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The Australian Gourmet Traveller’s 2009 Traveller Awards has recently been published and you’ll find some outstanding attractions. The panel of travel experts comes up with a shortlist of nominations in each category then voting is open to Gourmet Traveller’s readers. An enthusiastic 33000 readers voted this year. We can offer you the best deals so please feel free to contact us : info@australiantravel.us

 

 

Here are the Winners and Runners-up;

 

Readers Choice Awards:

Best Eco-tourism experience:

Winner: Wilson Island in Queensland.

 

Runners up: Freycinet Experience Walk and Maria Island Walk in Tasmania.

Best Family Experience:

Winner: Sea World Resort and Water

Park, Gold Coast

Runners-up: Sovereign Hill, (Melbourne) and Australia Zoo ( Brisbane)

Best Small Luxury Hotel:

Winner: Emporium Hotel, Brisbane

Runners-up: Islington, Hobart and Lake

House, Daylesford.

Best Adventure Tourism:

Winner: Orion Expedition Cruises

Runners-up: Cradle

Mountain Walk in Tasmania and

Aurora Expeditions.

Best hosted accommodation ( B & B )

Winner: Hunter Valley Cooperage (

Sydney)

Runners-up: Cotterville, Victoria  and Ooraminna Station Homestead.

Best indigenous tourism experience:

Winner: Anangu Waai, Northern Territory

Runners-up: Kooljaman at Cape Leveque, Western Australia and Guurbi Tours in Queensland.

Best Lodge:

Winner: Cradle Mountain Lodge,

Tasmania

Runners-up: Silky Oaks Lodge ( Cairns) and Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Isl.

Best Resort Accommodation:

Winner: Qualia, Hamilton

Island

Runners-up: Emma Gorge Resort and El Questro  in Western Australia.

Best Health/Spa Retreat

Winner: Salus Spa,Lake House, Daylesford

Runners-up: Qualia on Hamilton Island and Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa, VIC.

Best Large Luxury Hotel:

Winner: Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast

Runners-up: The Langham, Melbourne and Park Hyatt, Sydney.

Best new Hotel/Resort/Lodge

Winner: Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island.

Runners-up: A tie for second place between Qualia on Hamilton Island and Emporium Hotel in

Brisbane.

Best Eco Tourism:

Winner: Wild Bush Luxury

Runners-up: Maria Island Walk in Tasmania and

Montague

Island in NSW.

 

In 2006 the Australian Traveller published an article about a pub crawl which I thought I should mention here. It is a great adventure.

No-one’s averse to a pub-crawl. It’s practically what made this nation great. And forget riding through history on the sheep’s back – a South Australian tour operator has taken the Aussie Pub-Crawl and given it wings. As they rather accurately point out: “It’s 500km between hotels, so your ‘designated driver’ is a pilot.”

Taking in some of the iconic – as well as unheard-of – destinations in the deep outback, this is a four-day odyssey through spectacular scenery: the Flinders Ranges and magnificent Wilpena Pound from the air, over Lake Torrens and the opal mining area of Andamooka, on to William Creek and her famous Hotel, then into Queensland to Birdsville and her even more famous Hotel, as well as Innamincka, the Burke and Wills Dig Tree and heaps more – half from the air, half from the ground via 4WD, passing through three states in all.

It’s basically a four-day journey from remote pub to remote pub in your own private aircraft, with loads of rugged terrain, history and outback culture to fill in the gaps. A truly unique way to see Australia.

Book with us to taste the beers of outback Australia !

At one stage in 2008 the Australian dollar was on par with is American cousin. Now suddenly, you only pay 60 US cents to get an Australian dollar so the cost of visiting us has almost halfed!

This is indeed good news for any Americans planning to visit Australia in 2009. Add to this many special airfares both continental and locally.

 We have been arranging tours in Australia and New Zealand for our US visitors since 1986 and there are two tours that remains the most popular. The first is the Australian Highlights Tour, the second the Australian New Zealand Highlights Tour. Both of them gives you Australia in a nutshell so to say and the advantage of any of these tours is that you can take them at any time of the year. There are no set departures as it is an individual tour.

Individual in that you travel between the centres in Australia by air and you are met by local representatives at each location and local touring is with local guides which is always an advantage.

To make it even more attractive for you in 2009 we will send you a box of two crystal wine glasses for each booking. Have a look at them on the website www.2ecm8.com/9.html. These glasses are designed in Australia then handcrafted and etched by master craftsmen and is an excellent gift for you to keep or give to some friend.

Australia, the much-anticipated action-adventure movie starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, alongside Australia’s Top End’s breathtaking scenery, is the inspiration for one of the more exciting tours in Australia during 2009/10.

