers tarted up into a semi-luxe resort for people exploring the region. ê

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QUEENSLAND ROAD TRIP

AIRLIE BEACH IS A GREAT MIX OF NATUR AL BEAUT Y AND GREAT FOOD

DAY 5: AIRLIE BEACH TO SEVENTEEN SEVENTY

DAY 4: TOWNSVILLE TO AIRLIE BEACH The road south of Townsville gets straighter and straighter as we emerge from the cane fields, through Ayr, and into the scrublands south of Cape Upstart. It’s a barren part of the country, northerly winds buffeting our little Hippie Camper that could. We stop at Bowen for lunch at the iconic Jochheims Pies (49 George Street; jochheimspies.com.au) before returning to the A1 and making for Airlie Beach. Airlie is an achingly pretty (if surprisingly large) backpacker town, built into a mountainous promontory looking out

across the Coral Sea. The area got smacked earlier this year by Cyclone Debbie and but has bounced back. The payoff is a sense of renewal. New operators have arrived, meaning Airlie is evolving as it’s rebuilding. We mainline the change by visiting Hemingway’s (60 Shingley Drive; hemingwaysairliebeach.com.au), a flash new fine diner at Abell Point decked out in white-and-black tiles and metres of wood. We go large on South African short rib and lamb saltimbocca before knocking off the day back on Main Street, Airlie’s central strip, with some of the friendly locals.

Today is the big driving day of the trip as we cover 700 kilometres from Airlie to Seventeen Seventy. We set off at sun-up, powering south before the Bruce fills with traffic. There seem to be fewer postCyclone roadworks this far south and we’re in Yeppoon by lunch time. We stop at Whisk (15 James Street; whiskyeppoon. com.au) for a couple of pulled pork eggs Benedict rolls before rejoining the highway. The second leg of our journey has us slipping through Rockhampton and past Gladstone, before we double back north at the Fingerboard Roadhouse, pulling into Seventeen Seventy right on 5pm. This narrow, northern facing promontory is known for two things: it’s the site of the second landing of Captain Cook (in 1770, of course); and it’s one of the few places on the east coast where you can watch the sun set over the water. We park and break open some wine to watch the show before settling in for a camper-cooked ê dinner of local seafood.

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QUEENSLAND ROAD TRIP

The details T H E T R IP Over 60 per cent of Tigerair services touch Queensland and one of our bases is in Brisbane. The distance from Cairns to Brisbane is 1,686 kilometres and takes about 20 hours to drive but you pass through Tigerair destinations like Townsville, Cairns and the Whitsunday Coast. Take on the whole trip or fly-drive between Tigerair destinations.

T H E VA N Get budget campervan and motorhome hire from Hippie Camper, as well as campground info, living equipment and maps. Hippie Camper is the ideal road trip companion for exploring the beaches and bays of the Queensland coast. For more information visit hippiecamper.com

DAY 6: SEVENTEEN SEVENTY TO BUNDABERG AND BARGARA BEACH From Seventeen Seventy it’s just an hour and a half to Bundaberg and its sleepy beachside satellite township of Bargara. We leave the van by the seaside and head straight into town for the region’s most iconic attraction: the Bundaberg Rum Distillery (Hills Street; bundabergrum.com.au). It’s a gas peering around this place, the distillery known for its tours and blending experiences. We leave with two personalised bottles, giddy from a tasting and glad we left the van back in Bargara. Some fresh local fish and chips helps soak up the booze, enjoyed as the sky turns pink over the Pacific. The next morning we visit a very different attraction: Hinkler Hall of

“We leave the van by the seaside and head to the iconic attraction: the Bundaberg Rum Distillery“

Aviation Museum (Mount Perry Road and Young Street; hinklerhallofaviation.com). Little known outside of Queensland, the Bundaberg-born Bert Hinkler was a pioneer in the air, being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Some of the handsome early 20th century aircraft look beyond basic compared to the ultra-modern museum that displays them – it’s a comfortable, quiet space in which to spend half an hour getting in touch with the history and science of flight.

DAY 7: BUNDABERG TO NOOSA It’s apparent by now that we’re getting closer to Brisbane. This far south, day-trippers and weekend surf vans join the campers and commercial vehicles. The drive from Bundaberg down the Bruce and into Noosa is barely two hours along easy highway. This little township is one of Australia’s premier holiday destinations and it shows: when we arrive late on a Saturday morning it’s heaving with tourists. We drive Hastings Street, rubbernecking at the boutiques and beautiful people, before heading to the much quieter Sunshine Beach. This peaceful suburb of Noosa is no more than five minutes away from the high street but is relatively deserted, the smattering of people we see mostly locals meeting for coffee or lunch. We park up, hit the beach before retiring to the Sunshine Beach Surf Club (Duke Street; sunshinebeachslsc.com.au) ê for a well-earned drink.

