TNT Downunder 692

July 30-August 5 2012 Issue 692 tntdownunder.com

IN W ACTION-

AN N PACKED FIJIAE ADVENTUR

HORSIN’ AROUND A country break in the Macarthur region

ABLE BODIES The top ten Olympians to watch

S R E T T E S T E J

d f Queenslan o te ta s e th round t, we glide a s re fo in ra e f to th From the ree + NEWS & SPORT WHAT’S ON FILM REVIEWS TRAVELLERS’ TIPS

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ALEX HARMON DEPUTY EDITOR alex@tntdownunder.com

DEPUTY EDITOR’S LETTER While the Aussies are over in London vying for precious metal, you travellers are here looking for some gold of your own. Well there’s no better place to find it than the sunny state of Queensland. There’s loads to do up there but we’ve managed to narrow it down to 33 things. We also head west for some equestrian action, synchronise our way to Brazil and reveal which Olympians you should look out for.

THIS WEEK OZ DIARY

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CHATROOM

14

FILM

16

TRAVEL

24

COMPETITION

27

NEWS

40

OPINION

42

SPORT

44

LISTINGS NSW

49

LISTINGS QUEENSLAND

50

LISTINGS VICTORIA

54

LISTINGS TASMANIA

57

LISTINGS NT

58

LISTINGS WA

59

LISTINGS SA

60

LISTINGS NEW ZEALAND

62

WORK

64

TRIVIAL PURSUITS

66

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FEATURES HAPPY DAYS

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Everything you’ll ever need to know about the Sunshine State: Queensland

FALSE START

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Meet Oscar Pistorius, the inspiring and controversial South African athlete

COUNTRY ROAD

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We head west of Sydney for a weekend retreat in the Macarthur region

BEAT OF THE DRUM Discovering the Afro-Brazilian rhythm and sultry sights of Salvador

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OZDIARY EDITORIAL Global Editor Carol Driver Deputy editor Alex Harmon Contributors Graeme Green, Emma Salkild, Pierre De Villiers, Jahn Vannisselroy Interns James Besanvalle, Priyal Dadhania

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All eyes on London. (No offence one-eyed mascots)

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Design and production manager Lisa Ferron SALES Account manager Justin Steinlauf MARKETING & EVENTS Business development manager Tom Wheeler DISTRIBUTION Lee Sutherland ACCOUNTS Financial controller Trish Bailey Accountant Hannah Waters

TNT MULTIMEDIA LTD CEO Kevin Ellis Chairman Ken Hurst PUBLISHER TNT Multimedia Limited PRINTED BY Rural Press NEWS AAP PICTURES Getty Images | Thinkstock | AAP | TNT Images | Tourism Australia | Tourism Victoria | Tourism New South Wales | Tourism NT | Tourism Queensland | Tourism Tasmania | South Australia Tourism | Tourism Western Australia | Tourism New Zealand | Tourism Fiji | COVER IMAGE Whitsunday Jetski Tours TNT Magazine , 126 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale, Sydney, NSW 2008 tntdownunder.com General enquiries Phone 02 8332 7500 Fax 02 9690 1314 Email enquiries@tntdownunder.com

MAIN EVENT 2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS LONDON

The ultimate in sporting competition is happening in London and the Aussie team should do well in the motherland. If you don’t care for sport, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t celebrate. We’ll be heading to the London Hotel in Paddington for traditional British meals and pints of Bulmers cider ($15). It’s an excuse to drink while watching toned bodies battle it out for their respective countries. Bring on the pommel horse!

FREE

July 27- August 12 Free-to-air on Channel Nine

london2012.com

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WHERE TO GET TNT

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BYRON BAY WRITERS’ FESTIVAL

CURRY MERRY MUSTER

CANE TO CORAL FUN RUN

A stellar line-up of talent, including writers, comedians, actors and poets who will congregate at the Byron Community Centre Theatre.

Catch the hilarious Fiona O’Loughlin perform on opening night. Even Greenie Bob Brown will be talking.

Cloncurry’s rodeo is known for heart racing, adrenalin pumping, dusty spectacular man versus beast action. But there’s also a Mardi Gras street parade, workshops, markets, live music and loads of rodeo action with both bull and bronc riding.

Whether you run, walk, roll, trip, or skip to the end, it’s time to shake the winter blues and join in on the Cane2Coral Charity fun run. You’ll be raising money for the Cancer Council, Ronald McDonald House and Bundaberg Surf Life Saving Club. Hop to it!

Aug 3-8 Byron Bay, NSW byronbaywritersfestival.com.au

Aug 3-5 Cloncurry, North West QLD currymerrymuster.com.au

Aug 3-5 Bundaberg, QLD cane2coral.com.au

$40

TNT Magazine is printed on paper from sustainable forests.

There is no business connection between the proprietors of this magazine and TNT Ltd, the worldwide transportation group. Copyright here and abroad of all original materials is held by TNT Magazine. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden, except with permission of the publishers. Registered by Australia Post.

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19/10/11 2:05:12 PM

Queen’s crusaders From the rainforest to the reef, via endless parties and even the odd dingo, there’s heaps of reasons to visit the Sunshine State Generally speaking, backpackers want to tick off a bucket list while they’re in Oz. And where better to get started than Queensland. There are so many reasons to visit the Sunshine State, you’d be hard pressed to find something that doesn’t suit your fancy.

The east coast is home to endless partying, the world famous reef, idyllic islands, not to mention home to the creatures of the rainforest – everything from the cute koalas to croc infested rivers. If this doesn’t get your heart pumping, the bungy in Cairns will!

It’s a no brainer, if you’re going to attempt to ride the waves, Queensland’s small surfing towns are the place to do it. Lessons are easy to find at Surfers Paradise and Noosa, with the beaches accommodating surfer dudes and beach bums who just want 6

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to kick back and relax. As the weekend draws in everyone cracks open a tinnie and proceeds to knock back shots. Of course, dancing on tables at the end of the night is standard. (An easy habit to fall into once you stopped at Byron Bay’s infamous Cheeky Monkeys.)

If the photos from these nights are all a bit of a blur, there will be plenty of sober photo opportunities. Being in the only state where you are able to touch Australia’s furry friend, the koala, you can get snap happy in Brisbane’s Lone Pine Sanctuary, Queensland Zoo, and even Magnetic Island. But beware, when they’re not doped up on eucalyptus leaves they can become vicious little creatures.

The adventure doesn’t stop there.

Queensland’s dreamy islands are a must-see. A common favourite is Fraser

Island. The sand covered grounds require nothing more than a swimsuit by day and a hoodie by night. Despite being home to dingos, spiders, and snakes, the breath-taking lakes contain natural tea-tree extracts which tend to keep the creepy crawlies at bay, making them a safe spot to take a dip.

However, if taking a dip isn’t enough, a short way up you’ll be able to submerge yourself. Yes you’ve guessed it, the warm waters of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef are perfect for diving. Unlike the west coast, these waters are lot safer to swim in, the higher temperatures keep the gaping jaws of human-eating sharks away, attracting the smaller, shy, reef sharks instead.

Read on to find out the bare essentials of the Sunshine State...

Photo credit: Tourism Queensland, Whitsundays Jetski Tours

WORDS PRIYAL DADHANIA

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THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

SKYDIVING

Another world lurks beneath that glorious turquoise ocean that laps Queensland’s beaches. Stretching for 2,000km, there’s plenty of opportunities to get down there and have a look.

Is the best thing ever – it’s official. It makes you feel invincible, scares the living shit out of you and, in Queensland, offers incredible views in the process. What’s not to like? Take the tandem challenge on Mission Beach.

UNDER WATER LOVE

BUNGYYY...

Well, you could break the ice on the Manchester Ship Canal to study the mating habits of shopping trolleys, but wouldn’t you rather learn to dive in the warm waters surrounding the world’s largest reef system?

The AJ Hackett site near Cairns is one of the only places in Oz where you can bungy. It’s also very pretty.

XXXX LAGER Just joking...

RAINFOREST The Daintree, north of Cairns, is the largest stretch of virgin rainforest in Oz. Lush, green and beautiful, a visit will make you feel like Mowgli in the Jungle Book – without the loincloth. Hopefully. Further up, in Cape Tribulation you can walk out of the glorious green onto white powder beaches. Heavenly. Head even further up, to Cape York, for what must be one of Australia’s greatest roadtrip

PORT DOUGLAS When you’ve found out that there’s not much more going on in Cairns than pole dancing and wet T-shirt contests, head a few clicks north to Port Douglas. Cycle around, catch some fish or rent a small boat.

LAMINGTONS Yes, they taste like a bath sponge, but they’re very Aussie and they’re from Qld..

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KOALA CUTIES Take a stroll on Magnetic Island or drop intoBrisbane’s Lone Pine Koala Santuary and you’ll spy some of these cute mini-ewoks. Photo-op heaven.

LIFE’S A BEACH Queensland is packed with great beaches – they’re everywhere. The most famous being Whitehaven in the Whitsundays, which is so unbelievably picture-perfect you’ll find yourself yearning for a Bounty bar, even if you hate coconuts.

DINGOS Show some respect for the native dog, which was actually brought over by the first Aboriginals as hunting dogs around 40,000 years ago. That makes them pretty good at hunting. Keep your distance and don’t feed them. You’re most likely to see them on Fraser Island.

THEME PARKS The Gold Coast boasts loads.

So if you’re a rollercoaster junkie, you’re in heaven.

RAFTING White-water rafting is a knuckle-whitening ride that’s all for real. The Tully River, accessed from Mission Beach and Cairns, is the most popular place to get wet..

ABORIGINAL CULTURE The Laura Festival, held in the small Cape Yorktownship every July, is a unique opportunity to learn about the local Aboriginal culture through dance, song and art

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The TNT Golden Backpack Awards recognise those companies who make backpacking around Australia and New Zealand that extra bit special.

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18/07/12 7:03 PM

SURF’S UP

DESERT

Southern Queensland is, in more ways than one, Surfer’s Paradise. The reef puts a stop to the waves at Bundaberg, but until then, learning to surf is the most fun you can have with (some of) your clothes on.

The Simpson Desert is one of the largest national parks in Australia and looks like something from Star Wars, all rolling sand dunes and salt pans. It’s also the world’s only desert named after an irreverant cartoon family.

MULLETS The worst haircut that ever raised its tufty spikes still lives large in Qld. The comedy value is priceless

SAIL AWAY

SOAKING UP THE RAYS Queensland is officially Australia’s sunniest state. It’s also where the country’s highest recorded temperature was measured: 53.1ºC at Clonclurry, on January 13, 1889. Toasty.

RUM Bundaberg Rum. When in the town, order a ‘dark and stormy’ – Bundy rum and ginger beer.

Become a yachtie, if only for a few days. With this much coastline, Queenslanders love a boat. Yachties, by the way, are often very cute, with suntans and good arms.

Just a tip, ladies...

WATERFALLS Swimming in croc-free fresh water on a hot day is as close to heaven as most of us are likely to get. The Atherton Tablelands does them best.

THE CROCODILE HUNTER Okay, Steve won’t be there anymore, but there are more idiots that risk their lives by cuddling crocs. Check out the shrine to all things Irwin that is the Sunshine Coast’s Australia Zoo.

FEELING FRUITY If you’ve never eaten a perfectly ripe, dribble-downyour-chin Bowen mango, you haven’t lived, love.

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FREEWHEELIN’ FRASER

FARMSTAYS

A perennial fave, nothing quite beats burning up the beach of the world’s largest sand island in a 4WD. The inland lakes are also some of the best swimming spots you’re likely to find in Oz.

Pretend to be a farmer for a few days. Ride horses, cuddle cute critters and milk cows.

Myella near Rockhampton is a popular spot.

BEEF Rockhampton in central Queensland is the beef capital of Australia. Yes, they have one of those.

Presumably, the burgers are better in Rocky

LAST YEAR’S QUEENSLAND WINNERS...

Best hostel: Bunk Brisbane Best tour/activity: AJ Hackett Bungy, Cairns Best backpacker night: Birdie Num Nums, Brisbane

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JET SKIIING

ISLAND HOPPING

OUTBACK BOOZERS

In Thailand you get around on motorbikes, right? Well in Queensland you get around on jetskiis, the motorbikes of the ocean. Go island hopping around the Whitsundays or jet around Dunk Island off Mission Beach. You will love your new wheels.

There are too many stunning blobs of land off the Queensland coast to list. But we’ll tell you a few of our favourites: The Whitsundays are famous for their incredible beaches – like Whitehaven which bears a striking resemblance to the beach Tom Hanks got wrecked on in Cast Away; there’s also Hinchinbrook Island which is the wilderness walkers’ paradise; Fitzroy Island is full of adventurous backpackers and is great for partying; Magnetic Island is the sunniest; and Moreton Island is sand-tastic.

Big wooden buildings with huge, wrap-around verandahs, glasses kept in the fridge and wrinkly men in shorts perched on ricketty bar stools – that’s what we want from an Outback pub.

And Queensland has heaps of them.

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CHATROOM

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Candy Royalle The dreadlocked, rapping, no-bullshit poet is back with a new show about sex, politics and love. We chat to her about being a starving artist and what she thinks of Beyoncé INTERVIEW ALEX HARMON

songwriters, I don’t mean to be a cliché but I really do! I like them when they’re feisty like Björk, Ani DiFranco. I think that poetry is for the people and that is what I love about Patti Smith – she’s incredibly intelligent but she also has a popular following. Obviously she’s not mainstream like Madonna, but if you took it to that extreme then it would no longer be poetry.

What do you think of mainstream artists, like Beyoncé?

She’s a terrible role model. Sure, you can say Beyoncé has a great voice, but Beyoncé also dances naked on television whilst claiming to be a Christian and making bucket loads of cash.

And then the younger generations are looking up at her and saying “oh my God, I want to shake my booty like that and I wanna be really rich.” At least she can sing, although with auto tune, most people can sing.

“You say the word poet and people panic and run away”

Tell me about Stories by Starlight.

Well it’s a show I’m doing with a trio called Sloppy Joe – they’re keys, bass, drums, and a couple of neo-burlesque performers by the name of Betty Grumble and Ember Flame. And I am a poet, vocalist, performer. Basically the show is an hour-and-a-half long journey through politics, sex, love, and all that is encompassed in being a human being these days.

How sexualised is the show?

Well the show is highly sexualised and there are a couple of reasons for that. One is that I don’t believe in anything being gratuitous. I don’t talk about sex just because it sells tickets. I think that we live in a highly sexualised society and my work reflects that. Hence why my use of semi naked girls do that. But it’s all subverted.

If people are coming and excepting to see some sort of fun, light-hearted show, then they’re in for a shock. One of the pieces I do is called ‘Sexual Revolution’. And it talks about how far off the track of sexual revolution we actually are. And while I am doing that, Betty Grumbe is half naked with words like ‘cunt’ and ‘slut’ on her body. What I am trying to say is, if we are so liberated, why are we still living in a day and age where rape and sexual violence occurs daily?

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Would you say you’re a poet foremost?

I call myself a performance artist these days. You say the word poet and people panic and run.

Tell me about ‘An Ode to Journo’s.

I got asked to perform at the Walkley Award’s Freedom of Speech dinner. So I wrote this piece about how, in this day and age, people are so quick to say, “oh print media is so outdated.

Oh traditional media organizations don’t have a place in this digital age.” I think it’s bullshit.

Just because you can do a status update or put something on your Twitter feed, it doesn’t make you an expert on a subject.

What did you want to be growing up?

I wanted to be the first female Prime Minister of Australia, but Julia beat me to it. She was the first sacrifice. I didn’t see myself doing this, but I have always been a writer. I got into performance poetry at about 18. And the past few years I’ve been getting busier and busier and working harder at it. I feel lucky to be doing this, I couldn’t do anything else. It’s everything I have ever wanted.

Which artists do you look up to?

