Located 200km north of Broome (which is pretty remote as it is) an untouched paradise awaits travellers on the completely Aboriginal owned and operated Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours.
Led by Jawi woman Roseanna Angus, find out about the mission that ran here until 1962, and about the extraordinary cultures of the neighbouring Bardi and Jawi people.
From Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, you retrace (by boat) the ocean journey from Bardi Country on the mainland, and through the network of islands and tidal passages that make up Jawi Country, navigating massive tides, whirlpools and eddies.
Gorgeous white sand flanked by clear turquoise waters awaits at Sunday Island, where there is the opportunity to drop a line or go for a swim.
Soneva has added a number of awesome experiences to their Maldives-based Soneva in Aqua Yacht.
A long time ago sailing meant getting from point A to point B, but it can now mean experiences like moonlit snorkeling expeditions, swimming with manta rays, paddling to deserted sandbanks and stargazing with astronomers.
There’s also the brand-new Dolphin Sled, a unique and exciting looking way to get closer to these curious creatures where individuals glide along with the pod underneath the water’s surface.
Then, when you’re above the water’s surface, you’ve got the extraordinary island landscape of the Maldives to enjoy. It’s a win-win.
It seems rare and unique experiences like these are becoming more and more of a focus at sea and we, as travellers, are the beneficiaries of this.
The Cross Egypt Challenge, back this year after a COVID enforced cancellation in 2020, is arguably the best way to see the North African country beyond just the pyramids.
Spanning 2400km, the challenge is a 9-day motorcycle and scooter rally open to professional and amateur motorists alike.
The route starts in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, heading south to the capital, Cairo, before moving through the Western desert. It also takes in the Nile Valley, and Luxor, the capital of ancient Egypt and the largest open-air museum in the world.
Hurtigruten Expeditions has joined forces with California Ocean Alliance (COA), a research and conservation organisation, to study and protect the whales of Antarctica.
To coincide with the restart of Hurtigruten Expeditions’ 2021/2022 Antarctica season, several COA scientists will be sailing onboard the MS Roald Amundsen (the world’s first hybrid electric-powered expedition cruise ship) to collect data and study ambient noise conditions.
In particular, the team will focus on the myriad sounds that marine animals make, and the influence of human presence on the soundscape. They will also collect skin and blubber biopsy samples to evaluate individual health, population growth rates and stress levels.
And by observing how different whales behave near humans, it will allow Hurtigruten Expeditions to adapt and minimise their interference with these majestic marine creatures, while still giving guests the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see them up close.
Guests will be encouraged to get involved with the research during their expedition cruise, and can chat to the scientists, attend lectures and demonstrations, and visit the state-of-the-art Science Centre, which features museum-style exhibits and is overseen by the cruise industry’s only Chief Scientist, Dr Verena Meraldi.
You owe it to yourself to take an Indigenous tour through Wiradjuri country in NSW where visitors are invited to walk in the footsteps of Wiradjuri people.
Water is the backbone of the traditional homeland of the Wiradjuri people – the largest Aboriginal group in New South Wales, where the Wambool (Macquarie), Kalari (Lachlan) and Murrumbidjeri (Murrumbidgee) Rivers meet. The tour is led by Wiradjuri man Mark Saddler and owner of Bundyi Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge tours whose family hails from a country called Euabalong, in Central New South Wales.
Mark’s award-winning tours are personalised for travellers, whether individual or group, and offer deep knowledge of his Riverina homeland around Wagga Wagga.
In Wiradjuri country, a strong culture has been thriving for thousands of generations. Mark shares his knowledge about bush tucker, native animals, and the connection Aboriginal people have to those animals and places.
Discover freshwater middens along the banks of the Murrumbidjeri and learn about centuries-old spears buried in the canola fields. On full and half day tours by bus or 4WD in the Riverina, visitors learn how to map bygone waterways using ancient ‘scar trees’, that are trunks with enormous gashes removed to carve canoes.
A two-hour walking tour is available, inviting visitors to look, smell, touch and immerse in this ancient country and culture. Every part of Australia is Aboriginal country with unique stories and experiences to be told. The word Bundyi means sharing or to share in Wiradjuri and Mark can’t wait to share his country with you!
Discover the beauty of the Kimberley Coast on the Borrgoron Coast to Creek tour with Bardi man Terry Hunter.
The Kimberley Coast is where the world’s largest tropical tides play, and where the Dampier Peninsula’s Aboriginal people have observed nature for millennia. Terry grew up on a remote pearl farm on the Kimberley and is following his ancestors’ lead by existsting in harmony with nature. Terry shares his people’s sustainable approach during a two-hour walking tour through the mangrove-rich landscape.
