ESSENTIAL AUSTRALIA

The high50 guide to

NEW SOUTH WALES

and

CAIRNS &GREAT BARRIER

REEF

TRAVEL GUIDES FOR GROWN-UPS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Best Overall Cellar, Best First Class Cellar, Best Business Class Cellar.

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It’s aboutour inflight wine cellarsbeing voted above the rest of the world.

Cellars in the Sky Awards 2013.

CONTENTS

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14NATURE & WILDLIFEIt’s not just koalas and kangaroos, you know

FOOD & WINEWorld-beating wineries and the freshest cuisine

ARTS & CULTUREFrom beach to bush, these lands are abuzz

GETTING THEREStart your adventure with Qantas

BEACHES & ISLANDSIconic shores for surfing, snorkelling and more

JOURNEYSTailor-made excursions from Travelbag

ADVENTURESFeel the thrills in Australia's adrenaline states

ESSENTIAL AUSTRALIAWhy these regions are the essence of Down Under

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Sydney

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Cairns

NEW SOUTH WALES AND CAIRNS & GREAT BARRIER REEF

ESSENTIALAUSTRALIA

When you’re on a gap year, you travel rough on a unique, eye-opening voyage of self-discovery. When you’re a grown-up, you prefer regular breaks, in comfort and style. For us, now, the best discovery is a new fusion restaurant or a deserted beach, a little-known cellar door or a tailored nature trip through the bush.

Australia offers that kind of experience, and it too has grown up. It has become a world leader in fine

wine and fresh local cuisine, nurtured its own cultural talent and enviably balances thrills with chills.

As for ‘Essential Australia’, New South Wales, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef are the regions that define ‘down under’ for us. From Sydney's sightseers' icons to rainforest and reef paradises in the tropical north, visiting now that our wanderlust and our wallets are a little more aligned makes the most of this great nation.

The indigenous people talk about a ‘dream time'. A high50 visitor might think it's still going on.

The ‘lucky country’ has come of age. Now you can explore it and relax in grown-up style, too

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Cairns

Great Barrier ReefAt high50.com, the modern concept of what it means to be 50-plus is not only celebrated, it is re-defined. It’s a community for active, engaged adventurers, with more time, wealth and health than ever.

And these parts of eastern Australia are our kind of destination, from the iconic city sights to the unexpected adventures and wondrous wildlife.

‘The Spirit of Australia’ can be found in the skies above, too. Qantas flies daily from London Heathrow to Sydney, with convenient connections

to Cairns and the regions, and award-winning food and drink on board.

For land-based adventures, turn to Travelbag. For more than 30 years it has been tailor-making holidays. For knowledge, value and sheer range of options, it is unsurpassed.

This grown-up guide shows you New South Wales, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef from the high50 point of view. Now it’s time to discover your own.

Discover Essential Australiahigh50.com/essential-australia

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ARTS AND CULTURE

To experience Queensland’s tropical north through the eyes of its ancient custodians, you must take the Bama Way – from Cairns to Cooktown – with one of three Aboriginal-owned tours. They explore the land’s rich natural resources, from ‘songlines’ (Aboriginal journey-cum-pilgrimages) to food foraging. The nearby sea makes for more than a fishy feast: it is an essential stop for divers, snorkellers, sailors – and some of the world’s toughest ironmen.

Water sports apart, the annual Cairns Airport Adventure Festival’s biggest challenge is Ironman Cairns: a gruelling triathlon from reef to rainforest. Sounds more like Sydney’s beach culture? You’d be surprised.

Whether on the beach or in the bush, these are lands full of cultural surprises, writes Sarah Barrell

On my first visit to Bondi, I found sea urchins. No surprise, you may think. But these creatures were the size of smart-cars, glowing pink and blue against the sand, their lime-green spikes gleaming in the sun. They were part of Sculpture by the Sea, a huge annual coast-side event.

But there’s so much more to Sydney. From late May the city is brightened by Vivid Sydney, a mesmerising display of outdoor lighting sculptures, installations, cutting-edge music, public talks and debates, as well as some spectacular illumination of Sydney's iconic architecture. All this complements the year-round art in the hipper neighbourhoods’ independent galleries and design boutiques.

Wherever you are, the geography makes natural canvasses for both contemporary and traditional arts. And it sure makes for great backdrops.