I love Patti Smith. I love female singer-

Is Gaga any better?

People say “oh well at least Gaga subverts it”.

But it’s the same thing, she’s still shaking her ass on TV. She’s doing the exact same thing, she’s just appealing to the Goths and the other subcultures. But at least she goes out publicly and says she is anti-bullying, she is antihomophobia. What does Beyoncé do? She goes out with Jay-Z, that says enough.

How does a starving artist live in Sydney?

With difficulty! I am really lucky in that I don’t pay exorbitant rent. But I think that there needs to be a shift in consciousness of artists and their roles. That’s the greatest fallacy about artists.

I heard an artist say, “would you want your plumbing done by a plumber who hasn’t been able to pay rent in two weeks? No you wouldn’t, his mind wouldn’t be on the job, they’re not going to be able to perform the job.” It’s the same for artists who have those worries, it’s hard for them to create beautiful work. So yes, I live very tight but I get to say what others don’t. And that is that I get to do what I really love.

Catch Candy Royalle at Red Rattler, Marrickville (Sept 7, 13 & 20). (candyroyalle.com) Read the full interview at tntdownunder.com

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FILMREVIEW

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Matt’s Brokeback Mountain audition didn’t go down too well

MAGIC MIKE FILM review by Emma Salkild STARRING: Channing Tatum, Olivia Munn, Cody Horn, Matthew McConaughey / M / 110mins

THE CAMPAIGN FILM preview STARRING: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis | M | 105mins

When a long-term congressman commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, his rival plots against him. Of course, when Will Ferrell is involved you know it’s not going to be Ides of March, but more Anchor Man getting his hands dirty on the election campaign.

On general release August 9

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Believe it or not, Magic Mike is a lot more than just a film about stripping. It’s a film about aging and self-discovery, and surprisingly, it’s a compelling human drama. Sure, Channing Tatum takes his clothes off in a few scenes too.

Mike (Channing Tatum) is a labourer/wannabe business owner by day and a stripper with a heart of gold by night. After taking the directionless Adam (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing he soon discovers he has bit off more than he can chew.

But will Adam’s guarded sister (Cody Horn) make it all worthwhile?

Based on Tatum’s past (he was an exotic dancer before he became a model and then an actor) the film is packed with strong – pardon the pun – performances.

There are some casting treats such as smarmy club owner Matthew McConaughey who leads the all-male dance revue that he dubs the “cock-rocking kings of Tampa”. And Mike’s booty call Olivia Munn who bares (almost) all in one scene.

Mike’s aim is to save enough money to realise his true ambition – to own a firm producing superior custom-built furniture. Because every stripper has passion project, unless you’re McConaughey and your passion actually is stripping.

Directed by the talented Stephen Soderbergh, it’s more gritty and less formulaic than your average rom-com but still delivers a good dollop of crowd pleasing soppiness. The pecs don’t hurt either.

GOOD FOR: A chance to objectify men in the way The Full Monty failed

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The blade runner The double-amputee runner is just days from making history at the London Games, but he has already cleared his biggest hurdle WORDS PIERRE DE VILLIERS

If ever there was any doubt that extraordinary South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has captured the imagination of people across the world, one need only travel to Kingsley St John’s Primary school in Cheshire. There, pupils have been so inspired by the first double amputee to compete at the Olympic Games, they have erected an effigy of the star runner – complete with blades - outside their classrooms.

“I received a letter from the school last week who had made an Oscar ‘scarecrow’ – they sent me a picture, it was really good!” says Pistorius, who will compete for South Africa at the Olympics alongside abled-bodied athletes in the 400m and 4x400m. “It’s extremely humbling to get that kind of attention and I feel so blessed to receive such positivity from people. When I found out that I would represent Team South Africa at the Olympics I had so many positive support messages that I was just overwhelmed.”

While Pistorius has faced a lot of scrutiny leading up to the Games it is nothing compared to tidal wave of hype that will wash over him once he takes to the track. Alongside Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis, the South African will be one of the stories of the London Olympics, with controversy still raging over whether the athlete’s carbon fibre blades gives him an unfair advantage during a race. The fact that he continually has to defend himself is something that clearly frustrates and annoys the 25-year-old.

“To me there is no controversy or debate,” he says. “It was proven four years ago by the best scientists in the world that there is no net advantage to me over 400m in the Ossur carbon fibre sprinting leg.” While the din of naysayers must be difficult to block out, Pistorius is determined to only concentrate of running fast times at the Olympics.

“The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself, I have to run and compete for myself, it’s not about proving people wrong but proving to myself that I can do it,” he says.

“All of the athletes taking part in the Games are facing a time of heightened attention and I think the main thing to do is stay true to yourself and remain focused. I have always been a very targeted person, I don’t allow things to get to me and my main priority to train and compete well and be

“

To me there is no controversy... it was proven four years ago

”

the best athlete I can possible be.”

Pistorius is used to being told he can’t do things. Born with a congenital absence of fibulas, both his legs were amputated below the knees at 11 months and doctors believed he would never walk. Not only did Pistorius prove them wrong, he had an extremely active childhood, quickly becoming mobile on prosthetic legs and tearing around his Johannesburg neighbourhood. Showing a fearless streak he once jumped into a swimming pool with his prosthetics, causing his mother to leap in after him as he sank.

“I did a lot of things, with or without my prosthetics and have always taken a humorous approach when things did not quite go to plan,” he recalls.

Enrolling in top school Pretoria Boys High really opened up the world of sport to Pistorius and he excelled at water polo, tennis and rugby. In June 2003 he shattered his knee during a rugby game, an injury that would dramatically change his life. As part of his rehabilitation Pistorius did athletics training under coach Ampie Louw and discovered he had a unique talent for sprinting.

“I was disappointed when I suffered my rugby injury but being at Pretoria Boys High shows that when one door closes another opens,” he says.

In 2004 Pistorius ran his first competitive 100m for Pretoria Boys High in 11.72 seconds. The existing Paralympic record was 12.20seconds. In June that same year he trialed Ossur’s Flex-Foot Cheetahs running blades for the first time and in November won Paralympic gold in the (T44) 200m, setting a new world record time of 21.97 seconds. His outstanding performance was the first of many at disability sports events

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Oscar in 2011 with (right to left) April Holmes, Jerome Singleton and Heinrich Popow during the International Paralympic Day at Trafalgar Square

“I have a phenomenal team behind me who have helped get me here and I, along with them, will now put everything we can into the final few weeks of preparations before the Games where I am aiming to race well, work well through the rounds, post good times and maybe even a personal best time on the biggest stage of them all.”

Pistorius has certainly given himself the best possible chance to do just that thanks to a torturous fitness regime and a iron-fisted diet.

“If I was going to have a naughty day I would have a big steak, jacket potato and sour cream,” he says. “But my diet is strict, I’m a big believer of what you put in you get out so I will eat a lot of proteins, nuts and seeds. I find if I do the cooking I can make healthier choices. So while I don’t like to spend too much time in the kitchen I will get my friends round and cook for them. Being on a diet can be tough but these sacrifices are what’s needed to be the best.”

Depriving himself of some good South African food is, of course, not the only sacrifice Pistorius has had to make as a famous athlete. “I don’t really get much spare time,” he says. “But if I do, I like to relax at home with a good movie. I also enjoy fishing, painting and have a huge interest in architecture.”

On the odd occasion Pistorius goes out for a meal or a movie, his adoring fans are not too overbearing.

“I’m very lucky that my supporters are all very respectful,” he says, as TNT’s time with the athlete draws to a close. “I don’t really get mobbed when I’m out and about.”

Once Pistorius becomes the first man with no legs to compete at the Olympic Games in front of an audience of billions, that is sure to change. ❚ Catch Oscar in the 400m heats, August 4. oscarpistorius.com

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Photos: Getty Imges

with the man nicknamed ‘The Blade Runner’ also breaking the world record in the 100m and picking up three gold medals (100m, 200m and 400m) at the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008 – titles he is desperate to defend in London.

“I am a very proud Paralympian and I’m hugely excited to be competing to defend my three titles, which won’t be easy,” he says, discussing the big challenge he faces from superb American sprinter Jerome Singleton – a man who has described his rivalry with Pistorius as ‘Ali vs Frazier’.

“It is great to run against the likes of Jerome because that’s what you want in a race: good, challenging competitors, it’s what keeps you striving for perfection and gives you the hunger to win. There are also four or five other guys who will be challenging for the medals and the 100m will be an incredibly competitive race!”

While that 100m might well turn out to be the most memorable race in Paralympic history, it is Pistorius’ performance in the Olympics that will generate most column inches, especially given what he had to go through to compete against abled-bodied athletes. After managing to get a ruling by the IAAF overturned that banned him from competing against abled-bodied runners in 2008, Pistorius has battled hard to make the qualifying time for the London Games. Last year he won a silver medal at the World Championships in Daegu as part of South Africa’s 4x400m relay team and, even though, in the leadup to the Games, he failed to twice run inside the 400m ‘A’ standard qualifying time, he was still included in the SA Olympic squad.

“To have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a real honour,” he says.

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WINNER

WEEKLY WINNER BIKER’S DELIGHT: Marianne van der Kooy, 23, The Netherlands MARIANNE SAYS: “After a motorbike ride with my couch-surf host we ended up checking out this amazing sunset over Woody Lake, Esperance” WE SAY: “What a cool shot to match what sounds like a really cool story.

You should write a beat novel Marianne. Oh yeah, we also love the pink hues in the sunset“ THE MONTHLY WINNER GETS THREE DAYS CAR HIRE FROM TRAVELLERS AUTOBARN Send high-res (300 dpi) jpegs with name, age, nationality and a description to: alex@tntdownunder.com. Photos are judged by the TNT team at their own discretion.

Weekly winner Marianne wins a free night’s stay at the award-winning Sydney Central YHA (yha.com.au). The monthly winner gets three days’ car hire from Travellers Auto Barn. The runner-up wins a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling adventure and cruise with Awesome Adventures Oz (awesomeoz.com).

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HOT TIPS: Go straight We have all had the urge to slightly tilt our camera, thinking, “this is going to be amazing”. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but nine times out of 10 it fails miserably.

You don’t view the world by putting your head slightly to one side do you? So why would you think a photograph will look good in this way? It’s also very distracting, and takes away from what is the main subject of your image. Your brain is programmed to know what should be straight, and I personally find it unsettling looking at a wonky image. If you look at the image on this page, it wouldn’t have been as good if the photographer had decided to shoot crooked.

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TRAVELTIPS

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ON THE ROAD WITH TRAVEL

TALK JULIE HARDOUIN 25, FRANCE HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE?

I bought a campervan with my boyfriend in Perth a year ago, and we crossed all the country.

I absolutely love it.

YOU ASKED FOR IT...

WE ANSWER YOUR TRAVEL QUESTIONS

there good diving near Melbourne?

Q IsSarah Wallington, UK

a multitude of diving treats A There’s around Port Phillip Bay. You can venture to Portsea, the Mornington Peninsula and Queenscliff to experience unforgettable sights such as seals feeding, dolphins swimming overhead and crayfish foraging for food on the ocean floor. You can also investigate a vast number of shipwrecks.

Once travelling from the other side of the globe, they met their gurgling end, unfortunately, just outside of Port Melbourne.

Some diving excursions will take you to see ghostly old submarines that have perched themselves at the bottom of the sea. Plenty of marine life can also be found at these sites. Off Mornington, soft corals and sponge gardens can be viewed from places such as Rye Pier, where seahorses bob in the water and the occasional Moreton Bay bug pays a visit. Dive here at night for an even more spectacular underwater odyssey. Flinders Pier is home to a fascinating weedy seadragon population, and Portsea Hole allows you to plunge 34 metres to see overhangs, luminous blue devil fish and schools of whiting For those wanting a brush-with-death experience, divingheadquarters.com.au offers the only dive-with-sharks course in Victoria at the Melbourne Aquarium – you don’t even have to be a certified diver.

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thinking of proposing to my Q I’m girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. Where would be the most romantic place in Australia to do that?

Anonymous, via email Sydney is an obvious and A Spectacular excellent choice. Anywhere with harbour views is ideal. Try Cremorne Point or Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. Otherwise, get down on bended knee atop the Harbour Bridge on a Bridge Climb or Sydney SkyWalk at sunset (although she may not hear you above the wind). Still in Sydney, why not take a helicopter flight over the harbour, you could pop the question as the chopper flies over the Opera House. Seaplane flights are also very romantic, they depart from Rose Bay and if your lady likes her TV soaps you could ask her as you fly over Palm Beach (made famous by Home and Away).

Hot air ballooning is increasingly popular with young romantics; look out for deals that include a champagne breakfast. Pop the question at the vineyards of the Yarra, Hunter or Barossa valleys to add a dash of Tuscany to the occasion. For a sunset proposal you can’t go past Broome.

Cable Beach’s white sand and azure waters has the best sunset going and plenty of space to get away from the crowds. Finally, you’ll find plenty of isolated spots along Tasmania’s Overland Track to propose. Just don’t do it on the first day – if she says no it’s an uncomfortable three-day walk back to civilisation.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BEST DAY IN OZ?

Snorkelling with manta rays in Coral Bay, WA. We saw dolphins, a jumping whale, gentle sharks and then met sea turtles.

MET ANY WEIRD PEOPLE?

Tony, a crazy Kiwi guy who loved to jump on tables, scream all night and who also tried to steal my chocolate cake one night.

CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE DONE?

I took a nude shower in the middle of the bush between eucalyptus trees and a river!

WHERE ARE YOU GOING NEXT?

To Karratha in WA for three months to earn some good money.

ONE PLACE YOU’D REVISIT?

I loved the lifestyle of Byron Bay, Uluru was magic, and Kalbarri (WA) is a little paradise for travellers. I still want to get to the Blue Mountains.

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TRAVELLERSTALE THE GREY OUTDOORS

Stranded on a Tassie mountain, Dutch traveller ANNA HEIJKER climbed aboard with some grey nomads...

Bushwalking, hiking, kayaking and climbing are my favourite things to do and Tasmania is one of the best places in the world to do these outdoorsy activities. On my second day in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, I decided to walk some of the tracks on Mount Wellington. I left my hostel early in the morning and took the bus to the foot of the mountain, where the tracks start.

My plan was to buy a map and get some information at the local tavern.

Unfortunately the maps were sold out, so I had to follow the signs.

I started making my way up to the top of the mountain around 10am.

After an hour and a half of walking I reached ‘The Springs’, a resting point with cabins. At this point it started to rain. I was a little worried, because I knew the weather can change quickly on Mount Wellington and I didn’t exactly know where the next shelter would be. Because of safety reasons 28

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I considered walking back, but then I met a 72-year-old Australian lady, Marian, and after some small talk she invited me to her campervan to join her and her husband as they drove to the top of the mountain.

When we reached the top, Marian and Bob told me everything about their travels and offered me a coffee.

The coffee was served with cookies.

Marian said: “You might know these cookies.” Indeed, the cookies did look very familiar. In Holland they are called ‘Kletskoppen’ (translated: really talkative people). Marian had six big packages of Kletskoppen, all with images of windmills on the packaging.

It was so funny to eat something typically Dutch while drinking coffee with two Australians on top of a mountain. Marian gave me a packet to take home.

It was a shame that we couldn’t see much of Hobart because of the clouds, but these grey nomads made it a warm and friendly experience.

Marian and Bob were going to

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camp on top of the mountain. Marian insisted on helping me to find a lift back but there was just one other car in the car park. Marian and I went to the car, where we met Ron (78) and Von (73) from the Gold Coast. They were happy to take me back to Hobart and offered me a sandwich and a fruit pie.

On the way, Von decided she wanted to go to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hobart and she invited me to go with them. I had so much fun with my new ‘grey nomad grandparents’.

