Going walkabout with Erik Thompson

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Perhaps best known for his role in Packed To The Rafters, Erik Thompson recalls his travels to medical conventions and toxic New Zealand volcanoes.

1. As a child, our family holidays were always to…

Dad’s annual medical conference. We got to stay in a hotel, stay up late and drink soft drink.

One year we went to Hastings, New Zealand, and visited a dodgy park called ‘Fantasyland’, a cheap rip-off of Disneyland.

2. The last place I visited was…

Samoa and the next place I am booked to go is… Queenstown for a spot of skiing.

3. I’ll never forget the time…

I went to school in Scalloway on the Shetland Islands, Scotland. My mother was born in Shetland and I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years, but to actually go to school and sink into the community was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

4. If money was no barrier, send me off to…

The Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, a remote surfing mecca. I went there four years ago with some old mates to celebrate our 45ths; next year we all turn 50 so we’re heading up again.

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5. My favourite travel companion is…

My wife Caitlin, of course. The problem is she doesn’t like to visit the same place twice. There is one exception though – she has no problem returning to Kangaroo Island again and again, which I support wholeheartedly. It’s a fantastic, uniquely Australian place full of wonder.

6. My carry-on is usually filled with…

My noise-cancelling headphones, computer and a large bottle of water.

On long flights I change into flight pyjamas once we’ve taken off. It’s a tip I picked up when I was hosting on Getaway.

7. My last holiday read was…

Island Home by Tim Winton. I’ve always been a Winton fan, from Cloudstreet to Dirt Music and Eyrie.

This book is his meditation on how the unique geography and position of Australia on the planet, shapes us as a people.

8. The best bed I’ve ever slept in was…

At the Park Hyatt Melbourne. Egyptian cotton sheets and excellent pillows (pillows are everything).

It’s all topped off with really good blinds to keep the room dark and support that rare sleep-in.

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9. My local’s tip for hometown McLaren Vale is…

To make a visit to the family winery Penny’s Hill, one of the Vale’s best cellar doors and restaurants.

Pop in and the people are very friendly, and I’m probably related to them…

10. The most adventurous thing I’ve ever done on holiday is…

Taking a helicopter out to White Island, an active volcano in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, and landing in the crater.

Plumes of toxic gas rose from lakes of acid forcing us to wear gas masks.

It felt like it could blow at any moment. Quite amazing and a tad scary!

 

Come on a walkabout with other Australians of note… Jesinta Campbell – Joel Creasey – Sally Fiztgibbons

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Victoria’s surprising new outdoor adventure hotspot

    Craig Tansley Craig Tansley
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    A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination. 

    There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.  

    old gold bank Victoria
    Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time. 

    It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.  

    Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital 

    Creswick bike trail
    This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

    Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria. 

    I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers. 

    I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.  

    The Woodlands
    The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides. 

    A traveller’s checklist 

    Staying there 

    1970s log cabin
    Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife. 

    Eating there 

    Le Peche Gourmand
    Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

    The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand. The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857. 

    Playing there 

    Miss NorthcottsGarden
    Miss Northcotts Garden is a charming garden store with tea room. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.