TRAVELLER Essential Port Moresby
OUR OUR COUNTRY REGION
In the capital ... the Port Moresby Nature Park (this page); Hanuabada stilt village and Parliament Haus (opposite page).
for another LNG project expected by year’s end. The lodge and beach area are an excellent escape for a quiet afternoon and a drink, swim or walk. facebook.com/pg/ SunsetVillageResort
SHADY REST HOTEL The hotel is about five minutes from the city centre and features authentic Indian food at the Cellar Restaurant, as well as European, Malaysian and other southeast Asian dishes. Chefs are from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and PNG.
Tuesday and Friday nights are host to an all-you-can-eat curry buffet, with Indian classics, finger foods and breads, fresh from the tandoor. Also onsite is Mike’s Pizza Company. The hotel has a gaming lounge and tapas cocktail lounge where local bands play local music. It also runs karaoke nights. shadyrest.com.pg ROYAL PAPUA YACHT CLUB There’s nothing quite like the view of Fairfax Harbour and the marina from the Royal Papua Yacht Club. The home of sailing in PNG, with an imposing clubhouse located on the beachfront of Port Moresby Harbour, the club traces its history back to colonial days. Macdhui Restaurant, whose executive chef Brian Topham has worked in Fiji and Vanuatu, specialises in fresh fish, as well as beef from Kimbe in West New Britain Province, feeding on palm oil which, says Topham, “makes the beef tender and tasty”. The club has four bars, and it is the Wet Bar that overlooks the marina and harbour. Downstairs is the Boat Shed, which features live music. Boats are available for hire, seven days a week. You can only get in if a member signs you in, although there’s usually someone around to do that. rpyc.com.pg
50 Paradise – Air Niugini’s in-flight magazine
KOITAKI FARM AND PICNIC AREAS About an hour away from Port Moresby at Sogeri at the entrance/ exit to the Kokoda Trail, is the largest cattle farm in the Pacific, outside Australia and New Zealand. It covers almost 6000 hectares, with facilities including 35 colonial homesteads, and a hydroponic farm, which supplies vegetables to major supermarkets and restaurants in Port Moresby. The area’s mountains, forests, rivers and streams provide cool relief. Sogeri is also home to some of the best picnic areas and parks outside Port Moresby, like the Crystal Rapids picnic area, Koitaki Country Club, Sirinumu Dam, Owers’ Corner, the Hombrum Bluff, Rouna Falls Lookout and the Varirata National Park. This park is a natural rainforest park, with a sealed drive-through road to its lookout, with a couple of walk tracks with directions. The park has a bird’s eye-view lookout point of the city of Port Moresby and its outskirts. The park is a favourite for bird watchers. GUIDED TOURS OF MOTUAN VILLAGE, HANUABADA Although Port Moresby is a mix of cultures, its original inhabitants are Motu Koitabu, seafaring people