OZtralia.tv Blog

What You Need To Know About Getting A Visa

Editor’s Note: Well, what do we have to say about getting a visa to Australia? It is a pretty easy process and the goverment welcomes travelers. However, you should be very sure to keep your visa current. Our publisher once let his visa expire and was almost deported from the country. Luckily, the folks at the visa office on the Gold Coast were nice… but not everyone is so lucky.

By: Phoenix Arrien

Applying for visas is one of the least exciting aspects of getting to Australia; oh those long immigration processing lines. However one program that allows travelers to skip the visa and directly enter Australia and certain other countries in this region is offered by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Recently the US and Mexico began to allow program members to take advantage of expedited immigration processing at airports. There are hopes that one day all 21 APEC countries will take part.

The program pre-screens travelers to enter participating countries (using a card) without needing a visa. If you want to get a card you need to show a need for frequent extended stays for business and not have a criminal record.

It is mainly for business travelers but you may qualify and it sure beats the long lines… checkout www.apec.org/apec/business_resources/apec_business_travel0.html

Taking Flight over OZ’s Darwin

By: Phoenix Arrien

I love Australia from ground or air. Right now I am in the air and the plane is cruising over the Northern Territory, a patch (oh, the size of some European countries) of wilderness, cattle stations, indigenous country and the odd town.

Below me are the fabulous muted colours that are so Australia. Patchworks of browns and greens, parted by the octopus tentacles of great rivers. Plumes of smoke roll from one spot for it’s the burning season up North. The land is burnt to facilitate fresh growth and food for wildlife, as well as to stop wildfires in the hot summer season. It’s an indigenous practice that is now widely used in the tropical North.

Down to the runaway in Darwin - at least I hope there is a runaway here somewhere, all I can see is sparse scrub…oh there it is.

Darwin has an entirely different atmosphere to anywhere else. The median age is 29 so it buzzes and jumps at night due to a lively pub scene. It is also the gateway to incredibly diverse environments and tourism attractions such as Kakadu, Arnhem land, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge and the Tiwi Islands. Many people use it as a jumping off point to Asia.

Love it!

Airlines in Australia Looking for Green Travel?

By: Phoenix Arrien

I cautiously admire Richard Branson, I mean it is not always easy to like tycoons but as movers and shakers go, at least this man with all his flaws, is doing something green in the travel industry.

For instance: The Australian subsidiary of Virgin Airlines has begun several green initiatives that include cutting water usage by eliminating the need to wash its fleet of aircraft by investing in a high-tech, water resistant “Permagard” sealant. This should save tens of thousands of litres of water. Yay!

The airline is also bringing in a carbon offsetting programme for customers and staff. Passengers can donate to Australian Greenhouse Office approved projects such as forestry activities, energy efficiency measures, and waste diversion and the generation of renewable energies. Virgin Blue has also pledged to commit around AUD$500,000 annually to offset the impacts of its own crew and staff travelling on company business.

As well Virgin Atlantic has successfully demonstrated that they can fly a plane on biofuel. Hats off to them, folks, for this is indeed a step in an interesting direction! There are problems with biofuel; if it competes with food sources and comes from plantations cut out of forests then it only increases the problems. However, this is a step and just the fact that the plane took off and climbed to 25,000 feet is exciting.

Not to be outdone, Rolls-Royce and British Airways have begun investigating alternative aviation fuels. The companies will initiate a joint tender process, inviting suppliers to offer alternative fuel samples for testing on a Rolls-Royce RB211 engine from a British Airways Boeing 747. The tests will be carried out on an indoor engine test bed at the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, UK.

Four alternative fuels will be selected for testing, trials and the results reported based on suitability, sustainability and industrial capability.

Other airlines that are testing alternative fuels include a Middle Eastern airline and many airlines are looking at ways to cut fuel consumption including Finnish and New Zealand Airways.

Let’s hope we can keep flying into the future…in sustainable ways.

Flying High

By: Phoenix Arrien

I am flung into the air like a pebble from a slingshot. My head slams back into the seat as we shoot into the sky. Eyeballs rotating, teeth vibrating, I almost throw my breakfast down onto the town passing below us, until a calm and slightly amused voice next to my ear tells me to relax. Aaaah that’s better.

As the little tin can soars into the great expanse of sky above Mt Beauty, then levels out and glides, I look around and realise why Mt Beauty is called such a name. Beneath me, a long valley stretches out, bordered by rearing mountains (One of these mountains is the state of Victoria’s highest, Mount Bogong) that plunge enormous green feet into the valley’s soft meadows and pastures - a stark contrast between a promise of comfort on the flatlands and wild adventure on the rugged slopes and ridges.

When the SEC (former power company) created the township of Mt Beauty in the 1940’s to cater to the workers building the Kiewa Hydro-electricity Scheme, I wonder if they realised what a beautiful place this area was.

Of course they must have. They named it Mt Beauty after all!

Range upon range of startling blue mountains, slashed with brilliant white snow, herringbones the horizons. My volunteer gliding pilot, one of several who take visitors flying, flys our plane above it all, catching thermals and floating in that big blue expanse.

It’s a mind-blowing experience; with no engine noise or vibrations and a mere patch of Perspex between you and the wind, its like riding a huge eagle. I realise why people who fly without engines are addicted…and they are. After touch down I tried not to hop from one foot to another with excited impatience, ready for my next go at gliding.

Tomorrow…more freedom in the mountains.

