TNT Australia 710 by TNT MAGAZINE

3-16 December 2012 Issue 710 tntd tntdownunder.com td downu ownu ow nun nd der er.c co om m

IIVNE DAY W IC F

AN EP ST SOUTH COA G NSW SURFIN SAFARI

HARBOUR LIGHTS Fun times for Sydney tourists

SUNNY SIDE UP Chilling out in the majestic Port Macquarie

N W O T E H T T PAIN

h Australia g u ro th y jo ading Run, is spre r lo o C e h T , t race most vibran ’s d rl o w e h T + NEWS & SPORT WHAT’S ON FILM REVIEWS TRAVELLERS’ TIPS

ALEX HARMON EDITOR editor@tntdownunder.com

EDITOR’S LETTER Welcome to the new-look TNT. We’re coming at you fortnightly now so we can create a bigger and better product with more arts and entertainment pages and more food and drink ideas for your viewing pleasure. We’re also expanding our online presence with daily news and travel stories – so you won’t miss us. If you have any suggestions on how we can further improve, feel free to drop me a line.

THIS WEEK OZ DIARY

FOOD AND DRINK

GIGS

CHATROOM

FILM

LIFESTYLE

NEWS

SPORT

OPINION

TRAVEL

HOT SHOTS

WIN

WEEKENDER

LISTINGS AUSTRALIA

LISTINGS NEW ZEALAND

LISTINGS FIJI

WORK

TRIVIAL PURSUITS

FEATURES FUN RUN

We get our running shoes on for the happiest 5km run in the world

ACTION PACK

Some of the wilder things to do in the Harbour City this summer

SUNRISE, SUNSET

The beautiful mid-north coast of NSW leaves a lasting impression on us

HOBBIT INC

The latest big money Tolkien movie leaves Wellington and the world in a spin

48 TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

OZDIARY

EDITORIAL Editor Alex Harmon Staff writer Hugh Radojev Contributors Alasdair Morton, Lisa Robinson, Jahn Vannisselroy, Andrew Westbrook Interns James Beasenvalle, Caitlin Stanway

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Date night = sorted

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

02 8332 7511 tom@tntdownunder.com

PHONE EMAIL

WHERE TO GET TNT

MAIN EVENT MOONLIGHT CINEMA CENTENNIAL PARK

In what has become something of an institution in recent times, the Centennial Park Moonlight Cinema is about as pure a film experience as it is possible to have. Films are held in an amphitheater surrounded by one of Sydney’s largest and most beautiful areas of parkland under the stars. Stretch out on a blanket with a glass of wine and a picnic and enjoy some of the award winning films on offer this season. They’re kicking off with the Dustin Hoffmandirected film, Quartet. If you’re a movie buff, or just a bat-spotter, get down there. Dec 13 – Mar 31. Sydney, NSW

moonlight.com.au

INDIE TWILIGHT MARKETS

FED SQUARE WINE SHOWCASE

FINDERS KEEPERS MARKETS

Indie Twilight Markets is a special Friday night event and a celebration of independent art, craft and design. The market will be accompanied by the sounds of Brisbane’s best jazz musicians and a host of Christmas parade performers.

Whether you’re a wine buff or simply enjoy discovering new wines, you can taste some of Victoria’s finest drops at Federation Square. Every second month the Fed Square Wine Showcase features a different Victorian wine region for you to enjoy.

The Finders Keepers Markets are a free bi-annual event that showcase the work of emerging designers and artists from all around Australia and NZ. Since they were first launched in 2008, the markets have become a hispter fave.

Dec 14 King George Sq, Brisbane brissystyle.com

Dec 5 – 6 Swanston St, Melbourne fedsquare.com

Dec 8 – 9 Carriageworks, Sydney thefinderskeepersmarket.com

SEE tntdownunder.com/magazine-location.html for pick-up points

FREE

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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$25

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s #AMPERS FROM PER DAY !53 s #AMPERS FROM PER DAY .:

#AMPERS #ARS AND -OTORHOMES 2ELOCATIONS FROM A DAY $%!,3 !,, /6%2 !5342!,)! Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide Also USA, New Zealand Most with $fuel allowance

FROM

A DAY

standbywrkfile_710.indd 1

28/11/12 10:11 AM

SYDNEYDRINKS

POCKET BAR

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[Caption]

BAR review by Caitlin Stanway

Smack bang in the centre of Sydney’s small bar hub, this Darlingurst drinking den was one of the first small bars to set up shop when Sydney’s licensing laws were changed a few years back. With a loyal following of locals, the hole in the wall bar is a favourite for drinkers looking for a comfy couch and killer cocktails. Velvet sofas, exposed brick, huge murals and mood lighting perfected to a fine art make this sexy watering hole ideal for an intimate drink. THE GRUB Renowned for their list of savory crepes, Pocket Bar have recently branched out and added a heap of share plates to their already impressive menu. From cashew and coconut chicken to kingfish ceviche, the diverse menu has something for everyone. Don’t leave without testing the crepes, designed to be shared these bad boys are perfect for a light snack to soak up the potent drinks. THE SCENE

Although the wine list is not to be frowned at, you can’t go past Pocket Bar’s cocktails. With names such as Waxing Moon, Corpse Reviver and Fidelflip, ordering the concoctions is almost as fun as drinking them. BILL PLEASE Meals from $12, cocktails from $13 beer/wine from $6.50. VERDICT Though you can be hard pressed to find a seat in the packed bar, the intimate size and great music give Pocket Bar that ‘oh so effortlessly cool’ vibe. Perfect for a relaxed night out. And if you get excited, Oxford Street’s clubs are only a stone’s throw away. BEHIND THE BAR

13 Burton St, Darlinghurst, Sydney

pocketsydney.com.au

Emptying pockets since 2009

NOURISHING QUARTER

GOVINDA’S

BODHI

This tiny restaurant is in a fortunate position next to the super-popular Norfolk on Cleveland Street. They have a unique approach in that they fuse the healing properties of Latin American ingredients with exotic Asian and Mediterranean soul foods. The result? A flavoursome and exciting menu that satisfies and astounds even the strictest of carnivores.

While buffets conjure up images of sweatpants and RSL clubs, Govinda’s has taken the ‘excessive’ out of all-you-can-eat dining and serve wholesome, vegetarian food that doesn’t make you burst at the seams. Then they allow you to waltz upstairs and watch a film on one of their lay-down couches. It blissfully takes the cliché out of the dinner/movie date.

During the day Bodhi serve vegan yum cha in the heavenly surrounds of Hyde Park and St. Mary’s Cathedral, sheltered by Moreton Bay fig trees. Highlights of the menu include Steamed Carrot Ginger Gow Dumplings and the Rice Noodle Folds with Vegetarian Prawn. These are made from tofu but look very crustacean like. Tasty!

DARLINGHURST

SYDNEY CBD

REDFERN

3 OF THE BEST VEGO MENUS BY ALEX HARMON

bnourished.com.au

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BITE SIZE BBQ NATION It’s no secret us Aussies are partial to a lazy summer BBQ (ok, partial is perhaps an understatement) and now Sydney-siders can have the ultimate BBQ – sans the clean up or cooking. Launched in early November, Sweethearts Rooftop BBQ has to be the trendiest barbie going around, and is right in the heart of Kings Cross. Think beer turned into shandy cocktails and limp chops substituted for crispy lamb sort ribs, all dished up on communal tables soaking up the sun. Everything you want a summer BBQ to be. sweetheartsbbq.com.au

PACHA TIME! Australia’s most iconic club, the Ivy, is kicking it up a notch as the proud hosts of the international super party, Pacha. Pegged as ‘a mad burlesque of circus, dance and sensory overload,’ the party night is renown for its theatrical merging of house music, acrobatics and exotic dancers. With the November 24th debut kicking things off to rave reviews, the impressive line up promises to have clubbers gyrating all summer long. pachasydney.com

AN ALL NEW TOWN Newtown has been making a comeback in the bar scene, and The Newtown Hotel is the latest pub to join the race for hottest venue in town. Thanks to a recent face-lift the hotel has transformed from a stinking dive into an edgy hangout for the Newtown cool kids. Think leopard print pool tables, graffiti murals and a pumping beer garden. Just in time for summer! newtownhotel.com.au

You’d be loco to bypass this taco joint

EL LOCO RESTAURANT review by Caitlin Stanway THE SCENE There is a Mexican wave of mass proportions sweeping through Sydney at the moment, and no we’re not talking mad sports fans throwing their hands in the air. We’re talking bona fide burritos and tacos quietly taking over any pub/ tapas menu worth its salt. Leading the way in the Mexican inquisition is El Loco, a street-style taco house that took over the run-down Excelsior Hotel. Originally designed as a pop-up canteen, the Mexican oasis has become such a favourite for the trendsetting locals it’s now here to stay. Weekday lunches see the who’s who of Sydney’s creative hub ditch the office and overrun the restaurant for a cheap eat and sneaky Corona. With the buzzing taco house open until 3am from Thursday to Saturday, El Loco turns into the hipster’s version of a late night kebab stop – but with less chance of food poisoning. THE GRUB There’s nothing pretentious about El Loco’s fare. Taco’s dominate the menu and served in vendor style paper baskets there’s a no-frills feel to the authentic Mexican food. Special mention goes to the Al Pastor taco with spit roasted pork and pineapple, a perfect tropical combo that hits it off seriously well with the Jalapeno Margarita. If the taco takeover has you sick of tortillas, hit up the Excelsior Hotdog which, with its jalapeños, cheese and grilled pork frankfurt, is something else! For those who’d rather rack up the calories from their beer intake, the El Loco salad or market grilled fish with fennel salad and salsa verde give you all the Mexican goodness, guilt free.

Cocktails from $13.50, beers from $5 All tacos $5, mains from $9 VERDICT There’s nowhere better to grab a cheap eat and have a perve on a Friday afternoon. Or Monday lunch. Or Saturday night... You get the picture. BEHIND THE BAR BILL PLEASE

64 Foveaux St, Surry Hills

elloco.com.au

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GIGLISTINGS

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MONDAY 3

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T MISS!

Blondie $99 Arts Centre, Melb moshtix.com John C. Reilly $50 Factory Theatre, Syd factorytheatre.com

TUESDAY 4 Spiritualised $48 + bf Hi-Fi Brisbane thehifi.com.au Missy Higgins $82.20 Palais Theatre, Melbourne palaistheatre.com.au Reel Big Fish $62.35 HQ Complex, Adelaide oztix.com.au

HOMEBAKE FESTIVAL 2012 The Domain, Sydney. $106 This festival has historically been one of the biggest showcases for locally produced Australian and New Zealand bands to cut their teeth on a large festival stage but the organisers have changed things up a bit this year. Legendary American Pop-Punk outfit Blondie will be headlining this year.

Russell Brand From $89.90 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane ticketek.com.au

WEDNESDAY 5 Primal Scream $84.10 Enmore Theatre, Sydney enmoretheatre.com.au

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney City

Wrest Pt, Hobart tastix.com.au

SATURDAY 8

Nicki Minaj $99 Sydney Entertainment Centre sydentcent.com

Gotye $79.90 Sidney Miller Music Bowl, Melb artscentremelbourne.com

Birds of Tokyo $49.90 Ormond Hall, Melbourne oztix.com.au

Evil Eddie Free Republi Bar, Hobart republicbar.com.au

THURSDAY 6 Regina Spektor $97.45 Brisbane Convention and Ent Centre bcec.com.au Four Tet $40 + bf Prince of Wales Bandroom princebandroom.com Hot Snakes $46.95 The Annandale, Sydney oztix.com.au Omar Souleyeman $35 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney oxfordartfactory.com.au

Bass Control $103.40 Sydney Olympic Park moshtix.com.au Grimes $38 + bf The Zoo, Brisbane thezoo.com.au Reece Mastin $72 The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney playbillvenues.com.au Russell Brand From $89.90 Acer Arena, Sydney ticketek.com.au Pacha $35 Ivy Club, Sydney merivale.com.au

FRIDAY 7 Sam Sparro $36.30 The Standard, Sydney wearethestandard.com.au Simple Minds + Devo $99 Sydney Entertainment Centre sydentcent.com.au Illy $30 Discovery Nightclub, Darwin illyal.com.au Yung Warriors $10 The Sandbar, Mildura oztix.com.au

Jennifer Lopez $100.45 The Adelaide Entertainment Cent theacec.com.au San Cisco Free Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane alhambralounge.com

MONDAY 10

Turbonegro $50 + bf The Hi-Fi, Melbourne hifi.com.au

Pink $100 The Forum, Melbourne forummelbourne.com.au

Russell Brand From $89.90 Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne ticketek.com.au

Lagwagon $40 The Corner Hotel, Melbourne cornerhotel.com

The Annual 2013 $28.80 Villa Nightclub, WA moshtix.com.au The Wolfe Brothers $26.90

SUNDAY 9 Boyz II Men $84.95 Trak Lounge, Melbourne trakloungebar.com

TUESDAY 11 Tame Impala $44 HQ Complex, Adelaide

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homebake.com.au

hqcomplex.com.au

laundrybar.tv

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney goodgodgoodgod.com

Alexisonfire $69 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney playbillvenues.com.au

Darren Hanlon Free Grand Poobah Hobart grandpoobah.com.au

James Johnston Free Coolangatta Hotel, Queensland jamesjohnston.com.au

WEDNESDAY 12

SATURDAY 15

SUNDAY 16

The Datsuns $25 The Zoo, Brisbane thezoo.com.au

Sweet Teeth Free Oxford Art Factory, Sydney oxfordartgallery.com.au

Husky Free The Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour hoeymoey.com.au

Hawthorne Heights $23.90 The Basement, ACT moshtix.com.au

Paul Kalkbrenner $55 + bf The Hi-Fi, Sydney hifi.com.au

Eddie Cole Free The Chandelier Room, Melb chandelierroom.com

Earthless $36.25 ANU Bar Canberra ticketek.com.au

Parkway Drive $45.70 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney playbillvenues.com.au

THURS 13 City Riots Free Beach Road Hotel, Bondi beachroadbondi.com.au

Jordie Lane $15 Notes in Newtown, Sydney jordielane.com Catcall $15

The Living End $42 + bf The Corner Hotel, Melb cornerhotel.com Sebastian Leger $25 Greenwood, Nth Sydney greenwood.com

The Pretty Things $55 Caravan Music Club, Melb tombowler.com.au

BOOK NOW!

Pigeon $10 Rocket Bar, Adelaide Sales on the door only! Cub Scouts $13.30 Goodgod Small Club, Syd goodgodgoodgod.com Snitch $12 X & Y Bar, Brisbane xandybar.com.au

FRIDAY 14 Home Brew $25 The Standard, Sydney wearethestandard.com.au Flight Facilities $30 Trinity Bar, Canberra trinitybar.com Shihad $25 The Esplanade Hotel, Melb espy.com.au Suicidal Tendencies $81.60 UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney moshtix.com.au Oz Locos $10 Laundry Bar, Melbourne

FESTIVAL OF THE SUN Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park. Dec 14-15. $160 + bf One of the most chilled events on the festival calendar, Kimbra, The Datsuns and Dead Letter Circus are amongst the line up. Port Macquarie, NSW

fotsun.com.au

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PUBLISTINGS

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SYDNEY PUBS Scruffy Murphy’s 43-49 Goulburn St, Sydney scruffymurphys.com.au

The Exchange Hotel 131 Edward St, Brisbane theexchange.com.au

GET CRABS!

