Australian Traveller 08.10 2022_downmagaz.net_compressed

SHORTCUTS | Inner beauty CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The luxurious curves of the signature banquette seating; Chairs by Melbourne-based Grazia & Co; Organic shapes on display. OPPOSITE (from top left): LOTI’s outdoor space maximises its laid- back waterfront locale; The space is light and bright; Curved lines in the bar area; Earthy tones are used throughout. NAME: L O C AT I O N : DESIGN FIRM: LOTI ST KILDA, VIC MITCHELL & EADES EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW again is the rink’s neon sign of an ice-skating woman Melbourne-based designers including Grazia a perfect description of LOTI, the latest was iconic: LOTI stands for Lady of the Ice. & Co and Ross Gardam were used to mirror eatery to debut in St Kilda’s always interesting the hyperlocal focus of executive chef Elijah restaurant and bar scene. Taking up residence The design of the space also pays homage Holland’s menu. on the inner-city suburb’s famed esplanade, to this history. “Inspiration came from the the modern lines and new-order focus on curvaceous design of the [new] St Moritz “Everything is about trying to use foraged ingredients, local producers and building, which subtly referenced the historic products and ingredients that are completely organic and biodynamic bona fides are all St Moritz ice-skating rink from the site’s sustainable,” Holland says. “[This is] also seen underpinned by a respect for the heritage and past, as well as a light, fresh sunset palette through our foraging and collecting of local local legends of its location. referencing the seaside location of St Kilda. ingredients. If produce grows around St Kilda, We used the architectural form to inform the Brighton and Elwood we’ll go out along the The site of the new St Moritz residential curvaceous bar and banquette, maximising coast and spread out where we take it from and dining precinct that LOTI is housed seating space while allowing patrons to soak up so it can continue to grow for years to come. within was formerly the location of the St the sun in the prime window location,” explains We also try to source from smaller farmers if Moritz ice-skating rink, which opened to much Samantha Eades, creative strategist & CEO possible, to lower our carbon footprint and fanfare in 1939. Until its shuttering in 1982, of design practice Mitchell & Eades. Pieces by environmental impact.” lotistkilda.com.au 51A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

SHORTCUTS | Kimberley FROM LEFT: See the spectacular King George Falls with pioneering adventure cruise company True North; The spectacle of Horizontal Falls. Water world The SOOTHING power of being in and near WATER is legendary. With an abundance of CASCADING water on offer – some of it RUSHING horizontally – Western Australia’s KIMBERLEY region is the PERFECT place to soak it all in. Horizontal Falls the most beautiful in the country, with the All for one PHOTOGR APHY: TOURISM WESTERN AUSTR ALIA (KING GEORGE FALLS); L AUREN BATH/ Considered one of the Kimberley region’s waters of the Mitchell River elegantly falling PIRIE BATH PHOTOGR APHY (TALBOT BAY ); BASE IMAGERY (HORIZONTAL FALLS DETAIL) most spectacular attractions, no less than Sir through a series of deep sandstone terraces The beauty of all of these falls, David Attenborough has been mesmerised by and rock pools. and a few more besides, can the spectacle of the fast-moving tidal current actually be experienced in of Talbot Bay being squeezed through two of Eagle Falls one journey with True North’s the narrow gorges of the McLarty Range, The bright summer sunshine hitting the 10-night Kimberley Waterfalls forming frothy, surging rapids. In fact, the honey-coloured rocks, and conjuring fleeting cruise.“The Kimberley Waterfalls legendary broadcaster anointed them as rainbows in the fine spray created at Eagle itinerary is one of our most ‘Australia’s most unusual natural wonder’. Falls is a mesmerising sight, one that can be popular,” says True North best viewed up close on a helicopter flight brand director Peter Trembath. King Cascades over this watery wonder. “The limited departures [four Located on the Prince Regent River, the per year] normally sell out six waters of King Cascades pour down over King George Falls months in advance. I believe that ancient stepped rock formations that resemble Believed to be the male and female Wunkurr the waterfalls of the Kimberley a giant’s staircase. The allure here is that (Rainbow Serpents) by the local Balanggarra coast are particularly alluring small-ship cruising with the likes of True people, the dual drops of the King George because they are quintessentially North allows for unfettered access; ships can Falls, part of the North Kimberley Marine Australian, framed in typical get close enough to allow guests to stand under Park, are imposing in their size and presence, Australian bush scenes, and the the cool, fresh waters while on deck. with the waters of the King George River purpose-built True North can plunging over vertiginous cliffs into the tidal provide intimate access, so much Mitchell Falls waters below. Inaccessible by car, the best way so that our guests can ‘shower on Known as Punamii-Uunpuu to the Wunambal to see this breathtaking sight is on a cruise or a the bow’.” truenorth.com.au people, these falls are rightly consider some of scenic flight departing from Kununurra. 52 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M



CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Take in the views from the scenic Terrigal Boardwalk ; Enjoy a stand-up paddle board adventure with Bombora Ettalong Beach SUP; See majestic marine creatures up close with Terrigal Ocean Tours. G U I LT- F R E E C E N T R A L C O A S T  The east coast’s new ECO Destination is the perfect spot for a getaway where NATURAL BEAUTY and CULTURAL RICHNESS are enjoyed and protected at once. NESTLED BETWEEN Sydney and From community members paddle for incredible views of the Bouddi WORDS: WHITNEY EDWARDS. PHOTOGR APHY: JAMES VODICK A (STAND-UP Newcastle, the Central Coast is a slice of to the local council, everyone Peninsula and Bouddi National Park plus PADDLE BOARDING, BOARDWALK); TERRIGAL OCEAN TOURS (WHALE); paradise teeming with scenic beauty and rich has played a part in important visit areas of Broken Bay most visitors will BIANCHI PHOTOGR APHY (COWS); DESTINATION NSW (IRIS LODGE ALPACAS) biodiversity. Spanning 87 glorious kilometres sustainability initiatives, never see. of coastline, more than half the region’s including protecting the diverse landscape is made up of natural endangered little tern, ENJOY A MARINE TOUR THAT spaces, dotted with thousands of registered monitoring koala numbers GIVES BACK TO THE OCEAN Aboriginal cultural sites. As a monumental and introducing at-home soft Join a marine biologist to spot dolphins, step towards protecting these natural and plastic recycling. More than seals, little penguins and humpback whales cultural assets for future generations, the 30 local cafes have committed with TERRIGAL OCEAN TOURS. This ECO Central Coast has been named an accredited to using recyclable, reusable Certified company contributes to the ECO DESTINATION by Ecotourism Australia, coffee cups, and nature-based protection of our oceans in many ways, supported by WWF-Australia. tourism operators work to reduce their including conducting water sampling, impact on the environment, even rewilding searching for and monitoring rare species The Central Coast is a diverse map made land for native species. of coral, and releasing rehabilitated up of national parks, state forests, bushland, seabirds for Australian Seabird Rescue. nature reserves, beaches and waterways. It’s Some local businesses – such as these below a landscape worth showcasing and, more – have gone a step further, pursuing their importantly, one worth protecting. And the own ECO accreditation to make a guilt-free region has been recognised for doing just getaway to the Central Coast even easier. that, as Ecotourism Australia has certified the Central Coast as one of only four ECO SALUTE THE SUN ON Destinations in the country. The area was A STAND-UP PADDLE BOARD awarded the status for its commitment to Ever done yoga on a stand-up paddle board? sustainable practices and high-quality How about Pilates? Or played SUP ball? nature-based tourism experiences; local BOMBORA ETTALONG BEACH SUP offers these businesses tread lightly on the environment one-of-a-kind experiences while treading while playing a pivotal role in helping preserve lightly on the environment (it is currently an the oldest living culture in the world. ECO applicant). Join a SUP tour or sunrise

In partnership with Love Central Coast SEEK PLANET-FRIENDLY CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THRILLS IN THE FOREST Get back to nature on the Central Coast; This experience will have an impact on Feed the animals at Grace Springs Farm; your adrenaline, but not so much on the Learn bushcraft skills from Jake Cassar; environment. Located in Ourimbah State Forest, ECO Certified TREETOPS ADVENTURE Meet the locals at Iris Lodge Alpacas. comprises rope courses and suspended nets. It’s been constructed in a way that lets the VISIT AN ANIMAL SANCTUARY AND LEARN ABOUT BUSH TUCKER forest continue to grow. GET A CULTURE LESSON, TOO FROM A SURVIVALIST HAVE BREAKFAST WITH THE ALPACAS AUSTRALIA WALKABOUT WILDLIFE PARK Go bush with JAKE CASSAR BUSHCRAFT ON A REGENERATED FARM TOURS. Jake Cassar is a renowned bushcraft Enjoy your bacon and eggs with some new is a sanctuary for native animals including expert who teaches about native and edible fluffy friends at IRIS LODGE ALPACAS, an the Tassie devil, koala and wombat, and also plants, and he really knows his stuff; every ECO Certified farm in the Central Coast runs a breeding program for endangered year, he spends days living off the land hinterland. Home to 70 alpacas and four species like the bilby. Visitors can learn about to increase his survival knowledge. He’s llamas (as well as sheep, cows and horses), wildlife and environmental conservation, and also a youth mentor, animal activist and the farm was once grazing land but has since connect with Country through Aboriginal environmentalist, and has worked with been replanted with more than 9000 trees, cultural activities and learn first-hand about Aboriginal Elders across Australia. allowing native local species to return. bush medicine. DO CHORES FOR A MORNING AT AN ORGANIC FAMILY-RUN FARM Is there such a thing as chores kids will love? At GRACE SPRINGS FARM, yes! The morning chores tour is a hit with families, giving small children the chance to tend to the chooks, ducks, pigs and cows. The farm also lets them see where their food comes from. SAMPLE SUSTAINABLY FARMED STAY IN A NATURE RETREAT OYSTERS STRAIGHT FROM THE RIVER IN THE HINTERLAND Literally immerse yourself on a tour with Sleep well at night knowing you’re reducing the family-owned and sustainably run your footprint at NOONAWEENA, an ECO SYDNEY OYSTER FARM TOURS in Mooney Certified stay with national park views Mooney. Wearing waders, you’ll stand at in leafy Kulnura. Made up of four elegant an in-water table amongst the oyster leases lodges that can accommodate 32 guests, the of the Hawkesbury River. You’ll meet the property is solar-powered and self-sufficient farmer, learn about the evolution of oyster with natural water. It also recycles greywater, farming, then shuck and taste the salty composts green waste, and keeps chickens for bivalves fresh from the river and surrounds. eggs and bees for honey. For more information about how you can have a guilt-free getaway on the ECO Certified Central Coast, visit lovecentralcoast.com/ecotourism

TH E U LTI M ATE G U I D E TRAVELLING CONSCIOUSLY Knowing that you are travelling RESPONSIBLY can be a vexed proposition, but a CLUTCH of organisations are determined to make it much easier to JOURNEY with a clear CONSCIENCE. FROM TOP: Enjoy nature-based experiences in Dorrigo National Park in NSW’s Coffs Coast region; Emerald Beach is one of the jewels in the Coffs Coast crown. 56 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Eagle Bay Beach in the Margaret River Region, which has achieved ECO Destination Certification; Dangar Falls, near Dorrigo on the Coffs Coast, which has also been recognised as an ECO Destination by Ecotourism Australia. WORDS: LEIGH-ANN POW. PHOTOGR APHY: DESTINATION NSW (DORRIGO NATIONAL PARK, EMER ALD BE ACH, COFFS Credit where credit’s due COAST, DANGAR FALLS, NE AR DORRIGO, SPOON BAY DETAIL); TOURISM WESTERN AUSTR ALIA (E AGLE BAY BE ACH, WA) GREEN. SUSTAINABLE. ORGANIC. The buzzwords of to contribute to solutions that will make a real difference, even our earnest efforts to do better as we finally start to understand if it comes as a premium. Ask questions, seek feedback and if you the consequences of our collective global actions over the last can’t find what you want immediately, agitate and advocate for few centuries are increasingly attached to everything from something better in the future. And yes, it might take up more of our morning coffee to the cars we drive to the energy being your time, but considering that we are running out of exactly that pumped into our homes. They are also being liberally bandied when it comes to the health of our planet, how can you see it as about within the tourism industry, which, thanks to air travel and anything but well spent? the over-tourism we were witnessing before the pandemic hit, has been left wanting when it comes to making substantiative efforts UNDERSTANDING ECO CERTIFICATION to adapt and change. Certification is another buzzword becoming increasingly According to Professor Tim Flannery, whom we spoke with popular within the tourism industry, but certified by who and in late 2021, we haven’t reached the overall tipping point when for what should be the first questions you ask yourself. With it comes to climate change yet (scientists view climate change almost no standardised, universally recognised guidelines on the as a series of tipping points), but we are getting perilously close benchmarks above which eco credibility is reached, it can be hard and need to act now, especially in areas like travel. “We love to fathom what’s good and bad in this space. But that’s no reason [travel]. It enriches our life hugely, but it does have a big impact to be sceptical about everyone in the industry and do nothing. on the climate for what is a discretionary thing,” he told us. “If I was you, I’d be looking at your messaging. What are the The good news here in Australia is that we actually options for flying with offsets? What’s the future looking like have a number of credible industry bodies in tourism that for airlines in terms of flying on carbon-neutral fuels? Who’s evaluate and award certification and accreditation to businesses doing any of this work? With cruising, who has hydrogen-powered striving to do better. cruise ships? Who’s developing them? The options are all there, but we’ve got to get serious about doing it now, as 10 years from The Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) is the now it’s going to be too late.” national representative body for tourism here, which manages national industry development programs including the Quality With the onus on all of us to do our bit, how do we actually Tourism program, which includes the ascending Sustainable make informed decisions about travel without getting swayed Tourism Accreditation and EcoStar Accreditation. The first step by buzzwords and being drenched in greenwashing? It is all in the process for businesses looking to have their eco 1 about doing your research when planning your travel, choosing operators that demonstrate a solid and accountable commitment to sustainable, conscious and ethical practices and rewarding operators, businesses and initiatives that are planning and striving

