TNT Magazine: Australia

April 16-22 2012 Issue 677 tntdownunder.com

! ier WIN eat barr

a gr gala reef & yon ive wreck d e adventur

setting the scene Your guide to iconic Aussie film locations

the final frontier Heading into WA’s remote Kimberley region

trail finders Discover Peru’s lost city of Machu Picchu

r e y a l p r e pow

rne us in Melbou io v b o e th g voidin hy he’ll be a w n o n a rm ave Go Comedian D + upcoming gigs champions league preview

reef interview rihanna’s movie debut

R E V O DISC A C I R E M A H T SOU At Student Flights we’re full of adventure ideas.

It’s the idea that the stock-standard tourist trip isn’t necessarily your style. The idea that stepping outside your comfort zone is always worth it. The idea that discovery leads to unique encounters. The idea that calculated risk heightens the experience and that if you go to the edge you just might see a new way forward. It’s ultimately the idea that this is what life is all about and that sharing it with like-minded travellers creates an unforgettable experience.

flights

tours

accommodation

under 26 return from everyone return from

Lima

$2223*

$2554*

Rio De Janeiro $2213*

$2452*

Santiago

$1999*

$2262*

you get a 7-day G Adventures tour from Cuzco + 3 nights hotel + 3 nights camping also some meals + tour guide + transport top spots Sacred Valley + Inca Trail + Machu Picchu.

Buenos Aires $2038

$2277

Andes & Amazon

South America multi-stop $2919*

$3204*

*

*

you get an airfare stopping in Lima + Rio de Janeiro + Buenos Aires.

call 1300 316 770 facebook.com/studentflightsAU

The Inca Trail

save $200 * now from

from

$799*

$1699*

you get an 8-day Contiki tour from Lima + 6 nights hotel + 1 night eco lodge also some meals + tour guide + transport top spots Sacred Valley + Macchu Picchu + Puerto Maldonado.

Lima 3-star

from

$19*

you get 1 night at the Grand Bolivar hotel + breakfast how about a Lima City Tour from an extra $28*.

Cuzco 4-star

from

$55*

you get 1 night at the Eco Inn hotel + breakfast how about a 1-day Machu Picchu tour from an extra $338*.

Lima 5-star

from

$69*

you get 1 night at the Sheraton hotel + breakfast how about a Lima by Night tour from an extra $68*.

studentflights.com.au twitter.com/studentflights

*Travel restrictions and conditions apply. Please ask us for further details. Prices and taxes are correct as at 1 Feb 12 and are subject to change without notice. Prices quoted are on sale until 30 Apr 12 unless otherwise stated or sold out prior. Prices are per person and are subject to availability. Seasonal surcharges and blackout dates may apply depending on date of travel. Airfare not included unless otherwise stated. Where airfare is included, additional taxes specific to your flight routing may apply and/or may not include checked luggage (which can incur additional charges). Prices shown are fully inclusive of taxes, levies, government charges and other applicable fees. Payments made by credit card will incur a surcharge. Prices shown are for payments made by cash in store. Advertised price includes any bonus nights. Minimum/maximum stay restrictions may apply. Student airfares are available to full-time students holding a valid ISE/ISIC card and/or be a youth under 26 with a valid IYTC card.

PRICES ADVERTISED ARE FROM SYDNEY ONLY, FOR ALL OTHER CITIES PLEASE CONTACT STUDENT FLIGHTS. Flight Centre Limited (ABN 25 003 377 188) trading as Student Flights. Lic No. ACT 18800224. NSW 2TA002719. NT 008. QLD TAG262. SA TTA254. TAS TAS031. VIC 31089. WA 9TA 589. SFADV50671

ANDREW WESTBROOK EDITOR editor@tntdownunder.com

EDITOR’S LETTER Howdy folks. We’ve got an action-packed issue for you this week, with one story in particular that’s close to my heart.

After almost five years of cruising around Oz, I’m regularly asked where I like most, and my answer is always the same – the Kimberley. Wild, stunning and full of adventure, it’s what travelling Australia is all about. Plus, Broome ain’t too shabby either. Check out our story on the WA region on p38.

THIS WEEK OZ DIARY

4

MUSIC & FILM

14

COMPETITION

18

CELEB GOSSIP

24

SPOTTED

26

NEWS

28

SPORT

30

TRAVEL

34

LISTINGS NSW

49

LISTINGS QUEENSLAND

50

LISTINGS TASMANIA

53

LISTINGS VICTORIA

54

LISTINGS WA

58

LISTINGS NT

60

LISTINGS SA

61

LISTINGS NEW ZEALAND

62

WORK

64

TRIVIAL PURSUITS

66

6

38

FEATURES LOCATION, LOCATION

6

From dancing queens to talking pigs: the films which co-star the land of Oz

SUPER POWER

20

Chatting to comedian Dave Gorman about his ‘PowerPoint Presentation’

CAMEL TOE

38

The spectacular beauty and wildlife in Western Australia’s Kimberley region

GETTING INKED

42

Hiking Peru’s Inca Trail and discovering the magical Machu Picchu

42

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OZDIARY EDITORIAL Editor Andrew Westbrook Staff writer Alex Harmon Editorial assistant Leigh Livingstone Contributors Tom Sturrock | Fraser Kidd | Ryan Sengara | Janine Kelso

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The Brisbane Roar chicken dance

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Design and production manager Lisa Ferron SALES Account manager Justin Steinlauf Sales executive Caroline Ward MARKETING & EVENTS Business development manager Tom Wheeler Marketing assistant Leroy Meurs DISTRIBUTION Lee Sutherland ACCOUNTS Financial controller Trish Bailey

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PUBLISHER TNT Multimedia Limited PRINTED BY Rural Press NEWS AAP PICTURES Getty Images | Thinkstock | AAP | TNT Images | Tourism Australia | Tourism Victoria | Tourism New South Wales | Tourism NT | Tourism Queensland | Tourism Tasmania | South Australia Tourism | Tourism Western Australia | Tourism New Zealand | Tourism Fiji | TNT Magazine , 126 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale, Sydney, NSW 2008 tntdownunder.com General enquiries Phone 02 8332 7500 Fax 02 9690 1314 Email enquiries@tntdownunder.com SALES ENQUIRIES

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MAIN EVENT A LEAGUE FINAL BRISBANE

Brisbane Roar are the hosts and they’re bringing either the Central Coast Mariners or Perth Glory to the A-League grand final party. Punters are sure that Brisbane Roar, with home advantage, will become the first club in the competition’s history to win back-toback titles. Will they be right? If you’re in Brisbane head to Suncorp Stadium to find out, or if you can’t watch it live, be sure to head to your nearest sports bar for kick off at 4pm. $23

April 22 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

footballaustralia.com.au

WHERE TO GET TNT

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

HOMELESS WORLD CUP

SUPANOVA POP CULTURE FEST

GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

It’s not all about the A-League this weekend, get along to the final of the Street Soccer National Championships in Darling Harbour. The corporate cup raises money for the homeless, disabled, and those experiencing long-term unemployment.

Attention all geeks, get into cosplay (cos-tume role-play) because this giant pop culture festival is hitting the Goldie.

See science-fiction, pulp TV/ movies, games, trading cards, animation, comics and the Harry Potter twins, all under the one roof.

Like your film with a slice of strudel?

Well, you’ve got 37 German films to whet your appetite.

In Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this week (rest of the states to follow) you can catch everything from arthouse, romance, sci-fi, comedy, shorts and more.

April 22 The floating pitch, Darling Harbour streetsoccer.org.au

April 20-22 Gold Coast Convention Centre supanova.com.au

April 19-30 Selected cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane goethe.de

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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Huge Action plays hard to get in the Kimberley for Australia

On location: lights, camera, action!

With its vast landscapes and glimmering cities, Australia has long been popular with movie-makers. Here’s some you might recognise WORDS LEIGH LIVINGSTONE

It’s no secret that US films often dominate the Australian box office.

Hollywood gives the world big franchises and multi-studio backed blockbusters, while Aussie production companies have made their bread and butter from years of modest, intelligent dramas that unfortunately don’t often translate into box office gold as far as the rest of the world is concerned.

However, the Australian film industry is nothing to sneeze at. It sure ain’t Hollywood but what the land Down Under has in spades that Tinseltown doesn’t is location, location, location.

There was a time in years gone by when it was mega-cheap for international 6

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productions to film in Australia to save a bit of cash and, even though the dollar is stronger nowadays, the cat is now truly out of the bag. The celluloid world is well aware just how diverse and cinematic this great southern land can be.

The dusty outback can become a barren, futuristic wasteland, the lush rainforest in tropical north Queensland can be transformed into the exotic Amazon and any city could be the setting for an ultimate final battle with the right lighting and framing. What a crafty chameleon Australia is.

The industry has also given rise to some of the world’s biggest stars: Mel

Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe just to name a few.

Thanks to their high profile success, now, more than ever, the rest of the world is catching on to what we already know – Australia is awesome.

If you know where to look, there are plenty of places on your travels where you can roam the roads like Mad Max, swim with the fish like Nemo or slow-mo fight your way through Sydney like Neo and the gang, but we take no responsibility for the strange looks you’ll get with that last one.

Here are some of the best places to walk in the footsteps of your favourite films and let loose your inner movie star.

AUSTRALIA THE KIMBERLEY

THE MAD MAX TRILOGY MELBOURNE AREA AND BROKEN HILL

The story: Lady Laura Ashley (Nicole Kidman), an English aristocrat, inherits a cattle ranch in northern Australia during the Second World War. Helping her manage the land, becoming her lover in the process, is Drover (Hugh Jackman).

The location: Baz Luhrmann’s self-appointed masterpiece was filmed mostly around the Kimberley region of northern WA, most easily recognised with the stampede scene through the Bungles. The ancient mountain ranges and rugged sandstone terrain made the perfect backdrop to transport the cast and crew back to Australia of the 1940s. The Faraway Downs ranch was built in Kununurra, 500km west of Darwin.

However, some of the scenes set in Darwin were moved to Bowen, Queensland, because of production costs.

The story: Set in ‘future’ wasteland Australia, this 1979 classic follows the story of ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) as he loses his family and becomes a disenfranchised anti-hero drifter.

The location: Mel Gibson’s career-launching turn as Max was filmed around Melbourne and greater Victoria. You can do a self-organised day tour of the central Melbourne locations (see madmaxmovies.com). Max’s house, for example, can be found at Fairhaven (near Lorne), along the Great Ocean Road. Parts two and three of the series were filmed mostly in outback New South Wales, at Broken Hill and Silverton, with bits also in SA’s Coober Pedy. There’s now even a museum in Silverton dedicated to all things Mad Max, including a number of the original cars. Two more Max installments (without Gibson) are currently on the cards, but heavy outback rains have meant the production might be moving to Africa instead.

FINDING NEMO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF The story: Clownfish Nemo gets caught in a net and ends up in an fishtank in a Sydney dentist’s office.

The location: Okay, so Nemo wasn’t a real fish (sorry kids), but his home is real, with the Great Barrier Reef, and its locals, the real stars.

THE GREAT GASTBY SYDNEY’S HARBOURSIDE SUBURBS

The story?

Computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) is awakened to the reality that machines are living off the human race and have enslaved them all in an artificial reality known as the Matrix. Neo finds he is the saviour the human rebellion has been searching for.

The location: Most of this sci-fi smash was filmed in and around the Sydney CBD, with the producers loving it so much they also returned for the sub-par sequels. The BT Tower in Market Street is most memorable for having a helicopter smashed into it, while Martin Place also makes an easily-recognisable appearance. Other locations included Redfern for the subway scenes, Millers Point and Museum Station, as well as Kent Street and the Chippendale area.

The story? Set in 1920s Long Island, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) is intrigued by the lavish lifestyle of his neighbour Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and gets sucked into the madness and tragedy that surrounds him.

The location: Another Baz Luhrmann exercise in showing off what Australia has to offer. This yet-to-bereleased retelling of the F Scott Fitzgerald novel was mostly filmed last year around the north-eastern areas of Sydney, with scenes shot in Balmain, Glebe Island and Waverley, while Gatsby’s mansion is the gothic St Patrick’s Seminary, which enjoys spectacular views of Manly.

THE MATRIX SYDNEY CBD

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THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT SYDNEY AND VARIOUS OUTBACK LOCATIONS

THE MAN WHO SUED GOD BEGA VALLEY

The story: Two drag queens and a transsexual get a contract to take their fabulous show to Alice Springs, so they set off from Sydney on a road trip across the outback in their shiny bus.

The location: Other than Sydney pub The Imperial, in Erskineville, where the action kicks off, South Australian town Coober Pedy was used as itself, while most of the other scenes were filmed in Broken Hill in NSW, plus Alice Springs and Kings Canyon in the NT. Originally it was hoped a scene could be filmed on top of Uluru, but it was deemed a violation of Aboriginal beliefs.

The story: Steve Myers (Billy Connolly) was a lawyer turned fisherman who sues God after his boat is destroyed.

The location: The pretty town of Bermagui in the Bega Valley on the south coast of New South Wales was used for most of the filming, as well as the law courts on Liverpool Street in Sydney.

WOLF CREEK RURAL SOUTH AUSTRALIA The story: Drawing inspiration from real Australian murders, this horror movie tells of three stranded backpackers being held hostage in the outback.

The location: Although the story takes place along the Great Northern Highway as the characters travel from Broome to Cairns, most of it was actually shot in South Australia. Main locations included the Barossa Valley and the Flinders Ranges. The meteorite crater where the action starts was filmed at the real meteorite location, called Wolfe Creek, which is found in northern WA.

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FOOL’S GOLD PORT DOUGLAS CROCODILE DUNDEE KAKADU NATIONAL PARK The story: An American reporter (Linda Kozlowski) is sent to outback Australia in search of Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan), before promptly falling for him and taking him back to NYC. The locations: Most of the outback scenes of the first and second films were shot in Kakadu National Park, notably at Ubirr. However, McKinlay, near Mt Isa in Queensland, and its Federal Hotel became Mick’s hometown of Walkabout Creek and the Walkabout Creek Bar respectively. The hotel is now permanently known as Walkabout Creek Hotel.

Head to the Adelaide River Inn, outside Darwin, to see the original water buffalo Dundee hypnotised. You’ll find him by the bar, stuffed.

The story: An estranged couple of treasure hunters (Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey) stumble across a new clue to the elusive big haul of their careers and rekindle their sense of adventure.

The location: Originally meant to be filmed in the Caribbean, production was moved to Port Douglas due to hurricane season.

Other filming took place in Airlie Beach, Hervey Bay and on Hamilton Island.

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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II SYDNEY HARBOUR

BABE SOUTHERN NSW

The story: Secret agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has a new team and they are sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease.

The location: This film used a truckload of great Sydney locations, mostly around The Rocks and central CBD area.

