TNT Magazine: Australia by TNT MAGAZINE

Feb 20-26 2012 Issue 669 tntdownunder.com

! SIE IN W -DAY TAS

AN 8 ADVENTURE WORTH OVER $3,000

EVENT E VENT HORIZON H ORIZON Wh t n What not ott to t i around aro ound d Oz O miss

MAP M AP O OF F TASSIE T ASSIE R dt i ing Roadtrippin Roadtripping th Apple A l Isle I l the

EASTERN E ASTERN PROMISE P ROMISE C Crouching hi tige ti tiger, hidd Chi hidden China

S T I F E N E B E FRING ts fe month of ar ’s e id la e d A e to n. Your guid fu e th s e m Three ti

stivals

AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2012 SPECIAL GUESTS

DEEP SEA ARCADE LOON LAKE BRISBANE

TUESDAY 8 MAY THE HI-FI SYDNEY

TUESDAY 15 MAY THE HI-FI MELBOURNE

WEDNESDAY 16 MAY PALACE THEATRE PERTH

FRIDAY 18 MAY METRO CITY BOOK AT USUAL OUTLETS (ALL SHOWS 18+)

ON SALE FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY FRONTIERTOURING.COM WWW.KAISERCHIEFS.COM

“ON THE RUN”, THE BRAND NEW KAISER CHIEFS SINGLE OUT NOW!

ANDREW WESTBROOK EDITOR editor@tntdownunder.com

EDITOR’S LETTER Australia is going festival crazy right now. Not only is Sydney’s Mardi Gras in full swing, but now it’s Adelaide’s turn, with a trio of massive arts fests cranking into action over the next few weeks. Check out the pick of the shows, including many for free, on p6. We’re also now into week three of our special Tassie month. This issue we go on a roadtrip of the whole state. Turn to p32 for more.

THIS WEEK OZ DIARY

MUSIC & FILM

COMPETITION

CELEB GOSSIP

NEWS

SPORT

TRAVEL

LISTINGS NSW

LISTINGS QUEENSLAND

LISTINGS VIC

LISTINGS NT

LISTINGS WA

LISTINGS TASMANIA

LISTINGS SA

LISTINGS NEW ZEALAND

LISTINGS FIJI

WORK

TRIVIAL PURSUITS

FEATURES ARTS AND MINDS

Adelaide’s threesome of arts festivals are about to begin. We tell you what’s on

TRICKS WITH DICKS

We have a hands on chat to the creator of the Puppetry of the Penis phenomena

FAN-TASSIE ISLAND

Going on the road to explore Tasmania in all of its rugged beauty

CHINESE WHISPERS

Breaking free of China’s cities and into the ancient province of Yunnan

40 TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

OZDIARY EDITORIAL Editor Andrew Westbrook Staff writer Alex Harmon Intern Leigh Livingstone Contributor Ian Neubauer | Laura Chubb

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DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Design and production manager Lisa Ferron SALES Sales manager Tom Wheeler Account manager Justin Steinlauf MARKETING & EVENTS Associate publisher Denise Jinks Marketing assistants Lea Pahne DISTRIBUTION Lee Sutherland

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THE MAIN EVENT SUPER 15s [AUSTRALIA]

It is no secret that Aussies love their rugby as much as they love a beer, so put the two together and they’re close to heaven. The Rugby Super 15 2012 season kicks off on February 24 with the first six teams playing on their home turf against their own countrymen. Games will be played all over New Zealand, South Africa and most importantly Australia, so there is no excuse not to grab some mates and check out a live game in either Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane or Perth. Otherwise, it is just as acceptable to watch on your local pub screen for free, but make sure you remember that beer. Further info at superxv.com FREE

ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL [ADELAIDE]

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BETWEEN THE BAYS [MOOROODUC]

The Adelaide Fringe is packed full of fun entertainment, a ton of which is free. Think comedy, drama, dancing, puppetry, cabaret and loads more to see and do all over Adelaide city. Hint: Catch a show on opening night for bargain tickets. See page 8 for more.

The GC’s southern beaches light up for the world’s best surfers this week. The competition is mobile, so it will move to where the best breaks are. Conditions are looking good for sunshine so grab your sunscreen and enjoy some live music while you watch the masters in action.

Set on a rural property an hour’s drive from Melbourne, Between The Bays brings an Aussie Woodstock vibe to the Mornington Peninsula. Groove along to music from the likes of Mark Seymour while tasting the best local wines the area has to offer.

February 24 – March 18 Adelaide adelaidefringefestival.com.au

February 25 – March 7 Gold Coast quiksilverlive.com

February 25 Rickards Road, Moorooduc betweenthebays.com

FREE

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

QUIKSILVER PRO [GOLD COAST] FREE

$49

Festival fever With non-stop comedy, bands, DJs, theatre and film events, Adelaide is shaking off its sleepy image with a trio of major arts festivals over the next month. Here’s our pick of the best bits WORDS LEIGH LIVINGSTONE

If you’ve always believed Adelaide’s supposed reputation as being the City of Churches, or Australia’s largest retirement village, it’s time to think again. In fact, South Australia boasts a wild nightlife, and is a must for music lovers, with more events than you can shake a glow-stick at. And now is the time to be Adelaidebound. Indeed, It couldn’t get any livelier throughout March if you threw on Lady Gaga’s meat dress and went cage diving with the region’s great white sharks. However, it’s probably better for your health (marginally), just to visit some of these festivals instead. From pub crawls and comedy, to live bands and street theatre, much of it free, there’s something for you, no matter what 6

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your taste. That’s largely because the city’s three biggest events, The Adelaide Festival, WOMADelaide and The Adelaide Fringe Festival, are all hitting the SA capital at the same time. The Fringe is the biggest of the three, running from this Friday (February 24) through to Sunday, March 18. In fact, Edinburgh is the only place on the planet that can boast a bigger fringe festival. Expect artists from across the globe to showcase their cabaret, comedy, circus, dance, film, theatre, puppetry, music and visual arts. Last year there were more than 4,800 performances across the four weeks, and this year will be no smaller. WOMADelaide is a four-day world music festival held in the beautiful Botanic Park, from March 9-12 (tickets

start at $113 for an evening pass). Prepare to dance your socks off in front of seven stages highlighting some of the world’s best DJs, musicians and dancers. There’s also plenty of street food stalls to help with refuelling. This year marks the event’s 20th anniversary, so expect organisers to go all-out. Adelaide Festival is probably the more traditional of the three, covering theatre, concerts, dance, visual arts and film. It runs from March 2-18 and even includes a writers’ week. In other words, with so much to see and do, Adelaide is the place to be over the next month. However, the choices are endless and your head will be spinning trying to decide where to start, so here’s a rundown of what not to miss...

$5 OPENING NIGHT FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: To make sure the festivites get going with a bang, a huge selection of Fringe shows have a limited numbers of tickets for just $5. VENUE: Various WHEN: February 24 PRICE: $5 SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au

THE MAGNETS – GOBSMACKED FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: The Magnets are a British beatboxing phenomenon, described as a six-man sound machine. Their Fringe show promises an electrifying restyling of classic hits from Blondie to Blur, and Bon Jovi to Adele, as well as cool moves, tunes and an audience’s choice. VENUE: The Garden of Earthly Delights WHEN: February 17-29 PRICE: $38 SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au

FRINGE PARADE FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: The sunset on Friday night pretty much represents the start of the month’s festivities, starting in colourful style with thousands of Fringe artists parading through the city on a cavalcade of floats. VENUE: King William Street WHEN: February 24 PRICE: Free SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au

Trapeze artist Theaker von Ziarno, who will be part of the Fringe Street Theatre Festival

DELIVERANCE FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: For 11 nights, three performers will be on stage with nothing – no clothes or objects. The show will evolve from what members of the audience bring with them for these jokers to survive. Anything goes, and anything could happen. It’s worth a visit just to see what they are going to do about that pesky toilet situation. VENUE: Gluttony, Rymill Park WHEN: March 7-17 PRICE: Free SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

It’s not quite PJs time yet...

FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: A bunch of international street performers and roving artists take over the Adelaide streets for four days and nights of energetic mayhem. VENUE: Rundle Mall, Rymill Park WHEN: March 9-12 PRICE: Free SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au

TOUR OF THE UNEXPECTED FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: These free buses, complete with tour guide, circle the city, taking you not just to all the Fringe venues, but also on a “wild and spontaneous journey unlike any other”. WHEN: Feb 24 – March 18 PRICE: Free SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au

WORLD’S BIGGEST PUB CRAWL FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: It does exactly what it says on the tin. Join the World’s Biggest Pub Crawl as it begins at 3pm and follows a journey of drink specials at 20 fine establishments around Adelaide throughout the festival. Get a gang together and decide how long you want to crawl for. Hours? Days? Adelaide is your goon bag! VENUE: The Grand Academy of Lagado WHEN: March 2 PRICE: Free (booze not included) SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au 8

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PAJAMA CLUB FESTIVAL: WOMADelaide WHAT IS IT: Neil Finn, of Crowded House fame, has turned jam sessions with his wife in their PJs into the Pajama Club. The debut album came out late last year, and like everything Neil touches, this is groovy gold. WHEN: March 10 (evening) SEE: womadelaide.com.au

Gurrumul has a moment

PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS – 3D

GURRUMUL FESTIVAL: WOMADelaide WHAT IS IT: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu has one of the most beautiful and distinctive voices Australia has ever heard. Sung in his native Aboriginal tongue, Yolngu, this show is something to see for a true taste of Australia. WHEN: March 11 SEE: womadelaide.com.au

FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: The world-famous show that has had people laughing for the last dickade is entering the third dimension. The latest projection technology is utilised and audience members get 3D glasses to wear – making what you see seem so real, you could almost reach out and touch it. Don’t try it at home guys. See p16 for more. VENUE: Royal Theatre WHEN: February 24-March 18 PRICE: $34.90 SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au

Photos: Adelaide Fringe Festival, WOMADelaide, Adelaide Festival, Getty Images, SATC

STREET THEATRE FESTIVAL

Experience

SOUTH AUSTRALIA If you’ve climbed the bridge, circled the rock and snorkelled the reef... it’s time to do the stuff that other people are only just beginning to discover… diving with Great White Sharks, swimming with sea lions and dolphins, getting up close and personal with wildlife on Kangaroo Island or camping under the stars in the amazing Flinders Ranges.

SOU AUST TH RALIA

Adela

ide

If you want to get away from the crowds for an authentic Australian experience it’s time to come to South Australia.

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SPIRIT FESTIVAL

JO NESBØ

FESTIVAL: Fringe Festival WHAT IS IT: A full weekend of concerts and dance performances, all celebrating the best in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture. VENUE: Rymill Park WHEN: February 24-26 PRICE: Free SEE: adelaidefringe.com.au

FESTIVAL: Adelaide Festival WHAT IS IT: Jo Nesbø is Norway’s newest literary rock star. His crime series featuring Detective Harry Hole has him pegged as the next Stieg Larsson (think Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). See the man behind the words as he discusses the fascination with Norwegian evil that has made him a national treasure. VENUE: Pioneer Woman’s Memorial Garden WHEN: March 3 PRICE: Free SEE: adelaidefestival.com.au

FESTIVAL: Adelaide Festival WHAT IS IT: One of the most celebrated film composers of all time (think the spaghetti westerns, The Untouchables and The Mission) will be leading the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra through his most famous tunes in this outdoor concert. There’s also the chance to watch the classic films on the big screen. VENUE: Elder Park WHEN: March 2 PRICE: From $50 SEE: adelaidefestival.com.au

PITTS FAMILY CIRCUS FESTIVAL: WOMADelaide WHAT IS IT: Brother and sister duo Cessil and Sandy Pitt, with incredible underage acrobat Wee Pitt, twist and tumble their way through a show that tickles the audience’s funny bone. WHEN: March 9 SEE: womadelaide.com.au

CHIC FESTIVAL: WOMADelaide WHAT IS IT: Everyone has had a boogie to Chic’s “Le Freak” and, if you haven’t, you’re lying. The soul man is coming all the way from the US to lay his bassdriven grooves on the festival scene. WHEN: March 9 (evening) SEE: womadelaide.com.au

SCHOOL DANCE FESTIVAL: Adelaide Festival WHAT IS IT: This is the story of three teenage boys heading to their school dance. It has been described as “funny, sad, scary, weird, really stupid, endearing and repulsive”. Think of it as The Inbetweeners meets the nerds from Beauty and the Geek. VENUE: Space Theatre WHEN: March 3, 6, 8, 9 & 10 PRICE: $30 SEE: adelaidefestival.com.au 10

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The Bearded Gypsy Band have rubbish beards. Fact.

