ultratravel �

NAOMIe HARRIs

Miss Moneypenny checks

in to Byron Bay

THe FAT DUCK TAKes FLIGHT

Heston Blumenthal’s culinary

journeys through Oz

CHAMpION’s CHOICe

Why Michael Clarke is still

bowled over by Sydney

The Telegraph

AUSTRALIA SPECIAL

the hottest hotels

down under

ultratravelI n a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h a u s t r a l i a . c o m

Australia. It’s time to live it Drink Up in the Barossa

Gaze Up atUluru

Sails Up in the Whitsundays

Just a short drive from Adelaide is one of Australia’s fi nest wine producing areas: The

Barossa Valley. Stay 4 nights at The Louise and enjoy a complimentary upgrade to

a Stonewell Suite with an outdoor rain shower, saving you £250pp.

Alternatively how about a two week trip to the Margaret River and Barossa travelling on

the luxurious Indian Pacifi c train? Visit our website for more information.

A true Aussie icon... World Heritage-listed Uluru is one of Australia’s most recognisable

landmarks, located in the heart of Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia’s Red

Centre.

Enjoy a 3 night stay at 5 star Sails in the Desert where we include complimentary

breakfast. Want to make two weeks of it? Visit our website for a luxurious two week

Sydney, Rock and Reef holiday.

Comprising 74 idyllic, mostly

uninhabited islands tucked inside the

Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea,

the Whitsundays are best enjoyed by

luxury sail-boat or at the sensational

One&Only Hayman Island.

Enjoy 7 nights at this ultra luxurious

hotel from £1280pp, saving you

£150pp. For an extra dose of

unadulterated luxury add on 3 nights

at One&Only Wolgan Valley and

4 nights at the Intercontinental

Sydney. See more details on our

website.

Two weeks in Australia… a thousand ways to live it up

Take in some of Australia’s most iconic sights in

Sydney, the ultimate Australian bucket list destination.

The famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House are

just part of the appeal of this vibrant city which

boasts mile after mile of surf beaches and fi ne dining

opportunities around every corner. Stay 5 nights for

the price of 4 in ultimate style at the Four Seasons

Sydney and enjoy a free room upgrade with our

offer.

Sydney is the perfect starting point for the ultimate

two week escape and we recommend combining a

stay in the city with some time in the Whitsundays or

a classic Sydney, Rock and Reef itinerary. Visit our

website for more information.

Catch UP in Sydney

nights(5 star)4from

£519pp

nights(5 star)

from

£289pp

nights(5 star)

from

£1280pp

nights(5 star)

from

£359pp

3

7

5

0844·822·5222

Australia. It’s time to live it UP Up your gamein Melbourne

Watch thesun come

Up in PerthAustralia’s sunniest state capital is bursting with

natural beauty and offers a relaxed pace.

Enjoy 3 nights at 5 star The Richardson and

enjoy a free room upgrade.

Check out our website for a huge selection of

excursions from Perth including cruises down

the shimmering Swan River or check out our

two week holiday to Perth, the Margaret River

and Barossa, travelling on the Indian Pacifi c

luxury train.

Melbourne plays host to some of the world’s biggest sporting events from the

Australian Open, the Australian Grand Prix as well as international rugby and

cricket fi xtures galore. This uber cool city also boats a sensational bar and

restaurant scene and is gateway to the awe-inspiring Great Ocean Road.

Discover all this and more staying 4 nights at 5 star Crown Towers

Melbourne from £299 including a free room upgrade. For two

week trips and a huge choice of excursions visit DialAFlight.com.

Travel in style from a choice of 6 UK airports withmulti award winning Emirates from just £725.For ultimate comfort enjoy fi ne dining, fully fl at beds, complimentary chauffeur-drive service and lounge access when fl ying Emirates’ Business Class.

Call for the latest prices, it may cost less than you think.

Two weeks in Australia… a thousand ways to live it up www.dialafl ight.com

Upgrade to Emirates

Business Class

nights(5 star)

from

£359pp

nights(5 star)

from

£299pp

3

4

ultratravel �

Features

10 The migration of The Fat Duck Heston Blumenthal

explains why he’s moved his renowned restaurant to

Melbourne, and chooses his favourite places to eat in Oz

14 New inn town From city chic to stylish seclusion,

Ultratravel introduces the best of the country’s new and

newly renovated hotels and resorts

20 A tale of two towns Both Noosa and Byron Bay have

brilliant beaches, galleries and restaurants, but which of

the fashionable resorts comes out on top, asks Lydia Bell

24 Two-week wonderlands How to explore such a vast

and fascinating country in just a fortnight? Three writers

set off on different journeys to get a taste of Australia

30 Natural highs Stanley Johnson immerses himself in

the delights of the Great South West Edge, with its

fabulous flora, fauna and cultural heritage

34 Trek or train? Travelling at a leisurely pace (and with

creature comforts), Alexander McKendrick hikes the Great

Ocean Road while Mark Skipworth crosses Oz by train

Regulars

6 The next big thing A first peek at Sydney’s new waterside

district; plans for the Great Kimberley Marine Park; the

Gold Coast’s new cultural centre; and the well-judged Albany

museum honouring the Anzacs

9 Accessories Great Aussie designs – from surfboards to

ceramics – cherry-picked by Laura Lovett

41 Intelligence Indigenous ingredients are back on the

menu: Brendan Shanahan talks to Jock Zonfrillo, the Scottish

chef who’s heading up the trend. Plus, the actress Naomie

Harris reveals her favourite hotel down under

42 Travelling life Michael Clarke, captain of the World

Cup-winning cricket team, tours the world for six months of

the year, but says his heart still belongs to Australia

contents Australia 2015

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27

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9

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LIR

EE

F.C

OM

.AU

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ultratravel

Editor Charles Starmer-Smith Creative director Johnny Morris Deputy editor Lisa Grainger Photography editor Joe Plimmer Contributing editor John O’Ceallaigh Sub-editor Vicki Reeve

Executive publisher for Ultratravel Limited Nick Perry Publisher Toby Moore Advertising inquiries 07768 106322 (Nick Perry) 020 7931 3039 (Chelsea Bradbury)

Ultratravel, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT Twitter @TeleLuxTravel

14

41

34

COVER IMAGE

The One&Only Hayman Island foatplane

approaches the Barrier Reef resort

� ultratravel

A round-up of developments down under, from a new waterside district in Sydney

and an arts precinct on the Gold Coast to Albany’s poignant National Anzac Centre

t h e n e w b a r r i e r r e e f

Punctuated by untouched islands and pristine

coral reefs, the tranquil waters off the Kimberley’s

coast shelter snubfin dolphins, endangered

sawfish and up to 30,000 humpback whales

which calve here each year. In one of Australia’s

most significant environmental initiatives, plans

are in place to create a marine reserve here to

rival the Great Barrier Reef in size and biodiversity,

and to ensure this delicate ecosystem remains a

marine sanctuary and area of outstanding natural

beauty for generations. Tranches of land and sea

have already been designated as protected sites

and when the project is completed, by mid-2018,

the Great Kimberley Marine Park will extend from

Talbot Bay to the Northern Territory border.

the next BIG THING

booming barangaroo

The 22-hectare Barangaroo is just moments from central

Sydney, on the western harbour foreshore of the city’s CBD,

but has been locked away from the public for more than

100 years. That’s about to change. Formerly a container

wharf, this vast expanse on the edge of Sydney Harbour

is being transformed into a new district, abundant with

waterfront restaurants, shops and tourist attractions including

a foreshore promenade running the length of the site. The

development is due for completion around 2022, but visitors

can take a first foray into the precinct this year. At the

northern end, and opening soon, Barangaroo Point (below)

is a six-hectare waterside park that will feature bush walks,

a cove, tidal rock pools and 75,000 native plants.

ultratravel �

In late 1914, more than 41,000

Australians and New Zealanders

embarked from King George Sound

in Western Australia and set sail for Europe

and the First World War. So it’s fitting,

writes Stanley Johnson, that a hundred

years later, a new museum has been opened

to commemorate not just their bravery but

the speed at which they gathered to fight.

The new National Anzac Centre in

Albany, Western Australia, overlooks the

sound – one of the world’s finest natural

harbours – from which, a century ago, the

the Anzacs (Australian and New Zealand

Army Corps) departed, on November 1

1914, just a few weeks after war had been

declared. Inside, the tales have been

brilliantly told, through visual cues and

hands-on “experiences” in which visitors are

encouraged to assume, electronically, the

identity of one of the 32 Anzac-related

characters and to follow his personal

experience of the Great War.

My assumed “identity”, the day I visited

the centre, was that of Lance Corporal

George Mitchell. Mitchell’s 10th Battalion,

AIF (Australian Imperial Force) helped to

spearhead the Gallipoli landing, before

withstanding three weeks of constant

fighting. Mitchell survived unscathed, but

collapsed with typhoid in July 1915 and was

hospitalised. Having been awarded the

Military Cross, he returned to Australia,

entered politics and, just after he married,

was called up for the Second World War in

which, as commanding officer of the No 43

Landing Craft Company, he provided

transport for army personnel in New Guinea.

He finally died in 1961.

George Mitchell was one of the lucky

ones. A third of the 41,265 combatants who

set off from Albany did not return. Many

who did were disabled or traumatised.

When I was in Albany, I visited the

beaches where they trained the horses prior

to embarkation for Europe. I was taken there

by Gary Muir, whose grandfather, Robert

Forrest Muir, had supplied the 10th Light

Horse Regiment with “Walers” (so named

because the breed originated in New South

Wales) at the outbreak of the Great War

“The horses came here from all over

Australia,” he explained. “They’d never

seen waves or heard the roar of the surf.

They had to get used to it.”

Of the thousands of Australian horses

that left Albany in 1914, only one returned:

Sandy, Major General Sir William Bridges’

favourite mount. Bridges himself died in May

1915, of wounds received on Gallipoli, but

Sandy was brought home in 1918 – as a

posthumous tribute to General Bridges –

and was turned out to graze at Maribyrnong

near Melbourne. Eventually, blind and infirm,

Sandy was put down in 1923.

There is a wonderful photograph of Sandy

at the Centre, with a quotation from the

Sydney Evening News, 13 September 1923:

“He was one of a heroic band that worked

for humanity – patiently, faithfully, silently

and then laid down toil-wracked bodies for

the same cause. Far from the land of their

birth they worked – and far from that land

they died; all save one: Sandy.”

Go to the Anzac Centre in Albany, if

you possibly can (this weekend’s

commemorations there will be particularly

poignant, marking the centenary of

the landings in Gallipoli). But take

a handkerchief with you

(nationalanzaccentre.com.au).

The second volume of

Stanley Johnson’s memoir,

Stanley, I Presume, is

published by The RobsonPress

honour bound

g o l d e n at t r ac t i o n

Construction is about to begin on the country’s latest creative

hub: the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct. The 16.9-hectare,

£156-million development will serve as the region’s

premier cultural quarter, with attractions such as outdoor

performance spaces, multiple performing-arts facilities,

a botanical garden and a 14-storey arts museum.

The latter will be particularly enticing to adrenalin-

lovers who may prefer adventure sports to exhibitions;

they will be able to bungee jump from a platform that

extends from the building’s roof. Given the scale of

the project, authorities expect it to take 10 to 15 years

to complete, but tracts of the development will hopefully

open by April 2018, when the Gold Coast hosts the

Commonwealth Games.

JOHN O’CEALLAIGH

FutuRESCAPE

An artist’s impression

of central Barangaroo

as it might look (subject

to planning approval)

FOR THE

LATEST IN

LUXURY

TRAvEL

telegraph.co.uk/luxurytravel

Highlights…Enjoy a glass of bubbly as the sun sets over

Uluru (Ayers Rock) ■ Visit the Great Barrier

Reef ■ Explore the cosmopolitan cities of

Perth, Sydney and Melbourne

Day 1: UK-Perth. After taking Saga’s included

UK door-to-door travel service to Heathrow, fly

to Perth.

Day 2: Perth. Arriving in the afternoon you’ll

be met from the airport and taken to the

Rendevous Grand Hotel Perth Scarborough

for a three-night stay. Enjoy a welcome drink

and dinner tonight.

Day 3: Perth. Join an included sightseeing

tour followed by a short cruise to Fremantle.

Day 4: Perth. Explore Perth at your leisure

or choose to join optional excursions to the

Pinnacles Desert or Rottnest Island.

Day 5: Perth-Alice Springs. Fly to Alice

Springs and stay overnight at the Doubletree

by Hilton Hotel Alice Springs.

Day 6: Alice Springs-Ayers Rock. Journey

through the outback to Uluru (Ayers Rock).

There is also an optional helicopter flight

allowing you to experience this natural wonder

from the air. Stay overnight at the Desert

Gardens Hotel.

Day 7: Ayers Rock-Cairns. Fly to Cairns for

four nights at the Pacific Hotel Cairns, situated

on the waterfront within walking distance of

the city’s art galleries and shops.

Day 8: Cairns. Enjoy a day at leisure or join

one of a variety of optional excursions.

Day 9: Great Barrier Reef. Spend the day

on the Great Barrier Reef on an included

excursion with lunch.

Day 10: Cairns. A variety of optional

excursions are available today.

Day 11: Cairns-Sydney. Fly to Sydney where

you stay for four nights at the Rydges World

Square Hotel.

Day 12: Sydney. An included sightseeing

trip, with lunch, highlights the Rocks district,

Harbour Bridge and Botanical Gardens, and

includes a guided tour of the Opera House.

Day 13: Sydney. Enjoy a day at leisure or join

the optional excursion to the Hunter Valley.

Day 14: Sydney. Perhaps explore the World

Heritage-listed Blue Mountains on an optional

excursion.

Day 15: Sydney-Melbourne. Fly to Melbourne for

four nights at the Radisson On Flagstaff Gardens.

Day 16: Melbourne. Enjoy an included full-day

city tour taking in Captain Cook’s Cottage and

Queen Victoria Market.

Day 17: Melbourne. Spend the day at leisure,

perhaps by soaking up the atmosphere of

Federation Square. An optional excursion to

Phillip Island to see the penguins is also available.

AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURESAVE up to £300when you book by May 15, 2015

– see below for details

Pictured from left: A glorious sunset over Sydney Harbour Bridge and the iconic Opera House; Australia has a fascinating Aboriginal culture

19 nights† from£4299 £3999^

Including optional travel insurance

or a discount of £49 if not required

Savour Sydney and its

world-famous landmarks,

discover the Great Barrier Reef

and see the sun set over Uluru.

This unforgettable tour offers

a once-in-a-lifetime chance to

explore the highlights of Australia,

from the dynamic cities of a

modern nation to the ancient

heartland of Aboriginal culture.