credentials recognised is achieving Quality Tourism Accreditation, Travel. Ecotourism Australia uses the Green Destinations PHOTOGR APHY: TOURISM WESTERN AUSTR ALIA (MEELUP BEACH, DUNSBOROUGH, CAPE TO CAPE WALK TR AIL , which confirms they have met specific criteria that ensures framework recognised by GSTC to assess destinations and NE AR THE WILYABRUP); DESTINATION NSW (SHELLY BE ACH, CENTR AL COAST, SPOON BAY, WAMBER AL) they are committed to exceeding expectations on customer tourism providers across 100 or so criteria including managing service and meet the highest standards of business practice. volumes and activities, climate change adaptation, community With this stage ticked, they can then move on to achieve ATIC’s support, preventing exploitation and discrimination, protection of Sustainable Tourism Accreditation, which guides businesses to cultural assets and protection of sensitive environments. provide quality offerings that “address this changing global trend of experiential tourism” by demonstrating sound sustainability What this effectively means is that credibility, as a result of practices. For businesses that go above and beyond when it comes its position as the national peak body for sustainable and nature- to environmental management, EcoStar Accreditation recognises based tourism, underpins Ecotourism Australia’s programs, a commitment to environmental management based on stringent including its ECO Destination Certification, launched in criteria such as contributing to conservation and sustainability, 2018 to encourage and recognise operators and government establishing an environmental risk management strategy, working together to demonstrate a community-wide and supporting and benefiting the local community, and recognition of entire-region commitment to sustainable tourism management cultural and heritage issues. practices including protecting the natural environment and bridging the gap between tourism and conservation. In addition Brisbane-based Ecotourism Australia (EA) is another to the aforementioned NSW Central Coast and Margaret organisation assisting Aussie travellers, one that has been much River Region, which were certified this year, the Port Douglas in the news of late having bestowed its exacting certification on a Daintree region was recognised in 2019 followed by the handful of regions including the NSW Central Coast and Western NSW Coffs Coast in 2021. Australia’s Margaret River Region. EA is also committed to encouraging and assisting the The non-government, not-for-profit organisation, established tourism industry to take real steps towards acting in a way that over 30 years ago, acts to promote and support the ecotourism both respects and reinforces the country’s unique Indigenous industry in Australia, with is flagship ECO Certification holding living cultures and rich cultural heritage through the Respecting the distinction of being the world’s first national ecotourism Our Culture (ROC) Certification. Designed by Aboriginal certification program. Internationally respected for its industry Tourism Australia (ATA) and administered by Ecotourism standards, it is also recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Australia, the program recognises tourism operators that are Council (GSTC), a US-registered not-for-profit representing ‘committed to protecting cultural authenticity and integrity, national governments, hotel groups, travel companies and developing sound business practices, environmental protection NGOs including the likes of Switzerland Tourism and Singapore and acknowledging Indigenous peoples’ spiritual connection to Tourism, Lonely Planet, Google, Airbnb and our own Intrepid the land and water’. CLOCKWISE FROM THIS IMAGE: Stroll the beaches of the Central Coast, a region that has been given a green tick ; Walk the Cape to Cape trail in the eco-friendly Margaret River Region; Tread lightly on your travels; Dive into nature on the Central Coast.

sWushtaaitnias ble travel? THE GUIDE | Travelling consciously According to the United JOIN THE B CORP MOVEMENT Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Many companies, including those in tourism sustainable tourism should: and hospitality, are embracing the B Corp Certification movement, confirming themselves 1 Make optimal use of as operators that strive to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, environmental resources that accountability and transparency. The Melbourne/ constitute a key element in Naarm-based not-for-profit B Lab, which tourism development, maintaining debuted in Australia in 2006 (an offshoot of essential ecological processes and a global not-for-profit based out of the US), helping to conserve natural operates according to a vision of contributing heritage and biodiversity. towards a more caring and accountable global economy, awarding certification to companies 2 Respect the sociocultural that are committed to balancing profits and purpose, and which are making real efforts authenticity of host communities, to have a positive impact on the people they conserve their built and living employ, the communities they exist within and cultural heritage and traditional the environment as a whole. Here in Australia, values, and contribute to companies such as Aesop and Intrepid Travel intercultural understanding have achieved B Corp Certification. There’s and tolerance. even a university course, conducted by Torrens University Australia – Championing 3 Ensure viable, long-term Organisational Change: Introduction to B Corps – designed for those wanting to find out economic operations, providing more about the values, processes and standards socioeconomic benefits to that underpin this global movement for good. all stakeholders that are bcorporation.com.au 1 fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning oppor tunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation. 59A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

THE GUIDE | Travelling consciously Why you should tick that offset box Air TRAVEL is a notorious guzzler of FOSSIL FUELS, which should make OFFSETTING a no-brainer for CONSCIOUS travellers. WHAT IS OFFSETTING? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? Brisbane to Darwin) is just $14.40, while long-haul (Sydney to Perth or Melbourne In layman’s terms, the concept of Maybe the question should be:‘What is to Broome) is $43.20. It is often cheaper carbon-offset schemes effectively means the alternative?’With many tipping points to offset through your chosen airline at you are paying a price to remove the already reached when it comes to climate the time of booking; a carbon-offset price emissions produced when you fly or drive change, at this stage we have to work on for a return economy-class flight from by investing in programs that have a the premise that every little bit counts Sydney to Adelaide on Qantas was just positive effect on the Earth, thereby because the alternative is actually too $3.30 when we logged onto the airline’s cancelling out or neutralising your impact. frightening to contemplate. A good rule of website, with an added commitment from Think of it as yin and yang with the added thumb if you are concerned about where the airline to match every dollar spent, bonus of frequent flyer points. Programs exactly the difference is being made when doubling the positive impact (although that airlines or their offsetting partners you offset is to choose companies and we did note that ‘No thanks, not this trip’ contribute to include reforestation, not-for-profits that support Australian is the default selection when the offsetting landcare and social initiatives that prevent initiatives so you can see both the benefit option appears in the booking process). the same amount of CO2 entering the and the results in action. Virgin Australia invests in programs atmosphere through their actions. that have social, environmental and HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? economic benefits such as the Tasmanian WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT? Land Conservancy. Probably not as much as you think.While Before the pandemic, research you would need an economics degree THE BEST WAYS TO DO IT? showed that greenhouse gas emissions to properly understand the ins and from commercial air travel were growing outs of how carbon pricing works, and One of the easiest ways to offset your at a much faster rate than previously there is actually no standardised price flights is directly through the airline at the predicted by the United Nations’ on carbon, what we can tell you is that time of booking.The option is usually International Civil Aviation Organization your emissions when flying are calculated presented towards the end of the booking (ICAO) – up to 70 per cent faster, in fact. based on the length of your journey, process (after adding check-in baggage, And while we all bought into the silver the type of aircraft you are travelling on choosing travel insurance, and booking a lining of lockdown resulting in a dramatic and the cabin class you are seated in. hire car...), so make sure you scroll through drop in greenhouse emissions, the zeal All of this information is combined to all the pages and keep your eyes peeled with which we have taken to the skies produce a total CO2 emissions amount for it. Some airlines use a calculator that again over Australia means this was just in tonnes, and then a charge is applied allows you to put in your flight details a pause in proceedings. Indeed, a return to to this. Greenfleet, a leading Australian separately and then click to buy. If the the larger-than-forecast increases of the not-for-profit environmental organisation airline you are travelling with doesn’t past will end up cancelling out initiatives established in 1997 with a mission to provide offsetting options, you can then like developments in engine and aircraft protect the climate by restoring forests, opt to offset your flights yourself through efficiency and clean fuels altogether. So, offers domestic carbon offsetting on an Australian-based offset company like short of never flying again, offsetting is a both long-haul and short-haul flights. Greenfleet (greenfleet.com.au) or TEM tangible way to cancel out the damage you The cost of offsetting a return domestic (tasmanenvironmental.com.au). do every time you board a plane. short-haul flight (Melbourne to Sydney or 60 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

In partnership with Kingfisher Bay Resort CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The resort blends in with the stunning surrounds of the island; The complex was built with environmental conservation at front of mind; Enjoy family time in the stunning pool; Or get out into nature to experience all K’gari has to offer. CAREFUL PA R A D I S E Thirty years ago, a new resort on K’GARI (FRASER ISLAND) plotted its way to a better future. Long before ‘regenerative travel’ was a buzz phrase, KINGFISHER BAY RESORT was introducing sustainable tourism to one of Australia’s most idyllic destinations, K’gari (Fraser Island). As the multi-award-winning Queensland resort marks its 30th birthday, we take a look at its role in helping shape the island we all love. WORDS: JENNIER ENNION HOW IT STARTED embrace the language of the local Butchulla the new K’GARI WORLD HERITAGE DISCOVERY Aboriginal people, in line with the renaming CENTRE (located in the resort), where they It’s hard to imagine K’gari being anything of the island. can learn about the island’s rainforests, lakes other than a place to connect with nature, and wildlife. Resort rangers also connect but it was once home to sandmining and SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL visitors to the land via mangrove canoe tours logging industries. A year after logging ceased As K’gari’s largest tourism operator, the and immersive bush tucker experiences. in 1991, K’gari was named a UNESCO recently renovated Kingfisher Bay Resort World Heritage Area, and Kingfisher Bay has played a vital role in shaping its future. As for the resort’s sustainable practices, Resort welcomed its first guests. This was the Through experiences such as the BEAUTY there are reusable toiletries, as well as beginning of a greener future for the island. SPOTS TOUR, guests can enjoy a resort stay recycling, composting and a water filtration while gaining a better appreciation of K’gari’s plant. Kingfisher Bay Resort has also been Kingfisher Bay Resort was built to strict natural values. Visitors can expand on this at awarded Advanced Ecotourism Certification environmental guidelines, including elevating and Green Travel Leader status from the main buildings so they would shift with Ecotourism Australia. the natural sand movements, and relying on the weather for cooling and warming to For travellers, this means a holistic K’gari reduce electricity usage. Through offerings experience that goes beyond fine dining and such as the Junior Eco Rangers program, the 4WDing (although you can have those, too). resort also fosters a better understanding of As for the future, the resort is planning the environment in younger generations. a solar farm to offset emissions, proving that it continues to be a leader in sustainable To mark 30 years of operation, the resort travel on K’gari and across Australia. has unveiled a new logo featuring a fern and green hue to reflect its nature-based For more information and to book your experiences. K’GARI BEACH RESORT and K’gari stay, visit kingfisherbay.com K’GARI EXPLORER TOURS (previously known as Eurong and Fraser Explorer Tours respectively) have also been rebranded to

ONE JOURNEY, TIMELESS ENCOUNTERS REEF - RAINFOREST - OUTBACK A collection of boutique sustainable lodges and experiences that celebrate Queensland’s diverse natural beauty in one bespoke journey. Inspiring authentic experiences and lasting memories, discover a secluded island paradise on the Great Barrier Reef, a luxury super yacht complete with its own helipad, a soul-enriching retreat in the Daintree Rainforest, and invoke the spirit of adventure in the outback. +61 0 7 4777 7377 R ES E RVAT I O N S @ N O R T H E R N ES C A P E .C O M . A U N O R T H E R N ES C A P E .C O M . A U

PHOTOGR APHY: MARTINA GEMMOL A WEEKENDS reviews . bundanon . clare valley . k’gari . bathhouses . hip hood . one fine day HOUSE PROUD Australia’s new breed of bathhouses are pleasingly contemporary and deliciously chic spaces in which to spend an hour or an entire day cocooned in luxury. Go for a massage at Melbourne’s design-centric Sense of Self, stay for a bath and a sauna, and then bliss out in the elegant communal area. Turn to page 84 for more.