THE BEARDED GYPSY BAND FESTIVAL: WOMADelaide WHAT IS IT: These definitely unbearded locals from the Adelaide Hills are bringing it for the home team. They channel Celtic, blues, gypsy and roots influences in their dancefloor pulse music. WHEN: March 12 VENUE: The Pitts Family Circus SEE: womadelaide.com.au

ST VINCENT

MALMÖ

FESTIVAL: Adelaide Festival WHAT IS IT: Annie Clark (aka St Vincent) hails from the US and is a critically acclaimed performer who has worked with the likes of Bon Iver. These will be her only shows in Australia and fans will rush to fill the venue. VENUE: Barrio WHEN: March 3-10 PRICE: $30 SEE: adelaidefestival.com.au

FESTIVAL: Adelaide Festival WHAT IS IT: A funny and profound look at the human condition to want to nest. This show cleverly moves between dance, text and visual scenery to develop the physical and emotional journey of a quintessential Aussie couple as they renovate. It has been described as “Dogville meets The Block”, sometimes unsettling and absurdly funny. VENUE: Vitalstatistix Port Adelaide WHEN: Feb 28 – March 3 PRICE: $35 SEE: adelaidefestival.com.au

BARRIO

Annie Clark goes saintly

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FESTIVAL: Adelaide Festival WHAT IS IT: An eclectic array of characters comes together to create a late-night club like no other. The six handmade kitsch bars have programmed nightly entertainment in this makeshift shantytown, featuring performers and DJs from around the world. Dress up is encouraged. VENUE: Hajek Plaza WHEN: Thurs-Sun for the duration of the festival PRICE: Free (limited places) SEE: adelaidefestival.com.au

NEXT WEEK Blue juice: The best places to surf in Australia

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SOCIALSCENE

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EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE FILM REVIEW by Alasdair Morton STARRING: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn | CERT: PG | 130mins | Out Feb 23

SAFE HOUSE FILM REVIEW STARRING: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds | M | 115mins | Out now

A rookie CIA agent (Reynolds) has his mundane working life, manning an insignificant safe house that is never visited, turned upside down, when one of the agency’s most wanted men, Washington, walks through the door. True to thriller form, a deal soon goes wrong and they’re both on the run in South Africa, getting into all sorts of Bourne-like scrapes and wondering who they can trust, including each other. There’s little that’s original, but the action is engrossing. AW 14

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Stephen Daldry’s (Billy Elliot) adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s best-selling novel is a mixed bag. The story, family-focused and non-political, about one boy’s journey to come to terms with the 2001 loss of his father in the Twin Towers, is powerful and moving, but undercut by a predictable move towards melodrama. Newcomer Horn gives a fierce performance as Oskar, a young New Yorker somewhere on the autism spectrum (“they did tests, they were inconclusive” he says at one point) who’s fond of his father’s (Hanks) mysterious treasure trails they call ‘reconnaissance expeditions’. After 9/11, Oskar finds a key in his dad’s closet and embarks on a cross-Manhattan quest to determine what it opens. Horn is superb; Oskar’s inability to confront what has happened and his fraught emotions are frankly presented, and his logical response to life’s illogic is palpable and empathetic. Max Von Sydow, as a mute older man who joins the young man’s driven detective work, brings some welcome comic relief, too. As successful as Daldry is in presenting Oskar’s personal journey, he is less so with the journey at the film’s core – of a son and mother (Sandra Bullock) reconnecting. A third act reveal is deftly handled and there are plenty of poignant moments – the key’s identity especially – but the move towards melodrama robs what could have been a most unique drama of some of its identity. GOOD FOR: Thomas Horn’s stunning portrayal of a difficult role; he’s the film’s highlight.

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SOPHIA COPPOLA: ON FILM

DON’T

MISS!

FILM

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image presents Sofia Coppola on Film, four films by the Oscar-winning writerdirector over five nights. If you’re a fan of blondes, you can catch Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette and Somewhere. From $15. Feb 23-27, Federation Square, Melbourne acmi.net.au

RAW COMEDY

FLIX IN THE STICKS

COMEDY

OUTDOOR CINEMA

The Raw Comedy heats are underway in Sydney with comics battling for a place at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. See some of Sydney’s up-and-comers as they’re given five minutes to try and make you laugh. The winner goes to the Edinburgh Festival so expect some top-notch open-mic. 2-for-1 tickets available.

Canberra has finally caught onto the outdoor cinema craze and created one for themselves. For one night only you can sit under the stars and watch a collection of short films. There is also live music from the former Australian Crawl frontman, James Reyne. Beer isn’t allowed but you can bring a bottle of wine. Go figure!

Tuesdays until March 20. Fox Studios Sydney comedystore.com.au

Sat Feb 25, Botanic Gardens, Canberra flixinthesticks.com.au

THIS IS OUR YOUTH The Sydney Opera House will soon be staging This is Our Youth, a coming of age play about three New York City upper middle class, but street smart kids. Starring the cream of the Gen-y crop – Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Emily Barclay, we’re hoping it will be a bit like Gossip Girl meets Scott Pilgram Vs The World. One thing we do know, it will sell out fast. Running from March 14-25, there will also be a post-show talk with the actors on Wednesday March 21. Tickets from $69. Tickets on sale now sydneyoperahouse.com

THE FLINDERS, DARLINGHURST

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

BAR

PHOTOGRAPHY

A hip little bar near Oxford Street that has an über-cool clientele (Kate Moss hung out here last year) and an awesome menu of stoner delights, not to mention some of the best in local bands and DJs. Every Tuesday they put on a night called ‘Moon Shakes’ where you’ll get $5 drinks all night.

If your mouth waters over National Geographic magazines, then you’re going to love checking out the winners of the 2011 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. See 108 of the world’s best images in a competition that attracted over 41,000 entries.

63 Flinders St, Darlinghurst Sydney

Until March 18. Australian Museum, Sydney

CREAMFIELDS TICKETS

WIN

Fancy a free ticket to see David Guetta? Well, we can help you out with that. We’ve teamed up with Creamfields to offer two of you a double pass each to the beat-tastic festival in the city of your choice. The festival will be hitting Adelaide (April 27), Melbourne (April 28), Sydney (April 29), Perth (May 5) and Gold Coast (May 6). To enter, visit tntdownunder.com/competitions.html TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

CHATROOM

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Puppetry of the Penis The legendary body comedy show’s creator, David Friend, talks about going 3D, the dangers of audience participation and how you can become a cast member yourself INTERVIEW LEIGH LIVINGSTONE

Is your audience mostly women? It’s quite random, when we first started it was a real footy club type thing. There was always a guy in every footy club that did dick tricks, so there were a lot of guys really curious to see what other tricks were out there. As time has gone by it’s become more of a show for groups of girls, but we still get lots of guys and couples. It’s a great icebreaker for that first date.

Calling all dick trickers

How did you come up with the idea? Basically I have been doing it since I was a kid. Anyone who has a little boy will tell you they have a built-in toy and they don’t stop playing with it. I remember doing these tricks in the bath as a little kid which are now tricks in the show. University helps, drinking lots of beer certainly helps you kick off your pants. I’d have a couple of beers and drop my pants but I had to come up with things to make them laugh because they’d say, “he’s not nude again is he?” So, the show is all about the comedy? It’s all for a laugh. There is no deep hidden meaning; it’s all about having a good hard laugh at the human body. They are pretty funny bits really, just hanging around down there. When you turn it into a hamburger, it’s even funnier. Have you had any injuries? Not really, sometimes it gets a bit weary. When I very first started and the tackle wasn’t used to doing it, if I stretched it a little bit too hard I would sometimes pop a blood vessel. You can’t feel anything but it doesn’t look that crash hot. Any awkward moments on stage? Ever start thinking about Cindy Crawford… I know where you’re going here, you’ve got a 16

dirty mind. When you are standing there and there is 1,000 people laughing at your genitals, you’re not going to get a stiffy are you? The other thing is the show is completely non-sexual. If it does start moving away from the body, you just tell yourself to think of dead puppies. Why did you hang up your cape? It’s a young man’s game, so we are just passing the mantle onto younger guys. There comes a time when people stop paying to see a 43-yearold playing with his genitals. Do you still have a big hand in managing the show? You are loving these double entendres aren’t you? We are right behind this new 3D show that is coming out. There is quite a bit of new stuff and a lot of new technology. For people who have seen it before, there is a new element, and for people who haven’t seen it, there is still that shock factor and all the great tricks are still in, except now you’re wearing 3D glasses. You can almost reach out and touch it! Any teasers you can give away? There is a couple of amazing 3D movie tributes in there. James Cameron and Avatar will be very pleased to see their work done by penises.

Ever had a bad experience with the audience participation? The classic one was in our very early tours. We had been out the night before so we were a little bit seedy and we hadn’t really scanned the audience very well. When we called on audience participation, this lady put her hand up and came bolting forward “I’ll do it, I’ll do it”. We didn’t realise that she was the town drunk. When Simon did the fruit bat, she was supposed to hold his ankles, but she slid her hands down to around his thighs and yelled out to the crowd “look at me, I’m kicking arse”, and just rocked a motorboat right in between his cheeks. They both fell on the floor and she wouldn’t let go, I had to prise her off. I thought it was quite funny, but then I didn’t have a 60-year-old lady blurting my ring piece. Have you got any advice for young men that like to play with themselves? Don’t listen to your mother, you won’t go blind, you can make a career out of it. If they do want to make a career out of it, we have jobs for them! We do private parties as well so if there is anyone out there that wants to earn extra money while they are here, even if they are just here for a few months, we can get work for them. It’s actually hard to find guys to do it now. We always want people to work all over Australia, even if it is just weekend work. It’s a good skill to have, a skill you can’t lose, a bit like being a doctor really. People are always looking for dick trickers. Catch Puppetry of the Penis 3D in Adelaide (Feb 24 – Mar 18), Brisbane (Mar 22-31), Melbourne (Apr 17-29) and Sydney (May 5). puppetryofthepenis.com

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Ofﬁcial

ve I lo

tour and night night E E FR king a when boo at Ocean Bunyip Gre . . Visit www r… u to d a o R rs.com bunyiptou

A B

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

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

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

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

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HOW TO ENTER

THIS PRIZE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING: FLIGHTS: Return economy flights from Sydney/Melbourne to Launceston, valued at $1,660. LAUNCESTON HOSTEL: Three nights accommodation at Arthouse Backpacker Hostel, valued at $195. CRADLE MOUNTAIN: Day tour with TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

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Go to tntdownunder.com and click on the WIN page. See webpage for terms and conditions. Winners will be selected at random.

Looking for something different, something away from the madness of the east coast carousel? Well, you can’t beat Tasmania when it comes to escaping the everyday. Like an unspoilt playground for abundant wildlife, with scenery unlike anywhere else on Earth, Australia’s Apple Isle is not a place to skip past on your trip Down Under. It’s a place on the edge of not just Australia, but the world, a place which might be small in size but is most definitely big on experiences. Which is why TNT T has teamed up with a whole bunch of our Tassie friends to put together this fantastic package for one lucky reader and a mate.

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Tours Tasmania, valued at $240. SCENIC TRANSFER: Travel from Launceston to Hobart with Tours Tasmania, valued at $70. HOBART HOSTEL: Two nights accommodation at Central City Backpackers, valued at $138. CAR HIRE: Two days car hire with Avis, valued at $127. PORT ARTHUR: Bronze day pass and ghost tour at Port Arthur Historic Sites, valued at $110. MONA: Day pass to Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art, valued at $40. MT WELLINGTON DESCENT: With Under Down Under, valued at $140. HOBART HOSTEL: One nights accommodation at The Pickled Frog, valued at $67. EAST COAST: Two day/one night Hobart to Launceston tour with Under Down Under, valued at $560. Competition closes midnight AEST Sunday, March 11, 2012. Log on to tntdownunder.com for T&Cs and to enter.

WIN and Discover Tasmania with this eight-day adventure for two

worth over

$3,300

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Chris laughs off the haters

BLACK EYES ARE THE NEW BLACK

[USA]

SHAKIRA ATTACKED BY DEADLY (SEA) LION [SOUTH AFRICA]

You can be forgiven for mistaking her tits for mountains but if you’re a sea lion, don’t you dare mix-up her Blackberry with a fish. You see, Shakira had a near-death experience when a sea lion got hungry in Cape Town. The “attack”, and I use quotations because we’re talking about cute playful sea lions, not flesh-eating lions, occurred when Shakira was on holiday with her brother in South Africa. Witnesses claim 20

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The Bodybag: Updates about Whitney Houston’s death at the age of 48 are changing by the hour and won’t be confirmed for weeks. What we do know is that poor Whitters was discovered in the bath of her Beverly Hills Hotel room with police reportedly finding pills in her room, including painkillers and the anti-depressant Xanax. Homocide has been ruled out. As for the hotel room, it’s already booked out.

she lent over to take a photo with her phone and the sea lion took a swipe, thinking it was a snack. However, Shakira was much more descriptive. She wrote in her blog: “I was attacked by a sea lion! This afternoon I happened to see some sea lions and seals. I thought to myself how cute they were so I decided to get a bit closer than all of the other tourists... “Suddenly, one of them jumped out of the water so fast and impetuously that it got about one foot away from

me, looked me in the eye, roared in fury and tried to bite me. “Everyone screamed, including me. I was paralysed by fear and couldn’t move, I just kept eye contact with it while my brother “Super Tony” jumped over me and literally saved my life from the beast.” Okay Shakira, maybe your hips don’t lie but you sure have one hell of an imagination. Murderous Beast? Hardly! I think you’ve been away from Colombia too long princess.

Photos: Getty Images

You know there’s something wrong with America when the menopausal moral compass of the country, The View, is divided over Chris Brown. In fact, the whole world is taking sides on this issue. The internet was in a flurry over whether Chris Brown should be forgiven for beating up Rihanna or if a black eye from Brown is the ultimate fashion accessory. One fan tweeted: “I don’t know why Rihanna complained, he could beat me anytime he wanted to.” Sherri Shephard from The View (the sassy black one) thinks he should be given another chance, claiming that Chris was a victim of domestic abuse himself. However Elisabeth Hasselbeck (the pearl-wearing Republican) strongly disagreed: “I think it’s interesting to be so loose on Chris Brown,” she said. “If it was your daughter, I don’t think you’d be saying it.” For once I think I agree with the conservative beauty queen. And if you ask Chris, the world needs to get over it and his Grammy asserts this. He Tweeted, “HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY. Now! That’s the ultimate FUCK OFF.” The Tweet was quickly removed. But like all of Chris’ mistakes, the damage was already done.

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Adele’s litter of awards

TWEETS OF THE WEEK @LadyGaga “Looking forward to this weekend. Shooting my parfum campaign and commercial with Steven Klein. Will be edited to a special song” @DanniMinogue “Hello Sydney – the first time I have seen blue skies here this summer #SoIDidntNeedTheCanoeThisTime” @Jimeoin “As Oscar Wilde once said “suck on this big boy”” @MattLucas “Just seen a woman eat, read from her iPad and talk on the phone all at the same time while driving”

ADELE WINS 21 GRAMMYS

[UK]

On the sweeter side of the Grammys, Adele cleaned the place out and revealed that she won’t be taking time off like she had originally stated. Adele took home six awards for her album 21. Thank God, I was beginning to think the Grammys were all about Halloween costumes, Chris Brown bustsups and Whitney Houston tributes. In the March issue of Vogue, Adele stated that she wasn’t going to record anything new for “four or five years”. But I suppose winning can change your tune (or go straight to your head if you’re Chris Brown), because she’s done a back flip on this, writing on her blog: “I’ve a few days off now, and then it’s the Brit Awards here at home and then I’m straight into the studio... 5 years? More like 5 days!” It’s so refreshing to see someone wholesome and talented win. You know, someone that actually eats without having one hand down her throat and the other in Whitney’s purse. (Too soon?)