Iceworks Cnr Given Tce & Dowse St, Paddington iceworks.com.au

Cock ‘n’ Bull Hotel 1/89 Ebley St, Bondi Junction cocknbull.com.au

SURFERS PUBS

Tea Garden’s 2-4 Bronte Rd, Bondi Junction teagardenshotel.com.au

Blush Nightclub 21 Orchid Avenue Surfers Paradise blushnightclub.com.au

Scary Canary 469 Kent St, Sydney scarycanarybar.com.au

Benowa Tavern 117 Ashmore Rd, Benowa surfersbeergarden.com

Side Bar 509 Pitt St, Sydney wakeup.com.au/side-bar Scubar 4/11-23 Rawson Place, Sydney scubar.com.au Bar Century Lvl 4 640, George St Sydney barcentury.com.au 3 Wise Monkeys 555 George St, Sydney 3wisemonkeys.com.au Candy’s Apartment 22 Bayswater Road, Potts Point candys.com.au World Bar 24 Bayswater Road, Potts Point theworldbar.com.au Greenwood Hotel 36 Blue St, North Sydney greenwoodhotel.com The Beresford 345 Bourke St, Surry Hills merivale.com.au/theberesfordhotel Oxford Art Factory 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst oxfordartfactory.com White Revolver Cnr Curlewis + Campbell Parade Bondi Beach whiterevolver.com Pontoon Cockle Bay Wharf 201, Darling Harbour pontoonbar.com Hotel Steyne 75 The Corso, Manly hotelsteyne.com.au New Brighton Hotel 71 The Corso, Manly newbrighton.com.au In Situ 34/18 Sydney Rd, Manly insitumanly.com.au Four Pines 29/43-45 East Esplanade, Manly 4pines.com.au Marlborough Hotel 145 King St, Newtown marlboroughhotel.com.au

SCUBAR CRAB RACING – MONDAY NIGHTS Monday nights from 7pm. Free entry, $7.50 beer jugs from 6pm – 10pm. Pick yourself a live crab, place your $2 bet and let the crabs go for gold. With loads of sweet prizes plus cheap drinks and pizza this is the place to be on a Monday night. 4/11-23 Rawson Place, Sydney

thevanguard.com.au Coogee Palace 169 Dolphin St, Coogee beachpalacehotel.com.au Beach Road Hotel 71 Beach Road, Bondi Beach beachroadbondi.com.au

18 Corrs Lane Melbourne eurotrashbar.com.au The Night Owl 35 Elizabeth Street Melbourne nightowl.com.au

ADELAIDE PUBS

The Bondi Hotel 178 Campbell Parade, Bondi hotelbondi.com.au

Red Square Bar and Lounge 111 Hindley St, Adelaide rsq.com.au

Kinsela’s 383 Bourke St, Darlinghurst kniselas.com.au

Electric Circus 17 Crippen Place, Adelaide electriccircus.com.au

Flinders Hotel 63 – 65 Flinders St, Surry Hills theflindershotel.com.au

Crown and Sceptre Hotel 308 King William Street, Adelaide sceptre.com.au

White Horse Hotel 381 Crown St, Surry Hills thewhitehorse.com.au

The Promethean 116 Grote St, Adelaide theprom.com

MELBOURNEPUBS Co Nightclub 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank coatcrown.com.au

Club 58 58 Hindley St, Adelaide club58.com.au

Shamiana 420 Lonsdale St, Melbourne shamiana.com.au Star Bar Hotel Melbourne 160 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne starbarhotel.com.au

Voodoo Lounge 174 James St, Northbridge voodoolounge.com.au

The Apartment Nightclub 401 Little Bourke Street Melbourne theapartment.com.au Eden Bar and Nightclub 163 Russell Street, Melbourne edenbar.com.au Turf Bar 131 Queen St Melbourne turfbar.com.au

CAIRNS PUBS P.J. O’brien’s 87 Lake St, Cairns pjobriens.com.au

740 Anne St, Fort Valley gpohotel.com.au Canvas Club 16b Logan St, Woolloongabba canvasclub.com.au The Fringe Bar Cnr Ann and Constance St fringebar.com.au Port Office Hotel 40 Edwards St, Brisbane portofficehotel.com.au

Fabric Cnr Shields and Esplanade St cairnsevents.com pubs Rattle N Hum 65-67 Esplanade rattlenhumbar.com Gilligan’s Backpacker Hostel 57-89 Grafton St gilligansbackpackerhostel.com.au

HOBART PUBS

Sky Room 2/234 Wickham St, Fort Valley skyroom.com.au

Syrup Nightclub 39 Salamanca Pl, Battery Point syrupclub.com.au

Bravo Bar Brunswick Central, 455 Brunswick St Fortitude Valley hotelbravo.com.au

Republic Bar 299 Elizabeth St, Hobart republicbar.com.au

Isobar 11 Franklin Wharf The Met Nightclub Hobart 256 Wickham St, Fortitude Valley isobar.com.au themet.com.au

PERTH PUBS The Subiaco Hotel 465 Hay Street, Subiaco subiacohotel.com.au

The Imperial 35 Erskineville Road, Erskineville Fluid Oz Bar theimperialhotel.com.au 450 Elizabeth Street Melbourne yelp.com.au The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Redfern Bar Humbug thenorfolk.co 586 Little Bourke St Melbourne The Vanguard 42 King St, Newtown

scubar.com.au

Shooters Superclub Shop 46 The Mark Orchid Avenue Surfers Paradise shooterssuperclub.com

GET LUCKY

The Shed 69-71 Aberdeen St Northbridge, the-shed.com.au Mint Nightclub Cnr Lake and James St, Northbridge mintnightclub.com Leederville Hotel 742 Newcastle St, Leederville East Perth leedervillehotel.com.au

BRISBANE PUBS

barhumbug.com.au

Hotel LA 68 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane hotella.com.au

Eurotrash Bar

GPO Hotel

LUCKY COQ’S SUNDAY SESSIONS Free BBQ and live bands from 4pm cheap drinks. Free entry Just in time for summer’s return the Lucky Coq’s famous Sunday Sessions return with cheap drinks, free sausages and live music.

Cnr of Chapel and High St, Melb

luckycoq.com.au

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Colour me rad Become a human canvas and run around for charity because the happiest 5km race on the planet, The Color Run, has arrived in Oz WORDS ALEX HARMON

Photos: The Swisse Color Run

If you listen to Karl "The Idiot Abroad" Pilkington, the Holi Festival in India “is paintball, basically. Without the safety.” However, we all know Ricky Gervais' punching bag in cargo shorts is a whinging Pom. In Hindu mythology, the Indian festival of colour, or Holi, as it’s known, is a positive day of celebration, symbolising the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is this philosophy that the organisers of the Swisse Color Run took on board when they decided to transport the most vibrant 5km race on the planet to Australia this year. “The Hindu Holi festival, with its tradition of throwing colour to welcome spring was absolutely an inspiration for the founders of The Color Run,” explains Luke Hannan, national manager of Australia’s very first Color Run. “Along with a range of other events encouraging happiness, positivity and celebrating life.” The Color Run (which began in the US, hence the spelling of colour) arrived in Australia last month, with the first race in Melbourne a huge success. The event only really has two requirements: wear white clothing. And, secondly, be completely plastered in colour at the finish line of the race. As the website says, runners will “look like they fell into a Willy Wonka tie dye vat of colored goodness. We are the creators of an all new paint race phenomena!” This concept began in the US in January and has ran through 60 cities across the country. At the start of the race (which isn’t at all about racing – or winning), each runner must wear white, and as they pass each kilometre, they are sprayed by people armed with mustard bottles of colour. “The phenomenon started in the US when event founder and keen triathlete and runner Travis Snyder launched The Color Run,” explains Hannan. “It’s a day out with fun, health and happiness at its core, providing a chance for serious runners to share their passion with family and friends. It really is the happiest 5km on the planet!” And while Mr Pilkington might have you worried about safety, the organisers of the race have ensured the colour blasting is completely safe. The blue, yellow, orange and pink

“

You'll look like you fell into a Willy Wonka, tie dyed vat of coloured goodness

”

Revenge of the volunteers

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The Melbourne Color Run was a roaring success

‘paint’ is actually coloured powder –100 per cent natural, safe food grade corn starch. The Melbourne event last month event sold out within weeks of being announced with a 12,000-strong crowd of runners, all dressed in white running gear who completed the 5km course around Flemington Racecourse. Over 3,000kg of powder was doused over runners. The inaugural event was actually the first time a Color Run has been held out of the US and raised money for the Celebrate Life Foundation for the Australian Paralympic Committee. And, if you’re less about racing and more about colourful revelry, the event has a Finish Festival for all race-goers

with music, activities and a mass group throws of colour powder. The run is sponsored by Swisse who are known for their vibrant celebration of a fit and healthy life. As they put it, "Swisse celebrates life every day, the Australian-first event is the perfect fit." Sydney gets its chance to paint the town on February 10th, followed by Perth on February 17th. Because the Sydney event sold out almost immediately, there are plans for another mass colour fest on August 25th at Centennial Park. And, while unconfirmed at the time of print, rumour has it that event organisers are extending registrations for the sold-out Sydney event due to the over-whelming love for the event and ongoing requests to extend the field. If you’re not keen on running, or even walking, but are enthusiastic about throwing corn starch on strangers, the Color Run is looking for volunteers. As Hannan says “anything from people distributing participant kits, throw, squirt and launch colour at the runners.” Simply email aus.volunteer@thecolorrun.com to find out about all of the colourful opportunities. ❚

The Color Run bursts into Sydney on February 10, 2013. Registrations for Perth (Feb 17) are now open. Events to be held in the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Newcastle and Brisbane with dates/details TBC. Stay tuned to The Swisse Color Run Australia's Facebook page for details. See: facebook.com/ TheColorRunAustralia

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CROCFEST FREE PASS TO CROCOSAURUS COVE Book a 2 or 3 day Kakadu ‘Explorer’ style tour with Adventure Tours Australia this December and receive a Christmas gift - a free ‘Crocosaurus Cove’ pass!

The wet season in the Top End is a wonderful time to visit World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park. The crowds have gone, the weather remains a balmy 30 degrees, the waterfalls are flowing, reptiles active, the birdlife astounding... the whole ecosystem is pumping. Better still, when you book a NTK2 or NTK3 tour with Adventure Tours you’ll get a free pass to ‘Crocosaurus Cove’. So if you don’t mind a bit of rain in a warm climate and fancy getting up close and personal with some crocs – this offer is just for you!

Adventure Tours

1300 1 300654 654 604 adventuretours.com.au

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Terms and conditions: Offer valid for the 2 Day 4WD Kakadu Explorer (NTK2) and 3 Day 4WD Kakadu/Litchfield Explorer (NTK3) only. Please request: ‘Crocfest special’ at the time of booking. Bookings are made during the month of December to travel any time before APR1 2013. Not available in conjunction with any other discount or offer, including last minute specials. All terms and conditions as per ATA brochure/website apply. To collect your Crocosaurus Cove pass please present your booking/voucher at the Adventure Tours Shop, 52 Mitchell St, Darwin.

WIN

ARE YOU SPOTTED IN THE CIRCLE?

Email us at tom@ tntdownunder.com with ‘Spotted’ in the subject line, email must include a photo of yourself! Boom - You’ve won yourself a $50 bar tab at Scary Canary. Like us on facebook/ tntdownunder for more party pics from the night!

SCARY CANARY Friday 23 November

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USIC, NAL M L NAT IO E FEST IVA -28 R E T 4 DAY IN LIFESTYL NUARY 25 D JA N A RIA -ARTS VICTO FORT, BEAU

MASSIVE ELECTRONIC LINEUP:

INTERNATIONAL y GUY J y HARDFLOOR y TIM HEALEY y PETER VAN HOESEN y NATHAN FAKE y CHRISTIAN SMITH y AUDIOJACK y LISH y PROMETHEUS y OLIVER KOLETZKI y FM RADIO GODS y ECLIPTIC y THE COMMERCIAL HIPPIES y YOTOPIA y ANTIX / FIORD y DEEDRAH y EELKE KLEIJN y AES DANA y TRIPSWITCH y YOUNGER BROTHER DJ y MATTHEW DEKAY y TRANSWAVE y SHIFT y HALTYA y yy FILASTINE FI (with NOVA) y HYPNOTECH y NEUROPLASM ABSOLUM y SONIC SPECIES y LUNAR SOUND yy CHRISTOF C CH y CABALLERO y RULS & NAVARRO y LOVE AND LIGHT y Q y QUANTA y KALDEN BESS y AKASHA y DAYAN & JOHN y D-SENS y STEREO TALK y DOMESTIC y OPIUO y MR BILL y D Dy TERRAFRACTYL y SPOONBILL y OZZY y SENSEINT y BBLA LA ATWA AT WAX WA X y JPS (THE OPERATIVES) y SIMON SLEIKER y STEVE WARD y BLATWAX y JPS y THE TH HE MOLLUSK y GRIFF y HANS DC y KALYA SCINTILLA y HYPNAGOG y INTERPULSE y THANKYOU CITY y MOTE y ANDREW TILL y & MORE

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y TZU y OSAKA MONOAURAL y NAHKO & MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE y CELLOJOE y OKA y DIAFRIX y TALL WILL’S ELECTRO SWING SHOW y JUDGE PINO & THE RULING MOTIONS y GANG OF BROTHERS y RIVERTRIBE y SCHOOL OF DUB y SPYNDRIFT y VOICE OF TREES y COMBAT WOMBATy 8 FOOT FELIX y KINGFISHA y REFLEJOS y CHANT DOWN SOUND y TEK TEK ENSEMBLE y & MORE

TICKETS ON SALE NOW www.rainbowserpent.net

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CHATROOM

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Mick Foley The man you may know as Cactus Jack or Dude Love from the world of WWE is now a fully fledged comedian. He talks the new show, annoying hecklers, and his cameo on 30 Rock INTERVIEW ALEX HARMON

being overly enthusiastic can really hurt a show. “Comedy is not likely to put you in the emergency room”

Which comedians do you look up to, besides Brendon of course? Well, I met so many great people in Montreal and at the Edinburgh Fringe, I was hanging out with the Canadian Lumberjacks (Craig Campbell, Glenn Wool and Stewart Francis) and I learnt so much from their shows. I love guys who get out there and attempt to live out their dreams, even though the odds are against them. Get some fashion advice off the Lumberjacks? You know what, they don’t actually dress like lumberjacks.

How did you make the transition from wrestling into comedy? I think the transition was originally made when I wrote my first book in 1999, people thought it was quite humourous. The key for me is to try and find those stories that make people laugh out loud, and then tell them in a way that works on stage. I’ve leaned there is difference between being funny on the page and being funny on stage. I also try to add in some observances on the world around me and just some bizarre thoughts. Have any bizarre thoughts on Australia that you’ll be throwing in? I do, but my nine year old is in the back seat of the car so I’m not at liberty to tell you! Damn. Ok, tell me about this new show you’re doing with Brendon Burns. Well Brendon is a native Aussie from Perth who is a very respected name in comedy, he went on the win the Edinburgh Award a few years ago. And he kind of took me under his wing and thought we would do well together. How does he compliment in comedy? Well he has been in the business for 22 years

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and he’s so good that it forces me to be as good as I can be. As soon as I heard his set I realised that I was going to have to get much better in a hurry or get blown off stage. He’s very helpful but it’s not like he’s going to sacrifice his own set to make me look good by comparison. What’s more nerve wrecking: comedy or wrestling? I think nerves are healthy if you’re outside your comfort zone, but for the last few years wrestling has been nerve wrecking because I am getting older. I’m not as good as I used to be. As much as I appreciate and respect what the comics do on stage, baring their souls, and sharing with audiences, unless the set goes really bad, comedy is not likely to put you in the emergency room. Comedy is like the preparation for wresting, without the threat of physical injury. Do you have any run-ins with hecklers or are they too scared? You know, I don’t get as many hecklers as I get over enthusiastic, overly intoxicated fans from time to time. They’ll be shouting random names out, or occasionally I’ll get someone who knows the conclusion of a story. Sure, they impress me with their knowledge but they need to know that

Oh that’s a shame, I thought you’d all be up there in flannelette shirts. Oh I know, I love the flannel. People are disappointed if I don’t have the flannel on. How did your cameo on 30 Rock come about? It came up because Judah Friedlander [who plays Frank Rossitano] is a wrestling fan. He heard that the character played by Jane Krakowski [Jenna Maroney] would be hanging with a bizarre cast of characters, one of which who was going to be a wrestler, so he suggested me. He was like “don’t take this personally but you’d be perfect.” The story was that her feelings were hurt by these characters who were more concerned with themselves than they were with her. Still do much with the WWE? Yeah, I am an ambassador and I just got back from Saudi Arabia where I was promoting their video game. On my way back from Australia I’ll be in Singapore doing my first ever show for American service members. At an undisclosed location. I am pretty busy. So busy that I have to do my interviews in the car, illegally, while driving my son to the video store. Catch Mick Foley and Brendon Burns in Adelaide (Feb 4), Brisbane (Feb 6), Sydney (Feb 9) and Melbourne (Feb 11) livenation.com.au

FILMREVIEW

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TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE FILM review by Alasdair Morton STARRING: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake | M | 111min

SIGHTSEERS FILM preview Ali Lowe, Steve Oram | M | 88mins

Brit filmmaker Ben Wheatley’s Kill List was one of the most scary-as-fuck movies of recent years. His follow-up here adds humour into its none-as-dark black-comedy about a pair of serial killers. It won rave reviews when it screened for the gorehounds at this year’s Cannes, and marks Wheatley out as a true British talent to watch and enjoy. In cinemas December 26 18

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Eastwood’s new film sees the grizzled Hollywood veteran stepping back in front of the camera and allowing someone else to call the shots for this sporting analogy father-daughter drama. The legend’s long-time second unit/assistant director, Robert Lorenz, who’s worked on the likes of Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River, makes his feature debut, so too scriptwriter Randy Brown. But the duo steer things down as cliched a path as you’ll find. All the film is missing is a home-run, final credits freeze-frame. Eastwood is Gus, a grumpy old talent scout whose eyes are failing him and is about to be usurped by younger, IT-literate up-and-comers. So, his almost-estranged daughter joins him on the road for one last mission, and the two bond over their lack of relationship over the preceding years. Dirty Harry can play these roles in his sleep and as good as he is at the gruff old dog routine – and entertaining it is to see him embrace age on screen – it’s a routine we’ve seen countless times before. Adams, though, as the daughter he spurned who has sought career success elsewhere outside of baseball, is spiky and engaging, and her blossoming relationship with Timberlake’s upstart scout injects some life into the slow pace, which takes a long time to not get very far at all. There are warm moments, but its overreliance on cliché gives it little to swing for. GOOD FOR: Those who are satisfied by unambitious Hollywood fare

TRAVELFEATURE

Apocalypse now

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Chichen, Itza, Yucatan

The best five Mayan pyramids for experiencing the end of the world this December WORDS ANDREW WESTRBOOK Imagine the party if New Year’s Eve only came around once every 5,000 years. Now consider how wild it would be if many of the revellers also believed the event marked the end of the world. Well, that’s exactly what’s about to happen across the Mayan region of Central America, on December 21 this year. Whether or not we’re still here come December 22, expect parades, parties and giant clocks in the towns of south-eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador throughout the month. However, it will be the pyramids, not the towns, where the real action takes place. The sight of shamans offering up animal sacrifices to the skies, bloodied jade daggers in their hands, might seem like a scene out of Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, but that is what you’ll find at Mayan temples next month, as the guardians of the old traditions congregate around their ancestral buildings. The Mayan people, you see, are big on numbers. They created a hugely complex calendar system, made up of different sized cycles, in which the universe and mankind move as one. The shortest cycle is 13 days, while the longest is 5,125 years. The current long cycle began way back in 3,113 BC. It ends this December. Unsurprisingly, Doomsday theorists have latched onto the date, pointing to 1,300-year-old inscriptions that name this year as “the end”.

