Australian Traveller

SOMEONE RECENTLY ASKED ME IF it was hard to find things to keep writing about as editor of Australian Traveller – the country’s only publication dedicated to travelling on home soil. My answer was an immediate no. Quite the opposite: it’s almost impo

Nestled in a corner of the Royal National Park , Simpson Cottage sings with history and character. Carefully restored to preserve its late 1800 s roots, this cottage cosseted in nature is a peaceful stay just a stone’s throw from Sydney. Turn to pag

The scene is set the minute you step out of the lift on level 80 and into the soaring lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne. The landmark building is part of the new West Side Place precinct. The luxury hotel has 257 rooms and suites fitted out with c

HUG THE EAST COAST of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula until you reach the coastal town of Port Lincoln, located on the largest natural harbour in Australia and drawing travellers from far and wide for its seafood and pristine beaches. Eat your fill

Promenade Bondi Beach is sitting pretty, just metres from the sand in a fetching corner of Sydney’s newly reimagined Bondi Pavilion. And it’s now the place to take your Bondi bae to people-watch over plates of fresh-made pasta or chilled seafood. Bon

I’M LYING IN BED, ONE WALL of my canvas tent-slash-cabin rolled up to welcome in the chorus of frogs and birds, when a rustling prompts me to prop myself up on my elbows. Outside, barely a few metres away, is a bandicoot snuffling among the bracken f

Passions of Paradise is the reef tourism operator turning tourists into conservationists. Its citizen science tours allow visitors to be marine biologists for a day by partaking in research projects by documenting the coral and wildlife they see. Bac

I LEAVE THE OFFICE at lunchtime, mind racing with to-do lists and shoulders assuming their usual position: tensed. Within an hour my partner and I are driving through Royal National Park, south of the CBD, heading for the tucked-away village of Bunde

SHOULD YOU ASK AN Australian if they’re willing to dine at a hotel restaurant in their own country, I forecast the response to come as an incredulous scrunched face followed by a near-panicked plea: “There must be somewhere else?!” Historically, albe

Exuding 1970 s coastal charm, Motel Molly is where Moroccan, Mediterranean and Australian design influences all collide to bring a slice of laid-back luxury to NSW’s South Coast. And it’s part of a new vanguard of petite regional hotels raising the

SUNLIGHT RIPPLES ACROSS THE umbrella overhead and skips off the ice cubes in my Bloody Mary. As palm fronds fringe my view, I lazily slump onto the forest-green bolster behind me and contemplate a dip in the pool to diffuse the rising heat. Nearby, s

THE CITY IS A cacophonous symphony of activity when I check into voco Melbourne Central for a staycation; shoppers mill to and fro, office workers rush about and cafes and restaurants are once again brimming with groups of diners. Slipping down Timot

THERE WERE SOME who were sceptical when I announced I was embarking on an adventurous five-day cycle journey of south-east Queensland, surely a dig at my level of physical prowess. I won’t name names. It may have seemed a big ask to take in Brisbane,

SLEEPY TOWNS WEREN’T ALWAYS the best place for good sleep. In the beachside holidays of our youth, sleep came in fits and starts in the caravan annex on a rudimentary canvas stretcher. Or in a baking fibro shack with no indoor loo. These days, while

IT’S LOVELY WEATHER FOR DUCKS. A sudden shower prompts hoods and umbrellas up for the Royal Mail Hotel guests who have joined a kitchen garden tour this morning. But the ducks are unfazed. They flap busily between the garden beds on their usual missi

IT’S A DRIZZLY FRIDAY afternoon when I step onto the deck of Mapleton Public House, the rouge-hued old dame of the tiny hinterland town. And she’s flush with company. The pub has been presiding over Flaxton Drive with views barrelling down the hill t

PHOTOGRAPHY: WANDER/REMY BRAND CREATIVE (WANDER ON KANGAROO ISLAND) ■

IF GEORGE MCRAE WERE alive today, he would be well placed swilling whisky in Capella Sydney’s glamorous Victorian-style bolthole that bears his name. During the Scotsman’s tenure as NSW’s government architect in the early 1900s, McRae would leave the

WITH THE 2032 SUMMER OLYMPICS on the horizon, Brisbane is soaring to new heights as striking precincts enliven the city. In the CBD, Queen’s Wharf Brisbane precinct will merge state-of-the-art contemporary architecture with heritage buildings, securi

THE APTLY NAMED BASALT sitting just below the extinct volcano of Gaanhabula (Mt Canobolas) is the newest luxury accommodation to sprout from Orange in NSW’s Central West. The quaint property overlooking the owner’s cherry orchard has three private st

THERE’S SOMETHING wonderful about watching a town unfurl its potential to become a destination. Gaining confidence in assets overlooked and coaxing out their dormant beauty. Murwillumbah in NSW is a place amid such an evolution. A hinterland jewel sh

THE SAME RED CENTRE journey that sparked the idea for Bruce Munro’s smash-hit installation at Uluru included a stop at Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park. It, too, left a deep impression. Some three decades later and seven years on from the debut

ABANDONED RAILWAY TRACKS around Australia continue to be reimagined as recreational trails for cyclists. And riding along these corridors is one of the most popular ways to enjoy a join-the-dots jaunt through the countryside. NSW’s first true rail tr

MINJERRIBAH/NORTH Stradbroke Island or Straddie to the locals, might live in the shadow of its big sister, K’gari (Fraser Island), but this beach getaway surrounded by aquamarine waters is a closely held secret. When Sydneysiders and Melburnians cram

TELL US ABOUT GROWING UP IN BAWAKA, IN NORTH-EAST ARNHEM LAND. I didn’t go to school. I grew up running around a beautiful beach with my siblings and my cousins. Bawaka (1) is a special place because of the environment and people who are half Yol u a

ARTWORK: JUDY WATSON, WALKURRJI KINGKARRI WAMAMI (STRING OVER WATER) , 2019, ACRYLIC, GRAPHITE, PASTEL, WATERCOLOUR PENCIL ON CANVAS ■

NAME: LA LUNE LOCATION: EAST FREMANTLE, WA DESIGN FIRM: REZEN STUDIO PERCHED ON THE CURB of the jacaranda-dotted George Street in Perth’s history-steeped suburb of Fremantle, La Lune exudes a certain je ne sais quoi. It’s no surprise the restaurant h

TASTE PORT DOUGLAS presents like a kaleidoscope of colour on a navy-blue night in Tropical North Queensland, where the trees are painted neon and the food and drink stalls festooned with coloured lights. The four-day festival was conceptualised in 20

Carla Zampatti is the Aussie fashion label synonymous with simplicity, sophistication and style. Now, a retrospective celebrates the late designer and five decades of her work – telling the trailblazing story of the label and its creator through a se

THE COMING OF spring brings a sense of renewel and reinvigoration. We look forward to sunshine-dappled days that stretch into evenings, the scent of jasmine carried by gentle breezes and blooming jacarandas that paint our suburbs mauve. The unfurling