LADY MINAJ THE NEW QUEEN OF SHOCK POP?

[USA]

Nicki Minaj is desperately trying to knock Lady Gaga off her kooky podium and she chose the Grammys to make her big entrance. Looking like an evil Little Red Riding Hood, who has been visited by the priest from The Exorcist, she graced the red carpet. Gaga actually shunned the entrance and was seen in the audience later wearing a dominatrix outfit. (Yawn, that look is so last week. No literally, Madonna at the Super Bowl was last week.) Nicki’s performance of her new track,

@KimKardashian “Just kicked butt in pilates! Now off to cook a post vday dinner w the girls! Have a good night dolls! Xoxo” @JoanRivers “Don’t call me at the ranch unless it’s an emergency. Like a big sale at Barneys, or if they discover another Kardashian”

Little miss riding whore

“Roman Holiday”, was theatrical to say the least. It including being strapped to a board, surrounded by religious icons, priests and monks. I’m sure Madonna or Gaga, or Gaga reinterpreting Madonna has done this before, right? I say, not until she is banned from the Middle East has she achieved full shock-queen status.

A MOUNTAIN LION STOLE MY BABY [USA]

Courtney Love wants to see Shakira’s sea lion “attack” and raise her a kittykilling mountain lion. Ah, Courtney Love, you never cease to amaze me. In a tell-all book, which was, of course, written by someone else, she is portrayed as a reckless mother to Frances Bean. The author suggests that because of Courtney’s hoarding addiction (brought on by all of her other addictions), Frances’ cat and dog were killed. Allegedly by sleeping pills that had been left around. Love went to Twitter to clarify: “I’m a kitty killer? It was a mountain lion that killed Peabody!” Right... watch out for those mountain lions in suburban London people!

@KirstieAlley “3 months ago a man was in love with me..he owned the most awesome Aston Martin I’ve ever seen..I was contemplating killing him for the car”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK We’re like two nuclear superpowers. We shouldn’t launch because we will annihilate each other

Prankster buddies Brad Pitt and George Clooney reach a stalemate

Fed up of carrying around heavy guidebooks? Then TNT has the answer We’ve just published our 2012 Independent Traveller’s Guide to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. It’s free, it’s online and it’s full of tips on where to go, what to do and how to find work. FIJI W ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA NE

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

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

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Another Euro-vacation?

FOXY BACK ON TRIAL [ITALY]

Amanda Knox may be back in prison if Italian prosecutors have their way. Prosecutor Giovanni Galati has filed an appeal to throw out the court ruling that found Knox free of killing housemate Meredith Kercher in 2007. Galati said he is “very convinced” Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito killed Kercher. He has launched an appeal to the highest criminal court to reinstate their murder convictions. Knox’s family say they aren’t concerned about the appeal. In a statement they said: “Amanda’s innocence was clearly and convincingly proven in her appeal trial.” The high court is said to make its decision at the end of the year. Meanwhile, publisher HaperCollins has secured a $4 million dollar book deal with Knox. The memoir will be released in 2013.

PRIESTS PLAN DEATH [COLUMBIA]

Two priests who were found shot dead a year ago hired hitmen to carry out the deed, according to prosecutors. Two of the alleged killers are on trial after being traced from calls made from the Colombian priests’ phones. Relatives of the men insist they were victims of armed robbery and deny that the men were in a relationship. Prosecutors allege the priests paid the suspected assassins around $7,900 to kill them and make it look like an armed car-jacking attempt. They believe it was a suicide attempt, adding that one of the men had recently contracted AIDS. Witnesses also say one of the priests was seen frequenting gay hotspots in Bogota. Colombia is a largely Catholic country where homosexuality and suicide are strictly forbidden. 24

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Prison break: Police carry an injured inmate from the Honduras National Prison. Over 300 inmates were killed and dozens injured as fire ripped through the prison. Many were trapped in their cells surrounded by flames as guards struggled to locate keys. The prison was built in the 1940s for 400 people but houses over 800 inmates.

COOL FUNDINGS [TONGA]

A luger from the South Pacific island of Tonga has changed his name to that of his sponsor – a German underwear company – as he seeks to become the nation’s first Winter Olympian. Bruno Banani, born Fuahea Semi, has angered the Olympic Committe vice president who called it a “perverse marketing idea”. However, a Tongan official said the move was a way of raising money to send the athlete to the Games. Should Banani be selected to compete at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, there is nothing the committee can do to stop him from competing under that name. The Olympic committee are extremely sensitive to marketing ploys, especially as they try to protect sponsors who have paid millions of dollars to advertise.

COLD SNAP GAFFE [FRANCE]

A French health minister has embarrassed herself in an online blog by suggesting that homeless people stay indoors to avoid the cold weather. Junior minister Nora Berra was ridiculed

online when she said toddlers, old people, the sick and homeless were particularly vulnerable in times of extreme cold and should “avoid going outdoors”. Berra attempted damage control by deleting ‘homeless people’ from the blog. She also tweeted: “There are some subjects that lend themselves badly to irony.” Hundreds of people, many of them homeless, have been killed recently as bitterly cold weather sweeps Europe.

MOON-LANDER FINED [AUSTRALIA]

The Sydney man who mooned the Queen and Prince Philip on their royal visit to Australia has appeared in court and issued with a fine. Bartender Liam Lloyd Warriner was fined $750 for his prank last year, in which he decided to run alongside the royal motorcade and expose his arse cheeks – which had an Australian flag clenched between them – to the 85year-old monarch. Lloyd said outside court that he would “do the same thing to any self-important, self-propagating elitist”. He cheekily suggested that Obama would be next.

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IN NUMBERS 18 Down with Hallmark

LOVE AT FIRST INCITE [PAKISTAN]

Women from religious party Jamiate-Ulama took to the streets shouting slogans as they set fire to a Valentine’s card during a protest against the day. The activists strongly criticised the younger generation for adopting an antiIslam and “Western” culture, which they say does nothing but “promote obscenity in society”. Nonetheless, Valentine’s Day is increasingly celebrated in Pakistan.

BOOTY CALL ARRESTS

Number of holes of golf a UK beneficiary claiming to be “too sick to feed himself” was caught playing

Milligrams of caffeine powder in Aeroshot, a US invention which offers people an inhalable dose of coffee

[USA]

Some consenting Valentine’s Day bondage went horribly wrong when witnesses saw a naked woman tied up and gagged in the back of a car. The couple in question were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct after police spent hours searching for what they believed was a female abduction case. The lovers from Portland say they were just “doing some Valentine’s Day role-playing”.

100 11

Ranking Sydney received in the ‘most expensive cities to live in the world’ list. Zurich was number one.

Hot Water Beach, New Zealand

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Back to his best?

SCHOLES A ‘NO GO’ Reprising his role of frustrating national team managers, Alex Ferguson has rubbished the idea that Paul Scholes could return to the England team for Euro 2012. The suggestion of a Scholes international revival was first voiced by Harry Redknapp (who remains the strong favourite to become England manager), following the 37-year-old’s impressive return to the Man Utd team. Scholes, who last played for England in 2004, declined a last-minute approach by Fabio Capello to play in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Ferguson said: “Do you really, honestly believe that? I don’t think there’s any chance. I think his reason for refusing last time was that it was late in the day and he felt the players who had got England there, that it was fair to them that they should be involved. ”That was two years ago as well. To go back to England after so long is a big step and I think Paul will be concentrating on United.

CHELSEA REVOLT A number of senior Chelsea players are reportedly plotting to have manager Andre Villas-Boas sacked and then replaced with Guus Hiddink, in a bid to save the club’s season and still secure a Champion’s League place. Chelsea dropped to fifth in the Premier League after winning just two of 10 matches. Porto president Pinto da Costa has also claimed senior players are further undermining their manager by remaining in contact with Jose Mourinho as well.

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Dog’s dinner: Carlos Tevez looks like he might have scuppered any real return to Manchester City in the final hour. After being awol from his club for three months (losing at least £10m in fines and lost wages and bonuses in the process), the prodigal striker made his return last week, but not before telling an Argentine paper that City manager Roberto Mancini had “treated him like a dog”. Mancini has since retorted that, if anything, “I treated him too well, always”.

SORRY STORY Liverpool have insisted they have no intention of selling troubled striker Luis Suarez in the summer, despite his recent actions earning him the wrath of both the club’s American owners and its biggest sponsor. Suarez was forced to apologise to Man Utd’s Patrice Evra last week, after he refused to shake the player’s hand, despite having just served an eight-match ban for being found guilty of racially abusing the same man. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish also gave a public apology, after strongly defending Suarez immediately after the incident. It has since emerged Ian Ayre, managing director of Standard Chartered, Liverpool’s £20m shirt sponsor, made a “robust” call to the club. Liverpool’s US owners were also believed to be displeased about the story being picked up by the US media.

TERRY WAITED TO BE PUSHED John Terry had refused to step down as England captain, despite a plea from the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), it has been revealed. The Chelsea defender, who has since been stripped of the captaincy by the Football Association, apparently believed the move would look like an admission of guilt, in his pending trial for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, despite assurances from the PFA that it would put out a statement giving him full support. The issue arose when Terry’s trial was postponed until July 9, eight days after the Euro 2012 final. PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said: “With the Euros coming up the focus should be on the football rather than the court case. That would have been an elephant in the room.”

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HOT TIPS: MOTION

KOALAS IN THE MIST: Nienke Krook, 28, from The Netherlands

NIENKE SAYS: ”As a child, I’ve always collected pictures of koalas and dreamt of seeing them in real life. Having visited Australia three times now, I took many photos of them, with different compositions every time. These animals are so beautiful, they never seem to bore me!” THE MONTHLY WINNER GETS THREE DAYS CAR HIRE FROM TRAVELLERS AUTOBARN Photos are judged by ROUGH GUIDES senior photo editor Mark Thomas each month. Send high-res (300 dpi) jpegs with name, age, nationality and a description, to: travel@tntdownunder.com Weekly winner Nienke wins a free night’s stay at the award-winning Sydney Central YHA (yha.com.au). The monthly winner gets three days car hire from Travellers Auto Barn. The runner-up wins a Rough Guides book of their choice sent to an Oz or NZ address. roughguides.com

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CAPTURING MOVEMENT Depicting movement in still photography is, unsurprisingly, a difficult skill to master. Yet, as this photo shows, it is possible, and, more than that, it adds another dimension to your photography. A well-staged shot of motion draws the viewer into the photo, as their eyes follow the perceived movement. Leaving the shutter open for longer allows more light in through the lens to capture the flow of a river or the trail of a brake light. Having said that, a simulation of movement can be achieved through careful framing, dynamic subject matter and the clever use of perspective. Play around and see what works for you. Capturing movement at night with lights is also another great skill to have, but we’ll leave that tip for another day...

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TRAVELTIPS

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ON THE ROAD WITH TRAVEL

TALK ALEXANDER SCHIMMER 19, GERMANY WHERE HAVE YOU TRAVELLED SO FAR?

YOU ASKED FOR IT... WE ANSWER YOUR TRAVEL QUESTIONS

After I worked in Sydney I travelled for almost two-and-a-half months. I have been on the road with the Greyhound bus and did a roadtrip with two friends of mine down south and went to Tasmania. YOUR MOST MEMORABLE DAY IN OZ?

I’m going to Uluru – is it true that it’s offensive to climb? Sarah Walsh, UK

What are Queensland’s best islands? Aurelie Blanc, France

you’ve travelled large distances to see A So an oversized red rock, and when you get

Sunshine State has an embarrassment A The of riches when it comes to island loving.

there you want to climb it. That’s fine, however, before you set off there are some issues you should be aware of. Uluru is sacred to its Aboriginal owners (the Anangu), who don’t want people to climb it. The climbing route is of huge cultural significance, being a pathway of their spiritual ancestors and undertaken by Aboriginal men only on certain ceremonial occasions. Also, some people have died while doing the climb (mostly heart attacks), and as these people are essentially guests, the Anangu feel responsible. Many people don’t do the climb, but until a majority of tourists refuse to do so, the Aussie government will not close the route, regardless of local protests. Put simply, don’t do it if you want to respect the local Aboriginal people.

There’s not space to mention all the great ones, so here are some of our favourites... Fraser Island is a given: plunging freshwater lakes, subtropical rainforest and driving up the beach make it a must-do. The other classic is clearly the Whitsundays. Okay, there’s 74 of them, but sailing through their turquoise waters and strolling along one of the world’s most beautiful beaches (Whitehaven) is as good as it gets. But if you want somewhere truly unspoilt and quiet, then give Hinchinbrook a go. It’s home to the famed Thorsborne walking trail. If you prefer a party then Magnetic or Great Keppel might be better options. Diving enthusiasts should explore Lizard or Lady Elliot which are some of the best places for spotting turtles.

After picking you up in a limo, you can enjoy the pool, TV area and free pool table, or relax in your shared apartment. Every night the staff put on some form of entertainment too. OVERVIEW

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FAVOURITE SPOT IN OZ?

Fraser Island because there’s a lot of amazing stuff to see and also the people I met were pretty cool. WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

Of course my friends and family, but I also miss basketball because Aussies aren’t really into basketball. ANY RUN-INS WITH WILDLIFE?

On our dive we saw a lot of grey nurse sharks, 2-3 metres long. And in the jungle there were lots of leeches on my whole body. ADVICE FOR OTHER TRAVELLERS?

Never travel alone. It’s more fun to have people around you. You’ll enjoy your time together.

CHECKING IN SLEEPING INN SURFERS

I did a night dive on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had.

