Quentin Long lists nine tricks of the travel insurance trade that may see you up claim creek without a paddle.
1. No, you are not covered when you take unnecessary risks like running with bulls. And it could be argued being a spectator is taking unnecessary risks.
2. Drinking and taking drugs – yep, you are not covered.
3. Breaking the law – guess what? You are not covered.
4. Many domestic travellers think they do not need travel insurance – au contraire. There are so many instances where domestic travel cover helps. You are air-lifted from a remote location to hospital, leaving behind vehicles – travel insurance can assist with the cost of recovering the vehicles. You know the car insurance coverage that is exorbitant – well, travel insurance covers the excess and over time I have learned that if you have a hire car for three or more days, the travel insurance is worth it for car rental excess coverage alone.
5. Cancellation of flights due to bad weather is not covered by the airline so you will need to claim in on travel insurance. But make sure you get the cancellation in writing (saying it was due to bad weather). And, yes, you will need to book a room and pay for it and then claim it from the insurer.
6. A claim is not a ticket to a life of luxury. If you do need to book a room as in the example above don’t seek out the most expensive room in the city when you have actually been staying at flashpackers. The travel insurer will want evidence that this is the standard of travel you have been travelling at. Same for all dining and other related expenses you think you want to claim. It is not a ticket to excess on the insurer’s credit card.
7. Call the travel insurer as soon as humanely possible. The companies have great call centres that will be able to assist you and may have access to better information or contacts on any given situation than you do. A quick case study, my 18 year-old nephew almost wipes himself on a gap year in Cambodia. Wakes up in hospital 12 hours later, calls the travel insurer who has a western trained doctor who speaks English at his bedside in one hour. So have the travel insurance international calling number – very, very handy.
8. Travel insurers may be more effective than consular assistance. During natural disasters or political upheavals, travel insurance companies will have a team (okay, maybe one person dependent on the circumstances), dedicated to monitoring the situation and getting travellers out or giving assistance. They will also be great assistance in contacting your family members if necessary.
9. When the cruise and tour operators advise you to take out travel insurance they are not doing it for a bit of a laugh, they really want you to. Cancellations at the last minute for a personal issue which forfeits your deposit or entire payment is a real downer and the tour and cruise operators hate taking it from you… but they can’t afford not to. Everyone, and you more than the rest, would feel a lot better if you could claim it or a portion at least on travel insurance.
Quentin Long is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Australian Traveller Media. Quentin is a sought-after travel media commentator. He is Australia’s most trusted source for travel news and insights, having held weekly radio segments across the country since 2006, and regularly appearing on Channel 9’s Today and A Current Affair programs from 2010. Don't ask him his favourite travel experience as that's like asking him to choose a favourite child. However he does say that Garma Festival is the one travel experience that changed him the most.
From cabins to canvas, craft distillers to destination dining, Heathcote locals reveal their eco-savvy passions in ways that resonate with those seeking to travel lightly.
Heathcote , on traditional Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, is synonymous with its garnet-hued shiraz, but wine isn’t the only string to its bow. The town itself is sprinkled with heritage buildings from the gold rush era, and beyond that a growing collection of sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly escapes. Nearby Bendigo, one of only 65 cities in the world recognised as a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, plates up an astonishing calibre of produce, wine and food for its size. Increasingly the entire region is taking up the challenge, though Heathcote in particular shines with its focus on sustainability.
The dramatic landscape of Heathcote’s Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Goodfrey)
The eco-stays bringing sustainability to Heathcote
Yellow Box Wood’s safari-style tents are nestled on 40 hectares of bushland. (Image: Emily Goodfrey)
Andee and Lisa Davidson spent years working in southern Africa before settling in Heathcote. “We had a vision of how this could be,” explains Andee. “We wanted a retreat, but one that was off-grid and environmentally sustainable.” Now, at Yellow Box Wood , two luxury safari-style tents are at the heart of 40 hectares of rolling hills and native bush, with kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, goanna and birdlife aplenty. It’s all solar-powered, wood for the fire is mainly fallen timber, and water is collected on the carport roof. No lack of creature comforts though – en suite with rain shower, espresso coffee maker, comfy seating, wood-burning fire all set to go. There’s also a solar-heated, mineral salt pool in a bush setting, walking tracks, and even a mini bush golf course. On my visit, I put the vision to the test. Cocooned in the plush four-poster bed I can glimpse the stars, while the heater casts a golden glow on the canvas. In the morning, I wake to a blush-pink sunrise, kangaroos feeding and a soundtrack of magpies.
Mt Ida Eco Cabin is rustic and simple but oozes comfort. (Image: Graham Hosking)
If a tent is not your style, Stephen and Cally Trompp’s carbon-neutral Mt Ida Eco Cabin might entice with its generous deck and farmland views. Inside the cabin, corrugated iron walls as rusty as a shearing shed, gleaming (recycled) floorboards, timber truss ceiling (crafted by Stephen), wood-fired heater and an old-school turntable with a pile of vinyls to spin. It’s fun, and a little boho.“Everything is recycled. The cabin takes maximum advantage of the sun in winter. It’s all solar-powered. Don’t panic, though,” says Stephen, “you can still charge your phone and get 4G reception!” Settle into an Adirondack chair on the deck or pedal off on a mountain bike to suss out the wineries.