With the comparatively stronger US dollar,

Australia offers an amazing value-for-money.

The film by internationally acclaimed director Baz Luhrmann centres on Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), an English aristocrat who reluctantly joins forces with a rugged cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) to save the remote cattle station she inherited from the clutches of local cattle barons.

 The Northern Territory ( the Top End ) provides travellers with the real “Australia” The Movie experience – the dramatic landscapes, the spirit of adventure, a colourful cast of outback characters, abundant wartime heritage, rich indigenous culture and Darwin’s historic

Stokes

Hill

Wharf, the location for a number of scenes in

Australia the movie.

Australian Travel Services has produced a tour that will take in some locations where a number of scenes were taken and in addition enjoy one of the world’s great train journey on The Ghan between Adelaide and

Darwin. One of the advantages of

Australia – the Tour is that it can be taken at any time and it can be personalized as well.   With arrival in Sydney any day of the week you then spend two nights here which includes 4star accommodation, transfers and sightseeing before you move on to Adelaide, where a tour to the famous vineyards of

Barossa

Valley is included. Then, another highlight of your trip. Travel in Gold Class on The Ghan via Alice Springs to Katherine in the

Northern Territory. During the stop in

Alice Springs you will join a highlight tour of the town and a  cruise on the famous Gorge in Katherine, spend a day at an outback cattle station,dine under the stars and enjoy a Stockman’s dinner.  The tour continues to Darwin with a day trip into

Kakadu

National Park and a cruise on the Yellow Waters Billabong.  For more details of the tour please go to website www.australiantravel.us

Australia’s No. 1 national newspapers “The Australian” has just announced the winners of their Travel & Tourism Awards for 2007 and for anyone planning a trip to Australia this should be worth reading. Any bookings and further enquiries please contact us on info@australiantravel.us. Our website: www.australiantravel.us

Full results

• BEST LUXURY ACCOMMODATION - Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa, NSW
• BEST RESORT ACCOMMODATION - Cable
  Beach Club Resort,
  Broome, WA
• BEST VALUE ACCOMMODATION - Vibe Savoy Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
• BEST HOSTED ACCOMMODATION - Kims Beach Hideaway, Toowoon
  Bay, NSW
• BEST LODGE ACCOMMODATION - The Lodge at Tarraleah, TAS
• BEST FAMILY FOCUSED TOURISM - Sydney Wildlife World
• BEST ECO/WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE - Bay of
  Fires Walk, TAS
• BEST ADVENTURE TOUR OPERATOR - Balloon Aloft, Hunter
  Valley, NSW
• BEST INDIGENOUS TOURISM EXPERIENCE - Anangu Waail, Uluru, NT
• BEST HERITAGE TOURISM - Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT
• BEST FOOD EXPERIENCE - Stillwater Restaurant and The Mill Providore, Launceston, TAS
• BEST WINERY RESTAURANT - The Restaurant at Voyager Estate, Margaret
  River, WA
• BEST DESTINATION SPA EXPERIENCE - Mineral Spa, Peppers Springs Retreat, Hepburn Springs, VIC
• BEST INNOVATIVE TOURISM EXPERIENCE - Sydney Seaplanes Fly & Dine Experiences, NSW
• BEST TOUR OPERATOR - Maeve O’Meara Gourmet Safaris

For any visitor to Alice Springs in the center of Australia here is a somewhat unusual tour which involves camels helicopters and the Southern Skies.

Discover more of the camel history of Australia and get to know these gentle characters on a one hour ride.

Explore the Todd River with its varied plant and animal life, followed by a interesting visit to the Camel

Museum and the Camel Shop. “

Continue on with a complimentary glass of bubbly before taking to the skies in your own private helicopter. Fly to Honeymoon Gap, along Mt Gillen ridgeline to Heavitree Gap, taking in the spectacular views of Alice Springs as the sun’s rays light up the desert ranges.

Finally for a perfect end to a perfect day! Enjoy your pre-dinner drinks whilst watching the sun go down over the magnificent MacDonnell Ranges.

As the night sky unfolds above you enjoy a scrumptious 3 course dinner in the Milky Way Café and listen as our star presenter explains the star filled heavens above. Have a look through the high powered telescopes to see the wonders of the universe.

Price: AUD 320.00 per person until 31 March 2008. Check with us for cost after that date.  

By the way; The first Australian camel was called Harry and arrived from the Canary Islands in 1840. He knocked his owner John Horrocks , who was loading his rifle at the time . John died from the resulting injuries, but note before asking that Harry be summarily executed.

The Australian has presented the finalists in their 2007 Travel @ Tourism Awards and I thought it could be of interest to those who prefers this sort of accommodation whilst visiting Australia.

