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Tags: Australia Travel / Nature / → All Tags

When An Aussie Archway Is No Longer An Archway

Anywhere else in the world, tourism boards would be totally stressed that nature had just destroyed part of a key tourist attraction. But along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, locals are just wandering how to rename their famous landmark to suit the new situation.

The problem is, a huge natural rock formation known as the Island Archway partially collapsed this week, thanks to the constant pounding of the ocean. The bridge section of the structure has fallen into the ocean and now the archway looks instead like two pillars.

It's not the first time nature has created havoc with the sights along the Great Ocean Road; as recently as 2005, one of the famous Twelve Apostles pillars tumbled into the sea. But it does kind of make you want to get Down Under ASAP before all the pretty things fall over.

Related Stories:
· Island Archway Near Loch Ard Gorge Loses Its Archway [Herald Sun]
· Walk the Great Ocean Road [Jaunted]

[Photo: kabl1992]

Tags: Skiing / Australia Travel / Mount Buller / Ski-Resorts-in-Summer / → All Tags

Winter Down Under Starts Early at Mount Buller

Winter is coming to Australia, but that's definitely no reason to avoid planning a Down Under trip, especially not with the crazy off-season airfare sales going on. Half the country's still warm in winter anyway, and if you're a snow enthusiast, then you'll be pleasantly surprised at the ski resorts in the states of New South Wales and Victoria.

This year in particular looks fantastic for the Victorian snowfields. The Mount Buller resort region has already had a weekend opening for skiers, making it the earliest start to the season in history, and five weeks ahead of the usual schedule.

The official season (along with all the appropriate celebrations) will launch on June 6, 2009, with a big festival over that weekend. The fact that the resort website mentions free hot chocolate during the opening weekend is enough to entice us, without hearing how snowfalls should make for some excellent skiing and snowboarding this winter.

You can reach Mt Buller most easily from Melbourne - it's a three and a half hour drive, or a bit longer on the bus, in the Alpine National Park. We like it because it's not quite as corny as going to the snow in the Snowy Mountains further north.

Related Stories:
· Mt Buller Ski Resort [Official Resort]
· Buller to Open for Skiing After Cold Snap Snowfall [The Age]
· Australia Travel: Sand, Surf and … Snow? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mariyath]

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.

more ›

Tags: Fires / Victoria Fires / Sam the Koala / → All Tags

Victorian Fires Still Burning; Help Floods In

The deadly bushfires in the state of Victoria, Australia, have now been blazing since the weekend--and unfortunately, not all of them are under control yet. There have even been nervous times when the city of Melbourne looked like it could be under threat; this seems safer at the moment, but hot weather is forecast again in the next week.

In rural Victoria, life is definitely not normal right now, and many towns will be without basics like electricity for weeks. Traveling in the area at the moment is definitely not on, apart from many experts and volunteers from other parts of Australia and abroad who are flocking in to help with further firefighting, providing for those who've lost their homes and the grim task of identifying some of the probably 200 plus victims.

Within Australia there are numerous ways to help: if you're in Melbourne or nearby, they're still looking for blood donations to help burns victims, for example. And Coles Supermarkets are donating all of Friday's profits, so stop by for all your groceries there. From outside Australia, donations can be made via the Salvation Army--just direct your donation to the Victorian Bushfires Appeal.

Just for the record, this photo of the now famous Sam the Koala actually made us shed a tear. We realize it was actually taken during preventative burning last week before the fires hit, but it shows just how badly local wildlife is being affected by these fires. It's a horrific event on all accounts and one that there will be plenty of reminders of for any travelers passing through Victoria in the coming years.

Related Stories:
· Bushfires Coverage [The Age]
· Koala Man Footage Not What It Seems [The Age]
· Deadly Fires Rage in Australia's Victoria Region [Jaunted]

Tags: Fires / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Deadly Fires Rage in Australia's Victoria Region

Escaping the northern hemisphere winter for a summer Down Under might sound tempting, but spare a thought or ten for the south-east corner of Australia where bushfires have taken over a hundred lives so far. Many experts are saying the final death toll could be over two hundred.

The deadly fires are in the state of Victoria, most of them not that far away from the capital, Melbourne. There's plenty of outrage from the public that some of the fires were probably deliberately lit by arsonists. On top of that, the heat wave of temperatures over 40 degrees C (104 F) has made conditions nearly impossible for firefighters.

There is no word of travelers being amongst the victims as yet, although travel blogger Nora from the Professional Hobo site is reporting that she's had to evacuate her accommodation. Assistance in many forms is coming in from all parts of Australia and New Zealand and state and federal governments have already announced financial aid for those affected.

Related Stories:
· Fears Bushfire Toll May Double [Jaunted]
· Victoria's Bush Fires [The Professional Hobo]
· Victoria Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: The Professional Hobo]

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: 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: Australia Travel / Adventure Travel / Dangerous Travel / Rap Jumping / Videos / → All Tags

Adventure Travel: Jumping off Buildings in Melbourne

Usually throwing yourself off a building is considered a fairly anti-social act, but in Melbourne they're encouraging tourists to do it. But it has to be the sixth-floor roof of the Urban Central backpackers' building, under the guidance of someone from Macka Mackail's Rap Jumping.

Rap jumping is a bit like abseiling, except that you're staring down at the ground, which makes it a whole lot scarier. For A$65 ($55) you can jump off the hostel not once but three times. It's not that tall--but it looks kind of terrifying.

Rap Jumping in Melbourne boasts a 100 percent safety record (which sounds kind of like Aussie carrier Qantas, until recently) but if you're still not sure, check this video and decide if you're brave enough to rap jump or not.

Related Stories:
· Rap Jumping [Official Site]
· Over the Top in Melbourne [The Advertiser]
· Melbourne Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Micheletti11]

Tags: Australia Travel / Chocolate / Dessert / Food Travel / → All Tags

Melbourne Chocolate Heaven: Koko Black

Jaunted's Amanda Kendle just got back from Melbourne. This week: Read all about it.

Melbourne might have great cakes, but it's got even better chocolate. With half a dozen excellent chocolatiers across the city center, it's hard to choose but once you've tried the chocolate mousse at Koko Black you'll be completely converted.

Koko has several locations across Melbourne and a store in Canberra now, too, but the sweetest shop is in the Royal Arcade off Bourke Street.

Head upstairs and order a sit-down chocolate meal with a smooth and steamy hot chocolate, or just buy up a selection of incredible truffles and other assorted chocolates at the front counter on the ground floor. Or do both.

Related Stories:
· Koko Black [Official Site]
· When in Melbourne: Must Have Cakes at Brunetti [Jaunted]
· Polish Cuisine in Melbourne: Borsch, Vodka & Tears [Jaunted]