Australian Traveller started on a flight to Broome in 2004. Surprising then, that from the age of 14 all I wanted to do was get the hell out of Australia. As far as I was concerned, life started once I crossed the Australian border and started exploring ‘the world’. I was a fresh-faced, long-haired 18-year-old backpacker when I first travelled through Europe and the US. My round-the-world ticket cost $1800 and flew me via Colombo, Sri Lanka, on an Air Lanka jet where the rivets popped every time we took off and landed. But no matter. I lived by the...

An old mate of mine recently returned from her travels to Burma and said she stayed at a wonderful hotel with a great 'sense of arrival'. The wow she got from the arrival only served to remind her how much the sense of arrival had been lost at hotels and resorts in recent times. I love that expression: a sense of arrival. It implies the hotel or resort is a destination in of itself. It only works if the arrival is backed up by the property, and thankfully it usually does go hand in hand. The Palazzo Versace certainly has that...

Looking for a last minute Christmas getaway? Here are my notes from this morning's episode of Mornings on Channel Nine, where I chatted with Sonia and David about last minute Christmas bookings - thought they would be helpful for all. Tips and Tricks: Think just a little further a field Be flexible about destinations, so if you think of the icons like Byron, Lorne and the Gold Coast, you can often find availability 20-30km up the roads. Example: Gold Coast - look to Tambourine Mountain or for a Byron break - check out Lennox Heads. Be flexible with dates Whilst...

"The service in Asia is sooooooo much better than Australia." Yeah we have all heard it before. Probably even said it as well. "It's just part of their culture to be so much better at service" is how we usually follow it up. But I wonder, perhaps it is not a cultural appreciation but a form of racism. But let me illustrate the point with a little story. Several years ago when Voyages Hotels was still rocking along and had a portfolio of resorts the envy of all others - AKA the good ol' times, I had lunch with the...

It has to be a world first - a ‘Director of Chaos’ appointed at a hotel. While most establishments want orderly, managed and organised in their businesses, QT Sydney’s move to appoint a Director of Chaos at their brand new flagship Sydney property – which hasn’t even opened yet – is a statement of intent. One that says the QT Sydney is going to be edgy, different and dare I say it, avant garde. It is unquestionably a huge risk, but if you’re going to take a risk, you may as well go the whole hog. It’s a dangerous decision –...

I have a phobia of sharks. Not a fear - that’s healthy and somewhat controllable. This is a phobia. I can’t look at a photo of any shark without my heart beating faster. When I was young I used to panic in the shower because the screen made me feel like I was in a shark cage. That’s a phobia. I know exactly how and when my phobia was imprinted on my brain and nervous system. It was keenly fostered, developed and encouraged by my sister forcing me to see photos of men with one leg missing, gushing blood, lying...

Yes, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour's performance of La Traviata is that good. The wonderful setting on Sydney Harbour from that amazing perspective at Mrs Macqurie’s Chair was just half the attraction. Opera is a tough one to sell at the best of times. It turns many an audience off with it’s somewhat anachronistic narrative arc and tedious theatrics. It can be more OTT than Brynne and Geoffrey Edelsten. But it is a thing of beauty when executed to the highest standard, as it was last night. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Water taxis bring performers to the stage for the...

Chris Smith's piece on Palazzo Versace being just as good today as she was when she first opened 10 years ago made me contemplate, what makes a great hotel? So I came up with the 5 ways a great hotel is like a supermodel. Here they are. 1. They Make A Place Great supermodels are out of place in normal society. Walk into a party and the gangly giraffe with a mouth oversized for her face who could fall and break a twig of a leg at any moment is in fact a supermodel. Alternatively a catwalk without a supermodel...

So today, the Australian is reporting that the NSW premier Barry O'Farrell is in favour of James Packer's proposal to build a "top of the range" casino and hotel development in Sydney. The Oz quotes O'Farrell as saying "the sort of tourism-related investment we want". Well, with all due respect Mr O'Farell, this is exactly the sort of development I don't want. I love the Crown complex and we have reviewed the Crown Metropol  with glowing praise on several occasions. We just reviewed The Darling at the Star Casino complex, for another a positive hotel review. In my misspent youth, I have once or twice...

As I raided the camera cabinet for a seven-night cruise on the Radiance of the Seas I accidentally picked up the 15mm fisheye lense looking for a wide angle lense. And on impulse packed it. I love that famous fisheye shot of the elephant swimming in Sri Lanka, but always thought that's just for pros. Up until this trip, I have never been about to hit the shutter button and said to myself  “You know what would make this shot amazing – a fisheye.” In Melbourne on board Radiance of the Seas it seemed like a good idea. And then...

Ok, so I am a guy but people tell me I am not too bad on the romance stakes. The wife says it’s a bit inconsistent – it’s not daily. But I hate Valentines day. It’s more than just the rampant commercialisation - it’s the crap that carries on around it. Here are the three worst things that happen on the day. Office Pissing Contest The procession of flowers that arrive at reception for some lucky girl to come and collect is tedious and unhelpful to the office. It’s almost like a scoreboard for women – the size of the...

So the first travel I did with Oliver, my son (oh and his mum who is kinda central to the story) to the Gold Coast gave me some insights into what is wrong with Australian tourism for families. This is the story of the five lessons of Master Oliver. I was heading up to the GC to review the new Hilton Surfer’s Paradise and Hilton Surfer’s Paradise Residences. The beauty of the reviews for the magazine is I am travelling incognito. No media managed experiences where I am supervised and managed by marketing and PR people. Don’t get me wrong...