There’s plenty of stunning shots of Centrepoint Tower, while Darling Harbour and the Harbour Bridge also feature heavily throughout. The Biocyte Pharmaceuticals building was actually Governor Phillip Tower, while Royal Randwick played host to the horse racing scenes. Even some of the shots that were supposed to be set in Seville, Spain, actually happened in Argyle Place, The Rocks. Bare Island in La Perouse was used for many of the movie’s best action scenes.

The story: Babe, the runt of this litter, is awarded to Farmer Hoggett who finds he has talent as a sheep-herding pig.

The location: Most of the scenes involving Hoggett’s Farm and the animals in the outdoors were filmed in the Southern Highlands of NSW in a quiet little place called Robertson.

BOOK NOW!

$399 RANGI PASS

AU

30% OFF NATIONAL PASSES* FOR CARDHOLDERS www.kiwiexperience.com

Terms and conditions: Discounted rate of AU$399 applies to standard brochured rates on Rangi pass only. *Discount of 30% off is only valid for YHA, ISIC, VIP and Nomads cardholders and discount is taken from cardholders standard rates for The Whole Kit and Caboodle, Funky Chicken, Kitchen Sink, Zephyr, Sheepdog, Top Dog, TranzAlpine Dog Leg and Kea. Bookings must be made between 04-30 April 2012. Standard 12 month travel validity applies. Offer not valid in conjunction with any other offer excluding the Day Trip 5% discount. 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. KX999-04/12-AUD

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cker a p k c a B fares l i a r y d Rea > ADL $49

MEL < $125 > ADL SYD < $175 > ALICE ADL < $175 <> DAR E IC L A $219 PER > < L D A $299 PER > < D SY

The most relaxed way to see the vast Australian Outback is by train.

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Visit greatsouthernrail.com.au/backpackers or book with your licensed travel agent.

Terms and conditions apply. All Backpacker ReadyRail fares are based on Red Service Day/Nighter Seat Service and are available to members of recognised backpacker organisations for bookings made from 1 April 2012 for travel until 31 March 2013. All fares are also available in opposite direction. All fares include a fuel price surcharge. Prices are subject to change without notice, available for instant purchase. Non-refundable. *Shower and lounge facilities not available on The Overland, Melbourne <> Adelaide.

An additional lounge access charge of $10 for 1-sector, $15 for 2-sector or $25 for 3-sector is required and payable onboard. Travel Agent License No.TTA164190. 01917CDGM

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BATTLESHIP FILM REVIEW by Andrew Westbrook STARRING: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna, Tadanobu Asano | CERT: CTC | 142mins | Out now

THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS FILM REVIEW by Leigh Livingstone STARRING: Hugh Grant, David Tennant, Martin Freeman | CERT: G | 88mins | Out Now

This utterly British Wallace and Gromit-style animation has more than just kid’s stuff going on. Of course there are plenty of objects flying into the air to get the 3D giggles but there is also a distinctly Brit-rock sounding soundtrack and a bit of adult humour to keep the big kids happy. The highlight of such a fun movie being a poignant scene featuring the Flight Of The Conchords song “I’m Not Crying”.

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Firing the first shot of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer blockbuster season, this special effects extravanganza, which yes, really is based on the board game, had potential miss written all over it. However, fair’s fair, Battleship does score the occasional hit before sinking into oblivion.

Based in the waters off Hawaii, the story centres around a long-running NASA project, which had been sending signals out to a far off planet deemed similar enough to Earth to be able to support life. And surprise, surprise, some visitors from that planet turn up and they’re not quite as friendly as the boffins had hoped. Luckily, however, the invaders land in the middle of the biggest naval excercise on the planet. In the meantime, we’re introduced to cocky young officer Alex Hopper (Kitsch), whose attitude keeps getting the better of his potential, but who might, just might, come good in a crisis. And then there’s gorgeous and cheeky, but brave, gunner Raikes (Rihanna) and the grizzled father-in-law hard man admiral (Liam Neeson). Stop me when when this starts sounding familiar...

And yet, while there’s nothing new here (think Independence Day meets Transformers), the effects are great, and the way the film is eventually linked to the game actually works surprisingly well. It does exactly what it says on the aliens disaster movie tin, and is willing to make fun of itself in the process. It’s overlong, and easily forgotten, but still half-decent entertainment cannon fodder.

GOOD FOR: Some ear-bashing explosions which require nothing from your brain

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SHOCK THERAPY RIDE

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The old Lethal Weapon ride at Movie World has been upgraded and given a Batman-inspired makeover. Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy will have thrill seekers harnessed into the Ivy League of Insanity, reaching speeds of up to 85km/hr as you get into the mind of The Joker. While you’re there, hop on the new Green Lantern rollercoaster. movieworld.myfun.com.au

TIM BURTON BURLESQUE

MADAME TUSSAUDS

BURLESQUE

MUSEUM

Tim Burton and burlesque: they go together like wine and cheese. So you can imagine the characters of Batman, Sweeney Todd, and of course Edward Scissorhands in a burlesque show, right? Inspired by filmmaker Tim Burton and his wacky creations, ‘The Land of Timania’ is a burlesque show you don’t want to miss.

Sydney is now up there with London and New York as it has a wax museum of its own. Down at Darling Harbour you can expect to see a waxy looking Brangelina, Lady Gaga and Johnny Depp, but also locally grown stars such as Dannii Minogue, Guy Pearce, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kindman and good old Alf from Home and Away.

April 22. The Standard, Surry Hills moshtix.com.au

Opens Monday. Tickets from $28 madametussauds.com.au/sydney

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS The Kiwi folk music comedy duo have just announced an Aussie tour. As Jemaine puts it: “We are finally returning to Australia. Mostly to apologise.”

The boys are New Zealand’s self-proclaimed ‘fourth most popular folk-parody duo’ but we reckon they’re at least the third.

So if you’re a fan of Epileptic Dogs and Two Many Dicks on the Dancefloor then catch these muppets in Sydney (July 5), Brisbane (July 7), Newcastle (July 10), Melbourne (July 14) and Perth (July 18).

Tickets from $86 flightoftheconchords.co.nz

4 PINES MANLY

CARBON FESTIVAL

BAR

ART

The Manly bar that brews its own beer is about to launch (literally) the first ever “Space Beer” into the atmosphere.

For the rest of us Earthlings, head over to taste their award-winning Kolsch or their hand-crafted pale ale. They also serve classic beer food, mussels, curries, and pies overlooking Manly’s wharf. A bar for everyone, from tradies to suits.

Street art in boutique hotels? It must be Melbourne. Yep, the Carbon Festival showcases the biggest mural in the Southern Hemisphere, a street art installation, interactive workshops and a chance to discover The Cullen Hotel’s very own Street Art Hotel Suites (pictured). Check out the tours during the open house this Saturday.

The Esplanade, Manly

April 21. Prahran, Melbourne

KRAFTY KUTS TIX

WIN

TNT has teamed up with the Ivy to offer you three double passes to the upcoming Krafty Kuts/Peo De Pitte gig on the 28th of April. Krafty Kuts has gained some of dance music’s top gongs including Best International DJ at the Australian Dance Music Awards. So if you like your beats on the Krafty side then head to tntdownunder.com and answer our question for your chance to win!

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CHATROOM

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Reef After more than a decade out of the game, the UK’s surf rockers are back together and about to hit Aussie shores, so we got in touch with the band’s bassist Jack Bessant INTERVIEW ANDREW WESTBROOK

proximity that much you get really hot. There’s no chance to get away from it and each other’s faces and cool down. It’s also about finding inspiration for music, having that real passion.

We needed to go away and find that again, that organic rock spirit. Perhaps we weren’t really writing anything that was that good. It was becoming a bit of a struggle trying to find that organic rock. And we’re kind of a democratic band so finding agreement was getting a struggle to come to an agreement on anything.

It’s just what happens as time goes on you know.

Whereas now we’re just playing all the hits, it’s all cool, there’s no pressure to write anything new, maybe we will, maybe we won’t. It doesn’t really matter.

Yes, it’s the second coming

You guys seems like a perfect fit for Australia. You must enjoy your trips down here?

Definitely. We’ve just always found it really easy.

A couple of times in the past we were able to stay on after our tour to enjoy the country which was really cool. When you’re going to these places it’s great if you can just hang out and see some of it rather than just touring all the time.

We met really nice people and just went surfing with different people and explored with people we didn’t really know before.

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Does it feel strange being back on the road with Reef after so long?

Well, we’ve all been playing music for various different bands so it’s quite easy to get back into it. It’s been quite easy really, really enjoyable.

We’ve done a couple of tours and a festival in Britain last year. You know, the songs are good, we sound really good, pretty heavy. It’s still rock ‘n’ roll but we’ve got a bit more experience now.

Anywhere stand out?

I went down to Margaret River when we did a gig in Perth. That was really enjoyable. It’s beautiful, stunning. Another time we came out and played a festival in Lorne, by Bells Beach.

Falls Festival, I think. That was really nice, just exploring around there. Me and my friend just hired a van and just drove around at a snail’s pace, surfing it up and camping and that, it was really nice. That coastal road, I can’t remember what it’s called...

How did the decision to get back together come about?

I suppose after that amount of time away from it and having done a few other things, you learn a bit about yourself. It’s really nice to have had that time and do some travelling and stuff, it’s nice to get back together having done that.

Basically our old manager, called Tank, who actually lives in Australia now, he got us together for an Indian meal in London and just said, “let’s do some gigs”. We just thought why not.

It had got to that point where we could all say that, whereas before we all had different things going on.

The Great Ocean Road?

Yeah, that’s the one bud. It’s beautiful around there. I’ve got such lovely memories of Australia to be honest, it’s wicked.

How come it ended in the first place?

I think we’d just done it so much and toured so much. It was great, it was all really cool, but when you do that much touring and are in close

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You must have had some crazy times with fans back in the day?

Ha, craziness isn’t it? There’s always craziness after gigs. Even the other day there was this guy who dropped a couple of e’s and was just off his tree, flitting around like a crazy guy. I guess it evokes that kind of thing doesn’t it. You rock out and they rock out and everyone’s just a bit crazy afterwards. Rock ‘n’ roll things happen I suppose.

Starting out, did you have a plan B? No, not at all really. We were young. I just left home and went for it really. We worked hard. Me and Gary [Stringer – Reef’s singer], when we got the band together, were so determined to make it work. It’s such a hard scene. We were talented but we had to stick at it. It was really hard for a couple of years, without any help, just putting up posters, skating around London handing out flyers, calling out to people, “best band in London, check us out tonight”. It’s just such a hard scene, and that was then, but you just have to have a crack at it.

So there’s no new music on the cards?

Well, to come up with tunes that are really good, that are organic, you’ve got to be right into it.

We’ll see...

Reef will be playing Fremantle’s Metropolis (June 1), Brisbane’s Hi-Fi (June 7), Melbourne’s Billboard (June 8) and Sydney’s Metro (June 9). reefband.com

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Will the real Dave Gorman please stand up

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Keeping it west side

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Power tripping Genre-defining English funny man Dave Gorman is back in Australia with a brand new show under his arm. So what can Melbourne expect from his PowerPoint Presentation?

WORDS ANDREW WESTBROOK

When English comedian Dave Gorman first shot to fame over a decade ago with his documentary show Are You Dave Gorman?, he probably wasn't expecting one of the subjects of his research to still be influencing his life, let alone his ability to travel to Australia last week. But that, it seems, is exactly what's been happening, thanks to one of the other Dave Gormans that he crossed the world looking for, following a drunken bet with his then flatmate Danny Wallace, being less than popular with Aussie immigration.

"You can get a tourist visa online," explains Dave on the phone from the UK before jetting Down Under for his Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows. "But if I try and get one, I get a message telling me I have to attend the embassy. They told me there's someone with the same name as me, and with a very similar birthday, that always gets red-flagged in the system. Now, I'm in an unusual situation of having met 108 of my namesakes, so I guessed there was a fair chance I'd met the man responsible. But I didn't figure I'd ever work out which one it was."

Dave, however, has actually kept in touch with many of his namesakes, and happened to chance across the answer to the riddle when having dinner with one of them.

"It came up in conversation that his birthday is a mirror image of mine," explains the comic. "I was born on the 2nd of the 3rd and he was born on the 3rd of the 2nd." The clogs clicking into place, Gorman swiftly asked Gorman if he'd been to Australia and the truth quickly outed. Dave number two, a Canadian, had moved to England after marrying a British woman, but later flew to Australia not realising he needed a visa ("I just thought I could go anywhere in the Commonwealth!"). The Canadian was promptly sent home and destined to be flagged up by customs for ever more.

"My only consolation," adds the comedian, "is that his journey effectively took three days. His inconvenience was greater than mine will ever be."

And so, now that he knows not to take the strange visa demands personally, is he looking forward to returning to Australia with his new show? "Of course, I love it," he replies in a shot.

"Every UK comedian falls in love with the place. Most start entertaining fantasies about moving over. Then an Australian comedian takes you aside and explains that the live scene

“

Things with an obvious connection to comedy always make for pretty shit comedy

”

isn't quite as vibrant all year round. You're a big country with a spread out population. We're a small densely populated place. There's a new town – and a new audience – every 10 miles [in the UK], so touring is relatively doable. As a festival, however, Melbourne is absolutely the best."

Anyone that's followed the rise and rise of Liverpool fan ("don't remind me") Gorman, will be well aware that his documentary-style solo shows are a far cry from the usual stand-up fare. And his new show, PowerPoint Presentation, is no different. After all, PowerPoint isn't generally renowned for being a barrel of laughs.

"In my experience, things with an obvious connection to comedy always make for pretty shit comedy," he explains.

"The audience have already thought of everything. The laughs have already happened. But the show isn't about PowerPoint... it just uses it. Its connection to comedy is the same as the microphone's connection. It's just a way of delivering the material. It's not a parody of a business presentation – I wouldn't know where to begin with one of those as I've never sat through one.

"It's not me putting a slide up and then talking about it for five minutes. It's more like a double act between me and the presentation. There are over 800 slides in an hour, so it's pacey. Sometimes the presentation is underlining my point, sometimes it's undermining it. But it's only there to add to the funny."

Indeed, while Gorman isn't averse to doing more traditional stand-up, it's his multimedia shows that have really made his name, seen him hailed by critics across the globe and led to a stream of other comedians hailing him as TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

21

of time off. After a few days of sitting around I get a bit restless. So I put something on twitter saying, 'Would anyone like to play a game?'

“

A nutjob Creationist Christian hit me while we were playing one board game

”

White relished the opportunity to interview Fulham footballers and (inset) the band's latest album, Given To The Wild

a major influence. But does he feel he deserves the praise?

"It's weird seeing my name used as an adjective. I've seen broadsheet newspapers [in England] describing other people's shows as Gormanesque. It's especially odd when I don't think they are at all. I wasn't the first person to tell a true story on stage. Maybe I just got lucky that I was doing it when I was, and was playing with the technology I was. But then again, Are You Dave Gorman? was very low-tech. It was two screens and two slide projectors."

