It’s still a little way off, thanks to building delays caused by the global pandemic, but we’re still psyched about the exclusive Pelorous Island Retreat. Never head of Pelorous Island before now? That’s because, as part of the Palm Island group, it’s previously only been open to visitors who bring their own camping gear. Soon it will be connected to Townsville by a 30-minute helicopter flight.
Behind the new resort is Northern Escape group, which includes Mt Mulligan Lodge and Orpheus Island Lodge in its portfolio. It is creating a AU$6 million boutique retreat, with just four sprawling tropical dwellings making up a private residence for a maximum of eight guests.
There’s also a central lodge with fully equipped kitchen (you can cook for yourself or bring in the private chef), deck with uninterrupted ocean views and infinity pool.
And while it’s all very swank – how amazing are those clear plunge pools? – the real luxury here is being this close to nature and having it all to yourself. The island is fringed by pristine reefs for divers and snorkellers, and there are plenty of secluded beaches for picnics and sunning yourself. Fishing? Sure. And you can even cook up your own catch.
Pelorous Island Retreat is due to open at the end of 2021.
After a day shredding world-class mountain bike trails, there’s surely nothing better than sweating it out in a sauna then plunging into the icy waters of a picturesque lake.
The Floating Sauna Lake Derby in the former tin-mining town of Derby in northeast Tasmania is believed to be Australia’s only floating wood-fired sauna. There are two pavilions – one a changing room and the other the sauna – both connected to the shore by a narrow pedestrian bridge with views directly out to the lake.
The idea was the brainchild of Nigel Reeves, who was hoping it would help draw international visitors to the tiny town. Now he’s banking on locals to take up the ancient ritual. You needn’t be a cyclist to enjoy the benefits either – anyone can hire out the sauna privately and the best bit is it can fit up to nine of your closest friends.
Be aware: you need to book well in advance to bag one of the coveted sunset spots on the weekend.
It’s hard to get more Aussie than downing an ice-cold tinnie in the red dirt of the outback. Add to that a caravan of camels careening around a racetrack with Uluru looming in the distance and you might just sprout some corks from your hat.
On a May weekend – the dates vary each year – the Uluru Camel Cup lures jockeys, beer drinkers and party goers to the Red Centre for a weekend of genuinely ocker revelry. Kicking off on Friday at the Uluru Camel Farm there’s everything from boot scooting to bidding on your favourite camel at the Camel Cup Calcutta. Don’t go too hard though, as Saturday is a long day at the track if you’re fighting a hangover.
Be sure to dress up on Cup Day for Fashions on the Field – with full post-race presentation – and enjoy all that is on offer. Whip cracking, cold beers, Outback Games (think Aussie Olympics with no Cathy Freeman lycra), more cold beers and, of course, the camel races. You’ll be surprised just how fast those big beasties can run.
A helicopter trip out over the track, Uluru and Kata Tjuta is well worth it, too.
If you’ve managed to pace yourself there’s more fun to be had on Saturday night at the Frock Up and Rock Up Gala Ball.
Muscles feeling a little atrophied with all the iso stagnation? Get into the great outdoors and get those legs pumping again with Spicers Scenic Rim Summer Walks.
Relax, though, because it’s not all hard work. Ease into it with your fellow walkers over lunch before being taken by helicopter to Spicers Mount Mistake. As you soar above farmlands and mountains, you’ll get a bird’s-eye view of the glorious mountain range you are about to conquer.
The following three days will be spent exploring some of Australia’s most beautiful landscapes and staying in purpose-built accommodation, including the Spicers Treehouse.
By day you’ll traverse various landscapes and ecosystems including rainforests, red cedar-filled national parks and valley floors where you’ll have the opportunity to cool off in natural spring waterholes. Stare out over Fassifern Valley before finally arriving at Spicers Peak Lodge – it’s 1,100 metres above sea level and on 3,000 hectares of pristine wilderness. Here you’ll feast at the award-winning, five-star Peak Restaurant. At night you’ll bunk in sustainable eco-cabins. Sound good? Do it!
This one’s for those who can’t stand to be away from furry friends, even for a night. Element Melbourne Richmond is a hot spot on the pet-friendly block, so pack your bags and your best friend (the four-legged one) and check in for some luxury in inner Melbourne.
With 168 suites, some with stunning sunset views over the city, Element Melbourne Richmond is the first of Westin Hotels’ eco-conscious brand to open in Australia. Element is all about longer stays, health and well-being, and work/life balance. After all, without a dog there is no balance!
An overly generous complimentary breakfast (no “continental” piece of toast and instant coffee), a bikes-to-borrow policy plus complimentary local brewskis and vino all add up to the perfect balance.