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Connecting to Tigertainment 1. Check below to see if your device is compatible. 2. Download the latest Tigerair Australia app via the Apple App Store or Google Play prior to the final cabin door closing. Tigerair Australia app will not be available for download after take-off. 3. Connect to our WIFI network – “Tigerair Australia”. No password will be required. 4. Open the Tigerair Australia application and select Tigertainment (in-flight entertainment). 5. Explore and view the content. 6. To watch our movies, purchase a voucher from a cabin crew member for just $2 for TV and $6 for movies. 7. Select your movie or tv program and enter your voucher number in the pop-up box. 8. Enjoy access to Tigertainment!

IMPORTANT! To make sure you don’t miss any of the action, please ensure your device is fully charged prior to the flight as our aircraft do not have charging ports on-board. For audio and charging accessories available for purchase please refer to the tigershop menu in the seatback pocket in front of you. 1.Tigerair’s In-Flight entertainment system (IFE) may include content that is not suitable for everyone. While Tigerair has carefully selected the programmes made available on the IFE to ensure a wide variety of program choices, customers control their own devices and Tigerair accepts no responsibility for any footage shown on IFE programming which may be offensive or distressing to any customer. Customers using the IFE agree to shut their devices down if they find any content on the IFE offensive, or if content is likely to be offensive or distressing to other customers. 2.The content may include MA15+ content, so: a.Unaccompanied customers under the age of 15 are not permitted to use the IFE system and cannot purchase a voucher to access paid content. The parent/guardian agrees to ensure that any device available to the unaccompanied customer under the age of 15 is disabled before boarding a flight. The parent/guardian gives Tigerair cabin crew consent to enable parental controls within the IFE settings or to disable any device on behalf of and as agent for the parent/guardian. b. Accompanied customers under the age of 15 may access the IFE system if a parent/guardian travelling with them consents to the access. If we make the IFE available to an accompanied customer under 15 with a parent/guardian’s consent, that parent/guardian agrees that we are making the content available on behalf of, and as the parent/guardian’s agent and they acknowledge that the IFE content may include MA15+ content and consents to the accompanied customer under 15 viewing that content. The parent/guardian may choose to activate the parental lock controls within the IFE settings. Parents/guardians accept responsibility for monitoring the content viewed by accompanied customer under the age of 15 years. 3. Content may include educational content provided by third party providers. Tigerair excludes any warranties as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of such content. Any educational content viewed is not intended to be, and should not be construed as legal, financial, or other professional services advice of any kind. 4. Content is for single viewing only and customers agree not to share devices. 5. Tigerair offers IFE on selected aircraft types, routes and fares. IFE may not be available on some flights. 6. For prices and instructions on how to access paid content visit www.tigerair.com.au/fly/inflight-entertainment. 7. Vouchers issued to allow access to paid content are for one use only. If you need to switch devices, please speak with a cabin crew member. 8. Vouchers are nonrefundable except as provided by the Australian Consumer Law or unless: a.the flight you purchased your voucher for is cancelled; or b. the flight you purchased your voucher for has a schedule change and that change meets the schedule change policy conditions that entitle you to a refund of that flight. The schedule policy conditions are available at https://tigerair.com.au/compensation-policy. To request a refund please contact us at www.tigerair.com.au. 9. Operation of the IFE system is dependent on certain hardware and software being operational, some of which is provided by third parties and Tigerair cannot guarantee that the IFE system will be operational at all times. Tigerair is not responsible: a. for any interruptions to the service including, without limitation, those due to acts of nature, power failure, satellite signal failure or any other cause; b. if IFE is not available on a flight due to a technical fault or serviceability issues; or c. if a customer’s device is unable to connect to the Wireless IFE system. 10. Tigerair’s IFE programming schedules are available at www.tigerair.com.au/fly/inflight-entertainment. Programming schedules are subject to change at any time without notice. IFE content offered may not always match the content listed on our website. 11. There are no charging ports on-board Tigerair aircraft and Tigerair is not responsible for charging devices. It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure the appropriate IFE application or software has been downloaded on the device and that the activation process is complete prior to boarding the aircraft. It is at the customer’s responsibility to ensure devices are charged sufficiently for the flight. 12.Customer’s using the IFE agree to comply with any and all directions from crew regarding the IFE, including instructions to shut down devices in circumstances reasonably required by Tigerair. 13. All flights are subject to our full terms and conditions which are available at www.tigerair.com.au/tigerair-info/conditions-of-carriage

QUEENSLAND ROAD TRIP

Places to stay If you’re not taking your bed with you, that is.