Von was still recovering from a lifethreatening disease, but no stairs were too steep for her. She was so strong and she taught me a lot about the flora in the botanical gardens. Before we went home Ron shouted me an ice-cream.

I really enjoyed the company of these inspiring people. They’ve all seen so much of the world and are still so active. They told me that their lifestyles keep them fit. The most striking thing was all four people I met were in their second marriages, and I could see they were so unbelievably happy with their current partners.

Bob stroked Marian’s cheek and she was still smiling at him like it was their second date. Von and Ron aren’t married, but have been together for 20 years and are still having fun.

Both couples advised me to stay single while I’m young and remember that there are plenty of other fish in the sea before I choose to be with someone. I’ll follow their advice and hopefully I’ll be a happy grey nomad in 50 years time.

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The Macarthur region NEW SOUTH WALES

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West side story Escape the hustle of Sydney and find a country retreat on the city fringe where the air is fresh, and the beer is even fresher WORDS ALEX HARMON

It must be from living in London and watching Bridget Jones’ Diary too many times – seriously it’s always on over there – because I’ve always been enamoured the English ‘mini break’. Where they leave the hustle and bustle of London and are transported to the countryside in less than an hour. Little did I know, Sydney has a little piece of the countryside on its doorstep too.

At just a 45 minute drive from the CBD you’ll find yourself in the Macarthur region, comprising of the townships of Camden and Campbelltown. Now, I’ve always viewed these parts of the world with a little bit of Sydney snobbery, but it was with an open mind that I hopped in a hire car. As the Pet Shop Boys blared through the airways (who chose these station settings?) we proceeded to “Go West.”

Unfortunately for me, the GPS has other ideas. She is literally playing hard-to-get, sending me on a wild goose chase so far south that I’m almost an extra on The Shire.

A few phone calls later we are back on track.

Unfortunately it’s now the weather’s chance to turn on me.

The rain belts down on our little hire car. Here’s a fact for you: it rains more in Sydney than it does in London. Yep, it’s true. The reason? Because when it rains in Sydney it bloody pours. London may be constant, but it’s a soft whimsical drizzle, about as polite as rain can get. Sydney is a bastard.

With all of this frustration, it’s a good thing that GoKarting is first on our to-do list out west. It doesn’t matter that it’s raining when we eventually get here. In a go-kart, this just adds to the fun. It’s time to blow off some steam behind the wheel – without causing grievous bodily harm to my passenger or myself.

Fastland Karting is in an industrial estate where no one can here you scream. Once you’ve got your helmet there is no briefing other than which pedal does what. Zooming off into the distance, my back tyres fishtailing in the wet, I make my way around the 500 metre track. I crash into the boundaries, ram into my friend’s vehicle and overtake her as she does her best impression of a soccer mum picking up the kids. (Clearly she isn’t suffering from the stresses of a dyslexic navigation system).

The rain is pouring down, saturating my clothes but right now I feel like Schumacher whizzing around the track. You get ten minutes to belt around the course, attempting to beat your previous time through hair pin turns and open sweepers. It feels as if I’m fast enough to qualify for Monaco.

Sadly, the staff print me off my time sheet afterwards and I discover that speed is in the eye of the beholder – not the speedometer. I get back into the hire car, drenched, and zoom off to take pole position next to a truck. “At the round-a-bout take the second exit,” says my GPS nemesis.

“Why can’t you just say right?” I scream. I probably need a few more laps around the racing track.

Beer, wonderful beer That night, after a hot shower, we head off to check out the country nightlife. We’re told there’s a microbrewery in town that is going to offer us a different kind of pit-stop. Okay I have to stop with the racing analogies now.

Shoot first, talk later Not a Carlton Draught in sight

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Infusion Bar and Brewery is located in Campbelltown Rydges so you might have to share the bar with a few straggling wedding guests, but the modern bar does offer

“

Everyone else has slender, shiny horses with funky names like Thunder and Dusty

”

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A Buddhist breakfast The next day we awake to sunny skies and fresh country air.

We have breakfast at the local Arts Centre amongst tranquil Japanese gardens. This is the peaceful kind of Sunday most Sydneysiders can only dream of. Filled up with a big breakfast and channelling some Zen Buddhism I don’t even mind if the GPS wants to direct me in the wrong way. She’s just misunderstood, I muse.

Thankfully we reach our next stop without any hitches.

The Australian Botanic Gardens are located on Mount Annan, set in 416 hectares of hills and lakes, making it the largest garden of its type in the country. We’re all set for a bike ride but it seems we’re hindered by the hangover of last night’s rain. As tempting as a 14km bike ride sounds right now, a guided tour with the park ranger sounds even better.

Hopping in his truck we are taken the top of Sundial Hill where we have 360° views of the surrounding countryside and views of the Sydney skyline. I can’t believe the city can be seen when right now it feels a million miles away. As we cruise around, the ranger points out a blue tree that looks starkly out of place amongst all of the green.

“The mysterious blue tree – I bet you’ve never seen one of these,” the guide says. I take my sunglasses off, rubbing my eyes in disbelief. “Only joking,” he says, “the tree is dead but it has been painted blue. People like to get their wedding photos taken here, I don’t really know why.”

“Maybe they’re looking for their ‘something blue’?” The

Photos: Alex Harmon, Visit Macarthur

some prime dysfunctional family viewing.

We ask the bartender for a tour of the working microbrewery which is visible behind floor-to-ceiling glass.

Inside it’s cold and smells surprisingly of citrus.

If you think the west is Carlton Draught territory, think again. We sample some great local brews (named for the surrounding areas) on a tasting rack – the gorgeous Appin Ale; the refreshingly fruity Fisher’s Ghost Lager; and the Macarthur Wheat with lovely hints of coriander. I adore the Razorback; a dark ale that’s surprisingly sweet and perhaps a little too easy to drink. The bartender tells me: “they’re all made from natural ingredients, so you won’t get a hangover.” I want to test this theory but we’ve made dinner plans and must head further west into the countryside.

Back in the car we head down the dark and winding Menangle Road, wondering if Ms Evil Navigation is luring

us somewhere sinister. Upon reaching the old inn, built by convicts in 1843, our nervousness is quickly dissipated by super friendly wait-staff. Menangle House is in a converted stable and warmth from the fireplace blankets us as we gorge on selections from the country farmhouse-style menu.

country air is making me very reflective.

Next we are shown the ‘wedding knot’ which seems much more symbolic for a day of nuptials. Made from dry stone, the wall sculpture entwines over itself to symobolise a lasting relationship.

Horses for courses It wouldn’t be a fairytale ending without galloping off into the sunset now would it? And that is precisely what we do next at the Sugarloaf Horse Centre.

The heritage listed farm was built in 1835 and has over 600 acres of property. The sun is shining so it’s a popular day for a trot. So much so that the guide asks me if I wouldn’t mind taking one of their biggest horses.

“His name is Ben, he’s an old boy so he’ll behave

himself.” I look around, everyone else has slender, shiny horses with funky names like Thunder, Lightning and Dusty.

Mine looks like a Trojan War horse – and what kind of name is Ben for a horse? He’s not the most clever horse either. As we wait for the rest of the group to saddle up, Ben goes wandering as I flail around on his back. “Um, hello... where is he taking me?” I ask.

“Don’t worry, he just likes to wait at his post.” Right, so he’s not only huge, he’s also a huge loner.

I wait in the shade at Ben’s post while the rest of the group gather together in the sun getting to know each other. Finally the leader whips him with a massive rope, motioning him join the others. He’s so big I have to duck my head to get through the stable.

Finally we’re off and Ben and I join the group – dawdling at back of course. It’s my first time on a horse, so I don’t mind going slow, especially when I am sitting at dizzying heights.

We canter through the hills, around the canals and trot around the trees. I’m warming to Ben, he’s a sweet old thing, I think. He occasionally lets out a sigh, like he’s having a lethargic Sunday.

Some of the others go for a gallop, I watch the riders kicking the horses with both feet to get them moving.

Happy to meander leisurely, I switch off, enjoying the sunshine, the gentle galloping and the fresh mountain air.

I’m just happy Ben’s going the right way. ❚ Alex Harmon travelled as a guest of Visit Macarthur. She drove with Travellers Auto Barn. Special thanks to Fastlane Go Karting; Quest Campbelltown; Rydges Campbelltown; Menangle House; Campbelltown Arts Centre and Sugar Loaf Horse Centre. macarthur.com.au

Looking for something blue?

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Salvador BRAZIL

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And the beat goes on Explore the northern state of Bahia to feel the Afro-Brazilian rhythm in Salvador, plus find a lost world with boob-shaped rocks WORDS GRAEME GREEN

The sound of pounding drums throbs into the road from a side street. I wander down a narrow corridor to investigate.

In a stone courtyard, a team of male musicians hammer away on big bass drums and taut snares. Dancing as they play, the troupe creates an infectious rhythm that draws a crowd of curious passersby. Further down the street, I find a mostly female gang of drummers working through a few energetic jams.

The fact that I’m visiting the city of Salvador, within Brazil’s state of Bahia, in the weeks leading up to Carnival, goes some way towards explaining why the streets are filled with the sounds of drums, singing groups, samba bands, firecrackers and fireworks, but this is a lively music-filled city all year round.

“Drumming says who we are,” explains Tula, a local guide who shows me around the city’s historic centre. “This movement [of drummers] was born to show the people we have an identity. ‘I am from Africa, and I have the drum, which is a symbol of this’.”

Salvador is a city with serious problems, including poverty, high levels of crack addiction and crime. I hear reports of travellers being robbed while I’m here and it pays to be cautious. But despite all of this, it’s one of my favourite cities in South America and that’s largely due to the Afro-Brazilian culture here: the people, food, customs, dance and music, especially drums. Salvador was built on the money made from the Portuguese slave trade.

“Today, 70 per cent of Bahians are descendents of Africa,” Tula says. “The base of the culture, the food, the music, is from Africa.”

In the historic centre, where I’m staying, a walkable tangle of cobbled streets is lined with colourful, slightly crumbly 17th- and 18th-century colonial buildings, shops, bars and churches. Tula leads me into a Franciscan church, where a 3D artwork on the ceiling has the eye of a dove following us wherever we walk. There’s a lot of gold used in the interior, a sign of colonial Brazil’s riches. It’s a jumble of styles inside, from Baroque to Rococo, and African masks

carved from wood. The slaves made everything inside the church, Tula says, but the European masters didn’t think black people had a soul, so they weren’t allowed to worship inside. Instead, the slaves built their own church, a light blue building just down from the cobbled square Praça de Pelourinho, which used to host a slave market. More recently, it’s where Spike Lee filmed the video for Michael Jackson’s They Don’t Care About Us, which featured local drum group Casa Do Olodum.

I call in at Olodum’s HQ in the heart of the town, where they’re getting ready for the Carnival. On another cobbled street, I stop in at the shop for Dide, an all-female drum troupe. They sell clothes and jewellery inside. Many of the city’s percussion groups do social or outreach work with street children or drug users, so much of the money from these shops goes to a good cause.

Tula and I walk down to the main tourist market, Mercado Modelo, close to the seafront with stalls selling paintings, football tops and souvenirs. Outside, a high energy posse performs Capoeira, the Brazilian mix of martial arts and dance created by descendants of African slaves, all to – what else? – a drum soundtrack.

Drumming it in Back in my hotel room, the music continues with rhythms reverberating into the evening, on the streets, an impromptu gathering of singers and drummers forms, the sound thundering through my room.

At a football match the next day, a derby between local teams Bahia and Vitoria, the drum squads get the party atmosphere started as the sunny stadium fills up. They play throughout the match and continue long after the game has finished, as the fans file out into the evening darkness. The beatmakers must be even more exhausted than the players, who between them fail to score a single goal.

The drums stop the next day. I catch an early bus across the state of Bahia, through increasingly lush green countryside, to the town of Lençóis. It couldn’t be more

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Electric blue: Pratinha cave different. Salvador has crowds, crime and a relentless energy; Lençóis’ cobbled streets are spacious, quiet and safe.

I meet Jaime, a local guide, and together we hike out of town and up into the overlooking hills of the Chapada Diamantina National Park. It’s hot work under the afternoon sun and I envy a group of bikini-clad girls bathing in rock pools in the Lençóis river. The town below grew from the diamond trade that sprung up here in the 19th century (Chapada

“

White froth collects on the surface like a big river of beer – one up on Willy Wonker

”

Diamantina roughly translates as ‘diamond plateau’).

“You can imagine thousands and thousands of people working here, by hand, like termites. It’s crazy, huh?” says Jaime, as he shows me the mined ravines and scars in the rocks that were blasted to extract diamonds.

The jewels created a kind of gold rush (or diamond rush), Jaime tells me, as we walk back through town, with people 36

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flocking here to make their futures.

“You can imagine in the diamond period, there were bars and prostitutes, people selling diamonds, drinking, fighting … like the Wild West. ” Times have changed. The area became a national park in 1985 and diamond mining was banned in 1995. The local treasure now is the peaceful, remote countryside that attracts in-the-know tourists; though little-known outside the country, Brazilians rate it as one of their most beautiful natural areas, sometimes referred to as a ‘lost world’ because of the dense rainforests, tabletop mountains, caves, pools and waterfalls.

Wild wild west I set out with Jaime next morning to explore, driving out to Palmeiras, starting point for one of the region’s most popular hikes up to the top of Fumaça Waterfall. At 385m, it’s one of the biggest in the region, a fun, sometimes tough, uphill walk on rocks and a riverbed of pink, purple and yellow clay that becomes slick when wet. I’ve come prepared for the brilliant sunshine consistently on show in Brazil, but today the rains arrive; wearing just shorts and a T-shirt, I’m soaked to the skin.

Jaime and I join others at the top sheltering under rocks from the cold rain, until there’s a short break. We take our chance. From the ledge, as the cloud dissolves, there’s a fantastic view of the verdant Capão valley, shadows rolling along the canyon walls. Treetops far below look like broccoli.

The wind is so powerful that it turns the cascading water into a fine spray that drifts up like smoke (Fumaça means

‘smoke’). I crawl carefully to the edge, like several others, and peer nervously down at the pools far below.

We eat in Capão, a small, chilled-out town that’s popular with backpackers and has cannabis smoke wafting through the streets (could the two things be connected?). As lightning fills the sky, Jaime and I tuck into Pizzaria Capão Grande’s pizza with carrot and pesto (sounds odd, but it’s great), over which we drizzle homemade honey with chilli.

On another trip out from Lençóis, I join a minibus of travellers to visit more of the park’s natural highlights. At the first stop, we cross a rickety bridge and hike alongside the rushing Mucugezinho river down to Devil’s Pool, a good but chilly swimming spot. The waters around Lençóis run brown with plant material they pick up which, combined with the white froth that collects on the surface, makes it look like a big river of beer – one up on Willy Wonka.

Caving the way Next, we hike down a steep hill to the entrance of Lapa Doce cave. We turn on our torches as the sunlight fizzles out and we walk into the cool, dank darkness. Crickets scuttle across the sandy floor. Our torches pick out bats nesting in the cave’s high ceiling.

The cave system is full of strange, giant rock formations and stalactites. “It’s a very slow process,” Jaime says. “It takes 35 years for a stalactite to grow 1cm.”

You could marvel at the mind-bogglingly slow process, the concept of time itself … or you could find the rocks that look like boobs. “Look: all natural, no silicone!” Jaime laughs, shining his beam on to the top of a perfect breast.

He calls a phallic shape jutting from the ground ‘Erectus Stalactite’. Others, he suggests, look like a dinosaur, a sombrero, an angel’s wings, a dancing couple – although sometimes you have to look really hard to see the resemblance.

After lunch, we hike to Pratinha Cave, not too impressive on our visit, but at the right time of year and the right time of day (July/ August, about 2-4pm), the lake in the cave is said to glow bright electric-blue. We don’t stay long, instead going for a swim in the fantastically clear waters of the Pratinha river. The water is just the right temperature for this hot day of walking – refreshing but not bitingly cold.

