OZtralia.tv Blog

Melbourne Australia Is Good For Relaxing

By: Phoenix Arrien

First of all, if you are travelling to Australia in the next few months you will hit cool weather and that means the most blissful of all relaxations: sleeping in.

When you wake up, relax with a long breakfast at any number of all-day breakfast cafes; have a dip in a salt-water spa at the St Kilda Baths; put your body under an expert’s fingers by having a massage; join a winery tour to the surrounding grape regions; or have a picnic along the Yarra River or take cruise to see some of the places of interest in the city or out on the Bay.

Well that was a lovely day, time for bed.

Melbourne, Australia Is More Than Finance

By: Phoenix Arrien

Locals have always known that Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia, is the city for sports and now it is official! Sports marketing body ‘Sports Business International’ has named this city as its ultimate sports city for 2008.

Next on the ladder is Berlin, then Sydney and London hits fourth place.

So if you want sport for your next holiday while traveling in Australia, consider the sportiest of cities: Melbourne. Spectator or participants sports include football, horseracing, greyhound racing, walking, running, cycling, tennis, polo, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, cricket, fencing, golf, bowls, netballs, rugby, skating, softball, soccer, squash, swimming, volleyball, diving, weightlifting and martial arts, just to name a few.

Phew, I think I need a rest after all that. Good thing there are also ways to relax in Melbourne. Let’s look at that tomorrow…after a good night’s rest.

The Great Ocean Road  is AMAZING!

By: Phoenix Arrien

Apart from its stunning views, Seatree is a useful base for visiting the attractions including the region’s new attraction, the Otway Fly. This 600 metre treetop walk, created from steel, snakes its way through moss-covered Myrtle Beech, Blackwood and imposing Mountain Ash. Well worth it, even though there was a distinct lack of wildlife as it is so new they have yet to return to the disturbed forest.

No trip along the Road is complete without a sunset viewing of the Apostles, a group of monument-type cliffs which, losing their grip of the mainland, now stand sentry in a long scattered line in the foaming sea. The enclosing cliffs rise to nearly 70 metres in some places and the highest Apostle is approximately 50 metres from base to tip. They change colour depending on the light, so as the sun sets, the rock catches the warm hues of the fading day while the clouds streak even more colour into the darkening blue sky in competition.

The apostles head a stunning list of natural features along this truly remarkable stretch of coastline. Great names like Pudding Basin Rock, Island Arch, the Razorback, Muttonbird Island, Thunder Cave, the Blowhole, Bakers Oven, London Bridge and the Grotto intrigue and just force you to explore them. Extensive boardwalks and viewing platforms ensure visitors experience sweeping vistas of rugged coastlines.

Activities which offer other angles to viewing this region include hang gliding off the cliffs, horseriding along the beaches and scenic flights buzzing low over the coastline. Good food and wine are dotted around the towns with local chefs making the most of the fresh foods produced in the area, including berries, cheeses, herbs, mustards, vegetables, honey, mussels and crayfish.

It’s a region in which to peer through a window to beautiful scenery, history and adventure as well as peace and quiet, all conspiring to be an ideal drive, one of the best in the world.

Ideal trip length along the GOR is 2-3 days by car. A bus also travels the Road from Geelong.  For more information click here.

Australia’s Southern Road of Wonders

By: Phoenix Arrien

Further along is quieter Apollo Bay, home to fishing boats and a well-attended annual music festival. The crescent shaped beach, ending in a small harbour, shelters marine life from the rougher Southern ocean and I spend a happy hour with a socialable grey seal cavorting by the pier.

Time for a bit of a feed at one of the cafes and a bed at one of the hotels. See you bright and chirpy tomorrow.

It’s not just water we had come to see. The dense, tall-timbered rainforest of the Otway Ranges is a diamond in a region of jewels. Within its massive 88,000 hectares are waterfalls, lakes, glades of massive tree ferns and native animals. Maitland’s rest is a historic little walk taking us through a lush rainforest pocket of ferns and creeks.

Little villages dot the area around the Otways allowing you peace and quiet, the reason Ron Kintscher, a UFO fan loves the area. Living in a pyramid-like structure he built himself (from which he sometimes flashes coloured lights to intrigue passers-by), Ron operates two unique self-contained guest cottages named ‘Seatree’ so named because it is near the sea and he loves trees) in the peaceful little village of Yulong.

He pointed us to neat little secluded beaches you can only get to by foot or boat and the rustic ambience of little places with sweet names like Lavers Hill.

A long soak in one of the Seatree cottage’s spas whilst gazing at the vista of sea, forest and pasture is taking me into blissful relaxation. This is the true escape: beautiful landscapes and luxury surroundings with no doorknocks, phones or faxes squealing their intrusions.

Yawn, final day tomorrow and I will take you to the Apostles for a divine experience.

