Winners Best Accommodation - People's Choice 2015

1. Winner Best Luxury Hotel – Crown Towers, Melbourne

Right in the thick of it all on Melbourne’s buzzing Southbank, Crown Towers (pictured) is an extravagant slice of luxury, with spectacular views overlooking the Yarra River, rooftop tennis courts, an expansive day spa to unwind in and a 25-metre indoor pool.

The runners-up:
2. Langham, Melbourne, Vic
3. Park Hyatt, Sydney, NSW
4. qualia, Hamilton Island, Qld
5. InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, NSW

2. Winner Best Affordable Hotel – Mantra on Salt Beach, NSW

From just $124 a night, Mantra on Salt Beach is a family favourite, perfectly positioned in Kingscliff on the New South Wales coastline with Byron Bay just a half-hour drive away. Well-appointed rooms overlook a lagoon-style pool and there are several restaurants, the Spa at Salt and a tennis court if you’ve done too much relaxing.

The runners-up:
2. QT Sydney, NSW
3. Adina Bondi Beach, NSW
4. The Cullen, Melbourne, Vic
5. East Hotel, Canberra, ACT

3. Winner Hotel That Best Caters to Children – Jamala Wildlife Lodge, Canberra

With the look and feel of a luxury lodge in the Serengeti, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that you’re not actually in the heart of Canberra in the city’s National Zoo & Aquarium. Geared towards the conservation of endangered animals, a stay in one of the Giraffe Treehouses will have kids coming face-to-face with the tallest beasts in the world, while a night in the five-star Jungle Bungalows or uShaka Lodge, lets you get close to cheetahs, tigers and bears; some rooms also feature huge aquariums. It’s a magical place that children will always remember.

The runners-up:
2. Paradise Resort Gold Coast, Qld
3. Sea World Nara Resort, Qld
4. Turtle Beach, Gold Coast, Qld
5. Daydream Island, Qld

4. Winner Best Place to Camp – Jervis Bay, NSW

Are powdery white beaches, turquoise waters and sleepy seaside villages the prerequisites of a great camping holiday? Our readers think so, voting Jervis Bay on NSW’s South Coast the best place to camp. Whether it be pitching a tent in Booderee National Park’s Green Patch campsite (pictured), or retreating at glampsite Paperbark Camp (did someone say hot shower?).

The runners-up:
2. Wilson’s Promontory, Vic
3. Seal Rocks, NSW
4. Lake Argyle, WA
5. Noosa and Halls Gap, Qld & Vic

The Mornington Peninsula is a coastline of contrasts, where convict and military history meets shipwrecks, wild seas and adventures above and below the surface.

The Mornington Peninsula can be the kind of place where salt-tangled hair feels like a badge of honour – proof you’ve been somewhere wild, raw and real. Peel back the layers and you’ll discover stories that anchor this region to something other than its famed food and wine.

This land is the traditional Sea Country of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung people. Long before grapevines were planted and artisanal goods were crafted, the Bunurong Traditional Owners lived in deep connection with the land and sea. Today, places such as Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary echo that tradition, with families exploring its rockpools in search of colourful sea stars and crabs at low tide and learning how these fragile ecosystems have been cared for across countless generations.

a group of people visiting the Port Nepean National Park — Take in the rugged coastal landscape at Port Nepean National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

A visit to Point Nepean National Park feels like stepping back through time. The fort, built in 1882, protected the narrow entrance to Port Phillip Bay until the end of the Second World War. It was here that the first Allied shot of the First World War was fired – at a German cargo ship trying to escape just hours after war was declared. Nearby, the old Quarantine Station, one of Australia’s first permanent quarantine facilities, established in 1852, still stands. Walking through the hospital and disinfecting complex evokes stories of those who arrived from faraway shores.

Not far from here is a story of survival that inspired the Aussie phrase ‘you’ve got Buckley’s chance’. In 1803, escaped convict William Buckley vanished into the bush near what’s now Sorrento. Everyone thought he had no hope of surviving, but he reappeared 32 years later, having lived with local Aboriginal people.

Even the waters here hold history. The infamous stretch known as The Rip, just three kilometres wide at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay, is among the most treacherous waterways. Countless ships were lost here in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and in 1967, Australia’s own Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming off the coast, never to be found.

a seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay — A seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

But for all its danger, the sea here also holds extraordinary beauty. Dolphins are often seen near Sorrento’s cliffs, while below the surface, seagrass meadows and rocky reefs teem with life. Marine tours offer a viewing to this underwater wonderland, while back on terra firma, walking trails lead along beaches, through coastal scrub, and over rock pools.

And if you think you’ll forget about the Mornington Peninsula once you’ve left? You’ve got Buckley’s chance.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the suite interior at InterContinental Sorrento — Luxury interiors at the historic InterContinental Sorrento. (Image: Greg Elms)

Point Nepean Discovery Tents is immersive glamping beside the historic Quarantine Station. Or upgrade to luxury at the 1875-built InterContinental Sorrento .

Playing there

an aerial view of Cape Schanck Lighthouse — Make your way to the Cape Schanck Lighthouse. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

Bayplay Adventure Tours offer eco-adventures from snorkelling with sea dragons to kayaking with dolphins and cycling Point Nepean. Cape Schanck Lighthouse is fascinating to explore on a guided tour, which takes you into the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage.

Eating there

Portsea Hotel is a beautifully restored 1876 Tudor-style pub right on the beach, serving seasonal local fare.

Winners: Best Accommodation – People’s Choice 2015

1. Winner Best Luxury Hotel – Crown Towers, Melbourne

2. Winner Best Affordable Hotel – Mantra on Salt Beach, NSW

3. Winner Hotel That Best Caters to Children – Jamala Wildlife Lodge, Canberra

4. Winner Best Place to Camp – Jervis Bay, NSW

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Mornington Peninsula’s storied past: war, shipwrecks and a runaway convict