THE BYRON AT BYRON

WITHIN THREE HOURS OF THE CITY



Be inspired by nature at The Byron at Byron Resort and Spa. Set within a stunning 45 acre rainforest this resort is only a 5 minute drive into Byron Bay town and only moments from beautiful Tallow beach and the Byron Bay championship Golf Club. This is a place to indulge with nurturing spa treatments, daily complimentary yoga classes, endless walks on the timber boardwalks through the rainforest, a 25m infinity pool, gym, tennis court and poolside sauna. The main building is the heart of the resort with verandas that overlook the spectacular rainforest canopy.

The restaurant at The Byron sets high standards in contemporary alfresco dining with a focus on fresh local produce and imaginative dishes. All well appointed one bedroom suites feature a kitchen, separate lounge and dining area, spacious bathroom with freestanding bath tubs as well as 2 fully enclosed verandahs. Relax and enjoy the warm Australian welcome and exceptional service, offering all the special touches you would expect.

Number of Rooms: 92 suites

On-site Facilities: Indulgent Spa and Wellness Centre, restaurant with a focus on fresh local cuisine, 25m infinity pool (heated in winter) and poolside sauna, tennis court, fully equipped gymnasium, bicycle hire, wireless internet , resort lobby shop, endless boardwalks throughout the stunning 45 acre rainforest, complimentary guest activities: daily yoga at 8am, weekly guided rainforest walks, weekly guided trip to the Byron Bay Farmers markets, shuttle bus into Byron Bay township three times daily at 11am, 3pm and 6pm (4.5km distance to town centre).

On-site Dining Options: The Restaurant at Byron Bay.

Website: www.thebyronatbyron.com.au

$1.5M Birdsville Airport upgrade

Birdsville Airport (BVI) showing upgraded strip (Stuart Edwards)

Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk today opened the $1.5 million upgrade of Birdsville Airport, improving passenger safety and comfort.

Ms Palaszczuk said the work included a new airport terminal, resealing the pavement, installing new runway edge lighting and extending the apron area.

She said the upgrades were jointly funded by the Diamantina Shire Council, and the State Government through its Regional Airports Development Scheme (RADS) and the Department of Local Government and Planning.

“The safety upgrades mean the airport can meet increases in traffic using Birdsville as a staging point for people flying over Lake Eyre as well as the Skytrans passenger service,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“To ensure the airport is able to meet the growing needs of the community, we’ve resurfaced the full length of the runway using a bitumen chip seal.

“The apron has been extended to create more aircraft parking space, and the taxiway and the manoeuvring area extended because Birdsville is enjoying a massive spike in aviation-related tourism.”

Member for Mount Isa, Betty Kiernan said Birdsville was becoming more and more of a destination for aviation tourism, and this upgrade would enable growth to continue.

“It’s a great base for operators to come and bring tourists who can experience the Birdsville community and then fly around the Channel Country, including Lake Eyre,” Mrs Kiernan said.

“It is growing as a tourist destination and the aircraft traffic is rapidly increasing.

“The resurfacing of the runway and bigger parking and taxiing area was essential for this growth in demand, and with the support of the Queensland Government the project has been completed.”

Mrs Kiernan said the State Government had a strong record of investing in airport infrastructure for far west Queensland rural and remote airstrips through the Regional Airport Development Scheme.

Diamantina Shire Mayor Robbie Dare said the Diamantina Shire Council saw the airport as critical infrastructure, and support for air services, especially during the wet months, was vital.

“Birdsville has been isolated from road access for more than six months in the past three years due to flooding,” Cr Dare said.

“The airport is also essential to support health in the region, the Royal Flying Doctor Service being our only access to doctors.”

FIJI: DIVE THE GREAT SEA REEF, NUKUBATI PRIVATE ISLAND RESORT

Nukubati is a private island resort, a natural extension of a gracious and simple style of South Pacific living. It is environmentally conscious, powered by solar energy and it’s organic garden combined with freshly caught seafood creates a unique cuisine giving it an eco-chic feel. Catering for a limited number of guests, Nukubati is locally owned, preserving its incomparable Fijian style in an atmosphere of total seclusion.

Scuba is Nukubati's premier activity. Just a half hour boat ride takes you to The Great Sea Reef, the third longest barrier reef in the world stretching over 300km across northern Fiji. The Great Sea Reef has 74% of the known coral species and 80% of the known coral reef fishes recorded in Fiji, including many species found only in Fiji – a unique natural wonder.