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And indeed, across Central America, governments are not only preparing for an Apocalypse tourism boom, but are suddenly enjoying a windfall of returned archaeological artefacts, as black market traders from decades past choose to play it safe with the gods. However as Luis Oliveros, a Guatemalan expert on the region, explains, the Maya themselves see it differently. It is a new beginning, not a final ending. “Most see it as a good chance to change your life and the world, to stop smoking or drinking. Others that it is a great time to stand on top of the temples and see the light pass, to clean your heart, your blood and your body, to talk to your ancestors and the gods. “But it depends on what kind of water you drink,” adds Luis with a wink. “Some people will do whatever they want, because manana, there is no manana!” Whether tomorrow will come or not, here are five of the best Mayan sites to be at for the moment of truth.

Tikal, Peten Region, Guatemala Hidden deep in the northern Guatemala jungle, the tips of its pyramids rising above the forest canopy, it’s hard to imagine a better setting for an Indiana Jones movie than Tikal. George Lucas beat his buddy Spielberg to it, however, and used the World Heritage-listed city as a location for the original Star Wars (when it doubled for the fourth moon

of Yavin, in case you were wondering). It remains arguably the most exciting of the Mayan sites to visit. Howler and spider monkeys abound, while in every direction lies hints of what is yet to be discovered, as only a tiny fraction of the thousands of buildings have so far been excavated. Dominating the site are the six main pyramids, including the tallest of all surviving pre-Columbian structures in the Americas – the 8th century Temple 4, standing 70m tall.

Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico One of the last Mayan cities to be built, even surviving 70 years after the Spanish turned up, Tulum is the place to welcome the Apocalypse from the comfort of some of the planet’s finest beaches. The ruins themselves might be underwhelming, but Tulum is all about the location. Originally known as the City of Dawn, Tulum looks out over the sapphire blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, just a few hours south of the red-eyed party towns Cancun

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Tulum, Quintana Roo

Tikal, Peten Region

dedication to their calendar, while the sports arena is the best preserved of its kind. Still clearly visible are the murals depicting the games of extreme violence that took place, as well as the even more violent postgame celebrations, which included the sacrifice of the winning captain (and sometimes his entire team).

Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico Star Wars style, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen. That proximity to the tourist hubs has supposedly made Tulum the most visited of Mexico’s Mayan sites, but the sleepy nature of this sun-baked beach community means you’d never know.

Photos: Getty, Andrew Westbrook

Coba, Quintana Roo, Mexico To really escape the crowds, head deep into the jungle on the road between Tulum and Chichen Itza. That’s where you’ll find what’s left of Coba, an expansive city surrounded by croc-filled lakes that began life around 1,500 years ago. It’s now the one Mayan site that you can explore on bike, making it far easier (and less energy-sapping) to discover the thousands of structures, including Mexico’s tallest Mayan pyramid, than is normally the case. Plus, not only

does Coba not suffer the clamour of tour buses found at the more famous ruins, but it’s also one of the few remaining Mexican sites where you can climb to the top of the main pyramid for spectacular views over the encroaching wilderness.

Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico One of the most important Mayan cities for over 1,000 years, Chichen Itza is nowadays the pin-up star of Mayan civilisation and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World to boot. And it doesn’t disappoint, offering the undisputed masterpieces of Mesoamerican architecture as well as a grisly insight into some of the more brutal aspects of the culture. The 30m-high main pyramid is the supreme example of the Maya’s

Surrounded by dense, sweaty jungle, Palenque is like a smaller, but no less impressive, Tikal, another once great city reclaimed by the forest after overpopulation, war and a lack of resources forced its people to get out of Dodge. Another World Heritagelisted site, Palenque is home to some of the finest Mayan art and decorated sculptures to be found, while its artificial terracing system is further proof of the staggering building prowess of the Mayas, who built their cities without using metals, animals or the wheel. The compact central area offers several opportunities for clambering to the top of temples for a toucan’s-eye view over the site, with the occasional glimmering of white stone suggesting once again that 70 years of digging scientists hasn’t even scratched the surface of what the jungle has been hiding for the past 1,000 years.

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WORLDVIEW

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Middle Earth: Cate Blanchett, who plays Galadriel, emerges from a Hobbit house at the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington

Nice pad: Harris’s home

OLD LADY LEAVES $12M ESTATE TO NEIGHBOUR AUSTRALIA

Being a nice person sometimes does pay off. An elderly lady left her entire estate – worth $12m – to her neighbour who brought her bread and milk, snubbing her family. Betty Harris’s relatives fought the decision, but last week Australia’s Supreme Court upheld the old woman’s will. Harris, who died aged 95 in 2009, chose to bequeath her worldly possessions to Beatrice Gray, who used to help her out with chores at her Sydney home. Niece Coralie Hart said Harris was deluded when writing the will. But the judge rejected this, hearing Harris hadn’t spoken to nieces and nephews in 13 years.

EDITOR ‘DELETED DICTIONARY WORDS’ NEW ZEALAND

An editor is being accused of deliberately deleting words from the Oxford English Dictionary. Wanganui-born Robert Burchfield, who died in 2004, secretly removed thousands of entries for years because he didn’t approve of their foreign origins. He would blame previous editors when people realised words had gone missing, reports stuff.co.nz. The deception was uncovered by Sarah Ogilvie, a linguist, lexicographer and former editor on the OED, who reveals them in a new book, Words Of The World. Examples of Dr Burchfield’s deleted words include balisaur, an Indian badgerlike animal; the American English wake-up,

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a golden-winged woodpecker; boviander, the name in British Guyana for a person of mixed race living on the river banks and danchi, a Bengali shrub. “This is really shocking. If a word gets into the OED, it never leaves. If it becomes obsolete, we put a dagger beside it, it never leaves,” Ogilvie said. “He said he opened up the dictionary, and put in swearwords for the first time. The claim is true. In that sense he was the first to bring the dictionary into the 21st century.”

POLICE IN A FLAP AFTER EMU ESCAPES UNITED KINGDOM

An escaped emu has been detained

by police after it was spotted walking through a busy town centre during rush-hour. Devon and Cornwall Police were called to Barnstaple in north Devon after the 1.3m bird was spotted by locals. Acting Sergeant Zoe Parnell and PCSO Stephen Huxtable found the emu and managed to catch it. A police spokesman said: “Although the bird was in a state of panic, they managed to coax it into the rear of the police car and call the owner.”

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THIS WEEK

IN NUMBERS

-20

Temperature, in celcius, expected to hit the UK this winter. Meanwhile Sydney is set to soar with rolling heatwaves.

Height, in inches, Jenny Wood, from the UK, stretched herself from 5ft 2in doing A-Grow-Bics at Gymbox. Just weird

‘Whoa! What do you mean I’m doing it wrong?’

683

SEX ADVICE? THAT’LL BE $250 A HOUR UNITED STATES

Couples are paying sex advisers up to $250 per hour to watch them copulate in order to give them advice. The New York fad has really taken off, according to a sex tutor who says he has around 200 clients that he watches while they’re making love. Therapist Eric Amaranth has also observed semi-famous couples ‘doing-it’ in front of him, sometimes offering them toys and tips during and after the deed. Amaranth has coached troubled couples, as well as single people who are interested in pleasing themselves. ‘Students’ can choose between virtual sessions via Skype, for $170 an hour, or coaching in the flesh – where he’ll come to a designated hotel room and watch.

VAMPIRE WARNING AFTER MILL COLLAPSE

Photos: AAP; Thinkstock; Getty

SERBIA

A warning has been issued in Serbia warning residents to beware vampires and to prepare with garlic and crosses. The authorities’ concern comes after a mill – home to the nation’s most wellknown vampire – collapsed. Fables claim Sava Savanovic lived on the Rogacica river in Zarozje village, where the building was. Mayor Miodrag Vujetic said: “People are worried, everybody knows the legend of this vampire and the thought

Amount, in pounds, Brits are expected to spend on Christmas presents this year – compared to the Aussies’ $998 each

Number of fans who lined the streets to see Cate Blanchett for the world premiere of The Hobbit in Wellington, NZ

And you thought they weren’t real...

that he is now homeless and looking for somewhere else and possibly other victims is terrifying people. We are all frightened.”

100% PURE? TAKE IT WITH A PINCH OF SALT NEW ZEALAND

Tourism New Zealand’s “100% Pure” marketing campaign is not to be taken literally, the prime minister has said. The slogan came under fire when international media said it misrepresented the country, but John Key has stood by it. “Overall, 100% Pure is a marketing campaign. It’s like ... McDonald’s ‘I’m Lovin’ It!’ – I’m not sure every time someone’s eating McDonald’s they’re lovin’ it. “It’s the same thing with 100% Pure, it’s got to be taken with a pinch of salt.” He also urged Kiwis not to run the country down with research which “might not be factually correct”.

100,000

QUOTE OF THE WEEK Please stop watching and filling your head with filth. I don’t want to be on it Two And A Half Men actor Angus T Jones tell us what he really thinks of the show in a now-viral religious video. Wonder if he thought the $300,000 an episode he was pocketing was filth?

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SPORTSNEWS

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World-leading All Black McCaw

RICHIE TOP OF THE WORLD … AGAIN? RUGBY UNION

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw could today be named IRB Player of the Year for the fourth time. He is on a four-man shortlist from which an independent panel of past players will pick a winner. His teammate Dan Carter – the winner of the award in 2005 – also made the list ahead of surprise inclusion, England’s understudy fly-half Owen Farrell, and France’s Frederic Michalak. McCaw’s the only player to have won the award more than once – in 2006, 2009 and 2010 – in its 11-year history. The IRB Coach of the Year will also be named and it’ll be a massive upset if the All Blacks aren’t named IRB Team of the Year

WE NEED PLAYERS LIKE QUADE: GATLAND RUGBY/BOXING

The Wallabies loss will be the British Lions’ gain if Quade Cooper ends up out of rugby union for good, says coach Warren Gatland ahead of his composite side’s 2013 tour Down Under. “People love to hate him in a certain way, but I think as a rugby player he’s absolute quality,” Gatland said. The QLD Reds and the ARU are still keen to have Cooper on board, but contractual issues have left them at an impasse. Cooper’s only plans for 2013 at this stage are to fight an as yet unnamed opponent on the undercard of best mate Sonny Bill Williams’ boxing bout against South African Francois Botha in February. Gatland, while happy his Lions may not face the prodigious number 10, says to lose such a talent from rugby would be a shame. “He is the kind of brilliant player that

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AFL rookie Joe Daniher is living the dream, following in his dad Anthony’s footsteps after being signed with the Essendon Bombers under the father-son recruitment rule. High-flying antics such as this at the club’s pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast is what his club can expect of the 18-year-old, who is 201cm and tipped to be a star. the game needs,” the Wales coach said. “It needs someone who does things a little bit different, almost like Campese.”

HATTON IS ‘HAPPY’ AND MOVING ON BOXING

Ricky Hatton was battered following his defeat to Vyacheslav Senchenko, and retired after the fight, but has proclaimed himself a “happy man”. Having been to rock bottom and back ahead of the fight, Hatton says he’ll now focus on the careers of other fighters as a trainer and promoter. “I’ve no complaints,” he said. “It’s been three and a half years and you all know the story. I needed to put a few demons to rest and I said before the fight I felt I’d already won and that hasn’t changed.” Wish him the best of luck.

BIG WEEK FOR ... Former Socceroos coach Frank Farina has a tough job going from coaching Papua New Guinea to dragging Sydney FC from the bottom of the A-League. Despite being sacked by the Brisbane Roar in 2009 for being caught drink driving on his way to training, his CV isn’t in dispute. He takes over a side with Alessandro Del Piero, an asset on and off the field, and room in the playing roster to bring in new blood. He need not be punished for his past – could his be the comeback of year?

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QUOTES OF THE WEEK I tapped my inner superhero. I’m usually a ninja, but my spidey sense told me he was going to fall, so I saved his life. He owes me his first-born or something – or a sandwich New York Giants tight end Martellus Bennett who caught an NFL fan who fell from the grandstand last week

Pat Cash has still got it (the headband)

PREVIEW Legends put on a show STATOIL TENNIS MASTERS These legends tournaments can be hit and miss – the ageing legs have limited steam and the power is long gone, but the one thing age does bring is character and entertainment value. That’ll be on show when rivalries such as John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl in the Legends draw and Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic in the more ‘youthful’ Champions draw are reignited this week. The competitions, which also include doubles, start on Wednesday at Royal Albert Hall, and sessions will be broadcast

live on ITV4 from Friday to Sunday, starting with three-time Wimbledon champ McEnroe and Andy Murray’s coach Lendl. Naturally, there’s an element of the travelling circus about these exhibition tournaments and the laughs comes as thick and fast as the trick shots and winners. Also in the Legends singles draw is Aussie Pat Cash, who won Wimbledon in 1987, and Swede Mats Wilander, a seventime Grand Slam champion, who both look like they could still be playing at 47 and 48 December 7-9

THE CHAT | Pros split on long-putter ban

Photos: Getty Images

Confessed drug cheat Tyler Hamilton calls on former teammate Lance Armstrong to tell the truth for the good of cycling

In my defence, it is very difficult to do a press conference in Scouse for a room full of French journalists Idiocy magnet Joey Barton on why he did his best Allo Allo impression post-game

TV HIGHLIGHTS FOOTBALL

What’s going on with the long putter golfers Q such as Adam Scott use? Will it be banned? It’s not the long putter that will be outlawed, but the A technique that some of the world’s top players (including American Webb Simpson and Saffa Ernie Els) use to gain an advantage from it. The US Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Club announced last week that from 2016, putters that are anchored to a part of the body that isn’t the hands – such as the chin or chest (like Scott, right) – during the stroke will be outlawed. World number one Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were part of a chorus supporting the ban. The Irishman tweeted: “Better image for the game … skill and nerves are all part of the game.” Phil Mickelson said it was “grossly unfair”

The peloton today are suffering for our past and that’s not fair

Man City v Man United The battle of Manchester in the EPL Mon 2:00am, Fox Sports

CRICKET England v India The third Test begins in Calcutta Thurs, 3:00pm, Fox Sports

CRICKET Australia v Sth Africa Danny Care

Days three and four of the third test Mon & Tues, 2.25pm,Channel 9

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OURVIEW COMMENT: JAMES BESANVALLE Email: intern@tntdownunder.com

Let there be a summer of barman without creepy facial hair

Some men seem to have stumbled over designer stubble We are splitting hairs – is Movember for charity or for fashion?

» Did you grow a mo for charity or for fashion? Let us know! intern@tntdownunder.com

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The child star of the hit sitcom, Two and a Half Men, Angus T Jones, has called the show “filth” and urges people not to watch it. Jones has been influenced by controversial Seventh-Day Adventist, Christopher Hudson, who appeared in a video testimonial with Jones to discuss the damaging effects of television. “I’m on Two and a Half Men. I don’t want to be on it. Please stop watching it,” Jones said. He has since apologised for his outburst against the show, but still believes

your head “withStopfilth,filling please ” the show promotes the word of Satan. Hudson creates a YouTube series called ForeRunner Chronicles in which he labels Jay Z as a devil-worshipper, likens President Obama to Hitler and believes Michael Jackson’s death was part of a Vatican conspiracy. There’s something wrong when his behaviour makes Charlie Sheen seem like the normal one.