WEEKENDS | Reviews CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The renovation of Bendigo’s former commercial bank is a design-lover’s dream; Each suite is adorned with Australian art and designer furnishings; The Bendigo Ernest Hotel’s suites have been meticulously transformed. ALL THAT G LIT TE R S Details Bendigo’s former commercial bank is TRANSFORMED into an BENDIGO ERNEST HOTEL INTIMATE design hotel, thanks to the careful eye and EXQUISITE touch of two established career CREATIVES, writes Clare Acheson. 10–12 View Street, Bendigo,Vic REGIONAL CITIES HOLD SOME of the nation’s from Cook-Doulton’s private art collection, which hotelbendigo.com.au most precious gems. But, like all valuable stones, is the product of 20 years’ patronage. The boutique they could do with a good polish every so often to hotel features works by Melbourne Studio School Verdict: A welcoming revive their glimmer. Nestled in Bendigo’s central director Richard Birmingham and Archibald finalist art-lover’s retreat that Rosalind Park, the Bendigo Ernest Hotel is the latest David Bromley. unearths local history establishment to buff the colonial edges of Victoria’s and celebrates fresh gold-mining city, while tastefully celebrating its Expect to be welcomed by plush velvet and felt perspectives, where each colloquial charm. couches, plaid wool blankets, softly lit wishbone luxurious detail tells a story. seating and plumes of a woody fragrance custom- Opened in early 2022, the 10-suite property designed for the space by Melbourne-based Score: combines majestic architecture, impossibly high aromatherapy consultancy Aromacare. Stroll into We rated: The pet-friendly, ceilings and features from its colourful past (including the walk-in bank vaults and find two micro lounges accessible ground-floor a bullet hole in an original window pane; a memento that feature works by female artists that highlight the suite, perfect for dog from a heist) with the fresh viewpoint of directorial inequality of labour value between genders. owners and visitors duo David Cook-Doulton and Martin Shew. who need accessible Dedication to balanced aesthetics is something that shower facilities. The boutique hotel is the pair’s first collaborative the whole team takes seriously. Staff are educated in We’d change: Being an older venture, however, you wouldn’t know it when walking the composition of each room so spaces can be reset building, single glazing is into the impeccably styled welcome lounge. Skills daily, to create an experience that is reassuringly retained in some rooms garnered through decades working in marketing, consistent, no matter if it’s your first or 101st stay. leading to early-morning hospitality and creative services are expertly applied street noise. to a new medium to replace regional guesthouse While the bathrooms might feel a bit retro (we Green credentials: Local clichés with elevated touches. predict a renovation is on the horizon), every lamp, artists, furniture designers bathrobe, cushion and appliance complements the and producers are on Named after Cook-Doulton’s grandfather, who was artwork to cocoon visitors in visual harmony during display, cutting down on a vocal supporter of his creative endeavours during his their stay. Weekend guests may also meet Fletcher, the the carbon footprint. formative years, the Ernest Hotel is part-residence, owners’ affable Airedale terrier, whose coiffed curls are Notes: Weekday stays are part-stage for lesser-heard voices and experts of craft. as much a part of the decor as the ochre espresso cups. charged at a reduced rate It’s this intentional dismantling of power within the and are ideal if you are city’s oldest banking building that so cleverly softens Above all else, the Bendigo Ernest Hotel is a planning a visit to Bendigo the space and connects historical and contemporary modern take on traditional hospitality with a sincere Art Gallery outside of narratives in unexpected ways. passion for old tales and new memories at its core. busy weekend hours. Look A heartfelt reminder that Victoria holds treasure out for the team’s second Each of the hotel’s bespoke suites is a design-lover’s troves of hidden wonders within its colonial shrouds, destination, Hotel Vera in dream and themed around an artist’s work selected if you only know where to look. Ballarat, which is due to open later this year. All AT reviews are conducted anonymously and our writers pay their own way – so we experience exactly what you would. 64 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

CAVERSHAM WILDLIFE PARK The best place to get up close and personal with Australia’s amazing animals in Perth. There is plenty to see and do at Caversham Wildlife Park, home to around 200 species and 2000 animals! Feed the kangaroos, have a photo with a koala, see the penguins being fed, explore the Reptile House, join in the Farm Show, meet a wombat, possum, owl, python and so much more! Caversham is very proudly owned and operated by a Western Australian family. We don’t receive any Government assistance; the park is solely funded by visiting patrons. Thank you for your support. PLAN YOUR VISIT AT cavershamwildlife.com.au

WEEKENDS | Reviews CLOCKWISE FROM Details ABOVE: For every meal bought, Two Good Co. TWO GOOD CO. CAFE AT donates another to a local women’s refuge; Gifts and YIRRANMA PLACE pantry items are also sold on site; Coffee is from social 262 Liverpool Street enterprise Kua; Three Blue Darlinghurst, NSW; Ducks’ Darren Robertson’s yirranmaplace.com; cheese and cauliflower twogood.com.au toastie; Chilli and maple- baked pumpkin salad. Verdict: The trinity of stunning architecture, great GOOD TIMES AHEAD food and doing good just by being there makes this An inner-Sydney cafe with exacting SOCIAL principles and a motivation a delicious experience for both your tastebuds and to DO GOOD dazzles with its GRACIOUS surroundings, flavoursome your soul. dishes and POSITIVE impacts, as Leigh-Ann Pow discovers. Score: We rated: The staff who YOU COULD FORGIVE Two Good Co. a lot a curated selection of breakfast and lunch dishes served up everything we PHOTOGR APHY: KENNY SPAIN when it comes to dining at its first cafe, tucked into including salads, soup and sandwiches, deciding on ordered with a smile. a leafy pocket of the inner-city Sydney suburb of sharing a few dishes when we couldn’t sacrifice one We’d change: Really the only Darlinghurst. The social enterprise, which sprang into choice for another. thing we could suggest is action when co-founder Rob Caslick and a few friends the addition of some extra set up a barbecue in Kings Cross to cook wholesome Having placed our order in the elegant interior of seating, but only because food that was big on flavour (and ‘anything but snags’) the cafe, with its sleek circular island and oversized we wouldn’t want to miss for those sleeping rough, has built a solid reputation hanging art installation Drawing Our Weaves by out on eating-in at such on striving to do good and enrich the lives of those Quandamooka artist Elisa Jane Carmichael swaying a lovely spot when we who need help. Its buy-one-give-one (B1G1) model above, the food is delivered to the table accompanied inevitably return. of creating and selling healthy salads and meals in by wide smiles from the staff. The chilli and maple a jar, and donating the equivalent to shelters and pumpkin salad with gluten-free pasta spirals, toasted Conscious credentials: charities assisting the homeless and victims of trauma seeds, herbs and coconut and turmeric dressing is The cafe works with local and domestic violence has expanded over the years generous enough for three, with the sweet and spicy producers, businesses and to include its successful flagship social employment pumpkin complemented perfectly by the creamy social enterprises that pathways program, Work Work. The business dressing, and the seeds acting as hidden treasures of reflect its values, as well as for good hires women from the shelters it serves, flavour amid the fresh greens. The cauliflower and renowned chefs such as “empowering them to re-establish their self-belief and cheese toastie proved to be a stroke of inspiration – Matt Moran, Kylie Kwong independence, while bridging the ‘love and skills’ gap the cauliflower roasted to the perfect tenderness to and Three Blue Ducks’ in their journey to re-entering the workforce after hold its own between generous slices of chewy – and Darren Robertson. living in crisis”. So, like I said, I wasn’t going to gripe if wonderfully crisp – sourdough and the cheese adding my toastie was less than crisp. an extra, moreish layer of flavour. The soup of the day of broccoli, spinach and turmeric topped with dill, Having scored a seat on the wide verandah at mint and peanuts was smooth and satisfying. Yirranma Place, an imposing sandstone building resplendent with elegant Doric columns and soaring A pot of Happy Days (hibiscus, apple and ginger) proportions that was originally built in 1927 as a tea from local social enterprise Mood Tea is the church and recently restored and redeveloped by the perfect accompaniment, and a metaphor for the Two Paul Ramsay Foundation as a social-purpose precinct, Good Co. cafe experience. Apparently it is possible my friends and I browse the menu, which features for food to do good and taste good (or in this case incredible) at the same time. All AT reviews are conducted anonymously and our writers pay their own way – so we experience exactly what you would. 66 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

In partnership with Destination Gold Coast CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Wonder Reef is just . kilometres from Gold Coast’s Main Beach; Discover the nine stunning underwater sculptures; The evolving reef will support a wide range of marine life. WONDER REEF The world’s first BUOYANT REEF puts GOLD COAST diving on the map. WORDS: BEN GROUNDWATER It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, This is an extraordinary feat of engineering, the early days of development but it’s already but it’s real. Welcome to Wonder Reef, the the result of months of complex technical attracted dozens of marine species, including world’s first buoyant reef system. Just o the analysis and detailed design by Aussie Queensland grouper, goldspotted rockcod, Gold Coast, this is a fusion of art, science and company Subcon Blue Solutions. crayfish, octopuses, and even clown fish. Its engineering, and there’s nothing in the world creators envisage turtles, dolphins and larger quite like it. IF YOU BUILD IT, predators calling the area home in the future. THE FISH WILL COME Wonder Reef is a series of nine structures The nine sculptures represent the creation of These are regenerative structures, and are built for certified scuba divers’ enjoyment, designed to withstand cylconic waves up to with multiple species of coral and other , cubic metres of new reef habitat in marine life. With two companies – GOLD a previously barren seabed. The reef is still in . metres high. COAST DIVE ADVENTURES and QUEENSLAND SCUBA DIVING COMPANY – running dives on GOING DEEP Wonder Reef, as well as the option to dive Wonder Reef is designed for divers of all it yourself with a permit and a buddy, now levels, with features at eight, and is the ideal time to discover what is sure to metres. This is a vertical-drop dive with become one of the Gold Coast’s most something new to look at every metre, popular attractions. including plenty of swim-throughs and an underwater landing platform from which AN UNDERWATER MARVEL to grab a photo. Best of all, Wonder Reef Australian-designed and Queensland-built, is easily accessible, about . kilometres o Wonder Reef is made up of a series of nine Main Beach. You could go for a dive in the sculptures that hang in the ocean o Main morning and check out the Gold Coast’s Beach, just north of Surfers Paradise. The myriad attractions in the afternoon. structures were designed, in part, by artist Daniel Templeman, who was inspired by the To learn more, visit wonderreef.com.au concept of a hot-air balloon rising in the sky. Each sculpture is attached to the ocean floor via -tonne concrete foundations, and float in the water metres o the seabed.

