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Tags: Australia Travel / Contests / London Travel / → All Tags

Spotting Kangaroos in London Sends You To Oz, Not Asylum

Look out London - the kangaroos have invaded. In a neat campaign to promote Kangaroo Island in South Australia, the South Oz tourism gang are letting twenty brightly-painted kangaroos loose in London.

Fortunately these roos don't look like the kind that will wreak havoc on the city – they just look pretty, rather than doing much jumping or boxing. But if you're in London and spot some of these animals, take good note of where they are and you could win a trip to Kangaroo Island for four.

Go to their website for entry and if you don't win the big trip you automatically get a £100 Flight Centre voucher. But we'd definitely have our eye on the big prize, because Kangaroo Island is by far one of the most beautiful spots in South Australia – incredible scenery, great food and more than a couple live, hoppin' kangaroos.

Related Stories:
· Kangaroo Island Hunt [Official Site]
· Movie Set Travel: December Boys on Kangaroo Island [Jaunted]
· South Australia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

Tags: Outback Travel / Jaunted Field Trips / Museums / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Finding an Oasis in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia

Every good mountain range needs a big town for a base, and the Flinders Ranges of South Australia have theirs in Port Augusta. Situated exactly two hundred miles north of Adelaide, Port Augusta likes to think it's a crossroads town because those crazy enough to drive across Australia from east to west are almost obligated to stop by.

Up until recently, Port August has been relatively devoid of such travelers, but the last decade or so has seen the town jumping on the tourism bandwagon to reinvigorate itself. A highlight of the image renovation is the Wadlata Outback Centre, a multimedia museum explaining all about life in the South Australian outback.

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Tags: Australia Travel / Outback Travel / Jaunted Field Trips / → All Tags

Finding the Flinders Ranges in Outback South Australia

The lower-central Aussie state of South Australia might get dwarfed by the fame of its city cousins Sydney and Melbourne and pushed aside by the brash outback of Uluru, but it really should not be so overlooked. The Flinders Ranges are reason enough to visit South Australia, with the whole dramatic outback beauty thing combining with a majestic mountain range and a location not all that far from civilization.

Head a couple of hundred miles north of capital city Adelaide, and you're well and truly in the thick of the Flinders Ranges. We recommend beginning any exploration in the southern part of the Ranges, around Mount Remarkable National Park which absolutely lives up to its name, and either take a gentle hike from there or check out the local wineries.

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Tags: Cowboy Vacations / Cowboy Travel / Outback Travel / → All Tags

South Australia Is Calling All Cowboys

Who knew that cowboy tourism is a growing industry down in South Australia? Coming up again in 2010, the Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive is on and recruiting travelers to get around South Australia on horseback.

The South Australian tourism board first put together this event in 2007, and are now planning the six trips you'll be able to take part in during August 2010. Each trip is five days long and involves a lot of horse-riding, many cows and camping in huge areas of land: the cattle station it's based around is about the size of Belgium.

You really have to visit the Cattle Drive website and see how long you can put up with the streaming audio of cows mooing and horses galloping. You can also sign up for the trips but at A$3,200 ($2,000) per person--not including the cost of getting to Australia--you might just want to listen to the website audio and imagine the actual trip.

Related Stories:
· Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive 2010 [Official Site]
· South Australia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: CasaDeQueso]

Tags: Lance Armstrong / Australia Travel / Celeb Travel / Biking / → All Tags

Tour De France Champ Meets Tour Down Under

The sometimes-forgotten Aussie state of South Australia is getting excited. It's not really because the Tour Down Under cycling event is due to begin on January 18 but more because mega-cyclist Lance Armstrong is flying in to take part.

So far the publicity machine is keeping Armstrong's arrival time in Adelaide a secret to prevent any dramatic scenes. But it's no secret that he's staying at the Adelaide Hilton with all the other competitors, so hanging out there might be the common choice for fans.

The Tour Down Under will start out in Adelaide and continue by visiting a bunch of cute South Australian towns, like the German-influenced Hahndorf out in the vineyard region. Since we can't make it down to South Oz next week we're hoping their YouTube channel will serve up a few snippets of Lance-time for us.

Related Stories:
· Tour Down Under 2009 [Official Site]
· Lance Armstrong Pumps Up For Tour Down Under [Herald Sun]
· Lance Armstrong coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Dumb Tourists / Desert Travel / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Oz Government Closes Desert The Size Of Iowa Because It Can

The South Australian government has stepped in to save dumb tourists from themselves by simply closing a whole desert. The 56,000 square miles of the Simpson Desert will be "closed" from December 1 to March 15 next year because the heat makes it just too dangerous.

With summer temps heading over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit and often up to 120, it's risky for anyone to head out into the wilderness, but unprepared tourists who need expensive (and dangerous) rescue missions are all too common. So for the first time, they've simply shut up shop on the desert with a A$1,000 ($650) fine for those caught there.

As far as deserts go, Australia has four of the top twenty largest ones, so they probably know what they're talking about. Dying of thirst in a desert is not high on our list of ways we'd like to go, so we won't be going desert-bashing this Aussie summer.

Related Stories:
· Too Risky: Simpson Desert Closed for Summer [SMH]
· Won't Get Fooled Again? [Jaunted]
· Australia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jwbenwell]

Tags: Contests / Australia Movie / Australia Travel / → All Tags

First Came Australia, Now There’s South Australia, The Movie

Apparently Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia is just not enough: South Australian Tourism and STA Travel have decided that they want South Australia, the Movie too.