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THE LOST WORLD

Teapot-shaped PAUL FRANKLIN journeyed to the centre of the Earth, abseiling into the dark Waitomo caves. If you fancy a change from New Zealand’s usual adrenalin activities, you should try the Waitomo caves. Meaning ‘water passing through a hole’, Waitomo is just a village with a pub, campsite and a peculiar motel. In the 1800s, a bunch of waistcoatwearing chaps went to investigate the land’s suitability for a railroad, and almost fell down a bloody great hole. This sinkhole is about 100m deep, and is where my brother and I commenced our “Lost World Epic”. We were clad in rubber wetsuits that, if condoms, would be the opposite of fetherlite, latched to a slender cable and dropped into a mossy abyss. I’ve abseiled before, but it’s different when you aren’t leaning against a sturdy wall. You’re just dangling, easing out the rope, trying to find the balance between “too slow” and “fuck, stop!”. The Lost World hole is aptly named, since (a) you can see how someone might lose it, and (b) it’s very Jurassic Park-like, with its prehistoric age and verdant rainforest feel. This was the beginning, the literal scratch on the surface, of a 45km stretch of limestone caves that concede the volume of a double-decker bus

each year to acid erosion. Once at the bottom, we scrambled up some hefty boulders and stopped to make amusing silhouettes against the backlit scene of the entrance behind. My “I’m a Little Teapot” one went done well; my brother’s “Karate Kid” had been done before. Venturing on, we saw the route we would’ve taken had it not recently rained. “Gushing” is the word. Plan B seemed preferable to drowning. We side-stepped that via some glowworms (larvae with glow-in-thedark poop) and braved a big ladder. After a surprisingly arduous climb that made my forearms ache like whipping a meringue for too long, we ducked and dived and occasionally crawled until we reached a rope and a hole. We clipped on, turned around, and abseiled down a drop of unknown height whilst a gush of cold water coursed over us. You know those ‘invigorating’ shower gel adverts? Similar, minus the minty aroma. After I’d hit the bottom, fallen on to my arse and stood up again, I got my bearings (“I’m somewhere in a dark wet hole”) and splodged to one side. Once we were all down, grinning like soggy hyenas, the guides led us through more tricky channels and to another waterfall. We were made

to tuck our limbs in and turn out our headlights... then we dropped into darkness. Screaming like we were on a log flume... without the log. Further on, past ancient whalebones and oyster fossils, we met another waterfall. But this one we were going up. We had the option of using a ladder to the side, or climb it. I did the latter, fishing for footholds through the icy spray. The first few metres were easy enough, but near the top was an overhang, and a narrow cleft to wriggle through. The guide at the top urged me on, but I found I was hindered not only by my belt buckle snagging in the tight gap, but my right boot, filled with water, which was surprisingly heavy to lift. With one big push and a tennis player grunt, I made it. Then I crawled through a few more passages into yet another cave, flicked off my light and enjoyed a chocolate bar in total blackness. Eventually, after a relatively gentle ascent but still flanked by some vertiginous drops, we emerged, blinking, through a small leafy hole into the daylight. My immediate thoughts were, “I could do that all over again, right now”. But, next on the agenda was a hot shower, which I happily settled for. Once changed, we hopped back in the van to base, the sinkhole-filled field soon seeming like just any other New Zealand farm – grassy and full of sheep, with no hint as to the awesome fun that lay ‘Lost’ beneath.

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Roadtrippin’ the state TASMANIA

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Map of Tassie Not only is Tasmania jaw-droppingly gorgeous and much under-rated, it’s also refreshingly small (by Aussie standards), making it ideal roadtripping territory WORDS IAN NEUBAUER

If there’s one place more beautiful than Australia, it’s Tasmania. What’s that you say? Tasmania is part of Australia… Well, it may be on paper, but ask anyone who’s been there and they’ll tell you the landscape has more in common with Switzerland or the American Rockies than mainland Australia, while the state’s cities and towns – replete with beautifully restored sandstone churches and bridges and a seemingly endless supply of heritage buildings – look like cut-outs from Ireland or Wales. Interestingly, Tasmania is also the world’s largest producer of opium. That’s legal opium, mind you – medical-grade alkaloids like codeine and thebaine destined for pharmaceutical labs abroad. Still, the last thing I expect to see as I motor into the broad Forth Valley west of Launceston is a sea of purply-white poppy fields. But that’s Tasmania for you – a surprise around every corner. Compact enough to drive from one end to the other in a day, this mountainous, heart-shaped island packs in a staggering variety of scenery, from snow-capped mountains to white sand beaches, to places where you can see both at the same time.

GETTING THERE: Virgin Australia (virginaustralia.com, 13 67 89) flies daily to Launceston and Hobart from Melbourne and Sydney from $198 return. GETTING AROUND: Europcar (europcar.com, 03 9330 6160) rent cars at Launceston or Hobart airports from $60 a day. Tasmanian Campervans Australia (tasmaniacampervanrentals.com.au, 03 6248 5638) rent campervans for $66-$300 a day. ACCOMMODATION: Launceston’s Arthouse Hostel (arthousehostel.com.au, 03 6333 0222) has beds from $23 a night. Cradle Mountain Backpackers YHA (cradle@cosycabins.com.au, 03 6492 1395) charge from $35 per night. Hobart’s The Pickled Frog (thepickledfrog.com, 03 6234 7977) has beds from $23 a night. Hobart’s Central City (centralcityhobart.com, 03 6224 2404) costs from $21. SEE: discovertasmania.com.au

GETTING ORGANISED Originally, I’d intended on driving my own car from Sydney to Melbourne and catching the overnight Spirit of Tasmania ferry to the port town of Devonport. But after I learned how much it cost (every passenger accompanying the vehicle must purchase a seat, bunk or room on top of paying for the car); and how seasick I would become (the Bass Strait has some of the roughest seas in the world), I figured it was cheaper to fly to Launceston, hire a car at the airport, drive around, drop it off at Hobart Airport and fly back home. As it was still wintery when I visited in October, I hired a sedan and crashed out at B&Bs, motels and hostels I

passed along the way, though there are unlimited camping options in the summer. Alternatively, you can hire a campervan with two-six beds and kill two birds – accommodation and transport – with one stone. And a word to the wise: unlike in other Australian states and territories, all drivers of rental vehicles in Tasmania need to nominate themselves with a valid driver’s license at the place of hire. Failure to do so will leave your vehicle uninsured. THE NORTH

Set on the banks of the Tamar River in Tassie’s north, Launceston retains a smalltown air despite a population of 100,000. With quaint hillside suburbs lined with Federation-style houses and architectural gems like the neo-Egyptian synagogue, Launceston is not without its attractions. Yet I’m keen to hit the road and explore Tasmania’s chief asset: its countryside. Beyond the fertile Tamar Valley and its parti-coloured checkerboard of Dutch iris, canola, and poppies, my route takes me west along the Bass Highway, past golf-coursegreen hills and the seaside towns of Penguin, Sulphur Creek, and Wynyard. I stop for lunch – a generous serving of crumbed Tasmanian scallops – at a waterfront café in Boat Harbour. Fronting this postcard-perfect village is a quartzite beach with the bluest water I’ve seen outside of Tahiti. The waves are lapping and gentle here, nothing like the raging breakers I saw battering the coast an hour earlier. I end the day at Stanley, 226km north-west of Launceston. Set on the end of a narrow isthmus beneath a towering volcanic plug called the Nut, the historic township first settled in 1826 resembles a Cornish fishing village, with rows of brightly coloured cottages arranged around a tidy bay. A popular tourist haunt in the summer, Stanley is home to more TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

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than a dozen hotels and B&Bs. I spend the night on the outskirts of town at the Beachside Retreat West Inlet, where four self-contained cabins overlook kilometres of empty coast. As I arrive late, I’m invited to dine with owners Chris and Janette Bishop, who also raise grass-fed cattle on the property. The meal consists of home-made vegetable soup, thick eye-fillet steaks butchered on-site, and a garden salad picked fresh from Janette’s garden. “We’re spoiled rotten when it comes to food in Tasmania,” Chris says. “The only challenge is deciding what not to put on the menu.” THE HIGHLANDS Early the next morning, Chris joins me for a walk down the beach at West Inlet. Along the way, he points to a rock pool where guests can forage for oysters, and to his favourite spot for salmon fishing. There’s not another human being in sight, only the vast, churning emptiness of the Bass Strait and the howl of the ‘roaring 40s’ winds. They say the air here, which blows in across thousands of kilometres of open ocean before making landfall in Tasmania, is the cleanest in the world. Inhaling a crisp lungful of it, I reckon the assertions

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may very well be true. After breakfast – tea and freshly baked bread with homemade lime conserve – I head back to Wynyard, where I turn south on a backcountry road that connects with the Murchison Highway. Linking the north coast to Tasmania’s central highlands, the Murchison winds through rolling farmland speckled with grazing cows and sheep. At Hellyer Gorge, the scenery gives way to an ancient temperate rainforest, where I get out of the car to stretch my legs. A walking track takes me to the bank of the Wandle River, which I follow a few hundred metres downstream to Wandle Falls. It’s the perfect place for an impromptu picnic and a great introduction to the transcendental beauty of the Tasmanian Highlands. After lunch I continue driving south along the Murchison Highway and then east along Cradle Mountain Road. My destination for the day is Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, a World Heritage-listed area and the most popular of Tasmania’s 19 national parks. After checking into the local YHA, I drive to the visitor centre and buy a mandatory day pass for $16.50. There are a number of overnight and even week-long treks that start here, but I opt for the shortest and most popular route – a two-hour self-guided circuit around Dove Lake. A mirror-like sheet of glacial water surrounded by cliffs and bluffs cloaked in King Billy pine, Dove Lake is almost too beautiful to be true, like a graphically rendered scene from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The track skirts icy mountain streams, pockets of mossy rainforest and tea-coloured beaches. And behind it all, the snow-dusted summits of Cradle Mountain reach into the sky like a half-clenched claw. “Tasmania is a natural theme park,” explains Mark Whitnell, general manager at Cradle Mountain Chateau, where I down a bottle of Tasmanian chardonnay in front of a roaring fireplace later that evening. “It offers attractions you can’t get anywhere else in Australia. It’s God’s backyard. It’s paradise.”

Go, er, nuts for the Nut

THE SOUTH

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Photos: Tourism Tasmania/Craig Carlstrom, Michael Walters, Don Fuchs

After two days at Cradle Mountain, I cruise east along the Great Western Tiers, bypassing the arts and crafts centre of Deloraine. Though I can’t find any reference to it online, I was told that back in the 1980s, the Bible-bashing local council banned the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and that this seemingly benign town has a dark underbelly. And while I’d love to spend a bit of time snooping around, I forgo the opportunity – along with a visit to the nearby flyfishing nirvana known as the Land of Three Thousand Lakes – to spend the weekend cruising around the Tasmanian capital. Set on the left banks of the Derwent River at the base of Mount Wellington, Hobart is Australia’s oldest city after Sydney. Yet unlike Sydney, where nearly everything old was demolished after WWII and replaced with concrete and steel, Hobart has maintained a colonial feel. At the waterfront suburb of Battery Point, I wander through a maze of narrow streets lined with 200-year-old sandstone buildings, chancing on Arthur Circle, the original village green. I visit Jackman & McCross, arguably the quaintest café in Australia, and order a sausage and egg

clay-pot breakfast. Then I walk down Kelly’s Steps to Salamanca Place, past a row of converted Georgian warehouses that host a series of fancy bistros and bars. It’s Saturday morning and the Salamanca Market is at full bore; I pick up a few old books, a chopping board made from Huon pine and a big jar of Tasmania’s famous ironbark honey. Lunch comprises flathead fish fillets and beer-battered chips at Elizabeth St Pier, followed by a couple of schooners of Cascade Lager, brewed at nearby Cascade Brewery, the oldest continually-operating brewery in Australia. Us mainlanders often joke about Tasmanians – immature stuff about them marrying their cousins and that. But as I gaze at Hobart’s old Tassie month: whaling schooners moored Hobart and at the docks, I can’t help Bruny Island but feel that the joke’s on us. ❚

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Yunnan CHINA

The Yuanyang rice terraces in wet season

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Wild China Discover a wild, untamed People’s Republic that refuses to conform to type in Yunnan’s ancient tribes and challenging treks WORDS LAURA CHUBB

A traveller’s expectations of the mysterious East tend to be unceremoniously shattered upon arrival in Beijing or Shanghai. These crammed, modern cities, choked with traffic and neon, don’t quite live up to poetic imaginings of mist-shrouded pagodas and weeping-willow-lined lakes. But while there are pockets of classical China spread across this monster country’s 9,600,000sq km, one province more than most provides an escape from the hallmarks of the People’s Republic’s booming, first-world economy. Yunnan, in the south-west, is home to more than half of China’s ethnic minorities; the landscape itself seems to be a rebellion against uniformity. Bordering Tibet to its northwest and Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to its south, Yunnan’s terrain veers erratically between thick jungle, rolling green mountains and snow-blanketed peaks. Here, you’ll meet tribes living their lives according to thousands-of-yearsold traditions, and take on the land’s untamed natural environment for some thoroughly un-urban adventures. Make no mistake: this is China’s must-not-miss province. Here’s a guide to the best bits. LIJIANG OLD TOWN Bundled into the dawn darkness after an overnight bus from the provincial capital of Kunming, I find my way to Mama Naxi’s guesthouse by pure luck. Mama Naxi is a legend among backpackers – the Naxi, a tribe from Tibet that settled here, are a matriarchal society, and this ‘Mama’ is said to be the archetypal strong but nurturing head of the family, taking in weary travellers and feeding them up. Lijiang’s old town is a labyrinth of twisting cobbled streets, a step back of centuries attended by trickling canals and the clawing aroma of deep-fried yak meat. It’s hard enough to navigate in daylight, so it really is chance that guides me to Mama Naxi, who I find gathering water from the canal. True to her renown, she recognises the sleepless night in my eyes, and puts me to bed without demanding I first register or so much as hand over a passport. Because Lijiang is what every traveller covets – the chance to wander ancient China – it is absolutely rammed with

tourists. The Old Market Square is permanently packed, and – heartbreakingly – turns into Tenerife come nightfall, with bangin’ beats and costly cocktails. But stick to the quieter backstreets and you won’t be struggling for charm. Naxi women in traditional dress – loose gowns of burgundies and blues – are everywhere, and local delicacies such as the local pancake (a thick, fried creation) and coffee with creamy yak milk don’t disappoint. Try to find Stone The Crows, a bohemian rooftop bar with killer views over the old town and some very special cookies. How to do it: Catch a sleeper bus from Kunming’s west bus station to Lijiang. You’ll get dropped off in the new town, as cars aren’t permitted in the old town, but you can walk to it. Find Mama Naxi at 70 Wangjia Zhuang Lane, Wuyi Jie (Tel. 510 7713). Be warned – she’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and can switch from motherly to belligerent in an instant. Either way, you’ll always leave with a banana. TIGER LEAPING GORGE When the donkey headbutts me in the arse, I almost lose it. I thought I’d shaken off my pursuer at lunch, but he is relentless. I guess I can appreciate why the old guy with his decrepit beast keeps insisting I pay him for a ride; I’m just a few steps into the ‘28 bends’ – the toughest part of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek – and I’m not a pretty sight. The same can’t be said for the views, at least, which might be why I resist the urge to throw a rock at him and instead plough onwards and upwards. Immersing yourself in a setting of stunning 3,900m-high green-mottled mountains is good for the soul, I conclude. This two-day trek through one of the world’s deepest gorges is made all the more refreshing because you don’t need to take a guided tour. Arrows painted on rocks and fences help me find my way, and the various guesthouses along the route do a cheap and reliable line in food and shelter. Taking the trail at my own pace lets me fully absorb my surroundings – the Jinsha River roars between the Haba Shan mountains to the west and the Yulong Xueshan TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

Dried yak meat, anyone?

mountains to the east, and I have an uninterrupted view of it all from the high rocky path that traverses it. The ‘28 bends’ arrive mid-way through day one, so I make sure to rest and refuel at lunch. Climbing a steep uphill path strewn with scree for 90 minutes is tough enough, but this part of the trail is so-called because it winds in a succession of tight bends that punish the knees even more. The jaw-to-the-floor panorama at the top – the highest point of the gorge – makes it all worthwhile, of course.