WEEKENDS | Bundanon En plein air A reimagined CULTURAL destination in the Shoalhaven blends ART and landscape in a radically SUSTAINABLE way, continuing the legacy of ARTHUR BOYD, finds Imogen Eveson. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Shoalhaven River anchors the Bundanon landscape; See Arthur Boyd: Landscape of the Soul on display at Bundanon’s new art museum; The river was a constant source of inspiration for Boyd; The museum is embedded in the bush.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Sleep at the height of sustainability in the heart of the landscape in the Bridge; Arthur Boyd’s Lovers on fire in boat with kite, part of the upcoming Parallel Landscapes exhibition season; Boyd painting en plein air at Bundanon. PHOTOGR APHY: BUNDANON ARCHIVE (ARTHUR BOYD AT BUNDANON); RORY GARDINER (BUNDANON ARCHITECTURE WITH RIVER , THE SHOALHAVEN RIVER BENDS AT BUNDANON in a The new museum embedded in the landscape abuts Ramox Cafe. DETAIL); K ATIE RIVERS (BRIDGE ROOM); ZAN WIMBERLEY (L ANDSCAPE OF THE SOUL INSTALL ATION VIEW, ART MUSEUM, BUNDANON). wide, glossy expanse that anchors the landscape folding softly around With a name that alludes to Boyd’s dramatic figurative paintings, its ART WORK: ARTHUR BOYD, LOVERS ON FIRE IN BOAT WITH KITE , CIRCA 1965, OIL ON CANVAS, BUNDANON COLLECTION it. At night it looms even larger – glowing gently in the half light of a seasonal menus are built around Shoalhaven produce and shaped by waning crescent moon and not surrendering its presence to shadow. executive chef Doug Innes-Will, fresh from his celebrated tenure at This river was a constant source of inspiration for Arthur Boyd Queensland Art Gallery & Museum of Modern Art (QAGOMA) (1920–1999) and here I am: practically alone on its banks as if and before that, qualia. The cafe connects to the Bridge, and it’s here transposed to one of the great artist’s paintings. I feel the water – within this architecturally striking structure that houses a creative swamp and inspire me too, before I slip back to my room. learning centre and accommodation – that I spend the night. At 160 metres long, nine metres wide and bridging a flood gully in emulation You can’t own a landscape, Boyd famously said, and in 1993 he of rural Australia’s trestle bridges, the Bridge strikes not only a strong and his wife Yvonne gifted this 1100-hectare property of pristine visual impact but serves a practical purpose – it’s treated like a piece bushland on the NSW South Coast, which they had purchased in of flood infrastructure that supports rather than impedes the natural 1979, to the Australian people. Since then, the Bundanon Trust has system of water flow across the site. It is designed to be resilient and continued the Boyds’ legacy by rooting its learning and artist-in- to speak also to the resilience of the landscape. residence programs around the hallmarks of art, environment and landscape, bound by a long-fostered connection to the Wodi Wodi The 32 rooms are conceived to connect you to the outdoors and and Yuin peoples of the South Coast region (the word Bundanon deference is paid to the landscape: among many other things, means ‘deep gully’ or ‘deep valley’ in Dharawal language). Bundanon is a wildlife sanctuary and it is a privilege to share the space with the waddling wombats and grazing kangaroos. I fall asleep to the But 2022 marks the beginning of a new chapter in the life of this sounds of the bush and wake to the pink morning light silvering the living landscape. Under the helm of former MCA chief curator river below. The rooms, available to book as part of a series of Rachel Kent, an expanded vision has turned the organisation immersive weekend packages, are simple and spartan in a lovely way outwards, opening Bundanon up to visitors as a cultural and that feels refreshingly different from a boutique hotel whose design environmental tourism hub. “I would like to see us as a centre point cues I’ve come to anticipate. Low-key but high-quality, the space is for communities to come together to share ideas, engage in creativity clad in locally sourced blackbutt timber, and there are no artworks on and learning, and in appreciation of landscape,” says Kent, “which is the walls quite simply because the bush is the artwork. There’s no air very much part of the wider Boyd legacy.” conditioning but a ceiling fan and – in the spirit of plein air painting – guests are invited to experience the climate in its daily and seasonal The new Art Museum and the Bridge for Creative Learning opened variation, tuning it up and down to their preference with a 1 to the public in January this year, designed by Melbourne-based Kerstin Thompson Architects in response to the dynamic Bundanon landscape, the elemental forces that work on it, and to its cultural history. In July, this vision was recognised with a Sulman Medal, the highest honour that can be bestowed in the public architecture category of the NSW Architecture Awards and Bundanon’s second; the first was awarded to celebrated architect Glenn Murcutt with Wendy Lewin and Reg Lark in 1999 for The Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre. 69A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Bundanon’s contemporary art museum abuts Ramox Cafe; Visit Arthur Boyd’s paint-layered studio; The striking new Bridge spans a flood gully; Arthur and Yvonne Boyd at Bundanon. An expanded vision has turned passive, manually operated system for environmental control that PHOTOGR APHY: RORY GARDINER (MUSEUM AND CAFE, THE BRIDGE); BUNDANON ARCHIVE (ARTHUR AND Y VONNE BOYD); KEITH the organisation outwards, includes adjustable timber louvres on the windows to manage air SAUNDERS (ARTHUR BOYD’S STUDIO); ZAN WIMBERLEY (LANDSCAPE OF THE SOUL INSTALLATION VIEW, THE RIVER AND THE SEA opening Bundanon up to flow and sunlight. INSTALL ATION VIEW (LEFT TO RIGHT: REUBEN ERNEST BROWN, BL ACK COCK ATOOS, 1998, SYNTHETIC POLYMER PAINT ON CANVAS. visitors as a cultural and REUBEN ERNEST BROWN, THE HUMPY, C.1999, SYNTHETIC POLYMER PAINT ON CANVAS). ARTWORK: ARTHUR BOYD, FIGURE, BL ACK environmental tourism hub. The Bridge encompasses Bundanon’s radical approach to HEAD AND BEAST, 1965 –1970, DR AWING, INK ON PAPER, BUNDANON COLLECTION sustainability and net-zero ambitions. “Part of Bundanon’s ethos, because of the environment it’s situated in and because of its environmental thinking and relationships, is around sustainability,” says Kent. “And so the new build itself is very light on the ground.” As part of achieving its zero-carbon target, the Bundanon site is solar-powered, harvests and stores its own rainwater in a 300-kilolitre tank and uses black-water treatment processes to reuse wastewater. Heating and cooling are provided to the gallery by a geothermal system to further reduce reliance on fossil fuel sources, and the organisation has its own carbon-farming process, with 12,000 carbon credits to its name. This holistic approach extends to maintaining and building upon active partnerships with First Nations communities. “What I am very keen to see for Bundanon going forwards is a very respectful and engaged relationship,” says Kent. “Working with, walking alongside, local South Coast communities. Learning from those communities both in terms of education and land care.” One such partnership is with the locally based Mudjingaalbaraga Firesticks team and National Firesticks Alliance to implement cultural burning on the Bundanon site. With the flames of the Black Summer bushfires coming within one kilometre of Bundanon and threatening its $46.5 million collection of works by Boyd and his family, as well as Sidney Nolan, Brett Whiteley, Joy Hester and Charles Blackman (the collection was evacuated to Sydney for safety), the new subterranean museum and collection store, built into a hillock, are designed to be fire resistant. Clean-lined and with proportions that belie its discreet profile from the outside, the contemporary art gallery complements the experience of visiting Boyd’s eclectic old homestead and paint-layered studio at the neighbouring property by cutting a stark contrast. Shaped by the bold curatorial vision of Sophie O’Brien, its opening exhibition set the tone for a space not looking to play it safe. From impulse to action was a show charged with the visceral energy of artistic responses to Boyd’s pen and ink theatre drawings from the 1960s; most of the

WEEKENDS | Bundanon works on display were created by artists in residence on site. CLOCKWISE A traveller’s checklist Bundanon’s Season 2 program (until 6 November) presents four FROM TOP LEFT: distinct artistic approaches to the Shoalhaven environment and wider Bundanon’s launch Getting there Australian bush, including The River and the Sea, an exhibition that exhibition captured the BUNDANON is two and a half celebrates the paintings of Yuin artist Reuben Ernest Brown (Uncle spirit of Arthur Boyd’s hours’ drive from Sydney and Ben Brown, 1928–2009), a contemporary of Boyd’s; and The Hidden, expressive ink drawings; Canberra.The property is located an immersive work of sound and imagery created in residence by The Bridge houses a 20 minutes from Nowra, on the composer and musician William Barton, and filmmaker Tim Georgeson. creative learning centre Shoalhaven River, and one hour and accommodation; from the Southern Highlands Today, Bundanon is a reimagined cultural destination in the The River and the Sea and Wollongong. heart of the Shoalhaven that is poised to be a game-changer for the surveys the work of Yuin region, putting it on the map not only nationally but internationally. painter Reuben Ernest Playing there And while it is unique in Australia and entirely of its place, head of Brown; Landscape of the The ART MUSEUM and RAMOX curatorial and learning O’Brien, whose international CV includes Soul explores a lifetime CAFE are open Wednesday to tenures working for London’s Serpentine Galleries alongside of landscape paintings by Sunday; check website for superstar curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and with artists including the late Arthur Boyd. HOMESTEAD and ARTHUR BOYD’S Marina Abramović, draws parallels with two singular international STUDIO opening dates and times. art destinations: Japan’s Naoshima Island and Brazil’s Inhotim Museum bundanon.com.au also combine art and landscape in one immersive, experiential offering. For more cultural experiences in “Hopefully the museum is part of a very big family of contemporary THE SHOALHAVEN, including seven art museums constantly reassessing what a museum’s role should art and culture trails through the be, and thinking about that with artists,” says O’Brien. And, as she region, visit shoalhaven.com/art gestures across the site that slopes down to the water, the spirit of which permeates this place just as Boyd’s does, “Hopefully it’s Staying there also just a lovely experience to be in the landscape, looking at this See bundanon.com.au/stay for fantastic river.” upcoming weekend packages that include eco-friendly digs at THE BRIDGE, food and wine, and cultural experiences. 71A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Countless palm trees fringe the idyllic islands; Take a dip to admire the colourful marine life; The silky white sand offers posctard-perfect views along the beach. UNKNOWN UTOPIA Discover COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS, Australia’s secret SLICE OF PARADISE. Mention Cocos (Keeling) Islands and you’ll SAILOR RIVALRIES Hare took 40 of the women, likely be met with bewilderment. Explain that some already married, and built a the small archipelago is a protected bracelet of ‘Paradise’ wasn’t always the Cocos narrative. harem on nearby Prison Island; 27 beach-edged gems fanning across two coral In 1826, a group of slaves, mainly of Malay he was eventually forced away in atolls – the very definition of utopia – et voila: descent, were brought to work in the coconut 1831. The Clunies-Ross family took control instant intrigue. Add the fact that Cocos (for plantations by dogged British sea merchant until 1978, when the Australian government short) is an external Australian territory, just Alexander Hare. But it was Captain John bought Cocos for $6.25 million. Six years half a day’s flight from Perth’s international Clunies-Ross, a Scottish trader and head later, the resident islanders voted to become airport, with a duty-free allowance to boot, harpoonist of Hare’s whaling ship, who had an Australian territory. and the stage is set. first seen potential in the islands, planting trees in 1825. The men forged a business CHILLING ON COCOS Why Cocos? Boasting coconut trees by together, yet when Clunies-Ross returned Of the 27 idyllic isles, only two are inhabited, the millions, ocean-reigning turtles in their two years later Hare denied any partnership. leaving the remainder as havens for fauna thousands, and a human population just But planting seeds was enough to claim land and flora to thrive. West Island, the main under 600, the marine-protected islands in maritime law, and a bitter rivalry ensued. tourist township, is home to around 110 invented the reconnect-to-nature notion. expatriates keen to share the dream. It’s Dubbed Australia’s untouched paradise where water aficionados can delve, dive and and likened to the Galapagos, Cocos packs drift to their heart’s content on a lot of living into its 14 square kilometres of billboard sandscapes. It’s not your typical tourist destination so visitors are few, allowing ecosystems to remain unharmed. Whether you crave notching up hours in a hammock by a teal-tinged lagoon, snorkelling in crystal waters, or meshing Malaysian spices together in a cooking class, there’s a dialled-down, laid-back pace where locked doors don’t exist and three vehicles on the highway spell peak hour.

In partnership with the Indian Ocean Fest WORDS: LYNN GAIL. PHOTOGRAPHY: PARKS AUSTRALIA (SEASCAPE THIS PAGE); ROBERT THORNE/PARKS holiday-brochure beaches. Just across the support nature-based tourism. In a historic CLOCKWISE FROM TOP AUSTRALIA (SEA ANEMONE); LYNN GAIL (ALL REMAINING IMAGES) lagoon you can slip your toes into the silky win in March 2022, Parks Australia declared LEFT: Snorkel the fringing reefs sand at Cossies Beach, Direction Island. the area a protected sanctuary. The newly of one of the 27 islands and atolls; Voted Australia’s Best Beach in 2017, ‘the proclaimed marine parks around Christmas Join the locals for a game of Rip’ snorkelling spot sits at its tip. Ride the Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands cover Scroungers golf; Follow turtles warm current on repeat, sweeping past 744,000 square kilometres – twice the size of and other sea life in underwater tropical fish and coral the colour of rainbows the Great Barrier Reef – protecting the adventures; The stunning until the undercurrent safely swoops you into ocean health essential to the local ecosystem. turquoise waters of Cocos. calmer waters. In deeper ocean, the wreck of the Phaeton, which went down in 1889, OLDEN DAY FEELS is a sea life sanctuary. Ogle at triggerfish, Most things on Cocos can be counted on yellowfin goatfish and sergeant major one hand: restaurants (no fast food outlets), damselfish as they flit through flourishing pub (one), mosques, shops. But when coral colonies. Life above is all but forgotten it comes to putting on social events, the as you’re drawn into the magic. community has an event-filled calendar. Home Island, Cocos’ cultural hub, is a Whether you’re a golfer or not, join 20-minute ferry ride across blue-brushed West Islanders on a Thursday afternoon ocean. In a quiet kampong (Malaysian village), for a friendly nine holes of Scroungers golf. around 450 Cocos Malay Muslims continue Hire a cart, pack cold bevvies and don your to practise their religious beliefs. A mini thongs and T-shirt ready for tee-off. It’s museum houses paraphernalia dating back the only place in the world you can play to the islands’ torrid past; its sobering golf across an international runway. By material reflects tough plantation conditions. the time the sun swings below the palm Connect with locals during a homestay and trees, you’ll feel like a local. listen for the soulful call to prayer broadcast from the local mosque. It’s carefree living, like days of old. Book a stay before those in the know do. There are two distinct seasons on the islands. The trade-wind season (June to October) For more details, visit yields air time to kite surfers willing to take indianoceanterritories.com.au/visitors off in strong winds; you’ll see thrilling action as the sky fills with fluorescent kites. The calmer doldrum season (November to May) brings silky waters, perfect for snorkelling, as well as dramatic sunsets. PROTECTED ISLANDS Cocos and its forested neighbour, Christmas Island, make up the Indian Ocean Territories. The community, working with Parks Australia, has toiled tirelessly to preserve, sustain and promote the environment to

Visit Skillogalee Estate during a Wine & Wilderness Walk wtih Life’s an Adventure. Through the grapevines With the DEBUT of a WALKING experience that RAMBLES through one of Australia’s OLDEST WINE regions, a new vintage of HIKER is born, writes Steve Madgwick.