The state of South Australia, that often overlooked bit in the middle of Oz, is famous for its outback, a great wine region, Kangaroo Island and even cheap deals for redheads. Film a mini-movie of your ideas on South Australia and you could win a two-week trip around the state that will be filmed by a real film crew.

The contest opens today and you have to get your video in by December 1. Judges say that making them laugh will give you a good chance at the prize, so we're pretty sure that making fun of redheads will be part of the winning entry.

Related Stories:
· Stars of South Australia Contest [Official Site]
· Hair Color Travel: Good Deals for Redheads Down Under [Jaunted]
· South Australia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Sentience]

Tags: Australia Travel / Tourist Attractions / Ferris Wheels / → All Tags

Ferris Wheel Travel: A Third Aussie Wheel in the Works

Something must be in the water Down Under (and we don't mean too much pee) because every city's suddenly in a struggle to get their own ferris wheel. Melbourne's Southern Star is due to start turning next month and a ferris wheel in Sydney could start spinning any day too.

But it's the tourists and locals of Adelaide who are most obsessed with the ferris wheel thing. And fair enough, since they've been waiting over two years to see their colorful ferris wheel turn at beachside Glenelg.

Bankruptcy and tricky regulations are apparently to blame but nobody can really say for sure when the ferris wheel will start operating, although early December is the current rumor. Which will probably make it the last new Aussie ferris wheel to open, even though it got planned first. And the wheels keep on turnin'...

Related Stories:
· Glenelg Wheel Still Waiting a Turn [Adelaide Now]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Awaiting the Southern Star [Jaunted]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Now Sydney Wants One Too [Jaunted]
· Please Tourists, Don't Pee in the Lake [Jaunted]

[Photo: whatsound]

Tags: Australia Travel / Zoos / Deals / Animals / → All Tags

Hair Color Travel: Good Deals for Redheads Down Under

We love getting stuff for free, but apparently the red-haired people of Adelaide, South Australia would rather pay to get into the Adelaide Zoo at the moment.

The zoo started a promotion using the Aussie slang term "ranga", a nickname for redheads that derives from the color of the average orangutan. The deal offered free entry to the zoo for all "rangas," but they've toned down the deal now after some complaints.

The good news is that despite the complaints, the zoo decided just to drop the "ranga" title. So red-haired visitors (including those with dyed red hair!) can still get into the zoo for free for the next week. Apparently less than 2 percent of people are redheads but if you're one of them then rush down to Adelaide now. And don't be offended--we're just jealous we can't get in for free.

Related Stories:
· Zoo Drops "Ranga" Free Day Campaign [news.com.au]
· Free Range Orang Utans Now Available [Jaunted]
· Zoos coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: peasap]

Tags: Big Things / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Big Things Travel: The Big Orange Auction Is Coming

Remember how we mentioned that the future of Australia's Big Orange was bleak? You can all breathe a sigh of relief because it seems like there's a solution--but not one to please citrus fruit lovers.

The Big Orange (and the land and water around it) is up for auction on October 29, and one idea being kicked around is that the Big Orange could be turned into the Big Golf Ball. Liquidator Des Munro came up with the idea, saying:

I think that could be an icon for the area because that area's such a mecca for golfing people.

It'll be at least a month before we know the Big Orange's fate. And then it might be goodbye to one Aussie tourist icon, and hello to an even stranger one.

Related Stories:
· Big Golf Ball Suggested as Landmark [ABC]
· Big Orange Not Big Money-Spinner [Jaunted]
· Big Things coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: thepurpleempire]

Tags: Green Travel / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Green Travel: War of the Worms in Adelaide

Perhaps the future of green travel is worms. Down at the Adelaide Convention Centre in South Australia they certainly think worms are key: They've just bought an "organic digester" which includes 800,000 worms, who are going to chomp through the 750 pounds of organic waste put out weekly by visitors and travelers passing through the place.

We're not surprised to see this eco-friendly news coming out of Adelaide, home of the world's first solar-powered bus

There's just one catch to this plan, we think: Market yourself too green and nobody will want to unleash all those carbon emissions on the flight in. Instead you'll have to hop on your bike to check out Adelaide's worm farms.

Related Stories:
· Adelaide Convention Centre Going Green [eTravel]
· Hot Aussie Sun Powers Frog-Colored Bus [Jaunted]
· Adelaide Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wahj]

Tags: Big Things / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Big Orange Not Big Money-Spinner

If you travel around Australia and order an orange juice on the way, the chances are good that at some stage you'll be drinking Berri. This famous brand of juice is backed up by one of those ridiculously over-sized food sculptures the Aussies are renowned for: That's right, near the town of Berri, you can visit the Big Orange.

That is, you can at the moment. But the Big Orange, one of Australia's most recognized big things, is under threat. Apparently numerous owners in the past decades have struggled to attract enough visitors to the South Australian town to make running the Big Orange worthwhile; the current owner is thinking of selling.

There are a few ideas in the pipeline: There's one potential buyer who's considering moving the Big Orange to a more profitable site. Perhaps even a Jaunted reader with a spare A$100,000 (that's less than $95,000) could be the new owner of the Big Orange? You'd have to be ripe for a few juicy jokes though.

Related Stories:
· Big Orange May Find New Home [ABC]
· Big Banana Just Got Bigger [Jaunted]
· Koalas--Scary When Big [Jaunted]

[Photo: joshnunn]