One thing that can't be called anything but Gormanesque is the man's latest book, Dave Gorman vs The Rest of the World. Much like his one-time flatmate Danny Wallace, who went on to write hit books like The Yes Man (which was later made into a Jim Carrey film), Gorman's projects so often centre around one simple, but brilliant, idea.

"It's about playing games. It started because I had a bit 22

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

"I wasn't really thinking beyond that day or the next. I went somewhere close to home to play a board game with a couple of strangers. It was fun. A nice day out. And it sort of grew from there. I wasn't planning on writing about it. Then one day a nutjob creationist Christian hit me while we were playing a Creationist board game. It was the aftermath of that, that made me realise there was a story worth telling."

But while Gorman is best known for his shows and books, as well as for starring in Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive and serving a stint as a reporter on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he's probably less-well known for what he actually started out as – a writer for a string of hit comedy TV programmes, with his credits including penning lines for Harry Hill, Steve Coogan and The Mrs Merton Show.

So is there anyone out there that he'd still like to write for? Gorman replies, "Ideally every comic finds their voice.

The best people to watch for me are people where you think, 'I could never do that material... they completely own this style' and we all hope that that's what we bring too. So the best people to write or produce for are people who do something completely different to you.

"If there was any crossover you'd find it impossible to give up material that you could use. But when you can create something that would be useless to you but perfect for them, that's really exciting. I think Johnny Vegas is an amazing comic force. Tim Minchin too. Naturally, neither of them need any help." ❚

Dave Gorman's PowerPoint Presentation is on at the Forum Theatre, as part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival, from now until Sunday 22 April. comedyfestival.com.au

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Keeping Up With The Cash-ins

K&K SITTING IN A MONEY TREE UNITED STATES

KATY GETS PROBED UNITED STATES

Speaking of divorce, Katy Perry is dabbling in a new religion since Russell swapped her for a yoga instructor, model, artist... I can’t keep up.

Growing up in a strict Christian household, you can forgive her for rebelling and marrying a godless sex-addict. But is the next logical step alien worshipping?

Katy told The Sun that she can’t get enough of the US TV show, Ancient Aliens.

“Now I’m seeing a lot more colour in the world and asking more questions. So I’m very into things that are above and beyond 24

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Diddy not for sale: P Diddy ain’t about to let anyone use his name to promote a festival. Well, not for free anyway. He has lashed out at the organisers of the hip-hop festival Supafest for claiming he is a headline act, even though his appearance was cancelled. He wrote to his five million followers on Twitter: “I wanna come to Supafest but its not up to me...The promoters never sent the money for the show I love you guys!

I’m MAD as fuck.” Probably not as mad as people who’ve bought tickets to the festival.

me and were before me and will be after me.” I know she’s deluded because she believes extra-terrestrials are fans of her music: “I do hope that when the aliens come, they’ll recognise me. I’ll be like, ‘Please don’t kill me, I wrote a song called ET’.” Sure, Katy...

SCAR-JO MAKES IT IN MEXICO CANADA

It wasn’t that long ago that Scarlett Johansson’s nude pics were leaked online. I guess being the accidental face of a sex shop in Mexico pales in comparison.

Her photo was used on a billboard in Mexico to promote a Californian

adult boutique which specializes in DVDs and VHS – classy.

I’m sure the owner thinks D&J, who paid millions for the rights to Scarlett’s image, are the idiots. I can imagine the Californian who stole the image of Scar-Jo from Google proudly rejoicing: “I’m taking this thing to Mexico.”

Scarlett however, took it all in her stride: “I applaud TMZ’s, once again, award-winning investigative journalism for securing the knowledge of my legions of Mexican fans.”

Which doesn’t really make sense, but hey, at least the pretty girl has a vocabulary.

Photos: Getty Images

Say it ain’t so. Kimmy K has picked up another man accessory whose name begins with K. Kanye West, how could you? Again? You’re just another pawn in the twisted game that is Keeping up with the Kardashians.

On the one hand, you have US Magazine claiming that Kanye loves Kim and refers to her as “his Beyonce”. On the other hand, you have the E! Network filling up their money bags because West is making an appearance on the Kardashian show. Network gold anyone?

Either way, they’ve been spotted together and Khloe (the fake Kardashian) thinks they’re a match made in (ratings) heaven. Speaking on Ellen she said: “I think they’re cute together... I think friendship is where good relationships stem from.”

On the other hand, yes, there’s three hands here. Kanye has just released the track “Theraflu”, in which he raps: “I fell in love with Kim around the same time she fell in love with him.” Coincidence?

At least Kanye is getting his share of the pie, unlike poor fool Kris, who ain’t got no product to peddle except his “innocence”.

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TWEETS OF THE WEEK

@P.Diddy “Attention Australia!!!! My 1st ever Australian tour is going to be cancelled because the promoters did not fulfil the contract! CRAZY!!” @SteveCarral “I am deeply flattered when people refer to me as an ugly Jon Hamm” @KevinRudd “Just went for a coffee in middle of Sydney. Greeted by 100s of screaming school girls. Except I found out it wasn’t for me #onedirection”

Hair today, gone tomorrow

@WillSmith “If you don’t fight for what you want, don’t cry for what you lost”

DIRECTION CHALLENGED UNITED KINGDOM

As Sydney went One Direction crazy, it was nice to hear a story about the boys being done-over in America by a band of the same name.

Looking at the US version of One Direction is like looking at a bizzaro version of the teen “singers”. There’s five of them and they have equally as annoying hair.

But in this case, they’re a Californian rock group who like to dress in black, not fluro.

It’s like looking into the future. Give these pretty boys a few years, trust me.

The US One Direction are suing for $1 million because they believe they trademarked the name long before Simon Cowell scoured the country for five Justin Bieber-wannabes and mashed them together. Rich bastard.

Anyway, the US One Direction should be happy with the attention, even if it’s accidental. They’re currently playing small bars and charity shows. Now they’ve got millions of tween haters.

BODYGUARD CURSE UNITED STATES

I guess he had to wait until Whitney died, but Kevin Costner has revealed The Bodyguard sequel was to star Princess Diana.

Costner, who produced the 1992 film, said: “Diana and I had been talking about doing Bodyguard 2. I told her I would take care of her just the same way that I took care of Whitney.”

Apparently the film is cursed because the script came to Costner the day before Diana died in 1997. Spooky.

In the film, Diana was to play herself, the ‘People’s Princess’, and Costner was to be her bodyguard. Naturally.

The film has since been updated for

@AlecBaldwin “Outside my apt, “journalists” from the Post camped out to talk to me about stalking.

They camped out all day. Wait.

Isn’t that.......?” @Keisha “Writin my record for all u animalssss” @ParisHilton “I’m quite skilled in the kitchen :)” @ChrisRock “21 Jumpstreet is really funny I’m jealous”

Kevin has the kiss of death 2012 and will now be about an Iraq War veteran bodyguard struggling to protect his client from a Twitter stalker.

I doubt the film will ever get made as nobody is game enough to audition for the Whitney/Diana role.

RIHANNA HAS A CRUSH ON EVERYONE UNITED STATES

I bet Rihanna loves fruit salad, she’s partial to a piece of everything. She revealed a few of her crushes while on a press tour in Sydney.

The first being co-star Liam Neeson. “I fell in love with him when I watched Taken.

I couldn’t even look at him on set,” she gushed. Then she admitted going gaga for her other co-star Alexander Skarsgard.“I went from gawking at him in True Blood DVDs back-to-back on tour, then BOOM! He’s on set,” she said. My gosh, how did she get any acting done? Oh wait...

And to show all sides, she also admitted a crush on One Direction’s Harry Styles.

They’re staying in the same hotel in Sydney so anything is possible. I’m sure all five of them will be up for some room service.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK I had to sit topless on top of her.

It was the most interesting love scene I have ever done Penelope recounts a shoot with Meryl Streep for Vogue.

Trust a Spaniard to call a photoshoot a love scene...

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WEIRDNEWS

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Bluey “loves pats”

PET BUFFALO IS NO MENACE, SAYS OWNER AUSTRALIA

A pet buffalo accused of terrorising a remote community in the Northern Territory is, according to his owner, just being friendly.

Bluey, a 500kg beast, was adopted by Jarrod Shelton when he was just two days old after being found alone in the bush.

Since growing up, though, Bluey has been known to tip over rubbish bins and stick his horns into cars. Even so, Shelton insists his pet buffalo is not dangerous.

“He loves people. I don’t think he would injure anyone unless they were stupid and didn’t get out of his way,” Shelton said.

“He is running up to lick them to play with them. He loves his pats. He’ll go around and get Weet-Bix off everyone.

“No one has actually come up and said he’s a nuisance. I think that opinion comes from people who don’t live here.”

AUTHOR RELIEVED AFTER DRAWING BLANK UNITED KINGDOM

A blind author who did not realise the novel she was writing was blank after her pen ran out has been saved, after police used forensic techniques to recover the words.

Trish Vickers, from Dorset, lost her sight seven years ago through diabetes and decided to write a novel to pass the time and keep her mind active. She was left devastated when she learned her pen had run out and there was nothing on the first 26 pages of the book.

Incredibly, however, the manuscript was recovered after the family took it to their local police HQ and asked for help. Forensic experts worked in their spare time to read the indentations left on the A4 pages using a system of lights.

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May the Force be with you: It’s not a convention for Star Wars geeks but rather the triumphant arrival of fundraiser Jacob French, who walked 5,000km from Sydney to Perth in an imperial stormtrooper’s outfit, raising more than $100,000 in the process.

“They said if there was anything they could do they’d be happy to help. I was gobsmacked,” Vickers said. “I am so happy, pleased and grateful. It was really, really nice of them and I want to thank them for helping me out.”

BUNNY BUSTED PROWLING GERMANY

Police officers in Germany called to investigate a stalker standing outside a couple’s home received a pleasant surprise when the intruder turned out to be a 6ft statue of the Easter Bunny.

The residents told officers

they felt in danger after spotting the tall shadowy figure peering through their window. A police spokesman confirmed: “The couple said they felt harassed by a ‘stalker’ standing directly in front of their window.”

Officers even had a detailed description of the suspect: “About 1.80 metres tall, yellow shirt, blue check trousers, green rucksack and a “striking” face.”

One officer confirmed: “We took him into custody but he hasn’t said much yet.

It was a pretty good joke and we’re waiting for his owners to come and get him.”

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THIS WEEK

IN NUMBERS 4

Years an English chef must wait to marry his girlfriend after she was jailed for stabbing him.

He’s still keen, though

Watch out for the solar flare

BUSINESS BOOMING FOR END OF DAYS UNITED STATES

The market for doomsday bunkers is booming at the moment, apparently driven by buyers who abiding pessimism is matched only by their vivid imaginations.

Developer Larry Hall has made a mint out of selling luxury homes built into old missile silos buried beneath the ground.

Hall has already pocketed nearly $7m from buyers.

“They worry about events ranging from solar flares, to economic collapse, to pandemics to terrorism to food shortages,” Hall said of the secure condos, which are also equipped to repel intruders. “If they try to climb the fence we can stun them,” he said. “If they want to break into the system, we can put an end to that.”

NEWBORN FOUND ALIVE IN COFFIN ARGENTINA

Parents of a baby girl, born three months prematurely and allegedly declared stillborn, say they discovered the child alive after 12 hours in a coffin.

The child’s mother, Analia Bouter, said she never got a chance to look at her baby, who was taken directly to the local morgue after the hospital allegedly declared the child dead. She and her husband Fabian Veron say they went to the morgue and pried open the tiny casket.

“The baby was there and they put the little casket on a stretcher,” Veron said.

“The casket was nailed shut. I started to pry, took a deep breath, and took the top off. My wife was the first one to look at the body and she uncovered it. She saw the little hand and then uncovered the face.

That’s when it let the first little cry out.”

Minutes a Brazilian actor playing Judas was left hanging on-stage before being taken to hospital in a coma

250

Fine in dollars imposed on Tennesse teenagers who break a new law banning low-slung trousers

Percentage of Brits who consider the French the rudest people on the planet, marginally ahead of the Russians

How hard can it be?

FINALLY, LEARN TO DRIVE A TRACTOR

19

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

NORTH KOREA

Life in North Korea is undoubtedly tough but new photographs of a special ‘tractor simulator’ reveal it is also decidedly bizarre.

The makeshift contraption, fitted with an 80s-style computer monitor, is used to teach students how to become farmers.

Pupils learn how to plough virtual fields and pick up all the tips of the farming trade. The facility was built for children to take part in after-school programmes in the arts, sciences, sports, computer and vocational training. The snaps were taken by photographer David Guttenfelder who wanted to document life inside the communist country.

“Daily life is really what I try to focus on when I’m there. It’s unscripted, it’s candid,” Guttenfelder said. “For people to see their own life in other people’s lives, I think it has a lot of power to break down barriers.”

3

Sleeping with Josh was a big mistake. Not because of his size but because it was a onenight stand and I’m not that type of girl Jenny Thompson, the prostitute who bedded Wayne Rooney, on sleeping with a dwarf

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Walking away: Nathan Tinkler

TINKLER INSISTS MORE CLUBS WILL GO FOOTBALL The A-League was last week plunged into confusion when Newcastle Jets owner Nathan Tinkler effectively shut up shop overnight when he decided to relinquish the club’s license.

The mining magnate claimed more clubs would follow if the league’s administration doesn’t change its approach. ”Soccer has an ownership model of established losses, a failure by the FFA to engage with communities and no sound commercial basis for its business relationships,” he said. “These have combined to guarantee the A-League’s failure in Australia. It must change before more clubs are lost.”

GUILLEN STRIKES OUT ON CASTRO REMARKS BASEBALL

Too close for comfort: Australian tailenders Ben Hilfenhaus and Ryan Harris celebrate after guiding Australia to a three-wicket victory over the West Indies in Bridgetown.

A loss would have been a disastrous setback for the improving Australian side.

KENNETT FEARS FOR SELWOOD’S SAFETY

BIG WEEK FOR...

AUSTRALIAN RULES

A storm of controversy engulfed Florida Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen after he spoke openly of his admiration for former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Guillen angered the team’s Cuban supporters when he said: “I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but he is still here.”

Guillen was then forced to make a grovelling apology: “I’m here on my knees to apologise. It was a personal mistake of the thing I had in my mind and what I said.

What I wanted to say in Spanish, I said in English in a wrong way.”

Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has warned that Geelong hard-nut Joel Selwood risks serious injury due to his fearless style of play.

“The neck is a very simple bit of structure, there’s only a few vertebrae there, you can cause enormous damage,” Kennett said when asked about Selwood’s attack on the football. “I don’t want to take the roughness out of the game, but there are some players now, who in diving for the ball and playing the football so competitive, they lead with their head.

They’re developing tactics which are putting their physical safety at risk.”

