Australian Traveller November 2020 - January 2021

IT SEEMS LIKE AN UNDERSTATEMENT to say that 2020 has not been the best of years. It started with the bushfires that ravaged large parts of the country. The vision of day turned to night under an ominous blanket of smoke shocked the world, and broke our hearts. And just as we were rallying, coming together as a nation to assist those affected and forge a collective focus on recovery, the pandemic dealt us another blow. It says a lot about us as a people that we have not let both of these once in a generation events keep us down. Even with rebuilding still happening and border closures physically isolating us from each other, we have moved forward with a united spirit. We have holidayed here this year, we have…

THE BEST CITY BREAKS TO TAKE IN SUMMER It would be a big mistake to overlook this country’s urban credentials. Here, we’ve curated essential experiences in top Australian cities to help your summer sizzle: dive into a stunning sea pool, like Icebergs, sip a cocktail at a rooftop bar or dine in new culinary precincts. THE BEST COASTAL TOWNS TO TAKE IN SUMMER Dotted along the Australian mainland’s 36,735 kilometres of coastline are a glut of towns – such as Sorrento, Vic– that boast picture-perfect vistas and the supporting scenes to help you live your best ›beachlife. THE BEST REGIONAL TOWNS TO VISIT IN SUMMER Discover a different kind of summer holiday by heading inland to regional Australian towns such as Bellingen, in northern NSW, for a whole host of experiences that you won’t find…

“Arthur Streeton painted Land of the Golden Fleece in the early summer of 1926, near the southern end of the Gariwerd Grampians National Park on a property belonging to a friend,” says Art Gallery of New South Wales curator Wayne Tunnicliffe. “He wrote on 4 December ‘I’m away here painting among the sheep and the red gums, with the grand mass of the Grampians towering up behind.’ The title suggests that Australia is the mythical land of Jason and the Argonauts, the inheritor of the ideals of ancient Greece. The rich blue and gold tones are distinctively Australian, and it is one of our great pastoral paintings reflecting the wealth generated by farming in the 1920s. The Streeton exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (7 November 2020…

SEQUOIA AT MOUNT LOFTY HOUSE The luxury is turned up a notch at South Australia’s Mount Lofty House with the addition of Sequoia. Removed from the original manor, the lodge has its own reception, lounge and breakfast room, as well as private gardens, sundeck and natural spring-fed hot pool, while still offering its guests access to Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant, Arthur Waterhouse Lounge and Stables Day Spa. Other unique inclusions (which elevate a stay to the lofty heights of six stars) include a roster of activities like touring the RM Williams factory in a pair of personalised boots, visiting the Jurlique farm and a twilight campfire experience to hear local Indigenous stories. sequoialodge.com.au VIBE HOTEL MELBOURNE Sitting on the corner of Queen and Flinders streets, Vibe Hotel Melbourne’s 24 floors are stacked on top…

Oval Hotel, Adelaide Perched adjacent to heritage-listed parklands, Adelaide Botanic Garden and the famed Adelaide Oval, from which it takes its name, Oval (pictured above) is a 138-room boutique hotel that offers a uniquely local experience.With views to the Adelaide city skyline, the River Torrens and neighbouring St Peter’s Cathedral, the property showcases the best that South Australia has to offer, using local producers, artists and suppliers wherever possible, including at its Five Regions Restaurant and Bespoke Wine Bar & Kitchen. ovalhotel.com.au Vibe Hotel Subiaco, Perth Hot on the heels of Vibe Hotel Melbourne andVibe Hotel Hobart comesVibe Hotel Subiaco, located in the buzzing inner-city Perth suburb known locally as ‘Subi’.The crowning glory of the 168-room digs is the rooftop that includes an outlet ofVibe’s signature Storehouse restaurant and bar, a pool and…

THE TASTE MAKER Darren Robertson, the co-owner and chef behind Three Blue Ducks, has been appointed as the Food Curator for Tasting Australia’s 2021 festival. Robertson’s farm-to-table style of cooking at his Sydney, Byron Bay and Brisbane eateries, and his elevation of sustainable and ethically sourced produce are a perfect fit with the festival’s focus says its director Simon Bryant. Tasting Australia 2021 will take place from 30 April to 9 May; tastingaustralia.com.au A MIDSUMMER DREAM Diners will be flocking back to one of Kangaroo Island’s most fantastical experiences when the Enchanted Fig Tree, closed by a localised fire in 2018, hosts Gastronomo, a series of wilderness dining events hosted by some of South Australia’s top chefs including Duncan Welgemoed of Africola. “Although Gastronomo is inspired by South Australia’s stunning locations and the…