Australian Traveller

LOCATED ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE ASTRAL HOTEL AT THE BUZZY STAR SYDNEY, THE RECENTLY OPENED G&TEA DOES STYLISH DOUBLE DUTY AS A PRETTY TEA HOUSE BY DAY, AND A SCHMOOZY BAR BY NIGHT. DESIGNED BY LUCHETTI KRELLE, THE INTERIOR IS FITTED OUT WITH PLUSH

With a history steeped in agriculture and energy production, the Western Downs is an integral part of Australia’s landscape. Yet this picturesque region, three hours west of Brisbane, offers much more than solar and sorghum. From opera to watermelon

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS are the time to get away with the whole family and to take a break from the mundane everyday and the familiar. And, while luxurious overseas trips and resort-style family stays can be an amazing experience, staying right here and expl

THE 12 SANDSTONE SCULPTURES ON A HILL NORTH OF BROKEN HILL COMPRISE AN ECLECTIC EXHIBITION:THEY’RE BY BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS AND INCLUDE TIWI TOTEMS FROM BATHURST ISLAND PLUS A PIECE FROM MEXICO. THIS COMPELLING SCULPTURE PARK IS SURROU

TUCKED AWAY OFF the New England Highway 20 minutes south of Tamworth, NSW, Goonoo Goonoo Station is discreetly signposted and not visible from the road, which makes arriving at this restored 19th-century pastoral village even more of a revelation. Es

SINCE THE 1930S, THERE HAS BEEN AN ISLAND SO PERFECTLY situated at just 30 minutes from the mainland, so wonderfully balanced between beaches and rainforest, that it’s little wonder it earned the moniker ‘Daydream’. Its mermaid statues beckoning the

TO SAY THAT LESA’S reputation preceded it would be one of the gastronomical understatements of 2018. Even before the Melbourne CBD venue had opened its doors, hype around the homely eatery, which resides above its ‘walk-ins only’ counterpart Embla, h

WHEN A REAL ESTATE agent warns that you’ll be committing business suicide by opening up a cafe in a forgotten town, you’d reconsider your decision, right? Not Ana Koutoulas who, along with her partner Ben Wright, went with her instinct and opened The

I’M HOLDING MY PHONE with Google Maps open and doing that dorky move where I’m twisting and turning, trying to figure out exactly which direction I’m facing, wondering where the entrance can possibly be. Hôntô’s opening in August 2018 was as discreet

Head to Darwin Waterfront for a free, safe dip in the lagoon; for $7 entry you could also chill out at the wave pool across the park. Expand your historical knowledge on a self-guided Darwin Audio Tour; all you need is an app ($2.99) and headphones.

SOUTH FREMANTLE IS THE kind of place where you’ll find a book exchange on one street, and spot locals raiding a mulberry tree on another. The urban village, 25 kilometres from Perth’s city centre, also loves dressing itself up with street art but equ

MY FIRST INTRODUCTION to the Adelaide Fringe took place under a canopy of festoon lighting and gum trees in a sequin-fuelled sequence of madcap encounters at the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Within the first three hours I’d engaged in an existential

THE DREAM STARTS YEARS before, in photos you see randomly, posted by your more adventurous friends. You know the shots: pindan-red earth, impossibly azure ocean and perpetually cloudless sky surreally gather together. Surely, it cannot be like this.

MEMORIES OF LONG CAR TRIPS are the stuff of family folklore. As the daughter of a country school teacher, international travel was never an affordable option for my family. Instead, come holiday time my parents would pack me and my four siblings into

THE TARMAC ROAD CROSSES its arms and refuses to budge another inch outside the town of Wentworth, where the fabled Murray locks arms in a river dance with the less-travelled Darling. This is the starting point for a seven-day road trip north-east alo

THERE’S A GENTLEMAN FROM BRIM, a small town in rural Victoria, who stands a mighty 30 metres tall. And he also stands as a symbol of resilience as his community continues to battle the harsh Australian drought. His name? It probably wouldn’t be too h

I’M COMPLETELY SURROUNDED by sheer red and purple quartzite rock faces and ghost gums looking as if they’ve been caught exposed, their bare white trunks glowing for all to see. The ground is coated in deceptively downy-looking spinifex but I carefull

THIS IS GOING TO GET AWKWARD. Look, I don’t know you, but I’m not sure if you should be reading this. You’ll know in precisely three paragraphs either way – I promise. For some, this expedition, from Darwin all the way through the Kimberley’s quintes

The Kimberley region of Western Australia is all but cemented at the top of most Australians’ travel bucket list. It’s an intoxicating ochre-tinged landscape of ranges, gorges, savannahs and dust that melts into the water along its edges; exploration

Join Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris to discover the holiday experience of a lifetime in a pristine wilderness environment where the Aboriginal presence encompasses more than 50,000 years. The high concentration of ancient rock paintings in spectacular

I’M A PILOT WITH FLEET HELICOPTERS, WHICH IS BASED OUT OF ARMIDALE AND NARRABRI IN NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES. We’ve recently been doing some bushfire work, which takes place a fair bit over the summer, but it can be all year round. There are always fi

Presenting a new series of works by the Sydney-born, LA-based artist that reassembles the American urban landscape in photographic collages of colour and form. olsengallery.com Melbourne’s mid-week market evenings continue through to March, combini