There’s even a dog-friendly mini bar, with treats such as Quarter Hounders to keep even the hungriest pooch happy. Throw in dog beds (you can bring two dogs if you want) and in-room dog toys to purchase, and you have the perfect hotel to chill.
We’re yet to check if you can take your dog into one of the balcony spas for your own private outdoor cinema experience because, well, that’s just getting weird.
If you tire of the perfect beaches and wild surf, head deep into the centre of French Polynesia’s main island where few tourists tread. This is “forest bathing” at its best and even better when guided by Moana, one of the island’s few female mountain guides. Having spent 23 days surviving on her own in these mountains Moana is better than Google when it comes to knowledge about the island’s flora. She picks leaves and wild fruit to smell and taste while pointing out caves she slept in while “cleansing her soul” during her 23 days in the wild.
While this starts out an easy stroll you do end up climbing through dense bush and crossing several rivers, so ya reasonable level of fitness is required. The deep breaths and burning thighs are all worth it though once you spot the cascading Fautaua Waterfall through a clearing in the distance.
It spills into a natural amphitheatre with a deep swimming hole below. Lounging in the cool water is the perfect end to a rather sweaty hike. Moana’s jungle platter of mixed fruits soaked in coconut milk and vanilla is a just reward, too.
Waking up to a golden sunrise at a beachside hotel? How pedestrian. At this Hawaiian address you might spy an amber glow on the horizon at any hour; only it’s not the sun’s rays in the distance. You, my friend, are watching lava spew from one of earth’s most active volcanoes. Situated on the rim of Ki-lauea Caldera, Volcano House is the only hotel in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The property first opened in 1846 as a simple, one-room shelter, but it’s since undergone a multimillion-dollar refurb and added 32 more substantial rooms. With natural wonders on your doorstep the hoteliers have opted to keep things simple. While there’s free wi-fi and an in-room coffee brewer, forget about TVs – there’s a nature documentary happening right outside your window.
Reach new heights in the Tasmanian wilderness at The Keep. This Scottish-style fortress sits on top of a 650-metre-high rocky pinnacle with 360-degree views of the Blue Tier Forest Reserve. Check in here, and it’s just you and the curious wildlife.
Fill the huge granite bathtub set into boulders as the sun sets and watch for shooting stars or the beams from the Eddystone Point Lighthouse as you lie back and soak. Walk to Tasmania’s largest myrtle tree just 10 minutes away, have a picnic at a nearby creek or stoke the outdoor fireplace, grab a deck of cards and just relax.
The stone dwelling, originally built in the early 2010s but recently refurbished to completely update the interiors, is set in a hundred hectares of bush, about a 45-minute drive from St Helens. Mobile reception is patchy, as well, all of which means this is the place to escape to for a few days if you want to retreat from the world and completely relax. Pack a book, fill the esky, lace up your hiking boots and get back to nature.
Just off the coast of Townsville, in Queensland’s north, is a surprising visitor attraction, the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA). It comprises, at the moment, two separate works of art.
The first, a glowing statue off the Strand, a popular waterfront promenade, is Ocean Siren. Modelled on 12-year-old Takoda Johnson, a member of the local Wulgurukaba people, the sculpture changes colour according to the ocean’s temperature using data collected by the Davies Reef weather station. It’s a reminder – and warning – about rising sea temperatures.
About two hours off shore by boat, at John Brewer Reef, is Coral Greenhouse. Anchored at a depth of 18 metres below the ocean’s surface, it consists of a ribbed structure and 20 statues of student scientists.
They make up the first two locations of MOUA; two more – near Palm Island and Magnetic Island – are due to be finished by the end of 2021. All were designed and constructed by underwater sculptor, Jason deCaires Taylor (in consultation with local community groups and traditional owners), who has previously launched projects all over the world, including the Bahamas and Spain. We spoke to him about MOUA.
How did you become an underwater sculptor? After I finished my degree in arts I went to Australia and learned to become a dive instructor on the Great Barrier Reef and taught diving there for some time. Then I moved to other countries around the world, but still really wanted to get back into the arts.
What attracted you to the Museum of Underwater Art? I’ve done lots of other projects around the world, but I’ve never done a substantial project in the Pacific Ocean, and it’s been a great ambition of mine. The diversity of life in the Pacific is much greater than in many of the other places I’ve worked. Queensland is also quite a special place for me because I lived there.
Tell us about Ocean Siren, the statue displayed above the water, just off the Strand in Townsville. I wanted to connect art and science in one piece. Ocean Siren changes colour according to water temperature data and it reflects how the ocean temperature can change. I was keen to show an urban community what’s happening out on the reef, so it connects the community to the reef as well.