HEART HOTEL AND G A L L E R Y W HI T S U N D AY S You can keep it classy in Airlie Beach with this handsome, Queenslanderstyle boutique hotel right on the Main Street. Brand new in November last year, the rooms are decked out in immaculate whites, plush carpets and louvred windows. 277 Proserpine Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach; hearthotelwhitsundays.com.au

QT PORT DOUGL AS

DAY 8: NOOSA TO BRISBANE We can’t say goodbye to Noosa without a quick dip at tiny Little Cove beach, a sedate hideaway just a short walk from the main strip. Then it’s time to hit the road for our final day with “Britney”. First stop: Maleny. This hinterland town feels like the Sunshine Coast’s own Byron Bay. We drive through Nambour, climbing a brilliant range road that takes us through Mapleton and Montville, before we pull onto Maleny’s winsome, ascending high street. Lunch is at Brouhaha Brewery (6/39 Coral Street, Maleny; brouhahabrewery.com.au), a craft brewpub the match of anything you’d find in the city. We feast on locally smoked chicken salad and haloumi burgers, washing it all down with a couple of dry hopped saisons. Afterwards, a quick caffeine stop at Shotgun Espresso (2/48 Maple Street; shotgunespresso.com.au) has us ready to tackle a series of plateaus between Maleny and Dayboro. This swooping drive, running through lush green fields full of livestock and with views of the Glasshouse Mountains, turns out to be perhaps the best of the trip.

The very final stop is at the Dayboro Crown Hotel (1 Bradley Street; no website), a grand old pub that watches over the farming town’s main junction. We sip on a couple of beers under its giant fig trees, debriefing our travels. The glow of big city Brisbane lights up the darkening horizon. Was there a highlight? Paronella? Airlie? Maleny? We can’t decide. But the urge to turn the van around and head back north is almost overwhelming. Mission successful, then.

QT Port Douglas isn’t your typical QT hotel. Instead, it’s an inclusive Port Douglas resort that comes with the QT touch. That means Swiss precision service, breezy friendliness and exceptional facilities. The suites themselves feel like miniature beach houses – light, airy and unfussy. 87-109 Port Douglas Road, Port Douglas; qthotelsandresorts.com/port-douglas

DRIVING FROM TROPICAL BEACHES TO THE BRIGHT BRISBANE LIGHTS ( ABOVE)

t ig e r a ir f l ie s to Brisbane, Whitsunday Coast, Townsville and Cairns; tigerair.com.au

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$36 $22

ROUTE MAP

Where to next? Tigerair Australia serves 13 destinations right across the country

tigerair bases Route starts 7 December darwin

cairns townsville whitsunday coast

brisbane gold coast coffs harbour perth

sydney canberra (act)

adelaide

FOR AN UP-TO-THE-MINUTE LIST OF OUR DESTINATIONS, VISIT TIGERAIR.COM.AU

melbourne (tullamarine) hobart

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TIGERAIR NEWS

Tigerair announces new east-coast route The airline will offer the only direct, low-cost route between Hobart and Gold Coast

igerair will operate four weekly return services between the Island state and Gold Coast on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. At the same time, the airline will also add four additional return services on the existing Melbourne to Hobart route to meet growing demand. The new services will run from Thursday December 7. In total, 16 additional return services will provide close to 3,000 additional visitor seats through Hobart Airport weekly from December 7. The new flights are perfectly timed for leisure travellers, departing Hobart at 8:50am (AEDT) to

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arrive into the Gold Coast at 10:20am (AEDT). The return services depart Gold Coast Airport at 10:50am (AEDT) and arrive into Hobart at 2:30pm (AEDT). “This new route provides the only direct, low-cost link between two very popular travel destinations providing faster, cheaper access to both cities for tourist, budget and leisure travellers,” says Tigerair Australia Acting CEO Peter Wilson. “Not only are we providing the only direct, low-cost services between Tasmania and Gold Coast, but we’re also adding more services on our existing popular Melbourne to Hobart due to popular demand. “Our great value fares grow and stimulate air travel in this country. These flights launching in December, provide a welcome boost for tourism in both cities, covering the upcoming peak summer holiday travel period and the Commonwealth Games in April.”