“

When the donkey headbutts me, I lose it

SHILIN STONE FOREST

”

Day two is moderately gentler. The upwards slog is almost over and I merely have to concentrate on not plunging to an agonising death. The path is slight and tricky, with rocks jutting from all angles to trip me up, and a sheer drop into the gorge at my side. This is why you shouldn’t try the trek in July and August – rain could make this path lethal. Even in September, at one point I have to walk through a waterfall as it cascades over the path. The trek ends at Tina’s Guesthouse, a dingy concrete block that marks where the high hikers’ trail meets the low road, the latter being a construction-congested highway 42

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littered with the remains of snakes left two-dimensional by trucks’ tyres. For the equivalent of $1.50, you can pay a friendly, toothless old woman to access a steep path down to Tiger Leaping Stone, from which the mythical tiger jumped over the river, giving the gorge its name. Just ask at Tina’s to be pointed in the right direction. How to do it: Guesthouses in Lijiang will arrange a minibus to the village of Qiaotou, from where you join the trail. A minibus from Tina’s or any guesthouse on the low road will take you back to Qiaotou for about $4.50, and from here you can flag down a bus back to Lijiang or onwards to Shangri-La. There is technically a $7 admission fee for the trek, but I wasn’t asked to pay it.

This might be a tourist trap of claustrophobia-inducing proportions, but like all heavily touristed spots, there is a reason. The ‘stone forest’ – a huge expanse of tightly packed grey karst pillars, battered into jagged shapes by thousands of years of wind and rain – is a unique sight, and one that injects precisely the magic that’s missing from China’s overly familiar urban locales. Don’t let various guidebooks’ whinging about the clamouring crowds put you off; the key is to arrive early. Admittedly, my first attempt to see Shilin goes awry. When I arrive at Kunming’s east bus station around 10am – a reasonable time, I had thought, but I realise my naivete when I see the swarms of people bulging out of the bus station’s entrance. No way in hell am I seeing the stone forest today.

Photos: Laura Chubb, Getty Images

Public toilets: avoid

Lijiang’s Black Dragon Pool Park

The next morning, I’m at the station for 7.30am and on a bus by 7.40am. That’s the difference a couple of hours can make. Arriving at Shilin around 9am, I have the place pretty much to myself, and am free to explore every nook of this most bizarre of natural wonders however I wish. By the time I board the 1pm bus back to Kunming, the masses have begun to overrun it. I’m pretty damned pleased with myself, and my tourist-group-free photos. YUANYANG RICE TERRACES It takes a good six hours by bus to get from Kunming to Xinjie, which is why I’m not hugely happy to find my seat number, but no seat. The broken remnants of what was number 19 are stuffed behind the back row; thankfully, the driver notices and pulls me towards a comfier arrangement up front. Xinjie itself is pretty grim; dirty-looking high-rises surround the decaying bus station, where later my onwards ticket to Lao Cai in Vietnam is handwritten on a torn scrap of paper. Thankfully, this is just a jumping off point to taxi

CHINA SURVIVAL GUIDE China can be a challenging place to travel, given its sheer size, near-impenetrable tonal language, and love of spitting. Here are a few tips to survive: LANGUAGE The best you can hope for is to pick up ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’, because besides the difficulty of non-Roman characters, the meaning of Mandarin depends on tones. Always get the English-speaking staff at your hostel to write down where you’re headed in Mandarin before hopping in a taxi, and take a map of where your digs are, or at the very least a phone number, whenever you head out. TOILETS This is no time to be squeamish. Of all the dire toilet experiences on the backpacker trail, China might well take the cake. Be prepared to walk into a bathroom and get greeted by a row of arses shitting into a trench: toilet stalls often don’t have doors, and even if they do, a lot of folk don’t use them. SPITTING Get over this quickly. Hocking up a generous glob of phlegm in the street is ubiquitous, and constant, in China, from the cities to the villages. Don’t get offended or expect it to ever stop; it is what it is. TRAINS Trains are great in China if you choose the right class. Soft sleeper is the most expensive, but well worth it; you share a cabin with just three other passengers, and prices don’t tend to push above $45. Hard sleeper is a bit less luxurious, as you’re in a cabin full of bunks. Don’t even think about hard seat; the horror stories keep us awake at night. TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

Ancient China: in Lijiang’s Old Town

BEST OF THE REST YUNNAN KUNMING: The provincial capital has plenty to go against it: it’s big, dirty, smelly, and taxi drivers avoid white faces like the plague. Some, however, find pockets of likeability in it, especially the relatively peaceful Green Lake Park. Either way, you’ll have to pay a visit to Kunming, as it’s the jumping off point for the rest of the province. Stay at Cloudland Youth Hostel, where the staff can help plan your travels. (Tel. 410 3777). DALI: Once the backpacker capital of Yunnan, Dali is now blasted for being too touristy. If you’ve no interest in hanging with beardy types for long periods of chilling, you’ll soon tire of it, but its position between brightwhite mountains and a pagoda-spotted lake justifies a few days. ZHONGDIAN/SHANGRI-LA: Touted as the inspiration for Brit writer James Hilton’s fictional Shangri-La, Zhongdian is a meandering old town akin to Lijiang, only at a breathtaking elevation of 3,200m, teetering on the edge of Tibet. SHAXI: A step back in time without the tourist hordes to spoil it, Shaxi is a subdued collection of wooden houses and winding streets, so far unmolested by an infiltration of backpacker bars. It was once an important stop on the Tea-Horse Road, a collection of caravan routes that linked China with India via Tibet.

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into the hills of the Hani people, a tribe that has cultivated the land over thousands of years into steep, neatly contoured rice terraces. Hani villages are scattered throughout these hills, often set within the terraces, so that the people can work the land all day and don’t have far to lug their crop home. That’s not to say it’s a doddle – you’ll see folk with 100kg of rice strapped to their backs wearily winding their way up and down. There seem to be more women than men grafting, too: chopping, whacking, bundling and carrying rice from dawn until dusk. I choose to stay at a simple guesthouse in the village of Duoyishu, which overlooks one of the area’s most arresting views. Bright yellow rice crops swirl deep into the valley in ordered steps, an explosion of hyperreal colour made brighter against the vividblue sky. In the wet season, the drenched fields reflect sunrise and sunset, attracting frenzied packs of photographers. You can trek throughout the region, but I prefer to relax on Sunny Guesthouse’s veranda and soak up the scene. Duoyishu is a small assembly of yellow, thatched ‘mushroom’ houses, where pigs and chickens roam the walkways, and criminally cute kids come out to play. The local women are all proudly adorned in the Hani traditional dress of beads and feathers. A trip to neighbouring Bada is also a good idea. Stone paths let you explore the terraces without danger of falling, slapstick-style, into the paddies – which I’m ashamed to report I did in Duoyishu. How to do it: Try and hook up with fellow backpackers to split the fare of a minibus from Xinjie into the hills. Some areas, such as Duoyishu, have an admission fee, but the local drivers will speed past the toll booths. A stay Sri Lanka: Head at Sunny Guesthouse in for the hills and Duoyishu village can’t be get spiritualised recommended enough. (Tel. 159 8737 1311). ❚

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

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

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

RENTAL FIRMS

TRANSPORT CO

Apollo Motorhomes 1800 777 779, apollocamper.com

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

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

Jetstar Airline. 131 538, jetstar.com.au

Boomerang Cars 0414 882 559, boomerangcars.com.au

Premier Transport Group Buses along the east coast. 13 34 10, premierms.com.au

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

Qantas Airline. 13 13 13, qantas.com.au

Hippie Camper 1800 777 779, hippiecamper.com Kings Cross Car Market For buying and selling vehicles. 110 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo. 02 9358 5000, carmarket.com.au

Regional Express Airline. 13 17 13, rex.com.au Spirit of Tasmania Ferries to Tasmania. 03 6336 1446, spiritoftasmania.com Tiger Airways Airline. 03 9999 2888, tigerairways.com

Spaceships 1300 132 469, spaceshipsrentals.com.au

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

Standbycars.com 1300 789 059, standbycars.com

Virgin Australia Airline. 13 67 89, virginaustralia.com

CHECK OUT!

COMEDY FESTIVAL SEASON Australia is preparing itself for an invasion of many of the world’s finest comedians as a number of cities get ready for their annual comedy festivals. King of the castle is undoubtedly the Melbourne International Comedy Festival ( comedyfestival.com.au ), from which most of the other festivals build their lineup having already had the acts lured Down Under. Melbourne runs from March 28 to April 22, with a stack of big names, like Dave Gorman, Des Bishop, Jason Byrne, Simon Amstell, Ross Noble and Tom Green (pictured) playing at numerous venues around the city. Brisbane’s festival runs from February 28 to March 25, Sydney’s from April 24 to May 12, and Perth’s from May 2 to May 20.

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SYDNEY STAY Base Sydney 477 Kent St. CBD. 02 9267 7718, stayatbase.com Big Hostel 212 Elizabeth St. CBD. 02 9267 7718, bighostel.com Bounce Budget Hotel 28 Chalmers St. CBD. 02 9281 2222, bouncehotel.com.au Easy Go Backpackers 752 George St. CBD. 02 9211 0505, easygobackpackers.com.au City Resort Hostel 103-105 Palmer St. Woolloomooloo 02 9357 3333, cityresort.com.au Sydney Central YHA 11 Rawson Place. CBD. 02 9218 9000 Sydney Harbour YHA 110 Cumberland Street. The Rocks. 02 9261 1111, yha.com.au

Avalon Beach Hostel 59 Avalon Pde, Avalon Beach. 02 9918 9709, avalonbeach.com.au Bondi YHA 63 Fletcher Street. Tamarama. 02 9365 2088, yha.com.au Lamrock Lodge 19 Lamrock Ave. Bondi. 02 9130 5063, lamrocklodge.com Lochner’s Guesthouse 8 Gowrae Ave. Bondi. 02 9387 2162, Aegean Coogee Lodge 40 Coogee Bay Rd. Coogee. 04 0817 6634, aegeancoogee.com.au Coogee Beachside 178 Coogee Bay Rd, Coogee. 02 9315 8511, sydneybeachside.com.au

Westend Backpackers 412 Pitt St. CBD. 1800 013 186 nomadshostels.com

Surfside Backpackers 186 Arden Street. Coogee. 02 9315 7888, surfsidebackpackers.com.au

Boomerang Backpackers 141 William Street, Kings Cross. 02 8354 0488, boomerangbackpackers.com

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

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

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

Kangaroo Bak Pak 665 South Dowling St. Surry Hills. 02 9261 1111

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

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

SYDNEY DO Manly Surf School Manly Beach. 02 9977 6977, manlysurfschool.com Maritime Museum Darling Harbour. anmm.gov.au Oceanworld Manly West Esplanade. oceanworld.com.au Powerhouse Museum Darling Harbour. powerhousemuseum.com.au Skydive the Beach Wollongong. skydivethebeach.com Sydney Observatory The Rocks. sydneyobservatory.com.au Sydney Olympic Park Darling Harbour. sydneyolympicpark.nsw. gov.au Sydney Tower and Skytour 100 Market St, CBD. sydneyskytour.com.au Sydney Harbour Bridge The Rocks. bridgeclimb.com

WORD FROM THE STREET

Sydney Aquarium Darling Harbour. sydneyaquarium.com.au Sydney Wildlife World Darling Harbour. sydneywildlifeworld.com.au

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CENTRAL COAST Newcastle Beach YHA 30 Pacific St, Newcastle. 02 4925 3544, yha.com.au Terrigal Beach YHA 9 Ocean View Dr, Terrigal. 02 4384 1919, yha.com.au

Taronga Zoo Mosman. zoo.nsw.gov.au Waves Surf School wavessurfschool.com.au

BYRON BAY

SYDNEY MUSIC Hordern Pavillion playbillvenues.com

Backpackers Holiday Village 116 Jonson St 1800 350 388, byronbaybackpackers.com.au Backpackers Inn 29 Shirley St 1800 817 696, backpackersinnbyronbay.com.au

Oxford Art Factory oxfordartfactory.com Sydney Opera House sydneyoperahouse.com

Byron Bay Accom 02 6680 8666, byronbayaccom.net

The Annandale annandalehotel.com

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

The Basement thebasement.com.au The Enmore enmoretheatre.com.au The Gaelic Hotel thegaelic.com The Metro metrotheatre.com.au

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

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

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

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

ICEBERGS, BONDI BEACH Founded in 1929 and famous for housing the Icebergs winter swimming club, this is a Bondi institution and has some of the best panoramic views of the beach. It’s an RSL style pub on level one – with old fashioned beer and food prices. And on level two you’ll find a fancy dining room and cocktail bar that is often frequented by celebrities and eastern suburbs socialites.

