Homegrown travel hacks

Australian TravellerBy Australian Traveller
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Deciding to skip the long-haul flight this year and stay close to home? We get it; holiday planning can be hard work, but it doesn’t have to be. Travel experts, Expedia have all the tips and tricks to make your next at-home Aussie adventure effortless and unforgettable.

Get in early

It sounds simple, and it is. Don’t fall into the trap of booking everything at the last minute. Australian accommodation fills fast, especially in summer when everyone and their Cavoodle heads to the beach. Go online early to have your pick of hotels, holiday rentals and resorts, and try to bundle your booking. On the Expedia app , you can unlock extra savings just by booking a flight and hotel together. And don’t forget to keep your eye open for freebies; breakfast, spa credits, kids’ clubs – you can find all sorts of free add-ons if you know where to look.

Go mobile

These days, all you need to make your holiday hassle free is your mobile phone – and we’re not just referring to easy GPS navigation and a great camera. Now, you can actually research and book your holiday on a mobile app. The Expedia app , for example, is free and comes with mobile-exclusive deals, and the option to earn double Expedia Rewards points towards your next trip. You can also manage your itinerary and quickly access all your trip details – including check-in times, airport gate changes and even baggage carousel numbers.

Brisbane, QLD
The opening of a few hip hotels has upped Brisbane’s appeal as a city break destination.

Be flexible

Byron Bay might be on the brain for your next holiday and for good reason; it’s beautiful. But it’s also busy and, depending on the time of year, expensive. Instead, look to nearby spots like Lennox Head, where you’ve got the equally beautiful, but quieter, Seven Mile Beach and calm Lake Ainsworth to keep you occupied. The same principle applies to when you travel. Avoid the traditional Friday night or Saturday morning departure to skip the crowds and hiked up travel prices, and consider a Thursday night departure, which could come with a hefty saving. If you have to stick to school holidays, try to skip town a few days early to beat the rush. Or, if you’re flying with little ones, avoid the school holidays altogether for a better chance of securing a bassinette on board.

Find your home away from home

Settling in somewhere bigger than a standard hotel room is a big drawcard for families or groups of friends heading to one spot for longer than a few days. Whether you need a two-bedroom apartment or a five-bedroom house, you can find accommodation of all shapes and sizes on a range of travel apps, including the Expedia app . You’ll find a lot of these options are self catered, too, which can help cut down your food costs significantly – a big win if you’re trying to save a few dollars. Expedia’s top tip: book a grocery delivery for the day you arrive. Most supermarkets will let you order online, so get enough for a few simple meals and arrange to have it delivered at the same time you arrive.

Kingscliff, Tweed Coast, QLD
Kingscliff is the new hotspot for travellers seeking a beachside break with a Byron Bay vibe.

Expedia’s trending destinations

The Whitsundays, QLD: A bona fide slice of Australian paradise, The Whitsundays is a must-visit at least once. Choose from a range of accommodation options and price points, including Daydream Island Resort, which has just reopened after an extensive makeover.

 

Kingscliff, NSW: Located only 40 minutes south of the Gold Coast, Kingscliff is emerging as a new hotspot for travellers seeking a beachside break with a Byron Bay vibe.

 

Lorne, Vic: A seaside town set on the picturesque waters of Louttit Bay on the Great Ocean Road, demand to Lorne is up around 15% year-on-year. Visit soon before it catches the eye of even more Aussies.

Lorne, Victoria
Visit Lorne soon before it catches the eye of even more Aussies.

Brisbane, QLD: The opening of a few hip hotels has upped Brisbane’s appeal as a city break destination. Check out The Calile Hotel and well-known eateries like Three Blue Ducks.

 

Mollymook, NSW: With beautiful beaches within a 10-minute drive of rolling countryside, and a range of accommodation options from holiday rentals to Bannister’s by the Sea, Mollymook on the NSW South Coast is perfect for a family holiday or a long weekend.

 

Visit Expedia : everything you need to go.

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Explore historic wine towns and sculpture trails on a 3-day self-guided Murray River cruise

    Ricky FrenchBy Ricky French
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    Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place. 

    Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat. 

    After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.    

    Murray River
    The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

    Setting sail from Mildura 

    Murray River birds
    Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

    A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.  

    My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.  

    Stop one: Echuca  

    19th-century paddlesteamers
    A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.  

    The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.  

    Stop two: Barmah National Park 

    Barmah National Park
    Camping riverside in Barmah National Park, listed as a Ramsar site for its significant wetland values. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

    Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.  

    The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.  

    Stop three: Cobram 

    Yarrawonga MulwalaGolf Club Resort
    Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange. 

    The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.  

    Stop four: Albury-Wodonga 

    First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk
    First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

    Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country. 

    A traveller’s checklist  

    Staying there

    New Mildura motel Kar-rama
    New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

    Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town. 

    Playing there

    BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura
    Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

    Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists. 

    Eating there

    Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.