WEEKENDS | Clare Valley CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A root-to-flower philosophy shines through on the plate at foodie destination Watervale Hotel; Pauletts showcases the elegance of Clare Valley wines; Explore Clare’s multi-generational winemaking heritage at family-run Jim Barry Wines. PHOTOGR APHY: SOUTH AUSTR ALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION/MIKE ANNESE (CL ARE VALLEY VINEYARD); SOUTH AUSTR ALIAN “THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE when you go hiking is that runs his own wine-tasting tours, conceived with his mate TOURISM COMMISSION (PAULETTS, JIM BARRY WINES, WATERVALE HOTEL , SEVENHILL CELL ARS DETAIL); LEWIS POTTER (SEED it’s a mistake.” So said American comic Jim Gaffigan while delivering Michael ‘Nugget’ Nugent. With three of six stages still to open, CL ARE VALLEY ); HEIDI LEWIS (SPRING GULLY CONSERVATION PARK DETAIL) one of his pithy observations onstage. “There’s nothing at the end … the plan is to link 110 kilometres of walking trail with 24 cellar doors no bar, restaurant, or even a vending machine. We’re just idiots.” dotted throughout the many private properties and vineyards that have agreed to come onboard. Gaffigan’s ‘bit’ soundtracks an avalanche of TikTok hiking fails and, by default, splits the world into two camps: those who hike and those “It’s a commercial no-brainer for wineries, so many came onboard who find the very idea preposterous. But it may have given pretty quickly. For private landholders who connect the wineries, guided-walk specialist Life’s an Adventure an idea. Perhaps there is however, there’s nothing except warm, fuzzy feelings that they’re indeed middle ground – if you dangle an appropriately seductive helping the community,” explains Tim. hook, like South Australian riesling. “Most people are open to it, providing we don’t interfere with An Ecotourism Australia-certified company with a light footprint, what’s going on at a farm. We plan routes with farmers. We stay on Life’s an Adventure fosters close working relationships with local fence lines in sheep paddocks so we don’t separate lambs and their businesses that share the same environmental ethos, dovetailing us mothers, which could end badly.” nicely into its inaugural Wine & Wilderness Walk. A minibus full of Camino de Santiago veterans, vino-focused social groups and this Our ragtag group climbs stiles over barbed-wire fences, traverses idiot decamp at Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre, a Hill River Station and crests Dunns Range, agricultural tartans two-hour drive north of Adelaide, for day one of a journey through unravelling east and west. We also picnic on gargantuan sandwiches, one of the oldest wine-producing areas in the country. pastries and apples pre-packed from Seed Bistro in Clare outside a rudimentary hut that sometimes serves as an artist’s retreat. After rustling into adventure wear and caking on SPF50+, we stuff pre-packed lunches in our daypacks, our heaving suitcases already After a rendezvous with the bus, we pause to allow a family heading for our heritage-listed home base, Bungaree Station. of ducks to safely waddle across the road, before being delivered to Jim Barry Wines, where the cellar door exemplifies Clare’s We crunch along the gravel Riesling (rail) Trail briefly, before multi-generational winemaking heritage. Four of the late winemaker’s christening our boots on a barely trodden track through a corridor six children have their own labels, including son Mark, the “Mad of eucalypts in various stages of undress, with every layer of bark Bastard [Wines] across the road”. revealing colourful patches and patterns underneath. The gentle nature of the terrain sees us fall into a rambling rhythm along the Jim Barry is renowned for its whites – produced from ‘free-run’ dirt road that divides the vineyards, which are currently splashed in juice sourced from 17 local vineyards – but my palate strays towards an autumnal blush. Breath misting, we ascend Clare’s main valley. ostensibly ‘un-Clare’ varietals: the Nancy Sparkling Pinot Noir 1 “Many vineyards here are 450 to 500 metres above sea level,” says tour guide Tim Grigg. “That elevation gives us cooler nights, giving our grapes a big, long ripening season. Perfect walking weather, too – except in summer.” Our three-day fully supported route follows two sections of the new Clare Valley Wine and Wilderness Trail that local Tim, who also 75A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Sample big reds PHOTOGR APHY: SOUTH AUSTR ALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION ( JIM BARRY WINES, PAULETT WINES, BUNGAREE STATION EXTERIOR); SOUTH as well as renowned Clare Valley whites at Jim Barry Wines; AUSTRALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION/DUY DASH (WATERVALE HOTEL BARBECUE); NADINNE GRACE PHOTOGRAPHY (WATERVALE HOTEL BAR) Enjoy an ethical epicurean experience at Watervale Hotel; A revamped country pub, the Watervale Hotel has proven a post-COVID success story; Plating up at Bush DeVine Winery Restaurant at Pauletts; Stay at Bungaree Station, which was established in 1841. 2018 (a homage to late family matriarch of Jim Barry Wines, Teresa ‘Nancy’ Barry) and the St Clare Cabernet Malbec 2018. “Yes, we’re [known as] a riesling region, but it’s only 20 per cent of the wine we produce,” says Tim. “We also do big reds very well,” In fact, Clare produces more shiraz and cabernet sauvignon than riesling. Rosy-cheeked from weather, walking and wine, we arrive at the manicured English gardens and thoroughly hoofed paddocks of 180-year-old Bungaree Station. Its (quarried-from-site) sandstone woolshed, the Shearers Quarters, and church, complete with family graveyard, are a village-like encapsulation of Clare’s pastoralist lineage. And three generations of the founding Hawker family still live here. In the ivy-wreathed, two-storey homestead, a traditional roast, a perpetually full glass and a candescent fireplace further redden my face, readying me for an early retirement into the cosy Groom’s Quarters; it’s more like a home than a hotel. Day two: west of Clare, we tramp grassy woodlands that hug Armagh Creek, gradually ascending into Spring Gully Conservation Park, where Tim hand-pumps pod coffee to accompany apricot crumble. Rare red stringybarks and rarer white-spider orchards (which only flower a few weeks a year) exude beauty and articulate consequence. Somewhere in between Eldredge Vineyards and Jeanneret Wines, I fall for a sweet white llama with a smile like Freddie Mercury’s. Then, deep in the Skilly Valley, a floral riesling, a sparkling rosé and a ridiculously big portion of spatchcock and cabbage melts me into my seat at Skillogalee Estate. Tonight, we wine and dine at one of Clare’s post-COVID-19 success stories, Watervale Hotel. Grounded South Australians helped the valley’s foodie scene “get over a bit of a hump”, says Tim, delivering enough people to keep bold ventures like this open. Pre-degustation, we wander Watervale’s nearby food bowl on its Six Senses Penobscot Farm Tour. Warrick Duthy and partner (and executive chef) Nicola Palmer tasked their ‘farm angel’, 76 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

WEEKENDS | Clare Valley A traveller’s checklist CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Sevenhill Cellars was the first Playing there winery established in South Australia’s Prices for the guided three-day pack-free CLARE VALLEY WINE & Clare Valley; A trademark white at WILDERNESS WALK start at $1749 and include two nights’ Jeanneret Wines; Wayfinding in the accommodation at BUNGAREE STATION, evening meals with local Clare Valley; Enjoy a paddock-to-plate wines and winery lunches, as well as return transfers from Adelaide. degustation at the Watervale Hotel. You can also opt to self-drive to the start of the trail in Clare, under two hours’ drive north of Adelaide.The walk is graded at ‘easy to moderate’. lifesanadventure.com.au PHOTOGR APHY: SOUTH AUSTR ALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION (VINEYARD AT SEVENHILL Jared Murray, with creating a biodynamic, organic (uncertified) We picnic in the leaf-littered grounds of Clare’s oldest winery, CELL ARS, WATERVALE HOTEL , L ANDSCAPE DETAIL); JOHN MONTESI (VINEYARD DETAIL) and permaculture-focused paddock-to-plate set-up to feed up to Sevenhill Cellars, founded by Jesuits fleeing persecution in Europe. 200 customers a day. From the crypt under St Aloysius’ Church (resting place for 41 people) to the gnarled 19th-century shiraz vines, it’s a tableau vivant Over the past few years, they’ve been trying to get life into the of modern history. Even the altar wine here is vintage. terracotta-hard soil, giving the gardens a break and encouraging the return of native grasses. There are seed-harvesting regimes in place as The walk’s final kilometres flow up and down classic South well as systems in place to compost pub scraps, and a chemical-free Australian bush: marble-white fallen tree boughs scattered like giant approach to tending the 250 fruit, nut and berry trees and various bones. We climb over the final stile, past farmers tending to the gardens, which produce 28 different vegetables (and 15 tomato unspoken necessities of new-season lambs, then muster the energy varieties). “We focus on heirloom varieties because we’re growing for fuelled from our recent feed for a final push up the steepest hill, taking the plate, not the supermarket,” explains Warrick. “The more shapes, the route of least resistance, naturally. sizes and colours the better”. A wine flight and a refined meal is our final reward at Paulett Luckily, Watervale’s designated degustation space doesn’t live up to Wines. Drinking in vineyard views and a dry, prosecco-like riesling, I its former nickname: Hell Hole (a jail built for drunk and disorderly reflect on my new ‘Clare spare’ (tyre) and this hybrid adventure. Not patrons). Now adorned with vintage Chesterfields and refurbed quite a hike but so much more than a boozy vineyard stroll, this Wine pressed-tin ceilings, the hotel’s interior is utterly unrecognisable from and Wilderness Walk is for people who appreciate the grandeur of the its relatively recent green-carpet-and-orange-vinyl days. great outdoors and are also particular about what passes their lips. A ‘root-to-flower’ philosophy shines throughout the degustation. And with that, perhaps a new vintage of hiker is born. When broad beans are on the menu, for example, the leaves (salad) and flowers (garnish) aren’t wasted. Matched wines hail from Clare’s small producers, side projects and wineries that don’t have cellar doors. For me, the grilled fig with lemon labne, smoked leek, and native river-mint sorbet with house-made limoncello rise above a multi-chaptered menu. A misty Bungaree dawn and a ‘real’ coffee from its station-store-cum museum – shelves stacked with bygone concoctions – steel me for the final, calorific 12-kilometre day.

FROM TOP: Tour guide coordinator Braydon Saunders is passionate about sharing the cultural history of Budj Bim; See the ancient aquaculture systems from the pontoon walk . W H AT M A K E S BUDJ BIM SO SPECIAL? Keen to form a deeper connection to the HISTORY and CULTURE of our FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES? Australia’s newest tourist attraction will allow you to do exactly that. Whenever tour guide coordinator and setting. More importantly, it’s the only Gunditjmara people also built a wealth of Gunditjmara man Braydon Saunders Australian World Heritage Site listed stone houses (there are over 200 registered walks through his ancestral homeland, exclusively for its Aboriginal cultural values. stone houses in the region today), all of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Budj which had their doorways facing north-east. Bim Cultural Landscape, his mind loops What’s most fascinating, however, is back to a conversation he had with his how closely the Indigenous Creation story “There’s heavy south-west wind down here father many years ago. is linked to the version backed by scientists. that you can guarantee will turn on you in Budj Bim is believed to have first erupted the afternoon, not ideal when you’re lighting “He said all he really wanted was an about 37,000 years ago, when the fires,” Saunders explains. “When you’re opportunity to take people to a place that’s Gunditjmara people would have seen the burning Country, the last thing you want to been a huge part of our existence for some Ancestral Creator reveal himself to spread do is let it get away from you, so we had to 30,000 years, to give them tangible evidence lava west and south towards the sea, think carefully about fire protection and of our history and what we’ve achieved with dramatically transforming the region’s letting fires burn in a controlled way so our farming methods. He also wanted to give waterways and wetlands. wildlife could feed on new grass shoots. people a really good feed,” Saunders laughs. This ensured hunting was available “Budj Bim could see our people were throughout the year.” Happily for Saunders, that vision has just struggling so spewed blood and teeth across launched in the form of a range of cultural the landscape, the flowing lava creating Budj Bim’s aquaculture system and stone tours, plus an eye-catching aquaculture a system of deep channels that we developed houses should challenge the idea that centre that will serve as a talking point so we could divert water from Tae Rak (Lake our First Nations peoples lived a nomadic for Australian tourism moving forward. Condah) into dams, weirs and holding ponds lifestyle, says Saunders. “What we have here to trap kooyang (eel) and fish,” Saunders shows we put down roots as a community ABOUT BUDJ BIM says of one of the world’s oldest aquaculture and that we had strong farming practices. The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Saunders systems. Dating back 6600 years, the speaks of is a startlingly beautiful place. sophisticated farming method – older than Located in Gunditjmara Country in both the pyramids and Stonehenge – not south-west Victoria, this dramatic volcanic only sustained the Gunditjmara community landscape is made up of Budj Bim National year-round so they could stay put, but also Park, Kurtonitj and Tyrendarra, and is home allowed them to trade with other Nations. to a tranquil crater lake and a jumble of lava canals and caves, all in a lush bushland It isn’t all about viewing one of the world’s oldest aquaculture systems in Budj Bim; the

In partnership with Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism We really were some of the world’s first fish CLOCKWISE FROM farmers and there’s nowhere better to see TOP LEFT: Explore evidence of that for yourself.” lava canals and caves; Scenic Tae Rak (Lake SEEING BUDJ BIM Condah); Learn the sophisticated farming Keen to observe the handiwork of the methods of the Gunditjmara? Since the Budj Bim Cultural Gunditjmara people; Stop Landscape was listed as a World Heritage by for a meal or a spot of Site in , a great deal of work has gone shopping at the Tae Rak into developing infrastructure, interpretation Aquaculture Centre. signs and guided cultural tours for visitors. WORDS: DILVIN YASA Whether you’ve only got a couple of hours National Park, Lake Gorrie drystone walls to spare, or a whole weekend, there’s a tour and Kurtonitj Indigenous Protected Area, as to suit everybody. well as a guided walk of the Tae Rak wetlands. For those on a tight timeline, the two-hour It’s not only about the tours at Budj Bim, TAE RAK GUIDED WALK of the wetlands of course; be sure to allocate shopping and provides an overview of the Gunditjmara browsing time at the impressive TAE RAK story while taking in the lake’s wildlife and AQUACULTURE CENTRE, too. Located on showcasing the aquaculture system. the shores of Tae Rak, it’s teeming with educational and experiential opportunities. Those with a little more time to spend There’s a bush tucker cafe with eel smoking will enjoy the half-day TUNGATT MIRRING and tasting facilities, a retail space where TOUR. It takes in everything from Budj visitors can purchase local artworks and Bim National Park and Lake Surprise to handicrafts, and a tour desk. Kurtonitj, where guides explain the living Indigenous culture and landscape through For those concerned about their Gunditjmara eyes. environmental footprints in culturally sensitive areas, breathe easy: elevated walking The full-day KOOYANG YANA TOUR takes tracks weave their way around the sites so visitors through the history of the Budj Bim you can see them without negative impact. Cultural Landscape, covering Budj Bim For more information and to book Budj Bim’s guided cultural tours, visit budjbim.com.au