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• Go gallery hopping in Sydney’s creative villages: Surry Hills’ artists' studios, Paddington’s big-name galleries and Darlinghurst’s fashion and design shops

• Throw a spear with the

brothers of the Kubirri Warra at Cooya Beach, north of Port Douglas

• Sculpture by the Sea transforms the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk into a vast sculpture park

• Witness awesome rock

art with indigenous guide and Nugal-warra elder Willie Gordon outside Cooktown, Queensland

• Get your groove on at Byron Bay Bluesfest (17-21 April) in the idyllic surrounds of Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm. This year’s bill includes Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, Dr John and The Wailers

Five arts and culture experiences

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ADVENTURES

Imagine a lone figure perched on a rock spur, surrounded by miles of pristine wilderness. That was me in the Blue Mountains, after trekking for three hours along the path from my hotel. Sitting in silence, I tried to absorb the heart-stopping panorama.

Earlier, I’d been diving off Lord Howe Island, a scuba paradise with some of the clearest waters on earth (and 500-plus species of fish). From Coffs Harbour, I’d been whale watching. At Diggers Beach I tried to surf. But I found my level canoeing through nearby Bongil Bongil National Park.

For more excitement and wildlife adventures take a short hop on Qantas to tropical north Queensland. Take a boat to see saltwater crocodiles on the

Daintree River. Or make like a bird over Cairns, in tandem with a skydive assistant, a reminder that this is the spiritual home of extreme sports.

Whatever your fitness level, there’s an activity to suit. Say you start with a kayak round Fitzroy Island, progress to rafting on the gentle Barron River, and get your first taste of the real thing with a Tully Raft Adventure. The next you know, you could be tearing along on an Xtreme Adventure faster than the raging, roaring waterways that flow through the rainforests round Cairns.

Back on my promontory, a hang-glider loomed into view. As we waved to each other, it struck me that we might be mutually impressed and envious. But we were both having a blast.

Beaches, diving, rainforests and rapids: Tim Pozzi feels the thrills in Australia's two adrenaline states

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Five memorable adventures

• Float over the treetops north of Cairns, by cable car or zipline, and get a bird’s-eye view of the world’s most ancient rainforest

• Kayak in Jervis Bay's clear

waters, mangroves and protected coves that are home to an abundance of wildlife including playful dolphins, migrating humpback whales and all manner of fish and bird life

• Take a four-wheel drive across Cape Tribulation, where the reef and the rainforest meet

• Drive the Waterfall Way route between Bellingen and Dorrigo, one of the world’s great drives, from the tablelands to the coast

• Fly by helicopter above the Great Barrier Reef’s coral cay, and land for champagne

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FOOD AND WINE

As every foodie knows, Australia is now a world culinary centre. So Sydney, unsurprisingly, is replete with fine dining establishments.

The city’s other great advantage is its proximity to some significant wine regions: the Hunter Valley, Orange and the more distant Mudgee.

One of Australia’s oldest wine towns, Mudgee, a 45-minute plane ride across the Blue Mountains, is now making modern, balanced wines that should soon be contenders for awards. There are scores of cellar doors and, for such a small place, some excellent dining establishments.

From fresh Sémillon to self-caught sushi, Graham Boynton takes a gastronomic odyssey

Head up to northern Queensland’s offshore treasures, and you can learn to catch and cook your own food with an indigenous guide. For luxuries, visit Biboohra’s Golden Drop Winery, home to a variety of mango-based drinks; or smell the coffee – literally – at the Skybury tropical plantation. Then stay among the trees for dinner.

Ten minutes from Port Douglas, Flames of the Forest serves up a unique repast under a chandelier-hung awning, surrounded by rainforest. You’ll never taste smoked crocodile rillette or lightly seared kangaroo loin in such an awe-inspiring setting. But up here, it’s not just what you consume but where you consume it. To enjoy a seafood smorgasbord while cruising over clear waters, or a picnic looking over the Great Barrier Reef, is as good as it gets.

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Award-winning chef Neil Perry chooses his foodie favourites

• Take a tasting trip to the Orange wine region. In October it has a ten-day festival of wining and dining

• Eat freshly caught coral

trout on one of the Great Barrier Reef’s plentiful islands

• Explore up-and-coming

Koreatown at the southern end of Sydney's Pitt Street for some great value, authentic cuisine of the moment

• Sample great local produce in the stunning rainforest surrounds of the Atherton Tablelands

• Have an early taster or a farewell Aussie feast when you fly Qantas. (My team and I develop all the menus!) Complement it with a glass from the Best Cellar in the Sky

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Temperate northern Queensland is home to so many of tropical Australia’s beach glories. Up here, in towns such as Mission Beach, you’ll find a cheerful surf and tourist culture for which the beach, fringed by rainforest, is the raison d’etre.