TIGERAIR NEWS

New Tigerair chatbot is here to help “Toby” will make the user experience even easier for customers Tigerair Australia has recently introduced the airline’s official Facebook messenger chatbot, “Toby”, which is designed to help customers search and book the best value flights, retrieve existing itineraries and answer questions on common topics such as baggage allowances and how to check in for your flight. To start a conversation with Toby (named after Tigerair’s mascot), simply visit Toby’s page on our homepage or Tigerair Australia’s Facebook page. Alternatively, users can chat to Toby by opening Facebook Messenger and searching “Toby – Tigerair Australia”. Tigerair Australia Commercial Director Andrew Maister says Toby is the latest innovation introduced by the airline to make booking and flying Tigerair more convenient and interactive than ever before. “The introduction of Toby provides another option for our customers to assist with searching and booking flights with Tigerair,” Maister says. “Toby acts as your own personal travel consultant at any time of the day or night, helping you search for the best value flights for your next trip and guiding you through the booking process.”

Tigerair flies Brisbane to Canberra Low-cost carrier commences only low-cost route between Brisbane and the nation’s capital Tigerair recently started three weekly return services between Brisbane and Canberra, offering customers a great value travel option on this route. The inaugural flight, which took place on September 14, saw a media group head to Canberra and be met by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Managing Director of Canberra Airport Stephen Byron. In further good news for the ACT, the airline has also added an additional weekly return service between Melbourne and Canberra on Fridays – taking the total number of Tigerair return services between Melbourne and the nation’s capital from seven per week to up to eight per week. Tigerair Australia Head of Communications, Vanessa Regan, says the airline’s new services between Brisbane and Canberra and additional service between Melbourne and Canberra are a great win for consumers, the economy and tourism. “Our great value fares stimulate and grow

the air travel market in this country and we’re thrilled to be launching new services between Brisbane and Canberra today in response to consumer demand,” Regan says. “We’ve been pleased with the response to our existing services between Melbourne and Canberra, which launched in December last year – so much so that we are adding an additional weekly return service on Fridays to meet growing demand for low-cost services on that route.”

TIGER AIR FLIES 25 MILLIONTH PASSENGER Adelaide local receives $500 travel voucher Tigerair Australia’s 25 millionth passenger, Jaden Hubbard, was met upon arrival at Melbourne Airport before his flight home to Adelaide by Tigerair cabin crew and Toby the Tiger. Jaden was presented with a $500 travel voucher and treated like a king to celebrate the major milestone. Tigerair spokeswoman Vanessa Regan says the airline is thrilled to celebrate flying 25 million passengers, at the same time enabling more people than ever before the ability to travel by air. “Twenty five million passengers is a significant milestone – more than the population of Australia. The majority of these customers have flown for less than $100. Today we’ve flown over 200,000 domestic flights and over 230 million kilometres, delivering healthy competition to the budget air travel market.”

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designed and tested by New Zealand

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Getting away

Take a break from it all with our rundown of things to do across the Tigerair network. BY CONNOR MCLEOD

Racing

Spring Racing Carnival – Melbourne One of the biggest reasons to get out of the house after a long Melbourne winter is the Spring Racing Carnival that culminates in the Melbourne Cup, which stops a whole lot of work on November 7. But there are loads of events in the lead-up, including Girls Day Out and concerts from bands like the Temper Trap. Melbourne springracingcarnival.com.au

Gold Coast Turf Club The Gold Coast Turf Club and Event Centre has launched a huge 2017 Gold Coast Spring Carnival program featuring a host of new race-day experiences across nine weeks from September 23 to November 11. GC locals will be getting even more dressed up than usual to take part in the

glamour and racing at Aquis Park, kicking off with spring racing carnival events like Hot Tomato Derby Day on Saturday, November 4, featuring the Moet Ice Beach Party in the Event Centre, and Vili’s Pies Race Day on October 7. Gold Coast gctc.com.au

Sydney Spring Carnival There’s 10 weeks of racing action at the Australian Turf Club in Sydney with fashion and fun also part of the mix. The racecourse at Randwick will be overflowing with well-dressed punters. The headline event is The Everest, the world’s richest turf race, which seeks to steal some headlines from the Race That Stops a Nation down south. Sydney australianturfclub.com.au

