No-frills carrier Jetstar (tel. 13-15-38 in Australia; www.jetstar.com.au), owned by Qantas, has entered the international market, with flights from Honolulu to Sydney and Melbourne starting in December 2006. The airline is also flying the Singapore-Darwin-Cairns route and between Australia and Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, Japan and New Zealand, giving a range of options for easy connections to Australia.
Sydney
The Bondi Beachside Inn had such an enviable location on the beachfront at Bondi that, guess what, it's closing. The Inn, which was popular with Frommer's readers for many years, is to be replaced with an apartment block.
Meanwhile, we're glad to see a few more city hotels in the moderate price range thanks to Vibe Hotels (www.vibehotels.com.au). This hotel group is taking Australia by storm, and Frommer's authors highly recommend them if you're looking for a slightly funky, but functional place to rest your head. The flagship Vibe hotel in Sydney is the Vibe Hotel Rushcutters (tel. 02/8353-8988), a short walk from Kings Cross. Double rooms here cost from A$175 to $200 (US$140-US$160) per night. The Vibe North Sydney (tel. 02/9955-1111) is just over the Harbour Bridge (double rooms cost A$199/US$159), and the Vibe Hotel Sydney (tel. 02/9282-0987) is on Goulburn St. in the heart of the city. Double rooms here cost A$185 (US$148).
Amora Hotel Jameson (tel. 1800/020-224 in Australia, or 02/9696 2500; www.amorahotels.com), at 11 Jameson St., near Wynyard and Circular Quay, is a real find. Tucked away just of the main drag of George St., the Amora has nice modern rooms, great restaurant food, and a pleasant overall feel. Rooms cost between A$280 and A$310 (US$224-US$248) per night.
As far as restaurants go, a great recent find is Sugaroom (tel. 02/9571-5055; www.sugaroom.com.au), located on the waterfront at Pyrmont, a short taxi ride from Darling Harbour. The waterviews aren't spectacular, it's more of a working harbour kind of outlook, but the food is impressive. Try the pork belly to start and perhaps the pan-fried salmon with crab risotto and fennel salad. There are a couple of excellent vegetarian options too. Mains cost between A$26 and A$28 (US$21-US$22).
For an Aboriginal perspective of Sydney Harbour take the new Tribal Warrior boat cruise on the only Aboriginal-owned-and-operated vessel to ply our famous waterway. Aboriginal guides outline the history of the area from an indigenous viewpoint: They recount stories and Aboriginal place names, uncover traditional fishing methods and food-gathering techniques, and point out rock carvings and old Aboriginal settlements. The boat also pulls up at Clark Island in the middle of the harbour, where Aboriginal dancers perform a welcome ceremony. Look up www.tribalwarrior.org, or call tel. 02/9699-3491. Trips cost A$55 (US$44) for adults and A$45 (US$36) for kids aged five to 14.
The talk of the town is the new Sydney Wildlife World (tel. 02/9333-9288; www.sydneywildlifeworld.com.au), at Darling Harbour. It's billed as showcasing some 6,000 animals (these include a lot of very small things -- it's a relatively tight space after all), in nine distinct habitats and eco-systems. Among the larger creatures are a few rare wallabies and koalas. Tickets cost A$52 (US$42) for adults and A$29.50 (US$24) for kids.
New South Wales
The Peppers Fairmont Resort (tel. 02/4784-4144; www.peppers.com.au) in Leura in the Blue Mountains was always just on the cusp of making it into Frommer's, except that it's main restaurant was a bedraggled affair where attention to detail often lacked. Now, it's been spruced up, and most of those nagging little details -- like microwaved bread rolls and water tasting of chlorine -- have been taken care of. The restaurant, called "eucalypt," now serves some very nice food indeed, in two- or three-course options. The resort's rooms are pleasant, the gardens beautiful, and the two pools are very nice and warm -- which all adds up to a good, if relatively expensive, option. Rooms cost from A$310 to A$400 (US$248 to US$320) per night midweek, and A$350 to A$555 (US$280-US$444) on weekends (when you also have to stay for a minimum of two nights).
We've just found out one of the best ways to explore the Blue Mountains -- with Blue Mountains Walkabout (tel. 0408/443-822 mobile; www.bluemountainswalkabout.com). This thought-provoking journey of discovery with an Aboriginal guide takes on a challenging eight-kilometer-long track through secluded wilderness. Along the way you see ancient art and ceremonial sites, hear Dreamtime stories, paint your body with traditional ochre, taste bushtucker, see native animals, visit sandstone caves, and bathe in a crystal-clear billabong beneath a waterfall. Tours of the Blue Mountains cost A$99 (US$80).