Nukubati is the only resort in Fiji with access to this vast underwater treasure. Remote, pristine and untouched, this enormous reef with miles of hard and soft corals is being explored by guests of Nukubati Island. Manta rays, turtles, dolphins and whales parade among uncountable numbers of fish life, with a myriad of Nudibranchs, gastropods and crustaceans displaying around the corals.

Nukubati offers a range of dive types designed to suit your diving abilities and desires. Dives along sweeping walls where you drift through the colourful array of underwater life are balanced by shallow aquarium dives where you explore the wonderful macro-dive world below. All you need is your Open Water certification and the Nukubati dive team will introduce you to the delights that the Great Sea Reef has to offer.

All our resident divemasters are locals, born and bred in the surrounding fishing villages with traditional relationships with the ocean and the reefs. Their knowledge of the Great Sea Reef is instinctive and so is their skill to guide you for whatever your dive needs may be.

THE GREAT SEA REEF, FIJI

Fiji’s marine scientists have, for the first time, surveyed and documented the marine ecosystem of Fiji’s Great Sea Reef (GSR), the 3rd longest continuous barrier reef system in the world, and which is said to stretch a distance of some 150 kilometres along the Northern tip of Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second largest island.
Out of 35 priority conservation areas in Fiji, 5 areas were ranked to be globally important due to their uniqueness, endemism and high level of diversity, 15 areas were considered to be national importance and 15 of sub-regional importance.
Of the 5 areas of global importance, the Great Sea Reef is on the top of the list, being the 3rd longest barrier reef in the world. It has an exceptional level of endemism and intact systems of lagoons, channels, mangroves and seagrass habitats.

The report was administered by the WWF Fiji Country programme.

According to WWF’s Fiji office, a recent survey of the Great Sea Reef showed that it is home to:-

• 55% of all known coral reef fish species in Fiji
• 74% of all known coral species in Fiji
• 44% of the known marine flora in Fiji
• 44% of Fiji’s endemic reef fish species.

Fact File:

Among the rare, endangered and newly recorded species discovered were:-

• Populations of 12 species listed on the 2004 IUCN (World Conservation Union) Red List of threatened Species, including 10 species of fish, the IUCN threatened green turtle and the spinner dolphin;
• Populations of the locally extirpated and nationally endangered species of Bumphead Parrotfish (kalia)
• 3 species of fish considered to endemic to Fiji including one new species (Pommacentrus sp.) and one possible new record (Chromis opecularis) previously known only within the range of the Indian Ocean
• Within the hard corals, 43% new records were documented for Fiji. Of these, 2 were new genera, and 3 are believed to be geographic range extensions
• 16 species were found to be new additions to the flora of the Fiji archipelago. 2 possible new species were also recorded
• Unusual distant offshore mangrove island fringing reef habitats were found to be of surprisingly high diversity and productivity. These highly dynamic, tidally influenced systems are considered to be “keystone habitats” of crucial importance to maintaining the ecological integrity of the entire coastline

Battle of the sexes rages on at 30,000 feet

Expedia.com.au survey reveals how Aussie men and women pass the time in the air

Sydney, 24 May 2011 – With many international flights lasting more than 20 hours, the dilemma for Aussie travellers is how to pass the time in the air. New research* conducted by online travel company Expedia.com.au has found the age-old saying that ‘men are from Mars and women are from Venus’ holds true in mid-air, with each favouring a different way to pass the time.

Thanks to sophisticated in-flight entertainment systems, which now offer hundreds of movies, TV shows and videogames, unsurprisingly, Aussie men can’t wait to test it out, with over two thirds (67%) opting to use technology to make the hours fly by. Conversely, Aussie women are shunning in-flight technology with over half (55%) preferring to immerse themselves in a good book.

In spite of these differences, Aussie men and women are in agreement that being stuck in a confined space for a long time was the number one air travel gripe, with the lack of seat comfort coming in second. Turbulence and passing time in airports were also high on the list of top air travel dislikes.

To make the flight as comfortable as possible, travellers should use travel tools such as Expedia.com.au’s SeatGuru®, which enables travellers to view and select the best seats via colour-coded aircraft seat maps on certain international flights. Travellers are then able to request specific seats as part of their booking on Expedia.com.au, thereby ensuring that travellers fly more comfortably.