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE PHOTOGR APHY: TOURISM AND EVENTS QUEENSL AND (BOOR ANGOOR A /L AKE MCKENZIE); K’GARI ADVENTURES (RUBBISH, AERIAL SHOT OF BE ACH); CARL A GROSSET TI (BE ACH CLE AN - UP, 4WDING, PATH TO BOOR ANGOOR A /L AKE MCKENZIE) Clear the COASTLINE and your CONSCIENCE during an Eco Warrior Experience on K’GARI (Fraser Island), just like Carla Grossetti did. IT’S 4PM ON A FRIDAY afternoon and I’m standing in torrential rain on 75 Mile Beach on K’gari (Fraser Island), with the wind whipping sand and rain into my face. After southern Queensland’s recent deluge of rain, the water is choppy and the brown, foaming crests of the waves are tumbling along the beach. It’s like the staging of The Tempest. In the distance, I can hear the melancholy caw of a crow as I bend, lunge, stoop and plough my way along the sand, racing against a ferocious incoming tide that threatens to swallow the rubbish that it so recently spat onto the shoreline. For all the bleakness of the moment, the fact that I’m walking alongside 25 like-minded individuals as part of an epic Eco Warrior Experience designed by K’gari Adventures and Zero Co makes us all rise to the challenge. “Our strength must come from what lies ahead. The only answer is to keep moving forward,” says co-founder of K’gari Adventures, Hana Robinson. Hana and her husband Mark coordinate the clean-ups of this endless river of rubbish like a military operation, constantly scanning the shoreline and directing the fleet of 4WDs via walkie-talkie to maximise efficiency. “K’gari is famous for its windswept beaches, rocky headlands and rainbow-hued cliffs. But it’s also a natural catchment area for rubbish. Being part of a regenerative travel experience such as a beach clean-up is a very tangible way to see the depth of the plastic problem the Earth faces and become a more conscious traveller,” says Hana.

WEEKENDS | K’gari (Fraser Island) FROM LEFT: A clean-up convoy with K’gari Adventures; Eco warriors take some time out at Boorangoora/ Lake McKenzie. OPPOSITE (clockwise from top): The brilliant blue-hued Boorangoora/Lake McKenzie; Cleaning up K’gari is a feel-good experience; A small amount of effort has a big impact on K’gari. CHALLENGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF PARADISE PULL TOGETHER FOR THE GREATER GOOD For the past 18 months, Hana and Mark have run the Eco Warrior On our second day of beach clean-ups, we find a lot of flotsam and Experience tour together with Mike Smith, founder of Zero Co, a jetsam. There are empty packets of instant noodles. Fish-shaped company that turns plastic waste into household products for the bottles of soy sauce. A flaccid party balloon. And even a message in a kitchen, laundry and bathroom. Since kicking off the beach clean-ups bottle. By the end of the experience, we’ve collected a whopping 1.25 about five years ago, K’gari Adventures has collected an estimated tonnes of rubbish (that’s about 50 kilograms per person) in a total of 40 tonnes of rubbish from the shores of the World Heritage-listed seven hours. It takes another four hours or so to sit and painstakingly sand island, which at 123 kilometres in length, is the largest in the sort and sift the rubbish into different categories, including the world. That’s on top of the equivalent of about one million plastic high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that will be recycled into Zero water bottles’ worth of rubbish plucked from beaches by additional Co’s ‘Forever Bottles’, reusable dispensers that customers can refill Zero Co initiatives. for a lifetime with body care and home-cleaning products. “The rubbish collected from these trips goes toward making Zero “You’d be amazed what we find on the beach,” says Mark, who grew Co’s OBL [ocean, beach and landfill-bound plastic] material, which up in Maryborough and first visited the island, on the Traditional helps fund our ocean clean-up initiatives,” says Mike, whose travels to Lands of the Butchulla people, when he was eight months old. “We’ve some of the most remote countries in the world inspired his mission come across prosthetic legs, sex toys, shipping rope, wheelie bins, a to tackle the plastic pollution problem head-on. Zero Co pontoon from the City of Brisbane, pegs, bottle tops, you name it. was Australia’s most-funded Kickstarter project of 2019, with And yes, sometimes I do feel a bit overwhelmed. But then, when I fish 6892 stakeholders signing up to help ‘Untrash the Planet’ and a plastic bag or something a turtle could choke on out of the sea, I support Mike’s quest to eliminate single-use plastic packaging suddenly feel motivated and proud of the fact that what I’m doing is from every Aussie kitchen, laundry and bathroom. making a small difference and might have saved one marine animal’s life,” he says. Mark says the amount of plastic waste picked up over “The proliferation of single-use plastics is a global problem. the course of a four-day Eco Warrior Experience is an effective way of By 2050, it’s estimated the plastic in the oceans will outweigh the communicating the true and tangible impacts of single-use plastics. number of fish. When my wife Alyssa and I went on our 18-month trip [visiting places like Iran, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, LEARN ABOUT ‘CARING FOR COUNTRY’ North and South Korea, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar], we were horrified and dismayed to find these places that were choked with Bruce Waia is a community ranger and member of the local Butchulla plastic. Those travels informed my vision for Zero Co,” says Mike. Aboriginal Corporation who is engaged as a cultural advisor 1 “We’ve got 60,000 customers now and 100,000 people on our email list. It’s so incredible to invite our customers and stakeholders to come to K’gari, to get their hands dirty and hopefully inspire them to make changes in their own personal war on waste and truly have ownership of the brand. Zero Co is a name that articulates what the company is about. We’re trying to create a zero-waste world,” he says. 81A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

WEEKENDS | K’gari (Fraser Island) and guide for K’gari Adventures in order to share “the island’s A traveller’s checklist PHOTOGR APHY: TOURISM AND EVENTS QUEENSL AND (BOOR ANGOOR A /L AKE MCKENZIE WITH K’GARI ADVENTURES); rich cultural history”. ZERO CO (BEACH CLEAN-UP); CARL A GROSSETTI (K’GARI ADVENTURES COORDINATE THE CLEAN-UP) Getting there With an estimated Indigenous archaeological sites scattered After flying into the Sunshine across K’gari, Bruce says having a cultural guide onboard “provides Coast Airport, participants in the visitors with the complete experience and a sense of oneness with ECO WARRIOR EXPERIENCE are K’gari”. Bruce adds that his Elders and the broader Butchulla picked up from Noosa at 7.30am community have a lot of faith in K’gari Adventures and are humbled or Rainbow Beach (9.30am). by the tour company’s e orts. Drop-off times back to the airport on Sunday are 5pm “My people have the utmost respect for what Hana and Mark are (Noosa) or 7pm (Brisbane). doing. They have even been given permission to tell a few stories, which was not an overnight process... it was years of asking questions Staying there and being respectful. What that says about Hana and Mark is they are Accommodation is included as trusted and the Butchulla mob have big respect for them,” he says. part of the Eco Warrior Experience. Stay at BEACHCAMP Bruce says the Butchulla people believe that K’gari is a princess and ECO RETREAT, where you will that she comes from the sky. “When we go to the lakes, we know it’s enjoy mostly plant-based meals her eyes looking back at the sky and the running creeks are her voice. for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I join K’gari Adventures for a tour I tell visitors how the actual island was created and why the creeks and lakes and dunes are so Making a di erence there important. It’s all in our Creation stories,” Bruce says. K’gari Adventures is aiming to be 100 per cent carbon neutral by “My people find it very upsetting to see that rubbish on the beach, 2025 and is working with Jaunt and to think most of it is not from the island – the fact it is stu that Motors to convert its fleet of has travelled across the sea – means this is a problem that is on a Land Rovers into electric vehicles. global scale. Despite saying that, the Eco Warrior Experience gives To find more about the four-day me hope. When we do have a good day and get rid of a lot of rubbish Eco Warrior Experience, visit that gives me a mad smile. Like together, we’ve all mucked in and kgarifraserisland.com.au done something really wonderful for the island,” he says. CLOCKWISE K’gari means ‘paradise’, and while there is plenty to trouble the FROM TOP LEFT: mind while picking through mounds of plastic rubbish, K’gari Boorangoora/Lake Adventures and Zero Co have curated an itinerary that also allows McKenzie is a perched weary eco warriors to draw breath and reflect. We drift along with the lake on K’gari (Fraser current at Eli Creek, enjoy a paddle in Boorangoora/Lake McKenzie, Island); The Zero Co team where the sunshine lifts our hearts, and watch the water rushing past are hands-on during the the rusted hull of the shipwreck, The Maheno. But it’s the thoughtful Eco Warrior Experience; chats around the campfire under a night sky studded with stars that The coordinated clean-up. provide the perfect full stop to the day. It’s like looking through a dark window and finding a glimmer of beautiful light. A U S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M



The New Calm PHOTOGR APHY: LE AN TIMMS (ADY TUM SPA , ELIXIR BAR); MARTINA GEMMOL A ( VASE AT SENSE OF SELF, L ARGE MINER AL BATH, PL ANT-FILLED INTERIORS); LISA SORGINI (COMMA , BYRON BAY ) Australia’s next-gen BATHHOUSES blend Japanese and Scandi influences with local DESIGN flair to create refreshingly NEUTRAL CANVASES for relaxation. Clare Acheson explores the reclamation of communal BATHING. FROM MAIN: Find a way to wellness at Adytum, Canberra; Beautifully styled spaces, such as those at Sense of Self, are a hallmark of the new bathing experience.

WEEKENDS | Bathhouses CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The Elixir Bar at Adytum is a total tonic; Soak up the space at Sense of Self; Take time to pause and draw breath at Comma, Byron Bay; Indulge in self-care at Sense of Self, which is an oasis of calm. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT TO GET MORE OUT of life, you need to do a lot less. Australia’s revival of bathing traditions comes at a time when many of us have emerged from an extended period of doing less, with a burning desire to dive shoulder-deep into doing more. Travel, reunions, nightlife and professional catch-ups make up a lengthy list of engagements to be reserved at venues and inked in diaries. It’s thrilling and yet, paradoxically, never before has rest felt quite so necessary. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that bathing – heralded as an ancient ritual that many of us relish when travelling abroad – has emerged as 2022’s activity trump card. Australia’s new breed of urban bathhouses are the pick of the bunch for some solid #metime. To be suspended in water is quite literally to have a weight taken off, doubly so when our phones are locked away for safekeeping lest they come to an unfortunate watery end. Inclusivity is a common theme inside these spaces. Boundaries that perpetuate division, such as gender separation and even clothing, are set aside in favour of unspoken unison. Let’s face it: between travel restrictions, vaccine mandates and the May federal election, there’s been a lot to remain divided on. So it’s refreshing, then, to see businesses step forward to break down binaries that have been keeping us apart, both literally and metaphorically. Architecturally, ideas call upon our collective travels with inspiration drawn from Japanese onsens, Finnish saunas and Nordic ice-bathing traditions woven together by local talent into clean aesthetics that put mindful experiences at the forefront. 1 85A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Try the lotions and potions at Apothecary Lab at Adytum; The restive Adytum space; Punctuate your day with a treatment at Comma in inner-city Melbourne. Australia’s new breed of urban Photogenic Melbourne retreat Sense of Self pioneers what its bathhouses are the pick of the founding duo describes as “healthy hedonism”, which has been bunch for some solid #metime. designed to be accessible to all. Run by filmmaker Mary Minas and To be suspended in water is hotelier Freya Berwick, the bathhouse is set up in an industrial quite literally to have a weight factory building that was reworked by an all-female design team that taken off. included members of Setsquare Studio, Chamberlain Architects and Hearth Studio. Once inside, it’s impossible to ignore the architecture’s grounding permanence, which is an ode to terrazzo, living copper, concrete and sandstone. All areas are gender-neutral and a shared mineral bath that’s the size of a small swimming pool features an accessibility hoist so that no visitors are left high and dry. Add an 80°C Finnish sauna, a steam room, chilled plunge pool and bowls of free-flowing healthy nibbles, and it’s easy to lose track of your two-hour booking window. Shifting the dial away from lavender-scented massages and pricey facials is Comma, situated in Cremorne’s compact backstreets in Melbourne. Opened in 2020 mid-lockdown, the outpost of the popular Byron Bay wellness treatment centre is dedicated to the ambient effects of being cocooned away from the city and left to your own devices. A considered, multi-layered design steps your senses down a notch. Hidden within what was once a mechanic’s workshop, Comma features a huge 18,000-litre cedarwood bath, cold-water shower area and infrared sauna that all nod to Scandinavia. There are also obvious influences from Japan, with wooden partitions and split-level mezzanines separating guests from all the worries of the outside world. Sure, it’s indulgent, but it’s also practical, as it leaves you immediately revived. Best of all: you can visit during your lunch break. In Canberra, Adytum is the city’s standout dedicated bathing destination. Founder Renee Douros notes gender neutrality as being key to the design of the apothecary-style space, which encapsulates