Close by lies the Great Barrier Reef, queen of the whole coast, the most famous (and best-kept) coral reef in the world. There are many different ways to experience it: from remote and luxurious to eco-friendly and idyllic. You can even take a helicopter out to the stunning sands of Vlasoff Cay.

Moving north-east, relax in the harbour town of Port Douglas, with its famous Four Mile Beach. But if Four Mile is

The Pacific coast of Australia offers a world-beating bounty of beaches, says Oliver Bennett

BEACHES AND ISLANDS

famous, Bondi Beach is world famous; so symbolic to older Brits, and so emblematic of the ‘lucky country’.

It’s still got it, with a pageant of fitness fanatics blading, boarding and jogging. It has more remote rivals – Tamarama, Bronte and Coogee – but all Sydney’s beaches have their own fans. Manly is a great day-trip, including a pleasing ferry ride over the harbour.

Among the northern beaches of Sydney, Palm Beach – beloved of the smart set – offers great surf and easy walks.

Leave Sydney to seek out the state’s other beaches. There are, after all, 892 of them. Many are surf hotspots, too. Then there’s far-easterly Byron Bay, a wonderful place to greet the sunrise with yoga or learn to surf. But however you wobble, at sundown, just remember to ‘top a cold one’…

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Top five beaches

• Lizard Island is on the Great Barrier Reef, and has 24 white sand beaches and The Cod Hole, one of the Reef’s most famous dive sites

• Hyams Beach, in New South Wales’ Jervis Bay, holds the Guinness world record for the world’s whitest sands, so pack your sunnies

• Four Mile Beach is a beautiful

and beloved stretch of sand at Port Douglas, an hour north of Cairns

• Mission Beach is a laid-back beachfront town with more than ten miles of golden sands. It’s the closest part of the mainland to the Great Barrier Reef and a good muster point

• Byron Bay, the most easterly

part of the Australian mainland, is a surfing honeypot with family beach activity as well as plentiful free-spirits enjoying the vibe

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NATURE AND WILDLIFE

In New South Wales, more than 900 plant, 200 bird and 60 mammal species thrive, not forgetting the 100 species of reptiles and amphibians. And along much of the coast, national parks and forests border the famous beaches – which means sensational spotting can be combined with surf time. But where to start?

We began on Sydney's coastal headlands, watching for migrating humpback whales. Up the coast,

Travelling through Australia’s eastern states, Robin Barton finds awe-inspiring flora and fauna

Byron Bay is also good for this (and the beach life). But the further north, towards Cairns in northern Queensland, the weirder the wildlife gets. Here, kangaroos live in trees and the Southern Cassowary, a five-foot, dome-headed evolutionary throwback patrols the forest.

Continuing north-east, the Atherton Tablelands are bird heaven. But it's the Daintree Rainforest that’s the world-class draw. Uniquely, 130 million-year-old forests meet the Great Barrier Reef here, and both are extraordinarily diverse. Add 430 bird species to 1,500 types of fish. And keep counting.

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Five great nature experiences

• Wade into the sparkling water at Neds Beach on Lord Howe Island to hand-feed the fish. There’s a veritable frenzy of mullet, wrasse, garfish, king fish and more

• The Great Barrier Reef is a wonder, the largest coral reef in the world. Simply a must-do, it’s all here: snorkelling, diving, sailing…

• Cape Tribulation is the only

place in the world where two World Heritage sites – the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef – meet. Stay in luxury at Silky Oaks Lodge on the Mossman River

• The Lyrebird track in

Wollumbin National Park is home to a bounty of wildlife, from treetops to forest floor

• The Blue Mountains, close

to Sydney, are New South Wales’ most popular nature experience. They offer astonishing vistas

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FIVE NIGHTS IN CAIRNS & GREAT BARRIER REEF

FIVE NIGHTS IN SYDNEY AND JERVIS BAY

CAIRNS, SYDNEY AND JERVIS BAY:TEN NIGHTS FROM £1,799pp

Begin with a two-night stay in Cairns. From there you can enjoy a scenic railway ride in nearby Kuranda, and return by gliding above the treetops on the skyrail. Take a trip to Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park before heading north to stay in Port Douglas.

Here you can board a catamaran and cruise to the outer Great Barrier Reef where, at Quicksilver’s pontoon, you can view its remarkable scenery up close from an underwater observatory.

Spend some days exploring Port Douglas and relaxing on its beaches, then seek out the rainforest for a day by taking a cable ferry along the Daintree River and a guided walk along Cape Tribulation’s shores.

Arrive, and the first thing you'll want to do is witness the iconic harbour. With the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House as your backdrop, you can enjoy the great cuisine, fine wine and warm welcome of the friendly locals.