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THE PERFECT RACE ON SYDNEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DOORSTEP

SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER

SWIM 1.9KM

BIKE 90KM

RUN

21.1KM

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G E T T I N G A W A Y

THE SPOT

IMAGE ANDREW PATTINSON

VAMPP PHOTOGRAPHY

Airlie Beach Festival of Music

ow in its fifth year, the Airlie Beach Festival of Music sees some of the biggest names in rock, dance and indie get together for some fun in the sun with a three-day line up of live music. Festival organiser Gavin Butlin says the festival is going to have a great year and part of its success is its inclusiveness. “We include the whole town and the festival is in town rather than out in football fields and paddocks,” he says. “We have something for everyone with rock, blues, jazz and a fair bit of country in there. This year’s line-up

includes Leo Sayer, Baby Animals, Sneaky Sound System and Monsters of Rock with the guys out of Rose Tattoo and the Screaming Jets.” Also on the line up is the Absolutely ‘80s Show, which has a string of famous names including lead singer of the Choirboys, Mark Gable. Mark says he‘s looking forward to things getting a bit rock ‘n‘ roll. “I love it when things go wrong. I love when a band makes a mistake,” he laughs, “I go ‘Yes’ – now I can have some fun.” It‘s not Mark’s first outing on the Whitsunday Coast; in fact, he

remembers bringing the Choirboys to Airlie Beach back in the day. “The last time I was there was with Choirboys and we were doing something like the Great Pub Rock Tour,” he says. “We went out of Sydney in a Tarago and an eight-tonne truck with Choirboys: Great Pub Rock Tour written on the side, and we went all around Australia like bands used to do in the 60s and 70s – and Airlie Beach was embraced in that.” Tigerair is a sponsor of the festival and will be helping to present 74 bands over three days. airliebeachfestivalofmusic.com.au

Gear American Tourister Applite 3.0S The luggage company launched an upgrade to its softside Applite collection this year, making it one of the lightest and most durable. The bags have also been designed in a way to get you through security quickly. americantourister.com.au

iPhone X

MooGoo

Batiste Dry Shampoo

The 10th anniversary edition of the Apple iPhone has finally been announced and it’s a big leap forward. The phone is all screen and has facial-recognition software that makes your face your password. And it’s tougher and has a much longer battery time. apple.com

This natural skincare company was started when someone tried to adapt the soothing properties of cow “udder cream” for humans. It now has a wide range of products that includes sun screen to keep you from turning into a beetroot. moogoo.com.au

An essential for anyone hitting the road with long-flowing locks or epic beards. Keep your hair feeling fresh without the benefit of freeflowing water – just rub it in and off you go. batistehair.com.au

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G E T T I N G A W A Y Family

BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort This family fun park on the Whitsunday Coast recently added a huge waterpark to the mix to keep the kids happy. One of the resort water parks around the slides come off a two-metre high platform while a huge tipping bucket fills with water before spilling over and soaking the delighted kids. Parents can just pull up a sun lounge and keep and eye on things, but it will keep the little ones busy for hours. Whitsunday Coast adventurewhitsunday.com.au

Adelaide Zoo It might not have Taronga Zoo’s views or Melbourne Zoo’s history, but Adelaide boasts two other attractions no other Aussie zoo

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can offer: Wang Wang and Funi, the Southern Hemisphere’s only breeding pair of giant pandas. The pair hang out in an enclosure that allows you to stand just a metre or two from a bamboo-chewing panda. And they’re just opposite the capybaras, the world’s most oddly charming rodents (besides potoroos that is – see page 70). adelaidezoo.com.au

AQWA The Aquarium of Western Australia is one of the country’s most venerable underwater attractions. The aquarium is divided in zones like the Great Southern Coast – which showcases creatures like sea dragons and pineapple fish – and the Shipwreck Coast – full of stingrays, sharks and turtles. aqwa.com.au

the tale end

Let your pictures tell a story We want your photos on the Tigerair Australia Instagram feed. Add the hashtag #tigerairau to your travel snaps and they could appear as part of Tigerairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media.

PALM COVE Cairns @jamesvodicka

MOR E T ON I S L A ND

NOR T H S T R A DBR OK E I S L A ND

Queensland @kebin80

Queensland @flossie_create.talk

#tigerairau We would love to see your pictures, so use this hashtag when you travel with us!

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