Photos: Getty Images

Movember has drawn to a close, as girlfriends and wives breathe a collective sigh of relief. It was time of the year when men grew (or tried to grow) a moustache so as to raise money for men’s health, and more specifically, prostate cancer. But it seems some people have lost sight of this aim. You probably knew someone who participated in Movember, and kudos to them for willingly looking like a seedy Mexican or a cheesy Seventies porn star, but did they go the whole nine yards and raise the money too? Or was the growth just a fashion statement? If you ask them about the research, can they tell you the facts and figures of mental health? Prostate cancer is the highest fatal cancer for men in Australia and more research is needed to try to find a substantial preventative treatment and/or cure. Movember is all about generating awareness and funds for the production of this research. According to the Movember website, 70 per cent of participants in Movember “talked about men’s health issues,” which means 30 per cent did not. Sporting a magnificent mo is more than just a fashion statement, you’re flying a flag for men’s health – and it’s your job to stay informed and let people know what it’s all about. There are countless prizes for people who entered at movember.com, such as prizes for people who raised over $50, $100 and $1,000, the best photo of you and someone famous, or the best ‘Mo Team’. There were also countless galas and parties. On a more bizarre note, a UK woman with a facial hair condition decided to grow her moustache for Movember. She raised more than £700 pounds for prostate cancer research – with thousands more after her story went viral – she is a truly a remarkable supporter of men’s health issues. So if you’re a guy, grow your mo and get informed. And if you’re a girl, you don’t have to go as far as growing a mo, but donate some money and help a brother out.

ANGUS IS NO CHIP OFF THE BLOCK

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TRAVEL HOTSHOTS | TRAVEL NEWS | TRAVEL DEALS | TRAVEL STORIES | IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Photos: Thinkstock, Getty

THE RED SEA A swimmer swims in the safety of the pool as a red algae bloom discolours the water at Sydney’s Clovelly Beach

INSIDE

SYDNEY ACTION /34

PORT YOUR SHIP /40

LITTLE LEGENDS /48

Hey big spenders! We explore all the exciting options that Sydney has to offer when you don’t care about your budget.

We roadtrip up to the mid north coast of New South Wales where fishing, surfing and sun-soaked days await.

With New Zealand’s most anticipated film of the year about to hit screens, we take a look at the Hobbit locations. TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

HOTSHOTS

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WINNER

WEEKLY WINNER OLDEST BRIDGE: Marcus Bauer, 27, Germany MARCUS SAYS: “This is the oldest bridge in Australia, located in Tasmania. I like the way the sky and water are divided by the bridge.” WE SAY: “We here at TNT Australia have discovered throughout our Tasmanian month just how beautiful the little Island state truly is. And here again, is yet more photographic evidence of that. This photo looks like something out of a fantasy film, with the beautiful river reflecting the clear blue sky and the beautiful stone of the bridge juxtaposing itself with the greenery of the lush grass. What a beautiful part of the world.”

HOT TIPS: Motion Depicting movement in still photography is, unsprisingly, a difficult skill to master. Yet it is possible, and, more than that, once mastered it adds another dimension to your photography. A well-staged shot of motion draws the viewer into the photo, as their eyes follow the perceived movement. Leaving the shutter open for longer allows more light in through the lens to capture the flow of a river or the trail of a brake light, Capturing movement at night with lights is also another great skill to have but we’ll leave that tip for another day and another issue.

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WIN

THE MONTHLY WINNER GETS THREE DAYS CAMPERVAN HIRE FROM MIGHTY CAMPERS

Send high-res (300 dpi) jpegs with name, age, nationality and a description to: hugh@tntdownunder.com. Photos are judged by the TNT team at their own discretion. Photos will also be placed on TNT’s Facebook page. For terms and conditions, see tntdownunder.com. Weekly winner Marcus wins a free night’s stay at the award-winning Sydney Central YHA (yha.com.au). The monthly winner gets three days’ campervan hire from Mighty Campers Australia (mightycampers.com.au)

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DISH THE DIRT As if airline food wasn’t already unappetising enough, it has emerged those congealed brownish meals that pass for spag bol or curry are frequently prepared around mice and cockroaches. This gruesome news was revealed by US TV news show 20/20, which got hold of the results of US Food And Drug Administration reports on airlines and their caterers. LSG Sky Chefs, whose kitchens were found infested with cockroaches, said it “immediately addressed” the issue. Just as repulsively, mice were found on a Delta Airlines plane, which the company said was an isolated incident. Once is more than enough for us though. Pass that sick bag.

Photos: Thinkstock

PASSENGER POWER A German passenger has been hailed a hero after dramatically taking over the controls of a plane and making an emergency landing at Dublin airport last week. The first officer of the Lufthansa Boeing 747 fell seriously ill while flying over the Atlantic and was no longer able to control the plane. The cabin crew announced the flight was being diverted, and the passenger, who luckily was a qualified pilot, stepped up to the plate. He brought the plane down safely in Ireland. A Lufthansa spokeswoman said the man was fully licensed to operate and fly the 747.

Snack attack: cockroaches can be found in airline food

SSHH-O-METERS Think being shushed all the time in corridors and being given lollipops for good behaviour should have ended when you left primary school? Not if you spend the night in a Premier Inn hotel. The budget hotel chain is introducing ‘sshh-o-meters’ in its corridors that will flash a warning to guests who make too much noise. Annoying, much? The chain offer refunds to customers who say they don’t get a good night’s sleep and are also trying to cut down on noise at night by offering sweets to rowdy guests to keep them quiet when they come into reception after a night out.

LOVE CRAPPY ROOMS? Amsterdam’s Hans Brinker Budget Hotel has a rather odd approach to enticing customers. Its website (hans-brinker.com) advertises “a basement bar with limited light and no fresh air” with “slightly watered down beer”. There are also “amusing witticisms and speculations about former guests’ sexual preferences scrawled on most surfaces”. Weirder still, its unique marketing strategy is working brilliantly. The hotel’s business is booming among backpackers who appreciate the honesty, and think for £21pn, they’re prepared to turn a blind eye to the flaws.

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PICKLED FROG OFFER DETAILS The Pickled Frog Backpacker Hostel in Hobart is one of the best Backpackers Tasmania has to offer. Our Tasmanian owned hostel offers cheap, clean and comfortable accommodation in the centre of Hobart, perfect for the budget traveller. Book any room with us and we will take you on a free tour of Mount Wellington, valued at $30. Subject to weather conditions! DATES Every Monday and Thursday throughout summer WEB www.thepickledfrog.com

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DETAILS 3 day Southern Ocean Wildlife Adventure. Picture yourself swimming with blue ﬁn tuna, as they dart around in a feeding frenzy at 80 kmph. Enjoy the tranquillity of swimming with Australian sea lions and dolphins. Let them welcome you to their playground! Get up close and personal on a cage dive with great white sharks. To experience this great tour, a 50% discount is available by emailinginfo@thetraveller.net. au and quoting “SA/TNT – Get me there promotion”

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www.kiwiexperience.com Terms and conditions: Discounted rates apply to standard brochured rates on the Sheepdog pass only. Bookings must be made between 2 Nov-29 Nov 2012. Standard 12 month travel validity applies. Offer not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Kiwi Experience reserves the right to withdraw this offer at anytime and without notice. Prices are in Australian dollars. Standard Kiwi Experience travel and booking terms and conditions apply. KX1050-10/12-AUDTNT

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Go on, treat yourself Sydney has no shortage of freebie delights, but it’s also worldclass when it comes to doing that something a little bit special Sydney, compared to say Melbourne, has a reputation for enjoying the finer things in life. It’s flash, it’s fast and it thoroughly loves taking your cash. The saying goes that while you might choose Melbourne for your wife, it would be Sydney that would make a good mistress. And with the NSW capital being undeniably pretty and keen for a good time, with no questions asked, 34

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it’s easy to joke at the metaphor. However, spend even the smallest amount of time in the Harbour City and the comparison struggles to ring true. Its staggeringly beautiful, and endless, waterfront, as well as surrounding national parks, multiple museums with no entrance fees and highly competitive pubs away from the tourist glare, mean it’s a city that need not break your bank.

And yet, where’s the fun in that? Sometimes, whether for a special occasion or simply to satisfy the desire to genuinely see a place at its best, it’s worth splashing out on an experience which, and let’s be honest, will probably result in you going without food (but not goon, obviously) for a week on a backpacker budget. But who’s counting? How often are you in Sydney?

THE BRIDGECLIMB BY BY JAMES BESANVALLE The experience: Geoff is more than 70 years old and has climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge 28 times. And during my very first climb, he adds one more notch to his belt. “When my wife goes to the opera, I’m climbing the bridge,” Geoff said proudly. But the record surprisingly isn’t his – another local has apparently climbed the bridge 54 times. So what makes the experience so addictive? I’ve lived in Sydney for my whole life and it took me 21 years to climb the bridge. And yes, it was as amazing as they say. Stunning views, beautiful weather and trendy one-piece suits. For over 80 years, the Harbour Bridge has towered above Sydney’s cityscape and for almost 15 of those years, the BridgeClimb has offered the best views in town. My climb leader, Chris, is incredibly attentive and extremely personable. When he fastens our radio headphones to our climbing belts, he asks for everyone’s name and seems to remember them instantly. His knowledge on the bridge is ample. Being one of only two locals in my session, I was quietly confident with my bridge knowledge, but so many things astounded me. For example, over eight years, only 16 people died during the construction of the bridge. And when there was a fatality, the men who were working that day, would each give half of their pay to the grieving family. The Discovery Climb is a long one though, it took a total of three hours from start to finish but there’s also the option of The Express Climb or The Bridge Climb. Although I may never break the record, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge once was enough for a lifetime of memories. Cost: Climbs start at $198, with the price dependent on day and time. Info: bridgeclimb.com.au

Atop thethe coathanger Climbing with BridgeClimb coathanger

WAKEBOARDING BY ALEX HARMON The experience: “You should really start off with a knee board,” the salty dreadlocked instructor warns as I peruse the wakeboarding shed. “Nah, I’ll be fine, give me a proper wakeboard,” I boast. I’ve snowboarded, seriously how hard could this be? I imagine myself gliding around the park, getting air, traversing the jumps and landing with the grace of an Olympic ice-skater. And yet, on my first attempt at the Penrith Cables Park, I could not have been more wrong. I position my feet on the wakeboard, slipping into the straps and hang onto the cable. After the signal and the seemingly simple instruction to keep the rope close to my body, hold on tight and let the motorised ski lift-like circuit pull me around, I take off fast. So fast that I keel over, lose control of the board and go flying through the air. I’m still holding onto the cable. Nobody told me what to do in this situation, should I cling on to the cable and barefoot ski? If only. I drop the cable and make the humiliating swim of shame back to shore and to the back of the line where I watch kids – yes kids – launch off into the lake getting air off the jumps in the manner I had envisioned for myself. After several more of these attempts, and belly flopping into the lake, I opt for a knee board and make the graceful journey around the park. With aching muscles and bitter resignation that I won’t be the next Torah Bright on water, I accept failure. But I’ll be back, and I will master it. That’s right, I’ll show those kids who laughed at me. Cost: From $39 for an hour. Day passes cost $69. Info: cableswakepark.com.au

Sailing with Venture Cruises

Wakeboarding at Cables Wake Park TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

SHARK DIVING BY CAITLIN STANWAY The experience: Why settle with a quick cuddle and photo with a stoned koala when you can get happy snaps facing the jaws of death? Ok, so the jaws belong to grey nurse sharks, and while they aren’t interested in having you as an entreé, the rush of swimming with these massive sea creatures is pretty hard to beat. A half hour ferry trip from Sydney’s CBD will get you to Manly where, hidden below Manly Sea Life Sanctuary, is Shark Harbour. The four million litre aquarium is home to a group of docile Grey Nurse sharks who, thanks to Shark Dive Xtreme, you can get up close and personal with. The dive starts with a thorough, and very reassuring, training session where groups are walked through diving basics. Once everyone is suited up, it’s into the training pool to get your sea legs. If it’s your first time diving there’s nothing to worry about, the instructors are incredibly patient and walk you through every step. Entering the main aquarium is an experience you’ll never regret. There is no denying the sharks are huge, but as soon as you realise you’re not on the menu, the dive is spectacular. Chilling with the grey nurses are giant stingrays, Port Jackson sharks and some incredibly massive turtles, who are all more than happy to get right up close – the stingrays are even known for giving the odd diver a hug. Cost: Dives start at $155 for certified divers and $200 for beginners. Info: manlysealifesanctuary.com.au.

Skydiving over Wollongong

VENTURE CRUISE

There are no cages at the Manly Aquarium

SKYDIVE THE BEACH BY ASHLEY SLOTER The experience: Skydiving is something I have always wanted to do. Now I was going to do it on the beach. The skydive company drove me from Sydney to Wollongong, where I signed my life away and put on a jump suit. I had met the strange man who I’d be hooked to and before I knew it, eight of us, along with our professional skydivers, were packed into this little aeroplane. I was getting nervous. But we were soon up in the air looking at the ocean below us. Way too soon the door was opening and people were starting to fall out of it. We were fifth in line and I was feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as I watched everyone ahead of me get to the door and freak out a little. Then it was my turn. I got to the door and made the mistake of looking down. I couldn’t help myself. “Shit,” I thought. “I’m going to die.” Thankfully the strange man hooked up to me didn’t really give me much time to think about it. Suddenly we were out of the plane and falling 14,000 feet. The rush was unlike any other. I couldn’t help but scream and enjoy the fall. It was pretty much the greatest feeling in the world. We fell for a good long minute and then I felt the pull of the parachute and we began out slow decent to the ground. Once I hit the ground I was a little sad to see my adventure gone, but I’m determined to do it again. Cost: Jumps start from $265, not including DVD or photos. Info: skydivethebeach.com.au

BY ALEX HARMON

The experience: It must have been that time of the month for Sydney, because you just didn’t know which mood you were going to get. One minute we’re applying sunscreen as we’re docked in Darling Harbour, the next minute the sky turns an Apocalyptic shade of grey and we’re piled inside the boat trying to avoid the rain. And then the hail. It didn’t matter, though, because spirits on board were high. The jukebox was pumping out Abba (this was swiftly changed to Top 40, much to my dismay) and the bar was stocked full with booze. After our first drink and some precarious photos of the Opera House, the weather had changed again to a perfect summer’s day. Sydney, the old bitch, had come out to play. We make our way to the deck and sprawl out on sun lounges, taking in the sunshine with the wind in our hair. The cruise stops at Chowder Bay on Sydney’s north shore where we’re served a picnic lunch and have the chance to disembark the boat for a swim. After some free time, we leisurely board again and make the trip back to Darling Harbour in the setting sun. Even with a rocky start, all can be forgiven. Because when Sydney shines, she really shines bright – and the Venture Cruise is great way to see her best angles. Cost: Backpacker special $55 (normally $69) for 3.5 hours. Info: captaincook.com.au

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HOP ON HOP OFF CRUISE BY LISA ROBINSON The experience: Sydney is the world’s largest natural harbour and arguably the most stunning. One of the best ways to explore the many sites dotted along the water’s edge is the Hop On Hop Off Sydney Harbour Explorer Cruise, with its modern vessel fleet taking you to eight of the top spots. Step aboard at Darling Harbour or Circular Quay and you’ll instantly be treated to unrivalled views of two iconic sites – the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, giving you the opportunity to take that perfect picture to make your friends and family back home jealous. Onboard, learn the history of these and other sites within the harbour for the duration of your trip. The first stop is Fort Denison, an historic sandstone island that was once a penal site. Today it’s a Harbour Navigational Facility, National Park, and museum. Make sure you time your trip to coincide with a tour of Australia’s only Martello Tower and the 1pm firing of the cannon. Next, head along to Taronga Zoo, where the resident Australian and international animals enjoy some of Sydney’s prime real estate. After watching the animals feed you can wander up to the leafy streets of Mosman in search of your own lunch, or for a perfect picnic stop jump back on the ferry and head across to Shark Island. With 360 degree harbour views, a small beach and picnic shelters, Shark Island is the ideal spot to sink a few beers and enjoy a languorous siesta in the afternoon sun. Peel yourself away and catch the next ferry all the way to Watsons Bay, located on the South Head Peninsula – the gateway to Sydney Harbour. On the return trip you’ll cruise past the now familiar sites, but if you’ve got time for one more attraction, get off at Luna Park, walk through the famous smiling face, catch the Ferris Wheel and see Sydney glow beneath the setting sun. Cost: An entry level 24 hour ticket includes Circular Quay, Taronga Zoo, Watsons Bay, Luna Park and Darling Harbour and is priced from $42 adults. $7 gets you entry to Fort Denison and Shark Island. Info: captaincook.com.au

Fort Denison, one of the hop-off stops

Rex at WILD LIFE Sydney

WILD LIFE SYDNEY ZOO BY LISA ROBINSON The experience: If you only know one thing about Australia, you’ll know that we’re home to some of the most dangerous animals in the world. Before you hit the road looking for them, why not check out what you’re up against by visiting WILD LIFE Sydney? Located at Darling Harbour, this unique zoo showcases Australia’s most famous animals in their natural habitats. Take a couple of hours to journey through the various terrains – visit the Butterfly Tropics to walk amongst the strikingly colourful butterflies and frogs, and familiarise yourself with the fearsome eastern brown snake and red-bellied black snack, both of which haunt Australia’s east coast. Stop off in the tropical Daintree Rainforest to see the endangered double-wattled cassowary, and then feel the heat of the desert Outback where the iconic red kangaroo and emu roam. If you’re unable to spot a koala lazing amongst the foliage of Gumtree Valley, go one better and pat a koala (it’s against state law to cuddle a koala). For those who don’t squirm at the thought of creepy-crawlies, wander back downstairs into the Bugs Garden, an interactive habitat where you can see some of the world’s deadliest creatures like the infamous funnel-web and redback spiders. The highlight of a trip to WILD LIFE is undoubtedly the Kakadu Gorge exhibit where you meet Rex, the 5 metre long saltwater crocodile. Weighing in at around 700kg, he’s one of the world’s largest crocs and can be viewed from above and also from underwater (behind a glass wall of course!). If you’re brave enough, make sure you’re there on Monday, Wednesday or Friday to see this monster devour his lunch. Cost: Entry from $28. Info: wildlifesydney.com.au

