Deals of the week, September 19: Taronga zoo; hotel specials; Kakadu
Two luxury hotel packages in Brisbane and a Taronga Zoo experience are among temptations for travellers.
River to reef
W Brisbane hotel and Lady Elliot Island have joined forces to create an All Reefed Up package that includes two nights’ accommodation at the five-star riverside hotel and a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef. An early 1½-hour scenic flight transports guests to the island for a glass-bottom boat tour and snorkelling excursion, followed by lunch and more water time before flying back to Brisbane. End the day sipping cocktails and nibbling canapes at the hotel’s Living Room Bar or dine at Three Blue Ducks. From $2418, twin-share.
Why wait?
Also in Brisbane, the Calile hotel in Fortitude Valley is tempting Queenslanders with a midweek package that includes onsite parking and late checkout. Guests who subscribe to the Friends of Calile program on check-in can take advantage of 10 per cent discounts at a range of cool boutiques and eateries nearby on James Street. From $289 a night, Sunday to Thursday.
Call of the wild
Sydney’s Taronga Zoo has released a family deal at its luxurious new Wildlife Retreat in time for the school holidays. Featured in the Family Escape package are overnight accommodation in interconnecting rooms, a la carte breakfast, two-day zoo passes, parking, an afternoon visit to Australian habitat The Sanctuary plus a guided nocturnal tour. From $690 a night for two adults and two children.
Join the flock
Located adjacent to Kakadu’s prime birdwatching spot, Yellow Water Billabong, Cooinda Lodge has rooms from $239 a night during Kakadu Bird Week, which starts on September 26. Also available are stays at Mercure Crocodile Hotel, Jabiru, known as “The Croc”, for $219.
Full steam ahead
Looking forward to Christmas next year, the American Queen Steamboat Company has savings of up to $US1800 ($2457) a couple on a quartet of festive-themed December cruises on the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers. The seven-night sailings, with one night’s pre-cruise accommodation, depart from Nashville or Memphis and have a country or creole flavour. From $US2035 a person, twin-share; book by September 30.
Fly north
Kirkhope Aviation has added a new air safari to its agenda next year, taking guests on a 13-day adventure to Cape York and the Outback. Departing Brisbane or the Gold Coast on June 14, the trip in a Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprop ventures to Birdsville, the Torres Strait, Lizard Island, Cooktown, Longreach and Carnarvon Gorge. A highlight is a helicopter flight from Thursday Island to the northernmost point of mainland Australia on the tip of Cape York Peninsula; $15,180 a person, twin-share, with an $800 saving on bookings by October 31.
Send Great Escapes to travel@theaustralian.com.au.
OUT + ABOUT
Coral Expeditions has confirmed it will resume cruising next month, launching a series of seven-night sailings to the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns. Cooktown, Fitzroy and Lizard islands, and the Osprey, Escape and Ribbon reefs are all on the Coral Discoverer itineraries, which run until mid-December.
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises have announced a further suspension of operations in Australia and New Zealand until December 31. The cruise lines, which have undertaken to contact all guests affected, said the move would allow holiday-makers to make alternative arrangements for the festive season.
TFE Hotels will introduce its Vibe brand to Western Australia with the opening of a 168-guestroom property in Subiaco, Perth, on October 1. The 12-storey hotel will have a rooftop pool and al fresco dining with city views; rooms from $209 a night. Other Vibe hotels are set to open in Hobart in November and Adelaide in mid-2022.
Parrtjima, the Indigenous light festival held annually in Alice Springs, has released a virtual tour of this year’s event for visitors unable to attend because of COVID restrictions. Large-scale sculptural installations and the spectacularly illuminated MacDonnell Ranges are prominent features in the footage. The festival ends on Sunday.
Tourism Whitsundays has teamed up with Diabetes Queensland for a competition that aims to increase awareness of the condition. Two holiday prizes, of seven nights and four nights respectively at island resorts, are up for grabs for people who join or refer a friend to the organisation before November 30.