How to know if your travel choice is really better for the planet

Knowing that you are travelling responsibly can be a vexed proposition, but a clutch of organisations are determined to make it much easier to journey with a clear conscience.

Green. Sustainable. Organic. The buzzwords of our earnest efforts to do better as we finally start to understand the consequences of our collective global actions over the last few centuries are increasingly attached to everything from our morning coffee to the cars we drive to the energy being pumped into our homes.

They are also being liberally bandied about within the tourism industry, which, thanks to air travel and the over-tourism we were witnessing before the pandemic hit, has been left wanting when it comes to making substantiative efforts to adapt and change.

According to Professor Tim Flannery, whom we spoke with in late 2021, we haven’t reached the overall tipping point when it comes to climate change yet (scientists view climate change as a series of tipping points), but we are getting perilously close and need to act now, especially in areas like travel.

“We love [travel]. It enriches our life hugely, but it does have a big impact on the climate for what is a discretionary thing," he told us. “If I were you, I’d be looking at your messaging. What are the options for flying with offsets? What’s the future looking like for airlines in terms of flying on carbon-neutral fuels? Who’s doing any of this work? With cruising, who has hydrogen-powered cruise ships? Who’s developing them? The options are all there, but we’ve got to get serious about doing it now, as 10 years from now it’s going to be too late."

Two figures stroll along a beach in Australia — Sustainable tourism should make optimal use of environmental resources while respecting host communities. (Image: Central Coast; Destination NSW)

What is sustainable travel?

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), sustainable tourism should:

1. Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

2. Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to intercultural understanding and tolerance.

3. Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

How do we actually make informed decisions?

With the onus on all of us to do our bit, how do we actually make informed decisions about travel without getting swayed by buzzwords and being drenched in greenwashing?

It is all about doing your research when planning your travel, choosing operators that demonstrate a solid and accountable commitment to sustainable, conscious and ethical practices and rewarding operators, businesses and initiatives that are planning and striving to contribute to solutions that will make a real difference, even if it comes as a premium.

Ask questions, seek feedback and if you can’t find what you want immediately, agitate and advocate for something better in the future. And yes, it might take up more of your time, but considering that we are running out of exactly that when it comes to the health of our planet, how can you see it as anything but well spent?

A woman freedives along reefs in Australia. — The onus is on us to do our bit to make better travel choices. (Image: Destination NSW)

Understanding Eco Certification

Certification is another buzzword becoming increasingly popular within the tourism industry, but certified by who and for what should be the first questions you ask yourself. With almost no standardised, universally recognised guidelines on the benchmarks above which eco credibility is reached, it can be hard to fathom what’s good and bad in this space.

But that’s no reason to be sceptical about everyone in the industry and do nothing. The good news here in Australia is that we actually have a number of credible industry bodies in tourism that evaluate and award certification and accreditation to businesses striving to do better.

A wooden bridge hanging in a lush, green forest in Australia — In Australia, a number of credible tourism industry organisations exist to accredit businesses striving to do better. (Image Source: Destination NSW)

The Australian Tourism Industry Council

The Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) is the national representative body for tourism here, which manages national industry development programs including the Quality Tourism program, which includes the ascending Sustainable Tourism Accreditation and EcoStar Accreditation.

The first step in the process for businesses looking to have their eco credentials recognised is achieving Quality Tourism Accreditation, which confirms they have met specific criteria that ensure they are committed to exceeding expectations on customer service and meet the highest standards of business practice.

With this stage ticked, they can then move on to achieve ATIC’s Sustainable Tourism Accreditation, which guides businesses to provide quality offerings that “address this changing global trend of experiential tourism" by demonstrating sound sustainability practices.

For businesses that go above and beyond when it comes to environmental management, EcoStar Accreditation recognises a commitment to environmental management based on stringent criteria such as contributing to conservation and sustainability, establishing an environmental risk management strategy, supporting and benefiting the local community, and recognition of cultural and heritage issues.

Ecotourism Australia

Brisbane-based Ecotourism Australia (EA) is another organisation assisting Aussie travellers, one that has been much in the news of late having bestowed its exacting certification on a handful of regions including the NSW Central Coast and Western Australia’s Margaret River Region.

The non-government, not-for-profit organisation, established over 30 years ago, acts to promote and support the ecotourism industry in Australia, with its flagship ECO Certification holding the distinction of being the world’s first national ecotourism certification program.

Cape to Cape Walk in Margaret River — Walk the Cape to Cape trail in the eco-friendly Margaret River Region. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Internationally respected for its industry standards, it is also recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), a US-registered not-for-profit representing national governments, hotel groups, travel companies and NGOs including the likes of Switzerland Tourism and Singapore Tourism, Lonely Planet, Google, Airbnb and our own Intrepid Travel.

Ecotourism Australia uses the Green Destinations framework recognised by GSTC to assess destinations and tourism providers across 100 or so criteria including managing volumes and activities, climate change adaptation, community support, preventing exploitation and discrimination, protection of cultural assets and protection of sensitive environments.

What this effectively means is that credibility, as a result of its position as the national peak body for sustainable and nature-based tourism, underpins Ecotourism Australia’s programs, including its ECO Destination Certification, launched in 2018 to encourage and recognise operators and government working together to demonstrate a community-wide and entire-region commitment to sustainable tourism management practices including protecting the natural environment and bridging the gap between tourism and conservation.

Waves crash against Emerald Beach in NSW, Australia — Environmental management is based on stringent criteria focused on conservation, sustainability and recognising cultural and heritage issues. (Image: Emerald Beach; Destination NSW)

In addition to the aforementioned NSW Central Coast and Margaret River Region, which were certified this year, the Port Douglas Daintree region was recognised in 2019 followed by the NSW Coffs Coast in 2021.

EA is also committed to encouraging and assisting the tourism industry to take real steps towards acting in a way that both respects and reinforces the country’s unique Indigenous living cultures and rich cultural heritage through the Respecting Our Culture (ROC) Certification.

Designed by Aboriginal Tourism Australia (ATA) and administered by Ecotourism Australia, the program recognises tourism operators (including accommodation, tours and attractions) that are ‘committed to protecting cultural authenticity and integrity, developing sound business practices, environmental protection and acknowledging Indigenous peoples’ spiritual connection to the land and water’.

Dangar Falls in Coffs Coast, NSW, Australia — Dangar Falls, near Dorrigo on the Coffs Coast, has been recognised as an ECO Destination by Ecotourism Australia. (Image: Destination NSW)

Join the B Corp movement

Many companies, including those in tourism and hospitality, are embracing the B Corp Certification movement, confirming themselves as operators that strive to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

Aerial view of person stand-up paddle boarding — Accredited sustainable and nature-based tours are on the rise. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

The Melbourne/ Naarm-based not-for-profit B Lab, which debuted in Australia in 2006 (an offshoot of a global not-for-profit based out of the US), operates according to a vision of contributing towards a more caring and accountable global economy, awarding certification to companies that are committed to balancing profits and purpose, and which are making real efforts to have a positive impact on the people they employ, the communities they exist within and the environment as a whole.

Here in Australia, companies such as Aesop and Intrepid Travel have achieved B Corp Certification. There’s even a university course, conducted by Torrens University Australia – Championing Organisational Change: Introduction to B Corps – designed for those wanting to find out more about the values, processes and standards that underpin this global movement for good.

For more tips and advice visit our guilt-free guide to sustainable travel.

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock , one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915 . Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore , one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”