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The experience: “You wouldn’t stick your hand outside a car window going at 180/km per hour, so don’t stick your hands outside the helicopter door.” Seems like obvious advice, but when the helicopter you’re looking at has had its door removed, things get a little confusing. I opt to sit shotgun in the chopper and let my gangly colleague sit in the back with no door. He’s got a seatbelt that looks like it belongs in a Volvo, not a six cylinder chopper. Minutes later we have lift-off and begin the journey into Sydney Harbour. It’s the most surreal feeling, slowly lifting into the air, hovering as the chopper blades send ripples of wind through the grass. We’re given the weather conditions from the air traffic control room and after a few “roger that’s” (who gave me a headpiece, seriously?) we’re 500ft in the air overlooking Sydney’s western suburbs. Soon the harbour, which seemed so far away from the ground, can be seen in the distance. It’s a grey day with the sun peering through the clouds but from this angle, even the overcast days seem breathtaking. Flying over some dedicated rowers on Parramatta River and ducking the early morning 747s coming in from Hong Kong, we make our way into Sydney Harbour. We loop around towards Manly, checking Bondi from the distance and over the Opera House so we can take some photos. I’m feeling less like Jack Bauer now and more like a traffic report girl as I comment on the rush-hour cars backed up over the bridge. Then, all of a sudden we turn at what feels like a 90° angle to get a different perspective on the bridge and I come head-to-head with the harbour. Then it’s back to home base, with a cheeky lesson on the pedals, gears and how “there are no roads to follow up here, it’s all about sight”. As we hover into our park, lowering down like the rocket-man and dreading the drive back into the city on the M5, I wonder how I go about getting that pilot licence… Cost: A 30-minute scenic harbour flight costs from $149 per person. Info: skyhighhelicopters.com

Get out the aviators for a heli-ride

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Walking the plank with Sky Walk

SYDNEY TOWER’S SKYWALK BY CAITLIN STANWAY

The experience: With two of Australia’s most iconic landmarks in view, combined with the bustling Sydney Harbour and stunning beaches, what better way to soak up the scenery than from 268 meters in the sky? Located in Sydney’s Centrepoint tower, Sky Walk at the Sydney Tower Eye is the ultimate way to see Sydney. With a circular walk taking around half an hour, the Sky Walk takes you around the eye of Sydney’s highest tower. Taking one of three highspeed elevators you arrive inside the eye of Sydney Tower where you’ll be suited up and given a quick safety run down. After being harnessed to a rail it’s off to see the sights, and man what a sight it is. On a clear day you can see as far as 80km from the tower. The instructors are, predictably, well versed in what you can see, and give a comprehensive rundown of the 360 degree view. From the glistening Harbour waters and Circular Quay to the industrial western areas and the picturesque Bondi Beach, only an aeroplane could give you such a (excuse the cliché) breathtaking view. The glass bottom platforms extending from the tower will test anyone with a height phobia, and no matter how often the instructor tells you each glass plate can hold 400kg (an elephant, so we’re told), it still doesn’t change the fact that there is nothing below you! Cost: The Sky Walk experience starts from $48. Info: sydneytowereye.com.au/explore/skywalk

Photos: Tourism NSW/TNT Images, Merivale Entertainment, Justin Steinlauf

HELICOPTER FLIGHTS BY ALEX HARMON

The mid-north coast NEW SOUTH WALES

Photos: Daniel Verguizas

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OZTRIP

A mid north coast dream Indulge in the spectacular and calming sights of Port Macquarie and Tiona, two spots that should not be overlooked on your east coast roadtrip WORDS HUGH RADOJEV

I arrive at the pick up point carrying a WHAT TO DO: Surfing with huge holiday homes springing up in the backpack heaving with home comforts lessons with Wave’s Surf School last 20 years along the wooded hillocks that better suited to three months on the Arctic in TIona costs $89pp/per day look out over the Tasman. (wavessurfschool.com). Take a As Nicole drives us into Sundowner Tiona, ice than a weekend away on the beach a smattering of cabins greet us with their cruise down the magnificent – and a blinder of a hangover to boot. uniformed sides backing onto the car park. Hastings River with Port Venture Staggering onto the bus, my vision begins Thankfully they do not tell the whole story. Cruises, $20pp. (portventure.com. to darken somewhere in North Sydney. We pull up to an area deeper into the park, Before I know it, a dull sensation of pain au). Grab a bite to eat at LV’s on heavily shaded by palm trees and I think I can runs through my head as it bounces off the pier (All mains between $14spy a body of water through a roughly cut trail of the bus’s window – we have arrived. It $20). “Here we are,” says Nicole. “It’s time to make seems I must have fallen asleep somewhere WHERE TO STAY: The camp!” after Hornsby and snored peacefully Sundowner Tiona Tourist Park We begin to unload the bus and with throughout the majority of the trip north and the Sundowner Breakwall every tent roll and sleeping bag that comes on the Pacific Highway, my eyes opening Tourist Park in Port Macquarie occasionally to take in the rolling swathes (sundownerholidays.com) campsites out, my heart sinks further. I’m no rugged outdoorsman and will freely admit to rather of unmolested forests and manicured available from $25 p/n. spending a night in a five star hotel room than paddocks dotted with livestock. SEE MORE: under the stars, so the prospect of pitching a The inside of the bus is warm, stifling midnorthcoasttourism.com.au tent fills me with dread. A trepidation that is almost, and the suspension is dealing utterly misplaced. poorly with the gravel tinged off road we The tent’s manufacturers claim that they take only 30 suddenly find ourselves on. seconds to pitch bizarrely live up to their promise, leaving The sun is shining through the scrub outside the window, us a good hour or so to sip ice cold beers and marvel at the spindly trees rising thickly on either side of the vehicle as it natural beauty of the lagoon. begins the decent down to sea level. The road narrows to We decide to take lunch on nearby Seven Mile Beach, one one lane and the corners become more precipitous, winding of the area’s most well known beaches. As we walked up the tighter as we drive down. path and emerged above the sand dunes and onto the beach Suddenly, and quite without warning, we crest a small people began to gasp and squeal in delight, and for a second rise, past a farmhouse cut deep into the undergrowth and I furiously sweep the surf, fruitlessly scanning for cause of we spot the ocean glistening in the distance, a few buildings the excitement. dotted around the distant coastline and the whole cabin In a shimmering cascade of white water it becomes seems to fill with the sudden tang of sea salt. “Tiona,” says gloriously apparent. The flanks and tails of a mother and Nicole, the driver, happily. “Let the adventure begin.” baby humpback whale glinting in the sun as they breach less A whale of a time than 200 meters out from the sand, the closest I, or anyone else, had ever seen the beautiful mammals before. The first stop on our road trip is the Tiona Tourist Park, 290 With a full stomach and the sun still high in the late kilometers from Sydney on New South Wales’ beautiful midafternoon sky, Noel, Sundowner’s sandfishing expert walks a north coast. few of us through the art of catching elusive sand worms for Once a tiny fishing village caught uneasily between Wallis bait, while others swim in the warm water or simply lay out Lake and the sea, Tiona and the surrounding coastline has in the warmth digesting their meal. blossomed into a playground for Sydney’s nouveau riche,

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Dolphin watch

Noel the sandfishing expert is also a boss at the BBQ

As evening falls we return to our campsite, via The Green Cathedral, a site unique to Tiona. Walking through a thicket of fallen palm frongs and writhing tree roots we come suddenly upon the consecrated area, 15 rows of rough hewn pews running towards a cross overlooking the becalming waters of Wallis Lake, shrouded in the beautiful, lush tree canopy. First constructed back in 1922 the feeling of history in the place is palpable. Even when the winds blows as night falls, the beauty of the park cannot be diminished and I return to my tent full and contented, thoroughly having been bought round to the idea of camping holidays. And it was only night one.

I wake up nursing my third hangover in as many days, facing the prospect of a day on the water. The quick walk from the park into town fortifies me somewhat, though, and after an amazing bacon and egg roll, we climb aboard a boat to cruise the Hastings River. Within minutes of disembarking, river dolphins can be seen prancing in front of the boat’s prow, churning through the water ahead of us. Having seen whales only two days before, the sight of the dolphin pod elicits the same response in us all and I find myself nearly hanging over the boat’s railings to get closer to the beautiful spectacle. These dolphins are amongst the most graceful creatures on earth. As we come out into the river’s mouth, the dolphins sadly leave the boat which allows me to reflect more upon the beauty of the surrounding country side. The canals of the Hastings River are as beautiful on a sunny day as anything to be found on the French or Italian Riviera’s, and I again find myself in awe of the region’s natural beauty. Sadly, it comes to an end and we all cram back onto the bus and head back to Sydney. Byron Bay is the first place most people mention as a good stopover on a roadtrip to Queensland, and while the midnorth coast might not be a great chunk into the journey, the sheer beauty of the region, the magnificent beaches, and the wonderful town of Port Macquarie beg to be considered as a place to at least spend a night, if not much longer. ❚

FESTIVAL OF THE SUN:

PORT MACQUARIE

Onwards, ever onwards After a quick breakfast and a surf we pile back onto the bus and set off for the next 100 kilometer part of the road trip to the provincial hub of Port Macquarie. Set on the affluence of the Hastings River, this bustling seaside town is our next destination. Straddling the fresh water canals of the Hastings and the briny deep of the Tasman, the area is famed for its delicious seafood, and combined with the huge amounts of arable land, the surrounding countryside has become one of the best places in the state to find fresh, delectable produce. Indeed, Port Macquarie is the boomtown of the mid-north coast, with great restaurants and bars dotted across the shore to compliment the huge amount of tourist activities on offer. Having arrived late in the day, we make camp in Sundowner’s Port Macquarie Tourist Park, which may have lacked Tiona’s beautiful scenery, but more than makes up for with its buzzing atmosphere. Located right on the iconic Port Macquarie foreshore, a minute’s walk from all the best the town has to offer we are keen to get amongst it, particularly because it is a Saturday night. The wonderful array of nightspots clearly reflect just a how big a rural centre Port Macquarie has become and makes it an ideal spot to spend a few days.

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One of the highlights on the calendar in these parts is the annual Festival of the Sun. The festival has grown and grown in the last couple of years in terms of exposure and has garnered a great reputation as one of the most chilled out and comfortable camping festivals in Australia. With the festival taking part on the grounds of the Sundownder Breakwall Tourist Park in the heart of Port Macquarie the crowd numbers are limited to 3,000 with all the artists’ playing on the one stage, which adds to the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. This year’s lineup is easily the biggest in the festival’s history to date with the wonderful Kimbra headlining, ably assisted by Dead Letter Circus, melodic rockers The Datsun’s and many, many more artists from all around Australia.

Dec 14-15. Port Macquarie. Tix: $160 incl camping

Ofﬁcial

ve I lo

tour and night night FREE king a when boo at Ocean Bunyip Gre . . Visit www r… u to d a Ro rs.com bunyiptou

A B

Neighbours Tour A. Ofﬁcial Neighbours tour WITH STAR MEETING. $50 Departs Mon-Fri.

Neighbours Tour B. Ofﬁcial Neighbours Ultimate tour with “EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO EXTERNAL SETS”. $68 Departs Sat & Sun. Ofﬁcial and World famous Neighbours night! Meet and take plenty of photos with the Stars and Rock out to Dr Karl* or Paul Robinson* with the band Waiting room. $40 Monday nights from 7pm @ the Elephant & Wheelbarrow, St Kilda. *On selected night.

Bookings essential! Book online, at reception, travel agent or call:

03 9629 5866 *Unscheduled ﬁlming in Ramsay St will result in no public access with limited photo opportunities.

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Story time This is Brisbane in 48 hours WORDS LEIGH LIVINGSTONE

DAY 1: xBrisbane is the foot friendly city. Sunshine is in high amounts and there are plenty of outdoor activities to let visitors stock up on that Vitamin D. Be outside as much as possible and have fun with this busy weekender. 9:00: Chances are it’s a beautiful morning, so the best thing to do is get amongst it in the fresh air. It might sound a bit civilised but take a stroll through the Brisbane Botanic Gardens (brisbane.qld.gov.au). Located close to the city centre, you can spend time looking at the living museum full of native and exotic plants with themed sections, like the pretty Japanese garden. Everyone should stop and smell the roses once in a while. 10:00: After you‘ve ticked flowers of the list, visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (koala.net) and tick fuzzy creatures off it too. You may think you’ve seen more koalas than you care to by this point but you haven’t seen them like this. The Sanctuary is one of the best places in Oz to get up close and personal with not just the dropbears but kangaroos and a whole bunch of unique Aussie wildlife. Hand-feed them, have a cuddle, stock up on the warm and fuzzies because the rest of your 48 hours won’t be so sickeningly sweet. 12:00: Grab some lunch as you cruise along the Brisbane river in style aboard a Kookaburra River Queen (kookaburrariverqueens.com) authentic paddlewheeler. Take in the sights of Brisbane from a different angle as you sip a beer and stuff yourself senseless on the amazing food. 15:00: No trip to the sunshine state is complete without a

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tour of the XXXX Brewery (xxxxbrewerytour.com.au). Their Heritage-listed alehouse is a great place to learn all about the history of Queensland’s golden brew and sample a few for historical education purposes, of course. 17:00: Now that you are good and relaxed, it’s time to up the pace. Climb to the top of Brisbane’s Story Bridge and take in the magnificent twilight views of the city. It really is spectacular. Then, when you’re ready, abseil – yes we said abseil – down again. Story Bridge Adventure Climb (sbac. net.au) will help you with all the equipment and safety bits but then it is all you as you whip down the Anchor pier into Captain Burke Park below. 19:00: Bet you’re getting kind of hungry by now? Stop by the Treasury Casino (treasurybrisbane.com.au) and hit up the Blackjack Buffet for an all-you-can eat extravaganza. You’ll need a strong stomach for the next activity. 21:00: Believe it or not, Brisbane is one of the most haunted cities in the world. Take a walk through the CBD at night with a ghost tour to find out why. Ghost Tours (ghosttours.com.au) will take you through spooky alleys and creepy cemeteries while discussing the haunted histories of the area. Warning: not for fraidy cats. You might want to share a room at Brisbane Backpackers Resort (brisbanebackpackers.com.au) if you’re feeling delicate. DAY 2: 7:00: Assuming you managed to sleep at all, wake up bright and early for an adventurous day trip to Moreton Island. The ferry departs from Holt St wharf for the hour-

The colourful Valley

long journey with Tangatours (adventuremoretonisland. com). Once there, you have the option of fun activities such as stand-up paddleboarding, a motorboat hire, a catamaran lesson, playing beach volleyball with your cruisemates, quad biking across the sand and almost anything else you can think of. Paying $129 allows you pick three activities plus bonus items like wetsuit and kayak hire, but one thing we recommend you don’t skip is the guided snorkelling tour at the Tangalooma wreck. 18:00: Back in Brisbane after a full day of action, it’s time to get dressed up and hit the town. A good place to start is back at the Treasury Casino and Hotel (treasurybrisbane.com.au) – they don’t call it Brisvegas for nothing. Grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants inside, do some gambling and drink a cocktail or two to rev up your evening. The Livewire Bar on the Queen St level has live bands and sports on the big screen to accompany those drinks. 21:00: Keep the good times rolling, even after the dice have stopped, over in the Valley – that’s Fortitude Valley for the uninitiated. The area has some fun nightlife and Birdie Num Num (birdees.com) is the best place to party. Not only is it free entry but the alcohol is cheap. The bonus is that it’s a stylish place with a sexy interior and an awesome rooftop bar covered in fake grass. Keep absorbing that warm air and if you’ve played your cards right, you will have spent most of your weekend outdoors. The way it should be.