Charges may apply to calls made from mobile phones. All prices and offers subject to change and availability. For the latest prices, visit saga.co.uk/oz or call 0800 056 6083. Prices are per person and based on departure dates shown above with two people

sharing and include offer discount. TRAVEL INFORMATION: Fly from Heathrow to Perth via Dubai wih Qantas and Emirates, returning from Melbourne with Qantas, via Dubai. Journey time to Perth from 18 hours 55 minutes. Journey time from Melbourne

from 23 hours 35 minutes. Upgrade to Premium Economy (on international flights operated by Qantas), Business Class or First Class for a supplement, subject to availability. Domestic flights are available as part of Saga’s VIP door-to-door travel service –

please call for details. This is not a brochure. **Tourist visa for full British citizens resident in the UK. Please call for details. Terms and conditions apply. Saga holidays are for anyone aged 50+. A travel companion may be 40+. All the flights and flight-inclusive

holidays are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking

conditions for further information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate. NHA-GH3023

Embark on an Australian Adventure…

VIP door-to-door

travel service

included

INCLUDING…

17 nights in hotels and 2 in flight

24 meals: 17 breakfasts, 2 lunches

and 5 dinners

Excursions and visits

■ Perth city tour and Swan River

cruise

■ Alice Springs guided tour

■ Sunset drink at Ayers Rock

■ Catamaran trip to Green Island in

the Great Barrier Reef

■ Guided tour of Sydney and its

opera house

■ Melbourne city tour

■ Dinner cruise on the Yarra River

Plus all this…

■ VIP door-to-door travel service

– please call for details

■ Optional travel insurance and

additional cancellation rights

■ Return flights and transfers

■ Saga tour manager

■ Porterage at all hotels

■ Tourist visa**.

Australian Adventure – 2015/2016. Holiday code: AZ723. All prices are £s per person. These may only be available for a limited number of bookings. Prices may change and current available prices will be

confirmed upon enquiry. For the latest prices visit saga.co.uk/oz or call 0800 056 6083. Please call for full details. Prices from:Holiday duration Sep 3, 2015 Nov 19 Jan 21, 2016 Feb 4 Mar 17 Apr 14 May 12 Sep 8 Oct 6 Nov 319 nights† 4399 4499 4399 4549 4599 4549 4499 4399 4149 4299 3999 4399 4299 4449 4399 4499§There are discounts available of £49 (16-22 nights) or £60 (23-29 nights) if you do not need Saga’s optional travel insurance and additional cancellation rights – please call for details. †Includes two

nights aboard aircraft. Single room supplement (per person, per tour): £1299 on Jan 21, Feb 4, Mar 17, Apr 14, May 12, Sep 8, Oct 6 and Nov 3, 2016; £1499 on all other dates, subject to availability. ^Book by

May 15, 2015: SAVE up to £300 on Nov 19, 2015, Feb 4, Apr 14, May 12, Sep 8, Oct 6, 2016.

For more information please call

FREE on 0800 056 6083 quoting UTA59

or go online at saga.co.uk/oz

Day 18: Melbourne. You have more free time

to explore the many highlights of this exciting

city today. Enjoy a dinner cruise this evening on

Melbourne’s Yarra River.

Day 19: Melbourne-UK. Travel to the airport for

your overnight flight.

Day 20: Melbourne-UK. You arrive in the UK for

your included UK door-to-door travel service home.

You can extend your holiday in Melbourne, Dubai

or Singapore. Please call for details.

Exclusively for solo travellers

19 nights† from £5799 departing October 29, 2015

(£5799) and February 25, 2016 (£5899). Follow the

same itinerary and enjoy the company of other solo

travellers. Holiday code: AF397

ultratravel �

U LT R A T R E AT S

8

1 Marbled bowls

From her studio-cum-shed at the bottom

of her garden in the suburb of Brunswick

in Melbourne, French artist Lucile Sciallano

handcrafts a variety of slipcast ceramics

that are both hardy and pretty. lapetite

fabriquedebrunswick.com; $140/£94

2 ZiMMerMann sunhat

Zimmermann is the country’s quintessential

beachware brand and its wide-brimmed hats

have become an essential part of Australia’s

“Slip Slop Slap” protection rules: slip on a long-

sleeved top, slop on sunscreen and slap on

a hat. zimmermannwear.com; $390/£205

3 duskii wetsuit

Built to last, Duskii’s neoprene surfsuits

provide a high level of thermal comfort, while

their light but supple fabric flatters and sculpts

the silhouette. The long-sleeved Liquidity

model is a favourite of paddlers, swimmers,

surfers and divers. duskii.com; $300/£158

4 bandwagon sunglasses

Le Specs, the relaunched 1980s Australian

sunglasses brand, has taken inspiration

from the street to create cult-worthy

sunnies with a difference. Framed in violet

acetate, these lenses have a mirrored blue

coating and 100 per cent UV protection.

net-a-porter.com; $62/£33

5 aesop facial toner

Completely alcohol-free, and packed with

antioxidants and organic moisturising oils,

this potent parsley-seed elixir is one of the

most popular products sold by the local

wonder brand Aesop. aesop.com; $39/£27

6 walker surfboard

Hand hewn in Adelaide by surfer and trained

furniture designer Peter Walker, each hollow

wooden board is made from a silky, light blond

Paulownia wood and meticulously vented,

fibreglassed and sealed to ensure a beautifully

smooth ride. walkersurfboards.com; from

$4,000/£2,110

7 sarah and sebastian ring

Sarah and Sebastian, the Sydney-based

collaborative founded by Sarah Gittoes and

Robert Sebastian Grynkofki, is known for

its strong but delicate pieces. Their nine-

carat yellow-gold “Ellipse” creation taps

into the jewellery world’s current

fascination with architectural design.

sarahandsebastian.com; $580/£306

8 Majorelle round towel

Although officially a towel, this circle of

100 per cent cotton, which comes in

several blue-and-white designs, is useful,

too, as a multipurpose throw, picnic

blanket or outdoor tablecloth, and is a

generous 1.5 metres wide. thebeachpeople.

com.au; $99/£52

9 Zenith scarf

The Sydney-based designer Eloise Rapp has

used her impressive textile skills to turn

lightweight silk crêpe de chine into a sizeable

120cm square – digitally printed in pretty

summer colours – that can be used as a scarf,

wrap or throw. rrrapp.com; $120/£63

7

Laura Lovett selects souvenirs from the country’s top designers

1

2

3

5

6

4

7

9

THE WIZARDs OF OZ

10 ultratravel

LIKE A DUCK TO

WATER Heston

Blumenthal (right)

outside Sydney Opera

House. Left (from top):

timepiece in The Fat

Duck Melbourne;

salmon poached in

liquorice, with gel

endive, vanilla

mayonnaise and golden

trout roe; the Glenorchy

Art & Sculpture Park,

Tasmania; Blumenthal

tries to catch a wave at

Boodjidup Beach, near

Margaret River, with

fellow chefs looking on

Heston Blumenthal, whose Fat Duck has relocated to Melbourne for

six months, takes Ultratravel on a

culinary tour around his new home,

and picks his top gastro hotspots

tHe newCAPTAIN

COOK

ultratravel 11

12 ultratravel

We turned off the main road and

followed a dust track that led to

another dust track, before

reaching hills of shrubland with

no track whatsoever. The Jeep

bounced over the rocky terrain

– bump, bump, bump – and

then, after a few minutes, our destination came into view.

An expanse of beach stretched for miles along the

coast, warmed by the morning sun and with not a soul in

sight. Not a soul, not a crushed Coke can, not a footprint

in the yellow sand. In the shrubs behind us, a dozen

massive kangaroos, paws to their chests, eyed us up,

checked us out, but left us alone.

My guide, Josh Whiteland, was taking me for breakfast,

native Australian style. He is one of the Noongar

indigenous people and his company, Koomal Dreaming

(koomaldreaming.com.au), takes visitors on tours of this

part of Western Australia. It’s not the usual sightseeing

stuff he likes to explore, but rather the country and caves,

the bush tucker and bush medicine. Josh is utterly

content, extremely cool and spiritual. He plays the

didgeridoo, too.

On this particular morning, he was taking me

foraging. “Let’s go this way,” he said, and we

walked along the beach, stopping to eat the

leaves of saltbush, which are salty and succulent.

Then we stepped into the ocean, and walked

across rocks that stuck out above the waves

before kneeling to gather oysters, which we ate:

as fresh as can be, and slightly sweet and juicy.

I felt a bit like Captain Cook foraging on a

deserted beach, rather than a cook on a mission.

We weren’t that far from Margaret River, in Western

Australia, which is home to an annual event called the

Margaret River Gourmet Escape (gourmetescape.com.au),

a three-day food festival in November. The Escape attracts

visitors and chefs from Australia and all over the world,

including some from Britain, such as Sat Bains (one of my

best mates), Rick Stein, Clare Smyth and Claude Bosi.

I was also there because I have “moved” The Fat Duck,

my restaurant in Bray-on-Thames, to the Crown Towers

hotel in Melbourne (thefatduckmelbourne.com). The

Duck by the Thames is being refurbished, and until it

reopens in September, the Duck in Melbourne is keeping

the name alive. Yes, it’s a long way away. But I don’t care,

because I love it. No matter how many times I go to

Sydney, I end up gazing at the Opera House, rendered

speechless (a rarity). In Melbourne, I enjoy the chilled-out

coffee-shop culture. I’ve enjoyed blissful relaxation,

“downtime”, as they say here, in Byron Bay and Kangaroo

Island. While I haven’t yet been to the Kimberley in

Western Australia, I would like to – if only to see the road

sign that reads, “Next Petrol Station – 1,600 miles!”

I am also in love with Australia’s food. If you want

three-Michelin-starred French cuisine then you should

head for Paris, and if you are after Zen-like cooking, you

are best off in Kyoto or Tokyo. But if you savour diversity,

then Melbourne and Sydney are essential cities to visit.

They should be on anyone’s list of top 10 cities in which

to eat. In fact, it surprises me that Australia does not have

a Michelin Guide – I’m sure it’s just a question of time.

I first visited Australia in 2002 and must admit that

my expectations had been slightly influenced by my

father, who had never visited the country but believed

I wouldn’t be welcome. Dad was right about many things,

but not about the Australians, as I discovered on that

first trip when I arrived as guest of honour at the Gourmet

Traveller Awards.

For Australians are welcoming and open-minded:

qualities that have worked their way into their food

culture. The wine industry has boomed for a long time,

but over the past decade there has been an almighty

explosion in Australia’s food scene, a kind of food-culture

awakening that is unrivalled anywhere else on earth.

The country has become a place not just for the gourmet

or wine connoisseur, but for every curious cook with

a fascination for unusual but delicious produce: things

such as lemon myrtle, Geraldton wax and bush tomato,

and fish such as bass groper and dhufish.

Before visiting Margaret River, I journeyed to Tasmania

– or Tassie, as it’s known. The island state 150 miles off the

south coast of Oz was host to Invite the World to Dinner,

which took place in Tassie’s MONA (Museum of Old and

New Art; mona.net.au). Rather than just dinner, the event

turned out to be a reflection of the nation’s gastronomic

development: a journey through the incredible produce,

flavours and skills Australia has to offer.

As a few hundred of us gathered on the quayside in

Hobart, the Tasmanian capital, we were offered oysters –

wild Angasi, Sydney rock and Pacific – accompanied

by House of Arras Blanc de Blancs. At the Glenorchy Art

& Sculpture Park (gasp.org.au), where we arrived by boat

to glowing barbies and air filled with delicious smells,

we ate plump marron (a bit like crayfish) brushed with

wasabi butter, steaming cups of roasted wallaby-tail

broth, and wood-roast Tasmanian lobster dripping in

I am in love with Australia’s

food. Melbourne and Sydney

should be on anyone’s list

of top 10 cities in which to eat

ultratravel 13

melting kombu butter. Then we were back on to the

boats, and to MONA.

Here, guests were greeted by our host for the evening,

David Walsh, a flamboyant character who owns the

museum and Australia’s largest private art collection. In

his massive gallery, which is largely beneath the ground,

300 of us were treated to a feast by some of Australia’s

top chefs: Ben Shewry, Neil Perry and Peter Gilmore.

There was South Australian red kangaroo and bunya

bunya; a dish of pig cheek, smoked and cooked as

confit, and served with black-lipped abalone, koji,

fermented grains, shiitake and seaweed. And there was

grilled sirloin steak (courtesy of the Wagyu cattle-farmer

David Blackmore) with braised cheek, oxtail and a little

kick of red-curry jus – all accompanied by wines from

producers such as Woodlands, Henschke, Bobar,

Castagna, plus a Tasmanian pinot noir called Moorilla

Muse. As the savoury part of the meal reached an end,

an opera-singing transvestite climbed on to one of the

long tables and, strutting over glasses and plates,

microphone in hand, sang an aria, before beckoning

guests to a vault where desserts were served, as well as

magnificent cheeses from the Bruny Island Cheese

Company and whisky from the Lark Distillery in Hobart.

THIS WASN’T THE ONLY GASTRO EXPERIENCE,

THOUGH. From Tasmania, I stopped off in Melbourne,

before flying on to Perth to savour the renowned

Margaret River Gourmet Escape food festival.

Of all festivals, this one is particularly special – albeit

for a very sad reason. In its first year, 2012, I had

accepted an invitation to attend and was due to fly out

when I was informed that there had been a nasty car

crash, in which two of my chefs, Ivan and Magnus, had

been killed. What should have been a celebration turned

into an awful, indescribable nightmare and, naturally,

I could not go.

Since then, though, this sad event has somehow made

this festival even more extraordinary, because it’s turned

into a celebration not only of food, but of the chefs who

put their heart and soul into making it. There are scores

of events, including dinners and lunches cooked by

well-known chefs in the magnificent properties on wine

estates such as Leeuwin, Voyager, Cullen and Vasse

Felix. There are Q&A sessions, cookery demonstrations

and wine tastings, pop-up restaurants and bars, and a

farmers’ market. It’s great fun, and people somehow

manage to move themselves from one table to another,

Friday morning through to Sunday, when Rick Stein

finishes the party with a barbie on the beach.

When I say “barbie”, food here has progressed since

the days when Crocodile Dundee in his cork hat said,

“Throw another shrimp on the barbie, mate.” It’s some

of the best on earth. Oh, and by the way, the Australians

say “prawn”.

a taste of oz Blumenthal at Gourmet

escape (top left). above: nitro poached

apéritifs are on his menu at the fat Duck.

top right: the Noongar guide Josh Whiteland.

at Invite the World to Dinner, marron with

wasabi butter was served (above left); the

entertainment included a transvestite (above)

and a barbecue on the beach (below)

HESTON’S

HOT LIST

Orana

From a minuscule kitchen in Adelaide,

the substantially tattooed Glaswegian

chef Jock Zonfrillo produces dishes of

unquestionable elegance. And he does

so with indigenous ingredients that

most Australians have yet to taste.

