Popping The Australian Bubble – Our Top Travel Picks
Kept awake all night by the blood curdling wails of the tourism sector, Saint Jacinda and Sco-mo have finally decided to extend the bubble to more than just deportations Australia doesn’t want to deal with. M2’s travel articles dried up quicker than the movie section during our many lockdowns, but it looks like we might finally be able to look further abroad than our fair coastlines would allow. With the Australian bubble now officially popped, here’s our top spots to check out in Australia while you stretch your legs outside New Zealand.
Best Resort – Emirates One&Only
Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley might be a mouthful to say, but for the planet it’s worth it. Being the first carbon neutral resort in the world, it’s snuggled into the Blue Mountains region in a 7,000 acre reserve. On site are three restaurants and a wine cellar. Each villa has its own swimming pool, veranda and fire pit. If you aren’t in the steam room or sauna, you can explore the valley which includes Wollemi Pines which belong to a 200‑million‑year‑old plant family.
Best Beach – Whitehaven Beach
Smack dab in the middle of the Great Barrier reef is perhaps the most Instagramable beach of all time. Whitehaven Beach is 7km of bright, white sand and blue, blue ocean. It makes my heart ache just thinking about how good it is there right now instead of sitting at my desk digesting the two pies I had for lunch (which probably has more to do with the heart ache now that I think about it). It’s considered the world’s top eco-friendly beach and Queensland’s cleanest beach, so you better be a tidy Kiwi when you get there. You can either reach it by seaplane, helicopter, or a 30 minute trip via catamaran from nearby Hamilton Island. You can book daytrips out, chase the rays while snorkeling or just soak up the sun on the beach instead.
Best Natural Wonder – Lake Hillier
If you thought we were going to pick Ayer’s Rock, you’re gravely mistaken. It’s gonna take more than a 550 million year old pile of sandstone to impress us. Our choice is Lake Hillier located in the untouched Recherche Archipelago on Middle Island. It’s an incredible bright pink lake only 600m wide. It’s separated by the vivid blue ocean by just a small spit of sand. The going theory is that its bubblegum hue is derived from high water salinity, although no one knows for sure.
Best seen from above. If you find yourself in Western Australia, definitely add it to the bucket list.
Best Restaurant – Quay
Sydney is definitely the hub for food in Australia if you’re looking for award-winning cuisine. It’s packed waterfront is stacked with tempting choices, you could spend weeks there and never eat at the same place twice, and probably always have a view of either the Harbour Bridge or the Opera House while you do it. One place that fits that bill perfectly is M2’s pick, the multi-award winning Quay. Head Chef Peter Gilmore is one of the few award-winning chefs that didn’t need to go under the wing of any Michelin-starred restaurants to earn his own stripes and iconic dishes. Playing with organic textures and vibrant palettes, the food’s presentation is as pretty as the view outside, and it tastes pretty good as well!
Best Glamping – BubbleTent Australia
Have you ever wanted to go glamping in a physical embodiment of the international relationship between New Zealand and Australia? Well, as bizarre as it sounds, you literally can. Bubbletent Australia offers a luxury camping experience like no other in Capertee Valley, known for being the second largest canyon in the world. Who knew the second grandest canyon was so close to home!
Its “tents” are dotted across three separate locations on a secluded part of a 1,000+ acre working farm and nestled between Lithgow and Mudgee, some 200km North West of Sydney.
Each abode offers such luxuries like outdoor woodfire baths, telescopes for star gazing, love swings, and even AC in one of them! It’s also located in one of 40 Important Bird Area sanctuaries dotted around the country, so an ideal location for avid bird watchers and nature lovers alike.
If you aren’t one to just laze all day, the property itself is one gigantic hike just waiting to happen. Exploring is a must, but for a change of pace, you can find plenty of wineries within an hour’s drive, water activities and fishing at Lake Lyell as well as helicopter tours of the valley itself. Personally, I’d load up on supplies and take a good book with me, but that’s just me.
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