Ricky Ponting scored enough runs against India during the Australian summer to keep his Test career alive but given the former captain’s advancing years, the critics won’t be keeping quiet for long should the runs dry up. Ponting, 37, missed out twice against the West Indies last week but will get another chance to fill his boots in Port of Spain this week.

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QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Photos: Getty Images

IIt is still important for us to finish the season well. This is the best season for 50 years Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini concedes defeat in the race for the Premier League title

This is as good as I’ve Thi h d We had our backs had. to the wall for the first three days of the game

Benji Marshall saves his best for Australia

PREVIEW Aussies and Kiwis clash in Anzac Test NEW ZEALAND V AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY 5.30PM, CHANNEL 9 On paper, it should be a lay-down misere. The Aussies have most of the world’s best players and should be able to account for their trans-Tasman cousins. But recent history shows it doesn’t always pan out like that.

Sure, the Aussies are still well ahead but the Kiwis have the nasty habit of bloodying their more fancied opponents’ noses in the big matches – notably the final of the 2008 World Cup and the final of the Four Nations back in 2010.

The key for the Kiwis, as ever, will be pivot and star playmaker Benji Marshall, who has had a tough time of it lately with his NRL side Wests Tigers not living up to their tag as premiership favourites. But Marshall saves his best for the Aussies so the fans in Auckland will be hoping he lights up Eden Park with his sublime passing and fancy footwork.

The Aussies have quality all over the park, although it will be interesting to see what kind of combinations they rely on to fill the hole left by the replacement of stalwart five-eighth and former captain Darren Lockyer.

THE CHAT | Abramovich to splash cash again filthy-rich Russian owner, Roman Q Chelsea’s Abramovich, is gearing up for another opening spree. Is that his solution to every problem? much. Abramovich has already sunk hundreds of A Pretty millions of pounds into bringing big names to Stamford Bridge and he has reportedly drawn up a shopping list for the summer, even though Chelsea are yet to appoint a replacement for Andre Villas-Boas. Abramovich is apparently keen to recruit a new striker, a couple of full-backs and an attacking midfielder, and has Tottenham’s Luka Modric, Napoli’s Edinson Cavani and Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Gotze in his sights. Hopefully it’s money better spent than the £50m spunked on Fernando Torres.

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke rates last week’s win over the West Indies as the best during his captaincy

Referees R Ref efe are too easily in uenced by the more iinfl powerful clubs. It calls into question the integrity of them Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed calls for a full review of the way Premier League matches are officiated.

TV HIGHLIGHTS RUGBY UNION Reds v Stormers The Stormers are looking powerful Friday 7.30pm, Fox Sports 3

AUSTRALIAN RULES Eagles v Hawks Feathers will fly when these two clash Saturday 7.30pm, Fox Sports 1

FOOTBALL Arsenal v Chelsea Roman Abramovich

The race for Champions League spots Saturday 9.30pm, Fox Sports 2 TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

31

The final four The Champions League has arrived at its pointy end At this time of the year, Europe's heavyweight football sides momentarily forget about their struggles in their domestic leagues and turn their attention to an even bigger prize – the European title, the right to be considered champions of an entire continent and not just their own country. The tournament's semi-finals, the first legs to be played this week, pit Chelsea, the sole surviving English club, against the might of Barcelona, while, in the other tie, Real Madrid take on Germany's Bayern Munich.

The Spanish clubs may be favourites to go toe-to-toe in the May 16 final, which would be the ultimate grudge between arch-rivals. But as ever, in football, there's room for surprises, for the odd twist in the tale. If you plan on an early start to watch, then here's all you need to know.

Bayern Munich Form: After winning their group, the German powerhouse moved relatively untroubled through the knockout phase of the tournament, recovering from a surprise loss away to Basel to thump them 7-0 in the return leg before steamrolling Marseille in the quarter-finals. Domestically, Bayern have maintained their awesome consistency and have already secured a spot in next year's Champions League by finishing in the top three. They are still in the hunt for the title but will likely be forced to settle for second place given they are a couple of games adrift of Borussia Dortmund.

Key player: Dynamic midfielders Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are slick enough and industrious enough to cause jitters in even the most experienced defences, but Mario Gomez is the man who has been on the end of Bayern's best moves, the striker scoring 11 times to be the tournament's second-most prolific forward, behind only Lionel Messi.

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WORDS TOM STURROCK

Outlook: They're every chance of upsetting Real Madrid at home but might get turned over when they go to the Bernabeu. Still, they're definitely the dark horse.

Real Madrid Form: Their performances in the Champions League have been as impressive as any side's – they were unstoppable in the group stage and haven't looked like losing a game at any point in the tournament, a draw against CSKA Moscow the only blemish. Domestically, they're on track to break Barcelona's run of three straight La Liga titles, although this weekend's El Clasico could alter the course of the season.

Should they clinch the Spanish League and a European title, José Mourinho will have yet another feather in his cap.

Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo was a remarkable player while at Manchester United but he may have become even better since heading to Real, where he is the top scorer in the current Spanish season. He hasn't been at his absolute best in the Champions League, though, where the scoring has been spread more evenly.

Outlook: The smart money is on an all-Spanish final and Real would love nothing more than to beat Barcelona on the biggest stage of all. They have the talent to do it.

Chelsea Form: It's been a rollercoaster season for the lads from Stamford Bridge. They've suffered through one of the worst Premier League campaigns since Roman Abramovich turned up 10 years ago, but their progress in the Champions League has delivered an impressive silver lining. Their come-frombehind win over Napoli in the first knockout stage was a stirring rejoinder to critics who, following the sacking of

Photos: Getty Images

Clockwise: Cristiano Ronaldo has starred; Mario Gomez has scored heavily; Fernando Torres needs to fire

André Villas-Boas, believed Chelsea's culture, dominated by the old heads, had gone soft. They have improved domestically, still scrapping for a top four finish.

Key player: There are the usual suspects for Chelsea – the likes of Frank Lampard and John Terry – but if the Blues are to upset Barcelona, other players will need to find an extra gear. Fernando Torres has been a dead weight since arriving from Liverpool but there has been improvement recently.

Outlook: Hard to see them getting past Barcelona but still need a strong showing, if only to keep morale high for the final stages of their Premier League season.

Barcelona Form: Given the exceptional quality of Barcelona's football over the past three years, it might seem ridiculous to suggest they have dropped off the pace, but the fact they have been leapfrogged by Real Madrid in La Liga is unlikely to sit well with those in charge at Camp Nou. Still, they have been in dazzling form – they thumped Bayer Leverkusen in the first knockout stage and then surged past AC Milan to book their spot in the last four. Barcelona have won everything under the sun in recent years, so will be expected to turn it on now that the stakes are at their highest.

Key player: Is there any question? It's got to be Lionel Messi, the Argentinian pinball whose performances this year have led some to talk about him as the greatest player ever. That may be premature but if the little man leads Barcelona to yet another European title, his claim will be enhanced. Certainly, he's one of the most watchable players of all time.

Outlook: Should have too much firepower for Chelsea and then, should they face Real in the final, it will be a toss-up, with some epic mind games the only certainty.

THE SPECIAL ONE STICKS THE BOOT IN Jose Mourinho remains revered at Chelsea but he didn't pull any punches when asked about his old side's chances against Barcelona.

Mourinho described the Catalan side as "super favourites" to go through to face his Real Madrid side in the final.

"Let me be honest, I don't think the final will be a Real Madrid-Chelsea final," he said. "It could be Bayern or Barcelona, I just don't think it will be Real Madrid v Chelsea and we know why."

Given Chelsea's managerial merry-go-round, Mourinho's name is never far from the top of the shortlist of new gaffers, but his dismissal of Chelsea's chances probably won't do him any favours.

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HOTSHOTS

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MARK THOMAS Talks travel photography

WINNER MONTHLY WINNER WEST SIDE GLORY Matt Paish, 24, UK

MARK SAYS: “Really beautiful shot capturing beach activities against a perfect sunset, really well done.”

MONTHLY RUNNER-UP LAST MINUTE RUSH Adam Tilbury, 29, UK

RUNNER-UP

MARK SAYS: “Nice technique with motion blur coupled with great composition with the tram traversing the frame.”

HOT TIPS: Colour GETTING PUNCH THREE DAYS CAR HIRE Photos were judged by ROUGH GUIDES senior photo editor Mark Thomas. Send high-res (300 dpi) jpegs with name, age, nationality and a description, to: travel@tntdownunder.com Monthly winner Matt wins three days car hire from Travellers Auto Barn (travellers-autobarn.com.au). While the monthly runner-up Adam wins a Rough Guides book of his choice sent to an Oz or NZ address. roughguides.com

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WIN

When manipulating the colours of your images, you must keep in mind that it will change the whole feel of the shot. Whether you want to oversaturate the colours to make them stand out, or add a colour wash, keep in mind that often the photograph will look digitally enhanced. It is hard to get these effects without playing around in some way after the shot has been taken. You can always indulge (I say ‘indulge’ as it will be more expensive) in some film – as opposed to digital – photography that will give you all sorts of effects in-camera. Trendy photo cults such as Lomo Photography aim to create burnt-in edges and distorted colours.

dK KK< W,KE ϭϴϬϬ D '/ KZ s/^/d ǁǁǁ͘ŵĂŐŝĐďƵƐ͘ĐŽ͘Ŷnj

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TRAVELTIPS

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ON THE ROAD WITH TRAVEL

TALK MATT PAISH 27, UK WHAT MADE YOU COME TO OZ? I had been backpacking for seven

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WE ANSWER YOUR TRAVEL QUESTIONS

are the highlights of Western Q What Australia? Hayley Thomas, USA couldn’t possibly tell you the A We highlights in just this column. From friendly wildlife and the world’s largest rock, to unforgettable sunsets and a “staircase to the moon”, we will endeavour to give you a few. The “staircase” refers to the moon rising over the beach in Broome which creates the unique effect of a walkway up to the gleaming moon. Extraordinary. Then there is crossing the Nullarbor. For a 2,700km, flat, desolate road, there’s a hell of a lot to do on the Nullarbor Plain from Adelaide to Perth. Beautiful caves, whale watching, scenic lookouts, and the eerie Eucla Telegraph Station. A top Aussie roadtrip. Make sure you check out Esperance, at the western end of the Great Australian Bight, a popular town known for its surf breaks, stunning scenery, secluded beaches and four national parks nearby.

See the world’s largest rock, Mount Augustus in Burringurrah National Park. It’s twice the size of Uluru – and scientists have dated it at over 1,650 million years old. Make time for Monkey Mia, a busy, but still fascinating, interaction with bottlenose dolphins, who swim right up to the beach to be fed by eager tourists. It may get crowded, but it’s still a rewarding, phototastic interaction. We recommend you party in Northbridge, with heaps of late night pubs and clubs, Northbridge is where Perth’s young and the restless go to party. We expect to hear you 36

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months and made my way to Malaysia. Money was getting tight so it was either go home, or continuing my travels through a working holiday visa.

FAVOURITE PLACE?

visited a fair few places you can’t remember going to come morning. Think that the Great Barrier Reef is the bee’s knees? Well, you need to see Ningaloo. It’s arguably better than the GBR and Ningaloo is reachable from the shore. This reef is patrolled annually by whale sharks and hardly any bugger is around. Believe me when we say it’s pure bliss. Like your surfing? How about surfing on a river? Despite its misleading name, Margaret River is arguably the best place to surf Down Under. It’s also home to some of the best vineyards in Australia. Gorgeous surf and great wine – what more could you ask for?

WA really does have something for everyone.

Q

I’m in Adelaide but want to go off the beaten track. Any tips? Gary Bear, UK

four hours south of Adelaide you’ll A About find the town of Penola. This place has always been a place for local South Aussies to enjoy a good wine, but it most recently got its name on the world map as the home of Australia’s first saint Mary McKillop, canonised as Saint Mary of the Cross. History lovers can visit the Mary MacKillop Interpretive Centre to learn more about her and then, if they wish, explore the beautiful nearby Coonawarra region for some of Australia’s best grape juice... or wine, whichever they fancy. And if you’re hungry, this town of about 1,300 people has the most cafés and restaurants per capita in the whole of Australia – so eat up.

l loved Melbourne for its vibrancy.

Good art and music scene, and there are so many good, cheap places to eat on a shoestring budget.

FUNNIEST EXPERIENCE IN OZ?

Camping near the Great Ocean Road, drinking too much ‘goon’ and falling on the camp fire.

Happily, no long-term injuries.

DONE ANYTHING UNUSUAL?

I had a land crab as a pet for six months in Melbourne.

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE?

Perth has some pretty impressive sunsets since I have been here. Forty minutes on my bicycle will get me to a deserted beach where I can watch the sun do its disappearing act.

YOU WISH YOU’D BROUGHT...

Monster Munch.

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WOLF CREEK WORRIES

N

ALICE GARRATT hoped to avoid murderers while driving up the west coast of Australia...

Every backpacker has seen Wolf Creek right? Wrong. Thankfully I am one of the few that hasn’t. You really don’t need to have seen Wolf Creek when six of you, in two vans, are travelling up the west coast from Perth to Broome and it’s just yourselves and the outback. Especially when you are camping in silent places and only you know you’re there.

Before leaving, the boys in our group decided it would be a good idea to buy a machete. I thought this was a little extreme. The idea of having a machete in the van freaked me out more than the idea of not having one.

Visions of a friend drunkenly swinging the machete around haunted me. Besides, what if someone wanted a cup of sugar in the night and came to our tents? They wouldn’t live to discover if we had caster or brown because their head would be gone.

Thankfully a large baseball bat was chosen instead. I was happy with that; after all we could have a game

of rounders along the way.

After driving for many days up the coast, we pulled into a campsite in Exmouth. We were having a few drinks when a dishevelled looking guy decided to join us. He wasted no time in telling us his mechanic in Broome was arrested for murdering Peter Falconio. Coming from this guy, it didn’t seem hard to believe. He looked a little freaky himself, with manic hair and a murderous laugh – like the murderer in Wolf Creek I was told.

Unfortunately he did little to escape his murderous image. Later in the evening we turned to see our friend – his right leg in a cast from toe to knee – running, or rather hopping, towards us in a panic.

“I just bumped into Wolf Creek guy outside the toilet. He looked at my cast, did that laugh and said ‘you won’t be going anywhere fast with that on!’”

We didn’t see out our last days on the campsite in Exmouth. Thankfully we were all still alive and on the road again – well, in a deserted petrol station, heading towards the mining town Tom Price.

A green Datsun Sunny pulled up next to us and a Canadian guy asked: “Where are you guys headed? I was wondering where to stay tonight.”

One of us pointed to two free camping spots on the map and we said goodbye.

We set up camp in a remote bush area 100km from civilisation, where a herd of cows wandered freely. We were sitting chatting when we heard the gruff noise of an old car and saw the green Datsun slowly approaching.

He’d found us.