Despite Australians being a friendly nation, striking up conversations with other passengers was something to avoid with only around one in 10 Aussies willing to chat with fellow passengers. One in seven men (15%) admitted to flirting with a member of the aircrew during the flight. Love can also often blossom in the sky with 4% of flyers admitting to having a relationship with someone they met during the flight.

Joana Barros, Senior Manager Marketing of Expedia.com.au, said: “At Expedia, we believe choice is a necessity not a luxury. Things like selecting the right seat to ensure a comfortable flight are a priority for us to bring to our customers. To help travellers consider their options they should utilise Expedia’s unique SeatGuru® functionality to review and select the perfect seat when booking flights”, Ms Barros said.

“Expedia customers can also rest easy when passing time in the air in the knowledge they are getting great value for money and paying no flight booking fees”, Ms Barros said.

Laucala Island: Melinda Gregor's Favourite Oasis

My own private beach and pool

- simply the best

Laucala is simply the most amazing place I have ever visited. It has everything that I want - a perfect location, fully inclusive, close to home, exquisite food, friendly staff, amazing accommodation and a setting to die for including your very own private pool and beach.

There's even an 18-hole championship golf course designed by one of the world's leading golf course designers, David McLay Kidd. Play on your own or with golf pro, Tony Christie, who has played in three British Opens.

With only 25 luxury residences and over 350 staff on this 12sq km island nothing is ever too much trouble. Relax after your round of golf with a Thai massage in the world-class spa, go snorkelling or diving, or maybe take a horse ride along the beach at sunset. Talking of sunsets, why not take a boat out for a few cocktails? Everything is included at Laucala.

You are provided with your own golf buggy to discover the island - there's a choice of five restaurants as well as some amazing bars like the Rock Lounge perched on a cliff with amazing sunset views (my favourite place). After a few champagnes, there is always someone on hand to take you home.

The island is self-sufficient. They grow their own vegetables and herbs, they have their own cows and chickens and there's even a natural spring. They also make all their own oils, soaps and creams as well.

Laucala Island is located off the north-east coast of Fiji and is a 45-minute flight from Nadi Airport aboard Air Laucala's eight-seater aircraft. It is so close to home, less than five hours from the east coast of Australia, so if you feel you deserve a short break and truly want to be spoilt, you should try five nights. Or perhaps you have a special birthday or anniversary coming up?

I did not want to leave this amazing oasis. I have been to many unique places in the world, however Laucala is truly perfect.

Please feel free to give me a call or email melindagregor@gregorlewis.com.au if you would like further details or access to the exclusive deals we are able to offer. Bula Vinaka.

Out of This World – the Top Five Remote Island Destinations for the Eco-Traveller

Media Release: 4 April 2011

Cruise Passenger Magazine’s Adventure Cruise Guide Names the Top Five Remote Island Destinations Accessible Only by Expedition Vessel.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="220" caption="2011 Cruise Passenger Magazine Adventure Cruise Guide"][/caption]

Our planet is transforming every day. The climate is changing, forests are vanishing, endangered species disappear daily and the polar ice is melting at an alarming rate.

All this could be a good reason to stay at home and lock the door, but adventure and expedition cruisers are travelling like, well, there is no tomorrow.

Small ships and expedition vessels, often with less than 100 passengers aboard, transport environmentally sensitive and ecologically aware travellers to some of the world’s most remote and fragile destinations on Earth.

“Expedition cruising is quite possibly the purest form of ecotourism,” says Roderick Eime, editor of Adventure Cruise Guide, “Adventure ships take small numbers of thoughtful people to places where there is no infrastructure and leave nothing behind.”

“Some of the world’s most remarkable destinations can only be reached aboard a small ship – and thank goodness for that.”

Here are five such destinations you can’t fly to or ever hope to visit aboard a 3000-passenger behemoth.

1. Macquarie Island, Australia (54° 37′ 0.12″ S, 158° 51′ 0″ E) *

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Young elephant seals sing up a chorus on Macquarie Island (Roderick Eime)"][/caption]

Inhabited by around 20 Australian scientists and support staff, Macquarie has only featured as a ‘tourist’ destination since adventure vessels heading to the Antarctic started looking for somewhere to break the many days at sea. Geologically attached to New Zealand, but administered by Australia, it is halfway to Antarctica from Tasmania. The first residents were seals and penguins who were almost hunted to extinction in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Replaced by cats, rats and rabbits, man’s influence is slowly being reversed. Apart from the wildlife, Macquarie is famous for its rocks. Geologists will know what an ophiolite is and that Macquarie is the only place to see one.

2. Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia (10°29′0″S, 138°39′0″W)

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Island of Fatu Hiva, village of Hanavave, Bay of Virgins. As seen from departing Aranui 3 (Roderick Eime) "][/caption]

The second most remote archipelago in the world (next to Hawai’i) is the Marquesas. Fatu Hiva is well known as centre for Marquesan arts and crafts, centred around the village of Omoa on the western coast and has one of the largest selections anywhere in the archipelago. Visitors can see men and women demonstrating their crafts including word carving, tapa (bark) cloth making and fabrics. Thor (and Mrs) Heyerdahl spent time in 1937 for the famous book, Fatu Hiva, Back to Nature. Part of a visit can include a challenging hike across the mountain to the delightful little village of Hanavave, possibly one of the most isolated anywhere in the Marquesas. The setting in the picturesque Bay of Virgins is a secret only shared by intrepid yachtsmen.

3. Espanola (Hood) Island, Galápagos Islands (1° 22′ 0″ S, 89° 41′ 0″ W) *

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Majestic Waved Albatross (Diomedea irrorata) soars on cliff-side updrafts on the island of Espanola in the Galapagos group. Also called the Galapagos albatross, the waved albatross is the largest bird in the Galapagos."][/caption]

Tiny Espanola was named by the Spanish for, you guessed it, Spain. The British also named it after the famous naval man, Samuel Hood. Tucked away in the far southeast corner of the Galápagos Islands group, its isolation was also its salvation as the more northerly younger islands, were often visited by hungry seamen, pirates and whalers. Home to a wild cornucopia of birds, seals and marine iguanas, it is one of the must-do stops on any Galápagos island itinerary. Birders will go crazy for the bizarre ritual of the Blue Footed Booby as well as the majestic, but critically endangered Waved Albatross. The marine iguana, native to the group, has a brightly coloured sub-species endemic to the island. Gardner Bay is the popular landing site and great for diving, snorkelling and swimming.

4. Deception Island, Antarctica (62° 58′ 37″ S, 60° 39′ 0″ W)

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Deception Island is just off the Antarctic Peninsula and a highlight of any expedition cruise. (Roderick Eime)"][/caption]

This collapsed volcanic caldera off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most talked about islands on any of the southerly itineraries. Dripping in history, wildlife and stunning scenery, the island was home to several countries’ whaling and Antarctic bases until a series of violent eruptions sent them scrambling. After your ship makes the nail-biting entry through Neptune’s Bellows, visitors can stroll around the abandoned base at Whalers Bay or visit the teeming Chinstrap Penguin colony where 200,000 birds all call at once. Sir Hubert Wilkins and pilot, Ben Eielson, set off from the narrow volcanic strip to become the first to fly over Antarctica in December 1928. Their hangar still stands. Any visit to Deception Island must be capped off with a swim in the volcanically heated waters at Pendulum Cove.

5. Beechey Island, Canadian Arctic (74°43′N 091°51′W)

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Beechey Island (Nunavut, Canada) is a highlight of Quark Expeditions' Northwest Passage. (Claudio Suter/Quark Expeditions)"][/caption]

If it weren’t for some odd blips in history, Beechey Island would still be the infinitesimal featureless, uninhabited satellite of its much larger neighbour, Devon Island in Canada’s Wellington Channel. Some time in 1845, the still lost English explorer, Sir John Franklin, stopped to winter in the shelter of Beechey Island. Three of his men remain there, a testament to greater events about to unfold. Now a "site of territorial historical significance", Beechey Island plays host to Arctic expeditioners seeking to recreate Franklin’s historic, if foolhardy, voyage of disappearance. The amazingly preserved body of 21-year-old Petty Officer John Shaw Torrington provided some of the scant clues to the untimely demise of Franklin’s folly. He has since been reburied with his former shipmates.

* UNESCO World Heritage Listed

The fourth edition of Cruise Passenger Magazine’s Adventure Cruise Guide contains all the information you need to travel to any of these impossibly remote locations with a comprehensive listing of all major operators. You can also learn what to pack, who is cruising and what adventurous add-ons are available to extend your adventure.