We’re talking saltbush, mountain

pepper, riberry leaves, Lilly pilly and…

grass. When did you last enjoy Moreton

Bay fig shoot with pandannis? Or

prawn with Davidson plum?

0061 8 8232 3444; restaurantorana.com;

tasting menu, including wine, about

£155 per person

Vue de MOnde

A memorable gastronomic experience.

Whizz up to the 55th floor of

Melbourne’s Rialto skyscraper, and get

a little dizzy during cocktails in the

glitzy bar with its wow views of the

city. Then walk through the 6,000-

bottle wine cellar – yup, a mile-high

wine cellar – into the dining room with

its open kitchen. This place is as cool

as the chef himself, Shannon Bennett,

who says, “Just kick back and enjoy

the food.” It includes barramundi,

Blackmore Wagyu beef and soft-

shell crab – using exciting cooking

techniques and heaps of panache.

Save room for that damn fine

chocolate soufflé.

0061 3 9691 3888, vuedemonde.com.au;

tasting menu from about £105 per person

POrt PhilliP estate

An escape from the hustle-bustle of

Melbourne, this estate is just over an

hour’s drive south of the city, in

Mornington Peninsula wine country.

First, taste the estate’s wine at a table

overlooking the picturesque and

dramatic, hilly landscape of vines and

gum trees that stretches to the sea

beyond. Second, don’t leave that table.

Enjoy the fuss-free food such as risotto

Milanese; seared scallops with eel

croquette; roasted Glenloth squab;

pan-roasted Hapuka with caper

gnocchi; Ocean trout and garden

tomato fondue; and organic suckling

pig and beef fillet with snail ragout.

0061 3 5989 4444; portphillipestate.com.

au; three-course menu from about

£45 per person

Oakridge Winery

Stunning location in the Yarra Valley

(about an hour’s drive from Melbourne)

with great wines and exceptional

service. Oh, and the cooking’s not bad,

either. On a sunny day, it’s a perfect

lunch place, where chef José Chavez

keeps it simple, showing off local

produce such as Buxton trout and

Flinders Island rabbit. Stop by the cellar

for a takeaway bottle of chardonnay.

0061 3 9738 9900; oakridgewines.com.

au; three-course lunch, about £42

per person

MA

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14 ultratravel

BONZERboltholeSOur pick of the country’s hottest openings – in the bush, by the beach and in the most glamorous bits of the city

T H E C I T Y H OT E L S

The Langham Sydney

When new owners decided to give this Sydney

landmark a facelift last year, only a couple of things

escaped untouched: the dark-blue subterranean

swimming pool – above which glitters a ceiling

painted with the southern night sky – and its

external colour. From the outside, from the

neighbouring Rocks area in the harbour, the

Langham Sydney still looks as pink and as

elegant as it did in its former incarnation as

The Observatory Hotel. But inside, the feel is

distinctly different. Here, GA Design of London

has brought the cool, calm blues, greens, greys

and whites of the buildings and green spaces

across the water into the 98 rooms and almost

gluttonously spacious Observatory Suite.

The hotel’s culinary pedigree has remained intact,

too. Guests at the Kent Street Kitchen restaurant

and Palm Court can still expect from chef

Daniel Rudolph such clean, local fare as home-

smoked trout and roe, quails’ eggs and tiny coils

of apple (revealed with a flourish so the fishy

smoke swirls around the table) and pepper-

infused Grey Goose vodka with fat strawberries.

Between the hotel’s balconies and the water lies

a hotchpotch of old houses, lanes and waterside

developments which puncture the view yet offer

a strong sense of location. Artworks throughout

the hotel reference both old and new Sydney: the

two dramatic resin pieces at the entrance are by

Asher Bilu, while prints of colonial Australia are

placed alongside contemporary works by artists

such as Sidney Nolan and Brett Whiteley. 0061 2

9256 2222; langhamhotels.com; doubles from £325

ultratravel 15

The InterContinental

Sydney Double Bay

Sydney

If you start to feel rather grand

swishing about this Double Bay

institution, that’s entirely natural.

Life here has always been about

excess. It’s the place in which Elton

John, Madonna, Nicole Kidman and

Bill Clinton slept, and from which

Diana, Princess of Wales, waved

shyly from a balcony. It has long

been a celebrity in its own right.

Now, under the InterContinental

brand, the refurbished hotel has

sprung back to life as Sydney’s only

fashionable five-star hotel outside

the city centre. While it attracts

stylish urbanites, this is still the spot

where old-money Sydney gathers,

and down in the Stillery, which stocks

60-plus types of gin, there’s a sense

of polite glamour. (Although it can

be lively, it’s usually well mannered

because grandma, swathed in

diamonds, might be here, sipping

a Tanqueray No Ten Martini.)

Beneath the sun-snatching rooftop

and pool – in warm weather popping

with Sydney’s most gorgeous people

– are 140 L’Occitane-scented rooms

furnished in slate grey. The views

from here, and the graceful arched

windows of the Stockroom

restaurant, are as soothing as

the menu. Even if you’re offered

a French steak knife to cut the

Rangers Valley Black Angus striploin,

you won’t need it. It’s that tender.

0061 2 8388 8388; ihg.com/

intercontinental; doubles from £235

glamour refreshed

Palm Court in The Langham

(main picture), refurbished

on the inside - but still pink

on the outside. The rooftop

pool and terrace at the newly

decorated InterContinental

Sydney Double Bay (below)

Photographs by

PETRINA TINSLAY

16 ultratravel

Deep in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, this

is a place where diamond-sharp luxury meets ancient

wilderness. The focus here is nature. From the air, Angel

Wing can’t be seen, as its flat roofs, when full of rainwater,

reflect the sky. Treats include sitting in the evening around

the firepit, sucking up the silence, and waking up to epic

Megalong Valley views from one of the four bedrooms.

This is a mini-hotel space that’s been designed for guests

who don’t mind fixing their own food and whose idea of

bliss is lying in a claw-footed bath looking at acres of

nothing. 0061 2 9331 2881; contemporaryhotels.com.au;

doubles from £515

T H E W E E K E N D B O LT H O L E S

Pretty Beach House NSW

distance learning

Pretty Beach House

(above) and Angel

Wing (below) offer

chic respite for the

bushwhacked. Remote

Pumphouse Point in

Tasmania (right) is

in a watery wilderness

Angel Wing NSW

There is really only one way to arrive here: 20 minutes by

seaplane from Sydney’s Rose Bay, flying north over celeb-

magnet Palm Beach. Then it’s just a few minutes’ rumble up

a steep lane until you are greeted with a hot chocolate, if

it’s chilly, or lemon myrtle and rosella iced tea, if it’s warm.

A large boulder featuring indigenous carvings is where Gavi,

an indigenous local, “welcomes you to Country” with a dab

of ochre. This little miracle opened for business just a few

weeks ago and sits atop a wooded hill, overlooking a distant

sparkling bay. The original building was destroyed by fire in

2012 and although, sadly, some trees never made it, a new

and stellar view to the bay emerged. All four secluded one-

bedroom pavilions can be booked together. Top pick, and

the largest, is called The Retreat, located within the lodge

itself. The rest are located just a few minutes apart, through

gnarly angophora woods. While each pavilion has its own

heated plunge pool, the main pool, where guests can hang

over the edge on a warm night and stare into oblivion as

the heat and eucalypt fragrances drift up the hill, is the

most inviting. The use of natural and reclaimed materials

allows the main residence to blend into the shady hill.

Sandstone and marine-grade hardwood predominate as

flooring, with stout timber supports from a disused bridge

repurposed in the lodge. Elegant Italian Busatti table linen,

Limoges porcelain, Riedel glasses and a million dollars of art

all speak of the designer Michelle Leslie’s eye for luxury.

Super-chef Stefano Manfredi was snared to work his magic

in the kitchen: his grilled local crayfish with zinging “salsa

piccante” is often served in the atrium dining room, down

a small flight of steps. It’s the beating heart of this

eucalyptus-green beauty. 0061 2 4360 1933;

prettybeachhouse.com; doubles from £515, full-board

ultratravel 17

T H E R E M OT E R E T R E AT S

Pumphouse Point Tasmania

Luxury for guests here is lying, wrapped in

a wool throw, watching a watery dawn rise over

Tasmania’s Lake St Clair, with Cradle Mountain

in the distance. Or stepping into a piping-hot

shower in which they could spend a week,

then tucking into a slab of wood-smoked

salmon, pickled octopus and pork rillettes

(ordered by tablet). Or walking or cycling to the

end of a flume to hot coffee and eggs in the

Shorehouse restaurant.

This is not somewhere that has plunge pools

and butlers. Each of 12 tranquil guestrooms over

three floors in the Pumphouse (the top floor is

best) is finished in steel greys and whites, and

has king-size beds and enormous view-gorging

windows. Six more are set in the mid-century-

style Shorehouse at the end of the flume, where

the restaurant serves, on shared tables, pork

from the Cuckoo Valley, heirloom carrots, and

warm orange polenta cake with vanilla-bean ice

cream. In the small lounge areas of this remote

retreat guests can find the book This Quiet Land

by Ellen Miller and Peter Dombrovskis, in

which they can read, while warming themselves

by the fire with a Moores Hill Pinot Noir, that

there is nowhere on earth to get a better fix of

Tasmania’s beauty than in this wonderful old

pumphouse. Built in 1940 by the Hydro Electric

Commission, this industrial plant has been

reinvented to generate a very different sort

of power, of a soothing, cosseting kind.

0061 428 090436; pumphousepoint.com.au;

doubles from £125

Arkaba South Australia

Once the headquarters of a 60,000-acre

sheep station, this picturesque homestead in

the Flinders Ranges is now an idyllic base for

outback adventures. As well as being an elegant

country home, with a pool, four country-style

rooms and a cottage, Arkaba is a conservation

centre too: see rare yellow-footed rock wallabies,

perhaps on the four-day Arkaba Walk. With

no mobile coverage and little traffic, this is a

precious place to hide from modern life. 0061 2

9571 6399; arkabastation.com; doubles from £420

18 ultratravel

T H E P R I VAT E I S L A N D S

Bedarra Island Resort Queensland

PLEASURE iSLANDS

Bedarra Island Resort

(above, left and below)

has beautiful forests

and beaches as well as

man-made spaces.

One of Hayman’s

attractions is its pool

(right), with bar and DJ

Bedarra is not an island whose beauty shouts. It is

somewhere, rather, that slowly seduces with its quiet charms:

thick tropical forests dotted with Day-Glo butterflies and

exotic flowers. Beaches whose white sand is raked every

morning. Friendly staff who treat visitors like welcome

friends. Hammocks and loungers miles apart on the beach.

Benches at the end of island paths, so trail-walkers can

admire the views. A cocktail bar with recipes, so guests can

create their own cocktails. And a chef who whisks up tongue-

tingling Australian cuisine, from crab lasagne to vanilla

pannacotta with sesame-seed fairy floss.

The island’s owners, Sam and Kerri-Ann Charlton, have spent

millions refurbishing the resort, turning the 16 slightly tired

rooms into an eight-villa retreat where, its GM says, “guests

[such as Russell Crowe] can have a totally personalised

experience – where they can sip champagne all day by the

pool, if that’s what they want, or be left in total seclusion, or

have romantic picnics, or hang out in a hammock”.

Each room, overlooking a beach and enveloped in forest, is

slightly different: the best, The Point, is built on the edge of

bus-size granite rocks with a private plunge pool. What they

all have is polished wooden floors, king-size beds cooled by

quiet solar-powered Haiku ceiling fans, big white bathrooms

with Aveda products, an integral iPod and TV system, and

a minibar with a personalised choice of snacks and drinks.

Best of all, it’s sustainably run, with solar panels, rainwater

tanks, LED lighting, louvred walls and water-waste recycling

to keep the island both quiet and green.

There is also heaps to do, whether that’s snorkelling, diving,

fishing and exploring with Jason Shearer of Mission Beach

Charters (missionbeachcharters.com.au), or going for

sundowners to remote sandbars on the Seadog boat (which

has wheels that allow it to cruise up on to sand). 0061 7 4068

8233; bedarra.com.au; doubles from £560 all-inclusive

Hayman Island

Great Barrier Reef

Australia’s most iconic Queensland

resort reopened last year after a £41-

million refurbishment. While no amount

of money can change the architecture –

a Brutalist building housing 160 bedrooms

– what has changed is the level of luxury.

Today, it’s a hassle-free, upscale family

resort, with two big pools, a 60ft yacht

and helicopter for transfers, Kerry Hill-

designed beach villas and a penthouse

by Diane von Fürstenberg, to satisfy the

most upmarket guests. There are tennis

and squash courts, a Technogym, and

a fun kids’ club. Food is a highlight: the

seven restaurants serve feasts from

barbecued seafood on the beach to

seven-course tasting menus. 0061 7 4940

1234; hayman.oneandonlyresorts.com;

doubles from £410

Reviews by RALPh BEStic

and LiSA GRAiNGER

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Local charges not included.

Undiscovered AUstrAliA

20 ultratravel

Noosa and Byron Bay are Australia’s most fashionable coastal resorts, with

cerulean seas, long surfing beaches, and destination restaurants and galleries.

But which has the edge? Ultratravel puts the two towns to the test

words LYDIA BELL

NOOSA vs BYRON BAY

Since the 1960s, white sand, crashing waves

and glorious sunshine have been luring beach

bums to the Byron Bay region, where the green

Northern Rivers hills meet the coast, and where

hippies and permaculturists came for spiritual

enlightenment, to swim with dolphins and to be

left alone. But in recent years Byron Bay’s

bohemianism has had an upward bent as

wealthy hipsters join the fold. Today, art

galleries, fusion cafés, slick spas and fashion

boutiques are as commonplace as Tantric yoga

classes, float-tanks and surf centres. And as

Byron Bay grows up, so its influence trickles into

the increasingly chic hinterland.

THE CROWD

Byron is catnip for dropouts (which, these

days, might mean a hedge-funder turned

restaurateur, boutique hotelier, organic farmer

or spa therapist). The tie-dye-clad anti-frackers

have fled to the hinterland, which now is home

to a heady mix of upmarket lifestylers and true-

blue hippies, leaving the cool Watego Bay to

such starry regulars as Russell Crowe, Elle

Macpherson, Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann.