Petersham Guest House Angelika HI THERE. SEEN MUCH OF NSW YET? “Mainly Sydney really. I’m staying in Neutral bay with an Aussie friend I met while travelling.” GOT A FAVOURITE PLACE? “Watson’s Bay. You can go for a nice walk and see the harbour as well as the open sea. It’s a beautiful, relaxed spot where you can let your mind wander while you watch ships go past. You can also have a swim looking up at the Sydney skyline in the distance. Plus the fish and chips is delicious!” AND FOR GOING OUT? “Darling Harbour. I love the setting. You can go for a meal, or a drink, dance, or watch a movie. Or you can just sit by the harbour and relax.”

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ARE DORMS GETTING YOU DOWN? Then come sleep with us! The place to stay in the Sydney Suburbs. Double room - $240 p/week Twin room - $240 p/week Single room - $200 p/week Ensuite room - $300 p/week

Phone Con

100 metres to bus and train. 5kms from city centre. 23 Brighton St, Petersham.

0414 450 273

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BRISBANE STAY Aussie Way Backpackers 34 Cricket St. 07 3369 0711, aussiewaybackpackers.com Banana Bender Backpackers 118 Petrie Terrace. 07 3367 1157, bananabenders.com

The Deck 117 Harcourt Street, New Farm. 04 3377 7061 Tinbilly Travellers Cnr George and Herschel Sts.1800 446 646, tinbilly.com

BRISBANE DO

Backpackers in Paradise 40 Peninsula Drive, Surfers Paradise. 1800 268 621, backpackersinparadise.com.au

Surfers Paradise YHA Mariners Cove, 70 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise. 07 5571 1776, yha.com.au

Cheers International Backpackers 8 Pine Av, Surfers Paradise. 1800 636 539, cheersbackpackers.com.au

Trekkers Backpackers 22 White St, Southport. 1800 100 004, trekkersbackpackers.com.au

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

Australia Zoo Glasshouse Mountains, Tourist Drive, Beerwah. 07 5436 2000, australiazoo.com.au

Coolangatta Kirra Beach YHA Pl, 230 Coolangatta Rd, Bilinga. 07 5536 76442, yha.com.au

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

Lone Pine Koala Santuary 708 Jesmond Rd, Fig Tree Pocket. 07 3378 1366, koala.net

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

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

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

Brisbane City Apartments 1800 110 443, brisbanecityapartments.com Brisbane City Backpackers 380 Upper Roma St 1800 062 572, citybackpackers.com Brisbane City YHA 392 Upper Roma St, 07 3236 1947, yha.com.au Chill Backpackers 328 Upper Roma St. 1800 851 875, chillbackpackers.com Bunk Backpackers Cnr Ann & Gipps Sts, Fortitude Valley. 1800 682 865, bunkbrisbane.com.au

Riverlife Adventure Centre Kayaking & rock climbing. Lower River Terrace, Kangaroo Point. 07 3891 5766, riverlife.com.au Story Bridge Adventure Climb 170 Main St, Kangaroo Point. 1300 254 627, storybridgeadventureclimb.com.au XXXX Ale House Brewery tours. Cnr Black & Paten St, Milton. 07 3361 7597, xxxxalehouse.com.au

GOLD COAST Aquarius Backpackers 44 Queen St, Surfers Paradise. 1800 22 99 55, aquariusbackpackers.com.au

Gold Coast International BP 28 Hamilton Ave, Surfers. 1800 816 300, goldcoastbackpackers.com.au Islander Backpackers Resort 6 Beach Rd, Surfers Paradise. 1800 074 393, islander.com.au Sleeping Inn Surfers 26 Peninsular Dr, Surfers Paradise. 1800 817 832, sleepinginn.com.au Surfers Paradise Backpackers Resort 2837 Gold Coast Highway, Surfers. 1800 282 800, surfersparadisebackpackers.com.au Surf ‘n’ Sun Beachside Backpackers 3323 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise. 1800 678 194, surfnsun-goldcoast.com

RAINBOW BEACH Dingos Backpacker Adventure Resort 20 Spectrum St. 1800 111 126, dingosresort.com Pippies Beach House 22 Spectrum St. 1800 425 356, pippiesbeachhouse.com

GC DO

Skydive Rainbow Beach 0418 218 358, skydiverainbowbeach.com

Dreamworld Theme park. dreamworld.com.au Get Wet Surf School 07 5532 9907 Seaworld seaworld.com.au Wet ‘n’ Wild Water World wetnwild.myfun.com.au Warener Bros Movie World movieworld.com.au Zorb Adrenalin rolling. 07 5547 6300

SUNSHINE CST

HERVEY BAY Aussie Woolshed 181 Torquay Road. 07 4124 0677 woolshedbackpackers.com Colonial Village YHA 820 Boat Harbour Drive. 07 4125 1844, yha.com.au Fraser Roving 412 The Esplanade. 1800 989 811, fraserroving.com.au

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

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

Nomads Noosa 44 Noosa Dr, Noosa Heads. 1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com

Nomads Hervey Bay 408 The Esplanade. 1800 666 237, nomadshostels.com

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

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

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FRASER ISLAND Eurong Beach Resort 07 4120 1600, eurong.com.au Palace Adventures 184 Torquay St, Hervey Bay, 1800 063 168 palaceadventures.com.au

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

TOWN OF 1770

heart of the reef

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

Airlie Beach QUEENSLAND

AIRLIE BEACH

THE WHITSUNDAY ISL ANDS

airliebeach.com 259 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 677 119

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

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

WHITEHAVEN BEACH CAMIRA SAILING ADVENTURE

Airlie Waterfront Backpackers 6 The Esplanade. 1800 089 000, airliewaterfront.com

Swimming, snorkelling, beautiful beaches and bays, a stuff-yourself-stupid BBQ lunch with unlimited drinks plus us exhilarating sailing aboard Camira one of the world s fastest est sailing catamarans ‒ an awesome day out on the water!r! $139*pp SAVE $36

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

GRE AT BARRIER REEF ADVENT URES

Base Airlie Beach Resort 336 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 242 273, stayatbase.com

The Great Barrier Reef is truly one of the great wonders rs of the natural world. Cruise aboard Seaflight to Queensland land s most innovative reef pontoon featuring a giant waterslide slide and underwater viewing chamber. Explore the underwater water wonderland with diving, snorkelling, semi-sub or glasss bottom boat rides. Includes morning / afternoon tea and an all you can eat buffet lunch. $139*pp SAVE $60

Magnums Whitsunday Village Resort 366 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 624 634 magnums.com.au Nomads Airlie Beach 354 Shute Harbour Rd. 1800 666 237 nomadshostels.com

2 DAYS 1 NIGHT BAREFOOT L AZ Y DAZE

Start your holiday with a choice of either a Whitehavenn Beach Camira Sailing Adventure, or a Great Barrier Reef Adventures. Overnight at Long Island. When you dream of an Island experience this is what you dream of! Spend the day enjoying the facilities at Long Island Resort or find your own secluded bay and take in the great outdoors. Great snorkelling. Ferry/ bus us departures back to Airlie available at a variety of times. s. You may just be tempted to stay another night! From $199*pp (Dorm accommodation) plus heaps of other great packages 3-6 days available

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

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

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

info@awesomeoz.com

www.awesomeoz.com

Backpacker prices only available on presentation of a valid Student, Peterpans, YHA, ISIC, VIP or NOMADS card. Valid for travel until 31 March 2012. Conditions apply, see our website for details.

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TNT625- AAO2765

Yongala Dive Yongala diving. 07 4783 1519, yongaladive.com.au

MAGNETIC ISL Base Magnetic Island 1 Nelly Bay Rd. 1800 24 22 73, stayatbase.com

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Bungalow Bay Backpackers Horseshoe Bay. 1800 285 577, bungalowbay.com.au Magnums 7 Marine Pde, Arcadia Bay. 1800 663 666, magnetic-island.com/arc-rsrt.htm Pleasure Divers 07 4778 5788

MISSION BEACH Absolute Backpackers 28 Wongaling Beach Road. 07 4068 8317, absolutebackpackers.com.au Scotty’s Beach House 167 Reid Rd. 07 4068 8676, scottysbeachhouse.com.au

CAIRNS STAY Bohemia Central Cairns 100 Sheridan St. 1800 558 589, bohemiacentral.com.au Bohemia Resort Cairns 231 McLeod St. 1800 155 353, bohemiaresort.com.au Calypso Backpackers 5 Digger St. 1800 815 628, calypsobackpackers.com.au Dreamtime Travellers Rest 189 Bunda St. 1800 058 440, dreamtimehostel.com Gilligans Backpackers and Hotel Resort 57-89 Grafton St. 1800 556 995, gilligans.com.au JJ’s Backpackers Hostel 11 Charles St. 07 4051 7642, jjsbackpackers.com NJOY Travellers Resort Harbour 141 Sheridan St. 1800 807 055, njoy.net.au Nomads Beach House 239 Sheridan St. 1800 229 228, nomadshostels.com Nomads Cairns 341 Lake St. 1800 737 736, nomadshostels.com Nomads Esplanade 93 The Esplanade. 1800 175 716, nomadshostels.com Northern Greenhouse 117 Grafton St. 1800 000 541, northerngreenhouse.com.au

CAIRNS DO AJ Hackett Bungy jumping & canyon swinging. 1800 622 888 cairns.ajhackett.com Cairns Dive Centre 1800 642 591, cairnsdive.com.au Pro Dive 07 4031 5255, prodivecairns.com Raging Thunder Adventures Whitewater rafting. 07 4030 7990, ragingthunder.com.au Skydive Cairns 07 4052 1822, skydivecairns.com.au Skydive Cairns 07 4030 7990, ragingthunder.com.au Skyrail Rainforest Cableway 07 4038 1555, skyrail.com.au

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

DONT MISS 2012â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST TION! follow us TR on AC @tnt_downunder AT SUMMER

OPEN 7 DAYS

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

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

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T MISS!

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

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

MELBOURNE DO

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

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

Exford Hotel 199 Russell St. 03 9663 2697, exfordhotel.com.au Flinders Station Hotel 35 Elizabeth St. 03 9620 5100, flindersbackpackers.com.au The Greenhouse Backpacker Level 6, 228 Flinders Lane. 1800 249 207, greenhousebackpacker.com.au Habitat HQ 333 St Kilda Road, St Kilda. 1800 202 500, habitathq.com.au Home at the Mansion 66 Victoria Parade. 03 9663 4212, homemansion.com.au

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

FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX Albert Park. Thur, 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sun, 18 Mar. Qualifying from $39. The start of the 2012 Formula 1 season is now just weeks away, with the first race taking place in Melbourne. Race day tix start at $79.

Melbourne

grandprix.com.au

Home Travellers Motel 32 Carlisle St, St Kilda. 1800 008 718, hometravellersmotel.com.au Hotel Bakpak Melbourne 167 Franklin St. 1800 645 200, hotelbakpak.com

Melbourne Central YHA 562 Flinders St. 03 9621 2523, yha.com.au Nomads Melbourne 198 Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;beckett St. 1800 447 762, nomadshostels.com

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

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

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

GREAT OCEAN RD Anglesea Backpackers 40 Noble St, Anglesea. 03 5263 2664, angleseabackpackers.com.au Eco Beach YHA 5 Pascoe St. 03 5237 7899, yha.com.au Great Ocean Road Backpackers YHA 10 Erskine Av, Lorne. 03 5289 2508, yha.com.au

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VICLISTINGS

follow follow us us on on @tnt_downunder Sorrento YHA 3 Miranda St, Sorrento. 03 5984 4323, yha.com.au

BOOK NOW!

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

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T MISS!

DANDENONG Emerald Backpackers 03 5968 4086

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

AQUA Palace Theatre. Tues, 13 Mar. $61.10. Yes, really. The Danish popsters behind hits like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Barbie Girlâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dr Jonesâ&#x20AC;? are still around and selling out their shows fast. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go party!

20 Bourke St, Melbourne

Port Campbell Hostel 18 Tregea St, Port Campbell. 03 5598 6305, portcampbellhostel.com.au Surfside Backpackers Cnr Great Ocean Rd & Gambier St, Apollo Bay. 1800 357 263, surfsidebackpacker.com

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MORNINGTON

Mildura City Backpackers 50 Lemon Ave, Mildura. 03 5022 7922, milduracitybackpackers.com.au Oasis Backpackers 230 Deakin Av, Mildura. 04 0734 4251, milduraoasisbackpackers.com.au

GIPPSLAND

RICHMOND VS CARLTON MCG. Thur, 29 Mar. $TBC, but usually about $20. The Aussie rules football season is almost here again. Catch these two heavyweight teams start their campaign at the first MCG game of 2012.

Brunton Ave, Melbourne

ticketek.com.au

PHILLIP ISLAND

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

Prom Country Backpackers 03 5682 2614

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

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

Rawsom Caravan Park Depot Rd, Rawson. 03 5165 3439, rawsoncaravanpark.com.au

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

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

CULTURE STOP

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MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND If any one place could get away with calling itself the spiritual home of Aussie sport, it would have to be the MCG. Dating back to 1853 (making it 70 years older than the original Wembley), â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is the sort of stadium that inspires almost religious fervour. It witnessed the first Test Match between England and Australia, the birth of Aussie rules, the 1956 Olympics and 2006 Commonwealth Games. You can take a tour all-year round for $20. mcg.org.au

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DARWIN STAY

KATHERINE STAY

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

BIG4 Katherine Holiday Park 20 Shadforth Road. 1800 501 984, big4.com.au

DON’T MISS!

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

KATHERINE DO

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

Botanical Gardens Ampitheatre. Sat, May 26. $60. Back for a ninth year, the festival brings the hottest Aussie bands up to the Territory for a full day of music in the sun.