The last stop of the day involves another uphill climb.

It’s not far, but it is steep, as our gang moves up the rocky path of Morro do Pai Inácio Mountain. The reward of the summit, 1150m above sea level, is a 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside, green limestone cliffs and canyons. There’s a radio mast visible; the rest is all nature, as far as the eye can see. Fittingly for Bahia, the land resembles African plains.

Tourists pose for photos and wait for dusk. My group finds quiet spots on the rocks and settles down to watch the sunset in reverent silence. Up here, there’s not a single voice, not a single drumbeat ❚ Graeme Green travelled with Explore. A 15-day Bahia and Rio Explorer trip, including Chapada Diamantina National Park and Salvador, costs from $2,500 per person, including all accommodation, transport, tour leader, driver and guide. explore.co.uk

Finding skunk fish

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TRAVELWEEKENDER WEEKENDER

Sin city This is Sydney in 48 hours WORDS JAMES BESANVALLE

DAY 1: Sydney’s beautiful landmarks and cityscapes never disappoint as a perfect backdrop for snap happy tourists. The beaches are swarming, the harbour is shimmering and the people are welcoming, so soak up the sun and bask in the warmth of everything this city has to offer.

8:00: Amble down to The Rocks and you’ll stumble across a secluded Irish café called Tara Tea Room (irishdesign.com. au). Boasting the best scones in Sydney, this quaint little café, surrounded by the historic Rocks area, is a cute little start to the day.

9:00: The recently renovated Museum of Contemporary Art (mca.com.au) combines art, fashion, food and history as your first cultural stop on your trip around Sydney. The unique exhibitions embrace today’s artists and the funky and unique items in the gift shop are sure to impress your friends and family back home.

11:00 It’s time to put your walking shoes on and head around to the Botanic Gardens. Take your time as you embrace the ambience of Circular Quay and observe the many landmarks that make Sydney famous. Your camera will go into overdrive with the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and all the attractions in between.

12:00: Hop on a train to Bondi Beach and dip your feet in the world famous waves. Waste the day away sunbaking and relaxing on the beach, but don’t get burnt. The local

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restaurants and dining areas are the laid-back, beachy type you’ve read so much about so soak it up and let your feet lead the way with some barefoot wandering.

18:00: After a full day of relaxing, it’s time to face your fears and climb the landmark Sydney Harbour Bridge (bridgeclimb.com). This time of day will provide the perfect backdrop for stunning dusk views of the beautiful cityscape.

20:00: Buzzing from the high of climbing Sydney’s most recognisable bridge, head on over to Kings Cross for an adventurous look into Sydney’s best nightclubs. Cross off “wild night” from your Sydney itinerary because bars, nightclubs and a sneaky strip club will be all you need. Finish your night off with a trip to one of the many fast food joints scattered around the Cross to soak up all that… er, water.

24:00: Stumble towards Bounce Hostel in Surry Hills (bouncehotel.com.au) and continue partying on the rooftop terrace and barbeque area, or just curl up in bed and fall straight into a comatose state.

DAY 2: 9:00: Arise from your slumber well rested and craving greasy food and head to Glebe Point Road towards their trendy cafés. The recently opened Wedge Espresso (wedgeespresso.com) will stimulate your taste buds as you enjoy the unique taste of an iced Milo or a Coke slushy with cold-drip coffee.

10:00: On a Saturday, saunter towards the Glebe Markets

Cafe culture in Newtown

where you’ll be sure to find a hidden gem on the tables of these intimate stalls.

11:30: Head over to the inner west’s pride and joy, King Street, Newtown. This hive of activity is the home of trendy bars and cafes. So if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat, check out Eat Me Sushi (eatmesushi.com). The sushi clock on the wall will make you scream, “Me so hungry for Miso soup,” as the friendly staff serve you up a delicious meal.

14:00: Hop on a bus and check out Paddy’s Markets (paddysmarkets.com.au) in Haymarket for a wide range of stalls. Haggle for the best price on a great piece of jewellery or Australian souvenir and try not to spend all of your money on the amazing deals.

16:00 Less than a five-minute walk, China Town gives you an amazing opportunity to taste the finest Chinese food in Sydney. Spend the afternoon walking off the calories amongst the breathtaking Chinese Gardens near Darling Harbour. The coy fish and beautiful traditional Chinese sculptures will leave you in awe along the way.

21:00 For a classy end to your stay, head to The Star (star. com.au) to let your hair down and enjoy a fun night out.

Recently renovated, The Star offers clubs and restaurants, as well as the opportunity to get all that money back you spent at the markets in the world famous casino and gaming area.

They don't call it the city of sin for nothing.

The seductive Opera House

Rock and roll at Bondi TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

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You will not be Australia’s next top model

HOTTEST REFUGEE COMPETITION SINKS AUSTRALIA

Aussie lad’s magazine Zoo Weekly has cancelled a competition to find “Australia’s Hottest Asylum Seeker” after widespread criticism for the stunt.

An online petition by refugee worker Matt Darvas on the activist website Change.org garnered over 6,500 signatures and public outrage.

Zoo Weekly published a two-page spread of the competition in a July issue asking asylum seekers to send “pics and a short story about your tragic past”.

The text reads: “Are you a refugee not even the immigration minister could refuse? Then we want to see you!

“We’re looking for Oz’s hottest asylum seeker, so if you’ve swapped persecution for sexiness, we want to shoot you (with a camera – relax!).”

CHRISTCHURCH TO IMPLODE FOR CHARITY NEW ZEALAND

Kiwis now have the chance to blow up a building without being arrested.

The rights to detonate explosives on the 14-storey Radio Network House in Christchurch is up for grabs.

The button pushing rights for New Zealand’s first ever building implosion have been put up for auction on Trade Me’s online site on to raise money for restoring Canterbury heritage buildings.

The funds will go to the Canterbury Earthquake Heritage Buildings Fund.

Because the government has pledged to match dollar-for-dollar what the fund raises up to a maximum $NZ10 million ($A7.74 million), the final bid price will be doubled.

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Holy Batman: Christian Bale and his wife visit the memorial across the street from the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. It was created for the victims of the mass shooting.

Warner Bros said Bale was representing himself, not the studio. What a guy

The implosion, costing the building’s insurer $NZ1 million, is expected to reduce it to rubble in 7.7 seconds.

NE BIGOTED PALIN GENE CONTINUES STRONG G UNITED STATES

Sarah Palin’s daughter stands accused of being a homophobe after she was filmed laughing as her son used the word “faggot” as a term of abuse.

Four-year-old Tripp used the slur on Bristol Palin’s reality TV series Life’ss A Tripp, calling his aunt, Willow, a “faggot” after being told it was time e for him to go to bed.

The two sisters try to suppress their eir laughter, instead of telling him off forr

using such an offensive term.

Many viewers went online to condemn language, asking where he the boy’s lan picked up such a term. had picke Gawker writer Louis Pitman Gawk “Look, kids say the wrote: “ darndest things, and it’s kind darndes of funny fun when a child curses.

But there’s a difference between a precocious be utterance of “fuck” and u a homophobic slur.

The complete lack of shame is especially embarrassing given that there were cameras filming it all – gay-friendly lm Lifetime Lifetim [TV channel] cameras, no less.” less.

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THIS WEEK

IN NUMBERS 2.50 Better call the Special Victims Unit

The age of astronaut Sally Wells, (first US woman in space) when she died. She came out of the closet in her obituary

DUMPED BLOW UP DOLL SPARKS RESCUE CHINA

An inflatable doll floating in a lake sparked a dramatic rescue mission involving 18 officers after police mistook it for a drowning woman.

A team of police officers in Shandong province, China, rushed to the scene after receiving a call from a concerned witness about a lady in distress in one of the province’s lakes.

The team of 18 officers spent over 40 minutes battling to retrieve the life-like doll and bring it to shore.

Officers were horrified to discover when they finally managed to recover the body that they had in fact rescued an inflatable sex doll from the lake.

More than 1,000 people watched the rescue attempt. Onlookers were reported to have blocked traffic and prevented firefighters from getting through.

TIGER TOURISM TRADE TO BE CAGED

Photos: Getty Images

INDIA

India’s top court has banned tourism in tiger reserves across the country in a ruling that aims to protect the endangered big cats.

The move, however, may disrupt travel plans for droves of tourists who booked stays at the hundreds of hotels that have sprung up deep inside the forests.

India is home to more than half of the world’s estimated 3,200 tigers and there are hundreds of hotels and shops operating inside the tiger reserves to cater to wildlifewatching tourists.

The court said the ban was temporary, pending its final judgment on a case filed by a wildlife activist.

Cost, in dollars, of a glass of high quality tap water at a ‘water only’ cafe in NYC. It’s said to make you healthier

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Amount, in litres, of the world’s largest daiquiri a Cuban bar created in honour of ex-customer Ernest Hemingway

Amount, in pounds, Kate Middleton has been given as thank you for lending her wedding dress to Buckingham Palace.

Go away tourists

NUCLEAR PLANT ON HIGHWAY TO HELL

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300,000

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

IRAN

Iran nuclear facilities have been struck by a computer virus which causes them to blare out “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC in the middle of the night.

In 2010 the Stuxnet virus hit the computers that controlled Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, destroying many of them.

The attack came to light after a researcher at security firm F-Secure received a string of emails from a Iran’s atomic energy organisation.

“There was also some music playing randomly on several of the workstations during the middle of the night with the volume maxed out,” says the scientist. “I believe it was playing “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.” It appears likely to be the work of an independent entity hacking for kicks.

It’s like being on diet of rice and then suddenly Willy Wonka says, ‘I need you to run my chocolate factory’ Russell Brand reveals marriage to Katy Perry was akin to the life of Charlie Bucket.

Without his grandparents in bed we hope

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OUTSIDE THE FLAGS COMMENT: ALEX HARMON Email: alex@tntdownunder.com

Meanwhile, Kim’s #Oklahoma dress brought the house down

Where there’s smoke there’s social media backfire One fashion company’s Aurora tweet shows a sorry state of affairs

» Agree or disagree? Was Celeb Boutique’s tweet in bad taste? alex@tntdownunder.com

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Kidnappings, custody battles, spoiled children. Just another day in the life of the Jackson family – you really can’t make this shit up.

First up, the late King of Pop’s 14-yearold daughter Paris is at the centre of an ugly custody dispute. This was just days after her grandmother and legal guardian Katherine temporarily “disappeared”.

Now, in footage obtained by TMZ, we see Janet and her siblings trying to force Michael’s children into a car in an attempt to remove them from Katherine’s custody.

“

You really can’t make this shit up

”

Janet allegedly tried to grab Paris’ mobile phone before giving her a slap and shouting, “You’re a spoiled little bitch.”

Paris then slaps her aunt back and says, “This is our house. Not the Jackson family house. Get the fuck out!”

Is it just me, or can anyone else smell a reality TV show?

Photos: Getty Images

While it’s scary that gun sales in Colorado have increased 43% in the aftermath of the Aurora shooting, place the spotlight on the fashion house who got caught up in the bullet spray. Their wounds paint a very bleak picture of our society.

In case you hadn’t heard, a US fashion retailer called Celeb Boutique got themselves into hot water when they posted what many call a “distasteful” tweet. It appears to capitalise on the word “Aurora,” the name of the Denver suburb where 71 people were shot – 12 fatally – during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. “#Aurora is trending, clearly about our Kim K inspired #Aurora dress ;),” Celeb Boutique posted on its Twitter feed, just hours after the mass shooting. Now, it’s hard to read ‘smiley faces’ but it would suggest that Celeb Boutique were tweeting, tongue-incheek, about the massacre. Which is what most people surmised. The company received a lot of backlash about the tweet. “Winner of most distasteful tweet ever,” one user wrote.

However, the company swears blind that its social media team had not been aware of the Colorado shooting and did not know that was why #Aurora was trending.

There are two things you can take from this. One is that Celeb Boutique’s social media team are a pack of idiots. They have a US mailing address and phone numbers in London and Sydney so there’s no excuse as to why they hadn’t heard the news. Even if they were Bosnia-based they’d still have no excuse. You all know the line from The Social Network.

But the real crime here is how celebrity-obsessed our culture is. Because normally the fashion company would be right – the world usually does revolve around Kim Kardashian.

And the really sad thing is, whether their tweet was innocent or not, the Aurora dress is going to sell like hotcakes now. Just like the guns. So watch out America, you’ve now got even more gun-toting Kim Kardashian-wannabes roaming the streets.

THE WACKO JACKO SPIRIT LIVES ON

Fed up of carrying around heavy guidebooks?

Then TNT has the answer We’ve published our 2012 Independent Traveller’s Guide to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

It’s free, it’s online and it’s full of tips on where to go, what to do and how to find work.

FIJI W ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA NE

It’s also got listings for all the best hostels, tour companies and job agencies for all three countries, complete with links that will take you straight to their websites.

T THE INDEPENDEN

UIDE TRAVELLERS' G JI

If you’re travelling on, there’s also sections on Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

2012

To check it out, just head to tntdownunder.com and click the link on the right hand side.

ZEALAND & FI AUSTRALIA, NEW

A Product UK £9.95 WHERE SOLD

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Leisel Jones

SUPPORT FOR ‘UNFIT’ AUSSIE JONES OLYMPIC SWIMMING

Australia’s team chief Nick Green defended three-time Olympic champion Leisel Jones (above) after criticism about her condition ahead of the Games.

Unflattering photographs of triple gold medallist Jones were published by Australian media under headlines such as ‘Leisel is relaxed, but is she ready?’.

“I think you’ve got to respect that athletes prepare for four years for this occasion. And athletes come in different shapes and sizes,” Green said.

He dismissed constant media speculation that London was a farewell, holiday tour for Jones, a four-time Olympian, as “disgraceful”.

Aussie sprinter Cathy Freeman described the criticism as un-Australian. “It’s not very friendly or encouraging,’’ she said. “All of us need to be supportive of our athletes.’’

SAFFAS FORCED TO PICK BRIT IN TEAM

OLYMPICS EQUESTRIAN UK-based rider Alexander Peternell was selected for the South African team after winning his second appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

South Africa had originally selected lower-ranked Paul Hart for the Games, but the Court ruled that they had not applied the selection criteria properly.

“It forces upon the South African public an athlete that they do not necessarily recognise and one that they do not necessarily support,” SA Olympic committee chairman Tubby Reddy said.

“As we all know, this athlete [Peternell] has been based in the United Kingdom for the last 11 years consecutively.”

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Girl power: Basketballer, and four-time Olympian, Lauren Jackson is announced as the Australian flag bearer for the 2012 Games. Beach volleyballer Natalie Cook, who openly expressed her keenness to carry the flag, said she was disappointed but glad a female got the honour. The last female flag bearer was at the 1992 Barcelona Games

WILLIS TALKS TOUGH AHEAD OF 1500M OLYMPICS ATHLETICS

Kiwi runner Nick Willis is aiming for big things at the Olympics after smashing his NZ record time by 1.44 secs at last week’s Monaco Diamond League.

Willis clocked a time of 3min 30.35sec in a sizzling race won by Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop, from Kenya, in the fastest time of the year – 3:28.88.

“I will be one tough Kiwi to shake in the Olympic final. If the Kenyans think they can easily sweep the medals, they know I am here now, and have a history of performing in the big races,” Willis said.

“Hopefully I can raise my game to even another level and get New Zealand back on top of the prestigious 1500m podium.”

BIG WEEK FOR ...

Aussie swimmer James Magnussen has declared he’s in London to win gold and he’s been heading the right direction so far, clocking the year’s fastest time in 100m at the Olympic pic selection trials (47.10 secs) in March. ch. He’ll also appear in the 50m and the 4x100m freestyle relay. elay. The media are building up a battle attle between Magnussen and hiss Brazilian rival, Cesar Cielo, but the big Aussie is focusing ng only on himself. “My My biggest competitor,” r,” Magnussen said, “iss myself and my head d space.”