Burrawang West Station , central New South Wales. The ultimate Aussie dude ranch, Burrawang sprawls across 4000 ha of big-sky Lachlan River country between Parkes and Condobolin and offers guests the chance to experience a working cattle station in style. Life revolves around the handsomely appointed homestead where formal dinners feature produce grown on the farm. Casual meals are taken poolside or under the river gums. Guests are accommodated in 12 suites located within four luxury lodges and spend a stay here bird watching, exploring on quad bike or spinning yarns around the campfire.

Kimberley Coastal Camp, Western Australia. Perched on a small peninsula overlooking the Timor Sea and accessible only be helicopter, this simple but stylish retreat may be angler’s heaven but it is equally suited for those wishing to explore by boat and on foot (there are no roads) the region’s abundant wildlife and striking rock arrt. Guest gazebos offer sea views, the communcal Shed, with a raked ceiling. is the place to compare fishing notes while tucking into fantastic meals harvested from surrounding waters; barramundi, oysters and mud crab. Budding David Attenboroughs will be in seventh heaven as they encounter crocodiles, turtles, dingoes and cheeky quolls.

Kims Beach Hideaway, Toowon Bay, New South Wales. A century in the making, this renowned NSW central coast hideaway combines the best of the old and new worlds. From the groaning buffet table ( with meals sounded by a ship’s bell)) to the luxurious guest villas, some with private pools. Kims has kept pace with the times without sacrificing its disarmingly old-fashioned sense of hospitality. Tucked amid lush gardens beside a sweep of beach and bay, it feels a million miles from anywhere yet Sydney lies barely more than an hour away. This combination of impeccable service and dress-circle location locale has been luring regulars for decades.

North Bundaleer, Jamestown, South Australia.  Located 30 minutes north of the Clare Valley amid rolling hills, this handsome, listed homestead, rescued from decaded of neglect and painstakingly restored , continues to garner rave reviews from international visitors astonished to find such an oasis in the middle of nowhere. Bundaleer combines the grandeur of yesteryear (thinks gentleman’s library and ballroom) with a relaxed friendliness that sees guests congregating by the Aga stove for a cuppa. The four luxurious guestrooms are impeccably appointed, right down to the innovative ensuites that include a converted conservatory.

Peppers Calstock, Deloraine, Tasmania. Once home to 19th century Melbourne Cup champions, the charming 1837-built Calstock, 45 minutes from Launceston it today an up-market guesthouse internationally known for its standout cuisine and refined interiors. This handsome Georgian homestead features seven individually decorated rooms and two suites in French country style. Chef Daniel Tourancheau continues the Gallic theme with seasonal menus built around locally available produce served in a charming restaurant overlooking the garden. Cooking classes are a popular optional extra.

Thorn Park Country House, Clare Valley, South Australia. More than two decades ago, David Hay and Michael Speers transformed a near derelict 1850s homestead into one of Australia’s best-loved country house hotels. Thorn Park is still the rural getaway of choice for bon vivants. Hay is an exceptional chef and runs cooking classes; there’s a convivial breakfast table and cosy guestrooms (catering to a maximum of six couples). The house party vibe extends from open fires and well-thumbed books to long country walks and the occassional post-prandial opera recital.

The Gourmet Traveller Magazine in

Australia has recently published their inaugural “Travel Awards” to celebrate the nation’s best experiences from finest five-star hotel to de luxe outback accommodation and the best in adventure and eco-tourism. All these can be booked through us by a visit to our website at http://www.australiantravel.us . Our email: hans@australiantravel.us

So, for all our clients world wide here is a list for 2007 according to Gourmet

Traveller.

 

Best Outback Accommodation – Longitude 131,  Ayers Rock 

Since opening in 2002 Longitude 131 has redefined the central Australian Experience by offering a sophisticated oasis in the midst of the endless Desert . Only 30 people at a time can enjoy the pampered luxury of Longitude’s Upmarket “tents” with catering and amenities pitched at the most discerning

Travellers.

Ayers Rock is only about 10 kilometers away from the resort , and the Rock is Central to the experience here – you can join sunrise or sunset tours to marvel at the monolith or simply admire it from your suite through windows angled to provide every guest with a bulls-eye view of the national icon.

 

Visitors learn about the ecology and the environment of this remote region as well as its significance to the local Anangu people. And at night they can dine decadently beneath the brilliant desert sky at white clothed tables set on an isolated dune. A heavenly experience.

 

Judge’s comment – “ An excellent example of how to bring a new concept to an old product – cool and sleek permanent safari tents right  out on the red dirt floor near Uluru . Great fun!”

Runners up: Wrotham Park in

Queensland and El Questro Wilderness Park in

Western Australia.