Suddenly we weren’t so sure about this young Canadian. “What if he’s some crazy murderer come to get us?”

After some brief debating – he was approaching after all – we came to the logical conclusion that no respectable murderer drives a Datsun Sunny. They’d be in a 4WD or a Ute. At the very most he was an apprentice – six of us could handle an apprentice.

With this decided, the Apprentice Murderer joined us around the campfire and didn’t even take offence at our initial murderer reservations.

Everyone was happy and we all eventually headed to our tents to sleep. Then there was silence.

“Moooo!” Crash. “Moooo!” Almost.

A thudding on the ground was getting louder and louder and was heading our way. Sod the murderers, it’s the cows you need to watch out for!

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Broome & the Kimberley WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Cable Beach’s Staircase to the Moon 38

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Final frontier Start off in Broome before driving through the Kimberley, where you’ll encounter warm beer, unsealed roads, crocodiles and more batshit than you’ve ever seen WORDS FRASER KIDD & RYAN SENGARA

I’ve always wondered what the point of a stubby-holder was. Okay, they’re a kitsch souvenir of a trip Down Under, but they’re not of any practical use, are they? Then I arrived in Broome. Order a beer here and it’s lukewarm before you’ve got the top off with your teeth – bottle openers are for wimps in the outback. It’s hot up here all year, so the fleece and trousers can be packed right at the bottom of your pack without being missed.

Broome nestles on Roebuck Bay, the Indian Ocean a mere 10-minute drive away. Established as a pearling settlement in the late 19th century, Broome was once supplying 75 per cent of the world’s pearling requirements. It was hazardous work though, and hundreds of Asian immigrants who worked on the boats lost their lives in diving accidents.

The day I arrive, I’m encouraged to go and see the Staircase to the Moon, a once-monthly phenomenon which occurs during a full moon between March and October.

The staircase is the reflective effect a full moon has on the mudflats at Town Beach, creating what looks like a series of steps leading up to the moon. It’s a great excuse for the whole of Broome to head out for the evening, an open-air market selling food, didges and all sorts of alternative goodies.

“

Getting the perfect shot of the camels at sunset is a lot like bad sex

”

I sit looking out to sea waiting for nature to take its course.

Speaking of nature, you might catch the odd naked swimmer coming back up the beach after a dip, the area known for its enthusiastic nudists.

The sun goes down pretty damn quickly, so you have to make sure you’re quick on the shutter. I am suddenly surrounded by dozens of other photographers eager to get the same shot, so don’t be afraid to mix it up and stand your ground for a good position. In the end, getting the camels at sunset picture is a lot like bad sex. There’s a lot of

Seeing is believing After watching an amazing moonrise, I decide to get a bit of yin and yang with a sunset over Cable Beach. It’s a place that has to be seen to be believed – no glossy picture can do this place justice. Not only is this stretch of coast regarded by seasoned travellers as one of the best beaches in the world, but the sunsets are legendary – a deep-gold sun shimmers on the horizon as it slowlydescens, dropping out of sight behind the expanses of the Indian Ocean.

And as if this isn’t enough to create a unique west coast experience, you can also take a camel ride along the beach.

The hairy humpsters take you along the beach and time your ride so you get the best view in the house. Well, almost the best view – I leave the camels to the more adventurous and perch myself on a rock to wait for that perfect sundown photo opportunity. Tipped off by a local who tells me exactly where the camels will be when the sun hits the horizon,

Cooling off at one of the Kimberley’s many spectacular waterfalls

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West Kimberley kids

anticipation, a bit of jostling for position, a few humps and then it’s all over. But just like pervy sex, it’s all worth it when you check out the pictures.

Hitting the road Broome is also the gateway to the Kimberley region, a rugged sun-scorched land, dotted with ancient gorges, weird looking boab trees and sprawling cattle stations.

It’s three-times the size of the UK, but barely registers any detail on a map. It’s bordered by the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean to the west, the humid top of the Northern Territory to the east, and the arid Great Sandy Desert to the south. It’s Australia at its most harsh and at its most diverse.

And isolated: there are fewer then 50,000 people living in the Kimberley.

Most popular tours are 4WD safaris to Geikie, Windjana and Bell Gorges or the bumpy but rewarding drive up to Cape Leveque. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be sure to see things you won’t experience anywhere else in the world.

through the dust. After a chance encounter with a baby emu crossing the road, we camp at Windjana Gorge National Park. In the limestone ranges, we creep along the sandy edges of shallow pools, keeping an eye on the freshwater crocs sunning themselves just 20 metres away. As we listen to the squawking of exotic birds echo around the tall rock walls, I feel like I’m in an oasis.

Next is Tunnel Creek. In most parts of Australia, park walkways are usually rather tame. So we’re confused to find the recommended route here is finding your own way through a kilometre of pools, rocks, and bat poop in near darkness. Exhilarating stuff! A few hours later we get to Bell Gorge and I forget all about that. After a 20-minute walk down the cliffs, we’re swimming in waterfall-fed pools and relaxing on volcanic rocks.

Nothing else like it We next head north towards Cape Leveque at the tip of the Dampier Peninsula. All we know is that there’s unique

“

You’ll see things you won’t experience anywhere else in the world

”

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Get the hump on Cable Beach

Photos: Tourism WA

Or, like me and my girlfriend, you can embark on your own road trip. We waited until the dry season to visit because tropical monsoons between November and April batter the land leaving some outback roads impassable. A few hours after leaving Broome in our 4WD, we reach the Gibb River Road, the famous outback track. Free roaming cattle, creek crossings and endless termite mounds keep us company. It’s a real event when you spot a truck passing the other way

Clockwise from left: Miri Miri Falls, Windjana Gorge; a giant boab tree

accommodation available at the Aboriginal communityowned eco-resort, and that you definitely need a 4WD. We almost lose control of the truck a number of times on the wide, uneven sand road, and can’t help feeling inadequate when we’re passed at 100km/hr by locals who give a carefree wave as they pass. We let our tyres down to drive on the beach to our “shelter”. We’re speechless when we realise our new home is just metres from the water and is but a thatched roof, picnic table and freshwater shower. We enjoy a cold beer while gazing out towards Indonesia. Then a swim, a sunset, a campfire, and staring at the stars.

In the morning, I open my eyes to the sun rising over the ocean. I’ve never experienced anything so beautiful. Feeling like we need to interact with the beauty that surrounds us, we book into a boat trip.

The boat ride doesn’t disappoint, because we’re lucky enough to have Denis join us. A year 12 student from the local One Arm Point Community, he tells us how he spends his spare time spear hunting fish and sea turtles. I can’t help but marvel at how different his life is to mine. Denis also tell us about another side of the Kimberley, how the stunning red cliffs are receding with severe weather, and about the intensive mining in the region.

On the long stretches of dusty road back towards Broome, I wonder about climate change, the state of the world, and just how sustainable a self-drive trip like ours is. I come to the conclusion that, maybe sooner rather than later, people’s experiences of the Kimberley might be quite different to ours. What won’t change, however, is that a trip to the Kimberley will almost certainly be a trip Darwin: Running of a lifetime. And remember amok and sweating it your stubby holder – drinking out in the NT capital warm beer in Broome will always be a very bad look. ❚

NEXT WEEK

BUMPS IN THE ROAD CHECK OUT THE BUNGLES FROM ABOVE

Unheard of as recently as the 1980s, this UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park is not only one of the most spectacular geological wonders on Earth, but also one of Australia’s best-kept secrets. Hiking into Piccaninny Creek is akin to stepping foot on an alien world. Heading across the eroded creek-bed, mystical beehive mounds rise into the air on all sides.

Dating back 350 million years, these curious formations, with their coloured bands of orange, grey and black, are the world’s finest examples of sandstone cone karsts. It’s incredible that until about 25 years ago, only a handful of locals knew about them.

As amazing as the Bungles are from the ground, it’s worth reaching for your credit card to see them from the air. The domes alone cover 45,000 hectares, large swathes of which are off-limits to earthbound visitors, so flying over them is an experience not to be missed.

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Machu Picchu PERU

The remains of the Lost City 42

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Magical Machu Picchu Hiking the Inca Trail to the Lost City is one of the world’s top travel experiences, but it’s still possible to avoid the tourist traps WORDS JANINE KELSO

Perched on a lush-green ridge sandwiched between two mountain peaks and shrouded in swirling mists, Machu Picchu is an arresting sight. After the four-day, 26-mile Inca Trail trek, we are rewarded at dawn with a sunrise over one of the world’s top archaeological sites. The trek was challenging, but this dropdead gorgeous, once-in-a-lifetime view is well worth the blisters and lack of oxygen.

At this hour, the site is gloriously quiet and free of the snap-happy tourists donning multi-coloured ponchos and hats with earflaps that arrive mid-morning. For now it’s only the llamas that wander between the ancient stones, chomping on the fluorescentgreen turf speckled with wild orchids.

Cosmic chills, newfound thrills

WHEN TO GO: After the rainy season, which lasts from October until March. Avoid the heavy rains of January and February. Peak season is June to August when prices are high. Avoid the crowds and rain by going in April or May. CURRENCY: Peruvian Nuevo Sol (PEN). 1 AUD = 2.74 PEN. ACCOMMODATION: A dorm bed at Pariwana Backpacker Hostel in Cusco is $7.60pppn when booking with hostelbookers.com.

A private room at The Point Arequipa Hostel, in Arequipa, is $11pppn when booking with hostelworld.com SEE: peru.travel

As we stroll around the fabled ruins, our guide, Alf, gives us a potted history of the place. Built circa 1450 for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, the Lost City was once a plush palace used by noble folk, but it was deserted during the Spanish invasion. According to legend, the Incas chose to build their precious citadel here because of cosmic astronomical factors. At a ritual rock positioned to point directly at the sun during the winter solstice, we’re instructed to press our hands to it to “ground ourselves” and feel its hidden energy. I don’t know if it’s the rock itself or the drama of Machu Picchu, but I feel as though I’ve been touched by something magical.

Although a visit to Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail has been on most travellers’ radars for some time, millions having followed the famous trek, there’s a renewed buzz about the place at the moment, as the ancient site celebrated the anniversary of its re-discovery last year. Located 120km from Cusco, Machu Picchu lay forgotten – well, by Westerners anyway – for 400 years until it was unearthed in 1911 by American archaeologist Hiram Bingham – apparently the inspiration for Indiana Jones.

Of course, the natives had known about the existence of the site long before Bingham decided to swing by,

but they understandably wanted to keep it to themselves. In fact, some Peruvian scholars are fed up with Bingham being hailed a swashbuckling hero, because he looted the site, taking 44,000 skulls, bones and artefacts to Yale University, a mere 366 of which were returned to Peru in March last year.

After four days of uphill tramping, our burning muscles are in need of some TLC, so once we return to the nearby village of Aguas Calientas, we head to the hot springs to which the town owes its name. Soaking in an outdoor hot tub filled with sulphurous waters of 38°C, far-reaching mountains providing the verdant backdrop, we’re soon joined by two local teenagers, who waste no time in telling us about their ancestors.

“I’m descended from the Incas,” one of them tells us proudly. “We’re a tall and strong tribe.” Standing just over 5ft, he doesn’t look too tall to me, but I’m impressed that the locals are so proud.

On a high, naturally Even though we’ve become accustomed to the high altitude, we indulge in a cup of coca tea, the alpine beverage of choice in Peru. Known as “the divine plant” by the Incas, coca leaves increase the absorption of oxygen into the blood.

Cocaine is made from coca leaves but drinking coca tea doesn’t result in any unnatural high – or cause any damage to your health. Leaving behind the remains of Peru’s Inca civilisation and the country’s most visited site, we take a night bus to the dusty city of Nazca where more mysterious legends abound. We’ve come to see the town’s famous lines, created by a civilisation that existed long before the Inca Empire. Only viewable from the sky, we head to an airfield where we climb aboard a six-seater Cessna.

“I hope you girls have strong stomachs,” the pilot grins as we get strapped in. “A lady threw up during the ride yesterday.”

With these reassuring words ringing in my ears, I clutch a plastic bag and hope my breakfast stays put. As the small TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

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Power to the poncho: Peruvian locals plane swings from side to side, I feel faintly nauseous but I soon forget all feelings of sickness as a raft of fascinating shapes springs into view. There’s a giant pair of hands, a monkey, a condor and a humming bird among the cartoonlike geoglyphs. Aside from animals, there are perfectly shaped triangles, rectangles and straight lines.

Etched into the dry plains by the ancient Nazca people more than 2,500 years ago, the lines were only discovered in the 1920s when commercial airlines started flying over the desert. Following reports by pilots who had spotted the mysterious shapes, North American historian Paul Kosok went to take a closer look and he is now credited as the official discoverer. Created by removing reddish pebbles that cover the landscape to expose the stark-white earth underneath, the lines have been preserved by the desert’s arid and windless climate, which has hindered erosion.

After the flight, we head to a small museum by the airfield, which attempts to explain why the Nazca people created these gargantuan shapes. Baffled scientists have spent years coming up with weird and wonderful theories.

Some have suggested they provided a landing strip for aliens from outer space, while others believe the lines were to be viewed by the Gods from above. Because Nazca people were involved in shamanic practices, others say the lines were for shamans to fly over after taking psychedelic drugs.

a leaf out of Bingham the explorer’s book and attempt to get off the well-worn path, heading to the pretty town of Arequipa to see the second-largest canyon in the world.

Forget the Grand Canyon, the Colca Canyon is twice as deep and doubly impressive.

Although the Inca Trail is famously well-trampled, a twoday trek into the Colca Canyon offers a departure from the

Flight of the condors Two hours from Nazca is the tiny resort of Huacahina, in a region dominated by giant far-reaching dunes that rise up to 300 metres. To escape the tourist hordes, I decide to take 44

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On the rails: the train to Aguas Calientes

gringo massive. At dawn, the mist-cloaked bottomless pit seems other-worldly but, as the haze begins to fade, we spot a condor, or Andean vulture, gliding over the canyon from cliff-to-cliff, riding the thermals, showing off its three-metrelong ink-black wings. Soon the canyon is a hive of condor activity, hundreds of the creatures taking to the sky.

It’s no wonder the birds inspired what must be the world’s most overplayed panpipe tune, El Condor Pasa. As the sun rises, the birds disappear to hunt for food and we begin.

My heart begins to thump as we begin to descend into the abyss, taking tentative steps, as the path is rocky and slippery. Terraces have been carved into the canyon’s hillsides, built by the Collagua and Cabana people in the ninth century. Even today, the locals grow their crops in the same way on these huge staircases. Stretching four miles across at some points, the canyon is an impressive site, all green valleys and mighty rivers, flanked by two volcanoes.

We set up camp for the night beore rising at 4am the next

“

I don’t know if it’s the drama of Machu Picchu, but I feel like I’ve been touched by something magical

”

morning. My legs turn to jelly as we climb uphill for three hours but, at last, we make it and celebrate with a hearty breakfast in the village of Cobanaconde, before driving back.