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

93 Mitchell St, Darwin Fannie Bay Gaol Heritage prison. East Point Road, Fannie Bay. 08 8941 2260, nt.gov.au Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 19 Conacher St, Bullocky Point. 08 8999 8264, magnt.nt.gov.au

Alice Springs Reptile Centre Meet and hold lizards. 9 Stuart Terrace. 08 8952 8900, reptilecentre.com.au

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

BASS IN THE GRASS

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

Deckchair Cinema Jervois Rd, Darwin Waterfront. 08 8981 0700, deckchaircinema.com.au

ALICE DO Alice Springs Desert Park Larapinta Drive. 08 8951 8788, alicespringsdesertpark.com.au

Airborne Solutions Scenic helicopter flights. 08 8972 2345 airbornesolutions.com.au

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

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

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

Palm Court Kookaburra Backpackers Giles St. 1800 626 722

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

DARWIN DO

Haven Resort 3 Larapinta Drive. 1800 794 663, alicehaven.com.au

bassinthegrass.com.au Oz Jet Boating Stokes Hill Wharf. 1300 135 595, ozjetboating.com.au Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise Adelaide River. 08 8978 9077, jumpingcrocodile.com.au Wave Lagoon Waterfront Precinct. waterfront.nt.gov.au

Outback Ballooning Hot air balloon rides. 1800 809 790, outbackballooning.com.au

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

Royal Flying Doctor Service Base Museum and operations room. Stuart Terrace. 08 8952 1129, flyingdoctor.net

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

School of the Air Long-distance schooling museum. 80 Head St. 08 8951 6834, assoa.nt.edu.au The Rock Tour Uluru tours. 78 Todd St. 1800 246 345, therocktour.com.au

WORD FROM THE STREET

Tom Shadwell, UK HOWDY TOM. SEEN MUCH OF THE NT? “I’ve been from Katherine to Darwin, then down to Uluru and back up to Threeways.” WHAT WAS YOUR OVERALL HIGHLIGHT? “Kakadu National Park. It’s the best rock art I have ever seen. Totally mind-blowing.” AND HOW ABOUT AFTER DARK? “Kata Tjuta in the Red Centre. I think it’s better than Uluru for a sunset and besides, you can still see Uluru in the distance.” ANYWHERE YOU’D WISH YOU COULD GO, BUT HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO? “The Tiwi Islands, to see the art and take in the culture. I’ve heard they’re amazing.”

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WALISTINGS One World Backpackers 162 Aberdeen St, Northbridge. 1800 188 100, oneworldbackpackers.com.au

DON’T MISS!

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BOOK NOW!

Perth City YHA 300 Wellington St. 08 9287 3333, yha.com.au The Old Swan Barracks 6 Francis St. 08 9428 0000, theoldswanbarracks.com Underground Backpackers 268 Newcastle St, Northbridge. 08 9228 3755, undergroundbackpackers.com.au

TWILIGHT HAWKERS MARKETS Forrest Place. Fridays, until Mar 2. Free. There’s just two more opportunities to catch Perth’s summer sunset markets for a chance to fill your belly with food from around the world.

Perth

showmeperth.com.au

PERTH STAY Billabong Backpackers Resort 381 Beaufort St. 08 9328 7720, billabongresort.com.au Britannia on William 253 William St, Northbridge. 08 9227 6000, perthbrittania.com

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

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

PERTH DO Aquarium of Western Australia 91 Southside Drive, Hillarys. 08 9447 7500, aqwa.com.au Kings Park & Botanic Garden bgpa.wa.gov.au Perth Mint 310 Hay St. 08 9421 7223, perthmint.com.au Perth Zoo 20 Labouchere Road, South Perth. 08 9474 3551, perthzoo.wa.gov.au

GINUWINE Astor Theatre, Perth. Thu, May 24. $69. On sale Tuesday. Get ready to get your smooth on as the R&B heavyweight is heading Down Under to tour five Aussie cities for the first time ever.

659 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley

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

bocsticketing.com.au

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

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

THE BUNGLE BUNGLE Unbelievably unheard of until as recently as the 1980s, the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park is not only one of the most spectacular geological wonders on Earth, but also one of Australia’s best kept secrets – think Uluru, without the crowds. Strolling into Piccaninny Creek is akin to stepping foot on an alien world. Heading across the eroded creek-bed, mystical beehive mounds rise into the air on all sides. Dating back 350 million years, these curious formations, with their coloured bands or orange, grey and black, are the world’s finest examples of sandstone cone karsts. But while the Bungles are what have brought the world’s attention to this rocky outpost of the Kimberley, they are just one of Purnululu’s draw cards. The trek into Cathedral Gorge takes you past ancient Aboriginal rock paintings as the cliffs loom high on either side, while Echidna Chasm, at times little more than a metre wide, is another must-see.

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

FREO DO

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

NINGALOO REEF

Fremantle Markets 08 9335 2515, fremantlemarkets.com.au Fremantle Prison 1 The Terrace. 08 9336 9200, backpackersinnfreo.com.au

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

Blue Reef Backpackers 3 Truscott Crescent, Exmouth 1800 621 101, aspenparks.com.au Ningaloo Club Coral Bay 08 9948 5100, ningalooclub.com Excape Backpackers YHA Murat Rd, Exmouth. 08 9949 1200, yha.com.au

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

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

BROOME STAY Cable Beach Backpackers 12 Sanctuary Road. 1800 655 011, cablebeachbackpackers.com

t accommodation. Stunning beachfront location. Quality budge able, world-leading activities and facilities. Unique, afford shpacker Voted top ten f la nder $100 in Australia u n o ti a d o accomm eller Magazine v a r T by Australian

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

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

BROOME DO

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

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

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

Aspen Parks Begin your re today... Darwin

u t n e v d A n e Asp

Qld

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Visit our website for great accommodation specials and online bookings

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

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

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

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

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

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

Queensland Island Gateway Holiday Park

1800 466 528

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TASLISTINGS

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

BOOK NOW!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LANIE LANE

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

Hotel New York. Fri, May 18. $TBC. The up-and-coming (and supercool) Aussie rockabilly songstress is heading out on her first national tour. Catch her before she’s huge.

HOBART DO

122 York St, Launceston

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

PORT ARTHUR

Mt Wellington Descent Bike tours. 03 6274 1880 mtwellingtondescent.com.au

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

Salamanca Markets Every Saturday, Salamanca Place. salamanca.com.au

LAUNCESTON

Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery 5 Argyle St. tmag.com.au

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

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

LAUNCESTON DO Cataract Gorge launcestoncataractgorge.com.au

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

CRADLE MTN Discovery Holiday Parks Cradle Mountain Rd. 1800 068 574, discoveryholidayparks.com.au Mt Roland Budget Backpacker Rooms 1447 Claude Rd, Gowrie Park. 03 6491 1385

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

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

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

STRAHAN DO Four Wheelers Henty Sand Dunes quadbike tours. 04 1950 8175, 4wheelers.com.au Water by Nature Extreme multiday whitewater rafting. 1800 111 142, franklinrivertasmania.com Wild Rivers Jet Jet boating. 03 6471 7396, wildriversjet.com.au

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PORT ARTHUR Located on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tassie’s south-east corner, Port Arthur was known as “Hell on Earth” to those convicts unfortunate enough to stay there between the 1830s and 1870s. It is, however, a strangely pretty and peaceful place nowadays, and it is very easy to lose a day exploring this partly-ruined relic of Australia’s violent colonial birth. It’s also well worth staying in the area so that you can hang around for an after-dark ghost tour. Unfortunately the popular tourist site also gained notoriety for another dark reason, in 1996, when it became the scene of Australia’s worst modern-day killing spree. when Martin Bryant went on a shooting rampage, resulting in the death of 35 people.

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ADELAIDE STAY Adelaide Oval Home to the Adelaide Backpackers Inn 112 Carrington St. 1800 24 77 25, adpi.com.au

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

BOOK NOW!

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

Adelaide Central YHA 135 Waymouth St. 08 8414 3010, yha.com.au Adelaide Travellers Inn 220 Hutt St. 08 8224 0753, adelaidebackpackers.com.au

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

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

KANGAROO IS

Backpack Oz 144 Wakefield St. 1800 633 307, backpackoz.com.au Blue Galah Backpackers Lvl 1, 52-62, King William St. 08) 8231 9295, bluegalah.com.au Glenelg Beach Hostel 5-7 Moseley St. Glenelg. 1800 359 181, glenelgbeachhostel.com.au Hostel 109 109 Carrington St. 1800 099 318, hostel109.com

Kangaroo Island YHA 33 Middle Terrace, Penneshaw. 08 8553 1344, yha.com.au

CHASE & STATUS Ellis Park. Mon, Mar 12. From $135. See the DnB maestros in action, alongside Swedish House Mafia, New Order, Fatboy Slim and Tinie Tempah at the Future Music festival.

Port Rd, Adelaide

ticketmaster.com.au

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

Donald Bradman collection. War Memorial Drive. 08 8300 3800, cricketsa.com.au

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

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

BAROSSA VAL

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

Barossa Backpackers 9 Basedow Road Tanunda. 08 8563 0198, barossabackpackers.com.au

ADELAIDE DO Adelaide Oval Home to the

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

WINE TIME

RIVERLAND Berri Backpackers Sturt Highway, Berri. 08 8582 3144, berribackpackers.com.au Harvest Trail Lodge Loxton.08 8584 5646, harvesttrail.com.au

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

EYRE PENINSULA Coodlie Park Farmstay Flinders Highway, Port Kenny. 08 8687 0411, coodliepark.com Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience Sea lion and dolphin swims. 08 8626 5017, bairdbay.com Calypso Star Charters Great white shark cage diving. 08 8682 3939, sharkcagediving.com.au Nullarbor Traveller Tours across to Perth. 1800 816 858, the-traveller.com.au Port Lincoln Tourist Park 11 Hindmarsh St. 08 8621 4444, portlincolntouristpark.com.au Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions Great white shark cage diving. 08 8363 1788, rodneyfox.com.au

FLINDERS RANGES

Nomads on Murray Sturt Highway, Kingston on Murray. 1800 665 166, nomadsworld.com

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

Riverland Backpackers Labour Hire Services 08 8583 0211

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

WORD FROM THE STREET

Peggy Hieronymus, Germany

BAROSSA VALLEY South Australia produces the majority of the country’s wine and arguably the best stuff comes from here. Located about 70km from Adelaide, it’s home to, amongst other, the ubiquitous Jacob’s Creek label. The main towns are Tanunda and Bethany, both lovely.

HELLO PEGGY. WHERE’VE YOU BEEN SO FAR? “I’ve been to the Barossa Valley, Hahndorf the German village (a must for me!), Glenelg and Adelaide. I also went to Kangaroo Island and the Murray River. However, my best adventure is definitely SA’s outback. The silence, the wildlife and millions of stars by night. Just travel the Oodnadatta Track and you’ll know what I’m talking about!” AND WHERE’S BEEN YOUR FAVE PLACE? “The ‘Painted Desert’ close to the Arckaringa hills. Breakfast with sunrise at this spot is just so impressive. It’s an area of spectacularly-colourful hills (like a Tiramisu cake really!) that Mother Nature has taken 80 million years to create. The colours change during the day, a real delight for me as a hobby photographer.”

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NZLISTINGS

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BUS TOURS

AUCKLAND

Flexi-Pass Combines InterCity and Newmans. 0800 222 146, flexipass.co.nz

DON’T MISS!

Flying Kiwi Wilderness Expeditions 1800 143 515, flyingkiwi.com

Airport Skyway Lodge Backpackers (BBH) 30 Kirkbride Road, Mangere. +64 9275 4443, skywaylodge.co.nz Albert Park Backpackers (VIP) 27-31 Victoria St East. +64 9309 0336, bakpak@albertpark.co.nz

Kiwi Experience +64 9366 9830 kiwiexperience.com Magic Travellers Network +64 9358 5600, magicbus.co.nz

Auckland International Backpackers (BBH) 2 Churton St, Parnell. +64358 4584,

NZ Travelpass 0800 339 966, travelpass.co.nz

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

PASIFIKA

Stray +64 9309 8772, straytravel.com

Lakeside Park. Fri, Mar 9 – Sat, Mar 10. Free. Two days of festivities celebrating the many cultures of the Pacific islands, featuring plenty of food, music and dance.

RENTAL FIRMS Ace Rental Cars 1800 140 026, acerentalcars.com.nz

Auckland

events.aucklandnz.com

Backpacker Campervan & Car Rentals +800 200 80 801, backpackercampervans.com

Escape Rentals 1800 456 272, escaperentals.co.nz

Rental Car Village +64 9376 9935, hire-vehicles.co.nz

Bargain Rental Cars 0800 001 122, bargainrentals.com.nz

Explore More 1800 800 327, dcrentals.com.nz

Spaceships 1300 139 091, spaceships.tv

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

Jucy Rentals 0800 399 736, jucy.com.nz

Standby Cars 1300 789 059, standbycars.com.au

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

Rent-A-Dent 0800 736 823, rentadent.co.nz

Wicked Campers 1800 246 869, wickedcampers.com

Bamber House (BBH) 2 2 View Rd, Mt Eden. +64 9623 4267, hostelbackpacker.com Central City Backpackers 26 Lorne St. +64 9358 5685, backpacker.net.nz City Garden Lodge 25 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell. +64 9302 0880

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Nomads Auckland 16-20 Fort St. +64 9300 9999, nomadshostels.com Oaklands Lodge (BBH) St. +64 5A Oaklands Rd, Mt Eden. +64 9638 6545, oaklands.co.nz Pentlands (BBH) 22 Pentland Ave, Mt Eden. +64 9638 7031 Queen Street Backpackers (VIP) 4 Fort St. +64 9373 3471, enquiries@qsb.co.nz Surf ‘n’ Snow Backpackers 102 Albert St. +64 9363 8889, surfandsnow.co.nz The Brown Kiwi (BBH) 7 Prosford St, Ponsonby. +64 9378 0191, brownkiwi.co.nz YHA Auckland City Cnr City Rd & Liverpool St. +64 9309 2802, yha.co.nz YHA Auckland International 5 Turner St. +64 9302 8200, yha.co.nz

WELLINGTON

Kiwi International Queen St Hotel and Hostel 411 Queen St. 0800 100 411, kiwihotel.co.nz

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

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

Cambridge Hotel (BBH) 28 Cambridge Tce. +64 4385 8829 cambridgehotel.co.nz

THRILL FINDER

Wonderful Wanaka is the first big town you come to if you’re driving north, towards Haast Pass, from the South Island adrenalin capital Queenstown. And just like its bigger neighbour, Wanaka can also boast a disturbing array of adrenalin activities as well as a truly stunning Southern Alps backdrop. Lake Wanaka and nearby Mt Aspiring National Park provide an outdoor adventure playground par excellence. You can fish, waterski, windsurf, go canyoning, jet boating, rock climb, enjoy long hikes, climb mountains, tandem skydive, kayaking, rafting, horse trekking etc. In winter, Wanaka becomes a ski town, serving Treble Cone and Cardrona fields. Indeed, National Geographic has just named Wanaka one of the top 25 snow towns in the world, the only Southern Hemisphere inclusion on the list. As you enter town you can’t miss the eccentric buildings of the unique attraction Stuart Landsborough’s Puzzling World, while another site worth checking out is the Paradiso, one of the more unusual cinemas you’re ever likely to experience.

