VOYAGES

We countdown the ultimate Australian destinations where you can really unwind and indulge - #7 Longitude 131, Yulara, NT 07 LONGITUDE 131° Yulara, NT TOP CAPACITY: 15 luxury pavilion-style tents means a maximum of 30 guests can stay here at a time. WHAT TO EXPECT Longitude 131° is an exclusive luxury safari-style lodge within sight of Australia’s most famous landmark. There is no finer way to experience the red centre of Australia than sleeping in draped “tents” with astonishing views of Uluru. A stay here takes you into the heart of an iconic landscape with some pleasant soft touches, particularly...

A fresh, beach-themed refurb has transformed this luxurious Queensland island resort into an extra-special getaway.  OK, so we’re officially into autumn, but couldn’t you just lie back on one of these day beds and fantasise it’s still summer? Australia’s northernmost Great Barrier Reef resort, Lizard Island, has just unveiled a refurb that brings out the best of its beachside location. Designed by Sydney-based interior architects Pike Withers, the decor uses a colour palette of marine blues and sandy hues which play off the amazing views. Pure poetry. This is what you’d see from the private pool deck at The Pavilion,...

The outback is drawing us in like moths to a big ochre flame. It speaks to our sense of identity and nationhood. In the ’80s and ’90s, Australia was characterised by our beaches and cities; 2011 and beyond will be all about the outback. We have an insatiable appetite for the outback with the Kimberley and Top End our most visited destinations. The gloss has not been lost and the Kimberley adventure remains one of the greatest motivating domestic trips for Australians wanting to tap into the uniqueness of our land. The new owners of El Questro and the Ayers...

The luxury lodge is the new black of Australian travel – their time has truly come. The resort experience has been superseded as discerning travellers or exhausted couples in need of rejuvenation seek out the privacy, guest-only activities and indulgence of boutique luxury lodges. While a high-end resort packs in the rooms with relative luxury, the lodge experience goes so much further. Similar to the well-established luxury lodges of NZ and South Africa, the Australian luxury lodge is about the local environment, access to exclusive experiences, privacy and world-class service. The early pioneers of the luxury lodges of Australia were El...

In dreaming up our ideal cover for this issue, we wanted to feature two icons of the outback: Uluru and, if possible, a McLeod’s Daughter. So when the delightful Zoe Naylor agreed to come on board to model for our little desert adventure, it really was a dream come true. The lackadaisical Bob Barker from Roving Eye immediately signed up to reprise his role as photographer (he shot last year's super-successful outback cover), so it was left to AT Art Director Jane Abma and myself to round out the team, before it was off to the Red Centre! To be...

AT Reader Sue Rea from Galston in Sydney tuned in to Australian Traveller on the radio, then found herself having the birthday treat of her life at Uluru. Five-star camping in the blazing Red Centre My husband and I just returned from the most wonderful weekend. I was looking for something special to do for my 50th birthday and didn’t really want to do the party thing, but was at a loss as to a memorable alternative. It was a Tuesday afternoon when I was in the car and I heard your regular segment on 2GB with Chris Smith and...