A taste of Spain in Central Victoria
Three Dams Estate make Spanish-style wine.
Another person with a vision is Evan Pritchard at his Three Dams Estate where the wines reflect his deep love of Spain and of Spanish-style grapes, such as tempranillo. Afternoons in the ‘wine shed’ or cantina are matched with music (flamenco is a favourite), Spanish bites from tapas to paella (with Evan on the pans!) and views to Mount Alexander. Sustainability is also a passion. “You don’t need to buy anything. We decided to be off-grid from the start, but it is a lifestyle change,” he says. “You need to think about it and be careful.” Everything here is recycled, reassembled, refurbished. Evan has an electric car (with solar-powered charger), solar-power for the winery, and even a jaunty little electric tractor/forklift. “I love the idea of all the things you can do using the sun.” Sipping a crisp rosado (a Spanish rosé) with Evan in the sunshine, I couldn’t agree more.
The vineyard redefining sustainable winemaking
The Silverspoon Estate winery is completely off-grid. (Image: Graham Hosking)
On the other side of Heathcote, Silver Spoon Estate demonstrates sustainability on a more extensive scale. Tracie and Peter Young’s winery, cellar door, award-winning restaurant and their own house are all solar-powered and off the grid. Sustainability is intrinsic to everything they do. The property sprawls across 100 hectares, with 20 hectares under vine – shiraz, viognier, grenache, tempranillo. As the climate has changed, so too has the approach. These are dry-grown vineyards. “We prune for drought. That means lower yields but more intense flavours,” says Peter. The fine-dining restaurant offers sweeping views, a wood-burning fire and a deck for languid lunches. Head chef Ben Hong sources regional, sustainable ingredients and weaves estate wines into the menu – think crispy wild mushroom arancini, viognier-infused chicken breast.
Silver Spoon’s award-winning restaurant.
Heathcote’s other hidden gems
Heathcote Wine Hub is housed in a 1855-built timber church.
Not all local wineries have a cellar door, but I find local treasures at the Heathcote Wine Hub , a petite 1855 timber church in the main street, lovingly returned to life by Karen Robertson and Carey Moncrieff. “Carey is a scrounger,” says Karen. “He doesn’t throw a single thing away.” He does, however, craft things into something quite special. Heritage floors, light-filtering lancet windows and shelves of regional wines create the perfect ambience for wine tasting. Or order a glass and linger over a cheese platter.
Heathcote is not all wine, of course. Nathan Wheat and partner Vanessa Curtis run Envy Distilling with a committed sustainable ethic – and a serious love of gin. Their small-batch distillery produces grape-based gin, and soon brandy. Distilled water is reused in an ingenious cooling system. All waste is treated on site. They buy excess wine from winemakers to distil and buy recycled barrels. “Distilling with the sun,” as Nathan says. Each Envy gin has its own story. Spicy, award-winning The Dry, is designed to capture the region’s dry, rugged nature. Pull up a stool at the bar (reclaimed timbers and tiles, of course), order a Gin Flight, or kick back with a cocktail and let Nathan share his eco journey.
Sample gins at small-batch distillery Envy.
A traveller’s checklist
Getting there
It’s less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne. The scenic route we take goes past Sunbury, then along a splendid country road through Romsey and the magic, boulder-strewn landscape of Lancefield. Watch for kangaroos on the road!
Staying there
Go off-grid in style at Yellow Box Wood for glamping or try Mt Ida Eco Cabin for a couple’s weekend hideaway.
Eating there
Award-winning French restaurant Chauncy.
At award-winning Chauncy , French chef Louis Naepels and sommelier wife Tess Murray have created a tiny, elegant pocket of rural France. Meticulously restored 1850s sandstone building, sun-drenched dining room, impeccable service, a menu suffused with local flavours and thoughtful wine pairings.
Fodder is both cafe and social hub. Chef Mo Pun and sister Lalita serve classic Aussie breakfast-to-lunch fare, though their Nepalese heritage sneaks through.
Playing there
Sip on wines among the vines at Sanguine Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)
Sanguine Estate ’s cellar door and terrace overlook bucolic vineyards. Its award-winning, dry-grown wines include the distinctive D’Orsa Blanc dessert wine, reflecting the family’s Swiss-Italian heritage. Order a charcuterie board and stay a while. Keep it carbon neutral by cycling some (or all) of the 50-kilometre O’Keefe Rail Trail to Bendigo.
At Bridgeward Grove , learn about the property’s Old Mission Grove heritage olive trees, do a sommelier olive oil tasting, and stock up on sustainably grown olives and oil. Explore the unique landscape, wildflowers and wildlife of pink cliffs geological reserve.