WEEKENDS | Bathhouses PHOTOGR APHY: LEAN TIMMS (ADY TUM SPA’S APOTHECARY L AB, AND CONTEMPOR ARY INTERIORS); bathing and sauna experiences, wellness treatments, a yoga CLOCKWISE New bathing MARTINA GEMMOL A (SENSE OF SELF CHANGE ROOMS); TESS KELLY (COMMA BATHROOM, E XTERIOR) studio, elixir bar and cafe. Designed by Pattern Studio, the FROM TOP LEFT: destinations Sydney-based outfit behind The Daily Edited’s stunning retail Switch your phone to spaces, the architecture champions concrete, wood, brass and ‘SOS only’ at Sense of Self; ADYTUM, CANBERRA This hidden balanced aesthetics, encouraging visitors to dedicate an entire day Cocoon yourself away at bathing oasis in Braddon takes its to recharging through reading, resting and dining. Comma in Melbourne; cues from Ancient Greece with a Interiors at Comma flip contemporary wellness twist. That Adytum’s Ancient Greek name denotes the innermost between light and bright adytum.com.au sanctuary of a temple is twofold and poses the question: What and dark and moody. can be found in visitors’ internal chambers once the hustle and COMMA, MELBOURNE A stylish bustle is stripped away? Japandi (Japanese-Scandinavian) space where visitors can enjoy Of course, for the days when a peppermint tea or chamomile just massages, bathing in a circular won’t cut it, there are swanky spaces that offer a glass of something cedarwood bath and infrared more fortifying while you’re soaking in wholesome minerals. Gold saunas. Note: spa treatments are Coast transplant Soak in Brisbane’s CBD boasts cityscape views only on offer at the Byron Bay that can be enjoyed with a cocktail while catching up with old location. commaspaces.com friends or making new ones. SENSE OF SELF, MELBOURNE In fact, owner Alexis Dixon hopes that Soak’s modern design brought to life by Space Cubed Design Studio, which usually designs Nestled amid Collingwood’s bars and restaurants, will encourage mingling outside of regular social trendy bars and restaurants, this circles and forming new connections with others who value what bathhouse also offers massages you value: micro-dosing relaxation to maintain balance in busy lives. and runs occasional nude bathing evenings; swimmers optional. In a world where busyness is so often worn as a badge of honour sos-senseofself.com that quickly becomes a burden to bear, bathing in spaces that are as visually appealing as they are physically restorative is a ritual that SOAK BATHHOUSE, BRISBANE AND deserves to be moved up the to-do list. A reminder that rest is radical, achievable and totally worth our while. MERMAID BEACH One of the only venues offering soak-and-sip sessions where guests can enjoy a cocktail as an added indulgence. soakbathhouse.com.au 87A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

HIP HOOD Dairy Road, ACT Just five kilometres from CANBERRA’S city centre, the Dairy Road precinct is a GROWING hive of activity and a COMMUNITY doing things a little DIFFERENTLY, as LOCAL Christine Aldred discovers. SPRAWLING OVER 14 hectares in an area known as East Lake – a pavilion of 36 soaring concrete columns with a circular railed ramp industrial Fyshwick on one side and a precious wetlands on the other leading up to it, takes pride of place. Below, intentionally not-quite-flat – 1 Dairy Road is an intriguing neighbourhood emerging on the edge concrete slabs have been designed to provide an expanse of inch-deep of the city. It’s home to an eclectic collection of creatives and startups: water, perfect for small splashing feet. It’s among these spaces – including roasters, distillers, printers and producers, small offices and even a small a small, flowing stream and concrete drainpipes – that kids romp while boat builder, relishing in their environment and getting on with business. their minders sip a coffee or new brew nearby. Events happen regularly: monthly markets with free-play sessions for kids and regular food events. On Ngunnawal land, the area around Dairy Road by the Molonglo River served as a soldier settlement in the 1920s, with parcels of land The partitioning of existing warehouses into separate tenancies has gifted to returned soldiers later converted to small dairy farms as ‘Dairy avoided the carbon costs of new builds, a key consideration for Molonglo Flat’. But the farms struggled to survive and the area filled with large Group in its projects. The group’s commitment to sustainability is shared industrial warehouses and car fleets instead, seemingly forgotten by by many tenants including Capital Brewing Co. founders Laurence Kain planning authorities in a city besotted with planning. and Tom Hertel, the first to arrive at the renewed Dairy Road in 2016. It’s the first brewery in Australia to achieve Climate Active carbon- Now those warehouses have been converted into a working village. neutral certification for the entire organisation and all of its products. It displays its small industry proudly, its activities visible through plentiful “It’s one of the most rigorous carbon certifications in the world,” says windows that invite visitors to peer into factory spaces. It’s the vision of Laurence. “We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved, especially by local developers, Molonglo Group, driven by brothers Johnathan and working with local businesses and looking at all aspects of our operations Nectar Efkarpidis, to build a diverse and sustainable urban community – energy, waste, ingredients and packaging and everything in between.” over the next 10 to 15 years that will eventually include residential apartments. As Johnathan explains, “It’s not just buildings. We’re Add to the mix yoga studios, a bouldering gym, a ski centre and more, creating a little neighbourhood, where working, living and recreation and the range of tenants covers quite some ground. With word spreading all come together in an inner-city setting as one healthy ecosystem.” and approvals ticked off, the layered community is evolving. Canberra’s favourite ramen guru, Ramen Daddy, is opening a kitchen soon and an Public spaces and expansive gardens of native plants and grasses are intimate 71-seat professional theatre, Mill Theatre, is imminent. an important part of the landscape. A striking artwork titled LESS,

WEEKENDS | Hip hood PHOTOGR APHY: (C) MOLONGLO (CAPITAL BREWING E XTERIOR , THE MODERN OBJECT); ANTHONY BASHEER (DAIRY ROAD); CHRISTINE ALDRED (AS NATURE INTENDED) AS NATURE INTENDED Capital Brewing Co. This organic cafe and grocery store is all about good The oldest kid in the precinct, Capital Brewing Co. keeps drawing the crowds and food that’s kind on the planet.With books on the ‘turning water into magic’, aka a constantly changing mix of small-batch brews, like tables, a pot-belly stove outside and crocheted knee sour cherry or hazy pale ales, alongside the core range. Chill out with friends in the rugs aplenty, it’s a cosy place that wraps you in a warm taproom or outside, where dogs are welcome. Look out for its just-launched hug. Catering for vegans and vegetarians as well as non-alcoholic Pacific Ale, two years in the making. capitalbrewing.co omnivores and with dairy-free and gluten-free options, everything is organic with cafe treats galore, fruit and NOURISH & veg and more. facebook.com/AsNatureIntendedCBR B R E AT H E THE MODERN OBJECT An apothecary and naturopathy clinic, Nourish & Breathe is Part shop, part gallery, The Modern Object is a like a little village unto itself carefully curated selection of mid-century and with wellness at its heart. In modernist design: glasswork, homewares and addition to being a store for furniture. Featuring pieces sourced from across the tinctures, ointments, balms, world, it’s the obsession of Paul McInnes who started tonics and elixirs, the health hub collecting at 16. instagram.com/the_modern_object offers nourishing food and brews. nourishandbreathe.com Ambrosia Distillery One-man-show Andrew Galbraith is distilling unique gins and flavoured vodkas combining science and bar skills. Check out the gin combining juniper berries with lemon myrtle and an apple and cinnamon or toffee vodka. Collaborating with neighbour Bellerophon, makers of cold-brew coffee, he’s just created a bottled coffee vodka and a canned espresso cocktail (Mar-tinnies) for a kickstart to any party or even the morning.You’ll also find tastings and cocktail-making demos on tap. ambrosiadistiller y.com 89A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

WEEKENDS | Hip hood SUNY Cereal Bar BIG RIVER DISTILLERY Outside and painted bright blue, this cheery cereal bar resides in what Big River Distillery produces artisanal gins and spirits: a classic used to be a truck weigh-in station, the last docket discovered inside dry, a pink one and a Cinn Gin featuring apple, cinnamon and dated 1987. Now it churns out an enticing array of breakfast cereals by spices, as well as vodka and a limited edition Fig Gin Liqueur. In the bowl for breakfast or brunch, served with childhood nostalgia and a convivial tasting room, visitors can sample the range or take a a hit of sugar with ice-cream and drinks on the side. sunycerealbar.com weekend behind-the-scenes tour and tasting with owner Clyde Morton.With not one but four science degrees under his belt JASPER + MYRTLE and 10 years in winemaking, he knows a thing or two about distilling and getting tastes right. bigriverdistilling.com.au Boutique chocolate maker Jasper + Myrtle makes exceptional chocolate from bean to bar. The cacao beans are carefully sourced in Bougainville PHOTOGR APHY: ANTHONY BASHEER (DAIRY ROAD); CHRISTINE ALDRED in PNG, ensuring sustainability, traceability and paying a fair (BIG RIVER DISTILLERY); PEW PEW STUDIO ( JASPER + MYRTLE) price for all ingredients. Its award-winning range includes single- origin chocolate bars, showcasing the cacao bean flavour and unique combinations such as macadamia and lemon myrtle. Look out for the drinking chocolate and gelato, too. jasperandmyrtle.com.au Grainger Gallery When artist Kacy Grainger and her musician husband Richard were looking for a pop-up gallery for their son, Solomon, they knew instantly they’d found a home for their own gallery. Their light-filled gallery on Dairy Road features the work of a growing collection of notable Australian and international artists across mediums through monthly exhibitions, sometimes more traditional and sometimes pushing boundaries. graingergallery.com.au 90 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

EASTHOTEL.COM.AU Road trip to East Hotel & explore Canberra Apartment style living with full kitchen and lounge spaces. Located in the centre of Canberra, you can explore the best culinary, cultural and adventurous experiences right at East Hotel’s doorstep.

Life in the PHOTOGR APHY: HANNAH PUECHMARIN (UPL AND FARM RESTROOM, UPL AND FARM DECK); COURTESY OF LIFE UNHURRIED (ALL REMAINING IMAGES) slow lane Featuring everything from OFF-GRID shacks and luxurious GLAMPING spots to architecturally designed CABINS, new book Life Unhurried calls for a SLOWER, more sustainable way of LIVING and travelling. Here, its authors share tips on how to really SWITCH OFF and their pick of eco stays. READY TO TAKE IT SLOW? Congratulations! Booking a Slow Stay is the first step in the right direction when it comes to slowing down. How you actually spend your time while there, however, can be a challenge – especially if you’re not used to sitting still or being untethered from technology for more than five minutes. It might seem ludicrous but the truth is, doing nothing can actually be much harder than churning through a to-do list. The trick is in being able to switch your focus to quality experiences over quantity, and allowing yourself to savour languid hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Slowing down is a choice, one you can make a little easier by using these tips while you’re away.

WEEKENDS | Life Unhurried CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Upland Farm in the coastal town of Denmark , WA, provides the perfect family-friendly sanctuary; Sustainability was at the forefront of all decisions relating to the accommodation at Upland Farm; The Shack at Sheepwash Bay, Bruny Island. OPPOSITE (from top): Warm and earthy interiors at Aframe Kangaroo Valley; Wander at The Overflow 1895 was built using solar passive design principles. SWITCH OFF YOUR PHONE It’s tempting to have your phone (DON’T JUST PUT IT ON SILENT) with you at all times, but the act of switching it off and putting it out of Here’s a reality check: the average Aussie spends five sight allows spaciousness to return. and a half hours per day on their phone. We wake to our devices, we spend most of the day on them and then, PACK THAT BOOK YOU’VE BEEN MEANING TO READ come night-time, we still can’t stop scrolling (even as the TV blares in the background). Even if you consider yourself an avid reader, in ‘real life’ it can be hard to find time to disappear into a book. Pack It’s tempting to have your phone with you at all something you’re really keen to read or choose something times, but the act of switching it off and putting it out from the shelves of your Slow Stay and remember the joy of sight allows spaciousness to return. Days feel longer. of reading without an agenda. Itchy scrolling fingers eventually relax. And you can marvel at the sunset without worrying about capturing SET ASIDE TIME TO SIMPLY SIT it for your Insta stories. It’s a daunting prospect, doing nothing. As the late If you can’t bear to go a day without photos, take a spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh said in his book camera, but ask yourself what that photo will take you Planting Seeds, being content with not doing anything is away from experiencing right now, in the moment – the a very deep practice: ‘We all have an energy within us that moment you travelled to experience. constantly pushes us to do this or that … If we aren’t doing something, we can’t stand it.’ LEAVE THE LAPTOP AT HOME Start small by sitting in compact spaces of time. Use No matter how innocent your intentions, if you take your that time to listen, look, observe. What do you notice? laptop with you, you’re inviting work leakages. Checking How does it make you feel? Questions will naturally emails can wreak havoc on your brainspace for the entire bubble up. And you’ll be amazed at the answers you find duration of your stay, even if you don’t reply. in the emptiness. 1 Freaking out about the fact your shack doesn’t have wi-fi? Or a TV? Instead of feeling like you can’t possibly go without Netflix, think about what you might gain instead – deeper conversations, time to look up at the stars or into the fire, and delicious deep sleep. 93A U S T R A L I A N T R A V E L L E R . C O M