On all fours for Moreton Island

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Middle Earth NEW ZEALAND

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An unexpected journey With the film’s release this week we make like a hobbit and journey through Peter Jackson’s vision of JRR Tolkien’s beloved Middle Earth WORDS JAHN VANNISSELROY

Not so long ago, the Lord Of The Rings trilogy was an international reference point for New Zealand. Then, those loveable losers Bret and Jermaine from Flight Of The Conchords did their part for tourism to the Land Of The Long White Cloud. Soon, though, with the December 14 release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Kiwiland becomes Middle Earth again. Bilbo, Gandalf et al will adventure around this beautiful nation and you, too, can follow in their footsteps. To make things easy, we’ve compiled the top spots featured in Peter Jackson’s upcoming three-part epic. We don’t have any dragons for you, but like the Hobbits, you’ll come across a wealth of treasure. Remember to share, though, Precious. Matamata Fancy a drop of Sobering Thought Ale in the very spot where the Hobbits themselves hung out? Head to Matamata, at the foot of the Kaimai ranges, and visit Hobbiton, the actual set used in The Hobbit. As it’s situated on a farm, you’ll have the chance to feed lambs after you finished a tour of the set. If you’re after something a little more exciting, the town has a gun club, where you can shoot clay pigeons with the locals; and the local golf club, members of which always welcome some new faces on the greens. Ramp it up a notch with spot of gliding. Matamata is a world-renowned gliding spot, thanks to the up-drafts from the Kaimai Ranges create ideal conditions for gliding. There’s also a chance to strap on a parachute and leap out of a perfectly good plane, and when your feet are back on solid ground rest up in the mineral waters of the nearby Opal Hot Springs.

If you’re after something a bit less sheepish, unleash your inner subterranean explorer, 20km away at the popular Waitomo Caves. Here, you can abseil 100m into the earth, before tubing in the underground river or marvelling at the spectacular glow worms hanging from the cave ceilings above. This is an experience you’ll never get anywhere else. The geothermal city of Rotorua is only a 90-minute drive for Waitomo. If you’ve got the time, it’s well worth a visit. Explore a Maori village; get involved in adventure activities, such as luging and zorbing, and then finish up with a soak in the city’s ubiquitous hot pools. Tongariro National Park This phenomenally spectacular spot, New Zealand’s oldest national park, appears as the Lonely Mountains and the Long Valley in Peter Jackson’s latest creation.

Te Kuiti The Mangaotaki Valley, Denize Bluffs and nearby forests appear in The Hobbit as the Trollshaws setting and you’ll have plenty of fun around this rural New Zealand town. Te Kuiti promotes itself as the sheep-shearing capital of the world. If you’re in the area around Easter, you can catch the annual NZ Shearing Champs and the Running Of The Sheep, New Zealand’s answer to Pamplona.

One of Bilbo Baggins’ stoppvers

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Hobbiton for the little people

There’s three active volcanoes in the park, Tongariro, Ngauruhoe (aka Mt Doom) and Ruapehu. Ruapehu offers two ski-fields, Whakapapa and Turoa, open from late June to early November. Both cater to all levels of skill. All equipment can be hired on the mountain. If you’re after more activity, hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, considered one of the world’s greatest day hikes. It’s challenging – taking you across rugged volcanic landscapes – but with incredible panoramic views of the beautiful surrounding countryside, well worth the effort. Mountain bikers will love the area. Make sure you check out Fishers Track, 42 Traverse, Old Coach Road and the tempting Bridge to Nowhere. White water rafting (exciting grade three rapids) can be enjoyed on the Tongariro River, but if you’re after something a bit more sedate, try fishing for some rainbow trout that are in abundance in the park’s rivers and streams. Wellington This is it, Middle Earth fans - the biggie. Wellington was the main filming and production location for Lord Of The Rings and there was even discussion of creating a ’Wellywood’ sign on the City’s hillside (thankfully, sanity prevailed). While you can’t visit the famous Weta Studios, the next big thing is Weta Cave in Miramar, Wellington. Here you’ll get an eye-opening insight into the imagination and creativity involved in creating films such as The Hobbit. You’ll be able to come face to face with some of the characters, props and displays and discover the artists who created them and brought them to life. There’s a host of LOTR/ The Hobbit tours around town; these go in depth to the point of taking you to the actor’s favourite restaurants and drinking and shopping haunts. Seaton, on Wellington’s South Coast is home to Peter Jackson – you can sometimes see him hanging out at the beach. 50

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About town, Wellington has a thriving arts and culture scene. Head to Cuba Street for a slice of Bohemia, boutique shopping and some of the best coffee in town. Wellington is home to New Zealand’s one-of-a-kind house of parliament, The Beehive. The country’s national museum, Te Papa, is also well worth a look. Active travellers can make like the locals and in-line skate around Wellington’s beautiful waterfront, surf at Lyall Bay or take a trip up the coast to Adrenalin Forest and test themselves on the Tarzan swings, flying foxes and high ropes. Nelson Pelorus Bridge near Nelson was used for the Forest River scenes in The Hobbit. Here you can explore a huge native forest, swim or kayak in the river, or picnic under the trees. Nelson is recognised as New Zealand’s sunniest spot. The long hours of solar blessing have attracted a hive of creative people, with more than 350 working artists and craftspeople calling the city home. You’ll be able to mix and mingle with them at Nelson’s famous Saturday Flea Market – this is an opportunity to take home a unique piece of art to always remember the country by. In keeping with the art theme, there’s the World of Wearable Art Museum, just 10 minutes from the city centre – or you can watch glassblowers get creative at Hoglund Art Glass, set within seven acres of tranquil gardens. Get centred in downtown Nelson by standing at the central point of New Zealand. The locals will point you in the right direction. Chances are you’ll be hungry for action, and you’ll be able to satiate those cravings in Nelson with activities including skydiving, rock climbing, 4WD biking and horse trekking. More intrepid travellers can charter and sail to the amazing Abel Tasman National Park for a spot of hiking. Travel to the nearby Farewell Spit, and visit the internationally important bird sanctuary and wetland. There

are also huge sand dunes – take a cardboard box and surf down them. Takaka The Takaka Hills make an appearance in The Hobbit as the Westfarthing Countryside and Weatherhills. The area’s sundrenched Golden Bay also is also featured. Beautiful Takaka’s a magnet for alternative lifestylers and, as such, there’s plenty of character around the town. Check out the local museum, movie theatre and a great choice of shops and cafés, plus plenty of local art. If you’re feeling active, there’s the renowned Heaphy Track, a four- to-six-day tramp through the Kahurangi National Park, finishing up north of Karamea on the West Coast. Get an idea of what water should really taste like as you lap up the purest water in the Southern Hemisphere (if not the entire planet), at Waikoropupu (Pupu) Springs. You’ll enjoy the peace and beauty as you wander through the bush on raised wooden tracks crossing the waters that flow from the spring. Explore the Te Anaroa Caves in nearby Rockville, and check out the glow worms, stalactites and stalagmites. You can also head up Anatolia River, where you feed the eels at Bencarri Farm Park, before casting your line out and then and having your hot smoked at Anatoki Salmon. Twizel Lake Pukaki near Twizel, was used as the Shores Of Laketown and The fields of Gondor in Return of the King were also shot in the area. Take a one- or two-hour tour with Discovery Tours and get all the behind-the-scenes stories of the films. If you’re really keen, you can don a helmet and wield a replica LOTR sword, as you participate in a mock battle with other Hobbitphiles. When you’re done, the peaks and trails of Mount Cook National Park are just up the road, or you can fish for salmon and trout in the local rivers, canals and lakes. If you’re after a more rare kind of exercise, head to the town’s frisbee golf course (frisbees are provided for those who haven’t packed their own). Twizel is also a well-positioned base for mountain climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, horse trekking and hiking.

good time and Queenstown doesn’t disappoint. There are a huge number of bars and restaurants to cater to anyone wanting to prolong their day and swap tales of their hairraising adventures. When you do decide to chill out and take break, head to one of the many wineries in the Gibbston Valley to sample the region’s exquisite pinot noir. Then, reflect on being in one of the world’s most beautiful spots as you overlook the stunning Lake Wakatipu. Dunedin Dunedin was used a base for filming, and nearby Rock & Pillar Range and Middlemarch were used for The Hobbit’s Dale Hills. While in Dunedin, hit the beaches of St Clair and St Kilda for surf; head up Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest street; and plan a trip out of town to the haunting rocky tors and tussock of Middlemarch, the starting point for the Otago Central Rail Trail. Be sure to head along Dunedin’s Otago Peninsula to explore Larnach Castle and get close to nature at the penguin, albatross and seal colonies. Dunedin’s a university town, so you’re sure to find a party somewhere. Head to legendary drinking hole, the Captain Cook Tavern and then walk up to the town centre, known as The Octagon, where there are bars aplenty at which to get amongst the locals. For a change of pace, head 12kms to the seaside town of Port Chalmers, to check out galleries, eateries and secondhand bookshops. ❚

Queenstown Queenstown’s spectacular mountain range, The Remarkables, was used as the Misty Mountains in Peter Jackson’s upcoming film, and spots all around the region made up the Wildlands. Nearby Wanaka appears as the Lonelands and the aptly named Paradise features as the Outskirts of Bree. Queenstown is internationally known as the adventure capital of the world and as such, adrenaline junkies may find their pockets far lighter on the way out. The choices are endless: indulge in (take a breath) skydiving, rafting, jet boating, river surfing, heli-skiing, snowboarding (another breath) handgliding, paragliding, bungee jumping, canyon swinging and walking and hiking. There’s never any shortage of people wanting to have a

In the company of dwarves

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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

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

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

RENTAL FIRMS Apollo Motorhomes 1800 777 779, apollocamper.com Mighty Cars and Campers (Formerly Backpacker Campervan Rentals) 1800 809 944 mightycampers.com.au Boomerang Cars 0414 882 559, boomerangcars.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

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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

Spaceships 1300 132 469, spaceshipsrentals.com.au

Spirit of Tasmania Ferries to Tasmania. 03 6336 1446, spiritoftasmania.com

Standbycars.com 1300 789 059, standbycars.com

Tiger Airways Airline. 03 9999 2888, tigerairways.com

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

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

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

Wicked Campers 1800 246 869, wickercampers.com

Redline Coaches For getting around Tasmania. 03 6336 1446, redlinecoaches.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

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

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

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

Virgin Australia Airline. 13 67 89, virginaustralia.com

SS O R C S KING KET R A M CAR NT BUY, SELL & RE WE ARE HERE s "59).' 3%,,).' 2%.4).'. Good selection of Cars, Wagons, Vans & Campervans. 7$ 30%#)!,)343. Over 50 vehicles in stock with up to 50% BUY BACK. All with camping gear. s All vehicles for sale have a Government approved Roadworthy Certiﬁcate (Pink Slip) issued by ).$%0%.$%.4 -%#(!.)#3, not company employees like most car dealers. s &2%% information with tips for buying, selling and travelling. Transfer & Registration forms for all States. s &2%% Advice on Registrations, Transfers, which States are cheapest/easiest to Transfer and Register. s &2%% 12 Months Australia Wide Warranty (guaranteee) with (2 2/!$3)$% !33)34!.#% available on most vehicles.* NOT a 5000km warranty which gets you about 25% of your way around Australia. *Conditions apply

INSURANCE CE LL 1800 808 188 FREECALL: We sell the only known ‘No Excess’ 3rd Party Property Insurance available to travellers from $230* For 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 12 months. Insurance available even if you buy a car from another place and without you having to tell lies to get it.

NOW IN OUR 20TH YEAR OF

PUTTING TRAVELLERS ON THE ROAD

#534/-%23 #!. 4 "% 72/.'

NOT COMING TO SYDNEY? THEN BUY AND SELL ONLINE @ www.carmarket.com.au OR CALL 02 9358 5000 52

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Base Sydney 477 Kent St. CBD. 02 9267 7718 stayatbase.com Big Hostel 212 Elizabeth St. CBD. 02 9281 6030 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

BOUNCE SYDNEY

City Resort Hostel 103-105 Palmer St. Woolloomooloo 02 9357 3333 cityresort.com.au

28 Chalmers St, Sydney, Dorms from $30 You can’t get more central to Sydney life than this upmarket hostel, complete with a rooftop terrace to bring in summer nights.

Sydney

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

bouncehotel.com.au

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 Bondi YHA 63 Fletcher Street.

Tamarama. 02 9365 2088, yha.com.au

Rear 63, The Corso, Manly. 02 9977 3411 boardrider.com.au

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

The Bunkhouse 35 Pine St, Manly. 1800 657 122, bunkhouse.com.au

Lochner’s Guesthouse 8 Gowrae Ave. Bondi. 02 9387 2162,

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

Aegean Coogee Lodge 40 Coogee Bay Rd. Coogee. 04 0817 6634, aegeancoogee.com.au

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

Coogee Beach House 171 Arden St. Coogee. 02 9665 1162, coogeebeachhouse.com

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

Coogee Beachside 178 Coogee Bay Rd, Coogee. 02 9315 8511, sydneybeachside.com.au Surfside Backpackers 186 Arden Street. Coogee. 02 9315 7888, surfsidebackpackers.com.au Glebe Point YHA 262-264 Glebe Point Road. Glebe. 02 9692 8418, yha.com.au Boardrider Backpacker

SYDNEY DO Manly Surf School Manly Beach. 02 9977 6977, manlysurfschool.com Maritime Museum Darling Harbour. anmm.gov.au My Sydney Detour Unique city tours. mysydneydetour.com Oceanworld Manly West Esplanade. oceanworld.com.au

o Scan hUeTr Me OtREÒ ND O CAMPERS FROM

52 $156 AU

PER DAY*

FOR 3 DAYS*

CARS ALSO AVAILABLE

*Van price based on a Lowball Camper, 3+ day rate, for travel 26/11/2012 – 01/12/2012. Prices correct at time of print, rates change weekly so contact our Reservations team for the best daily rate. Minimum hire applies, offer subject to availability and liability reduction cover is additional. For full terms and conditions contact Mighty Campers.

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follow us on Powerhouse Museum Darling Harbour. powerhousemuseum.com.au Skydive the Beach Wollongong. skydivethebeach.com Sydney Olympic Park Darling Harbour. sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au Sydney Tower and Skytour 100 Market St, CBD. sydneyskytour.com.au Sydney Harbour Bridge The Rocks. bridgeclimb.com Sydney Aquarium Darling Harbour. sydneyaquarium.com.au Sydney Wildlife World Darling Harbour. sydneywildlifeworld.com.au Taronga Zoo Mosman. zoo.nsw.gov.au Waves Surf School wavessurfschool.com.au

SYDNEYMUSIC Hordern Pavillion playbillvenues.com Oxford Art Factory oxfordartfactory.com Sydney Opera House sydneyoperahouse.com The Annandale annandalehotel.com The Enmore enmoretheatre.com.au The Metro metrotheatre.com.au

BLUE MTNS Blue Mountains YHA 207 Katoomba St, Katoomba. 02 4782 1416, yha.com.au

CENTRAL COAST

Newcastle Beach YHA 30 Pacific St, Newcastle. 02 4925 3544, yha.com.au Terrigal Beach YHA 9 Ocean View Dr, Terrigal. 02 4384 1919, yha.com.au The Entrance Backpackers 2/56 The Entrance Road, The Entrance, 2261 02 4334 5005 theentrancebackpackers.com Skydive Central Coast Warnervale. skydivethecentralcoast.com.au

BYRON BAY Backpackers Holiday Village 116 Jonson St 1800 350 388, byronbaybackpackers.com.au Backpackers Inn 29 Shirley St 1800 817 696 ackpackersinnbyronbay.com.au Byron Bay Accom 02 6680 8666, byronbayaccom.net The Arts Factory 1 Skinners Shoot Rd. 02 6685 7709, nomadshostels.com Nomads Byron Bay Lawson Lane. 1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com Byron Bay YHA 7 Carlyle St. 1800 678 195, yha.com.au Skydive the Beach Byron Bay Kingsford Smith Park, Ballina 1800 302 005 skydivethebeachbyronbay.com

COFFS HARB Coffs Harbour YHA 51 Collingwood St. 02 6652 6462, yha.com.au

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MUNGO NATIONAL PARK Perhaps the country’s least famous World Heritage-listed site, Mungo is where you’ll find the extraordinary, 33km-long Walls of China. It’s also where you’ll find the remains of Mungo Man and Mungo Woman, skeletons dating back 40,000 years, making it the world’s oldest known ceremonial burial. Located in the far outback reaches of New South Wales, almost 900km west of Sydney, Mungo is a hell of a long way from anywhere. However, if you happen to be doing some harvest work in Mildura or hanging out with some miners in Broken Hill, the mission isn’t too great and the sight of the flaky 30m high lunettes known as the Walls of China at sunset is well worth the roadtrip.

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SURFSIDE BONDI BEACH BACKPACKERS 35a Hall St, Bondi Beach, Sydney. Dorms from $34.99 Right in the heart of Australia’s most iconic beach, this hostel is the perfect place to settle in and enjoy the Australian summer in style.

Sydney

surfsidebackpackers.com.au

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Brisbane Backpackers Resort 110 Vulture St, West End. 1800 626 452, brisbanebackpackers.com.au

CHECK IN

Brisbane City Backpackers 380 Upper Roma St 1800 062 572, citybackpackers.com

Tinbilly Travellers Cnr George and Herschel Sts. 1800 446 646. tinbilly.com

Cairns

dreamtimehostel.com

BRISBANE STAY

bananabenders.com

Aussie Way Backpackers 34 Cricket St. 07 3369 0711, aussiewaybackpackers.com

Base Brisbane Embassy 214 Elizabeth St. 07 3166 8000, stayatbase.com

Banana Bender Backpackers 118 Petrie Terrace. 07 3367 1157,

Base Brisbane Central 308 Edward St. 07 3211 2433, stayatbase.com

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,

1800 074 393, islander.com.au Sleeping Inn Surfers 26 Peninsular Dr, Surfers Paradise. 1800 817 832, sleepinginn.com.au Surfers Paradise Backpackers Resort 2837 Gold Coast Highway, Surfers. 1800 282 800, surfersparadisebackpackers.com.au

GOLD COAST

The Deck 117 Harcourt Street, New Farm. 04 3377 7061

4 Terminus St, Parramatta Park, Cairns. Dorms from $24 A hidden oasis with a tropical garden pool in Central Cairns with a FREE evening meal and a great party atmosphere.