The Bardi (land) and Jawi (island) people of the Dampier Peninsula retain a particularly special relationship with their land and sea that encompasses in-depth knowledge of bush food, medicine and traditional hunting and fishing practice. Travellers hear Terry’s stories of a fascinating bush childhood, and his deep historical knowledge of the pearling trade. Terry is a fourth-generation pearler and shares his culture on a one-hour tour of Cygnet Bay Pearl farm. This experience includes the Hunter family history’s four generation connection to Cygnet Bay and stories of life growing up on this remote pearl farm.
Forage for oysters, hear Indigenous stories and discover a culture that has lived in harmony with this country for thousands of years and continues to practice traditional ways of caring for the land. Gain cultural insight through storytelling and connection on a personal level on Discover Aboriginal Experiences offerings.
Josh Whiteland is a Wadandi man and cultural custodian from the Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River areas of Australia. In this beautiful south-west corner is Wadandi and Bibbulman country. When Josh isn’t busy sharing his Indigenous knowledge of bush tucker with visiting culinary stars, he’s sharing his in-depth cultural knowledge to guests on his Koomal Dreaming Cultural Experiences.
The Wadandi and Bibbulman people have walked the ancient Margaret River lands for almost 50,000 years. Together with other Aboriginal groups from Kalbarri to Esperance, they are known as Noongar. The Noongar culture is as rich and varied as the countryside itself. Visitors are invited to share in the Noongar knowledge of culture in this pristine environment.
The fascinating tour combines culture, food and geography for a deep cultural experience and opportunity to taste native ingredients, learn about bush medicine and meet the animals and plants. Josh will also demonstrate the traditional way of fire lighting.
Josh recounts stories of the Dreaming Spirits that relate to his traditional area and welcomes visitors deep into Ngilgi Cave for a memorable didgeridoo cave experience. He’s not only talented with local foods and native flavours, he’s also a deadly musician and dancer.
Spanning 1.5 kilometres, the longest treetop walk in the world has opened in Switzerland. Connecting the two alpine villages of Laax Murschetg and Laax Dorf, the Senda dil Dragun weaves through lush forest, immersing you in the epic mountain scenery.
Viewing platforms allow you to stop and take in the sights, while information boards share facts about the local flora and fauna. At its highest point the elevated boardwalk is 28 metres above the ground (that’s roughly the height of four double decker buses), and it’s made entirely from regionally sourced wood so that it blends seamlessly in with the surrounding landscape.
But the coolest part would have to be the 73-metre long slide, which offers an alternative route back down to the ground. It’s great fun for the kids, or any adults who don’t want to take the stairs or lift.
Idaho will surprise most Aussies who love to ski or snowboard in the northern hemisphere winter. Apart from the old Hollywood glamour of Sun Valley though, there are three other top (but not as well known) resorts in Idaho’s northern panhandle to delight even the choosiest alpine adventurer.
Schweitzer Mountain Resort in the rugged Selkirk Mountains near Sandpoint (only 130 kilometres from Spokane International Airport and 105 kilometres from the Canadian border), is the largest ski resort in Idaho. Boasting some of the best powder in the northwest, it is renowned for its expert bowl chutes and glades, as well as nearly 1,200 hectares of skiable terrain, 610-metre vertical drops, 92 runs and three terrain parks. If that is not enough to get you waxing your skis, there is twilight skiing and 32 kilometres of cross-country trails. Oh, and most importantly, the amenities are first class with slope-side ski village accommodation and a lively après ski scene.
Silver Mountain, near Kellogg, just over an hour’s drive from Spokane on the I-90, is best known for its superlative tree skiing and long-lasting powder. There is a gondola village at the base, and you can enjoy a scenic ride on North America’s longest gondola to access the upper mountain slopes. For the kids, four runs of tubing fun with a carpet ride will provide hours of entertainment.
Lookout Pass, located on the Montana border near Wallace, is a cool, more local-style mountain that receives the most snow in all of northern Idaho. Great for learners, it also has progressive terrain parks and an unspoiled national forest setting.
All three resorts average more than 7.5 metres of that coveted powder snow per year. And because they are all relatively unknown, it means they are uncrowded, there are no lift lines, more skiable hectares per person and easy access through Spokane International Airport.
The hills are alive with the sound of bottles popping and fires crackling as South Australia’s favourite winter wine festival returns for 2021. The Winter Reds festival is held across various cellar doors, vineyards and wineries in the Adelaide Hills, and takes place from 23 – 25 July.
This year the theme is What’s Your Red?, and wineries will be creating their own special experiences that showcase the best of their red wines. The incredible line-up of events is expected to include tutored tastings, workshops, live music performances and indulgent, wine-paired lunches.
There will be plenty of shiraz, pinot noir and cab sauv flowing, alongside a number of other wines, for those who prefer something different to a red varietal. So if you love nothing more than getting your dose of fresh country air and cosying up by a log fire with a glass of vino, this wintery celebration is not to be missed.
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