Escape's holiday dream team

THE last team I captained was the Albion Park under-16 cricket side in the NSW South Coast competition.

Kangaroo Island marine sanctuary

THE last team I captained was the Albion Park under-16 cricket side in the NSW South Coast competition.

It was the mid-70s. Abba, the Angels and AC/DC topped the charts and Mum's idea of a fancy meal was the Sunday roast with peach pie for dessert.

I'm pleased to say that my cricket team were undefeated premiers that year and I still have the baggy green cap to prove it.

So with that pedigree I have nominated myself as captain of Escape's holiday Dream Team.

Tourism Australia asked me to put the team together to show how easy it is to find five people with whom to go on holidays in this great country of ours.

So I've decided we are going to Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

Pictures: See our favourite Kangaroo Island spots

TA research shows the top three things Australians look for in a holiday are natural attractions, being close to the beach and road trips.

Kangaroo Island ticks the box on all three counts.

The other thing that makes KI such an attractive destination is, of course, Southern Ocean Lodge, one of the Luxury Lodges of Australia.

I stayed there a few years back and it is surrounded by great beaches and amazing nature-based activities.

And there's plenty of nearby dirt roads to cross while we explore the island. I'm positive there will be no complaints from the team.

Tourism Australia's research also found that, when planning a holiday, we all fall into certain categories.

Every group holiday needs an entertainer, an organiser and a foodie.

My job as captain was to put the team together. If they all do their jobs to the best of their ability, I'm sure we will have a great holiday. So, after a lot of thought here's my Dream Team.

Let's start with the organiser. I'm going with Anthony Keane, editor of our national Your Money section.

According to the research, this is one of the key roles in planning holidays. Why Anthony? Simple, really, his daytime job means that he is good with money, thinks analytically and, most importantly, always has a smile on his face. His job will be to make sure we get the best possible value for money when we book our flights, accommodation and hire car. He can also keep us on track with the budget when my foodie and entertainer try, as I know they will, to blow the budget.

Next on my Dream Team is Jana Frawley. She's our food guru. Her credentials for the job are impeccable. As editor of Taste, Jana's working life, at least, is all about food. But the real reason she is on the team is that each Tuesday she bakes for the office. I've tasted her delicate cakes and I'm happy to put her in charge of helping us discover some of the island's great food secrets, from locally made cheeses to the best fish and chips money can buy.

Music is an essential part of my life, so it was important I found someone like Hit editor Neala Johnson to fill the role of DJ for this trip. I've asked her to come up with a playlist that will calm the nerves, when necessary, but also some tunes that will get the party started.

She has a music library that is the envy of almost everyone, so I'm sure we are in for a treat. She's a bit younger than me so I look forward to being introduced to some of that "modern" music.

So there is a permanent record of everything we get up to, I'm including national photographic editor Steve Moorhouse on the team. He's our happy snapper. He will be in charge of the still photographs and the video, although I may have to censor those.

Sheep on Kangaroo Island

There's room for one more person and every group holiday needs an entertainer. Tourism Australia's research showed 38 per cent of those surveyed identified this as the most important role in the group.

I'm going to go outside my News Limited family here and select comedian and Network 10 celebrity Dave Hughes as our entertainer. Hughsie, to me at least, seems like a bloke who would be the life of any party.

So now, Dream Team, all we have to do is win the competition so we can turn this dream into reality.

Enter the competition here

Pictures: See our favourite Kangaroo Island spots

Kangaroo Island marine sanctuary