Take a road trip through Western Australia and its wonders

It was just a six-day trip last December, but I came away with unforgettable memories, over a thousand photographs, two bursting suitcases and an expanded waistline.

From breathtaking coastal views, to fresh produce paired with delicious wines, to great shopping deals, Western Australia has so much to offer.

The best way to really take it all in is on a road trip, where you can expect something different and exciting every day.

PERTH

Our trip started in this city that is full of great spots to eat, drink and take Insta-worthy pictures, especially along Elizabeth Quay and Yagan Square, where you can chill for hours in any of the many cocktail bars and restaurants.

Walking along, I was also surprised by the quality and quantity of the street art, in particular in the area surrounding Prince Lane.

ALBANY

We proceeded to Albany on the southern coast, stopping by Kojonup for a quick lunch at the Black Cockatoo, and taking a nice walk around its rose garden. It is a bit of a drive, about five hours, so the stopover was welcome.

On reaching Albany, however, all fatigue was forgotten.

As part of the Light and Dine package, which includes admission fees to the National Anzac Centre, the Field of Light Sunset Panorama tour and a shared tasting menu of local produce at The Garrison restaurant, we not only managed to catch a glimpse of a breathtaking sunset view, but also enjoy a delicious meal.

We moved on to the Field of Light: Avenue of Honour installation, where 16,000 lights line the walkways, as we walked off our food-babies and unwound from the day.

The next morning took us to The Gap and the Albany Wind Farm, where we were greeted with stunning views of the southern coastline.

For lunch, we stopped at Oranje Tractor Wine, where we ate fruit and fresh produce off the trees and shrubs, and were treated to a delicious Ploughman's lunch paired with refreshing wines.

At the Mount Romance sandalwood factory there is a beautiful little room where from Wednesdays to Sundays, you can book a one-hour The Cone, The Gong & The Bowl experience.

It makes use of the soothing scent of sandalwood, and is deeply meditative and beyond relaxing.

DENMARK

After about an hour's drive, we arrived in the town of Denmark, where we immersed ourselves in the wonders of nature at the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. The canopy walk, suspended 40m above ground, took us into the lush greenery of Western Australia's Giant Tingle Trees.

But the bit that intrigued us the most were the trees along the Ancient Empire Walk, which over the years have developed hollows big enough to park a car in.

They had been hollowed out by forest fires and then expanded by fungus and insects.

It is said that some of these hollows can get so big that they can fit a hundred people in the heart of the tree - with wiggle room to spare. We wrapped up the day with a cooling dip in the calm, turquoise waters of the Greens Pool.

MARGARET RIVER

I must admit that much of our first day at Margaret River is a blur, what with the copious amounts of adult beverages to be tasted.

By 10am, we were at the Margaret River Distilling Company, where we went on a short gin tour and enjoyed a gin pairing session.

Do not overlook the whiskeys they have on offer too.

Later in the day, the wine-tasting at Voyager Estate made me rethink my long-held preference for European wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, which is robust while being light and dangerously easy to drink.

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I may have had, before even realising it, put away a couple of glasses of this delicious nectar.

Nursing a mild hangover the next day, I was thoroughly refreshed by a relaxing Cape To Cape Walk, hosted by Walk Into Luxury.

It boasted coastal views like I had never seen before, taking us through unique Western Australian shrubbery and into the fresh seaside air and amazing views of clear blue waters - definitely a walk to remember, and one that is sure to rejuvenate even the most weary traveller.

Check out Dynasty Travel's Unique Perth and South West Australia experience at Natas Travel 2019 at Singapore Expo, Booth 6H01, from today to Sunday, 10am to 9.30pm.

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Rangers first Kiwi NBL side to travel to Australia to face Southern Huskies

Auckland's Super City Rangers will create New Zealand National Basketball League (NBL) history in April.

The Rangers will be the first NBL team to travel to Australia to play new entity, the Tasmania based Southern Huskies, on April 27.

In December, the Huskies were confirmed as the first Australian team to play in the New Zealand NBL, joining on a five-year deal.

The Huskies will play their first game against the Manawatū Jets in Palmerston North on April 18, before playing perennial title favourites, the Wellington Saints, a day later in Wellington on April 19. They will complete their first away trip in Napier against the Bay Hawks on April 21 before flying back to host the Rangers six days later.


On May 12, the Huskies host reigning Kiwi NBL champions, the Southland Sharks.

The Kiwi teams will visit Tasmania to play the Huskies at least once, while the Huskies will play each of the New Zealand teams away, playing doubleheaders each time they cross the ditch.

They will play home games in Hobart and Launceston.

As part of agreement for entry into the NBL, the Huskies will assist with the cost for New Zealand teams to travel to Tasmania to play. NBL board chair Iain Potter said that was essential as they did not want to increase the New Zealand teams' expenses through the move.

The eligibility rules have been adjusted.

All the teams in the league are allowed three imports. All teams in the league, including the Huskies, can have a New Zealander as a non-restricted player. The Huskies can have any Kiwi or Australian as an unrestricted player, unless they have played more than 7.5 minutes in the Australian NBL in the proceeding season.

Former Hobart Chargers coach Anthony Stewart will guide the Huskies for their inaugural season.

They have assembled a strong initial squad, containing Adelaide 36ers big man Harry Froling, the ANBL rookie of the year and a member of the Australian Boomers, as well as American imports Tre Nichols, Jalen Billups, and Mason Bragg.

The Kiwi sides in the 2019 NBL will again be the Jets, Saints, Sharks, Hawks, Rangers, Nelson Giants, Taranaki Mountain Airs, and Canterbury Rams.