THE BEACHES

Byron’s cornucopia of perfect-break beaches

are sheltered from the southerlies, fringed with

cornflower-blue waters and remain uncluttered

by buildings. Tallow Beach is a wild stretch,

Watego’s is a sheltered north-facing spot with

Rae’s Fish Café for lunch (raesonwategos.com),

and Whites Beach perfect for peace. The latter

is accessed from a dirt track off Seven Mile

Beach Road, and is accessible only by 4WD and

foot, but it’s worth the trek to get to the beach

often voted as the best in Australia.

THE HOTELS

Eco-chic The Byron at Byron (thebyronatbyron.

com.au) is still hands down the best hotel in

town (see review by Naomie Harris on page 41),

with steel-framed rooms scattered through

45 acres of rainforest, a spa, friendly staff, and

a Scottish chef, Gavin Hughes, who champions

local produce. Newer, though, is hipsters’ choice

The Atlantic (atlanticbyronbay.com.au), whose

fashionably refurbished vintage timber cottages

have a stripped-down Scandi appeal. A quirkily

bohemian boutique hotel on gorgeous Watego’s

Beach is the starry Rae’s on Watego’s

(raes.com.au). High-profile visitors who want

to be less visible turn to Byron Bay Luxury

Homes (byronbayluxuryhomes.com), which

can open the doors to the region’s most

exclusive beach villas, or the secluded Byron

View Farm (byronviewfarm.com): a winsome

cottage filled with global artefacts. For hippies

looking for a dose of spiritual healing, Olivia

Newton-John’s gloriously laid-back Gaia is

nearby (gaiaretreat.com.au).

THE RESTAURANTS

New in town is Cicchetti (cicchetti.com.au),

which takes Italian small plates and wine very

seriously (try the veal-stuffed olives and

porchetta pig roast); its chef, Enrico Semenzato,

came from a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy.

Down the road at St Elmo Dining (stelmodining.

com), Spain is on the menu but the wine list is

global. On glorious Clarkes Beach, friendly

Byron Beach Café (byronbeachcafe.com.au)

serves up laidback but top-notch Aussie cuisine

– and particularly delicious Asian salads. Some

of the best restaurants are in the hinterland:

Uptown Café and Restaurant (townbangalow.

com.au) in hippyish Bangalow turns local

ingredients into complex, light degustation

treats. Equally fun is its downstairs spot

Downtown, which specialises in cakes and

brunch. At rustic Newrybar, Harvest Café

(harvestcafe.com.au) draws crowds with its

organic produce and contemporary dishes, as

does The Farm (thefarmbyronbay.com.au),

a new garden-to-plate café and cheese shop.

THE LATE HOTSPOT

Reborn after it burned down in a fire, the quirky

and popular nightclub La La Land Byron

(lalalandbyronbay.com.au) hosts local

musicians, burlesque nights and films.

THE HINTERLAND

The scenery in these rainforests can truly be

described as epic: Nightcap National Park has

spectacular escarpments, wild pools and

dramatic falls, and Mount Warning, which

dominates the hinterland landscape, was once

a volcano. The best way to see the interior is

in a helicopter with Green Cauldron Tours

(greencauldrontours.com.au). Surfers – or

wannabe surfers – should sign up for a

one-on-one with the former United States

champion Rusty Miller (rustymillersurf.com).

Those who prefer land-based activities might

head inland, where there is plenty for shoppers.

Although the tie-dye brigade complain that

Crystal Castle (crystalcastle.com.au), near the

bohemian town of Mullumbimby, is a tourist

attraction, the gardens – decorated with a

stupa, Indian statues and towering chunks of

semi-precious stones – are a treat to wander in.

Bangalow is particularly good for shopping,

with specialist boutiques such as Island Luxe

(islandluxe.com.au), Our Corner Store

(ourcornerstore.com.au) and Raw Vintage

(rawvintage.com.au). Nearby Lismore is

a favoured destination for vintage-store fans.

THE MARKETS

Nothing says Byron like the Byron Farmers’

Market (byronfarmersmarket.com.au), held on

Thursdays, when the community gathers to

sample wheatgrass shots, organic produce and

sets by live acoustic musicians. Bangalow

Market (bangalowmarket.com.au), on the

fourth Sunday of every month, is considered to

be the best artisanal market in Australia: a place

where artists, bakers, wine-makers, therapists,

farmers and friends meet.

THE FESTIVALS

Byron Bay Bluesfest (bluesfest.com.au),

held every Easter, is Australia’s largest festival

of Blues and Roots music; August’s writers’

festival is one of the best in the country

(byronbaywritersfestival.com.au) and

a successful international film festival is

organised every March (bbff.com.au).

BYRON BAY

TAkING A LEAF

One of the many beautiful

stretches of sand in the bay

(above); the Bluesfest (left);

a retro caravan room at

The Atlantic; a starter using

local cheese and herbs at Town

in Bangalow; Elle Macpherson,

heading off surfing

Main Photograph

Ming nOMchOng

ultratravel 21

When our cameraman

switched on his lights we saw a

blue seam of lapis a foot thick which runs at shoulder

height right through the mountain

Art galleries, organic fusion cafés and spas are as commonplace in ByronBay

as Tantric yoga classesand surf centres

22 ultratravel

Long, clean beaches, lush tropical rainforests,

exceptional surf and a koala-studded headland

are the backdrop to Australia’s swankiest resort

town. Sophistication, money and celebrity have

been here a long while (hence the world-class

restaurants and fashionable boutiques), but, this

being Australia, there are a healthy number of

flip-flops and board shorts to balance things out.

This microcosmic paradise has surfing bays filled

with dolphins, a national park with an everglade

on which to kayak and bush in which to walk, and

sunshine which warms the skin and soul all year.

THE CROWD

Well-heeled Noosa attracts off-duty sports

celebrities, from Ironman world champion Pete

Jacobs and tennis star Pat Rafter to rugby greats

in training and Sir Richard Branson, who owns an

island in the Noosa River. Plus, of course, chic

linen-clad Brisbanites, here to walk, surf and

sample world-class cuisine.

THE BEACHES

Each beach has a character of its own, and

attracts visitors to match. Virgin surfers hang out

at Noosa Main Beach – not only is it patrolled,

but it’s one of the few spots that face north, so

waves are manageable. Dog-owners inhabit

Noosa Spit, where their creatures are allowed

off-leash. Lovers of wilderness and surf aim for

the headland swathe of the national park – either

to Alexandria Bay if they want to throw off their

clothing, or to First Point, to surf on a perfect

longboard break. Sunshine Beach, a nine-mile

stretch of rolling surf, is backed with celebrity

villas, and from the boardwalk of Coolum Beach

walkers can watch whales breach.

THE HOTELS

The hotels in Noosa are less vibrant than the

restaurants. But for straight-up contemporary

luxury, Seahaven Noosa (seahavennoosa.com.

au), which reopened in late 2013 after an £8.4-

million refurbishment, has direct access to Main

Beach and has rooftop penthouse apartments

with panoramic ocean views. Reworked the

same year, the Sheraton Noosa remains popular

(sheratonnoosaresort.com); its two-bedroom

apartment suits families, and its penthouse has

great views. It’s not going to win design awards

but is the only five-star and is in the heart of

Hastings Street, adjoined by Peter Kuruvita’s

Noosa Beach House (noosabeachhousepk.com.

au), a favoured local hotspot for lunch. Villa

companies offer sensational spaces for those

who like privacy: the five-level Grandé Villa at

Outrigger Little Hastings (grandvillanoosa.com.

au) has ocean views and the riverside 70 Noosa

Parade (accomnoosa.com.au) is moments from

Hastings Street. Villa Getaways (villagetaways.

com) also has access to top-end hideaways, such

as Villa 505, sleeping 22 – a Balinese-style home

situated on an island in the middle of the

national park – and Villa 518, a modern, four-

bedroomed waterfront home on Noosa Sound.

THE RESTAURANTS

These are no slim pickings. Locale (localenoosa.

com.au), a modern Italian trattoria in the French

Quarter, brings together two great chefs:

Rio Capurso, from Lindoni’s, and Brent Ogilvie,

from Ricky’s (rickys.com.au). Also on the river,

Embassy XO (embassyxo.com.au) is known

for its sophisticated Asian fusion, as is Wasabi

(wasabisb.com), one of the country’s top

Japanese restaurants, which is just round the

corner. Berardo’s Restaurant & Bar (berardos.

com.au) is the best place for seafood,

Sails (sailsnoosa.com.au) the top pick near

Main Beach, offering modern, light cuisine, and

the laidback Thomas Corner in Noosaville

(thomascorner.com.au) the place for fine

Australian produce. Those who love big

breakfasts will queue for a table at Bistro C

(bistroc.com.au), a beachfront spot offering a

feast of pulled pork, cornmeal, eggs, bacon jam,

roast tomato, tortilla and chipotle sour cream.

THE LATE HOTSPOT

The upbeat Miss Moneypenny’s

(missmoneypennys.com) in Hastings Street,

opened by Sydney restaurateur Ben Walsh,

is the place to hang out with a glass of cool

Margaret River chardonnay. Those who prefer

a lively scene should visit on Sunday: the day

for Ibiza beach-style music and all-day cocktails.

For something moodier, Rumba Wine Bar

(sailsnoosa.com.au) is known for its wide range

of wines, boutique spirits and shucked oysters.

THE HINTERLAND

There are endless possibilities for outdoor

activities here. Surfing is the most popular

activity (former world champion Merrick Davis

has a school on Main Beach; learntosurf.com.au),

although there is also fishing, paddle-boarding,

diving, hiking, horse-riding on the beach,

kayaking, camping and boating. Less active

visitors might prefer the glut of upmarket shops,

day spas and restaurants, as well as wineries,

tearooms and artisanal producers in the

hinterland, from Cooroy to Kin Kin. Dingo-filled

Fraser Island, with its white sand, lakes and

forests, is near enough for a day trip.

THE MARKETS

Foodies flock on Sundays to Noosa Farmers’

Market (noosafarmersmarket.com.au). But

for perhaps the best art, craft and produce in

Australia, Eumundi (eumundimarkets.com.au)

is just a 20-minute drive away and open on

Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

THE FESTIVALS

May’s Noosa International Food & Wine Festival

(noosafoodandwine.com.au) is a serious affair

for chefs, producers, wine-makers and foodies.

September’s Jazz Festival (noosajazz.com.au)

is equally well regarded.

NOOSA

Noosa has surfing bays

filled with dolphins, a

national park and sunshine which warms

the skin and soul all year

MIN

G N

OM

CH

ON

G/M

IST

ER

ZIM

;MA

TR

Ix

ultratravel 23

COOL COASTAL SPOTS

Noosa Beach House, Peter Kuruvita’s

restaurant (above); Tea Tree Bay and

Noosa Heads (far left); a dish of fresh

mussels and a bartender at the local

International Food & Wine Festival

The VERDICT

byron bay

A dream beach destination for the visitor

who enjoys nothing more than surfing and

vintage shopping, and a spot of lunch at

the local market. In holiday season, when

the town gets gridlocked, it’s worth joining

the local migration to the hinterland,

where equally chic spots can be found.

tHE bEACHES 10

tHE HotElS 9

tHE rEStAurAntS 7

tHE lAtE HotSpotS 8

tHE HIntErlAnd 9

tHE mArkEtS 8

tHE fEStIvAlS 9

noosa

A less arty but equally sophisticated town

that is much smaller and much hotter

than byron bay. the place for the older,

well-heeled visitor who expects world-

class food and wine, and who might enjoy

walking in the outback or spotting koalas

in noosa national park.

tHE bEACHES 10

tHE HotElS 5

tHE rEStAurAntS 9

tHE lAtE HotSpotS 7

tHE HIntErlAnd 8

tHE mArkEtS 9

tHE fEStIvAlS 6

24 ultratravel

T W O W E E K S I N . . .

THE NORTH

Among the world’s remote coastlines, few are as alluring

as Australia’s Kimberley. More than two and a half

thousand islands, thousands of miles of wilderness

filled with mysterious cave art, green eucalyptus forest,

dancing cascades, echoing canyons, grinning crocodiles,

leaping dolphins and mirage-inducing desert – much of it

untrodden by man since the dawn of time. If you want to see

pristine and littoral nature at its most glittering and Edenic,

then the Kimberley Coast is probably the ultimate destination.

The trouble is, or was, its remote location. Until recently

the only practical way for people without yachts and jets to

see the entire Kimberley was to drive along its haunted and

dusty tracks. But even that presented significant problems:

the roads are often dangerous (many are simply closed in

the rainy season), they also fall short of some of the most

intoxicating sights, which are only accessible from the water

or the air. You’d also need a spare couple of months to do

the area justice, given the enormous distances overland.

By now you might be asking, “Why can’t I tour the glorious

Kimberley on a cruise boat?” If so, your prayers have been

answered: since April last year, the Silver Discoverer has been

plying the majestic blue waters of far north-western Australia.

Cruising the Kimberley is pretty much the perfect way to

explore this splendid corner of Oz (though you can also do

quicker excursions by plane or helicopter; see overleaf). In the

dizzying heat of the day, you duck in and out of creeks and

coves on Zodiac dinghies, chasing flying fish, admiring the

cave art and marvelling at sea eagles; then you retreat in the

evening to your butlered suite and champagne followed by a

pink slice of Angus rib-eye, cooked on red-hot rocks, washed

downed with a Margaret River shiraz. And you eat this on a

mosquito-free cruise deck under a purple-black night sky,

The trick when visiting a country

as diverse as Australia is not to try

to cover it all in one go, but to pick a

region and explore it in depth. Here three

writers travel to the far North, the wild

West and the Golden Triangle, taking in

spectacular wilderness as well as the

best beds and tucker in town

fAntAsyfortnights

ultratravel 25

on top of the world

A view over the northern

outback from the Edgar Ranges,

easily reached by helicopter

Photograph by PAUL PARIN

26 ultratravel

jewelled with the diamanté tiara of the

Southern Cross, as you chat with slightly

intoxicated, happily sunburnt fellow

passengers, cheerfully anticipating

tomorrow’s helicopter excursion to the

dramatic Mitchell Falls.

Even better, Silver Discoverer is staffed

with 11 experts, including scientists, who

make each day an intellectual as well as

a geographical adventure. They come

equipped with daunting, evocative facts,

such as this: the Kimberley is so old (two

billion years) it dates back to before the

time the earth had an atmosphere – or

blue sky. Those burnt-red rocks you can

see from the deck once stared up at a

starred, eternal darkness. That’s the kind

of heart-stopping magic you only find in

a cruise along the magnificent Kimberley.

E S S E N T I A L STO P O F F S

Horizontal Waterfalls

The boat’s first port of call after leaving the

harbour at Broome (see page 29) is these

famous “horizontal” falls. The name is slightly

deceptive – the cataracts don’t gush sideways

like firehoses; they are a racing tidal mill, caused

by the almost-meeting of the cliffs, which

crunch the mighty tides of Kimberley’s vast seas

into a phenomenally fierce and speedy current.