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QUOTES OF THE WEEK I la laugh a lot, just not in front of you guys, your ny y questions aren’t funny British tennis gold medal hope Andy Murray defends himself against media accusations he’s got no sense of humour

I de decided not to play that card – because of him, because of the he crowd, and because the nation will cry

100 metre man: Usain Bolt

PREVIEW Here come the glamour events OLYMPICS ATHLETICS COMPETITION BEGINS Long gone are the Olympic days when a competitor had to swear a vow in front of a statue of Zeus as his lover vouched for his youth. Athletics, however, remains, and it starts this week at London 2012.

Friday features everything from the prelims of the women’s 100m, 400m and heptathlon (look out for GB’s Jessica Ennis and NZ’s Sarah Cowley) to round one of the men’s 1500m (NZ’s Nick Willis and Australia’s Geoff Risely and Ryan Gregson

will compete).

Aussie Chris Erikson will be in action on Saturday, walking for the 20km gold, while compatriot Henry Frayne will be hoping to feature in the long jump final.

Sunday has the men’s 100m final and a chance to see if Usain Bolt will be able to defend his title against Yohan Blake. Much has been made of Blake’s two victories over his fellow Jamiacan this year, but Bolt is determined to rewrite history. Stay glued to your TV. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Begins Friday Aug 3, Channel Nine

THE CHAT | Bradley Wiggins – convict blood?

Photos: Getty Images

Gareth G are is young and ar physically a beast, so he was able to put the effort in US soccer star Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas explains why Garth Bale is back in club action. Why isn’t he fronting for Team GB, though?

TV HIGHLIGHTS AUSTRALIAN RULES

I hear British Tour de France winner Bradley Q Wiggins, in Games action this week, has an Australian connection. What’s that about? father, Gary, was an Aussie, a pro cyclist in the A Wiggins’ Seventies and Eighties, who moved to Britain, where he met Bradley’s English mother. However, he abandoned his family, returning home and earning a rep as a hard drinker. Four years ago, Gary, aged 55, was found in the street with head injuries. He died soon after, but no one was arrested. The Wiggins family hopes Bradley’s success may prompt new information, but when he was recently asked his dad would appreciate his achievements if alive, the second-generation cyclist replied: “I don’t know really. Depends if he was sober ...

I’ve put that one to bed.”

Team GB athletics coach Charles van Commenee discusses his reasons for not punishing trip Phillips Idowu for a lack of communication

North Melbourne v Bulldogs See the Kangas take on the Dogs Saturday 1.45pm, Fox Footy

LINGERIE FOOTBALL All Stars v Choice Bro See the girls bare all for glory Friday 2pm. Fuel TV

CRICKET West Indies v New Zealand Bradley Wiggins

Day 3 of the 2nd Test Sunday 12pm. Fox Sports 1

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Gold rush Who you should look out for at London 2012 WORDS JAHN VANNISSELROY

The focus and discipline Olympic athletes summon puts the rest of us to shame. But then we don’t have the ever-present threat of injury hanging above our heads, nor the stress of what to do if we’ve had one cornflake too many. The Games provides the opportunity to reflect on what we ourselves can achieve, should we aspire to excellence. In honour of our athletic counterparts, here’s 10 men and women you should keep your eyes peeled for at London 2012.

The speed freak You may think Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, 25, the world’s fastest human, has it all, but it hasn’t come easy. Bolt suffers from scoliosis, a condition that’s warped his spine and left him with one leg longer than the other.

It means he has had to dedicate much of his training to eliminating scraping the track his left big toe, a flaw that costs him hundredths of a second.Lucky for Bolt, he’s powerful (6kg heavier than archrival Yohan Blake) with super-fast-twitch muscles (even in his abs, apparently) and requires only 41 strides to complete the hundred metres, while his competitors need at least 44.

Gold will bring greatness; a new record, immortality.

The big girl Since age five, Holley Mangold’s dream was to be an Olympic gymnast. Her body, however, had other ideas.

The 23-year-old American, who stands 5’8 and weighs 160kg, has had to overcome ridicule about her weight all her life, initially using it to spur her on to playing school football (where she was routinely abused by the parents of opposing players for mauling their sons) before turning to weightlifting.

How times have changed. Mangold has quickly become the rockstar of her sport and is a gold-medal favourite. The newfound attention’s not all good, however. “I get a lot of Creepy McCreepersons interested in me because I’m so big it’s not normal, it’s like a fetish,” she told the New York Times

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The blind man What makes archer Im Dong-Hyun, 26, so outstanding is not that he’s won two Olympic golds with the Korean team, nor that he’s world number two. It’s that he’s legally blind.

Im’s vision extends for only 20m, requiring him to aim at a series of blobs. “When I look at the target all I can do is try to distinguish between the different colours,” he told Reuters.Snide jibes from rivals in the cutthroat Korean league about losing ‘to the blind guy’ have only strengthened Im’s determination to succeed, and despite his handicap, he refuses to wear corrective lens, saying he shoots by ‘feel’. “If I couldn’t see the colors, now that would be a problem,” he says.

The virgin Forget the relentless training 29-year-old Lolo Jones has endured on her quest to stand apart from her fellow hurdlers, the most difficult thing she’s had to do is keep her legs closed.

“Harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college has been to stay a virgin before marriage,” the American revealed to HBO recently. “I’ve been tempted, I’ve had plenty of opportunities.”

Away for the hype about her sex life, Jones is an extraordinary athlete, holding the US 60m record of 7.72 seconds. She was the big favourite for 100m gold medal in Beijing, but tripped on the penultimate hurdle and finished a tearful seventh. Jones arrives in London with not only high hopes of redemption, but also with a plan to avoid the more ‘outgoing’ male athletes in the Olympic village.

The Dream Team 2012 US President Barack Obama ranks the 1992 Dream Team as the best basketball team ever, a call that no doubt seriously rankles with the current crop of Team USA stars.

They are, along with the mens 100m finalists, the kings of the Games, but the shadow of Michael Jordan’s Barcelona legacy follows them wherever they go. Legitimate superstars

Lolo Jones

Clockwise: Lolo Jones; Im DongHyun; Holley Mangold in their own right, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams and Chris Paul will be eager to repeat their gold medal success of Beijing.

Winning, however, won’t be good enough for this lot; they’ll want to do so in such a style that forces their nation’s commander-in-chief to eat his words. It won’t happen, but there’s absolutely no harm in trying.

The golden Kiwi New Zealander shot putter Valerie Adams, 27, trains with a men’s shot put, her theory being that “if you can move with the heavy weight, it’ll be easier with the lighter [women’s] one.”

She’s well and truly proved that works, scoring gold in Beijing between two Commonwealth Games first places. As Adams also holds the current world and world indoor gold medals, it’s hard to see anyone stopping her in 2012.

Like many champions, she has had to overcome hardship; a few months before her mother passed away, Adams watched the 2000 Sydney Olympics on TV and promised her that one day she, too, would be on the world stage.

Photos: Getty Images

The party girl If she wasn't so successful, Australian swim queen Stephanie Rice, 24, may only be known for partying just a bit too hard and dating Wallaby Quade Cooper and fellow swimmers Michael Phelps and Eamon Sullivan.

Then again, she might be best known for tweeting, “Suck on that faggots!” after the Wallabies defeated South Africa in a 2010 rugby Test, losing a Jaguar sponsorship in the process.

But, luckily for Rice, she is actually a damn good athlete, focused and determined to back up her 200m success in Beijing.

“I never wanted to be anyone other than myself,” she told smh. com.au. ”I always wanted to do something in my own cool way.” Mission, almost, accomplished.

The gender bender It’s horrible that coming from a country that has suffered

so much discrimination, South African 800m runner Caster Semenya, 21, endured ongoing prejudice about her gender as 2009 headlines screamed, “Is she really a man?”

She’s not, it turned out, but the year out waiting for the ‘diagnosis’, and subsequent injuries have meant the road back to the top has been long and hard. Semenya, though, is only looking forward. “I feel strong, and I have even more speed now. I am not going to the Olympics for fun, I’m going there to win,” she told The Telegraph. There’s no one who doubts her.

The blade runner Until a 2008 court ruling, double amputee Oscar Pistorius wasn’t able to run against able-bodied athletes, his bionic blades accused of giving him unfair advantage.

Fans were gutted at his non-selection for the 1600m relay final at last year’s world champs, but for Pistorius, 25, it was just another hurdle in a lifetime of fighting. He realises making the Olympic team is only just the beginning, as the eyes of world will be on his 400m performance in London.

“You’ve made the entrance to write the test, but now the test is in front of you,” he told desertsun.com.

The superfish When the photos of American swimmer Michael Phelps hitting the bong emerged after Beijing, there wasn’t a man alive who didn’t think: ‘he bloody well deserves that’. An unprecedented eight at one games affords an athlete that sort of leeway.

However, Phelps won’t have it all his way in London. His compatriot Ryan Lochte is seriously nipping at his heels, a spur the 27-year-old Phelps, who already has the most ever Olympic gold medals (14), welcomes with open arms.

Phelps needs just three medals of any colour to top the 18 Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina won in the Fifties and Sixties.

And you can bet on him taking that record.

That's right Michael Phelps ain't no dope.

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47

OZLISTINGS TRAVEL AGENTS Adventure Travel Bugs 07 3236 3266, adventuretravelbugs.com Backpackers World Travel 1800 997 325 backpackersworld.com Peter Pans Adventure Travel 1800 669 424, peterpans.com.au Travellers Contact Point 1800 647 640, travellers.com.au Tribal Adventure Travel 1800 984 484, tribaltravel.com.au YHA Travel 02 9261 111, yha.com.au

TOUR FIRMS

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Bottom Bits Bus Tours around Tasmania 1800 777 103, bottombits.com.au

Maxi Ragamuffin Whitsundays sailing 1800 454 777 maxiaction.com.au

Bunyip Tours Tours around Victoria 1300 286 947, bunyiptours.com

Mojosurf Sydney to Byron surfing tours 1800 113 044, mojosurf.com

Cool Dingos Fraser Island Tours 1800 072 555, cooldingotour.com

Nullarbor Traveller Tours from Adelaide and Perth 1800 816 858, the-traveller.com.au

Explore Whitsundays Whitsundays packages 1800 675 790, explorewhitsundays.com

Ocean Rafting Whitsundays tours 07 4946 6848, oceanrafting.com

Groovy Grape Getaways Tours linking Adelaide, Alice Springs & Melbourne 1800 661 177, groovygrape.com.au Heading Bush Adelaide to Alice Springs outback tours 1800 639 933, headingbush.com

Oz Experience Hop on-hop off Australia-wide tours 1300 300 028, ozexperience.com Surfcamp Sydney to Byron surfing tours 1800 888 732, surfcamp.com.au The Rock Tour Red centre tours 1800 246 345, therocktour.com.au

Adventure Tours Australia-wide tours 1800 068 886, adventuretours.com.au

Jump Tours Tours around Tasmania 0422 130 630, jumptours.com

Airliebeach.com Whitsundays packages 1800 677 119, airliebeach.com

Kakadu Dream Kakadu tours 1800 813 266, kakadudreams.com.au

Under Down Under Tours Tours around Tasmania 1800 064 726, underdownunder.com.au

Autopia Tours Tours around Victoria 03 9391 0261, autopiatours.com.au

Kangaroo Island Adventure Tours Adelaide to KI tours 13 13 01, kiadventuretours.com.au

Western Xposure WA tours 08 9414 8423, westernxposure.com.au

Awesome Adventures Oz Whitsundays packages 1800 293 7663, awesomeoz.com

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Adventures South Australia 1800 786 386, surfandsun.com.au

Wilderness 4WD Adventures Top end tours 1800 808 288, wildernessadventures.com.au

Topdeck Tours covering all of Oz 1300 886 332, topdeck.travel

Wildlife Tours Tours around Victoria 1300 661 730, wildlifetours.com.au

RENTAL FIRMS Apollo Motorhomes 1800 777 779, apollocamper.com Backpacker Campervan Rentals 1800 767 010, backpackercampervans.com.au Boomerang Cars 0414 882 559, boomerangcars.com.au Explore More Rentals 1800 708 309, exploremore.com.au Hippie Camper 1800 777 779, hippiecamper.com Kings Cross Car Market For buying and selling vehicles. 110 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo.

02 9358 5000, carmarket.com.au Spaceships 1300 132 469, spaceshipsrentals.com.au

@tnt_downunder

Wicked Campers 1800 246 869, wickercampers.com

TRANSPORT CO Greyhound Australia Buses around Australia. 13 20 30, greyhound.com.au Jetstar Airline.

131 538, jetstar.com.au Premier Transport Group Buses along the east coast.

13 34 10, premierms.com.au Qantas Airline.

13 13 13, qantas.com.au Regional Express Airline.

13 17 13, rex.com.au Spirit of Tasmania Ferries to Tasmania.

03 6336 1446, spiritoftasmania.com Tiger Airways Airline.

03 9999 2888, tigerairways.com

Standbycars.com 1300 789 059, standbycars.com

Redline Coaches For getting around Tasmania.

03 6336 1446, redlinecoaches.com.au

Travellers Auto Barn 1800 674 374, travellers-autobarn.com.au

Virgin Australia Airline.

13 67 89, virginaustralia.com

With great fares HYHU\ GD\ . . . why not travel PREMIER class!

Climate control air-conditioning • Experienced Coach Captains • Panoramic glare free windows • Comfy reclining seats Onboard video entertainment • Washroom • State of the art safety features • Seat belts

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www.premierms.com.au or phone 13 13 34 34 10 10 www.premierms.com.au or ph 48

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SYDNEY STAY Base Sydney 477 Kent St. CBD. 02 9267 7718 stayatbase.com Big Hostel 212 Elizabeth St. CBD. 02 9267 7718 bighostel.com Bounce Budget Hotel 28 Chalmers St. CBD. 02 9281 2222 bouncehotel.com.au Easy Go Backpackers 752 George St. CBD. 02 9211 0505, easygobackpackers.com.au City Resort Hostel 103-105 Palmer St. Woolloomooloo 02 9357 3333 cityresort.com.au Sydney Central YHA 11 Rawson Place. CBD. 02 9218 9000 Sydney Harbour YHA 110 Cumberland Street. The Rocks.

02 9261 1111 yha.com.au Westend Backpackers 412 Pitt St. CBD. 1800 013 186 nomadshostels.com

NSWLISTINGS

facebook/tntdownunder Boomerang Backpackers 141 William Street, Kings Cross.

02 8354 0488, boomerangbackpackers.com Dlux Hostel 30 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross.

1800 236 213 dluxbudgethotel.com.au Kangaroo Bak Pak 665 South Dowling St. Surry Hills.

02 9261 1111 Avalon Beach Hostel 59 Avalon Pde, Avalon Beach.

02 9918 9709, avalonbeach.com.au

Bay Rd, Coogee. 02 9315 8511, sydneybeachside.com.au

My Sydney Detour Unique city tours. mysydneydetour.com

Oxford Art Factory oxfordartfactory.com

Surfside Backpackers 186 Arden Street. Coogee.

02 9315 7888, surfsidebackpackers.com.au

Oceanworld Manly West Esplanade. oceanworld.com.au

Sydney Opera House sydneyoperahouse.com

Glebe Point YHA 262-264 Glebe Point Road. Glebe. 02 9692 8418, yha.com.au Boardrider Backpacker Rear 63, The Corso, Manly. 02 9977 3411 boardrider.com.au The Bunkhouse 35 Pine St, Manly. 1800 657 122, bunkhouse.com.au

The Annandale annandalehotel.com The Enmore enmoretheatre.com.au

Powerhouse Museum Darling Harbour. powerhousemuseum.com.au

The Metro metrotheatre.com.au

Skydive the Beach Wollongong. skydivethebeach.com

BLUE MTNS Blue Mountains YHA 207 Katoomba St, Katoomba.