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

Bunk Backpackers Cnr Ann & Gipps Sts, 1800 682 865, bunkbrisbane.com.au

DREAMTIME TRAVELLERS REST

riverlife.com.au

Aquarius Backpackers 44 Queen St, Surfers Paradise. 1800 22 99 55, aquariusbackpackers.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

Backpackers in Paradise 40 Peninsula Drive, Surfers Paradise. 1800 268 621, backpackersinparadise.com.au Coolangatta Kirra Beach YHA Pl, 230 Coolangatta Rd, Bilinga. 07 5536 76442, yha.com.au

GC DO Dreamworld Theme park. dreamworld.com.au

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

Get Wet Surf School 07 5532 9907

Gold Coast International BP 28 Hamilton Ave, Surfers. 1800 816 300, goldcoastbackpackers.com.au

Wet â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Wild Water World wetnwild.myfun.com.au

Islander Backpackers Resort 6 Beach Rd, Surfers Paradise.

Seaworld seaworld.com.au

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

7/2+%23 7!.4%$ Best Staff

&RUIT AND 6EGETABLE PICKING JOBS AVAILABLE

Oceania

- Small dorms, doubles, twins and singles ess - Free breakfast and dinner everyday - Bus pick up on arrival - Swimming pool, social areas, WIFI - BBQ and quiz nights - Tour desks, discounts available! e!! www.jjsbackpackers.com - A great social atmosphere! Freecall (within Oz) 1800 666 336 - Owner operated Tel: + 617 4051 7642 11-13 Charles St Cairns QLD

s 4RANSPORT TO FROM WORK s &2%% COURTESY BUS PICK UP s ,AUNDRY FACILITIES s )NTERNET FACILITIES s 0LEASANT AND FRIENDLY STAFF s "ISTRO AVAILABLE AT "ANJO S TAVERN NEXT DOOR

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

WORKERS WANTED

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PHONE 0437 692 002

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QLDLISTINGS SUNSHINE CST Mooloolaba Backpackers 75-77 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba. 1800 020 120 mooloolababackpackers.com

FREE UNLIMITED INTERNET

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Nomads Noosa 44 Noosa Dr, Noosa Heads. 1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com Halse Lodge YHA 2 Halse Lane, Noosa. 1800 242 567, halselodge.com.au

RAINBOW BEACH

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Dingos Backpacker Adventure Resort 20 Spectrum St. 1800 111126, dingosresort.com

go to: goldenbackpacks.tntdownunder.com

Pippies Beach House 22 Spectrum St. 1800 425 356, pippiesbeachhouse.com Skydive Rainbow Beach 0418 218 358, skydiverainbowbeach.com

HERVEY BAY Aussie Woolshed 181 Torquay Rd 07 4124 0677 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 Eurong Beach Resort 07 4120 1600, eurong.com.au

FEATURES

FREECALL: 1800 000 541

Air-conditioning 24 hour reception Kitchen & laundry Keycard access Secure parking Free BBQ

HEAPS OF ACTIVITIES! Day trip to Crystal Cascades, Wakeboarding, Sailing, Movie nights and much more!

117 Grafton Street Cairns, QLD Australia 4870 northern@friendlygroup.com.au www.northerngreenhouse.com.au www.greenhousebackpacker.com.au

FREE DAILY BREAKFAST

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

BUNDABERG Federal Backpackers 221 Bourbong St. 07 4153 3711 federalbackpackers.com.au Northside Backpackers 12 Queen St. 07 4154 1166 Bundaberg Bondstore Distillery tours. 07 4131 2999 bundabergrum.com.au

TOWN OF 1770 1770 Backpackers 6 Captain Cook Dr. 1800 121 770, the1770backpackers.com 1770 Undersea Adventures 1300 553 889, 1770underseaadventures.com

AIRLIE BEACH airliebeach.com 259 Shute Harbour Rd.

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1800 677 119 Airlie Beach YHA 394 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 247 251, yha.com.au Backpackers by the Bay 12 Hermitage Dr. 1800 646 994, backpackersbythebay.com 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 Beach end of Herbert St. 07 4786 3433 bowenbackpackers.net

TOWNSVILLE Adventurers Resort 79 Palmer St. 1800 211 522, adventurersresort.com Adrenalin Dive. 07 4724 0600, adrenalindive.com.au Yongala Dive Yongala diving. 07 4783 1519, yongaladive.com.au

MAGNETIC ISL Base Magnetic Island1 Nelly Bay Rd. 1800 24 22 73, stayatbase.com Bungalow Bay BackpackersHorseshow Bay. 1800 285 577, bungalowbay.com.au Hotel Arcadia 7 Marine Parade, 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 Scotty’s Beach House 167 Reid Rd. 07 4068 8676, scottysbeachhouse.com.au

CAIRNS STAY Bohemia Central Cairns 100 Sheridan St. 1800 558 589, bohemiacentral.com.au Bohemia Resort Cairns 231 McLeod St. 1800 155 353, bohemiaresort.com.au Calypso Backpackers 5 Digger St. 1800 815 628, calypsobackpackers.com.au JJ’s Backpackers Hostel 11 Charles St. 07 4051 7642, jjsbackpackers.com NJoy Backpackers HostelHarbour 141 Sheridan St. 1800 807 055, njoy.net.au Nomads Beach House 239 Sheridan St.

Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Gold Coast

Famous for fun

AdventureGoldCoast.com

facebook.com/AdventureGoldCoast twitter.com/AdventureGoldCoast

QLDLISTINGS 1800 229 228, nomadshostels.com

CAIRNS DO

Walkabout Motel & Backpackers 07 4061 2311

ATHERTON

AJ Hackett Bungy jumping & canyon swinging. 1800 622 888 cairns.ajhackett.com

Kuranda Rainforest Park

Pro Dive 07 4031 5255 prodivecairns.com

07 4093 7316,

Raging Thunder Adventures Whitewater rafting. 07 4030 7990, ragingthunder.com.au Skydive Cairns POBOX 105N Cairns 07 4052 1822, skydivecairns.com.au

CAPE TRIB Crocodylus Village Lot 5, Buchanan Creek Rd, Cow Bay. 07 4098 9166, crocodyluscapetrib.com PK’s Jungle Village Cnr Avalon & Cape Trib Rd. 1800 232 333, pksjunglevillage.com.au

INNISFAIL IInnisfail Budget Backpackers Worker’s Hostel 125 Edith St. 07 4061 78337

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

88 Kuranda Heaights Rd, Kuranda.

kurandarainforestpark.com.au

PORT DOUGLAS Parrotfish Backpackers Resort 37 Warner St, Kuranda. 07 4099 5011,

parrotfishlodge.com

GULF SAVANNAH Emu Creek Cattle Station 07 4094 8313

DAINTREE Koala Beach Resort Cape Kimberly Rd. 1800 466 444

HINCHINBROOK ISLAND Hinchinbrook Island is the second-largest national park island in the world – all 642km are protected. There are n creeks with fresh water. It has bushwalks, secluded beaches and mangrove everglades. The Thorsborne Trail stret Hinchinbrook. The tropical region of northern Queensland is the place for budget, big-town partying in tropical Ca way.

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QLDLISTINGS

.. . E R E H Y L L A IN F E ’R U YO

LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!

DA9 K F LG <AN= OAL@ 9MKLJ9 L9C= L@= HDMF?=$ D=9J VE PROFESSIONALS GREAT BARRIER REEF DI

Our 5 Day PADI Open water course is the most popular way to do it.

We also specialise in Liveaboard dive trips and all levels of dive education.

There are no roads, no shops, and no accommodation on the island. Just camping spots and beautiful ne Trail stretches for 32km and is the main reason that many people, especially serious bushwalkers, visit n tropical Cairns, or if you prefer, rainforest magic at Cape Tribulation. But don’t neglect the coast along the

www.prodivecairns.com SHOP: Cnr Shields & Grafton Sts, Cairns FREECALL: 1800 353 213 PHONE: +617 4031 5255 RES: info@prodivecairns.com TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

VICLISTINGS MELBOURNE STAY

1800 008 718, hometravellersmotel.com.au

All Nations Backpackers Hotel & Bar 2 Spencer St. 1800 222 238, allnations.com.au

Hotel Bakpak Melbourne 167 Franklin St. 1800 645 200, hotelbakpak.com

Palace Theatre palace.com.au

CHECK IN

The Hi-Fi thehifi.com.au The Tote thetotehotel.com

Melbourne Central YHA 562 Flinders St. 03 9621 2523, yha.com.au

Base Melbourne 17 Carlisle St, St. Kilda. 1800 242 273, stayatbase.com

GREAT OCEAN RD Anglesea Backpackers 40 Noble St, Anglesea. 03 5263 2664, angleseabackpackers.com.au

Nomads Melbourne 198 A’beckett St. 1800 447 762, nomadshostels.com

Central Melbourne Accommodation 21 Bromham Place, Richmond. 03 9427 9826, centralaccommodation.net

Space Hotel 380 Russell St. 1800 670 611, spacehotel.com.au

Exford Hotel 199 Russell St. 03 9663 2697, exfordhotel.com.au

The Spencer 475 Spencer St. 1800 638 108, hotelspencer.com

Flinders Station Hotel 35 Elizabeth St. 03 9620 5100, flindersbackpackers.com.au

MELBOURNE DO

Eco Beach YHA 5 Pascoe St. 03 5237 7899, yha.com.au

BASE ST KILDA 17 Carlisle St, St Kilda. Dorms from $31 Located in Melbourne’s hippest hub, Base St Kilda is all about the relaxed beach vibe with world class accommodation.

Melbourne

stayatbase.com

11 Nicholson St, Carlton. 13 11 02 melbourne.museum.vic.gov.au

Melbourne 1300 798 843 skydivethebeachmelbourne.com

The Greenhouse Backpacker Level 6, 228 Flinders Lane. 1800 249 207, greenhousebackpacker.com.au

Australian Centre for the Moving Image Federation Square. 03 8663 2200, acmi.net.au

Habitat HQ 333 St Kilda Road, St Kilda. 1800 202 500, habitathq.com.au

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

Old Melbourne Gaol 377 Russell St. 03 8663 7228, oldmelbournegaol.com.au

Home at the Mansion 66 Victoria Parade. 03 9663 4212, homemansion.com.au

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

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

Esplanade Hotel espy.com.au

Skydive the Beach

Northcote Social Club northcotesocialclub.com

Home Travellers Motel 32 Carlisle St, St Kilda.

Melbourne Museum

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National Gallery of Victoria Federation Square. ngv.vic.gov.au

MELB MUSIC Cherry Bar myspace.com/cherrybarmelbourne Corner Hotel cornerhotel.com East Brunswick Club eastbrunswickclub.com

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

MORNINGTON Bayplay Lodge 46 Canterbury Jetty Rd, Blairgowrie. 03 5988 0188, bayplay.com.au

Stay. Play. Melbourne.

$28

Accommodation from $28 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

Book Now 1800

631 288 urbancentral.com.au

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334 CITY ROAD SOUTHBANK MELBOURNE VIC 3006 AUSTRALIA

VICLISTINGS GIPPSLAND

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

Prom Country Backpackers 03 5682 2614

Sorrento YHA 3 Miranda St, Sorrento. 03 5984 4323, yha.com.au

Cambrai Hostel Maffra 117 Johnson St, Maffra. 1800 101 113 maffra.net.au/hostel

Tortoise Head Lodge French Island. 03 5980 1234, tortoisehead.net

FREE UNLIMITED INTERNET

Awards

PHILLIP ISLAND Amaroo Park YHA 97 Church St, Cowes. 03 5952 3620, yha.com.au

DANDENONG Emerald Backpackers 03 5968 4086

The Island Accommodation 10-12 Phillip Island Tourist Road. 03 5956 6123 theislandaccommodation.com.au

MURRAY RIVER Echuca Gardens YHA 103 Av, Mitchell St, Echuca. 03 5480 6522, yha.com.au

Vote for us!

go to: goldenbackpacks.tntdownunder.com

GRAMPIANS Grampians YHA Eco Hostel Cnr Grampians & Buckler Rds, Halls Gap. 03 5356 4543, yha.com.au

Mildura City Backpackers 50 Lemon Ave, Mildura. 03 5022 7922, milduracitybackpackers.com.au

Tim’s Place 44 Grampians Road, Halls Gap. 03 5356 4288, timsplace.com.au

Oasis Backpackers 230 Deakin Av, Mildura. 04 0734 4251, milduraoasisbackpackers.com.au

The Spencer Everything you want in a hostel! Friendly and affordable

FEATURES

Free Pick ups Free Parking Cable TV VIP Discounts Great bar Laundry Tour info Job search

Rooftop garden Modern,fully equipped kitchen Short walk from Southern Cross station Female dorms, mixed dorms, twins, doubles, ensuites

Free call: 1800 638 108

475 Spencer Street, Melbourne email: hotelspencer@hotkey.com.au www.spencerbackpackers.com.au Find us on Facebook ‘The Spencer Backpackers’ We are a VIP hostel!

FREECALL: 1800 249 207

Central location 24 hour reception Kitchen & laundry Keycard access Luggage Storage Lockers

HEAPS OF ACTIVITIES!

Level 6, 228 Flinders Lne Melbourne, VIC 3000 greenhouse@friendlygroup.com.au www.greenhousebackpacker.com.au www.northerngreenhouse.com.au

FREE DAILY BREAKFAST

Walking tour, Pub crawl, Bingo night, Pasta night, Sunday pancakes and much more!

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VICLISTINGS

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HIPSTER LIVING

MELBOURNE The Victorian capital oozes culture. Art, music, theatre and comedy acts abound, along with live bands, great shopping and friendly cafés. Melbourne is also home to the Aussiest of Aussie pastimes – football (we’re talking Aussie Rules, mate). Players are even more famous here than any Neighbours stars, which also happens to be filmed in the city. Home to the world’s second largest Greek population, Melbourne has a fascinating range of markets, delicatessens and restaurants. Whatever your favourite cuisine – Greek, Kosher, Italian, Maltese, Vietnamese, Thai – you’re sure to find excellent budget choices here.

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ADELAIDE STAY

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

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

CHECK IN

Blue Galah Backpackers Lvl 1, 52-62, King William St. 08) 8231 9295, bluegalah.com.au

GLENELG BEACH HOSTEL 1-7 Moseley Street, Glenelg. Beds from $24 A beautiful heritage building adjacent to the popular Jetty Rd, which is lined with restaurants, cafes, alfresco dining and shopping.

Glenelg Beach Hostel 5-7 Moseley St. Glenelg. 1800 359 181, glenelgbeachhostel.com.au

Glenelg, Adelaide

glenelgbeachhostel.com.au

Hostel 109 109 Carrington St. 1800 099 318, hostel109.com My Place 257 Waymouth St. 1800 221 529, adelaidehostel.com.au

Adelaide Zoo Frome Rd. 08 8267 3255, zoossa.com.au

Shakespeare Hostel 123 Waymouth St. 1800 556 889, shakeys.com.au

Haigh’s Chocolates Factory tours. 153 Greenhill Rd, Parkside 1800 819 757, haighschocolates.com.au

ADELAIDE DO Adelaide Oval Home to the Donald Bradman collection. War Memorial Drive. 08 8300 3800 cricketsa.com.au

Temptation Sailing Dolphin swimming, Glenelg. 04 1281 1838 dolphinboat.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

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 Port Elliot Beach House YHA

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

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Photo: SATC

COOBER PEDY Roughly halfway between Adelaide and the Red Centre, Coober Pedy is a hot, barren and surreal town based around opal mining. Most of the population lives underground to escape the desert heat. Set in a dusty moonscape, the town is popular for filming movies set after an apocalypse or on hostile planets, such as parts of the Mad Max films, which gives you an idea of what to expect. It’s a very freaky, must-visit part of the outback.