Sharks and crocodiles abound on this beautifully

desolate stretch of water, which can be accessed

by dinghy, or by seaplane or light aircraft from

Broome (kimberleyaviation.com.au).

Kimberley

This area may seem empty (and much of it is),

but Aboriginal Australians have maintained

a faint but definite presence here for at least

40,000 years. The most powerful and poignant

evidence of that life is the peerless rock art,

abundant on this coast and preserved on cave

walls and boulders by the unpolluted dryness

of the climate. In one single canyon it is possible

to see the oldest expressions of the human form

anywhere on earth (the mysterious Bradshaw

art, possibly not Aboriginal in provenance), and

a few hundred feet away uncover evidence of

the world’s oldest continuously surviving religion

(Wandjina art). Intense, brooding, unforgettable.

Because much of this rock art is wildly remote

and inaccessible, expert guidance and piloting

is obligatory: tours can be arranged through

outbackspirittours.com.au. In complete contrast,

fine accommodation is offered at El Questro

Homestead (elquestro.com.au), more than

60 miles from the nearest town and on a

property so large that they are still discovering

new pockets, such as Amaroo Falls, a series of

falls found in 2010 and only arrived at by

chopper. It’s a source of argument as to which is

the best place to stay here: the Homestead’s top

suite, stilted over the river, or the newer Cliff

Side Retreats – three glass-edged retreats with

egg-shell tubs for meditative soaks at sunset.

channelling

australia

Montgomery Reef in

the Kimberley region

ultratravel 27

Mitchell Falls

There are many spectacular waterfalls along the

Kimberley, including the rainbow-misted Kings

Cascades (scene of a horrible incident in 1986,

when a croc killed the American model Ginger

Meadows), and the magnificent King George

Falls, twin cataracts that spill over cliffs into

grand, Tolkien-esque canyons. But perhaps the

most inspiring is the naturally blingy, four-tiered

waterfall of the Mitchell Plateau, complete with

its series of glittering billabongs. The best way

to see this very remote beauty spot is by

helicopter, which lands on a beach, picks up

passengers, then spirits them to the falls like

a touristic James Bond (helispirit.com.au).

Bungle Bungles

One more jaw-dropping natural wonder awaits

before the end of the odyssey: the Bungle

Bungles, in the Purnululu National Park, an

unearthly terrain where desert rocks have been

eroded into sculpted and striated labyrinths,

coloured ochre, red, pink and cream, like a

bizarre giant tray of coffee and cherry patisserie

all but melted in the sun. A flight over the

Bungle Bungles (the best and maybe only way

to see them) also offers a glimpse of the world’s

biggest diamond mine (aviair.com.au).

Darwin

It’s hot, it’s steamy, it gets hit by enormous

cyclones, but languid, prosperous, pleasantly

palmy little Darwin is a welcome sight for the

wilderness explorer: civilisation at last. And nice

beaches too. The best hotels are either the city-

centre Hilton (hilton.com) with its inviting pool,

or Argus Apartments (argusdarwin.com.au) for

stylish seclusion. One of the finest restaurants

is Pee Wee’s at the Point (peewees.com.au),

right by the Timor Sea – its soft-shell crab is

delicious. For a contrast to all that luxury,

Jetty & The Fish, a brilliant fish ’n’ chip truck

on Casuarina Drive, is worth a stop-off.

SEAN THOMAS

Bridge & Wickers (020 3411 1948; bridgeandwickers.

co.uk) offers a 10-day Silversea Kimberley voyage

from £7,990 per person, including flights, two nights

in Broome, meals and drinks and most excursions.

by day, you chase flying fish on zodiacs and admire cave art, and at night eat under purple-blackstarry skies

alamy

The Golden Triangle, a classic two-week trip

to Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru

(Ayers Rock), is an undertaking that drives

the locals bonkers. “What’s the flamin’ hurry?” they

ask. But the attraction of hopping from Australia’s

most cosmopolitan city to the world’s largest aquatic

playground, then losing yourself in the Red Centre is

undeniable. The Harbour City is the obvious place to

start. “If you’re not living in Sydney, you’re camping

out,” Paul Keating, the former Australian prime

minister, declared. No one who has sailed across its

glittering harbour, plunged into the Bondi surf or

wandered along its manicured foreshores would

challenge the “Lizard of Oz”.

Two days should be enough to get a taste of Sydney

before driving north on the famous Pacific Coast Drive

to Byron Bay or flying direct to Ballina, and on to

Brisbane, where it’s possible to board a dive boat, take

the helm of a luxury yacht or sip a poolside cocktail.

Nearby Dent Island has the country’s only

18-hole championship golf course situated on a

tropical island. Qualia resort is the obvious destination

for an indulgent holiday, and the revamped One&Only

Hayman Island the best place in the Whitsunday

Islands to eat remarkably well.

Just a short flight north is Port Douglas, the perfect

springboard for game fishing, scuba diving and

snorkelling trips to the outer reef or for expeditions

to the Daintree National Park. Or from Cairns there

are direct flights to Uluru, the most photographed

monolith on the planet. Here, the days of roughing it

in the desert are long gone – today’s explorer enjoys

air-conditioned accommodation, exquisite food and

wine and a mind-boggling range of activities – from

bush-tucker tours to star-gazing sessions. Most visitors

need no less than three days to immerse themselves in

an indigenous culture that dates back at least 40,000

years, but it’s tempting to stay a lot longer.

E S S E N T I A L STO P O F F S

Sydney

Probably the only place in Australia that needs no

introduction, with its iconic Opera House, magnificent

beaches, yacht-studded harbour and dynamic restaurant

scene. Sydney’s natural beauty, sunny climate and cultural

diversity make it an unmissable part of any Australian travel

itinerary. Signature experiences include climbing the Sydney

Harbour Bridge (bridgeclimb.com), a tour of the fish market

(sydneyfishmarket.com.au) and an indulgent lunch at Quay

Restaurant (quay.com.au). The choice of accommodation has

never been better, with several new five-star hotels opening

recently. The Langham Sydney (langhamhotels.com),

InterContinental Sydney Double Bay (intercontinental.com;

see page 14 and 15) and The Darling (thedarling.com.au) are

all worth considering. Two days should be enough to tick

off major sights – the Art Gallery of New South Wales,

Botanic Gardens, Bondi Beach, Darling Harbour, Circular

Quay, Manly – but it’s worth leaving time for the Blue

Mountains or Hunter Valley wine region too.

Byron Bay

The 484-mile drive from Sydney to Byron Bay is

a wonderful introduction to the laid-back pleasures of

Australia’s eastern seaboard. The two-day road trip offers

outdoor adventure, empty beaches and fresh seafood.

A popular stopoff is in the coastal city of Coffs Harbour:

Aanuka Beach Resort (breakfreeaanukabeachresort.com.au)

offers a good range of rooms, thatched “bures” and villas.

Four hours further north is Byron Bay, the year-round party

town populated by extroverts, artists, healers and property

tycoons (see page 20). Highlights include Cape Byron

Lighthouse (byronbaylighthouse.com), the most easterly

point on the mainland, from which dolphins, turtles and

whales are often sighted. For those who don’t feel like driving,

there are direct flights from Sydney to Ballina Airport, half

an hour’s drive away.

T W O W E E K S I N . . .

SYDNEY, REEF & ROCK

28 ultratravel

Less familiar than Australia’s topline

tourist states, Western Australia

nevertheless captures the

quintessence of the lucky country in

one vastly spacious hunk. As well as

unparalleled wilderness, rugged, empty

beaches and biodiverse reefs, it has

world-class wines and local produce,

serious restaurants and bush comforts to

rival any southern African safari camp.

Australia’s sunniest city, Perth, is on

the rise. Where it used to be a launchpad

for Margaret River and the Kimberley, it’s

evolving into a gourmet and culture

hotspot, partially due to the immense

wealth gathered from the mining industry

(Perth has the highest number,

per capita, of self-made millionaires

in the world). Although cranes line the

skyline, accommodation lags behind the

food and drink scene, but that’s changing

as boutique options come on stream,

and local neighbourhoods become more

soulful and gentrified. The nearby town

of Margaret River has also felt the effects

of the city’s growth: as well as wineries,

it also now has a selection of art galleries,

top cellar-door eateries and farm-gate

artisanal treats.

Heading north of Perth, Ningaloo Reef is

one of Australia’s best-kept natural

secrets, and one of the best places on earth

to swim with whale sharks - and camp in

comfort on the dunes. Then on to Broome,

the charming outpost poised between the

turquoise Indian Ocean and the red earth

of wilderness, but with a bewitching,

surprisingly sophisticated composite of

Asian and European influence – and

a launching post into the wilderness of

the Kimberley (see page 24).

Hamilton islandGiven that the Great Barrier Reef covers an area bigger than the

combined size of Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United

Kingdom, it’s impossible to do justice to this natural wonder in

a single trip. With its large airport, Hamilton Island is the natural

entry point for anyone wishing to explore the reef in just a few

days. Recent developments, such as a new marina and 18-hole

golf course, have put Hamilton in a different league from other

Queensland resort islands. The jewel is Qualia (qualia.com.au),

celebrated for its fine dining, exclusive pavilions, spa and water

sports. The magnificent Yacht Club Villas (hamiltonisland.com.au)

are great for large groups. But for the ultimate Great Barrier Reef

indulgence, Hayman Island is an obvious choice. Following

a £41-million revamp, the One&Only resort (hayman.oneandonly

resorts.com; see page 18) has 160 lavish rooms, and transfers by

luxury launch, helicopter or seaplane from Hamilton.

Port douglasSmall yet perfectly formed, Port Douglas has just about

everything the modern beachcomber might desire: deluxe

accommodation, world-class cuisine and a laid-back vibe. It also

provides easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree

Rainforest. Founded in 1877, this old gold-mining settlement is

now a shrine to conspicuous consumption, with pavement cafés,

expensive boutiques and swish beachside resorts. The Port

Douglas Peninsula Boutique Hotel (peninsulahotel.com.au) is

a charming, family-run property overlooking Four Mile Beach,

close to all the action. Silky Oaks Lodge (luxurylodgesofaustralia.

com.au), on the edge of Daintree National Park, is more rural.

Port Douglas is the adventure capital of Far North Queensland:

scuba-diving lessons, sailing expeditions and indigenous

rainforest tours are all available. For those who want to release

their inner Hemingway, Far North Sports Fishing (farnorthsports

fishing.com) offers trips with expert guides on a comfortable boat

with onboard chef, wine cellar and helicopter transfers.

uluru (ayers rock)Known colloquially as The Rock, Uluru (pictured below) exerts

a magnetic appeal. Apart from its sheer size, the ancient

monolith is at the centre of a fascinating indigenous belief

system. Its constantly changing colour scheme – from orange to

charcoal – provides a remarkable spectacle. There are now direct

flights to Ayers Rock Airport from Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns,

making Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) accessible to those with

limited time. Aboriginal-led guided walks, camel rides and scenic

flights are the most popular ways of experiencing the area.

Longitude 131° (longitude131.com.au), an eco-friendly resort away

from the main township, offers the illusion of camping under the

stars but with none of the privations, with spacious tented cabins,

superb cuisine, spa treatments and private tours. The ideal way to

end a stay is with a dinner at Tali Wiru (ayersrockresort.com.au).

This intimate open-air experience includes four courses, premium

Australian wines, live didgeridoo music and Dreamtime stories.

MARK CHIPPERFIELD

Audley (01993 838 800; audleytravel.com) can organise a 12-night

Highlights of Australia trip, staying two nights full-board at Longitude,

three nights b&b at Silky Oaks Lodge, three nights b&b at Qualia and

three nights b&b at The Langham Sydney, from £8,290 per person,

inclusive of international and domestic flights, and transfers.

T W O W E E K S I N . . .

THE WEST

ultratravel 29

E S S E N T I A L STO P O F F S

Perth

Hotels are not Perth’s forte (although more

are on the drawing board – watch out for the

opening in summer of the Old Treasury

Buildings). But The Richardson in West Perth

(therichardson.com.au) is the best for service

and room standards; its restaurant Opus is

one of the foremost in the city, and its three-

bedroom, 1,830sq ft Kings Park Suite has views

to Perth’s trademark gardens. The city has fine

Indian Ocean-facing beaches, such as

Scarborough, and a characterful port, Fremantle,

at which Perth’s only true beachfront restaurant,

Bathers Beach House (bathersbeachhouse.com.

au), has opened. As for other food: from Nobu

in the Crown Casino (crownperth.com.au) to

the new Standard Bar Garden & Kitchen

(thestandardperth.com.au), an inside-outside

garden oasis with the best drinks list in Perth,

there’s an abundance of class. For something

more idiosyncratic, Leederville’s new food

safari by rickshaw (leedervillefoodsafari.com.au)

takes in the area’s Asian fusion kitchens, and

Perth-wide walking tours can be tailored to

foodies’ interests (foodloosetours.com.au).

A trip to the Swan Valley, Western Australia’s

oldest wine region, with Sergio Libertino

(libertinotravel.com) is fun for oenophiles, as

are bars such as Helvetica (helveticabar.com.

au), which also has a long whisky list.

Margaret river

The wine area is three hours’ drive from Perth,

set against a backdrop of ocean and forest,

and the 22-room Cape Lodge is its jewel and

one of Australia’s top five gourmet retreats, set

within 40 acres of parkland and vineyards.

At its Lakeside Restaurant Tony Howell’s

menus change daily in response to local

produce. Winery tours (topdroptours.com.au)

and truffle hunts can be arranged, as can

sunset safaris to spot the western grey

kangaroo. Treatments at the nearby Injidup Spa

Retreat (injidupsparetreat.com.au), beside the

Indian Ocean, are always sublimely relaxing.

And for great cellar-door lunches, both Vasse

Felix (vassefelix.com.au) and Aravina Estate

(aravinaestate.com) are highly recommended.

Sal SaliS

At this extraordinary, low-footprint outpost

(salsalis.com.au), the outback nudges the sea,

and nine tents are dotted amid the white dunes

that border the reef of Western Australia’s Coral

Coast. One of the country’s best-kept natural

secrets, this is a superior site for spotting and

swimming with whale sharks and manta rays

(guided by an experienced diver); sea kayaking

is also a marvellous way to gently explore the

reef. Back on land, red kangaroos, rock

wallabies, goannas and emus stroll freely

through the camp. By night, upmarket seafood

feasts are served on the shared dining deck.