02 4782 1416, yha.com.au

Sydney Olympic Park Darling Harbour. sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au

CENTRAL COAST

Sydney Tower and Skytour 100 Market St, CBD. sydneyskytour.com.au

Bondi YHA 63 Fletcher Street. Tamarama. 02 9365 2088, yha.com.au

Manly Backpackers 24-28 Raglan St. Manly. 02 9977 3411 manlybackpackers.com.au

Lamrock Lodge 19 Lamrock Ave. Bondi. 02 9130 5063, lamrocklodge.com

Cammeray Gardens 66 Palmer St, North Sydney. 02 9954 9371 sydneyboardinghouse.com

Sydney Aquarium Darling Harbour. sydneyaquarium.com.au

Lochnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guesthouse 8 Gowrae Ave. Bondi.

02 9387 2162,

Wake Up! 509 Pitt St, CBD. 02 9288 7888, wakeup.com.au

Sydney Wildlife World Darling Harbour. sydneywildlifeworld.com.au

Aegean Coogee Lodge 40 Coogee Bay Rd. Coogee.

04 0817 6634, aegeancoogee.com.au Coogee Beach House 171 Arden St. Coogee. 02 9665 1162, coogeebeachhouse.com Coogee Beachside 178 Coogee

SYDNEY DO Manly Surf School Manly Beach.

02 9977 6977, manlysurfschool.com Maritime Museum Darling Harbour. anmm.gov.au

Newcastle Beach YHA 30 Pacific St, Newcastle.

02 4925 3544, yha.com.au

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Rocks. bridgeclimb.com

Skydive Central Coast Warnervale. skydivethecentralcoast.com.au

Taronga Zoo Mosman. zoo.nsw.gov.au

BYRON BAY

Waves Surf School wavessurfschool.com.au

SYDNEY MUSIC Hordern Pavillion playbillvenues.com

Terrigal Beach YHA 9 Ocean View Dr, Terrigal.

02 4384 1919, yha.com.au

Backpackers Holiday Village 116 Jonson St 1800 350 388, byronbaybackpackers.com.au Backpackers Inn 29 Shirley St

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QLDLISTINGS DON’T MISS

follow us on 1800 626 452, brisbanebackpackers.com.au Brisbane City Backpackers 380 Upper Roma St 1800 062 572, citybackpackers.com Bunk Backpackers Cnr Ann & Gipps Sts, 1800 682 865, bunkbrisbane.com.au The Deck 117 Harcourt Street, New Farm.

04 3377 7061 Tinbilly Travellers Cnr George and Herschel Sts. 1800 446 646, tinbilly.com

CIRQUE DU SOLEI: OVO Big Top, Hamilton. Until Sept 2nd. From $64.00 World renown Cirque de Soleils new production OVO is set to hit the stage later this year and Brisbane is set to get one of the first looks.

Eagle Farm, Brisbane

BRISBANE STAY Aussie Way Backpackers 34 Cricket St. 07 3369 0711, aussiewaybackpackers.com Banana Bender Backpackers 118 Petrie Terrace.

07 3367 1157, bananabenders.com

cirquedusoleil.com Base Brisbane Embassy 214 Elizabeth St. 07 3166 8000, stayatbase.com Base Brisbane Central 308 Edward St. 07 3211 2433, stayatbase.com Brisbane Backpackers Resort 110 Vulture St, West End.

BRISBANE DO Australia Zoo Glasshouse Mountains, Tourist Drive, Beerwah. 07 5436 2000, australiazoo.com.au Gallery of Modern Art 07 3840 7303, qag.qld.gov.au Riverlife Adventure Centre Kayaking & rock climbing. Lower River Terrace, Kangaroo Point.

07 3891 5766, riverlife.com.au Story Bridge Adventure Climb 170 Main St, Kangaroo Point.

1300 254 627,

storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au XXXX Ale House Brewery tours.

Cnr Black & Paten St, Milton.

07 3361 7597, xxxxalehouse.com.au

GOLD COAST Aquarius Backpackers 44 Queen St, Surfers Paradise.

1800 22 99 55, aquariusbackpackers.com.au Backpackers in Paradise 40 Peninsula Drive, Surfers Paradise.

1800 268 621, backpackersinparadise.com.au

@tnt_downunder Surfers Paradise Backpackers Resort 2837 Gold Coast Highway, Surfers. 1800 282 800, surfersparadisebackpackers.com.au Surfers Paradise YHA Mariners Cove, 70 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise.

07 5571 1776, yha.com.au Trekkers Backpackers 22 White St, Southport. 1800 100 004, trekkersbackpackers.com.au

GC DO Dreamworld Theme park. dreamworld.com.au

Coolangatta Kirra Beach YHA Pl, 230 Coolangatta Rd, Bilinga.

07 5536 76442, yha.com.au

Get Wet Surf School 07 5532 9907

Coolangatta Sands Hostel Cnr Griffiths & McLean Sts, Coolangatta. 07 5536 7472, coolangattasandshostel.com.au

Wet ‘n’ Wild Water World wetnwild.myfun.com.au

Gold Coast International BP 28 Hamilton Ave, Surfers. 1800 816 300, goldcoastbackpackers.com.au Islander Backpackers Resort 6 Beach Rd, Surfers Paradise.

1800 074 393, islander.com.au Sleeping Inn Surfers 26 Peninsular Dr, Surfers Paradise.

1800 817 832, sleepinginn.com.au

Seaworld seaworld.com.au

Warener Bros Movie World movieworld.com.au Zorb 07 5547 6300

SUNSHINE CST Mooloolaba Backpackers 75-77 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba.

1800 020 120 mooloolababackpackers.com

IN FOCUS

LIZARD ISLAND Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler have named Lizard Island as one of the two destinations not to be missed in Australia. This rugged island boasts 24 pristine beaches that range from white sand to rocky escarpments, and it’s only a stone’s throw away from some of the best diving sites on the Great Barrier Reef. The island resort is pricey, but luckily you can camp, too. You can also borrow a “tinnie” and sail around the island. You can fly there from Cairns. islands. If snorkelling isn’t your thing, join the throng of chilled out sunbakers around the town’s central man-made lagoon that spans the length of the esplanade. The fun doesn’t set with the sun, with the esplanade coming to life after dark as tanned bodies pack the party strips’ wine bars, backpackers and pubs, guaranteeing a party every night of the week.

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Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Gold Coast

Famous for fun

AdventureGoldCoast.com

facebook.com/AdventureGoldCoast twitter.com/AdventureGoldCoast

QLDLISTINGS

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Nomads Noosa 44 Noosa Dr, Noosa Heads.

1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com

BOOK NOW

07 4131 2999 bundabergrum.com.au

TOWN OF 1770

Halse Lodge YHA 2 Halse Lane, Noosa. 1800 242 567, halselodge.com.au

@tnt_downunder Beach end of Herbert St. 07 4786 3433 bowenbackpackers.net

TOWNSVILLE

RAINBOW BEACH

1770 Backpackers 6 Captain Cook Dr. 1800 121 770, the1770backpackers.com

Adventurers Resort 79 Palmer St. 1800 211 522, adventurersresort.com

Dingos Backpacker Adventure Resort 20 Spectrum St. 1800 111 126, dingosresort.com

1770 Undersea Adventures 1300 553 889, 1770underseaadventures.com

Adrenalin Dive Yongala diving.

07 4724 0600, adrenalindive.com.au

Pippies Beach House 22 Spectrum St. 1800 425 356, pippiesbeachhouse.com

AIRLIE BEACH airliebeach.com 259 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 677 119

Skydive Rainbow Beach 0418 218 358, skydiverainbowbeach.com

THE BLACK KEYS

HERVEY BAY

Airlie Beach YHA 394 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 247 251, yha.com.au

Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Oct 26. $99 One of the biggest bands at the moment, selling out shows around the world. But now you can catch the Lonely Boys in Brizzy.

Aussie Woolshed 181 Torquay Rd 07 4124 0677

Melaleuca Drive, Boondall

Backpackers by the Bay 12 Hermitage Dr. 1800 646 994, backpackersbythebay.com

ticketmaster.com.au

woolshedbackpackers.com Next at Hervey Bay 10 Bideford St. 1800 102 989, nextbackpackers.com.au Nomads Hervey Bay 408 The Esplanade.

1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com Palace Backpackers 184 Torquay, 1800 063 168, palaceadventures.com.au

FRASER ISLAND

BUNDABERG

Eurong Beach Resort 07 4120 1600, eurong.com.au

Federal Backpackers 221 Bourbong St. 07 4153 3711 federalbackpackers.com.au

Palace Adventures 184 Torquay St, Hervey Bay, 1800 063 168 palaceadventures.com.au

Northside Backpackers 12 Queen St. 07 4154 1166 Bundaberg Bondstore Distillery tours.

7/2+%23 7!.4%$ &RUIT AND 6EGETABLE PICKING JOBS AVAILABLE

s 4RANSPORT TO FROM WORK s &2%% COURTESY BUS PICK UP s ,AUNDRY FACILITIES s )NTERNET FACILITIES s 0LEASANT AND FRIENDLY STAFF

Base Airlie Beach Resort 336 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 242 273, stayatbase.com Magnums Whitsunday Village Resort 366 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 624 634 magnums.com.au

BOWEN Bowen Backpackers

Yongala Dive Yongala diving.

07 4783 1519, yongaladive.com.au

MAGNETIC ISL Base Magnetic Island 1 Nelly Bay Rd. 1800 24 22 73, stayatbase.com Bungalow Bay Backpackers Horseshoe Bay. 1800 285 577, bungalowbay. com.au Hotel Arcadia 7 Marine Pde, Arcadia Bay. 07 4778 5177 magnetic-island.com/arc-rsrt.htm Pleasure Divers 07 4778 5788

MISSION BEACH Absolute Backpackers 28 Wongaling Beach Road. 07 4068 8317, absolutebackpackers.com.au

WORKERS WANTED FOR FARM IN INNISFAIL. Free accommodation and food provided. Offers very good working and living conditions.

PHONE 0437 692 002

s "ISTRO AVAILABLE AT "ANJO S TAVERN NEXT DOOR

6!2)%49 /& 7/2+ !6!),!",% 9%!2 2/5.$

"REEZY 4ROPICAL VERANDAHS CLEAN FRIENDLY #LOSE TO SHOPS BANKS OLYMPIC POOL

&EDERAL "ACKPACKERS "OURBONG 3T "UNDABERG 1LD

0HONE WWW FEDERALBACKPACKERS COM AU FEDERALBACKPACKERS HOTMAIL COM #OMPLIES WITH ALL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS QUANTITY DEPENDS ON SEASON

52

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WORKERS WANTED

WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED

AYR NORTH QUEENSLAND

AYR BACKPACKERS stay at Wilmington House Working Hostel of the Burdekin District

s /PEN AND AIRY 1UEENSLAND STYLE FOUR AND SIX BEDROOMS s )NTERNET #AFĂ? s 0OOL ""1S AND TROPICAL GARDENS s 4ABLE TENNIS AND &2%% POOL TABLE s ,OCKERS s #LEAN COMFORTABLE QUIET AND FRIENDLY s 4RANSPORT PROVIDED TO WORK s &IVE MINUTE WALK TO MAIN STREET SHOPPING AND FAST FOOD STORE s &REE PICK UP FROM !YR BUS TERMINAL AND RAILWAY STATION s 6IDEO AND 46 ROOMS s &IVE FULL KITCHEN FACILITIES

WORKERS WANTED Call Mick & Daphne 07 4783 5837

WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED

VICLISTINGS BOOK NOW

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The Greenhouse Backpacker Level 6, 228 Flinders Lane.

1800 249 207, greenhousebackpacker.com.au

@tnt_downunder

BOOK NOW

Habitat HQ 333 St Kilda Road, St Kilda. 1800 202 500, habitathq.com.au Home at the Mansion 66 Victoria Parade. 03 9663 4212, homemansion.com.au Home Travellers Motel 32 Carlisle St, St Kilda.

1800 008 718, hometravellersmotel.com.au Hotel Bakpak Melbourne 167 Franklin St. 1800 645 200, hotelbakpak.com

SMASHING PUMPKINS Hisense Arena. Aug 2. $89.50 Billy Corgan and his boys are back in Australia and ready to set stages on fire with their progressive metal-goth-rock sounds.

Melbourne

yourgigs.com.au

MELBOURNE STAY All Nations Backpackers Hotel & Bar 2 Spencer St. 1800 222 238, allnations.com.au Base Melbourne 17 Carlisle St, St. Kilda. 1800 242 273, stayatbase.com

Accommodation 21 Bromham Place, Richmond. 03 9427 9826, centralaccommodation.net Exford Hotel 199 Russell St. 03 9663 2697, exfordhotel.com.au Flinders Station Hotel 35 Elizabeth St. 03 9620 5100, flindersbackpackers.com.au

Central Melbourne

Melbourne Central YHA 562 Flinders St. 03 9621 2523, yha.com.au Nomads Melbourne 198 Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;beckett St. 1800 447 762, nomadshostels.com Space Hotel 380 Russell St. 1800 670 611, spacehotel.com.au The Spencer 475 Spencer St. 1800 638 108, hotelspencer.com

GOOD CHARLOTTE Festival Hall. Sept 30. $94 Benji and The Voiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Joel will return to Australia with their infectious and (as they describe it) Beastie Boys-inspired music.

Flinders St, Melbourne Moving Image Federation Square.

03 8663 2200, acmi.net.au Melbourne Aquarium Cnr of Flinders St & King St. 03 9923 5999, melbourneaquarium.com.au

MELBOURNE DO Australian Centre for the

Melbourne Cricket Ground Brunton Av. 03 9657 8888 mcg.org.au

ticketmaster.com.au Melbourne Museum 11 Nicholson St, Carlton. 13 11 02 melbourne.museum.vic.gov.au National Gallery of Victoria Federation Square. ngv.vic.gov.au Old Melbourne Gaol 377 Russell St. 03 8663 7228,

Stay. Play.

Melbourne.

$20

Accommodation from $20 a night (subject to availability)

Maximum 4 bed dormitories with linen and towel FREE all you can eat breakfast (cereal, toast and juice), weekly meal, rice and pasta, tea and coffee FREE in room oversized locker with personal power point 5 minute walk to city Large bar with big screen (all major sporting events shown) Drink specials at the bar Public transport on doorstep

UC103

Unique value tour packages

54

Book Now 1800

631 288 urbancentral.com.au

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334 CITY ROAD SOUTHBANK MELBOURNE VIC 3006 AUSTRALIA

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oldmelbournegaol.com.au

Bayplay Lodge 46 Canterbury Jetty Rd, Blairgowrie.

03 5988 0188, bayplay.com.au

Official Neighbours Tours 570 Flinders St. 03 9629 5866, neighbourstour.com.au

Sorrento Foreshore Reserve Nepean Hwy. 1800 850 600, mornpen.vic.gov.au

Skydive the Beach Melbourne 1300 798 843 skydivethebeachmelbourne.com

Sorrento YHA 3 Miranda St, Sorrento.

03 5984 4323, yha.com.au

MELB MUSIC Cherry Bar myspace.com/cherrybarmelbourne

Tortoise Head Lodge French Island.

03 5980 1234, tortoisehead.net

Corner Hotel cornerhotel.com East Brunswick Club eastbrunswickclub.com

BOOK NOW

Esplanade Hotel espy.com.au Northcote Social Club northcotesocialclub.com Palace Theatre palace.com.au The Hi-Fi thehifi.com.au The Tote thetotehotel.com

GREAT OCEAN RD Anglesea Backpackers 40 Noble St, Anglesea.

03 5263 2664, angleseabackpackers.com.au Eco Beach YHA 5 Pascoe St.