Airlines: The New and the Old

By: Phoenix Arrien

Airlines: The New and the Old

Currently there are some major restructuring involving domestic flights around Australia. Rising fuel prices are either the reason or the excuse for some airlines to cut services on some non-profitable routes.

Not that cut routes will matter too much, as other airlines eye the cut routes and often pick them up using different times or days of the week to see if they can make them work. It’s a little tweaking of this and nudging of that as the airways landscape ripples then settles into the next phase.

And while we are on the subject of flying, Australia is about to welcome several newlines:

Indonesian airline, Lion Air which will begin Australian operations later this year.  The airline is expected to operate international routes, however have not ruled out the possibility of “some” domestic routes.

The newest international airline to emerge is managed by the formidable Virgin Blue group. ‘V Australia’ is a new premium, three class airline based in Sydney and flying the trans-Pacific route.

A budget airline on the Australia - USA route will mean more than a just ripple for the current airlines servicing this meaty flight path. Prices are set to start at $1899 which at current prices is competitive, though not hugely so.

However competition is welcome. Bring it on!

Charlie and Livingstone

By: Phoenix Arrien

It’s lovely stumbling upon Outback gems. The people and places type of gems - not the rock type though they are fun too.

In the top end of Australia a few hours southeast of Darwin is a station called Annaburro. I visited it and sat down with ‘Rex’ the owner:

“One of the reasons I brought Annaburroo,” he explains, “was to preserve a part of the old Outback. No development here! All the old buildings of the former station have been preserved.”

Nearby, ‘Yellow Charlie’s shed’ still stands, testimony to a local character who acted in the well known Australian outback film ‘Jedda’. Charlie may have been rough and involved in more than one fight, but Rex thinks he was a loving man. “Why he kept his wife’s bones in a suitcase rather than have her out there in a cold grave,” he explains with a twinkle in his eye.

Whilst maintaining the character of the place, Rex cleaned it up and gently transformed Annaburroo into an oasis, where visitors can kick back, swim and take time out. It has one of the only crocodile-free swimming holes in the area so it is well worth the stop.

However it’s not only the fascinating people you meet but also animals. Livingstone the Brahman Steer thinks he is a horse and is a fixture in a small horsey band that wanders around the campsite. A Water Monitor ambles around the trees, looking like a mini-dinosaur. Eagles spread their great wings surfing the wind currents above. Black kites dip and wheel in a day long aerial dance, cockatoos screech and finches dart among the bushes.

Aaah, yes another pleasant day in the Outback.

Richard Branson’s Australian Retreat

By: Phoenix Arrien

On a visit to Noosa on the east coast of Australia, I took a cruise through that region’s waterways and we passed a lovely-looking island with house on it. ‘Richard Branson’s island,’ said the guide.

The billionaire Virgin chief is building a luxury retreat for his staff on this island - called Makepeace Island - it is going be a two million pound, nine-hectare estate. Plans for a country club and helipad have been scrapped after environmental concerns.

The locals are still grumbling about the removal of trees and the 85-year-old timber house built in the classic ‘Queenslander’ style including wraparound porches.

Richard brought it for one million pounds in 2003. Nice to know those cheerful Virgin employees will have a swanky holiday hideout. Mind you, Noosa has plenty of swankiness.

More on that hip little town soon.

Traveling In Australia Is Safe For Females

By: Phoenix Arrien

I have never had a problem while travelling Australia as a single female. This country is one of the safest in the world - bar the wildlife. However many people do feel uneasy in strange places, so there are a few things we can do while enjoying this grand land to help us feel more relaxed while travelling solo.

At your accommodation:

• Check in under your last name and first initial only

• Ask if you room has a deadbolt

•   Request the bellman to accompany you to your room

• Keep your hotel door locked at all times and never open it to a stranger

Away from the hotel

•  Be constantly aware of your surroundings and focus on the present, not where you will be that night

•  If you are being followed in a street or parking lot, bang on cars to set off alarms

•  Keep hands free and not tangled in bags

• Ask for help. Australia has one of the world’s friendliest populations.

Lentil As Anything

By: Phoenix Arrien

Ya gotta hand it to some people. From an idea, emerges a seed, then from a seed a sprout, until you have several plants springing up around the place.

Lentil As Anything is one of those amazing ideas that you wouldn’t believe would work but has.

Begun by Shanaka Fernando who grew up in a third world country and wanted to create ‘circumstance of inclusivity’ that is, assist community and trust through having no fixed price on food.

It’s true, you walk up to a Lentil As Anything restaurant or kiosk and ask for what you want then put whatever you think it is worth or a donation if you are poor in a money box on the counter. No worries, no problems, just delicious vegetarian food.

It works too. There are several restaurants around Melbourne and related community projects. See more on http://lentilasanything.com and drop in to one next time you are travelling to Melbourne, Australia – it is more than just a food experience!

Low Coast Air Travel

By: Phoenix Arrien

Low cost carriers (LCC’s) or budget airlines as they are commonly known, have transformed the way people travel in Australia.

I just booked a flight with Tiger Airways from Melbourne on the south coast to the Sunshine coast two thirds of the way up the continent for $69AUD. This is a 2 ½ hour flight and is extremely good value.

There is a difference of course. You pay for check-in luggage, you don’t get meals or blankets (though you can pay for them) and you are bound to end up wedged between a crying toddler ripping his mum’s blouse apart and a long-bodied surfer with elbows like a praying mantis.

Fuel is a big cost, so it is my opinion that the ride is more turbulent, because the pilots do not climb as high as often as the normal carriers to find some calmer air space.

Still, you get there and you have enough money left over to BYO a bit booze for the party.