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Tags: Australia Travel / Spring Festivals / Spring Travel / Horse Racing / → All Tags

Down Under Gears Up For The Melbourne Cup

It might be fall in States, but spring has just sprung up Down Under and we're ready to get out and play at some of the continent's best seasonal festivals. The biggest event this season is definitely the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne. You might wonder that a bunch of horse races grabs the attention of so many Aussies and anyone visiting at the time, but the highlight of the carnival—the Melbourne Cup—is correctly dubbed "the race that stops a nation".

And you don't have to know the slightest thing about horses to get involved. Come next Tuesday afternoon, you won't be able to get service in any shop in Australia as everybody will have their eyes glued to the TV to watch the Melbourne Cup race. Over 100,000 people attend the race in person, and most of them get dressed up either in their best dress or a crazy costume; like at the Kentucky Derby, the most important thing is to have a great hat.

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Tags: Movie Set Travel / Melbourne Travel / Australia Travel / Melbourne / Movie Travel / → All Tags

Where To Start A Rumpus In Melbourne, Australia

Director Spike Jonze chose to film "Where The Wild Things Are" on location with puppets, rather than in front of a blue screen; an expensive gamble that paid off, considering the movie brought in 32.5 million dollars this weekend. To get the location just right for his adaptation of the beloved children's book, Jonze considered locations in Argentina, Hawaii, New Zealand and California before settling on Melbourne, Australia. Here's a look at where you can go "wild" in Melbourne.

What to Do:
Jonze took full advantage of Melbourne's unique surroundings for the film. He used a burnt-out forest near Gembrook, just outside of Melbourne, as the movie's primary location. He also filmed scenes at the cliffs of Bushrangers Bay in Victoria and among the boulders of the You-Yangs. The You-Yangs are a series of granite peaks that rise dramatically in the Werribee lava plains and can be explored on foot or by bike. The You-Yangs Regional Park is perfect for a day of hiking, biking or picnicking off the beaten path. The park is open daily until sunset, mountain bikes can be rented via All About Mountain Bike Tours.

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Tags: Animals / Qantas / Snakes on a Plane / → All Tags

Qantas Deals With Real-Life Snakes On A Plane

We wish every Friday began with a story like this: In a scene reminiscent of a not-too-distant Samuel L. Jackson movie, a Qantas plane had to be taken out of service after four baby pythons escaped from their secure location in the cargo hold.

Frighteningly, the carriers of these snakes didn't realize until two days after they landed in Melbourne from Alice Springs that one-third of the pythons were MIA. After making sure the Stinson's pythons, native to Australia, hadn't eaten their own kind, officials pulled the plane and fumigated it, causing delays and probably a number of nightmares.

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Tags: Movie Set Travel / Nicolas Cage / Knowing / Melbourne Travel / → All Tags

Nicolas Cage 'Knows' Melbourne

Nicholas Cage’s latest fantasy flick, "Knowing", opens in theaters everywhere today. The movie, about a teacher who opens a time capsule and realizes that his family plays a role in some chilling predictions contained inside, is set in Boston but was filmed in Melbourne, Australia. Cage also filmed "Ghost Rider" in Melbourne in 2007. Here’s a guide to help you get to ‘know’ Melbourne.

What to Stay:
The Grand Hyatt Melbourne recently spent a fortune on renovations that include a trendy new lobby, restaurant, and bar. The hotel is also centrally located near shops, restaurants, and late night hotspots. Currently, rates start at US$219.

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Tags: V Australia / Flight Schedules / Melbourne Travel / Richard Branson / Travel News / → All Tags

V Australia to Launch Melbourne Flights on September 15

Remember that crazy/insane insane/crazy launch party for V Australia the other week when Sir Richard Branson popped champagne off the enormous wing of the V Australia 777 (in the rain!) and gave us a tour of the plane's interiors? Well, the event wasn't all USC cheerleaders, Ozzie accents and Outback hats, although those were aplenty. We actually learned some things too.

Like V Australia's plans for Melbourne. Starting September 15, Schedules, flights from LAX to Melbourne will begin and we were able to get our pudgy hands on some flight details.