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Photo: Skydive Lake Wanaka

WANAKA

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

DON’T MISS!

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

Point Break Backpackers (BBH) 99 Seaview Road. +64 3388 2050, pointbreakbackpackers.co.nz The Old Countryhouse (BBH) 437 Gloucester St. +64 3381 5504, oldcountryhousenz.com

Maple Lodge (BBH) 52 Ellice St. +64 4385 3771

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

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

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

Cardrona Alpine Resort Between Queenstown and Wanaka. +64 3443 7341, cardrona.com Deco Backpackers (VIP, BBH) 52 Man St. +64 3442 7384, decobackpackers.co.nz Flaming Kiwi Backpackers (BBH) 39 Robins Rd. +64 3442 5494, flamingkiwi@xtra.co.nz Hippo Lodge (BBH) 4 Anderson Hts. +64 3442 5785, hippolodge.co.nz

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

QUEENSTOWN

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

Alpine Lodge (BBH) 13 Gorge Rd. +64 3442 7220, alpinelodge@xtra.co.nz

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

Aspen Lodge (BBH) 11 Gorge 11 Gorge Rd. +64 3442 9671, aspenlodge.co.nz

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

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

Queenstown Lodge Sainsbury Rd, Fernhill. 0800 756 343, queenstownlodge.co.nz

Wellywood Backpackers 58 Tory St. 0508 00 58 58 Worldwide Backpackers (BBH) 291 The Terrace. +64 4802 5590, worldwidenz.co.nz YHA Wellington City 292 Wakefield St. +64 4801 7280

WELLINGTON VS CENTRAL COAST Westpac Stadium, Wellington. Sun, March 25. From $29. The last match of the normal A-League season could see both these high flyers vying for a place in the finals and on to ultimate glory. 147 Waterloo Quay, Pipitea

footballaustralia.com.au

Avon City Backpackers Worcester Street. +64 3389 6876, avoncitybackpackers.com

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

Black Sheep Lodge (BBH/VIP) 13 Frankton Rd. +64 3442 7289, blacksheepbackpackers.co.nz

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

Around the World Backpackers 314 Barbadoes Street. +64 3365 4363, aroundtheworld.co.nz

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

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

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

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

At The Right Place 85 Bealey St. +64 3366 1633, atrp.co.nz

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

Marine Backpackers 26 Nayland St. +64 3326 6609, themarine.co.nz

Butterfli Lodge (BBH) 62 Thompson St. +64 3442 6367, butterfli.co.nz

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

CHRISTCHURCH

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

YASAWA ISLANDS Awesome Adventures Fiji +679 675 0499awesomefiji.com Coconut Bay Resort +679 666 6644 coconutbay_fiji2002@yahoo.com

MAMANUCA ISL Beachcomber Island Resort +679 666 1500, beachcomberfiji.com Bounty Island Resort +679 666 6999, fiji-bounty.com

Tabukula Beach Bungalows +679 650 0097, fiji4less.com The Uprising Beach Resort +679 345 2200, uprisingbeachresort.com

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NORTH VITI LEVU Bethams Cottage +679 669 4132, bethams.com.fj Macdonalds Beach Cottages +679 669 4633

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

Rau Kini’s Hostel +679 672 1959, rtkinihostel@connect.com.fj

Tsulu Luxury Backpackers & Apartments +679 345 0065, tsulu.com

Morrison’s Beach Cottagess +679 669 4516, tipple@connect.com.fj

Kuata Resort +679 666 6644

The Funky Fish Beach Resort +679 628 2333, funkyfishresort.com

Vakaviti Motel & Dorm +679 650 0526, bulavakaviti@connect.com.fj

Safari Lodge Fijis +679 669 3333 safarilodge.com.fj

The Resort Walu Beach +679 665 1777, walubeach.com

Vilisite Place +679 650 1030

Long Beach Backpackers Resort +679 666 6644 Manta Ray Island +679 672 6351 mantarayisland@connect.com.fj

CORAL COAST

SUVA

Volivoli Beach Resort +679 669 4511, volivoli.com

VANUA LEVU

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

Beachouse +679 653 0500, fijibeachouse.com

Colonial Lodge +679 92 75248, sailevukaga@yahoo.co.nz

Bayside Backpacker Cottage +679 885 3154, tripntour@connect.com.fj

Oarsmans Bay Lodge +679 672 2921 nacula@hotmail.com

Mango Bay Resort +679 653 00690, mangobayresortfiji.com

Lami Lodge Backpackers +679 336 2240, volau@connect.com.fj

Hidden Paradise Guest House +678 885 0106

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

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

Naveria Heights Lodge +679 851 0157, justnaveria@connect.com.fj

Rendezvous Dive Resort +679 628 4427, surfdivefiji.com

Raintree Lodge +679 332 0562, raintreelodge.com

Robinson Crusoe +679 629 1999, robinsoncrusoeislandfiji.com

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

Savusavu Hot Springs +679 885 0195, hotspringshotel@connect.com.fjj

Octopus Resort +679 666 6337 reservations@octopusresort.com Sunrise Lagoon Resort +679 666 6644 Wayalailai Island Resort +679 672 1377 wayalailai@connect.com.fj White Sandy Beach Dive Resort +679 666 4066

Seashell Cove Resort +679 670 6100, seashellresort.com

TAVEUNI

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

Albert’s Sunrise +679 333 7555

Tailevu Hotel +679 343 0028

Matava Resort +679 330 5222

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Fiji is rightly world-famous for having some of the best surf found on the planet. This used to be frustrating, the reason being that you could only actually get to it as a tourist by staying at a fancy resort. However, last year that all changed and a new law now means that budget boarders can also get to spend some quality time in the blue room. Cloudbreak, a reef break a mile off the island of Tavarua, is the stuff of legend, but there’s plenty of others worthy of your time. The Coral Coast’s Frigate Passage, on Vitu Levu’s south-west corner, is a fun wave, while the Sigatoka Rivermouth, south of Nadi, is Fiji’s only beach break. Note the peak surfing months are from May to October, during the dry season, but there are great waves all year round.

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Photo: Thinkstock

SURFING

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OZWORK

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Trading places Skilled or unskilled, there are plenty of jobs in Oz for those in the trades industry. We look at the options for you travelling tradies... Whether it’s skyscrapers in Sydney or townhouses in Tully, qualified tradespeople are almost certain to land a job while in the land Down Under. You don’t have to walk the streets of any Aussie city for long to realise how many building sites there are. As a result, qualified tradesmen are in high demand in Oz. But you’ll want to know what qualifications are required... “Most of our positions don’t require any formal qualifications, but there are some that require trades qualifications such as carpentry apprenticeships,” says Roger Johnson, company director at Infront Staffing. If you are considering work on a construction site you’ll need to get a White Card. But don’t despair as most agencies will explain how to go about it. “We currently conduct the OHS White Cards (also known

as the OHS Green Card) which enables individuals to work on building and construction sites in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria,” says Johnson. To get the card you must attend a one day course in your nearest city. This will normally set you back around $110. But what other qualities do you need to secure that dream job? Hays regional director of construction Shane Little tells us that if you are “reliable, efficient, hard-working and loyal,” you can’t go wrong. Last, but certainly not least, what income can you expect? “Skilled individuals with good experience can earn over $26/hr. Individuals with lesser skill and experience may earn around $18,“ says Johnson. Not too bad. So perhaps it’s time to jump off that builder’s bum of yours and secure a job. If nothing else, at least you’ll be working on your tan...

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Get paid to holiday!

To advertise call Caroline 02 8332 7501

Make the most of your Aussie travel experience.

Or if you are job hunting visit

Western Australia’s Challenger Institute of Technology offers a selection of hospitality short courses that will get you qualified and working in no time at all!

tntjobs.com.au

No need to give up long days at the beach. Challenger short courses are run on weekends or weeknights for minimum disruption to your itinerary.

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These industry-relevant courses are run by highly qualified lecturers in a hands-on training environment.

Challenger Institute of Technology located in Western Australia is the preferred choice for more than 25,000 students studying a diverse range of careers, courses and subjects.

INTERESTED? Visit www.challenger.wa.edu.au or email stephne.ceicys@challenger.wa.edu.au

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Paramour

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Melbourne’s most exclusive escorts, models, dinner dates and travelling companions. Paramour is Melbourne’s leading escort agency with over 40 beautiful women.

T- Boners T: 0400 139 501 Located in Surry Hills, Tboners is a professional, friendly managed agency. We are looking for men to join us. Hours and wages to be negotiated and salary dependent on experience.

Mondial 1800 450 123 www.mondialfundraising.com.au/jobs We are a professional fundraising company working on behalf of well known charities. We provide each charity we represent with raised awareness and primarily regular donor acquisition. We have worked with organisations such as Amnesty International, Wesley Mission, Heart Foundation, and the Cancer Council.

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JOB OF THE WEEK: ESCORTS Location: Melbourne Paramour provides the most outstanding outcall adult entertainment in Melbourne. Paramour girls are very highly paid, beautiful women for international executives. Our ladies are the elite of Australia and are treated as princesses. 03 9654 6011

JOB OF THE WEEK: REAL EVERYDAY MEN! Location: Sydney We want REAL everyday Men! All nationalities! Hairy, smooth, mature men, younger men, bears, twinks, big, small you got it we want it! A brand new discreet agency seeking open-minded men to refer to other men willing to pay good money for fun times. If you dont want the hassle of ﬁnding your own clients then we can assist in helping you explore this industry safely and easily. 0400 139 501 | text for further details.

JOB OF THE WEEK: FACE TO FACE FUNDRAISING Location: Australia wide Salary: $20,000 to $70,000 OTE. You will be working with your team on streets and in shopping centres all over the country representing the Cancer Council and the Australian Childhood Foundation. Your job will be to approach people, educate them on the charity, and it will be your main goal to get them signed up to make a regular monthly donation via direct debit or credit card to the charity. Tim Carter or Sarah Walker | jobs@mondialfundraising.com.au

OZWORK

INTERVIEW WITH AN ARCHITECT in a very interesting way, with different departments for design (this is the team I’m in at the moment), project management, documentation, marketing and so on.

FROM ITALY

What exactly do you do? At the moment I’m involved in the design of two huge developments and gaining a lot of experience on large-scale retail/mixed use developments.

What’s your new job like? It’s great. I’m an architect working for a big Australian firm. The company is set up

How’s it compare to home? Well, work wise it’s quite difficult to define what home is for me, since I

STEFANO COTTINI

spent the last three years in Dublin, Ireland, and that’s where I really had my formation as an architect. In comparison to that experience I’m involved on much bigger scale projects, since the office in Ireland was more focused on smallscale residential buildings. Was it hard to find work? Not really from my point of view. I had a few interviews straight away and received job offers from almost all of the companies. What are the good points? This company organise a lot

of activities that help you socialise and create that bond that is very important when it comes to working together in a team. How’s the pay? It’s not fair to compare to Ireland but it’s far more than what I could earn in Italy, with opportunities for improvement. Any tips? It’s a job that requires commitment, but it can give you a lot of satisfaction. If you’re ready for that, put together a good portfolio and go for it!

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TOTALLYTRIVIAL

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MYTHBUSTERS AN AUSSIE HERO?

THIS WEEK’S QUIZ

SYDNEY MARDI GRAS Q

second Sydney Mardi Gras Q 2.hadThewhat theme?

Q 4. Where does the parade end up?

b) Darlinghurst d) Surry Hills

1 6

7 9

1 6 9 2 66

AUSSIE-ISM “POKIES”

8 7

6 5

TNTDOWNUNDER.COM

memory of what New York event? a) The Thanksgiving Parade b) The Gay Marriage Act c) The Stonewall Riots d) Independence Day

a) Global freedom b) Go hard or go home c) What goes up must come down d) Global equality

To some, Ned Kelly is a folk hero, a man who epitomised the true blue spirit of sticking two fingers up at prejudiced authorities. To others he’s a muderous bastard. Either way, Kelly was no angel. When four armed policemen went looking for Kelly in 1878, three of them ended up dead. He was captured in 1880, despite wearing his trademark homemade armour, weighing 44kg, after a plan to derail a train full of police went wrong. Working class hero fighting persecution he may have been, but he didn’t give to the poor... Or wear tights.

ANAGRAM-ARAMA

Not a weird Facebook group where members show up to, er, poke each other. Pokies are the same as UK fruit machines. You put money in them, you poke them, they make funny noises, you lose your money.

THIS WEEK IT’S... MARDI GRAS COSTUMES 1. QUA GENDER 2. FUDGE LIAR 3. I LIKE GUY ON ME 4. UNREAL AID GANG ANSWERS: 1. Drag Queen 2. Lifeguard 3. Kylie Minogue 4. Guardian angel

SUDOKU PUZZLE 4

is the theme for pride march Q 8.in What San Francisco this year?

Was the infamous outlaw Ned Kelly like an Aussie Robin Hood?

Q 9. The first Mardi Gras parade was in

Q 5. Each year before the parade former minister Fred Nile prays for what? a) Rain b) Kylie Minogue c) Cancellation d) A good view

6. What does the ‘Q’ stand for in LGBTQI? a) Quasi gay b) Queer/Questioning c) Questioning d) Quietly queer

b) Asian marching boys c) Bondi lifeguards d) Parents of Gay and Lesbians

3. Who was chief of parade in 2007? a) Magda Szubanski b) Boy George c) Rupert Everett d) George Michael

a) Bondi c) Fox Studios

WEEK

group lead the parade? Q 7.a) Which Dykes on bikes

a) Shocked by the power b) The power of one c) Power over politicians d) Power into the darkness

OF THE

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

1. When was Sydney’s first ever Mardi Gras parade? a) 1981 b) 1980 c) 1979 d) 1975

MYTH

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3DVV 3ULFH /RFDO 3D\PHQW 7RWDO Own Arrangements NOTE: This option is NOT included in the pass price

T&Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Prices are subject to change without notice. Local payments are to be paid to the tour operator directly. For full terms and conditions visit www.ozexperience.com.

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