You’ve also created Coral Greenhouse at John Brewer Reef, off Townsville. What’s special about that? This is a very different project to some of my previous ones. In the past it’s been about drawing tourists away from reefs. In the Caribbean, for instance, there are very few pristine reefs left. This was a very different proposition. This project was more about drawing people out to the reef to showcase how it is still in fantastic condition and has some of the most amazing corals in the world.
There are statues of 20 schoolchildren in the Greenhouse, too. When we talk about reefs we’re very much talking about what we’re leaving for younger generations. But I also wanted to encourage more youth into exploring the underwater world. Plus, I wanted the local communities – school students, especially – to become ambassadors for the reef.
Northern Territory’s East Arnhem Land is home to the Yolngu people. This vast land has remained unchanged for more than 40,000 years and will touch you with its strong sense of tradition. Journey to one of the homelands with Lirrwi Tourism on a five-day adventure and you’ll be welcomed by a family and immersed into the Yolngu culture. Women will be guided through activities such as weaving, cooking and crafts, while spearfishing and didgeridoo making are available to the men. An exploratory hike along the coastline will bring home just how pristine this land is. By night, Dreamtime stories, passed down over generations, are told by a crackling fire. It’s an experience that will move you to your core. lirrwitourism.com.au
In the jungle, learning to live and survive as the indigenous Penan is a journey back to basics. Taking visitors deep into the heart of the jungle, exploring the national parks and trekking beneath a tangled rainforest canopy to the traditional homes of the Penan tribe, Adventure Alternative offers travellers the opportunity to learn from the indigenous people about their way of life on this epic 16-day adventure. You’ll identify medicinal and edible plants, undertake jungle survival skills and craft traditional gifts, as well as shower in waterfalls, light fires and sleep in a hammock. Once you’ve completed your time with the Penan, you’ll be expertly equipped to embark on a wetland river safari, take a visit to an orangutan rehabilitation centre or search for the native proboscis monkey and Irrawaddy dolphin. adventurealternative.com
Culture is alive in New Caledonia, with an estimated 40 per cent of the archipelago’s total population still made up of the Kanak people. Dedicated to Kanak culture is the architecturally spectacular Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Nouméa. Nestled between Magenta and Tina bays in the Tina Peninsula, the curved wooden structures rise above surrounding woodland and mangroves in this preserved natural site. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the Cultural Centre was designed to replicate the island’s traditional architecture and houses a museum, performance spaces, a library and art centre. Inside the monument, which is named after Kanak leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, visitors will find sculptures, paintings, photographs and regular dance performances that represent Pacific culture. Outside the hut-like buildings is a botanical garden that outlines the importance of nature to the Kanak people and the myth of the creation of man. Get the timing right and you’ll even be treated to a performance by the We Ce Ca group, proving the Tjibaou Cultural Centre is a totally immersive cultural experience. adck.nc
As you traverse the plains near Lake Eyasi in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, you can almost hear the rhythmic footfalls and pulsating chanting of the Hadzabe people. One of the last ancient tribes of hunter-gatherers on the planet, whose way of life has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years, the Hadzabe live in harmony with nature, finding everything they need to survive within the arresting landscapes they call home. A stay at &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania offers the opportunity to meet the Hadzabe and immerse yourself in their way of life. Here, you’ll learn hunting methods and how to forage for tubers, honey and berries in the surrounding shrubbery. After a day of dancing, practising the intricacies of beadwork and listening to stories, you can unwind in your banana leaf-domed stilted suite, inspired by the Masai mud and stick manyatta and decorated with rich fabrics and African antiquities. andbeyond.com
Convention centres generally don’t come to mind when imagining indigenous cultural gatherings and celebrations, but Manito Ahbee is an event unlike any other. Held annually in Winnipeg, the festival draws its moniker from the sacred site in Manitoba’s Whiteshell Provincial Park, where First Nations people gather to share their traditions and teachings and perform ceremonies (its name means “where the Creator sits”). The celebrations kick off with the lighting of the sacred fire, held at The Forks National Historic Site, which signifies the opening of its numerous events. Witness Pow Wow – the celebration of culture and friendship among First Nations communities – where more than 800 dancers come together to show off their skills. See the square dance exhibition and the jigging competition in honour of the Métis community. Discover the myriad trinkets and traditional artworks at the Indigenous Marketplace and Tradeshow. Marvel at artists as they put brush to canvas in live art challenges. Manito Ahbee takes place in May each year. manitoahbee.com
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