· Flight No. VA 11: Departs Melbourne at 9:15am. Arrives in LA at 6:40am that same day. (And who says you can't go back in time?!?)

· Flight No. VA 12: Departs LA at 10:30pm. Arrives in Melbourne at 7:15am (two days later.)

Both flights will be departing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. V Australia also has plans for travel to Johannesburg from Sydney and Melbourne but no word on when that starts.

Related Stories:
· Which Virgin Australia Seat is Right For You? [Jaunted]
· Melbourne Travel [Jaunted]

Tags: Tennis Travel / Australia Travel / Roger Federer / Venus Williams / → All Tags

It's Not Too Late For Oz Open Tix

Summer tennis action has hit Australia this week with the start of the the 2009 Australian Open in Melbourne. The tournament is held in Melbourne Park, a ten-minute walk from the center of the city, or a five-minute trip on the tram.

Whether, like us, you still have a weird thing for #2 seed Roger Federer, or if Serbian beauty Jelena Jankovic gets your racket swinging, apparently there are still tickets available even for the second week of the tournament, starting at A$70 ($50) for early rounds and rising as the matches go on.

As for who's going to be holding the trophies come February 1, well, we can't really go past a Williams sister for the women's, although we're not willing to decide on Venus or Serena. On the men's court, we're hoping for Federer but have a suspicion it might be Novak Djokovic this time round. But don't place bets based on our intuition.

Related Stories:
· Australian Open [Official Site]
· See McEnroe in the Dressing Room [Jaunted]
· Melbourne Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: MD111]

Tags: Street Art / Art / Walking Tours / → All Tags

Sussing Out Melbourne's Secret Masterpieces

Over the past decade Melbourne’s street art scene has grown to rival that of London or Berlin, thanks to the city's efforts to encourage artists to paint. Melbourne has gone so far as to designate certain streets for graffiti. Business owners are getting into the act as well by hiring street artists to paint the exteriors of their buildings. Still, the bulk of the good stuff is still hiding is the city’s nooks and crannies.

Because it can be a challenge to find the art lurking in remote corners and alleyways, Bernadette Alibrando, a local artist, has started giving walking tours of the best work in town. While many pieces are political statements about war, homelessness or global warming, others are lighter fare dealing with Australian pop culture.

Alibrando leads tours every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. The itinerary varies slightly each time out and usually ends with a passionate discussion over wine and cheese in the early evening. The cost per person is A$98 ($65).

Related Stories:
· Walk to Art Tours [Official Site]
· Walking Tours Bring Melbourne's Street Art to Life [LA Times]
· Street Art coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Doogsta]

Tags: New Year's Eve / Ferris Wheels / Tourist Attractions / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Melbourne's Wheel Finally Starts Turning

It's finally here, and we're pretty sure it's not worth the wait. We're talking about the Southern Star Ferris wheel in Melbourne, an attraction that was originally planned to open for the 2006 Commonwealth Games (yes, 2006!), and then had various false starts before finally starting to spin on Saturday, with a fireworks-led grand opening.

So far, there's been a mixed reaction to the Southern Star and a lot of people think the A$29 ($20) price is a bit hefty. That, and Melbourne's not really a city that gets more attractive from the air. From a guy who won a competition and got his ride for free:

It's a bit dull. There's nothing really that interesting to look down on and I certainly wouldn't pay 30 bucks to do it again.

Our only tip for the Southern Star is that it could be a cool place to hang on New Year's Eve. It's usually open 10 am-10 pm every day but for New Year's it'll stay open until 1 am. Since the fact that it's open at all is a surprise, there are probably still tickets available. But be warned: The online booking system isn't working yet, so for now you have to physically buy the tickets down at the wheel itself--that's another reason we figure they're not sold out yet.

Related Stories:
· Southern Star [Official Site]
· Wheel Life Takes to the Air [The Age]
· Will Someone Please Hit the Switch on Melbourne's New Ferris Wheel? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Vermin Inc]

Tags: Gross On Toast / Musuems / Food Travel / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Australia's National Breakfast Spread Gets Its Own Museum

Anyone with half an inkling of Aussie culture will know that Vegemite, the thick black salty stuff they like to spread on their toast, has cult status Down Under. It's practically a national symbol.