Australia’s Southern Road of Wonders

By: Phoenix Arrien

Nowhere in Australia does the ‘Irresistible Force’ crash with such spectacular results against the ‘Immovable Object’. Sea, the constant sculpture, and land, the great mass, meet to produce such wild stretches of craggy promontories, sculptured rock and spray and foam that the Great Ocean Road has become Australia’s fourth most visited region for people travelling to Australia or Victoria.

I feel fortunate to have one of the world’s greatest coastal drives at my doorstep - well it begins about 1.5 hours from my doorstep and on a giant continent like Australia that is very close indeed.

I am feeling particularly poignant about the Great Ocean Road because it turns 75 this year.

Carved from rearing cliffs plunging into the wild southern ocean via the sweat of returned servicemen after WWII, it’s a winding motor trail through green forests and along high cliffs with the water never far away.

I read an account of an 88 year old man who visited the returned soldiers when they were working on the Road.

“Men lashed to the trees as they worked…Men working hard like coolies with no machines…hell of a job. Hard and filthy…but they were always well fed.”

Off I go and I am taking you with me. You are gonna love it!

The Great Ocean Road starts at historic Queenscliff perched by the side of Port Phillip Bay and shoots past the slick village of Torquay where surfies blend with the waves pounding off world-famous Bells Beach before diving into blink-and-miss town of Anglesea.

The lighthouse dominates the town, a beacon of hope for the sailing ships which attempted to navigate the treacherous rocky coastline, often fruitlessly. The bones of over 70 ship skeletons dot the area, earning it the name of the Shipwreck Coast.

The place to feel the buzz is Lorne with a vibrant foreshore shopping strip well set up for tourists without losing its holiday feel. I enjoy lattes and seashell shops watching the visitors, locals and the leather-clad bikies (who love grazing the winding road with their knees) mix it together in an eclectic noisy mix. Behind Lorne, away from the centre of town, are clear rivers and waterfalls, walks and lookouts. I explore trails winding through tall trees and walk past caves to skirt around flowing cascades of water.

Staying at the backpacker joint tonight so I can meet some people and ask them what they reckon about the Road. See ya tomorrow.

 PS: The only place, in the world, where you can see full coverage of the Great Ocean Road (in video online) is by visiting: http://www.oztralia.tv/australia-online/australia-video/the-great-ocean-road/

A Look At Australia’s Rough and Tough

By: Phoenix Arrien

A man called Tony Mokbel is back in Australia to face the music as we say here. He is a criminal who was found in Europe and has just been brought back here.

It brings my thoughts to the criminal history of Australia. Britain, who had laid claim to this continent over 200 years ago, ignoring the indigenous population, had a serious over-population problem in its prisons at the time. So they solved it by shipping many of them over here to do hard time trying to create settlements out of a very different land and climate to anything they had previously known.

The criminal-made-good is part of this land now, as many of the convicts did their time and settled here. In the 1800’s and early 1900’s bushrangers roamed the countryside stealing cattle, the odd purse and generally making a name for themselves.

Ned Kelly is the most famous of these bushrangers. He was even portrayed in a few movies, firstly by none other than Mick Jagger and most recently by the newly deceased Australian actor Heath Ledger.

There are many places in Australia that you can travel to see where and what these wild men did. I recently visited the Victorian Highlands where towns such as Glenrowan boast monuments, shops, cafes, hotels and god knows what else, all marking the fact the Ned passed this way, drank at this bar, stepped upon this thresh hold and breathed the same air.

I think of Christopher Skase, a man involved in crime who escaped to Europe and never paid for his misdeeds. He is dead and reviled to this day.

Then there is Alan Bond. He was a hero who financed Australia’s win in 1983’s America’s Cup, got involved in white-collar fraud and ended up in jail. He is out and has been welcomed back into society with warm (if a little wary) arms and a reputation as a bit of a ‘larrikin’.

In true accepting convict fashion: if you do the crime then do the time, then you are all right in this country, mate!

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Photo Courtesy of Queensland Tourism  

By: Phoenix Arrien

One of the great wonders of the world is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR). If you haven’t visited this stretch of water running along the northeast coast it may be time to consider a trip.

The colours and textures - greens, reds, oranges and yellows. The smoothness of rocks and knobbly brittleness of the coral. Fish, eels, clams and all sorts of strange and wonderful life. It’s a different world down there.

However the GBR is in trouble. Bleaching due to warmer temperatures and pollution from agricultural run-off is having a terrible effect on this stunning area. It is sad that many of the world’s reefs are vulnerable. Pollution, overfishing, sedimentation and climate change are wreaking havoc.

The Reef Check Foundation is seeking one million signatures for their International Declaration of Reef Rights (www.reefcheck.org/petition/petition.php) so they can present it to the Heads of State of all countries with coral reefs - 101 of them apparently - at the end of 2008.

This year is the International Year of the Reef and as well as signing the petition we can help by:

-         Choosing sustainable seafood

-         Supporting reef-friendly hotels and tourism operators

-         Not rubbish the land because much of it will end up in the ocean including reefs

Reefs can recover in many ways, however it requires us all to be aware of their vulnerability, as well as their beauty.