BrooMe

This unlikely, balmy and civilised outpost on the

brink of the desert – miles from any metropolis

and overlooking the turquoise horizons of the

Indian Ocean – started out as a pearling centre,

attracting a multicultural population that left

its mark. These days it’s a launchpad for the

wilderness, but is still worth stopping at for

some good food, beach walks and shopping for

Broome pearls and rare pink diamonds. Camel

trekking on Cable Beach is a classic activity,

as is watching the caravan plodding in at

sunset from the comfort of Cable Beach Club

(cablebeachclub.com.au): a dated but town

institution and the place to stay for those who

insist on beachfront rooms and a butler. The

most sophisticated place to stay is Pinctada

McAlpine House (mcalpinehouse.com.au),

a traditional lattice-work residence laced with

charm, once owned by Lord Alistair McAlpine,

who fell in love with Broome, founded the Cable

Beach Club and, many argue, made the town

what it is today. From here, helicopter rides can

be taken into the Kimberley and the beaches

and cliffs of the Aboriginal stronghold Cape

Leveque (kimberleyaviation.com.au).

LYDIA BELL

Scott Dunn (020 8682 5060; scottdunn.com)

offers a 13-day trip, with two nights at

The Richardson, three nights at Cape Lodge,

four nights at Sal Salis and three nights at

Pinctada McAlpine House, from £4,995 per

person, inclusive of return flight, internal flights,

transfers and car hire.

Winery tours and truffle hunts can be arranged, as can safaris to spot theWestern grey kangaroo

easy living

Cape Lodge, one of

Australia’s leading

gourmet hotels

30 ultratravel

a REaLFORCE OFNATURE

Among the world’s most important ecosystems,

the ‘biodiversity hotspot’ of the Great South West

Edge is full of delights – from sweeping coastal

views and fabulous fauna to rich cultural heritage.

Stanley Johnson taps into its raw power

ultratravel 31

Ihave been visiting Australia for more than 30

years. I have travelled around many of the coastal

areas, including Tasmania (twice), and have criss-

crossed the interior. Although I have been to Perth,

the capital of Western Australia, and to the north of

that state to visit Broome and the Kimberley, I had

never gone south down the coast of Western Australia,

past the Margaret River and on to Cape Leeuwin, the great

granite promontory where two great oceans – the Indian

and the Southern – meet. Last December I had a chance

to remedy that omission. The Great South West Edge,

ranging over 435 miles from Bunbury, south of Perth, to

Israelite Bay, on the western fringe of the Great Australian

Bight, is one of the most exhilarating places in the world

and Australia’s only “biodiversity hotspot”, among the

earth’s richest and most important ecosystems.

For an overview of the environmental treats in store,

on the first day of my trip I visited Perth’s Kings Park and

Botanic Garden (bgpa.wa.gov.au). First gazetted in 1872

with 175 hectares of bushland, it was renamed in 1901 to

mark the accession of Edward VII to the British throne.

Today, with its spectacular setting on Mount Eliza and

views of Perth City, the Swan River and the Darling Range,

it provides an extraordinary introduction to the region’s

flora, earning its place as WA’s top tourist destination.

I spent the morning with Lesley Hammersley, director

of conservation, and Grady Brand, senior curator. “There

are 25,000 plant species in Australia,” Hammersley said.

“Over 12,000 are to be found in Western Australia. And

between 6,000 and 7,000 are endemic to the South West.

Grady here has even had a banksia named after him.”

The man who put the Banks into banksia was, of

course, Sir Joseph Banks, who accompanied Captain

James Cook on his first great voyage to the Pacific and

later served as President of the Royal Society for a record

41 years. As we walked round the Banksia Garden that

morning I learnt that, of the 76 banksia species recorded

nationally, 62 occur only in Western Australia.

One of the best ways to appreciate the natural wonders

of Australia’s Great South West Edge, if you have time

(you need about a week), is to follow the track from Cape

Naturaliste, about 155 miles south of Perth, to Cape

Leeuwin. You will be richly rewarded. The Cape to Cape

Track extends over 83 miles. I was lucky to have as my

guide Gene Hardy, a young, dedicated conservationist

(capetocapetours.com.au). As we walked near Bunker Bay,

Gene explained, “The Track runs through the Leeuwin-

Naturaliste National Park for almost the whole of its

length. You have sheltered forests and amazing beaches.”

Gene himself was a champion West Australian surfer, as

was his father. “He’s a shaper now,” Gene said. “He carves

surfboards. He’ll carve you one if you like.” Out here on

super natural Top row,

from left: a curious quokka;

Hookers banksia at Kings

Park and Botanic Garden in

Perth; Busselton Jetty; western

rosellas might be spied from

Tree Top Walk. Centre row:

Stanley Johnson; an example

of Noongar art; Cape Leeuwin

Lighthouse. Bottom row:

melaleuca trees beside

Bunker Bay; red tingle trees

in the Valley of the Giants;

clownfish, as seen at Busselton

Underwater Observatory

an

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cr

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et

ty

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Days 1 London to Sydney

Days 2-4 Sydney Arrive in Sydney and enjoy a memorable stay at one of the city’s most luxurious and sophisticated hotels. With an unbeatable location on Sydney Harbour, you’ll enjoy fabulous views and top notch service. On your last evening, take to the water for a wonderful dinner cruise on the harbour.

Day 5 Sydney to Blue Mountains Pick up your Avis car and head out of the city. A short drive this morning takes you to the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains. Enjoy breathtaking views, pretty towns and a wide choice of activities. Tonight you’ll take refuge in a stunning resort centred around a fully restored homestead, part of the Luxury Lodges of Australia.

Day 6 Blue Mountains Spectacular scenery is all around you, peaking with the Three Sisters at Katoomba gazing out towards Mount Solitary. Go bush walking or enjoy a ride on Australia’s steepest cable car at Scenic World. Be sure to include a visit to the Jenolan Caves and the picturesque village of Leura.

Day 7 Blue Mountains to Adelaide Drive back to Sydney airport for your f ight to Adelaide.

Day 8 Adelaide to Kangaroo Island Next stop on your incredible journey is Kangaroo Island, famed for its pristine beaches and amazing wildlife including kangaroos, koalas and the rare Australian sea lion. Take a short f ight from Adelaide and transfer to the spectacular Southern Ocean Lodge.

Day 9 Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island With a striking clif top location, Southern Ocean Lodge of ers the perfect blend of luxury and nature. Relax in contemporary surrounds framed by boundless coastal wilderness and feel at home with friendly, f rst-name service. You may also choose to visit the secluded Southern Spa. In the evening, savour culinary delights in the restaurant and peruse the walk-in cellar featuring an exclusively South Australia wine selection.

Day 10 Kangaroo Island to Adelaide After a gourmet breakfast, transfer to the island’s airport for your f ight back to Adelaide.

Day 11 Adelaide to Lizard Island Board your f ight to Cairns followed by a one hour scenic f ight over the reef to Lizard Island.

Days 12-14 Lizard Island Lizard Island is Australia’s northernmost island resort on the Great Barrier Reef. Recently refurbished, the Hecker Guthrie interiors are understated luxury and sit as one with the beauty of the tropical beach backdrop.

24 pristine private beaches, snorkelling straight of the beach where clam gardens, coral and marine life are abundant and diving on the inner and outer reef to some of the world’s most famous dive sites is why Lizard Island is simply like nowhere else. The food philosophy embraces local, fresh produce with a daily surprise and delight component and Essentia Day Spa is luxurious and indulgent.

Day 15-16 Lizard Island, Cairns, LondonEnjoy your scenic f ight from Lizard Island to Cairns for your return f ight home.

Lizard Island

Southern Ocean Lodge

Three Sisters, Blue Mountains

ultratravel 33

the coast, having a bespoke surfboard is a bit like having

a bespoke suit, though probably more useful.

I didn’t try my hand at surfing, but we swam and

snorkelled whenever we could. After a morning’s hike,

plunging into crystal sea is about as near bliss as you can

get. No need for a wetsuit: these waters are warmed by the

south-flowing Leeuwin current, which sweeps down the

west coast of Western Australia, round Cape Leeuwin, and

continues around the southern shore towards Tasmania,

bringing with it an extraordinary diversity of marine life.

Busselton, a thriving town in the middle of Geographe

Bay, boasts a jetty over a mile long, the longest wooden

jetty in the southern hemisphere, which allowed ships to

remain in deeper water as they loaded timber.

Today, happily, the National Park is in place,

the logging industry is in retreat and other

uses have been found for the jetty (busselton

jetty.com.au). A little Noddy train transports

passengers to the end of the pier and to the

entrance to the Underwater Observatory, eight metres

below sea-level. In the observation chamber you can view

the corals and fish life. I am no marine biologist (I’m not

sure I can tell a squid from an octopus), but Gene was

ecstatic. “That’s a dhufish!” he exclaimed. “There’s a

yellowtail kingfish. And a sea slug!” And that was just a

small sample of the marine diversity on offer.

More or less halfway down the Cape to Cape Track, you

cross the Margaret River. The region is celebrated for its

wine-making: Western Australia produces four per cent of

Australia’s wines, but 20 per cent of its premium wines.

Vanya Cullen, MD of Cullen Wines (cullenwines.com.au),

showed us round the vineyard, telling us, “We are

certified organic. We work with a biodynamic system,

avoiding traditional, potentially toxic chemicals.”

If the Cullen wines tasted like the best of the Bordeaux

vintages, Vanya had a ready explanation: “The climate is

Mediterranean, similar to that of Bordeaux.”

We would have lingered, but had to move on. The

Margaret River wineries may have a recent past, only 50

or 60 years, but their future looks long and glorious.

If you’re travelling Cape to Cape in a southerly

direction, journey’s end is the great lighthouse at Cape

Leeuwin. At 128ft, it is the tallest lighthouse on mainland

Australia. It is still manned. Paul, who has lived on site for

16 years, took us up to the observation platform. “The

light flashes every seven and a half seconds,” he said.

“Each lighthouse has a different signal. Out at sea, you

time the flashes to know which light you’re observing.”

As I stood there, looking at the waves swirling over the

rocks below, I felt, as Tony Blair once put it, the hand of

history on my shoulder. This awesome place has seen so

many of the world’s great adventurers pass by. Matthew

Flinders, for example, the first man to circumnavigate

Australia, began his survey of the south coast at this point

in December 1801. It is thanks to Flinders that this new

great continent acquired the name Australia. From that

high point, we had a clear view not only of the coast we

had traversed, right up to Cape Naturaliste, but also of

Western Australia’s southern margin, which we had still

to explore, stretching east, towards Denmark and Albany.

The most remarkable afternoon of my week in the

Great South West Edge came with a visit to the Valley of

the Giants. If the Sydney Opera House and Uluru are

Australia’s two best-known features, I submit that this

valley will soon give them a run for their money. Between

Denmark and Walpole, in the Walpole-Nornalup National

Park, it is the only place in the world where you can find a

6,000 hectare stand of tingle trees (Eucalyptus jacksonii).

In fact, the Walpole-Nornalup National Park is the only

place to find the red tingle tree, which can live up to 400

years, reach a height of 246ft and a circumference of 72ft,

making it the largest buttressing eucalypt in the world.

A treetop walk was first proposed in 1994, to protect the

trees’ shallow root systems and to allow increased access.

Two years later the Tree Top Walk (parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/

site/tree-top-walk) was completed. You can walk (or even

use a wheelchair) for 1,968ft at treetop height. If you are a

“birder” you can hope to spy white-tailed black cockatoos,

western rosellas, red-winged fairy-wrens, ring-neck

parrots, purple-crowned lorikeets, crested shrike-tits or

the owlet nightjar, to name a few. If marsupials are your

thing, at dawn or dusk you might glimpse brush-tailed

phascogales, quokkas, southern brown bandicoots, brush-

tailed possums, grey-bellied dunnarts, mardo, woylies,

chuditch, ring-tail possums and western grey kangaroos.

Gene and I spent three hours in the forest. Back in

Perth, at Kings Park and Botanic Garden, I had seen many

magnificent specimens of Western Australia’s native trees:

jarrah, marri, tuart and, of course, the superb banksias.

But here, in this arboreal reserve were some of the rarest

trees in the world, in their hundreds, or even thousands.

Many of these forest giants existed here long before

Captain James Cook came to Australia. If they – and we –

are lucky, they may still be with us in hundreds of years.

In Albany we had the good fortune to dine with Prof

Stephen Hopper, a tall, amusing Australian who had not

been only the director of Kings Park and Botanic Garden

in Perth, but had also served as head of the Royal Botanic

Gardens at Kew. “Come out tomorrow,” he urged, “and

I’ll show you why this land is so unique.”

So the next day we drove out of town and walked to the

summit of Stony Hill. I have seldom seen a more

extraordinary panorama. From our vantage point, I could

see – to the south and east – the huge sweep of King

George Sound, one of the world’s great natural harbours.

Here the convoys of ships gathered, a century ago, to

transport more than 41,000 Australians to the battlefields

of Gallipoli, the Middle East and Europe, and to an event

that marked Australia perhaps more profoundly than any

other in its history. More than a third of those men never

came back, and many who did were fearfully injured. To

the west, we could see the magnificent cliffs and beaches

stretching back towards Cape Leeuwin. Fifty miles to the

north, we could see the dark mass of the Stirling Range.

“From majestic tingle and karri trees to boldly coloured

kangaroo paws,” the professor lyrically proclaimed, “from

Albany pitcher plants to exotic dasypogons, from spider

orchids to the beautiful banksias, wildflowers may be

seen at any time of year along this south coast, and in

winter and spring, further north.”

“This is Minang Noongar country,” he continued.

“The Minang stories and legends are interwoven with,

and often based on, the salient features of the landscape

we are actually looking at now.”

Later, Prof Hopper took us to a place known as the

Quaranup entrance, Babingerboy or teaching rock.

“Look,” he said, pointing to a large stone propped up by

another, smaller one. “That’s a lizard trap used by the

Noongar people. They prop the stone up to encourage

lizards to go underneath. Then they’ll come and lift up the

stone and catch the lizard as it runs out. This could be the

world’s first example of animal husbandry.”

He believes there are few places that offer as much

cultural heritage from people who have occupied land

continuously for more than 50,000 years. “The landscape

comes alive,” he concluded, “when you are privileged to

experience it through a Noongar cultural perspective.”

Which, thankfully, guests are increasingly able to

appreciate, thanks to the cultural resurgence of the

Noongar nation in South West Australia.

A wildflower wonderland, pristine beaches, clear warm

waters, rich marine biodiversity and a cultural heritage

spanning 50,000 years. This is what Australia’s Great

South West Edge offers. For a nature lover, what more

could one ask?

Wexas Travel (020 7590 0605; wexas.com) offers an 11-night

Margaret River and West Coast itinerary (including Perth,

Margaret River, Pemberton, Denmark and Albany) from

£2,315 per person, based on two sharing and including

international flights with Cathay Pacific, transfers, nine

days’ car hire, 11 nights’ accommodation, meals and touring.