Which might explain why this breakfast spread is important enough to have its own museum. The Vegemite Museum is rumored to be going into the Docklands area of Melbourne, which should put it somewhere near the new Ferris wheel if it ever starts spinning.

The gossip says that the museum will have a big V-for-Vegemite-shaped entrance in the trademark red and yellow colors and there'll be old jars, advertising relics and recipes. If Australia's getting a Vegemite museum then it can't be long until the US opens a peanut-butter-and-jelly museum too, right?

One word of warning for non-Australians who venture to the Vegemite Museum in the future: It's a kind of taste you really have to grow up on. Don't spoil your day by eating it in their café.

Related Stories:
· Vegemite [Official Site]
· Harbour Vegemite Museum to Open [Herald Sun]
· Will Someone Please Hit the Switch on Melbourne's New Ferris Wheel? [Jaunted]

[Photo: thenoodleator]

Tags: Ferris Wheels of the World / Ferris Wheels / Ferris-Wheels-of-the-World / Tourist Attractions / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Will Someone Please Hit The Switch On Melbourne's New Ferris Wheel?

Whether the delay in opening Melbourne's new Southern Star Ferris wheel is a publicity stunt gone wrong, a safety problem or just plain bad organization, nobody knows, but rumor has it that sometime today, the wheel should start turning.

Or maybe tomorrow. Nobody seems to be able to tell us for sure. All we do know is that it won't be cheap to see the sights of Melbourne from the equivalent of 40 floors up--an hour-long adult ride will cost A$29 ($19), nearly double the cost of the big tourist viewing platforms nearby like the Rialto Tower or Skydeck 88.

So we're waiting to see that big wheel turnin', so to speak, and while we're not as convinced as the owners are that it's going to be the "new symbol of contemporary Melbourne," we're curious if nothing else. Sometimes that's enough.

Related Stories:
· Southern Star [Official Site]
· Southern Star Observation Wheel Charging $29 A Turn [Herald Sun]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Awaiting the Southern Star [Jaunted]

[Photo: avlxyz]

Tags: Street Art / Australia Travel / Public Art / Graffiti / → All Tags

Aerosol Arabic in Melbourne

Melbourne is big on covering the walls of its laneways with street art. We like that. But apparently lots of Melbournites think that the latest decorations of Spark Lane off Flinders Street are taking things too far.

As part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, a British graffiti artist with the less-than-original name of Mohammed Ali--aka Aerosol Arabic--has been flown in to cover Spark Lane with a mix of street art and Islamic calligraphy.

We’re more than happy to wander Melbourne’s sidestreets to check out this kind of art, but apparently there’s a group called Graffiti Hurts Australia who think otherwise--and are sure the festival will only lead to more vandalism.

Check out Spark Lane when you’re next in Melbourne and see what you think--we're pretty sure that this graffiti is totally not hurting Australia.

--AmandaK

Related Stories:
· Imported Street Artist Cops a Spray [Herald Sun]
· Free Stuff in Melbourne: Street Art is All Around [Jaunted]
· Melbourne Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Aerosol Arabic]

Tags: A380 / Qantas / Airlines / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Qantas A380 Takes Off, Flies Just Like the Other Ones

In the ongoing saga of the big A380 super-jumbos, another historical milestone has just occurred with Aussie airline Qantas making its first A380 flight.

The Qantas A380 flew from Melbourne to Los Angeles where it was greeted with plenty of excitement--along with was-an-Aussie Olivia Newton-John and sometime pilot, sometime actor John Travolta.

Heaps of people were keen to be on that first flight, and one of them was Perth travel agent Luke Chittock who also wrangled a seat on the first Singapore Airlines A380 flight and the first Emirates one, too. But reports say that when journos asked him how the flight was, he wasn't too impressed: "It's all about the same now."

We're still waiting for our first A380 flight but now we're going to try to be as cool as Luke Chittock when we get there. It's just another plane.

Related Stories:
· Qantas A380's First Commercial Flight Takes Off [SMH]
· A380 Planes: Flying Kangaroo is Next in Line [Jaunted]
· Qantas coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Joits]