The days of experiencing Peru as an undiscovered destination – as Bingham did 100 years ago – might be over, but my short adventure has proven it’s possible to go beyond the obvious and fully explore this region’s hidden treasures. ❚

Bec Whiffin, of Tucan Travel

The Insider's guide Bec Whiffin, general manager of Tucan Travel, on why you should visit Peru.

Is it difficult to get a space on the Inca Trail?

Only 500 people a day are permitted to trek the Inca Trail and this includes guide, porters and cooks. These have sold out quickly last year because of the 100-year anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu, so it’s important to book in advance.

Would you recommend alternative Inca Trail treks?

Everyone wants to do the Inca Trail, especially when visiting the region for the first time, because they get to walk through the Sun Gate into Machu Picchu, a pass two miles above the site where hikers first see the citadel. Alternative treks don’t include the Sun Gate, but they offer a more remote and authentic experience.

You’ll get to interact with local people along the way as they pass through towns and villages, where you can buy fruit and vegetables. You can also take more luggage with you as this will be carried by horses and llamas that are not permitted on the Inca Trail.

I’d recommend the alternative treks for travellers who have already done the Inca Trail.

Where are your favourite off-the-beaten-track places in Peru?

In northern Peru, you can find very old cultures which aren’t as famous as the Incas. Unesco World Heritage Site Chan Chan is home to the biggest mud city in the world. It’s located 5km from the city of Trujillo. I also love the beach resort of Mancora, a backpacker town popular with surfers that’s a great place to hang out.

Trujillo’s worth a look as it has a colonial centre with lots to see and do. Arequipa is also a great town with a pleasant climate, lovely restaurants and friendly people. Travellers can organise a variety of day trips from here to the Colca Canyon and also to the nearby volcanoes which you can climb up.

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So you think you can dance?

Flying high: condors in the Colca Canyon

Lord of the board: sandboarding in Huacachina

BEST OF THE REST ALTERNATIVE INCA TRAILS BEST FOR... MAGICAL SCENERY What? The Lares Trek Why? This route is all snow-capped peaks, lakes that go on for miles and brilliantly green valleys. The trek winds through remote hamlets in the Lares Valleys, where you’ll meet Andean farmers, see thatched stone houses and watch herds of llamas.

See: tucantravel.com; gapadventures.com; and intrepidtravel.com

BEST FOR... UNEXPLORED INCA RUINS What? The Socma-Kachiqata Trek Why? Explore little-known archeological sites such as Ñaupa Iglesia and Raccaypata on this three-day, 15-mile hike. You’re unlikely to bump into any other tourists for the entire route but you will get the chance to interact with local communities, while soaking up the gorgeous mountain scenery. The route includes a visit to the Inca quarry of Kachiqata, its tombs and storage rooms.

See: intrepidtravel.com

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Photos: Getty Images, Thinkstock

BEST FOR... THE SUPER-FIT What? The Huayhuash Trek Why? Set in the mountain range made famous by Touching The Void, this gruelling tramp features iceclad summits, glacial lakes, Inca sites and Peru’s highest mountain, Huascaran, which stands at an eye-popping 6,798 metres.

See: huayhuash.com; peruviantreks.com

View from the sky: Nazca lines

NEXT WEEK Nepal: Test your endurance with a Himalayas hike Machu Picchu

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TRAVEL AGENTS Adventure Travel Bugs 07 3236 3266, adventuretravelbugs.com Backpackers World Travel 1800 676 67 63, backpackersworld.com Peter Pans Adventure Travel 1800 188 799, peterpans.com 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

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

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

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

Melbourne Australia Tours Victorian tours. 03 9016 9347 melbourneaustraliatours.com.au

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

Wicked Campers 1800 246 869, wickercampers.com

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

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

Explore Whitsundays Whitsundays packages 1800 675 790, explorewhitsundays.com

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

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

Ocean Rafting Whitsundays tours 07 4946 6848, oceanrafting.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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Rock Tour Red centre tours 1800 246 345, therocktour.com.au Topdeck Tours covering all of Oz 1300 886 332, topdeck.travel

RENTAL FIRMS

TRANSPORT CO

Apollo Motorhomes 1800 777 779, apollocamper.com

Greyhound Australia Buses around Australia. 13 20 30, greyhound.com.au

Backpacker Campervan Rentals 1800 767 010, backpackercampervans.com.au

Jetstar Airline.

131 538, jetstar.com.au

Boomerang Cars 0414 882 559, boomerangcars.com.au

Premier Transport Group Buses along the east coast.

13 34 10, premierms.com.au

Explore More Rentals 1800 708 309, exploremore.com.au

Qantas Airline.

13 13 13, qantas.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

Regional Express Airline.

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

03 6336 1446, spiritoftasmania.com Tiger Airways Airline.

03 9999 2888, tigerairways.com

Spaceships 1300 132 469, spaceshipsrentals.com.au

Redline Coaches For getting around Tasmania.

03 6336 1446, redlinecoaches.com.au

Standbycars.com 1300 789 059, standbycars.com

Virgin Australia Airline.

13 67 89, virginaustralia.com

Photo: Getty Images

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

VIVID FESTIVAL One of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flagship arts festivals, Vivid Sydney descends on the New South Wales capital from May 25 to June 3 with an explosion of colour and world class musical acts. At the centrepiece of the winter festival, now entering its fourth year, is the work of a specially commissioned artist, this year the German collective Urbanscreen, to transform the sails of the opera house with digital mapping technology. Opening the festival on May 25 will be Florence and the Machine, performing at the opera house with the Ceremonial Orchestra. Other shows include Karen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s psycho-opera Stop the Virgens, returning Aussies The Temper Trap, plus Janelle Monae. vividsydney.com

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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

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

LOW COST, QUALITY CAMPERS AND CARS BREEZER HIRE

ECONOMY MY CAR

per day*

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$132 Like us on facebook.com/backpackercampervans Follow us on twitter.com/BackpackerVans

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With our local 24/7 reservations centre on:1800 600 503 Or book online with real-time quotes and confirmations at:

backpackercampervans.com.au

*Van price based on Breezer Campervan, 3+ day rate, for travel 23/4/2012 – 29/04/2012. Car price based on Economy Car, 1-6 day city rate for travel April 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 Backpacker Rentals.

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

02 9261 1111, yha.com.au Westend Backpackers 412 Pitt St. CBD. 1800 013 186 nomadshostels.com Boomerang Backpackers 141 William Street, Kings Cross.

02 8354 0488, boomerangbackpackers.com

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 Lamrock Lodge 19 Lamrock Ave. Bondi. 02 9130 5063, lamrocklodge.com Lochner’s Guesthouse 8 Gowrae Ave. Bondi.

02 9387 2162, Aegean Coogee Lodge 40 Coogee Bay Rd. Coogee.

04 0817 6634, aegeancoogee.com.au Coogee Beach House 171 Arden St. Coogee. 02 9665 1162, coogeebeachhouse.com Coogee Beachside 178 Coogee Bay Rd, Coogee. 02 9315 8511, sydneybeachside.com.au Surfside Backpackers 186 Arden Street. Coogee.

02 9315 7888, surfsidebackpackers.com.au

The Bunkhouse 35 Pine St, Manly. 1800 657 122, bunkhouse.com.au Manly Backpackers 24-28 Raglan St. Manly. 02 9977 3411 manlybackpackers.com.au Cammeray Gardens 66 Palmer St, North Sydney. 02 9954 9371 sydneyboardinghouse.com Wake Up! 509 Pitt St, CBD. 02 9288 7888, wakeup.com.au

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 Powerhouse Museum Darling Harbour. powerhousemuseum.com.au Skydive the Beach Wollongong. skydivethebeach.com

Dlux Hostel 30 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross. 1800 236 213 dluxbudgethotel.com.au

Glebe Point YHA 262-264 Glebe Point Road. Glebe. 02 9692 8418, yha.com.au

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

Kangaroo Bak Pak 665 South Dowling St. Surry Hills.

02 9261 1111

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

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

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Rocks. bridgeclimb.com

CENTRAL COAST

Sydney Aquarium Darling Harbour. sydneyaquarium.com.au

Newcastle Beach YHA 30 Pacific St, Newcastle.

02 4925 3544, yha.com.au

Sydney Wildlife World Darling Harbour. sydneywildlifeworld.com.au

Terrigal Beach YHA 9 Ocean View Dr, Terrigal.

02 4384 1919, yha.com.au

Taronga Zoo Mosman. zoo.nsw.gov.au

BYRON BAY

Waves Surf School wavessurfschool.com.au

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

SYDNEY MUSIC

Backpackers Inn 29 Shirley St 1800 817 696, backpackersinnbyronbay.com.au

Hordern Pavillion playbillvenues.com Oxford Art Factory oxfordartfactory.com

Byron Bay Accom 02 6680 8666, byronbayaccom.net

Sydney Opera House sydneyoperahouse.com

The Arts Factory 1 Skinners Shoot Rd. 02 6685 7709, nomadshostels.com

The Annandale annandalehotel.com The Enmore enmoretheatre.com.au The Gaelic Hotel thegaelic.com The Metro metrotheatre.com.au

Nomads Byron Bay Lawson Lane.

1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com Byron Bay YHA 7 Carlyle St. 1800 678 195, yha.com.au

COFFS HARB

BLUE MTNS Blue Mountains YHA 207 Katoomba St, Katoomba.

02 4782 1416, yha.com.au

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

CAPITAL CAPERS

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY Don’t be too quick to dismiss Aussie capital Canberra. Admittedly it’s not the most exciting of cities, but as the epicentre of the federal state, the ACT is the hub for much of Australia’s most important art, culture and, of course, politics. Plus many of the top sites are free. Pick of the bunch are Parliament House, as well as Old Parliament House, with the Aboriginal Tent Embassy outside, while not to be missed is the fantastic Australian War Memorial (pictured).

Petersham Guest House ARE DORMS GETTING YOU DOWN? Then come sleep with us!

The place to stay in the Sydney Suburbs.

Double room - $240 p/week Twin room - $240 p/week Single room - $200 p/week Ensuite room - $300 p/week

Phone Con

100 metres to bus and train.

5kms from city centre.

23 Brighton St, Petersham.

0414 450 273 TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

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BRISBANE STAY

Gallery of Modern Art 07 3840 7303, qag.qld.gov.au

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

WAIT FOR IT!

Riverlife Adventure Centre Kayaking & rock climbing. Lower River Terrace, Kangaroo Point.

07 3891 5766, riverlife.com.au

Banana Bender Backpackers 118 Petrie Terrace.

07 3367 1157, bananabenders.com Base Brisbane Embassy 214 Elizabeth St. 07 3166 8000, stayatbase.com Base Brisbane Central 308 Edward St. 07 3211 2433, stayatbase.com Brisbane Backpackers Resort 110 Vulture St, West End. 1800 626 452, brisbanebackpackers.com.au

PRINCE

Brisbane City Apartments 1800 110 443, brisbanecityapartments.com

TBC. Who knows if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true, but rumours are rife that Prince is about to announce his first Aussie tour in nine years. Stay tuned and get in quick.

Brisbane City Backpackers 380 Upper Roma St 1800 062 572, citybackpackers.com Brisbane City YHA 392 Upper Roma St, 07 3236 1947, yha.com.au Chill Backpackers 328 Upper Roma St. 1800 851 875, chillbackpackers.com Bunk Backpackers Cnr Ann & Gipps Sts, 1800 682 865, bunkbrisbane.com.au

TBC

BRISBANE DO

The Deck 117 Harcourt Street, New Farm.

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

Australia Zoo Glasshouse Mountains, Tourist Drive, Beerwah. 07 5436 2000, australiazoo.com.au Lone Pine Koala Santuary 708 Jesmond Rd, Fig Tree Pocket.

07 3378 1366, koala.net

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

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

@tnt_downunder Coolangatta Sands Hostel Cnr Griffiths & McLean Sts, Coolangatta. 07 5536 7472, coolangattasandshostel.com.au Gold Coast International BP 28 Hamilton Ave, Surfers. 1800 816 300, goldcoastbackpackers.com.au

Story Bridge Adventure Climb 170 Main St, Kangaroo Point.

1300 254 627, storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au

Islander Backpackers Resort 6 Beach Rd, Surfers Paradise.

1800 074 393, islander.com.au

XXXX Ale House Brewery tours.

Cnr Black & Paten St, Milton.

07 3361 7597, xxxxalehouse.com.au

Sleeping Inn Surfers 26 Peninsular Dr, Surfers Paradise.

1800 817 832, sleepinginn.com.au

GOLD COAST

Surfers Paradise Backpackers Resort 2837 Gold Coast Highway, Surfers. 1800 282 800, surfersparadisebackpackers.com.au

Aquarius Backpackers 44 Queen St, Surfers Paradise.

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

1800 268 621, backpackersinparadise.com.au Cheers International Backpackers 8 Pine Av, Surfers Paradise.

1800 636 539, cheersbackpackers.com.au Coolangatta Kirra Beach YHA Pl, 230 Coolangatta Rd, Bilinga.

07 5536 76442, yha.com.au

Surf â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sun Beachside Backpackers 3323 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise.

1800 678 194, surfnsun-goldcoast.com Surfers Paradise YHA Mariners Cove, 70 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise.

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

GC DO Dreamworld Theme park. dreamworld.com.au

WORKERS WANTED

WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED WORKERS WANTED

AYR NORTH QUEENSLAND

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

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

WORKERS WANTED Call Mick & Daphne 07 4783 5837

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

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

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Phone: 07 4061 2284

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Get Wet Surf School 07 5532 9907

BOOK NOW!

Seaworld seaworld.com.au

FRASER ISLAND

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

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

Warener Bros Movie World movieworld.com.au

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

Zorb 07 5547 6300

SUNSHINE CST

BUNDABERG

Mooloolaba Backpackers 75-77 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba.

1800 020 120 mooloolababackpackers.com 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

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

DAVID GUETTA Parklands Gold Coast. Sun, 6 May. From $111.20.

He’s omnipresent in the charts but soon enough you’ll be able to see him in the flesh as well, as the headliner of the touring Creamfields.

Smith St, Southport

moshtix.com.au

RAINBOW BEACH Dingos Backpacker Adventure Resort 20 Spectrum St. 1800 111 126, dingosresort.com Pippies Beach House 22 Spectrum St. 1800 425 356, pippiesbeachhouse.com Skydive Rainbow Beach 0418 218 358, skydiverainbowbeach.com

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

HERVEY BAY Aussie Woolshed 181 Torquay Road.

07 4124 0677 woolshedbackpackers.com Colonial Village YHA 820 Boat Harbour Drive.