The Rocks Albany

The only five-star heritage

accommodation in WA has just

six rooms, fabulous gardens and

views of Princess Royal Harbour.

0061 8 9842 5969;

albanytherocksalbany.com.au;

doubles from £184

Karri Valley Resort

It’s lakeside living here, on the

shores of Beedelup, surrounded

by forest. Guests, in waterside

rooms or larger chalets, can

really get away – there’s neither

wifi nor mobile coverage.

0061 8 9776 2020;

karrivalleyresort.com.au;

doubles from £100

Perth Ambassador Hotel

This functional hotel is in the

business district, so extremely

central and convenient for quick

stopovers. The premium deluxe

rooms are the most inviting.

0061 8 9325 1455; ambassador

hotel.com.au; doubles from £53

Fraser Suites Perth

Most of these 236 slick serviced

apartments in the business

district have great views of the

Swan River over which the

building towers. There’s an

indoor pool, gym and spa.

0061 8 9261 0000; perth.

frasershospitality.com; from £93

Pullman Resort Bunker Bay

Right on the beachfront, this

five-star hotel has 150 airy,

contemporary bungalow-style

villas with lake or garden views,

and an award-winning spa.

0061 8 9756 9100; pullman

resortbunkerbay.com.au;

doubles from £122

Cape Howe Cottages

Between Albany and Denmark,

enveloped by nature yet with

fully equipped kitchens, the

four-star, cabin-style cottages

here have room service too.

0061 8 9845 1295; capehowe.

com.au; doubles from £80

As I stood there, looking at the waves swirling over the rocks, I felt the hand of history on my shoulder. This place has seen so many adventurers pass by

WHere TO STAY

View To A THRill A glorious vista on the West Cape Howe coast

34 ultratravel

The most pleasurable way to take in Australia’s wild

landscapes is at a leisurely pace. Ultratravel writers set off

on foot and by train – taking in very different terrains

Slowly does it

ultratravel 35

Every landscape has its signature, that unique

combination of physical presence and

atmosphere. And as I stand in a forest of

weird-looking, electric-green “grass-trees”

and above them the tortured limbs of

stringybark eucalypts, held aloft as if in agonised prayer,

I realise that I could be in no other place on earth. It’s one

of those privileged moments of travel, and an essential

sense of Australian place.

The moment occurred on the Twelve Apostles Lodge

Walk in south-western Victoria, a hike that ranges the

coast for around 34 miles, along clifftops, beaches, forests

and flatlands and – as you’ll guess by the name – neatly

culminates at the iconic Twelve Apostles, the state’s most

famous site. Fear not, though: this isn’t sweaty, tented

travel. It’s as close to luxury as hiking comes.

Day one of the four-day hike begins with a three-hour

drive from Melbourne. We set out from The Lyall Hotel

at 8am and head south and west into the seemingly

limitless sun-bleached outback, eventually cutting south

through forest to the coast. After a quick stop at the lodge

to kit up, Bea, our guide, leads us off from a bend in the

Great Ocean Road to Castle Cove. The hiking path

meanders into coastal scrub, and we traverse slopes,

clambering over headlands and descending into coves.

The hillsides are oddly patterned – the onshore winds

have sculpted the beard heath into lines. To our left lies

the seething Southern Ocean, which is brutalising and

undermining the coastline. The waves form an audible

backdrop, thudding sometimes and hissing.

But as the path turns inland into a gully, there is

silence. Here, shielded from gales, the trees grow to

normal size. And then there’s the signature moment,

when the grass-trees look like a spiked haircut on

a shaggy green St Bernard, with, behind them, the twisted

stringybarks, invoking some malevolent spirit. It is

almost spooky, and exceptionally beautiful.

The daily hiking distances are not huge – between five

and eight miles, with a few optional extras to take it

over 30 – but the terrain is enough to leave the muscles

aching at the day’s end. After snaking and switchbacking,

we end the first day on Johanna Beach, a mile-plus

stretch of superb blond sand (and quite an aerobic

workout, as it happens). From here it’s a hop and a skip

inland, to the Twelve Apostles Lodge itself.

As I mentioned, the concepts of hiking and stylish

comfort don’t often coincide (most of my considerable

experience has involved living out of an overgrown

plastic bag), so the Twelve Apostles Lodge comes as quite

a surprise. Proper linen, a chef and good Aussie wine,

for a start. In the morning they tend your blisters, pack

a lunch for you, and out on the path they explain the

flora and fauna. Practically the only thing they don’t do

for you is the walking.

We gather for canapés before dinner, pork belly

glazed with pineapple and squid in ginger chorizo jam,

before sitting for a main course of roasted tenderloin

in red wine, cooked by the estimable Ha, the Lodge’s

words alexander mckendrick

Hiking the GreatOcean Road

the long and winding hiKe

Walkers finally catch sight of the

Twelve Apostles – limestone stacks –

on the final day of their trek

ILL

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36 ultratravel

It was more than 30 years after the first

man landed on the Moon that The Ghan

railway was completed in the form we

know it today. Australia’s transcontinental

“space mission” is no less impressive

than mankind’s lunar adventure. After a

century or more of stop-start planning, at

a cost of around £500 million, one of the

biggest engineering projects in history

finally conquered Planet Earth’s very own

otherworldly landscape a decade ago.

On average, 30 coaches are dragged 1,851

miles by two steroidal locos (totalling

1,400 tons) from Darwin in the far north

to Adelaide in South Australia, traversing

the ferocious emptiness of the Red Centre.

It’s an epic journey that unifies this

gigantic continent and its people –

Vietnamese-New Zealand chef. Before dessert we are

given a briefing for the next day.

Day Two is the long day: eight miles over the walk’s

most rugged terrain, with an option to make it 20. The

path climbs through pasture before dropping and

climbing into forest, where tree ferns carpet the ground

between the eucalypts. We pass banksia, puffballs, Austral

bracken and common heath, Victoria’s floral emblem.

Views open back and forth along the coast. Hiking in a

group slightly resembles travelling in a yacht: you are in

close confines with new people, whom you spend your

days getting to know and ruminating with. My co-hikers

are an easy-going bunch of three couples – five

Australians and a South African – gracious enough to

include me. At the end of the day, world set to rights and

feet throbbing, we’re happy to load into the van, dreaming

of the Lodge, where there are cakes. It’s

not long before I find myself back there,

feet in a bowl of warm and soapy water,

beer in hand. Dinner is muted, though.

Tired after all those miles, it’s early to bed.

There is space for 10 at the lodge. With

its self-consciously exposed metalwork, it

is visibly a temporary structure, but the

floors are polished wood and the beds

large and extremely comfortable. Viewed

from the deck, the forest – ferns below,

bushes and trees above – hangs like a

theatrical backdrop.

The hike is surprisingly remote. We pass

only one person walking the other way on

day three (the trail is designed to be

walked in our direction, with more gradual

upward slopes and steeper descents). And the breeze,

straight off the Southern Ocean, is fresh, some of the

cleanest air in the world. We’re packing ozone, then.

Near the end of the day a lone stack of rock appears just

offshore. There is a murmur of confusion. “Ah, no,” says

Bea. “That’s a wannabe Apostle.”

There’s a pattern of morale to the hike, too. The bulk of

the walking done, our last evening has a lighter note, as

we tuck into another of Ha’s creations – salmon this time.

“Last of the guilt-free eating,” says a fellow hiker.

Day four is leisurely by comparison, a winding five

miles through scrub-covered dunes and low cliffs. We’re

all waiting for one thing, and at a bend we sight two

stacks: Gog and Magog. But they’re not Apostles, either –

although they are made of the same material. The

layered-limestone stacks glow as yellow as Battenburg

cake, their sides brutalised by the waves that dissolve,

undermine and carve them from the coast.

Our first sight of the real Apostles raises a cheer.

Oddly, there are only eight of them, but they rise,

distinctive, out of the teal-blue sea with varying bulk,

bravely defiant but ever diminishing. Diminishing,

in fact, more than half an inch per year. This is erosion

in action. One Apostle collapsed in 2005. Another stands

slender, like a single-finger insult.

We make our way down the cliff on to the beach, where

Gog and Magog loom over us in their full glory, 130ft high

and lined with strata. There’s a demob lightness to the

group now. The challenge has been defeated, and we feel

better for it. But the trip is not done yet. The last thing we

have to do is fly over the glorious coast we’ve just walked.

Most helicopters are pretty utilitarian, so with padded

seats and plenty of glass for the view, this Eurocopter

EC130 feels plush. We clamber aboard and strap in. The

airframe wobbles as the blades begin to turn and

shudders as we slowly lift off. At 30ft, the pilot dips the

nose and we slide forward, speed increasing, the grass of

a neighbouring paddock racing beneath. As he levels off,

the whole turquoise to royal blue of the Southern Ocean

is revealed before us.

The 100ft cliff we climbed flashes

beneath, insignificant. Walkers on the

beach – us a few moments ago – are

ants. We fly out to sea and circle the

massive stacks from above, inspecting

them from all angles. They really

are spectacular. This is fun, too. The

pilot pulls a couple of turns, blades

whacking at the air. Suddenly, angled

down at the sea and a spectacular

yellow stack, I realise I’m experiencing

another cool moment of travel with,

undoubtedly, a signature view.

Bridge & Wickers (020 3642 8551; bridge

andwickers.co.uk) can tailor-make a

12-night trip from £3,595 per person, including three nights

at The Lyall, three nights on the Twelve Apostles walk, two

nights at Chateau Yering, two nights at Daylesford’s Lake

House and two nights at Boroka Downs, with Singapore

Airlines flights, transfers and six days’ car rental. The Twelve

Apostles Lodge Walk (0061 3 5237 4276; twelveapostleslodge

walk.com.au, and visitmelbourne.com) costs £1,050 per

person, all-inclusive, and is part of the eight Great Walks of

Australia (greatwalksofaustralia.com.au).

THE ALTERNATIVE: Tasmania

The four-day Freycinet Experience Walk (0061 3 6223 7565;

freycinet.com.au; £1,235 per person from Hobart) through Freycinet

National Park on Tasmania’s east coast covers some of the loveliest

landscapes in the southerly island. The walk starts from the

southern end of the national park (Schouten Island, where you

climb Bear Hill for a superb view back across Coles Bay) and

tracks north via the magnificent curve of Wineglass Bay and pink

granite heights of Mount Graham, before heading along the shores

of the Southern Ocean to Friendly Beaches. Accommodation is

at the sustainably built Friendly Beaches Lodge, where again, there

are cakes and attentive care, comfortable rooms and excellent fare

served at a huge Tasmanian oak table.

the height of

adventure Near right:

the Twelve Apostles

Lodge Walk ends with

a helicopter flight over

the coast. Far right: The

Ghan train travels

through the Red Centre

Crossing the country by

trainwords MARK SKIPWORTH

The Twelve Apostles are

diminishing – more than

half an inch per year.

This is erosion in action

12

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ultratravel 37

townsfolk, pastoralists, frontiersmen and

Aboriginals. The Ghan’s north-south route

covers such a vast expanse that you can

start in one season (in my case, Darwin’s

tropical dry season) and finish in another

(Adelaide’s “Mediterranean” autumn).

Despite the distance and formidable

terrain, it’s surprisingly quick – four days,

three nights to get from the Timor Sea to

the Southern Ocean on a new extended

service, with stops en route.

The Ghan is also extremely comfortable,

the private cabins cleverly designed with

bathrooms, showers and fold-down beds.

Throw in faultless room service, all-

inclusive drinks and haute cuisine and

it soon becomes obvious that you’re

experiencing the ultimate “land-cruise”.

What you get, above all, is a real flavour of

the immensity of the outback and its

remarkable variety. The landscape is far

from monotonous, forever changing from

dense tropical forests to open bush

country, followed by unique rock

formations and mountain ranges.

Four hours in, the train halts at

Katherine, the most southerly of the Top

End communities, so passengers can

cruise its famous gorge or take a

helicopter flight. Katherine Gorge is a

series of linked canyons flooded by

surrounding wetlands to create elongated

tropical “fjords”. Aboard the cruise, our

Aboriginal guide explains that the region

is home to “harmless” freshwater

crocodiles that are not known to attack

humans – although you wouldn’t want to

swim in the waters to find out. The

excursion ends with a flourish – a pop-up

in a field beside the gorge of fine-dining

bush tucker: crocodile soup (not unlike

scotch broth), then camel and kangaroo

kebabs. Back at The Ghan, as the light

fades, I leave the cabin blinds open to

catch a final glimpse of the tropical sky,

the stars ablaze. A night to remember.

Next morning The Ghan approaches

Alice Springs, the geographical centre,

where passengers can now spend a full

day, on the new extended service,

exploring the town and outlying areas or

upgrading their excursion with a scenic

flight over Uluru. I apply my test of “great

travel” – gazing out of my cabin window –

and realise there is nowhere else in the

world quite like the Red Centre. It’s been

said before, but you really could be on

another planet: blood-orange soil broken

by the occasional heroic mulga tree, the

sun’s unforgiving rays beating down

throughout. The MacDonnell Ranges to

the north provide contour for seemingly

endless vistas of desert.

Its foothills are where I’m heading to

get a brief taste of the “burnt country” –

on the back of a camel. Marcus, the camel

centre’s charming owner, has lived in

Alice for a quarter of a century and lays

on these “ships of the desert” for visitors.

In its colonial heyday, Australia used more

than 12,000 camels, brought largely from

Rajasthan. Afghans were recruited to be

their cameleers and hundreds of them

crossed the continent north to south –

hence The Ghan’s name today.

Leaving Alice, our stainless-steel serpent

slithers into South Australia. The extended

journey takes in a welcome stop at Coober

Pedy, one of the weirdest places on earth.

It’s the world’s opal-mining capital, with

more than 70 opal fields, and at least half

its inhabitants live underground in cave

homes or “dugouts” to escape the

scorching sun. As well as visiting a Serbian

Orthodox Church (also underground), we

are invited to have a go at opal mining or

play a game on the golf course, famous for

being free of grass. At the end of the day,

almost imperceptibly, the red dust fades to

bleached-white flatlands; beef cattle

appear, and more and more sheep. In this

harshest of landscapes, what do they eat?

After breakfast, the train eases into

Adelaide, which is an unexpected delight,

with one of the best indoor food markets

in Australia, gracious Victorian villas,

a first-class art gallery and, of course, the

picturesque Oval cricket ground. The

Hilton hotel proved ideal for all the major

sights here – many of which can be viewed

from the panoramic rooftop swimming

pool. Although, after the sweltering north,

the city’s cooler “Mediterranean” climate

seems positively polar. This is not a place

in which to dip a toe: at the end of this

line, the water is truly freezing.

Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) offers an

11-night north-to-south Australian trip from

£4,499 per person, including return flights

with Malaysia Airlines to Darwin and

returning from Adelaide, a night in Darwin,

three in Kakadu, three on The Ghan in Gold

sleeper class, one in Adelaide and three at the

Southern Ocean Lodge, plus three days’ car

hire. Details: greatsouthernrail.com.au;

southaustralia.com and travelnt.com.

THE ALTERNATIVE: The Indian Pacific

The other epic cross-country rail trip is

the Indian Pacific which, as its names suggests,

runs east-west from Sydney on the Pacific

Ocean to Perth on the Indian Ocean. The

four-day route takes in the world’s longest

straight stretch of track – nearly 300 miles –

across the fiery Nullarbor Plain, with a stop

in Adelaide (greatsouthernrail.com.au; from

£1,200 Gold Service).

Holidays from £799pp

3 nights Melbourne, 3 nights Sydney &

7 nights Gold Coast3★+ / 4★ Hotels, Room Only +

Flights with Cathay Pacifi c

from £1,149pp

4 nights Perth, 4 nights Sydney & 4 nights Brisbane

3★ / 4★ Hotels, Room Only + Flights with Cathay Pacifi c

from £1,239pp

Sunshine State Explorer Self Drive

12 Day Car Hire, Hotels + Flights with Cathay Pacifi c

from £1,759pp

3 nights Sydney, 2 nights Uluru &

6 nights Great Barrier Reef3★ / 3★+ Hotels, Room Only +

Flights with Cathay Pacifi c

from £1,339pp

14 Day West Coast Adventure

14 Day Campervan Hire + Flights with Cathay Pacifi c

from £799pp

AUSTRALIAin two weeksSometimes you have to lose yourself to fi nd yourself, and in Australia we call this going walkabout. The key to an amazing fortnight in Australia is to plan it well - don’t try and ‘do’ the country in the one trip. Instead pick two or three key locations to use as your base, enjoying experiences in and around those places at a leisurely pace or linking them

with a fantastic Aussie road trip or train journey. Along the way you’ll meet friendly locals, see some incredible sights and return home with tales to tell and lifelong memories.

What are you waiting for?

Call the Australia experts on 0845 543 6620

Touring from £1,299pp

For more info or to book visit travelbag.co.uk or call 0845 543 6620Visit your local Travelbag shop: London, Alton, Brighton, Cheltenham, Knutsford, Solihull & Winchester

Perth to Darwin Safari Departure Dates: 6th, 13th & 20th June 2015

Includes: • Return international fl ights with Cathay Pacifi c• 13 nights hotel accommodation & 5 nights camping • 15 breakfasts, 16 lunches, 15 dinners• Touring by mini coach & purpose-built 4WD• Services of qualifi ed English-speaking guide throughout• Transfers and sightseeing

Itinerary:Day 1 Perth – KalbarriDay 2 Kalbarri – Shark Bay/Monkey MiaDay 3 Shark Bay – Coral BayDays 4-5 Coral Bay – ExmouthDay 6 Exmouth – Karijini National ParkDays 7-8 Karijini National Park – Pardoo RoadhouseDay 9 Pardoo Roadhouse – BroomeDays 10-19 Broome - Darwin

The Ghan - Reef, Rock & BridgeDeparture Dates: Every Wednesday May – June 2015

Includes: • Return international fl ights with Cathay Pacifi c• Internal fl ights• 12 nights hotel accommodation• 2 day overnight rail journey on The Ghan (RedService)• Transfers and sightseeing

Itinerary:Days 1-2 CairnsDay 3 Cairns – DarwinDays 4-6 DarwinDay 7 Darwin – KatherineDay 8 Katherine – Alice SpringsDay 9 Alice Springs – UluruDay 10 UluruDay 11 Uluru – SydneyDays 12-14 Sydney

3nts Sydney, 3nts Melbourne & 5 Day Great Ocean Road Self Drive TourDeparture Dates: Daily

Includes: • Return international fl ights with Cathay Pacifi c• Internal fl ights• 12 nights hotel accommodation• 5 days car hire

Itinerary:Days 1-4 SydneyDays 5-8 MelbourneDay 9 Melbourne - Lorne/Apollo BayDay 10 Lorne/Apollo Bay – Port FairyDay 11 Port Fairy – RobeDay 12 Robe – Barossa ValleyDay 13 Barossa Valley – Adelaide

Subject to availability. Prices correct at time of print. Prices based on two people sharing. Valid for selected travel dates April - June 2015. Book by 30th April 2015.

AS SHOWN ON MAP AS SHOWN ON MAP AS SHOWN ON MAP

WesternAustralia

SouthAustralia

NorthernTerritory

Queensland

NewSouthWales

Victoria

Tasmania

Sydney

Melbourne

Lorne Port Fairy

Robe

Adelaide

Uluru

Alice Springs

Cairns

Brisbane

Perth

Kalbarri

Shark Bay

Coral Bay

Karijini National Park

Pardoo Roadhouse

Exmouth

Broome

MountElizabeth

El Questro

The Bungle Bungles

Lake Argyle

Katherine

Darwin

Flights to Sydney from

£632pp

Flights to Melbourne

from £621pp

Flights to Adelaide

from £721pp

Flights to Brisbane

from£727pp

Flights to Cairns from

£726pp

Flights to Perth from

£602pp

14 Day Hotels & Rail Journey from £2,399pp 19 Day Small Group Tour from £2,699pp13 Day Hotels & Self Drive from £1,299pp

ultratravel 41

THE BYRON AT BYRON

COOKING WITH ROOTS

Jock Zonfrillo (top) on the

hunt for ingredients for his

restaurant which features

Spencer Gulf prawns,

macadamia nuts and wild

peas with cinnamon myrtle

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this is the most beautiful hotel, not only

because of its location in byron bay, but

because it is run by some of the most dedicated

and caring staff i’ve come across. because it’s not

that big – it has 92 light, bright modern suites,

surrounded by trees, with a great beach a few

minutes’ walk away – it is pretty ideal for any kind

of break. there are buggies to take you around

the site, and lots of places nearby to visit: the

lighthouse, crystal castle and shambala Gardens,

as well as the hippie, alternative town of nimbin.

the rooms are as pretty as the scenery.

i particularly loved the brilliant anti-bug and

mosquito mesh surrounding the balcony, which

meant we could be outside without getting bitten.

it has managed to create an atmosphere that is

homely, without compromising on service. i love

hotels that have an unpretentious, relaxed feel,

and the byron at byron has that. in fact, you feel

so at home that sometimes it is like staying with

family. i took my mother, and chrissy and Michael

on reception went above and beyond to ensure

we felt looked after. when i had a cold they even

sent honey, lemon and ginger drinks to my room,

as well as incredible fresh vegetable and fruit

juices. the early-morning yoga was particularly

good, as were the wonderful massages. i would

defy anyone not to feel relaxed and enjoy

themselves here. it’s pretty perfect.”

The Byron at Byron Resort and Spa (0061 2 6639

2000; thebyronatbyron.com.au) costs from £175

a night for a double.

We used to eat two types of snake,” says

Jennice Kersh of her time on the balgo

reservation, a remote area of australian

desert. “the Gogadja men called the pythons ‘slow

buggers’ because they were not dangerous. but the

poisonous ones they called ‘cheeky buggers’. luckily,

there were so many pythons that we never really had

to catch the poisonous ones.”

now 71, Kersh is something of an australian food

legend. in 1981, with her brother raymond, she opened

edna’s table in downtown sydney, australia’s first

restaurant to showcase indigenous ingredients. drawing

on their time spent living in aboriginal communities in

the 1960s, edna’s used ingredients such as macadamia

nut, kangaroo and yabby (a small freshwater crustacean).

all are now familiar to most australians, but at the time

were “exotic” novelties.

edna’s closed in 2005 and, for a while, it seemed as if

native food had been nothing more than a fad. in recent

years, however, spurred on by the growth of the foraging

movement and a trend for local, sustainable ingredients,

australian indigenous products – plants and animals that

live wild in the outback and have been eaten for millennia

by aboriginal people – have had a major comeback.

if this renaissance has a leonardo, then it is probably

the chef Jock Zonfrillo. a scotsman who trained under

Marco Pierre white, Zonfrillo now owns the critically

acclaimed orana (restaurantorana.com) in adelaide,

a sort of down-under response to foraging restaurants,

including noma in denmark and doM in brazil. the

ever-changing menu features dishes such as squid with

finger lime and aniseed myrtle (a rainforest tree with

fragrant leaves); wild peas with muntries (a native berry),

wild plum and cinnamon myrtle; and kangaroo with

mountain pepper and ox-eye daisy.

alongside orana, restaurants such as sydney’s billy

Kwong (a cantonese-australian fusion concept offering

dishes like caramelised wallaby tail; billykwong.com.au)

and Melbourne’s attica (ranked number 32 in the san

Pellegrino world’s 50 best restaurants 2014; attica.com.

au) are changing the australian public’s perception of

native ingredients as mere novelty food.

“i think they have been misunderstood and misused,”

says Zonfrillo. “often growing in arid locations, many of

them are strong and astringent in flavour. to understand

how and when to use them, and why, with respect to

country and culture, is key.”

Brendan Shanahan

Naomie Harris –

Miss Moneypenny in the James

bond film Skyfall and in the

upcoming Spectre – reviews her

favourite place in which

to escape down under

A L I T T L E P L AC E I K N OW

Plush tucKer

intelligence

42 ultratravel

The 34-year-old cricketer has been

one-day and Test captain of the

Australian team since 2011, and has

led them to several victories,

including the recent World Cup and

Ashes. He has achieved several records – including

the most runs against India in a Test (329), which

was also the most Test runs at the Sydney Cricket

Ground – and is the only Test batsman to have

reached four double centuries in a calendar year

(2012). Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World

2013, he has won Australia’s most prestigious

cricketing medal a record four times, is married to

presenter Kyly Boldy, and lives in Sydney.

How often do you travel?

One of the great advantages of playing cricket

for Australia is getting to travel around the

world and to see some amazing destinations.

We are away from Australia for about six

months of the year and travel within it during

our summer, for about four months of the year.

Which places have you most enjoyed visiting

– for work or pleasure?

South Africa and England. I love Cape Town as

there is so much to do and it reminds me a lot

of home. It has beautiful beaches and cafés, and

the people are very friendly. London is a great

part of the world too – there’s always something

happening. When I have downtime I like to stay

in Australia; coming home feels like a holiday.

If you could advise visitors on three things

to do in Australia, what would they be?

One would definitely be to go to the Boxing Day

Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The others would be to spend a day on Sydney

Harbour and to visit Penfolds’ winery at Magill

Estate in South Australia (magillestate.com).

Where around the world do you particularly

love playing cricket?

Lord’s (lords.org) in London because of the

history and tradition that come with playing

there. Newlands (wpcc.co.za) in Cape Town

because of its scenery: the backdrop of Table

Mountain when you’re walking out to bat is

stunning. Sydney Cricket Ground (sydneycricket

ground.com.au) because it’s my home ground,

and I love the support from the crowd and

having my family and friends there. Melbourne

Cricket Ground (mcg.org.au), as you can’t beat

the atmosphere during the Boxing Day Test and

there is no greater stadium in the world. And

Bangalore (ksca.co.in) in India, which will always

have a special place in my heart as it was where

I played my first Test match for Australia.

Playing cricket in India is indescribable, the most

amazing atmosphere you can ever imagine.

The most relaxing place to go on holiday?

Definitely the West Indies. The people and the

atmosphere and surroundings are so laid-back.

We have a joke in the team where we say we

are on “West Indies Time”; everything is so slow

and relaxed. The other great thing about the

Caribbean is the beaches: white sand, crystal-

clear water and a nice temperature.

Favourite hotel in the world?

Crown Resorts Melbourne (crownmelbourne.

com.au), which has everything. The service

is impeccable, there’s a great gym, and the

rooms are amazing. It also has so many types

of food; the cultural experience and quality of

food within one place are what get me.

Favourite city?

Sydney. It has so many beautiful restaurants,

private beaches and bays, and an amazing

harbour. My favourite restaurants vary;

because the city is so multicultural, there’s an

enormous choice. I love Spice Temple

(rockpool.com/spicetemplesydney), Catalina

(catalinarosebay.com.au) and Raw Bar

(rawbar.com.au). And I often go to the south-

west suburbs: to Lakemba for Lebanese and

Cabramatta for Chinese. Watsons Bay hotel

(watsonsbayhotel.com.au) is wonderful, too: the

food, service and atmosphere are all great.

Do you travel with any specific luggage?

I take the same bags everywhere I go: my

cricket kit, a bag full of my training gear and

a suitcase of casual clothes. I also always travel

with my Baggy Green [official Australian Test

cricket cap] in my carry-on – never in my case.

If you could have supper anywhere in the

world, where would it be?

On a boat on Sydney Harbour. I’d have a seafood

platter with some great mates and my family.

Anything you hate about holidays?

Leaving home. I love my house and being

around my family and friends. Packing and

unpacking is never fun, either.

Are there any things you’ve bought abroad

that you particularly love?

My cricket bats are made in India, so whenever

I am there I get new ones. I arrive with three

bats, and come home with about 30. It’s great

fun designing and shaping your own bat and

watching it being made.

Where would you like to visit next?

Aspen for a white Christmas. A few of my

mates head over there every year and are

always saying how amazing it is.

The most romantic place you’ve ever been?

Emirates One & Only Wolgan Valley

(wolganvalley.oneandonlyresorts.com), where

my wife (pictured above) and I got married,

although the most romantic room – in fact the

greatest room ever – is in the Crown Metropol

Mansions (crownhotels.com.au) in Perth.

Worst travel experience?

The 2005 Ashes. Losing in England was tough –

although I do love England. It’s a beautiful place.

Favourite airline?

Qantas. The minute I step on board I feel like

I’m home. The crew have that special Australian

sense of style and hospitality, and the food is

amazing. Flying gives me a rare opportunity

to switch off and relax – I love settling in with

Neil Perry’s steak sandwich and catching up on

my favourite TV shows and movies.

Interview by Lisa Grainger

Travelling life Michael ClarkeHe’s a fan of Cape Town and London and fancies a white Christmas, but the Aussie cricket captain says there’s no place like home

Ry

an

Pie

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ty

My bats are made in India, so whenever I’m there I get new ones. It’s fun designing them

and watching them being made

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2015. Published by TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT, and printed by Polestar UK Limited.

Colour reproduction by borngroup.com. Not to be sold separately from The Daily Telegraph. Ultratravel is a registered trademark licensed to The Daily Telegraph by PGP Media Limited

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