After a day or two city sightseeing, head beachwards for a stay in Coogee. From here, you can access Sydney's legendary Bondi Beach, as well as some quieter, smaller sands.

A trip inland to the Blue Mountains is a must before heading south to Jervis Bay. Base yourself in Paperbark Camp’s luxury tented accommodation and explore the nearby national parks and abundant marine life.

JOURNEYS

Cairns, Sydney and Jervis Bay package includes return Economy flights with Qantas. Prices from £1,799 per person. Book by 27 April. Fares based on selected May and June 2014 departures. Visit travelbag.co.uk/essential-australia for more information

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MOTORHOME EXPLORER: 13 NIGHTS FROM £979ppMAKE YOUR OWN ROADTRIP

To make the most of some of the world’s most exhilarating drives, hire a campervan and create your own itinerary. Begin your journey in either Sydney or Cairns, choose from an impressive range of vehicles and enjoy the open road.

• Experience Since 1979 we've offered more than just package holidays

• Tailor-made for you

We tailor-make every holiday we create. So if there’s something specific you want to see or do, we’ll do all we can to work it into your itinerary

• Unrivalled service You’re more than a customer, you’re someone we want to help see the world the way you want to see it. That’s why we assign you your own dedicated Aussie specialist

• Quality and choice Because we only work with properties and airlines that meet our exacting standards, you can be sure that your trip will be of the highest quality

• Total peace of mind Unlike some other travel companies, we’re protected by ABTA, IATA and ATOL. Because we’re protected, it means you’re protected too

The Australian experts

Rent a motorhome for 13 nights from £979pp, including return Economy flights with Qantas. Visit travelbag.co.uk/essential-australia for more information

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GETTING THERE

‘The Spirit of Australia’. That’s what we call ourselves at Qantas. And that’s how we operate.

At the international level, like New South Wales’ buzzing capital, we’re contemporary and cosmopolitan, relaxed yet very stylish. At the local level, we’re like Queensland’s stunning, tropical north: gateway to a myriad jaw-dropping destinations.

Our ultra-modern award-winning A380s, fly daily from London Heathrow to Sydney, where you can conveniently connect to Cairns with the unrivalled Qantas domestic network. Make savings by booking the Qantas Walkabout Pass with your international flight.

In Qantas First, your suite contains an ottoman, a seat that becomes an extra-

Fly Qantas to Sydney and connect to Cairns for your Australian adventure

wide bed, plus luxurious sleepwear. Your meals are designed by Aussie super-chef Neil Perry, and a sommelier can advise you on your choice of award-winning wines.

In Business, you can enjoy many first-class trimmings in your Skybed. Premium Economy flyers still eat Perry-inspired meals – and every cabin offers a huge range of inflight entertainment.

Back on land, you may want to explore Sydney and New South Wales before proceeding to Cairns, one of more than 50 destinations served.

Once up north, there are several small airports serving rainforest, desert, beach and bush.

There’s no part of the continent that you can’t reach in comfort with Qantas. And no better way to get to Australia, earning Qantas Points as you go. That, we’d say, is the spirit.

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Qantas A380 Business

Qantas A380 Premium Economy

Your Australian Travel SpecialistsEstablished in 1979, we are experts when it comes to travel in Australia. Our reputation for value, independence and specialist knowledge means thousands of travellers put their faith in Travelbag every year.

ULTIMATELUXURY

10nts fr £2,799pp3nts 5★ Sydney

2nts 5★ Lord Howe Island3nts 5★ Cairns

2nts Luxury Daintree

ESSENTIAL SYDNEY & CAIRNS

8nts fr £1,599pp4nts 3★ Sydney 4nts 3★ Cairns self drive tour

REEF, RAINFOREST & SYDNEY

10nts fr £1,399pp7 day Reef & Rainforest tour and 4nts Sydney

2 WEEKS MOTORHOMEHOLIDAY

13nts fr £979ppExplore Australia

your way with 13nts motorhome

To order a brochure or book call 0845 450 9765or visit travelbag.co.uk/Essential-AustraliaVisit your local Travelbag shop: London, Alton, Brighton, Cheltenham, Knutsford, Solihull & Winchester

ALL HOLIDAY OFFERS INCLUDE RETURN ECONOMY FLIGHTS WITH QANTAS

Prices are per person twin share from London Heathrow to Sydney or Cairns. Book by 27 April. Fares based on selected May & June 2014 departures. All offers include fl ights with Qantas and accommodation.

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Images: Hamilton Lund, Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism, Matthew Stanton, James Pipino, James Horan, Kajo Merkert TRAVEL GUIDES FOR GROWN-UPS BROUGHT TO YOU BY