07 4125 1844, yha.com.au

Fraser Roving 412 The Esplanade. 1800 989 811, fraserroving.com.au

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

07 4131 2999 bundabergrum.com.au

TOWN OF 1770

Next at Hervey Bay 10 Bideford St. 1800 102 989, nextbackpackers.com.au

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

Nomads Hervey Bay 408 The Esplanade.

1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com

1770 Undersea Adventures 1300 553 889, 1770underseaadventures.com

AIRLIE BEACH airliebeach.com 259 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 677 119 Airlie Beach YHA 394 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 247 251, yha.com.au Airlie Waterfront Backpackers 6 The Esplanade. 1800 089 000, airliewaterfront.com 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 Nomads Airlie Beach 354 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 666 237 nomadshostels.com

BOWEN Bowen Backpackers Beach end of Herbert St. 07 4786 3433 bowenbackpackers.net

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TOWNSVILLE

Bohemia Resort Cairns 231 McLeod St. 1800 155 353, bohemiaresort.com.au

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

Calypso Backpackers 5 Digger St. 1800 815 628, calypsobackpackers.com.au

Adrenalin Dive Yongala diving. 07 4724 0600, adrenalindive.com.au

Dreamtime Travellers Rest 189 Bunda St. 1800 058 440, dreamtimehostel.com

Yongala Dive Yongala diving.

07 4783 1519, yongaladive.com.au

Gilligans Backpackers and Hotel Resort 57-89 Grafton St. 1800 556 995, gilligans.com.au

MAGNETIC ISL Base Magnetic Island 1 Nelly Bay Rd. 1800 24 22 73, stayatbase.com Bungalow Bay Backpackers Horseshoe Bay. 1800 285 577, bungalowbay.com.au

JJ’s Backpackers Hostel 11 Charles St. 07 4051 7642, jjsbackpackers.com NJOY Travellers Resort Harbour 141 Sheridan St. 1800 807 055, njoy.net.au Nomads Beach House 239 Sheridan St. 1800 229 228, nomadshostels.com

Magnums 7 Marine Pde, Arcadia Bay. 1800 663 666, magnetic-island.com/arc-rsrt.htm

Nomads Cairns 341 Lake St. 1800 737 736, nomadshostels.com

Pleasure Divers 07 4778 5788

Nomads Esplanade 93 The Esplanade.

1800 175 716, nomadshostels.com

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

GREAT BARR IER REEF MAR INE PARK

CAIRNS DO AJ Hackett Bungy jumping & canyon swinging. 1800 622 888 cairns.ajhackett.com Pro Dive 07 4031 5255, prodivecairns.com Raging Thunder Adventures Whitewater rafting. 07 4030 7990, ragingthunder.com.au Skydive Cairns 07 4052 1822, skydivecairns.com.au

heart of the reef Airlie Beach QUEENSLAND T HE WHI T SUNDAY IS L ANDS

are one of the world s most spectacular aquatic playgrounds nddss & encompass 74 tropical islands rising from pristine turquoise oise oi s se waters, hosting lots of incredible marine and wild life.

W H I T E H AVE N B E AC H C AMIR A S AILING ADVEN T URE

Swimming, snorkelling, beautiful beaches and bays, a stuff-yourself-stupid BBQ lunch with unlimited drinks plus luss exhilarating sailing aboard Camira one of the world s fastest est sst sailing catamarans ‒ an awesome day out on the water!r!! $145*pp SAVE $30

G R E AT B AR R I E R R E EF ADV EN T U R ES ES

The Great Barrier Reef is truly one of the great wonderss of the natural world. Cruise aboard Seaflight to Queensland annd s most innovative reef pontoon featuring a giant waterslide lide id and underwater viewing chamber. Explore the underwater water wa t te ter wonderland with diving, snorkelling, semi-sub or glasss bottom boat rides. Includes morning / afternoon tea and nd an all you can eat buffet lunch. $145*pp SAVE $65

2 DAYS 1 NIGHT B AR E F O OT L A Z Y DA Z E

Start your holiday with a choice of either a Whitehaven v n ve Beach Camira Sailing Adventure, or a Great Barrier Reef Adventures. Overnight at Long Island. When you ou dream of an Island experience this is what you dream of! Spend the day enjoying the facilities at Long Island Resort or find your own secluded bay and nd take in the great outdoors. Great snorkelling. Ferry/ bus buu departures back to Airlie available at a variety of times. es. es You may just be tempted to stay another night!

From $215*pp (Dorm accommodation)

plus heaps of other great packages 3-6 days

info@awesomeoz.com www.awesomeoz.com prices only available on presentation of a valid Student, Peterpans, YHA, ISIC, VIP * Backpacker or NOMADS card. Valid for travel until 31 March 2013. Conditions apply, see our website for details.

52

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All day cruises and packages depart daily from Airlie Beach. For info and bookings see your travel centre or contact us: FREECALL1800 awesome

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HOBART STAY

launcestoncataractgorge.com.au

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

DON’T MISS!

Montgomery’s YHA 9 Argyle St. 03 6231 2660, yha.com.au

Mt Wellington Descent Bike tours. 03 6274 1880 mtwellingtondescent.com.au Salamanca Markets Every Saturday, Salamanca Place. salamanca.com.au Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery 5 Argyle St. tmag.com.au

Freycinet National Park Brewery, Wineglass Bay camping. 03 6256 7000, wineglassbay.com

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

MINX

BICHENO

Hotel New York. Sat, 12 May. $TBC. Catch the final date of the gorgeous She Can DJ 2011 champion’s lengthy Aussie tour. Fans of deadmau5 and Calvin Harris apply here.

122 York St, Launceston

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

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

Bicheno Penguin Tours 03 6375 1333, bichenopenguintours.com.au

STRAHAN DO Four Wheelers Henty Sand Dunes quadbike tours. 04 1950 8175, 4wheelers.com.au

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

LAUNCESTON DO Cataract Gorge

STRAHAN,

Bicheno Backpackers 11 Morrison St. 03 6375 1651, bichenobackpackers.com

oxtix.com.au

HOBART ESCAPE

Photo: Tourism Tasmania/Joe Shemesh – Bruny Wildlife Adventure

FREYCINET Iluka Backpackers YHA Reserve Rd. 03 6257 0115, yha.com.au

DEVONPORT

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

Cascade Brewery 140 Cascade Rd. 03 6224 1117 cascadebreweryco.com.au

Overland Track Six-day walk parks.tas.gov.au

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

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

HOBART DO

Devils at Cradle Tassie devil sanctuary. 3950 Cradle Mountain Rd. 03 6492 1491. devilsatcradle.com

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

Hobart Hostel 41 Barrack St. 1300 252 192, hobarthostel.com

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

CRADLE DO

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

Water by Nature Extreme multiday whitewater rafting. 1800 111 142, franklinrivertasmania.com

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

Wild Rivers Jet Jet boating. 03 6471 7396, wildriversjet.com.au

WORD FROM THE STREET

Jan Prochazka, Sweden

BRUNY ISLAND Bruny Island is famous for its scenery, rainforests, national park reserves, beaches and wildlife.

This is the place to go to watch fairy penguins or the rare, white wallaby. Cloudy Bay is a popular surfing spot and fishing is good both in freshwater and in the sea. There are several walking tracks within the national park and reserves. The island is located off the south east coast of Tasmania, not far from Hobart. Geologically, the isle is comprised of two islands; North Bruny and South Bruny, which are joined by a long and sandy isthmus. Ferries go from Kettering to North Bruny In 20 minutes.

HI JAN. SEEN MUCH OF TASSIE? “We got the ferry to Devonport and then drove around for six days. We stopped at places like Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair and Wineglass Bay. Other attractions along the way included the rugged west coast (Strahan), the empty Queenstown and many other small, cosy towns, plus Hobart, Launceston, the Bay of Fires, numerous vineyards, cheese, strawberry and chocolate farms and factories.”

WHAT’S YOUR PICK OF THE BUNCH? “Hard to pick! Watching the sunset over the Bay of Fires was hard to beat though! The coastline really looked like it was on fire. You have to see it to believe it.”

HOW ABOUT AFTER DARK ENTERTAINMENT? “The brewery next to the visitor’s center in Hobart. Free samplings!”

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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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2/02/12 5:08 PM

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

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

DON’T MISS!

The Spencer 475 Spencer St. 1800 638 108, hotelspencer.com Urban Central 334 City Rd, Southbank. 1800 631 288, urbancentral.com.au

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

MELBOURNE DO

Central Melbourne Accommodation 21 Bromham Place, Richmond.

03 9427 9826, centralaccommodation.net

Australian Centre for the Moving Image Federation Square.

03 8663 2200, acmi.net.au

Exford Hotel 199 Russell St. 03 9663 2697, exfordhotel.com.au Flinders Station Hotel 35 Elizabeth St. 03 9620 5100, flindersbackpackers.com.au The Greenhouse Backpacker Level 6, 228 Flinders Lane.

1800 249 207, greenhousebackpacker.com.au Habitat HQ 333 St Kilda Road, St Kilda. 1800 202 500, habitathq.com.au Home at the Mansion 66 Victoria Parade.

03 9663 4212, homemansion.com.au

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

STORM VS WARRIORS AAMI Park. Wed, 25 Apr. From $24.

Melbourne’s rugby league side have had a tough time the last few years, but they’re now back on top again and meaning business.

Olympic Blvd, Melbourne Home Travellers Motel 32 Carlisle St, St Kilda.

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

ticketek.com.au Melbourne Central YHA 562 Flinders St. 03 9621 2523, yha.com.au Nomads Melbourne 198 A’beckett St. 1800 447 762, nomadshostels.com

Melbourne Cricket Ground Brunton Av. 03 9657 8888 mcg.org.au Melbourne Museum 11 Nicholson St, Carlton. 13 11 02 melbourne.museum.vic.gov.au National Gallery of Victoria Federation Square. ngv.vic.gov.au Old Melbourne Gaol 377 Russell St. 03 8663 7228, oldmelbournegaol.com.au

WORD FROM THE STREET

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

MELB MUSIC Cherry Bar myspace.com/cherrybarmelbourne Corner Hotel cornerhotel.com East Brunswick Club eastbrunswickclub.com Esplanade Hotel espy.com.au Northcote Social Club northcotesocialclub.com Palace Theatre palace.com.au The Hi-Fi thehifi.com.au The Tote thetotehotel.com

GREAT OCEAN RD Anglesea Backpackers 40 Noble St, Anglesea.

03 5263 2664, angleseabackpackers.com.au Eco Beach YHA 5 Pascoe St. 03 5237 7899, yha.com.au Great Ocean Road Backpackers YHA 10 Erskine Av, Lorne.

03 5289 2508, yha.com.au

CITY BREAK

ty Michaela Piehl, England

THE GRAMPIANS These sandstone mountains, about 230km west of Melbourne, have got everything an outdoors enthusiast could want – whether it’s abseiling, bushwalking, rock climbing, canoeing or horse riding. Named after a range of Scottish peaks, the Grampians made Australia’s National Heritage List recently, thanks in part to being the home of Aboriginal rock art dating back over 5,000 years.

Drop by during spring when the park is at its best, with the waterfalls flowing and wild flowers in bloom. Don’t miss the view from the Balconies (pictured), also known as “the Jaws of Death”.

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08 PM

Photo: Tourism Victoria

HEY MICHAELA. SEEN MUCH OF VIC? “Just Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road so far.”

WHERE ARE YOU STAYING? “At a hostel in Fitzroy which used to be a nunnery. It’s pretty cool.”

GOT A FAVE DAY SPOT? “Chilling out in a café in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Although Cheeseworld near Warrnambool on the Great Ocean Road comes a very close second. Fitzroy is great for people watching. So is Cheeseworld. Very different kind of people though.”

HOW ABOUT AFTER DARK? “The bars in Fitzroy or the laneways.

Melbourne has the best nightlife in Oz by far, I reckon.”

55

VICLISTINGS

follow us on Sorrento YHA 3 Miranda St, Sorrento.

03 5984 4323, yha.com.au

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T MISS!

@tnt_downunder

BOOK NOW!

Tortoise Head Lodge French Island.

03 5980 1234, tortoisehead.net

DANDENONG Emerald Backpackers 03 5968 4086

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

03 5480 6522, yha.com.au

360 The Hi-Fi. Thur, 14 June. $35.

One of the brightest lights in the domestic hip-hop scene, 360 made his name thanks to his battling skills. In other words, great live shows.

125 Swanston St, Melbourne

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

moshtix.com.au

MORNINGTON

Mildura City Backpackers 50 Lemon Ave, Mildura.

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

04 0734 4251, milduraoasisbackpackers.com.au

GIPPSLAND

SIMON AMSTELL Melbourne Town Hall. Now until Sun, 22 Apr. From $25.50.

The quick-witted TV presenter, actor and award-winning comedian is making his Aussie debut for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Swanston St, Melbourne

PHILLIP ISLAND

Bayplay Lodge 46 Canterbury Jetty Rd, Blairgowrie.

03 5988 0188, bayplay.com.au

Prom Country Backpackers 03 5682 2614

Amaroo Park YHA 97 Church St, Cowes.

03 5952 3620, yha.com.au

Sorrento Foreshore Reserve Nepean Hwy, Sorrento.

1800 850 600, mornpen.vic.gov.au

Rawsom Caravan Park Depot Rd, Rawson.

03 5165 3439, rawsoncaravanpark.com.au

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

comedyfestival.com.au

GRAMPIANS Grampians YHA Eco Hostel Cnr Grampians & Buckler Rds, Halls Gap. 03 5356 4543, yha.com.au Timâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place 44 Grampians Road, Halls Gap. 03 5356 4288, timsplace.com.au

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WALISTINGS

follow us on One World Backpackers 162 Aberdeen St, Northbridge.

1800 188 100, oneworldbackpackers.com.au

DON’T MISS!

@tnt_downunder

BOOK NOW!

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

EAGLES VS HAWKES Patersons Stadium. Sat, 21 Apr. From $29.30.

The West Coast crowds should be out in force thanks to the high flying Eagles being big favourites against the struggling Hawthorn.

Subiaco Rd, Subiaco

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

ticketmaster.com.au 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

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

HANSON Metropolis. Sat, 22 Sep. $65.30.

Catch the all grown up “Mmmbop” boys as they head Down Under for a comeback tour. Apparently they’re about to release their fifth album...

58 South Tce, Fremantle

PERTH MUSIC Amplifier amplifiercapitol.com.au Astor liveattheastor.com.au Mojo’s Bar mojosbar.com.au The Bakery nowbaking.com.au The Rosemount Hotel rosemounthotel.com.au

oztix.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

MEETING FLIPPER

Monkey Mia (pronounced ‘my-ah’) is located on the Coral Coast, about 850km north of Perth. It’s become famous for the bottlenose dolphins that swim to shore and interact with people every day. As a result it’s become fairly touristy, but if you’re keen to see the finned ones up close, you’d struggle to find somewhere better. The dolphin interaction started in 1964 when a lady from one of the nearby fishing camps befriended the creatures and today there’s now a pod of around 300 that live in the bay. This amazing beach is part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, and with its relaxed vibe, year-round sunshine, clear blue water and extensive wildlife, it’s the perfect winter escape. If you’re not planning on staying, make sure you drop by early in the morning as generally all the dolphin feeds are done and dusted by lunchtime.