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WALISTINGS 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 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 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 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 Perth Mint 310 Hay St. 08 9421 7223, perthmint.com.au Perth Zoo 20 Labouchere Road, South Perth. 08 9474 3551, perthzoo.wa.gov.au

PERTH MUSIC Amplifier

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follow us on amplifiercapitol.com.au Astor liveattheastor.com.au Mojo’s Bar mojosbar.com.au The Bakery nowbaking.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 Sundancer Backpackers Resort 80 High St. 08 9336 6080, sundancerbackpackers.com.au

FREO DO Fremantle Markets Henderson Street Fremantle 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 1 Emma Place North Fremantle 1300 Go Rotto rottnestexpress.com.au

MARGARET RIV Margaret River Lodge YHA 220 Railway Tce. 08 9757 9532, yha.com.au Surfpoint 12 Riedle Drive Prevally 08 9757 1777surfpoint.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

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

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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

WORD FROM THE STREET

Alex Vivas, UK WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN IN WA SO FAR? I did a roadtrip from Perth to Broome. What a trip. FAVOURITE DAY SPOT? The Ningaloo Reef was at least as good as the Great Barrier Reef, the Pinnacles were pretty amazing as was Karijini National Park. The whole trip has been incredible. But I hear the Kimberley is even better. FAVOURITE NIGHT SPOT? Broome is great fun. Except when an Aboriginal busker guys thought I was in the proclaimers. Sod.

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TASLISTINGS

HOBART STAY

LAUNCESTON DO

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

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

CHECK IN

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

103 Canning St, Launceston. Dorms from $24 A simple place to rest your head which makes a great base for exploring nearby Cradle Mountain.

HOBART DO

Launceston

launcestonbackpackers.com.au

PORT ARTHUR 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

DEVONPORT

LAUNCESTON BACKPACKERS

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

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

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

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

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

@tnt_downunder

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

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

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

DEVONPORT Devonport is on the north coast, in a major vegetable-growing area, and is the closest entry point to Melbourne. The Spirit of Tasmania ferries dock at the mouth of the Mersey River; shuttle buses operate from Devonport airport, 8km east of the city. Devonport is an excellent place to prepare for your travels, with a range of specialist backpacker services, particularly if you’re planning on visiting the famous Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, 80km to the south. Buses leave daily. Devonport is also another great place for cycling.

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NTLISTINGS

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

KATHERINE STAY

CHECK IN

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

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

DARWIN DO Crocosaurus Cove Crocodile park and cage of death. 58 Mitchell St. 08 8981 7522, crocosauruscove.com Deckchair Cinema Jervois Rd, Darwin Waterfront. 08 8981 0700, deckchaircinema.com.au

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

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

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

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

ANNIE’S PLACE Traeger Avenue, Alice Springs. Dorms from $20 Offering free Wifi, free breakfast, free airport pick up and free luggage storage, this funky hostel in the heart of the Alice also has a rocking bar.

Alice Springs

anniesplace.com.au

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

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

MUST DO!

THE CAGE OF DEATH At Darwin’s Crocosaurus Cove you can jump in an acrylic cage and come face-to-face with a giant saltwater croc. It’s the only experience of its kind Down Under and seeing the crocs so close, and in perfectly clear water, is something you’re unlikely to forget. From $108.

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FIJILISTINGS NADI & WEST Aquarius Pacific Hotel +679 672 6000 Beach Escape Villas +679 672 4442, beachscape@ connect.com.fj Cathay Hotel +679 666 0566, fiji4less.com Horizon Backpackers +679 672 2832, horizonbeachfiji.com Nadi Bay Resort Hotel +679 672 3599, fijinadibayhotel.com Nadi Down Town Backpackers Inn +679 670 0600, pacvalley@connect.com.fj Nadi Hotel +679 670 0000, ndht@connect.com.fj Nomads Skylodge Hotel +679 672 2200 Saweni Beach Apartment Hotel +679 666 1777, fiji4less.com Smugglers Cove +679 672 6578, smugglers beachfiji.com Travellers Beach Resort +679 672 3322, beachvilla@connect.com.fj

YASAWA ISLANDS

Rendezvous Dive Resort +679 628 4427, surfdivefiji.com Robinson Crusoe +679 629 1999, robinsoncrusoeislandfiji.com Seashell Cove Resort +679 670 6100, seashellresort.com Tabukula Beach Bungalows +679 650 0097, fiji4less.com The Uprising Beach Resort +679 345 2200, uprisingbeachresort.com Tsulu Luxury Backpackers & Apartments +679 345 0065, tsulu.com Vakaviti Motel & Dorm +679 650 0526, bulavakaviti@connect.com.fj Vilisite Place +679 650 1030

SUVA Colonial Lodge +679 92 75248, sailevukaga@yahoo.co.nz Lami Lodge Backpackers +679 336 2240, volau@connect.com.fj

Coconut Bay Resort +679 666 6644 coconutbay_fiji2002@yahoo.com

Leleuvia Island Resort +679 331 9567, eleen@leleuvia.com

Korovou Eco Tour Resort +679 666 6644 korovoultk@connect.com.fj

Raintree Lodge +679 332 0562, raintreelodge.com

Kuata Resort +679 666 6644

Royal Hotel +679 344 0024 royal@connect.com.fj

Long Beach Backpackers Resort +679 666 6644

South Seas Private Hotel +679 331 2296, fiji4less.com

Manta Ray Island +679 672 6351 mantarayisland@connect.com.fj

Tailevu Hotel +679 343 0028

Oarsmans Bay Lodge +679 672 2921, nacula@hotmail.com Octopus Resort +679 666 6337 reservations@octopusresort.com Sunrise Lagoon Resort +679 666 6644 Wayalailai Island Resort +679 672 1377 wayalailai@connect.com.fj White Sandy Beach Dive Resort +679 666 4066

MAMANUCA ISL Beachcomber Island Resort +679 666 1500, beachcomberfiji.com Bounty Island Resort +679 666 6999, fiji-bounty.com Rau Kini’s Hostel +679 672 1959, rtkinihostel@connect.com.fj The Funky Fish Beach Resort +679 628 2333, funkyfishresort.com The Resort Walu Beach +679 665 1777, walubeach.com

CORAL COAST Beachouse +679 653 0500, fijibeachouse.com

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Pacific Safaris Club +679 345 0498, safariclub@connect.com.fj

Awesome Adventures Fiji +679 675 0499, awesomefiji.com

Nabua Lodge +679 666 9173 nabualodge@connect.com.fj

Mango Bay Resort +679 653 00690, mangobayresortfiji.com

NORTH VITI LEVU Bethams Cottage +679 669 4132, bethams.com.fj Macdonalds Beach Cottages +679 669 4633 Morrison’s Beach Cottagess +679 669 4516, tipple@connect.com.fj Safari Lodge Fijis +679 669 3333 safarilodge.com.fj Volivoli Beach Resort +679 669 4511, volivoli.com

VANUA LEVU Bayside Backpacker Cottage +679 885 3154, tripntour@connect.com.fj Hidden Paradise Guest House +678 885 0106 Naveria Heights Lodge +679 851 0157, justnaveria@connect.com.fj Savusavu Hot Springs +679 885 0195, hotspringshotel@connect.com.fjj

TAVEUNI Albert’s Sunrise +679 333 7555 Matava Resort +679 330 5222, matava.com

DIVING IN FIJI Fiji is thought to be amongst the best destinations in the world for diving. With over 400 species of corals, as well as plenty of sea walls, drops and caves, there’s something for the advanced diver, as well as perfect conditions for the beginner. There’s an abundance of tropical fish, as well as reef sharks, dolphins, manta rays and turtles while visibility is excellent too, often stretching to 50 metres. Plus, to top it off, sea temperatures average about 26°C all year around. Head to Beq Lagoon for the legendary shark dives, where it’s not unknown for a tiger shark to turn up. Nothing’s gone wrong, to date...

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NZLISTINGS

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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

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 Darn Cheap Rentals 0800 447 363, exploremore.co.nz Econo Campers +64 9275 9919, econocampers.co.nz Escape Rentals 1800 456 272, escaperentals.co.nz Explore More 1800 800 327, dcrentals.com.nz Jucy Rentals 0800 399 736, jucy.com.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

AUCKLAND 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, Base Auckland 229 Queen St. 0800 227 369, stayatbase.com Bamber House (BBH) 22 View Rd, Mt Eden. +64 9623 4267, hostelbackpacker.com Central City Backpackers 26 Lorne St. +64 9358 5685, backpacker.net.nz City Garden Lodge 25 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell. +64 9302 0880 The Fat Camel (Nomads) 38 Fort St. +64 9307 0181, nomadshostels.com

Nomads Auckland 16-20 Fort St. +64 9300 9999, nomadshostels.com Oaklands Lodge (BBH) St. +64 5A Oaklands Rd, Mt Eden. +64 9638 6545, oaklands.co.nz Queen Street Backpackers (VIP) 4 Fort St. +64 9373 3471, enquiries@qsb.co.nz

bungibackpackers.co.nz

6 McDonald Cres. +64 4384 3041, backpackerswellington.co.nz

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

Rowena’s Backpackers (VIP) 115 Brougham St. 0800 80 1414 YHA Wellington City 292 Wakefield St. +64 4801 7280

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

CHRISTCHURCH

Surf ‘n’ Snow Backpackers 102 Albert St. +64 9363 8889, surfandsnow.co.nz

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

YHA Auckland City Cnr City Rd & Liverpool St. +64 9309 2802, yha.co.nz

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

YHA Auckland International 5 Turner St. +64 9302 8200, yha.co.nz

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

WELLINGTON Base Wellington 21-23 Cambridge Tce. +64 4801 5666 stayatbase.com Downtown Wellington Backpackers (BBH) 1 Bunny St. +64 4473 8482 db@downtownbackpackers.co.nz Lodge in the City (VIP) 152 Taranaki St. +64 4385 8560 lodgeinthecity.co.nz Nomads Capital 118 Wakefield St. 0508 666 237, nomadscapital.com Rosemere Backpackers (BBH)

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

Hippo Lodge (BBH) 4 Anderson Hts. +64 3442 5785, hippolodge.co.nz Nomads Queenstown 5-11 Church St. +64 3441 3922, nomadshostels.com Peterpans Adventure Travel 27 Shotover St Queenstown. peterpans.com.au

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

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

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

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

QUEENSTOWN Base Discovery Lodge St. +64 Queenstown 49 Shotover St. +64 3441 1185, stayatbase.com Bungi Backpackers (VIP, BBH) 15 Sydney St. 0800 728 286,

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

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

OZCAREERS

@tnt_downunder

Handle with care Australia is crying out for nurses, nannies and child care workers and you could earn decent wedge without much experience

Travellers may think that because they’re on a working holiday visa, they can’t get a “proper” job. But that’s a myth – you can earn decent wedge without much experience too. Even with bare minimum experience, a childcare worker could be earn upwards of $22/hour, while a nurse working full time can clear over $1,500 per week. There’s such a shortage of qualified health workers in Australia that it’s very much a worker’s market. If you’re yet to drag yourself off the beach and into an agency, there’s a few things worth sorting out, sharpish. Most important is registering. It’s easy to do online. It can cause delays later if you don’t get it sorted straight away. Getting hold of a reference (such as MIMS) is advisable, as is getting your head around Australian drug brand names as soon as you can. Then it’s all about deciding where and what you want to do. “Our nurses typically work hours to suit their travel and

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

social life,” says JP Nurseforce MD John Moore. Another bonus for travelling nurses is that an Australian labour shortage means there are plenty of sponsorship opportunities for those wanting to extend their stays. Childcare workers are also a sought after Down Under. A recent rise in pay rates means that this worthy job could have you walking out the door with between $21 and $30/ hour, depending on your experience. But experience isn’t essential. If you have worked previously in your local creche, or done some babysitting, then grab some references and you should be in. “In childcare you need loads of patience” says Shaun Michaeil of Child Care Crew. Being flexible and working well with both parents and children are a given and experience is a plus. “Don’t forget that when you get home you will have gained some valuable experience, along with a great opportunity to work alongside locals.”

registered nurses required in Australia Randstad Care is seeking qualiďŹ ed registered nurses for various positions in metropolitan and rural and remote areas across Australia. Full-time business sponsorship is available for international qualiďŹ ed nurses whom hold current Australian or New Zealand Nursing Registration. Work with Randstad Care and enjoy the beneďŹ ts of: t OBUJPOBM PQQPSUVOJUJFT t nFYJCMF BTTJHONFOUT t GVMM UJNF QPTJUJPOT t POHPJOH TVQQPSU GSPN PVS dedicated consultants Contact Randstad Care today. Australia: +61 7 4031 8755 E: nurses@randstad.com.au www.randstad.com.au

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Looking for work? Tired of eating one minute noodles on a goon hangover? Look no further, TNT has jobs just for backpackers - ranging from fruit picking to bar work!

FRUIT PICKING SALES HOSPITALITY LAW NURSING ADULT SERVICES SKILLED LABOUR

tntdownunder.com/jobs TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

OZINTERVIEW

@tnt_downunder

INTERVIEW WITH A NURSE

HANNAH TIERNAN SHREWSBURY, UK (ON LEFT)

What made you decide to work as a nurse in Australia? Nursing is one of those jobs that you can take anywhere in the world to get experience. Australia seemed like as good a place as any to start. How did you land your new job? I found a health professional job vacancy site on the internet by google-ing New South Wales e-recruit and applied for a handful of positions. UK and Irish nurses have a good reputation out here for working hard so it wasn’t too difficult to get a job. And what exactly is it that you do now? I am a nurse in the emergency department of a hospital in Sydney, looking after people with acute problems like heart attacks or being involved in car crashes to more long term problems like homelessness or helping the older generation who cannot cope in their own homes any longer. I come home with great stories to tell my housemates! How does nursing in Australia compare to back home? It was pretty hard to get used to the different drug names as they use brand names intend of the generic names like we do at home. I asked someone if they wanted paracetamol once and they didn’t know what I was talking about! It is also quite behind the UK in nursing technology and research. How long do you plan to nurse in Australia for? How long can you stay? I plan to be here for a couple of years, I got sponsored pretty much as soon as I started work so I can stay for four years and then try for residency if I want to.

Where have you worked so far, and what is your next destination? I have only worked in Australia but I am planning on doing some work for a charity in Africa at the end of next year, then off to America. Want to share you best nursing advice for travellers? Don’t be afraid to ask questions, people understand that we do things differently back home. Try and keep your good habits like hand hygiene and infection control. Things aren’t as strict over here which is a nice change but there is proof that clean hands make a big difference. How does the pay compare to your expectations? It’s brilliant! I get more than twice as much as I would do at home and my life-style is great. I can afford to eat out and shop, go on holidays and save a big sum too. Nurses can’t do that in the UK. Any advice for budding nurses to be who are travelling in Australia? It depends how long you want to stay traveling for. If you are thinking more than six months in one place, definitely get sponsored, you get job security, sick leave and annual leave. If you are here for a good time, not a long time, then agency work is where to go, the money is better and you can pick your days off but they send you all over the city to different hospitals and wards. Don’t forget to see Australia too, make sure you get days off together so you can go on mini breaks.

To look for jobs in Australia, head to tntdownunder.com/ jobs

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

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

TOTALLYTRIVIAL

@tnt_downunder

WHO TO BLAME

AND THEIR FAVOURITE THING TO DO IN SYDNEY EDITOR

ALEX HARMON (Fight for 3am cabs)

STAFF WRITER HUGH RADOJEV (Bondi sessions)

JAMES BESANVALLE (Scale the Harbour Bridge)

AUSSIE ATTACK SHARK RULES FOOTBALL a) Pygmy c) Lemon

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

LISA FERRON (Climb Palm Beach lighthouse)

a) 50-100 c) 375-475

ACCOUNT MANAGER

JUSTIN STEINLAUF

(Cottaging)

SALES EXECUTIVE MIKE RAMSDEN

(Swedish girls)

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER TRISH BAILEY

(Hang in Manly)

WHAT WE DID THIS WEEK

SHOPPED TIL WE DROPPED IN MELBOURNE’S CHAPEL STREET AND TOTES GOT LOTS OF INSTAGRAM SHOTS OF STREET ART

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

AUSSIE-ISM

8 4

7 6

“PIKER”

2 4

b) South Africa d) USA

shark? a) Reef b) Great White c) Bull d) Thresher

SUDOKU PUZZLE 2

Which country has the highest Q 8.number of shark attacks a year?

Q 9. Which is the most violent species of

Q 5. What is the fastest swimming species of shark? a) Mako b) Nurse c) Bull d) Pygmy

a) German word for ‘Villain’ b) Latin word for ‘Rough Skinned’ c) Italian word for ‘Jaws’ d) The middle English word for ‘Sharp’

a) Bermuda c) Australia

Q 4. What is the largest known shark? a) Megamouth b) Basking c) Great White d) Whale

6. A shark typically eats what percentage of its body weight every day? a) 100 b) 2 c) 30 d) 75

What is the likely origin of the word Q 7.shark?

b) Over 1,000 d) Over 3,000

3. How long do most sharks live for in the wild? a) One year b) 10 years c) 50 years d) 25 years

GOT OUR TASH ON FOR THIS MONTH’S SCUBAR MOVEMBER PARTY GOT OUR TASH ON AGAIN FOR THE SCARY CANARY MOUSTACHE PARTY. MOVEMBER WILL MAKE PORN STARS OF US ALL

b) Lanternshark d) Thresher

How many species of shark are Q 2.known to exist?

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

TOM WHEELER (Interpretive dance)

What is the smallest known shark Q 1.species?

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

INTERN

If someone is being a “piker” then they’re likely to back out of an arrangement or run away from something. It can also be used as an excuse: “Sorry mate, I’ve got to pike on ya”

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