The 2011 Adventure Cruise Guide is available in selected newsagents, by direct request and online at www.cruisepassenger.com.au (page goes live on Monday April 4)

Roderick Eime is available for interview and comment. Contact


High Res images from this article can be downloaded from here. Mandatory credits apply.

About Cruise Passenger Magazine

First published in 1996, Cruise Passenger is Australasia’s only magazine dedicated to cruising. Each quarterly issue has 128 pages of in-depth insights into cruise trends and destinations, reviews of ships and cruise lines, beautiful photographs and advice on how to choose the best cruise. For more information, see www.cruisepassenger.com.au

About Roderick Eime

A journalist, photographer and adventurer for over 30 years, Rod has developed a specialty for small ship and expedition cruising in remote locations. He has covered vessels all around the world including both polar regions and many rivers. He is also an experienced scuba diver and also enjoys telling the stories and history behind his travels. See his blogs at Expedition Cruising and Guide to Small Ship and Adventure Cruising.

Cruise Port Overview: Vancouver

Clean and Green, Must be Seen

by Roderick Eime in Vancouver

September in British Columbia is just divine. While the locals keep asking “How a-boot this weather, eh?” I get the feeling glorious warm, sunny days are pretty normal around this time of year. From my window of the Fairmont Waterfront (www.fairmont.com) Hotel, I can see all across the bay to Stanley Park and beyond to the mountains where the last traces of the bumper snow season are stubbornly disappearing. A regular stream of floatplanes taxi out onto the bay taking off for parts unknown while strollers, joggers, cyclists and skaters traverse the waterfront precinct cafe-hopping and just relaxing in the afternoon glow.

It's too much to resist, and I pop down for a look myself, mingling with the dawdling traffic. Disney Wonder is pulling out of her home berth with a trademark blast of her horn playing, you guessed it, “When you wish upon a star” and it seems the perfect maritime destination. With many international air links, a slightly more relaxed customs and immigration procedure and a pally 'Commonwealth' kinship, Canada is a natural destination for vacationing Australians and the telltale Aussie twang soon becomes a familiar sound in the coffee shops, museums and hotel lobbies.

Vancouver spent the last few years at the top of the 'world's most liveable cities' list (just recently pipped by Melbourne) and it's easy to see why. There's a relaxed lifestyle with a pronounced ecologically responsible and sustainable living focus. It feels safe and the folks are welcoming and helpful with clear signage and many familiar brands and logos. For entertaining shopping, there's groovy Granville Island with artisan stores and wholesome produce led by the Edible Canada brand. Harbour cruises on the dinky Aqua-Bus service makes sightseeing and transport a fun doddle.

While there is some stiff competition with neighbouring Seattle, the financially-strapped US city is luring some vessels away with discount port fees. Disney Wonder will move there in 2012, but the Sapphire Princess will quickly fill the void, maintaining annual cruise visitors at a healthy 650-660,000. True, both green-leaning ports offer excellent visitor amenities for cruise visitors, but the Canadians will argue their city offers greater potential for pre- and post-cruise extensions and from what I've seen in my short stay, it is a persuasive argument. Imagine throwing snowballs and swimming in a cool mountain lake on the same day, I did.

I'm writing this week's piece from the observation car of the magnificent Rocky Mountaineer, a railway tour that also hubs out of Vancouver. Given the demographic overlap, it is easy to see many of my fellow passengers enjoying an Alaskan cruise as part of their Pacific Northwest summer holiday and I'm told with some authority that 40 per cent of RM guests also cruise. Seizing on this synergy, RM is partnering with HAL to launch a series of special 'First Passage' fortnight-ish itineraries in 2013 with satisfying dollops of both cruise and rail experience. Railstops at scenic towns such as Jasper, Banff and Whistler [www.tourismwhistler.com], with their own enormous range of summer activities, will make this, I predict, a hot-seller.

Make a beeline for your ICCA cruise specialist [www.cruising.org.au] and pester them about Vancouver cruises. For details on the 'First Passage' cruise/rail package, see www.rockymountaineer.com

Roderick Eime is visiting Vancouver [www.tourismvancouver.com] as a guest of Rocky Mountaineer [www.rockymountaineer.com] and Tourism BC [www.hellobc.com]