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Photo: Tourism Western Australia

MONKEY MIA

Monkey Mia Flash Backpackers like us on

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MONKEY MIA

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

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

FREO DO

NINGALOO REEF

Fremantle Markets 08 9335 2515, fremantlemarkets.com.au

Blue Reef Backpackers 3 Truscott Crescent, Exmouth 1800 621 101, aspenparks.com.au

Fremantle Prison 1 The Terrace.

08 9336 9200, backpackersinnfreo.com.au

Ningaloo Club Coral Bay 08 9948 5100, ningalooclub.com

ROTTNEST ISL Rottnest Island YHA Kingstown Barracks. 08 9372 9780, yha.com.au

Excape Backpackers YHA Murat Rd, Exmouth.

08 9949 1200, yha.com.au

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

BROOME STAY Cable Beach Backpackers 12 Sanctuary Road.

1800 655 011, cablebeachbackpackers.com

ALBANY Albany Bayview Backpackers YHA 49 Duke St. 08 9842 3388, yha.com.au

t accommodation. Stunning beachfront location.

Quality budge able, world-leading activities and facilities.

Unique, afford shpacker Voted top ten f la under $100 in Australia accommodation veller Magazine a r T n a li

by Austra

Kimberley Club 62 Fredrick St 08 9192 3233, kimberleyklub.com

Cruize-Inn 122 Middleton Rd. 08 9842 9599, cruizeinn.com

BROOME DO

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

Sun Pictures Carnarvon St. 08 9192 1077, broomemovies.com.au

monkeymia@aspenresorts.com.au t freecall 1800 653 611 t ph +61 8 9948 1320 t monkeymia.com.au

Aspen Parks Begin your re today...

Darwin

u t n e v d A n e p s

A

Nt

Qld

Wa

Brisbane

Sa Perth

Nsw Sydney

Adelaide

Vic Melbourne Hobart

1355

Visit our website for great accommodation specials and online bookings

Holiday Parks with a difference Australia Wide Western Australia Woodman Point Holiday Park Coogee Beach Holiday Park Perth Vineyards Holiday Park Exmouth Cape Holiday Park Blue Reef Backpackers Pilbara Holiday Park Cooke Point Holiday Park

1800 244 133 1800 817 016 1800 679 992 1800 621 101 1800 621 101 1800 451 855 1800 459 999

South Australia Port Augusta BIG4 Holiday Park 1800 833 444 Myall Grove Holiday Park 1800 356 103 Victoria Boathaven Holiday Park Geelong Riverview Tourist Park Golden River Holiday Park Yarraby Holiday Park Ashley Gardens BIG4 Holiday Village

1800 352 982 1800 336 225 1800 621 262 1800 222 052 1800 061 444

New South Wales A Shady River Holiday Park Maidenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Inn Holiday Park Magic Murray Houseboats Murray River Holiday Park Wymah Valley Holiday Park Twofold Bay Beach Resort Wallamba River Holiday Park

1800 674 239 1800 356 801 1800 356 483 1800 357 215 1800 776 523 1800 631 006 1800 268 176

Queensland Island Gateway Holiday Park

1800 466 528

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NTLISTINGS

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DARWIN STAY

KATHERINE STAY

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

BIG4 Katherine Holiday Park 20 Shadforth Road.

1800 501 984, big4.com.au

DON’T MISS!

Palm Court Kookaburra Backpackers Giles St. 1800 626 722

Darwin YHA 97 Mitchell St. 08 8981 5385, yha.com.au Elkes Backpackers 112 Mitchell St. 1800 808 365, elkesbackpackers.com.au

KATHERINE DO Airborne Solutions Scenic helicopter flights.

08 8972 2345 airbornesolutions.com.au

Frogshollow Backpackers 27 Lindsay St. 1800 068 686, frogs-hollow.com.au Gecko Lodge 146 Mitchell St. 1800 811 250, geckolodge.com.au

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

DARWIN BEER CAN REGATTA

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

Mindil Beach. Sun, July 15. Free.

Try to time your visit to see this hilarious event. Hardy souls try not to think about crocs as they hit the water (and sink) in homemade boats.

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

Darwin

beercanregatta.org.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

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

@tnt_downunder Haven Resort 3 Larapinta Drive.

1800 794 663, alicehaven.com.au Toddy’s Resort 41 Gap Rd. 1800 027 027, toddys.com.au

ALICE DO Alice Springs Desert Park Larapinta Drive.

08 8951 8788, alicespringsdesertpark.com.au Alice Springs Reptile Centre Meet and hold lizards.

9 Stuart Terrace.

08 8952 8900, reptilecentre.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 School of the Air Long-distance schooling museum.

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

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

WORD FROM THE STREET

Nicole Rijmaars, the Netherlands HOWDY NICOLE. BEEN MANY PLACES IN THE NT? “Darwin and Kakadu, then I got the Ghan to Alice and went round the rock.”

FAVOURITE DAY SPOT? “I love Kakadu. It was just the perfect tour. It was just so beautiful, going swimming in all the nice fresh waterfalls. You feel like you’re in nature, with no tourists. It’s very wild. I loved the jumping crocodiles by Darwin as well.”

AND NIGHT SPOT? “Monsoons in Darwin. Also a nice spot is around the campfire in the middle of nowhere near Uluru under the starry sky. That was also very cool.”

ANY SCARY MOMENTS? “On a camping trip somebody found the biggest, hairiest spider ever, right by the toilet, just after I’d been!”

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ADELAIDE STAY

COOBER PEDY

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

BOOK NOW!

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

Radeka Down Under 1 Oliver St. 1800 633 891, radekadownunder.com.au

Adelaide Travellers Inn 220 Hutt St. 08 8224 0753, adelaidebackpackers.com.au

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

Annie’s Place 239 Franklin St. 1800 818 011, anniesplace.com.au

KANGAROO IS

Backpack Oz 144 Wakefield St. 1800 633 307, backpackoz.com.au

Kangaroo Island YHA 33 Middle Terrace, Penneshaw.

08 8553 1344, yha.com.au

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

LADYHAWKE

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

HQ. Wed, 25 July. $44.90.

The smouldering Kiwi is back in Ozland as she prepares to drop forthcoming album Anxiety, the follow-up to her gem of a debut.

Hostel 109 109 Carrington St. 1800 099 318, hostel109.com

1 North Tce, Adelaide

My Place 257 Waymouth St. 1800 221 529, adelaidehostel.com.au

Memorial Drive.

08 8300 3800, cricketsa.com.au

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

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

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

Opal Cave Coober Pedy Hutchinson St. 08 8672 5028, opalcavecooberpedy.com.au

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

oxtix.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

RIVERLAND Berri Backpackers Sturt Highway, Berri.

08 8582 3144, berribackpackers.com.au Harvest Trail Lodge Loxton.08 8584 5646, harvesttrail.com.au

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

EYRE PENINSULA Coodlie Park Farmstay Flinders Highway, Port Kenny.

08 8687 0411, coodliepark.com Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience Sea lion and dolphin swims.

08 8626 5017, bairdbay.com Calypso Star Charters Great white shark cage diving.

08 8682 3939, sharkcagediving.com.au 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

Nomads on Murray Sturt Highway, Kingston on Murray.

1800 665 166, nomadsworld.com

Angorichina Tourist Village 08 8648 4842, angorichinavillage.com.au

Riverland Backpackers Labour Hire Services 08 8583 0211

Wilpena Pound Resort Wilpena Rd. 08 8648 0004, wilpenapound.com.au

CITY TO SURF

Rammed with sweet surf spots and chilled out beaches, the peninsula (which was named by a French explorer in case you were wondering) is one of the easiest places to escape to from Adelaide. It’s also the area you’ll have to pass through if you’re planning a trip to Kangaroo Island. Get dizzy trying the local wines, strain your eyes for whales passing on the horizon, or get sweaty climbing up Mt Magnificent for views which are, er, not bad. You can even see a little penguin parade on Granite Island, just off Victor Harbor. And it’s all just a half hour’s drive from the city.

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Photo: Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism

FLEURIEU PENINSULA

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

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

Stray +64 9309 8772, straytravel.com

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

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) 2 2 View Rd, Mt Eden. +64 9623 4267, hostelbackpacker.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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YHA Wellington City 292 Wakefield St. +64 4801 7280

CHRISTCHURCH Chester Street Backpackers (BBH) 148 Chester St East. +64 3377 1897, chesterst.co.nz Foley Towers (BBH) 208 Kilmore St. +64 3366 9720, backpack.co.nz/foley Jailhouse Accommodation (BBH) 338 Lincoln Rd. 0800 524 546, stay@kiwibasecamp.com

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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, bungibackpackers.co.nz Cardrona Alpine Resort Between Queenstown and Wanaka. +64 3443 7341, cardrona.com Flaming Kiwi Backpackers (BBH) 39 Robins Rd. +64 3442 5494, flamingkiwi@xtra.co.nz Hippo Lodge (BBH) 4 Anderson Hts. +64 3442 5785, hippolodge.co.nz Nomads Queenstown 5-11 Church St. +64 3441 3922, nomadshostels.com

Kiwi House 373 Gloucester St. +64 3381 6645, kiwihouse.co.nz

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

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

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

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

YHA Queenstown Central 48A Shotover Street. +64 3442 7400, yha.co.nz

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

YHA Queenstown Lakefront 8890 Lake Esplanade. +64 3442 8413, yha.co.nz

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OZWORK

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The learning curve Travellers with teaching qualifications have the chance to earn great money, while making a difference and seeing the country There are few jobs that allow travellers to practically walk into a well-paid position, improve their long-term career prospects and feel good about themselves at the same time – so teachers are quite a lucky bunch really.

“Rates of pay vary across each state and sector,” says Select Education’s Louise White. “Generally a casual teacher in Sydney could expect to earn $200-plus per day.” And the reality of actually landing a job that pays so well shouldn’t be just a pipedream.

As White explained: “There is always a high demand for teachers across Australia, especially casual teachers in Sydney.” But, as anyone who has already worked as a teacher should know, you need to make sure all your paperwork is in order first. “To have your qualifications accessed by each state you are generally required to submit your CV, qualifications, transcripts, visa/passport, birth certificate and current police clearances,” said White.

Also, be aware that while it’s taken as a given that you will need to hold a full teaching qualification, such as a Bachelor of Education or an equivalent, Australia has no national curriculum, meaning the qualification requirements vary between the states.

If you’ve got the right qualifications and all your paperwork is in order, then by far the most important thing to have is a willingness to be flexible – you will be sent wherever cover is needed, which may mean commuting to the suburbs.

“In Sydney, we place teachers across a wide band of suburbs so teachers should be prepared to travel,” said White. “Along with a flexible attitude, they need to be prepared with resources as work is not always set.”

So put your qualifications to good use and help those Aussies gain an education. Once the school bell rings, you might even get a chance to see the real Australia.

INTERVIEW WITH A TEACHER... in love with it. Ever since, I was dying to get here and see its beauty for myself.

I applied for jobs and here I am. I have not looked back for a second!

Meghan Alexander, 23, USA Tell us about the new job.

I teach at a school called Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia) teaching children with autism. I have an amazing class of six students, aged nine to 11.

They keep me on my toes!

Why did you pick Oz? A friend of mine from home studied abroad here and fell

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How did you get the job?

I had recently graduated from college back home but was having a hard time landing a job there. So I searched for every school for children with autism in Australia and sent emails.

One of them contacted me and offered me a job!

How does it compare?

Teaching here is more laidback in that I have been able to develop a really nice and open relationship with

my kids and their parents.

How is the pay?

I was shocked when I found out how much I was going to get paid. It is definitely more than I would be making back home. It has made living in the ever expensive Sydney and travelling around Australia so much easier.

How long are you staying?

Unfortunately I am only teaching in Australia for a total of six months. I have a working holiday visa which means I have to change employer after six months.

What’s been a highlight?

It has been hilarious to

hear the kids pick up on my American accent. Overall, the best part has been seeing the kids improve in such a short period of time.

I never thought I would have such an impact on them and vice-versa. Leaving them is going to be so tough.

Any tips for travellers?

The best advice I can give is to just go for it. Teaching is not the easiest profession to have as a traveller, but now I know it’s possible. If you want to do it, do it!

Would you recommend it?

Absolutely! It is so rewarding and the kids will change your life. At least they have mine!

Get paid to holiday!

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MYTHBUSTERS WHERE DOES THE CROWE FLY?

THIS WEEK’S QUIZ

MYTH

SCARY FILMS

OF THE

WEEK

Where is Russell Crowe from?

a) 1886 c) 1906

Which film is based on Australian Q 6.‘backpacker killer’ Ivan Milat? a) The Hostel b) Crocodile Dundee c) Wolf Creek d) Saw

b) 1896 d) 1916

Who has directed the largest Q 3.number of horror films?

Daniel Radcliffe stars in which Q 7.upcoming horror film?

a) Wes Craven b) Steven Spielberg c) David Fincher d) James Cameron

a) Lady in Red b) Men in Black c) The Woman in Black d) The Boy in Pink Pyjamas

Q 4. Where was Jaws filmed?

a) South Australia & Massachusetts b) Queensland & Toronto c) Western Australia & California d) South Africa

Q 8. How many Saw films are there? a) Four c) Seven

SUDOKU PUZZLE 4

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b) Five d) Too many

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Since Aussies will claim any New Zealand icon they can: pavlova, race horses and rugby league players, it’s no surprise they try and pass Russell Crowe off as an Aussie actor. But the South Sydney Football Club owner was actually born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1964. He moved to Australia when he was four years old so his parents, both film-set makers, could pursue their careers. However, he went back to New Zealand to finish schooling at the age of 14.

Rusty started out as a musician and had the cringe-worthy stage name Russ Le Roq. His musical career, just like his heritage, is turned a blind eye to by Aussies.

This is when a beer-goggled Aussie plants a kiss (or as Aussies say a “pash”) on another stranger before scrambling to find the nearest exit and quickly running (or “dashing”) out the door and out of sight.

THIS WEEK IT’S...

AUSSIE FILMS 1. CHASTISED ELOQUENT PILFERE 2. A TRIAL USA 3. GLUM DESIRED WIN 4. BLOT LYRICAL FORM ANSWERS: 1. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 2. Australia 3. Muriel’s Wedding 4. Strictly Ballroom

was the first ever horror Q 2.filmWhen made?

Q 5. Who directed the original Scream movie? a) Peter Jackson b) Wes Craven c) Alfred Hitchcock d) Tim Ritter

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

Q

1. Who said: “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti”? a) Chucky b) Spider-Man c) Leatherface d) Hannibal Lecter

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