 

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Golf Tourism Market 2019 – Your Golf Travel, Golfbreaks, Golf Plaisir, EasyGolf Worldwide Australia, Golfasian

Overall, the Golf Tourism market performance is not developing as expected though many golf courses are under construction.

Factors such as growing number of golf courses worldwide, association initiatives and sponsorship deals, launch of low-cost airlines, as well as the growing popularity of professional golf tournaments, are bringing the opportunities of the development of Golf Tourism market globally.

The global Golf Tourism market is valued at 15500 million USD in 2018 and is expected to reach 15100 million USD by the end of 2024, growing at a CAGR of -0.6% between 2019 and 2024.

The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.

North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Golf Tourism.

Europe also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2019 and will be xx million USD in 2024, with a CAGR of xx%.

Global Golf Tourism Market 2019-2024 report delivers a comprehensive research-based study of the market along with the market share, forecast data, in-depth analysis, and detailed overview of the Golf Tourism industry with respect to the global market. The Golf Tourism market report further emphasizes on driver and restraint factors in the global and regional level. For a complete understanding, the market also provides market segmentation and regional market analysis in a country-level market. The global Golf Tourism market analysis further provides pioneering landscape of market along with market size for 2016, 2017, and 2018, with a forecast till 2024 by product and by geography.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share, and growth rate of Golf Tourism Production in these regions, from 2016 to 2024: USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, South East Asia. These regions are further categorized at the country level.

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LITERARY TOURISM: OZ’S REAL EMERALD CITY – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Sydney, Australia, is The Emerald City. There are other cities claiming the same title (I’m looking at you, Seattle) but none of them cast a twinkle compared to the sparkle of Sydney.

I mean, Sydney is green; like, really green. We’ve also had a number of bananas male leaders who originated from Sydney (Howard, Abbot, Turnbull, current Prime Minister Morrison). And it IS the largest city in the Land of Oz. All it needs is a bunch of reading nooks to discover your favourite Oz characters.



Oh, wait. We have that too. *wicked grin*



Welcome to the Wonderful Reading of Oz: Emerald City edition.
DOROTHY GALE – KINOKUNIYA BOOKSTORE, LEVEL 2, 500 GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY CBD

Located in The Galleries, high above the busy George Street, Kinokuniya Bookstore is The Bookstore worth battling through a city. It has all the favourite genres on offer but the real attraction is the extensive range of Japanese and Chinese books. It’s the largest collection in Australia. It is easy to imagine Dorothy enamoured with so many books that can’t be found anywhere else. Of course, you can always sit in the cafe after your purchase but if you can withhold on the drinkies, the best place to read up on Dorothy is in the Kids Section on the naturally lit bay-window seat, overlooking the busy street below.
TOTO – COOK+PHILLIP PARK, CNR COLLEGE AND WILLIAM STREET, SYDNEY CBD

For those of us who can empathise with Dorothy’s love for her little dog, Toto, the Cook+Phillip Park has a nice open area AND allows dogs to be off their leash. This is one of the few places very close to the city where you can catch some rays, play with your dog, and still have the quiet space for reading. And if the weather is less accommodating, you can always duck into the St Mary’s Cathedral next door. Stunning architecture with the peace and tranquillity to rival a library. Although, you won’t be able to bring Toto into this one.






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Tourism Boom Drives ‘Unprecedented’ Hotel Development

Australia's accommodation sector is set welcome 45,000 new rooms over the next six years catering to changing demands, travellers and demographics.

According to Tourism Accommodation Australia a wave of almost 300 new hotels, currently proposed or under construction, will boost the hotel industry which has suffered from a development hiatus of almost two decades.

The pipeline of projects will add to the $8 billion tourism industry which currently employs over 187,000 people.

Melbourne leads the growth push with 10,208 rooms approved or under construction, while Sydney has 6,084 in the pipeline.

Perth also has a significant amount of hotel rooms currently under construction, with 1,755 rooms to be added over the next two years.

TAA has forecast that 11,600 rooms are due to be added to the Sydney market and more than 15,100 expected in Melbourne.

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Same-sex marriage boosting Australian tourism

Same-sex couples from overseas are flocking to Australia to get hitched, attracted to the natural beauty and marriage equality laws.

The global gay travel market is reportedly worth $300 billion, with Australia making up 0.3 per cent, but growing.

Marriage celebrant Stephen Lee has noticed a rise in same-sex couples choosing Australia to tie the knot in, particularly from Asian countries with conservative stances on marriage.

“For example in Singapore, being gay is actually still against the law,” Lee said.

Lee says he has married couples from overseas who “basically have to elope” to Australia to make their marriage dreams come true.

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In Tour of Australia, Chinese Admire Clean Air but Bemoan Lack of Hot Drinking Water

CANBERRA, Australia — gThe Chinese tourists found Parliament House, one of Australia’s most enduring national symbols, well . . . underwhelming.

“County-level governments in China have fancier buildings. Am I right?” said Jimmy Zhao, a Shanghai-born tour guide, who last month led a group of 55 tourists mostly from China, but also Malaysia and Singapore, on a four-day bus tour of Australia’s East Coast.

The group giggled and agreed with Mr. Zhao’s assessment, but they were also impressed that, unlike in China, anyone could walk into the heart of Australia’s government. When Mr. Zhao, 53, pointed out a bathroom used by a former prime minister, one tourist sprinted off to experience the V.I.P. urinal.

“Today we are all senators!” shouted another Chinese visitor.

Tensions between Australia and China are at an all-time high — spurred, in part, by accusations of Chinese meddling in Australian politics — but the rate of Chinese tourists visiting Australia is surging. The country hosted 1.3 million Chinese tourists in the year ending September 2018, more than the population of Australia’s fifth-biggest city, Adelaide.

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