From Darwin To The Tiwi Islands

By: Phoenix Arrien

“Ponki!” the old Tiwi lady cried, “if you see two people fighting, just go up to them and say Ponki.” How could people keep fighting if this jovial old lady says the Tiwi word for Peace with such sincerity, delight and a wide toothless smile? The people who inhabit the two Tiwi Islands in the Arafura Sea north of Darwin on Australia’s northern coast, have an innocence and joy that breaks through to even the most jaded visitor.

A regular flight 80km north of Darwin, Australia by light plane takes 30 minutes to touch down at the little airstrip on Bathurst Island, the populated of the two islands and soon everyone is in Tiwi mode - relaxed and smiling.

Doreen was one of the islanders who used to show visitors the way to make colourful baskets as well as the painted barks of the island. After a smoking ceremony, she and others danced their dreaming animals

Doreen had run away from her parents on the other side of the island when she was six, taking her younger sister with her. They were to go and live with an old man as was the island tradition.

Until very recently the Tiwis believed that children are born when spirits enter the woman’s mouth, which could happen at any age. To make sure baby and mother are provided for, baby girls were married at birth to old men, in what was basically a business deal between the new husband and father. This created a surplus of single young men who were understandably frustrated and also understandably looked upon with suspicion. Even though the women were monitored carefully, liaisons in the bush occurred.

Little Doreen crossed the island and came to live in Nugiu, the main centre, where she married a man she loved and now dances her ‘dreamtime being’ - the crocodile!

The only way to see the island is on a tour which will take you to settlements, craft stores, cultural experiences and to the eerie burial sites sprinkled around its southern end. The person who coined the phrase “endless beaches” must have seen the island’s wide white sands that cradle the expanse of bright blue sea of this tropical paradise.

Green Vacations in Australia

By: Phoenix Arrien

Want to travel to Australia and stay somewhere a little greener? A resort in the sunny north-eastern state of Queensland has become Australia’s first 100 percent solar-powered and carbon-neutral tourism operator.

Hidden Valley Cabins and Tours on the Paluma range - one and a half hours northwest of Townsville - now leads this country in a crucial environmental initiative. Owners Ian and Bonnie McLennan use alternative natural power sources as well as purchasing carbon credits and using to offset any green house gases which are released.

It is a stand-alone operation drawing no support from a power grid. The McLennan’s have introduced a range of carbon-friendly initiatives including replacing conventional light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs and minimising waste by compacting food and paper products for use in the garden.

Other green initiatives include educating guests and the public on the importance of protecting wildlife; building low impact walking tracks; recycling all aluminium cans, papers and cardboards; planting native trees and vegetation; and building with local timber.

The original Hidden Valley Cabins were established in 1982 to cater for timber cutters, tin miners and graziers in the area. Ian and Bonnie McLennan bought the resort 21 years ago, demolishing the existing buildings and rebuilding the entire resort.

The frame work and roof trusses are made from selectively logged local hard wood and the outside cladding on the buildings is railway sleeper off cuts which were commissioned to be burnt if not purchased by the McLennan’s.

The McLennan’s also undertook substantial revegetation to replace any native trees or plants lost in construction. A swag of awards has found its way to their wall and mantelpiece: Best Hosted Accommodation, Best New Tourism Development 2007 and a finalist in the 2007 Queensland Tourism Awards for best Hosted Accommodation.

Situated near Running River on the western slope of the Paluma range, it is home to varying species of birds, butterflies, wallabies, lace monitors, platypus and nocturnal animals.

Do You Need A Guide Book While in Australia?

By: Phoenix Arrien

The guidebook industry (especially here in Australia) is buzzing with the release of a book by a former Lonely Planet (LP is an Australian travel guide book company) writer Thomas Kohnstamm. He has written about getting poor pay while researching guidebooks, how he reverted to various shady practices to get by while writing them and how some parts of guide books are researched at a desk, instead of out on the road.

Now I am not going to enter into the current debate about guidebooks, their effectiveness and the ripple - no tidal wave - that has been unleashed amongst the guidebook companies because of this.

What I am interested in is our dependence on guidebooks in the first place. Before travel writers, people simply headed off with perhaps, just a list of recommendations from friends. How exciting!

As a travel writer, I often take guidebooks along just get an overview of what there is of interest, mainly because I lack the time to wander around a place, get lost and find myself again.

Someone else has been there before and has done the hard legwork…most of the time. I have found them useful most of the time and wrong a little of the time and completely useless and a timewaster in just a few cases.

I think that guidebooks are, on the whole, very useful, though I am glad there has been this recent shake-up. I think improvements in guidebooks will arise from this event.

But back to our dependence. Next time you are travelling in Australia, leave the guidebook in your room for a day…or a week. Go out amongst the people and the kangaroos and wander. You will find surprises and challenges that guidebooks often keep out of reach.

You may also get lost and have to actually walk up to someone and ask directions, thereby meeting the locals. What fun!