WEEKENDS | Life Unhurried COOK AND EAT MINDFULLY CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Ecopia Retreat is located PHOTOGR APHY: HANNAH PUECHMARIN (UPL AND FARM BUSH DETAIL); COURTESY OF LIFE UNHURRIED (ALL REMAINING IMAGES) within a registered wildlife sanctuary on Kangaroo Island; Understand When you’re tucked away in a cabin in the bush, you the importance of slowing down at Wander at the Overflow 1895, in can’t simply head out for dinner or order delivery on Wyaralong, Qld; Sleep in one of two rammed earth villas at Ecopia your phone. But far from being a burden, the need to Retreat; Savour mindful meals and moments at Upland Farm. cook your own meals can serve as a wonderful gateway to practise mindfulness without realising it. APPRECIATE THE RITUALS Notice the scent as you chop fresh herbs, admire the There’s a wonderful Buddhist saying along the lines of, colour and shapes of the vegetables – perhaps you even ‘Wash the dishes like you were giving the baby Buddha picked them from the garden. Sip your wine, listen to a bath’. It’s about embracing sacredness in the small acts music and prepare a simple meal. As you eat, sitting at we whiz through in everyday life. the table, chew slowly, enjoy the conversation and take note of all your senses. Acts of ritual are embedded in many of the Slow Stays we’ve featured in Life Unhurried. Use the opportunities TRY FOREST BATHING provided to relish in lighting a fire, playing a vinyl record, picking herbs from the garden, slathering homemade jam The benefits of connecting with nature have been well on your toast and slowly brewing your morning coffee or documented. In Japan they call it shinrin-yoku – ‘forest tea. In doing so, you can turn the mundane into some of bathing’ – and it has been proven to reduce blood the most memorable moments of the trip. pressure, improve concentration and memory, and even boost the immune system. REFLECT WHEN YOU RETURN HOME With many of us living in urban environments and Don’t let life drag you back into hurriedness when you spending so much time indoors, nature dosing while on check out. Find space at home to reflect on your stay, holidays isn’t just an enjoyable way to spend your time journal about your experience and talk about it over and explore the local area, it’s preventative medicine. coffee with friends. PRACTISE SELF-CARE In the same way that the anticipation of a holiday can be almost as intoxicating as the experience itself, so too ‘I’m too busy for self-care’ is the line you tell can the reflection. 1 yourself back home. But here there is time. Stash self- care items in your duffel bag – sheet masks, bath salts, body oil – and enjoy the simple pleasure of anointing yourself. Meditate (try an app like Headspace if you’re new to the practice). Crack open a fresh journal and write a list of things you’re grateful for. 94 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

In partnership with the Dubbo Region CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Taronga Sanctuary is home to endangered species like the greater bilby; Cycle your way around Taronga Western Plains Zoo; Enjoy the region’s picturesque walking and cycle paths; Your visit helps support Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s conservation work for native species including the chuditch (western quoll). THE CITY R EG E N E R ATI N G AUSTRALIA Looking for a holiday that’s ECO-CONSCIOUS and fun for the whole family? Dubbo is a top GREEN vacation destination. WORRDS: BRIAN JOHNSTON There are many things you don’t expect to The zoo is well known for housing on the 13-kilometre TRACKER RILEY find in inland regional Australia. Lolloping endangered species such as black rhinos CYCLEWAY along the Macquarie River. giraffes, for example. A Japanese strolling and Sumatran tigers, but Australian species garden. A project to save the Great Barrier are important, too. Its Taronga Sanctuary is There’s plenty of protected land perfect Reef. But Dubbo, in the NSW Central West, home to breeding programs for endangered for family-friendly walking, kayaking, cycling, has never bothered with the expected. It has fauna such as the greater bilby, chuditch birdwatching, swimming and camping. all those things. It’s also on the cutting edge (western quoll) and regent honeyeater. Enjoy seeing kangaroos, wombats, echidnas of eco-conscious tourism. If you want to go and koalas, as well as rare birds and plants. green and holiday with a good conscience, This year, when a new WILDLIFE HOSPITAL there are few better places. opens, visitors will be able to admire regent Outside Dubbo, a visit to WELLINGTON honeyeaters in aviaries, and learn about how CAVES is a must. See the Cathedral Cave, The big picture is that Dubbo is part of these native birds are being saved from a 15-metre limestone and crystal structure, Australia’s first Renewable Energy Zone, extinction. The Wildlife Hospital’s viewing the glittering Gaden Cave, and Phosphate which aims to replace coal-fired power platform will allow visitors to watch vets and Mine, abundant in 400-million-year-old stations with solar and wind facilities. scientists at work; the kids will love learning fossils. Even better, the whole experience Anyone holidaying in Dubbo, though, will how lions get their teeth cleaned, or how is carbon neutral. With wonders this already find plenty of sustainable initiatives scientists study poo to check animal health. impressive, you’ll want to do all you can at its attractions. Leading the way is to protect them. TARONGA WESTERN PLAINS ZOO, which You can get around Taronga Western Plains is ECO Certified in Advanced Ecotourism, Zoo by bike or electric cart, and there are For more information, visit dubbo.com.au as well as being Climate Active (certified many other ways to tread lightly on the and taronga.org.au/dubbo carbon neutral). It’s also not for profit, so environment as you enjoy Dubbo. Use the any money you spend at the zoo goes directly city’s 10 electric-car charging stations, and to funding important conservation work. stay in any of six off-grid accommodation options. Pedal power can get you to the zoo

WEEKENDS | Life Unhurried Top five slow stays warrens alongside Shuffles, the The day stretches ahead, like more, it’s what’s going on behind PHOTOGR APHY: HANNAH PUECHMARIN (UPL AND FARM CHARCUTERIE PL ATTER , FARM); COURTESY OF LIFE UNHURRIED (ALL REMAINING IMAGES) resident echidna.Tucked away the kilometre of private water the scenes in these ‘WanderPods’ Best for… families in the corner of a six-hectare frontage beckoning with the that is most impressive. block that tumbles to a creek, opportunity to snorkel, swim, UPLAND FARM, DENMARK, WA this triangle-shaped abode is kayak or fish. Or you could just sit Best for… wildlife a creative dream realised for and watch the crabs scurry along You won’t have to worry about architect Ben Gray and partner, the foreshore, the sea eagles ECOPIA RETREAT, disturbing the neighbours designer and founder of Hello flying overhead. when you take the kids to May magazine Sophie Lord. KANGAROO ISLAND, SA this architecturally designed While it’s hard to tear away Best for… sustainable luxury guesthouse (pictured above right), from the storybook setting, just Set within a registered wildlife set on a 43-hectare working beyond your door the villages WANDER AT THE OVERFLOW sanctuary on Kangaroo Island, cattle farm in Western Australia’s of the Southern Highlands Mother Earth has been the Great Southern region. Clad beckon for adventure. 1895, SCENIC RIM, QLD ultimate architect in the creation in iron ash, the two-bedroom of Ecopia Retreat (top and property overlooks neighbouring Best for… off-grid living Instead of creating 100 rooms in bottom left).Two rammed earth vineyards and is built to harness one location, what if you could villas – designed and built by hand the natural heating and cooling THE SHACK AT SHEEPWASH create one luxurious, zero-impact – are the stars of this off-grid provided by nature. Explore room and place it in 100 locations? escape, surrounded by ancient nearby forests, walking trails and BAY, TAS Could it have the potential to grass trees and visiting kangaroos. beaches, then retreat back to the completely change the hotel game? Created in harmony with, and of, fireplace and a barbecue hamper This simple, earthy and intimate The answer can be found in the the soil that lies beneath, there’s for an easy night in. Bruny Island/lunawuni cabin is first five of those rooms, which sit something completely organic built from reclaimed timbers, with sensitively within natural bushland and tactile about the buildings. Best for… views its sagging roof sympathetically in Queensland’s Scenic Rim – A warmth that goes beyond the restored to keep its original Yugambeh Country.The ‘hotel’ is natural insulation created by the AFRAME KANGAROO VALLEY, NSW charm.Wake to the smell of fresh known as Wander (below right), 30-centimetre-thick walls and wood-fired sourdough, baked and these glass-fronted pavilions double glazing. Once you’ve left Aframe Kangaroo Valley feels a in the shed next to you and are at once private yet seamlessly your worries on the mainland million miles from anywhere, yet delivered by owners John and immersed in the setting. Outdoor and crossed over on the ferry you’re only two hours from both Jenene. For more than a decade, bathtubs beckon and king-sized from Cape Jervis, this 60-hectare Sydney/Warrang and Canberra/ they’ve lived here completely pillow-top beds are made up wilderness retreat is found at the Ngambri/Ngunngawal. It’s a off-grid and taking a bite out of with French flax linens. But, solar epicentre of the island. utopia of Australiana; wedge- their low-key lifestyle is just one powered, fed by rainwater and tail eagles soar overhead and of the benefits of staying here. wombats amble out from their This is an edited extract from Life Unhurried by Celeste Mitchell, Katie Gannon and Krista Eppelstun published by Hardie Grant Explore. Available 7 September; RRP $50. 96 AU S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M

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WEEKENDS | Towns 4 2 6 ONE FINE DAY 3 NORTHERN RIVERS main street of Mullum. MADE IN MULLUM showcases the works of local artisans, from Let a LOCAL show you around their REGION for original artworks to chopping boards, as well as an INSIDER’S GUIDE to all the BEST BITS. upcycled furniture, clothing and pixie hats. MIKE SMITH moved to the Northern Rivers region in to set up Zero Co, the . : Get a massage at Kiva Spa company he founded as part of his mission to stop single-use plastic packaging in every KIVA SPA (3) is a local institution. Enjoy a kitchen, laundry and bathroom in Australia. After selling his stake in Cake Wines, the brand massage and then take your pick between the he co-founded in , Mike and his wife Alyssa spent months travelling to the most bathhouse, hot hydrotherapy spa pools, sauna far-flung reaches of the planet where they saw the extent of the Earth’s plastic pollution and steam room, as well as a plunge pool. problem first-hand. Since launching Zero Co, the big-picture thinker and his team have : Have lunch at the Pink Lotus prevented more than one million water bottles’ worth of plastic rubbish going to landfill The PINK LOTUS is a great Vietnamese WORDS: CARL A GROSSETTI. PHOTOGR APHY: TOURISM AUSTR ALIA (THE PASS, BYRON, MINYON FALLS DETAILS); ZERO CO (MIKE SMITH); BARON WALTON (BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE) and removed about the same amount of rubbish from the ocean. Here, Mike shares his restaurant. My go-to is the vermicelli rice bowl perfect day in and around Mullumbimby. zeroco.com.au with chicken washed down with a Hanoi Beer. THE NITTY-GRITTY: MIKE’S PERFECT ITINERARY . : Swim at Brunswick Heads The rivermouth at Brunswick is epic.There is a : The Bundjalung people : Early surf little beach and a breakwall, which is stunning at are the Traditional Owners of the northern Mullumbimby is located in a pristine pocket of high tide. It’s crystal-clear water, like Fiji. coastal area of NSW, which includes Bundjalung the Northern Rivers and one of the great : Go for a hike National Park, located about 650 kilometres things about living here is there are all these Drive through the hinterland (4) to get to the north of Sydney.The Northern Rivers region little satellite towns just 15 minutes from each walking track that leads through the rainforest includes the Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Clarence other.The best way to start your day is with to spectacular MINYON FALLS (5), where the Valley, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Kyogle a swim or surf at one of the epic beaches; water cascades over a 100-metre vertical rock Council areas, which are threaded with the WATEGOS BEACH (1) is obvious. Surf at THE face.You can swim in a pool at the base of the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed Rivers. PASS (2), go for a swim at BRUNSWICK HEADS falls, located in NIGHTCAP NATIONAL PARK. ’ ? The Northern or walk to the CAPE BYRON LIGHTHOUSE. : Dinner and drinks at a country pub Rivers region has epic rainforest drives, killer . : Breakfast at Bayleaf You have to go to the HOTEL BRUNSWICK for a beaches, great restaurants, national parks and Enjoy toast slathered with avocado grown here beer at the end of the day. It’s only a 10-minute 5 markets. Mullumbimby is at the very heart of in the Northern Rivers at BAYLEAF in Byron Bay. drive from Mullumbimby to Brunswick and it’s the region – 20 minutes from Byron Bay and It’s one of the most popular cafes in town. an old-school pub that has awesome bands, about 10 minutes to Brunswick Heads. Mullum, My wife swears by its bacon and egg rolls. a big beer garden and great pub grub. as it is affectionately known, promotes itself . : Choose a good book : Catch a gig at the Brunswick Picture House as ‘The Biggest Little Town in Australia’. It is THE BOOK ROOM AT BYRON is really cool. It’s BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE (6) is a 1950s 1 surrounded by verdant cane fields against also a cafe and you can curl up here in a corner building with great gigs: comedy, live music, talks, the backdrop of Mt Chincogan, which looms with a book after browsing its diverse collection. lectures, cabaret and burlesque acts.Time your large over the landscape.Visitors travel to visit for when Dustyesky are playing.The group .4 : Stroll the main street of Mullumbimby Mullumbimby and the Northern Rivers region There is a great mix of retro furniture shops, is Australia’s very own ‘Fake Genuine Russian for its great outdoors, but also to fossick for vintage boutiques and op shops that line the Choir’ and they have a huge following. vintage finds in retro stores and explore its 6 : Bunker down in Byron waterways, country pubs, quirky bars, Book into TALLOW’S ECO RETREAT or BYRON restaurants and cafes. LAKESIDE HOLIDAY APARTMENTS. Both : 310,666 people called the accommodation providers support Zero Co Northern Rivers home in the 2021 Census. and I like to support them in return. A U S T R A L I A N T R AV E L L E R . C O M