ENTER SHIKARI Billboard. Sept 22. $50 This band continues to defy those who dare seek to pigeonhole them.

Catch them in September as they tour nationally.

Russell St, Melbourne 03 5237 7899, yha.com.au Great Ocean Road Backpackers YHA 10 Erskine Av, Lorne.

03 5289 2508, yha.com.au Port Campbell Hostel 18 Tregea St, Port Campbell.

03 5598 6305, portcampbellhostel.com.au

DANDENONG Emerald Backpackers 03 5968 4086

moshtix.com.au Surfside Backpackers Cnr Great Ocean Rd & Gambier St, Apollo Bay. 1800 357 263, surfsidebackpacker.com

MORNINGTON

MURRAY RIVER Echuca Gardens YHA 103 Av, Mitchell St, Echuca.

03 5480 6522, yha.com.au Mildura City Backpackers 50 Lemon Ave, Mildura.

03 5022 7922, milduracitybackpackers.com.au Oasis Backpackers 230 Deakin Av, Mildura.

04 0734 4251,

milduraoasisbackpackers.com.au

GIPPSLAND Prom Country Backpackers 03 5682 2614 Rawsom Caravan Park Depot Rd, Rawson.

03 5165 3439, rawsoncaravanpark.com.au

PHILLIP ISLAND Amaroo Park YHA 97 Church St, Cowes.

03 5952 3620, yha.com.au The Island Accommodation 10-12 Phillip Island Tourist Road.

03 5956 6123 theislandaccommodation.com.au

GRAMPIANS Grampians YHA Eco Hostel Cnr Grampians & Buckler Rds, Halls Gap. 03 5356 4543, yha.com.au Tim’s Place 44 Grampians Road, Halls Gap. 03 5356 4288, timsplace.com.au

LANEWAY ART

MELBOURNE STREET ART The leading lights of the graffiti world, like Banksy, rate Melbourne as one of the best cities in the world, if not the best, for street art, so it’s well worth hunting some down. One of the easiest, and best, places to start is right in the centre of the city, by Federation Square. Just opposite the square lies the opening to Hosier Lane (with MoVida tapas restaurant on the corner).

Nearby AC/DC Lane is also well worth a quick look. Don’t just stay in the CBD, however, but take a stroll out into the suburbs, especially Fitzroy and Collingwood. In Fitzroy, the laneways off Brunswick Street are particularly good. Be sure to take diversions off the main drag, especially down Leicester Street, Rose Street, Gertrude Street and Argyle Street, or wander down the parallel Fitzroy Street. While exploring the area, make an effort to head in the direction of Collingwood, where the roads surrounding Smith Street are also crammed with art-covered walls.

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DARWIN STAY Banyan View Lodge Darwin 119 Mitchell St. 08 8981 8644, banyanviewlodge.com.au

KATHERINE STAY

DON’T MISS

BIG4 Katherine Holiday Park 20 Shadforth Road.

1800 501 984, big4.com.au

Elkes Backpackers 112 Mitchell St. 1800 808 365, elkesbackpackers.com.au

KATHERINE DO

Gecko Lodge 146 Mitchell St. 1800 811 250, geckolodge.com.au

INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARDS Darwin Botanic Gardens. Aug 11.

Presented by Music NT Inc, the National Indigenous Music Awards is set to take place in Darwin. Catch the gorgeous Jessica Mauboy in action.

Youth Shack 69 Mitchell St. 1300 793 302, youthshack.com.au

Deckchair Cinema Jervois Rd, Darwin Waterfront.

08 8981 0700, deckchaircinema.com.au

Alice Springs Reptile Centre Meet and hold lizards.

9 Stuart Terrace.

08 8952 8900, reptilecentre.com.au

Nitmiluk Tours Gorge cruises and kayak hire. 1300 146 743 nitmiluktours.com.au

Melaleuca on Mitchell 52 Mitchell St. 1300 723 437, momdarwin.com

Crocosaurus Cove Crocodile park and cage of death. 58 Mitchell St. 08 8981 7522, crocosauruscove.com

ALICE DO Alice Springs Desert Park Larapinta Drive.

08 8951 8788, alicespringsdesertpark.com.au

Airborne Solutions Scenic helicopter flights.

08 8972 2345 airbornesolutions.com.au

Frogshollow Backpackers 27 Lindsay St. 1800 068 686, frogs-hollow.com.au

DARWIN DO

Toddy’s Resort 41 Gap Rd. 1800 027 027, toddys.com.au

Palm Court Kookaburra Backpackers Giles St. 1800 626 722

Darwin YHA 97 Mitchell St. 08 8981 5385, yha.com.au

Darwin Amphitheatre Fannie Bay Gaol Heritage prison. East Point Road, Fannie Bay. 08 8941 2260, nt.gov.au Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 19 Conacher St, Bullocky Point.

08 8999 8264, magnt.nt.gov.au

nima.com.au Oz Jet Boating Stokes Hill Wharf.

1300 135 595, ozjetboating.com.au Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise Adelaide River.

08 8978 9077, jumpingcrocodile.com.au Wave Lagoon Waterfront Precinct. waterfront.nt.gov.au

TENNANT CREEK Tourist Rest Leichardt St. 08 8962 2719, touristrest.com.au

Outback Ballooning Hot air balloon rides.

1800 809 790, outbackballooning.com.au Royal Flying Doctor Service Base Museum and operations room.

Stuart Terrace. 08 8952 1129, flyingdoctor.net

ALICE SPRINGS Alice Lodge 4 Mueller St. 08 8953 1975, alicelodge.com.au Alice Springs YHA Cnr Parsons St & Leichhardt Tce. 08 8952 8855, yha.com.au Annie’s Place 4 Traeger Ave. 1800 359 089, anniesplace.com.au

Haven Resort 3 Larapinta Drive.

1800 794 663, alicehaven.com.au

School of the Air Long-distance schooling museum.

80 Head St. 08 8951 6834, assoa.nt.edu.au The Rock Tour Uluru tours.

78 Todd St. 1800 246 345, therocktour.com.au

WORD FROM THE STREET

Jillian Porche, USA WHAT MADE YOU COME TO OZ? I came on a Working Holiday visa with hopes of permanent work so I can relocate to Australia. If that doesn’t pan out, I just want to have fun on my first vacation out of the US. FAVOURITE PLACE? I really loved Noosa in Queensland. The people there are so laidback, the beach is close and it’s good for learning to surf. There are so many festivals and things to do.

WEIRDEST EXPERIENCE? At my hostel, we celebrated the Swedish Summer Solstice. I’ve never had raw fish with fish eggs on it!

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WALISTINGS

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One World Backpackers 162 Aberdeen St, Northbridge.

1800 188 100, oneworldbackpackers.com.au Perth City YHA 300 Wellington St. 08 9287 3333, yha.com.au The Old Swan Barracks 6 Francis St. 08 9428 0000, theoldswanbarracks.com Underground Backpackers 268 Newcastle St, Northbridge.

08 9228 3755, undergroundbackpackers.com.au

DON’T MISS THE NUTCRACKER ON ICE Her Majasty’s Theatre. Aug 2-12. From $59 The Imperial Ice Stars have become world famous gracing venues including London’s Royal Albert Hall, now catch them in Perth.

Hay St, Perth

liveguide.com.au

PERTH STAY Billabong Backpackers Resort 381 Beaufort St. 08 9328 7720, billabongresort.com.au Britannia on William 253 William St, Northbridge.

08 9227 6000, perthbrittania.com

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Emperor’s Crown 85 Stirling St, Northbridge. 1800 991 553, emperorscrown.com.au Globe Backpackers & City Oasis Resort 561 Wellington St. 08 9321 4080, globebackpackers.com.au Ocean Beach Backpackers 1 Eric St, Cottlesloe. 08 9384 5111, oceanbeachbackpackers.com.au

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The Witch’s Hat 148 Palmerston St. 08 9228 4228, witchshat.com

PERTH DO Aquarium of Western Australia 91 Southside Drive, Hillarys.

08 9447 7500, aqwa.com.au Kings Park & Botanic Garden bgpa.wa.gov.au

BOOK NOW ROTTOFEST 2012 Rottnest Island. Sept 8-9. From $120 Catch comics such as the controversial US stand up comedian Anthony Jeselnik as he makes his Oz debut in this weekend of laughs.

Rottnest Island

rottofest.com.au

PERTH MUSIC Amplifier amplifiercapitol.com.au

Perth Mint 310 Hay St. 08 9421 7223, perthmint.com.au

Astor liveattheastor.com.au

Perth Zoo 20 Labouchere Road, South Perth. 08 9474 3551, perthzoo.wa.gov.au

The Bakery nowbaking.com.au

Mojo’s Bar mojosbar.com.au

The Rosemount Hotel rosemounthotel.com.au

FREO STAY Backpackers Inn Freo 11 Pakenham St. 08 9431 7065, backpackersinnfreo.com.au Old Firestation Backpackers 18 Phillimore St. 08 9430 5454, fremantleprison.com.au

WALISTINGS Sundancer Backpackers Resort 80 High St. 08 9336 6080, sundancerbackpackers.com.au

270 Albany Hwy. 1800 004 321, metrohotels.com.au

FREO DO Fremantle Markets 08 9335 2515, fremantlemarkets.com.au Fremantle Prison 1 The Terrace.

08 9336 9200, backpackersinnfreo.com.au

ROTTNEST ISL Rottnest Island YHA Kingstown Barracks. 08 9372 9780, yha.com.au Rottnest Express 1300 Go Rotto rottnestexpress.com.au

MARGARET RIV Margaret River Lodge YHA 220 Railway Tce. 08 9757 9532, yha.com.au

ALBANY Albany Bayview Backpackers YHA 49 Duke St . 08 9842 3388, yha.com.au Cruize-Inn 122 Middleton Rd. 08 9842 9599, cruizeinn.com Metro Inn Albany

MONKEY MIA Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort 1800 653 611, monkeymia.com.au

NINGALOO REEF Blue Reef Backpackers 3 Truscott Crescent, Exmouth 1800 621 101, aspenparks.com.au Ningaloo Club Coral Bay 08 9948 5100, ningalooclub.com Excape Backpackers YHA Murat Rd, Exmouth.

08 9949 1200, yha.com.au

BROOME STAY Cable Beach Backpackers 12 Sanctuary Road.

1800 655 011, cablebeachbackpackers.com Kimberley Club 62 Fredrick St 08 9192 3233, kimberleyklub.com

FREO DO Fremantle Markets 08 9335 2515,

WORD FROM THE STREET

James Cook, UK WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN IN OZ? So far, only Melbourne and Brisbane, but I’m looking forward to circumnavigating the country.

FAVOURITE PLACE? I love Melbourne. It’s just so cool.

With all the little cafés and art galleries to explore. I am definitely going back to explore it in more depth!

BIGGEST SURPRISE? I imagined it to be a massive desert. I found out you can ski here! WHAT?

7 ,Ê -/Ê "-/ Ê Ê7 ÊÓääÇ -/ÊÓäänÊEÊÓää

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TASLISTINGS HOBART STAY Central City Backpackers 138 Collins St. 1800 811 507, centralbackpackers.com.au

LAUNCESTON DO

BOOK NOW

Cataract Gorge launcestoncataractgorge.com.au Centre for Beer Lovers Boag’s Brewery, 39 William St. 03 6332 6300, boags.com.au

Hobart Hostel 41 Barrack St. 1300 252 192, hobarthostel.com Montgomery’s YHA 9 Argyle St. 03 6231 2660, yha.com.au

Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery 2 Invermay Rd & 2 Wellington St. 03 6323 3777, qvmag.tas.gov.au

Narrara Backpackers 88 Goulburn St. 03 6234 8801, narrarabackpackers.com

Tasmania Zoo 1166 Ecclestone Rd. 03 6396 6100, tasmaniazoo.com.au

Pickled Frog 281 Liverpool St. 03 6234 7977, thepickledfrog.com

DEVONPORT

Transit Backpackers 251 Liverpool St. 03 6231 2400, transitbackpackers.com

MUMFORD AND SONS Derwent Entertainment Centre. Oct 23. From $70 Get in quick because this tour will sell like hotcakes. The Sons are bringing indie rockers Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros too.

HOBART DO Cascade Brewery 140 Cascade Rd. 03 6224 1117 cascadebreweryco.com.au Mt Wellington Descent Bike tours. 03 6274 1880 mtwellingtondescent.com.au

Hobart

Port Arthur Historic Ghost Tours 1800 659 101, portarthur.org.au

Salamanca Markets Every Saturday, Salamanca Place. salamanca.com.au Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery 5 Argyle St. tmag.com.au

ticketmaster.com.au

PORT ARTHUR

LAUNCESTON Arthouse Backpacker Hostel 20 Lindsay St. 1800 041 135, arthousehostel.com.au

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Launceston Backpackers 103 Canning St. 03 6334 2327, launcestonbackpackers.com.au Lloyds Hotel 23 George St. 03 6331 9906, backpackersaccommodation.com.au

Tasman Backpackers 114 Tasman St. 03 6423 2335, tasmanbackpackers.com.au

Mt Roland Budget Backpacker Rooms 1447 Claude Rd, Gowrie Park. 03 6491 1385

CRADLE DO Devils at Cradle Tassie devil sanctuary. 3950 Cradle Mountain Rd. 03 6492 1491. devilsatcradle.com Overland Track Six-day walk parks.tas.gov.au

FREYCINET Iluka Backpackers YHA Reserve Rd. 03 6257 0115, yha.com.au Freycinet National Park Brewery, Wineglass Bay camping. 03 6256 7000, wineglassbay.com

BICHENO Bicheno Backpackers 11 Morrison St. 03 6375 1651, bichenobackpackers.com Bicheno Penguin Tours 03 6375 1333, bichenopenguintours.com.au

CRADLE MTN Discovery Holiday Parks Cradle Mountain Rd. 1800 068 574, discoveryholidayparks.com.au

STRAHAN, Strahan YHA 43 Harvey St. 03 6471 7255, yha.com

STRAHAN DO Four Wheelers Henty Sand Dunes quadbike tours. 04 1950 8175, 4wheelers.com.au Water by Nature Extreme multiday whitewater rafting. 1800 111 142, franklinrivertasmania.com

WORD FROM THE STREET

Photo: Tourism Tasmania

Ricky Boud, UK

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GO WILD SOUTH-WEST TASMANIA One of Australia’s most remote wilderness regions and a World Heritage area. This is really a place for intrepid adventurers and requires preparation. There are few roads (the area hasn’t even been fully mapped). It’s fantasic for hiking, fishing and whitewater rafting.

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WHY DID YOU COME TO OZ? For the weather, to work and to experience Australian lifestyle.

FAVOURITE SPOT? Sydney. Such a great city that can offer everything.

FUNNIEST EXPERIENCE Trying to get to Bundaberg but some how ending up at Bundaberg STREET in Deception Bay – about 400km away from Bundaberg! The lady who offered us a lift back to the train station had a good laugh at us (and you will probably laugh by reading this).

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ADELAIDE STAY

DON’T MISS

Adelaide Backpackers Inn 112 Carrington St. 1800 24 77 25, adpi.com.au

Riba’s Underground 1811 William Creek Rd. 08 8672 5614, camp-underground.com.au

Adelaide Central YHA 135 Waymouth St. 08 8414 3010, yha.com.au

KANGAROO IS

Adelaide Travellers Inn 220 Hutt St. 08 8224 0753, adelaidebackpackers.com.au Annie’s Place 239 Franklin St. 1800 818 011, anniesplace.com.au Backpack Oz 144 Wakefield St. 1800 633 307, backpackoz.com.au Blue Galah Backpackers Lvl 1, 52-62, King William St. 08) 8231 9295, bluegalah.com.au Glenelg Beach Hostel 5-7 Moseley St. Glenelg. 1800 359 181, glenelgbeachhostel.com.au Hostel 109 109 Carrington St. 1800 099 318, hostel109.com My Place 257 Waymouth St. 1800 221 529, adelaidehostel.com.au Shakespeare Hostel 123 Waymouth St. 1800 556 889, shakeys.com.au

ADELAIDE DO Adelaide Oval Home to the Donald Bradman collection. War Memorial Drive.