One of the most thrilling ways to see some of New South Wales is by traveling on a vintage DC3 airliner with Discovery Air Tours (tel. 02/9791-9900; www.discoveryairtours.com.au). The atmosphere aboard is pure nostalgia, with the throbbing of the engines, the flight crew dressed in classic 1940's-issue uniforms, and period cabin music. The shortest trip is the Sydney Harbour and Beaches Flight, which costs A$225 (US$180) per person, but others head further out to visit wineries in Mudgee (A$375/US$300) and the Hunter Valley (A$395/US$316). You can also combine a flight with a dolphin/whale-watching tour at Port Stephens (A$395/US$316).
Meanwhile, Bush Breaks (tel. 02/9960-5529; www.bushbreaks.com) is offering trips by twin-engine light aircraft to fascinating areas of the New South Wales Outback. You fly to the opal-mining town of White Cliffs, go camel riding or bird watching at remote sheep and cattle stations, and have a drink in a classic bush hotel on the banks of the Darling River. An example of costs is A$500 (US$400) per person per day for a three-day trip (minimum of four people).
Brisbane
The Queensland Art Gallery (www.qag.qld.gov.au) is temporarily closed for a major refurbishment which will structurally link it to the new Gallery of Modern Art. Both galleries will reopen in December 2006.
Queensland
The former Mercure Resort Surfers Paradise is now trading as Paradise Resort Gold Coast (tel. 1800/074-111 in Australia or 07/5579-4444; www.paradiseresortgc.com.au).
Meanwhile, there's also the Vibe Hotel Gold Coast (tel. 07/5539-0444) in Surfers Paradise. Rooms cost A$230 (US$184). Book on their website listed above for the best deals.
Popular Cairns seafood restaurant Fishlips Bar & Bistro (tel.07/4031-2750; www.fishlips.com.au) has moved, and is now located inside the Cairns Yacht Club, at 4 Wharf St., with views over the Cairns Inlet. But the essentials haven't changed, with Chef Ian Candy still serving the innovative seafood dishes that have kept locals coming back to his restaurant for years. There's live jazz on Thursday nights and a singer/guitarist on Friday nights.
It's business as usual at the Sunshine Coast's Australia Zoo (www.australiazoo.com.au), after the untimely death of owner Steve Irwin in a diving accident on the Great Barrier Reef in September 2006. The zoo's management team and the Irwin family decided to keep the wildlife park open throughout the mourning period for "The Crocodile Hunter", as he would have wanted. Any future changes are unlikely to affect the day to day running of the zoo.
Port Douglas-based Aboriginal tour guide Hazel Douglas has closed her business, Native Guide Safari Tours, due to ill health.
Bookings to hire a 4WD on Fraser Island should now be directed to Aussie Trax (tel. 1800/062-275 in Australia, or 07/4124-4433; www.aussietrax.com.au), which operates both at Hervey Bay and at Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island. Rates start from A$145 (US$116) per half day or A$235 (US$188) per day, plus a A$33 (US$26) Fraser Island driving permit.
Western Australia
The recommended hotel of the moment in Perth is the Medina Grand Perth, in the heart of the city centre and offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments with kitchen facilities. Contact the hotel on tel. 08/9217-8000, or look up www.medinaapartments.com.au for good deals. Double rooms cost between A$166 to A$200 (US$133-US$160).
Melbourne
There are two good Vibe hotels in Melbourne: the Vibe Savoy Hotel (tel. 03/9622-8888) in the city centre (rooms cost A$188/US$150), and the Vibe Hotel Carlton (tel. 03/9380-9222), just outside the city centre in the Italian district. Rooms here cost A$150 (US$120). Book on their website listed above for the best deals.
Melbourne's first roof-top cinema will open in December 2006. Open for the summer months (December to March), the cinema will screen arthouse and cult classics such as Blade Runner, Sin City and Flashdance. The Rooftop Cinema will seat 200 in deckchairs on synthetic grass on the roof of the historic six-storey Curtain House, 252 Swanston St. in the city center.
Victoria
The historic Mount Buffalo Chalet at Mount Buffalo has closed for an indefinite period while it undergoes possible renovation.
At Mount Hotham, there are new accommodation choices at the luxury Hotham Holidays (tel. 1800/468-426 in Australia; www.hotham.com.au), self contained freestanding chalets each with beds for between 8 and 14 people. Located in the heart of Hotham adjacent to the Village quad chairlift, the Hotham Heights Chalets are one of the best options on the mountain with restaurants, shops and ski hire close at hand. Â
At Dinner Plain, just 10km from Hotham Village, the latest attraction is the new A$6 million (US$4.8 million) DP Central (tel. 03/5150-8880) complex featuring Onsen Retreat and Spa, a day spa with five massage treatment rooms and a Japanese onsen, plus an indoor 15m lap pool and gymnasium.
Canberra
The Australian War Memorial (tel. 02/6243-4211), one of Canberra's biggest attractions, has closed several of its galleries, including those relating to Vietnam, Korea and the Gulf War, for major renovations. Once completed, hopefully in October 2007, the new spaces will have tripled in size and will include a sound-and-light-show involving an attack helicopter, and the recreated bridge of a warship.