08 8300 3800 cricketsa.com.au

1 Oliver St. 1800 633 891, radekadownunder.com.au

CHILDREN COLLIDE Fowler’s Live Adelaide. Aug 9. $28 Their third studio album Monument was released just weeks ago and now they’re touring the country before they relocate the the US.

North Terrace, Adelaide

Adelaide Zoo Frome Rd. 08 8267 3255, zoossa.com.au Haigh’s Chocolates Factory tours. 153 Greenhill Rd, Parkside 1800 819 757, haighschocolates.com.au Temptation Sailing Dolphin swimming, Glenelg.

04 1281 1838 dolphinboat.com.au

moshtix.com.au

BAROSSA VAL Barossa Backpackers 9 Basedow Road Tanunda.

08 8563 0198, barossabackpackers.com.au

COOBER PEDY Opal Cave Coober Pedy Hutchinson St. 08 8672 5028, opalcavecooberpedy.com.au Radeka Down Under

Port Elliot Beach House YHA 13 The Strand, Port Elliot. 08 8554 2785 yha.com.au

EYRE PENINSULA Coodlie Park Farmstay Flinders Highway, Port Kenny.

08 8687 0411 coodliepark.com

Kangaroo Island YHA 33 Middle Terrace, Penneshaw.

08 8553 1344 yha.com.au

Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience Sea lion and dolphin swims.

08 8626 5017 bairdbay.com

Vivonne Bay Lodge 66 Knofel Drive, Vivonne Bay 13 13 01 seaink.com.au

Calypso Star Charters Great white shark cage diving.

08 8682 3939, sharkcagediving.com.au

RIVERLAND Berri Backpackers Sturt Highway, Berri.

08 8582 3144, berribackpackers.com.au Harvest Trail Lodge Loxton.

08 8584 5646, harvesttrail.com.au Nomads on Murray Sturt Highway, Kingston on Murray.

1800 665 166, nomadsworld.com Riverland Backpackers Labour Hire Services 08 8583 0211

FLEURIEU PENIN

Nullarbor Traveller Tours across to Perth.

1800 816 858 the-traveller.com.au Port Lincoln Tourist Park 11 Hindmarsh St. 08 8621 4444, portlincolntouristpark.com.au Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions Great white shark cage diving.

08 8363 1788 rodneyfox.com.au

FLINDERS RANGES Angorichina Tourist Village 08 8648 4842, angorichinavillage.com.au Wilpena Pound Resort Wilpena Rd. 08 8648 0004, wilpenapound.com.au

AIM HIGH

FLINDERS RANGES

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

Photo: SATC

Smug European travellers often complain that there’s nothing old in Australia. Well, these mountains have been around for about 540 million years, which it’s fair to say is quite a while.

Characterised by their glowing red peaks, the ranges stretch for over 430km. Their undisputed posterboy is the dramatic natural basin of Wilpena Pound (pictured), without a doubt one of South Australia’s highlights. Enjoy some spectacular views while hiking, hot air ballooning, tearing around in a 4WD or simply chilling out on the Pichi Richi scenic railway. Buses and tours leave from Port Augusta, north of Adelaide.

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NZLISTINGS BUS TOURS Kiwi Experience +64 9366 9830 kiwiexperience.com Magic Travellers Network +64 9358 5600, magicbus.co.nz Nakedbus.com 0900 62533, nakedbus.com NZ Travelpass 0800 339 966, travelpass.co.nz

Rent-A-Dent 0800 736 823, rentadent.co.nz Rental Car Village +64 9376 9935, hire-vehicles.co.nz Spaceships 1300 139 091, spaceships.tv Standby Cars 1300 789 059, standbycars.com.au Wicked Campers 1800 246 869, wickedcampers.com

Stray +64 9309 8772, straytravel.com

RENTAL FIRMS Ace Rental Cars 1800 140 026, acerentalcars.com.nz Backpacker Campervan & Car Rentals +800 200 80 801, backpackercampervans.com Bargain Rental Cars 0800 001 122, bargainrentals.com.nz

Airport Skyway Lodge Backpackers (BBH) 30 Kirkbride Road, Mangere. +64 9275 4443, skywaylodge.co.nz Auckland International Backpackers (BBH) 2 Churton St, Parnell. +64358 4584,

Darn Cheap Rentals 0800 447 363, exploremore.co.nz

Base Auckland 229 Queen St. 0800 227 369, stayatbase.com

Econo Campers +64 9275 9919, econocampers.co.nz

Bamber House (BBH) 22 View Rd, Mt Eden. +64 9623 4267, hostelbackpacker.com

Escape Rentals 1800 456 272, escaperentals.co.nz Explore More 1800 800 327, dcrentals.com.nz Jucy Rentals 0800 399 736, jucy.com.nz

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AUCKLAND

follow us on The Fat Camel (Nomads) 38 Fort St. +64 9307 0181, nomadshostels.com

Nomads Capital 118 Wakefield St. 0508 666 237, nomadscapital.com

Base Discovery Lodge St. +64 Queenstown 49 Shotover St. +64 3441 1185, stayatbase.com

Nomads Auckland 16-20 Fort St. +64 9300 9999, nomadshostels.com

Rosemere Backpackers (BBH) 6 McDonald Cres. +64 4384 3041, backpackerswellington.co.nz

Bungi Backpackers (VIP, BBH) 15 Sydney St. 0800 728 286, bungibackpackers.co.nz

Oaklands Lodge (BBH) St. +64 5A Oaklands Rd, Mt Eden. +64 9638 6545, oaklands.co.nz

Rowena’s Backpackers (VIP) 115 Brougham St. 0800 80 1414

Cardrona Alpine Resort Between Queenstown and Wanaka. +64 3443 7341, cardrona.com

Queen Street Backpackers (VIP) 4 Fort St. +64 9373 3471, enquiries@qsb.co.nz Surf ‘n’ Snow Backpackers 102 Albert St. +64 9363 8889, surfandsnow.co.nz YHA Auckland City Cnr City Rd & Liverpool St. +64 9309 2802, yha.co.nz YHA Auckland International 5 Turner St. +64 9302 8200, yha.co.nz

WELLINGTON Base Wellington 21-23 Cambridge Tce. +64 4801 5666 stayatbase.com

Central City Backpackers 26 Lorne St. +64 9358 5685, backpacker.net.nz

Downtown Wellington Backpackers (BBH) 1 Bunny St. +64 4473 8482 db@downtownbackpackers.co.nz

City Garden Lodge 25 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell. +64 9302 0880

Lodge in the City (VIP) 152 Taranaki St. +64 4385 8560 lodgeinthecity.co.nz

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@tnt_downunder

YHA Wellington City 292 Wakefield St. +64 4801 7280

CHRISTCHURCH

Flaming Kiwi Backpackers (BBH) 39 Robins Rd. +64 3442 5494, flamingkiwi@xtra.co.nz

Chester Street Backpackers (BBH) 148 Chester St East. +64 3377 1897, chesterst.co.nz

Hippo Lodge (BBH) 4 Anderson Hts. +64 3442 5785, hippolodge.co.nz

Foley Towers (BBH) 208 Kilmore St. +64 3366 9720, backpack.co.nz/foley

Nomads Queenstown 5-11 Church St. +64 3441 3922, nomadshostels.com

Jailhouse Accommodation (BBH) 338 Lincoln Rd. 0800 524 546, stay@kiwibasecamp.com

Peterpans Adventure Travel 27 Shotover St Queenstown. peterpans.com.au

The Old Countryhouse (BBH) 437 Gloucester St. +64 3381 5504, oldcountryhousenz.com

Pinewood Lodge (VIP) 48 Hamilton Rd. 0800 7463 9663, rgrieg@xtra.co.nz

Tranquil Lodge (BBH) 440 Manchester St. +64 3366 6500, tranquil-lodge.co.nz

Southern Laughter (BBH, VIP) 4 Isle St. 0800 728 448, southernlaughter.co.nz

Rucksacker Backpacker Hostel (BBH) 70 Bealey Ave. +64 3377 7931, rucksacker.com

QUEENSTOWN

YHA Queenstown Central 48A Shotover Street. +64 3442 7400, yha.co.nz YHA Queenstown Lakefront 8890 Lake Esplanade. +64 3442 8413, yha.co.nz

We are looking for volunteers who are 18-60 years of age to take part in a study to investigate a new antibiotic for those infections that are currently resistant.

This study will look at different doses of the medication and compare to placebo.

The study will last for approximately 8-10 weeks.

You will have a free medical screening to assess your suitability.

You need to be a non smoker and generally of good health.

Those successfully enrolled in the study receive $3290 for completion.

For more info call 1800 475 475

volunteers.4.trials@gsk.com The study is being run at the GSK Medicines Research Unit located at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick. This study is recruiting in Sydney Only

GSK_689.indd 1

6/07/12 9:47 AM

OZWORK

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Book in a visa Ever wanted to further your education while living down under? Well studying in Oz is an attractive option for those who want to stay

Many people who visit Australia on a Working Holiday visa normally find themselves so addicted to the place they want to hang around for more, maybe even for good. So if you’re one of these people, you’ll be happy to know there are several avenues you can take to stay in Australia, one of which is studying.

Obtaining a student visa is a way to increase your skills and expand your education while also getting to stay in the wonderful land of Oz. “A student visa allows you to stay in the city of your choice and comes with ‘multiple entry’ in and out of Australia for the duration of the visa,” says Acacia Education Australia’s Melanie Duncan.

As well as studying, the visa allows you to work 20 hours per week during semester and as often as you want during holidays so you can keep your wallet relatively full while you’re studying.

Studying in Australia also happens to be one of the quickest routes towards securing permanent residency if you’re really looking long term.

And you don’t have to put your head down for a full-time, long term year degree either. “After investigating their study options, working holiday makers often choose to enroll in university `pathway’ programmes,” Melanie says.

Last year, the Australian Immigration Department announced some new changes to the conditions of obtaining a general skilled migration (GSM) visa which may affect international students, depending on when you applied for your visa.

I mean there are worse reasons for getting an education, right? Check out www.immi.gov.au/students for more info.

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TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

B Confidential is Brisbane longest running gentlemen club with restaurant.

Its Unique approach to entertainment sets itself apart within this industry.

To be one our club dancers, you will need to be sexy, sociable and fun.

In return you get paid cash each day, a flexible roster so you still have time to travel and work in a safe fun environment.

Full training is provided from a management team with over 30 years experience, you will be made feel welcome by all the girls and staff.

We are looking for: Bright pleasant personality Team players Excellence in customer service Well spoken Willingness to learn Glamorous appearance desirable Why work for us?

Female owned and operated Safe and clean No cost to you to work here Low percentage of walk by traffic which means high targeted clientele (not many time wasters) Friendly staff with trained hostesses that help book you dancers Ongoing dance training and NLP tips for better sales Family owned and operated Job perks!

Discounted drinks on the job Cheap meals Second day pay days Free NLP sales training that will give you the tools for moving outside the industry Stage Tips are 100% yours Full makeover and photo shoot for free Flexible hours Discounted food shopping for staff Discounted shoes and clothing You are your own boss and can run it as a business Staff Christmas party

Available shifts : Tuesday - Thursday 12 noon-7pm & 6pm-1am Friday 12 noon -7pm & 6pm-3am Saturday 6pm-3am Apply in person during opening hours at 445 Upper Edward st Spring Hill (just up from central station) e: admin@confidentialclub.com.au www.confidentialclub.com.au/recruitment

MASSEUSES wanted work available...

We are a friendly establishment on Sydney’s Northern Beaches looking for ladies. We provide our customers with a relaxing and sensual massage only. (We do not offer sex.)

Many ladies like massaging because it is a quick and easy way to make good money and also because it is often fun and interesting (You will learn all you need to know about men !!!)

There is no experience necessary as we can \ZIQV aW] 8IQL LIQTa ÆM`QJTM [PQN\[ NMUITM management Please call ( 02 ) 9982 7997 Located in Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches

Try us just once and you will not be disappointed!

Call us now on

02 9212 1195 www.tiffanysgirls.com.au

Tiffany’s has Sydney’s largest selection of immaculately groomed, stunning girls who are specialists in the art of making a man feel totally at ease and relaxed. Easily found in a peaceful central location, spread over five large terraces, Tiffany’s boasts a number of beautifully appointed self-contained spas, double bedrooms and private waiting lounges.

Work with us:

Unlimited earning potential Shifts to suit Full training provided Quality accommodation provided 99 Albion Street, Surry Hills, NSW

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

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TOTALLYTRIVIAL

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MYTHBUSTERS A BITTER DISPUTE

THIS WEEK’S QUIZ

THEME PARKS

OF THE

WEEK

Q

1. The ‘Green Lantern’ ride at Movie World is based on what? a) The Irish b) Kermit the Frog c) The comic/film d) The Wizard of Oz

event starts in June at Q 2.theWhat Gold Coast’s Sea World? a) Winter Solstice c) Whale watching

Which continent has the most Q 7.amount of theme park rides?

b) Christmas d) Turtle tours

a) Australia c) North America

is the ‘FlowRider’ at Wet ‘n’ Wild?

Q 3.a)What A wave riding pool b) A hip-hop class c) Whitewater rafting d) A wakeboarding ride

Australian Big Brother house Q 8.wasThelocated at which theme park?

closed down and then rebuilt, in 1979, because of what event? a) A fire on the Ghost Train, killing seven b) A staged protest about noise c) Cracks in the Teacup Ride d) A rollercoaster collapse, killing 10

Q 5. That park opened in which year? b) 1647 d) 1853

SUDOKU PUZZLE

ANSWERS: 1. c 2. c 3. a 4. d 5. a 6. c 7. d 8. c 9. a

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TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

“A HANDBRAKE”

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Why do Aussies say the English drink warm beer?

Everyone loves a stereotype and drinkers in Oz seem obsessed with this particularly old one. The myth refers to the endless brands of bitters, milds and stouts, porters and ales. And these aren’t actually served warm, but at room temperature, which if anyone is familiar with, say, a January night in Manchester, can mean a long way from warm. Either way, the beer needs to be served at room temperature to make the most of the more subtle flavours. In other words, Aussie beers are practically flavourless in comparison – and so taste grim when they’re not chilled.

Q 9. Sydney’s Luna Park was briefly

is located in which country? a) New Zealand b) England c) Sweden d) Denmark

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b) Europe d) Asia

a) Luna Park b) Movie World c) Dreamworld d) Sea World

Q 4. The oldest operating theme park

a) 1583 c) 1797

6. What is the record number of people to go naked on a ride in Essex? a) 54 b) 91 c) 102 d) 150

8 5

The word for a girlfriend who often gets in the way of her partner’s plans to catch up with the boys. Mate says: “Wanna come to the pub?” Guy says: “Can’t mate, I’m seeing the handbrake tonight.”

ANAGRAM-ARAMA

THIS WEEK IT’S...

AMUSEMENT PARKS 1. WIN TWADDLE 2. DANDY LINES 3. PORKER PATH 4. WORM EVIL DO ANSWERS: 1. Wet and Wild 2. Disneyland 3. Thorpe Park 4. Movie World

Q

MYTH

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19/07/12 10:10 AM

CRUISE WHITSUNDAYS Experience Queensland’s most innovative and spacious reef pontoon located at Knuckle Reef. Knuckle Reef Pontoon features Queensland’s largest and most spectacular underwater viewing chamber and is the only reef pontoon in Australia with a giant waterslide. Student and Backpacker Discounts available.

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18/07/12 3:23 PM