By John Rozentals.
The iconic Indian Pacific.
An east-to-west journey across Australia in Platinum Class aboard the Indian Pacific train and a Christmas voyage back for Sydney’s famous New Year’s Eve festivities form part of a 19-day transcontinental rail-and-sail package organised by Cruise Express for next festive season.
Passengers will board one of the world’s most famous trains, the Indian Pacific, in Sydney on December 16 for a three-night journey to Perth.
Guests will travel in Platinum Class in double or twin-bed cabins twice the size of Gold Class cabins, with full ensuite, picture windows to capture the changing scenery, all-inclusive bar and dining in the special Platinum Club dining and lounge car and complimentary, private, home-to-station transfers in Sydney under 60 kilometres.
A stay at Perth’s Como will be followed by a 14-night Christmas and New Year cruise from Perth to Melbourne aboard the 700-guest Azamara Pursuit, on which passengers enjoy a complimentary range of spirits, wines, beers, soft drinks, water and specialty coffees.
Christmas Day will be spent at sea.
There will be visits to the Margaret River region, Albany, the beaches of Esperance, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Sydney where the ship will be docked in White Bay for two nights on December 31 and January 1 to allow guests to enjoy the city’s world-famous New Year’s festivities.
The package is priced from $10,590 per person twin-share.
Phone 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au.
The City of Hobart Big Sing Bonfire in Salamanca Place. Image: Lusy Productions.
Tasmania’s Festival of Voices projects warmth in winter from July 1-12, with concerts, massed choirs, cabarets, and contemporary performances, as well as family and pop-up events.
More than 30,000 people gather for the two-week event in Hobart and regional Tasmania, celebrating the power of song and the joy of human connection through music.
Musical genres explored in the past include cabaret, soul, jazz, pop, choral, and rock, with a wide range of musical experiences, from the dramatic and grand to the intimate and moving, in venues ranging from recital halls to bars.
The 2020 festival will focus on the wellness aspect of shared singing experiences, exploring the rush of high emotion and endorphins released when strangers stand side by side and sing as one.
Visit www.festivalofvoices.com.
Tasmania’s gorgeous Tamar Valley.
Northern Tasmania has a new wine festival from May 29-31, Vintage: Tamar 2020.
Twenty-three cellar doors will welcome visitors with special events and extras — vintage back-tastings and wine flights, barrel-room tastings and talks, vineyard walks with winemakers and pruning demonstrations with viticulturists, plus food vans and barbecue pits, music, art and performers — and once-in-a-lifetime masterclasses and dinners with the winemakers of the Tamar.
The festival is a ticketed event, with visitors buying a ticket for The Journey, and adding the options of their choosing.
Visitors can drive themselves around, or use hop-on-hop-off shuttle buses to get from one cellar door to the next.
Visit vintagetamar.com.au.
Manjimup is famous for its black truffles.
The annual ‘Truffle Kerfuffle’ is a weekend-long celebration of Manjimup’s famous black truffles and the region’s local produce.
It is held at the beginning of truffle season in WA’s South-West, from June 21-23, and festival goers are encouraged to enjoy interactive and hands-on experiences.
Join truffle hunters and their truffle dogs to search for prized truffles, visit the festival village to meet the producers and get a taste of the region, or get a truffle fix at a range of exclusive dining events.
The region is one of the largest producers of black truffles in the Southern Hemisphere.
Visit www.trufflekerfuffle.com.au.
Hokkaido: wildlife aplenty.
Japan’s sparsely populated northern island of Hokkaido offers more than 80,000 square kilometres of scenic wonders and is a great location for spotting birds, deer, red fox and other wildlife in June.
In 2020 Toursgallery is offering a fully escorted small group tour in the Japanese summer, and will take people off the beaten track to some truly picturesque natural areas.
The ‘Hokkaido Nature Tour’ includes a boat trip to Teuri Island, rarely visited by foreign tourists but a breeding ground for thousands of seabirds.
Hokkaido squirrels in the trees and families of sika deer roaming the forest tracks all help to make Hokkaido a paradise for people who appreciate nature.
Guests will also meet local Japanese bird-watching experts and photographers to gain access to locations not frequented by independent travellers.
A comfortable 23-seat private executive coach is provided by Toursgallery, even though the group is limited to only 10 guests.
Accommodation is in the best available hotel rooms in each area. All breakfasts and banquet dinners are included as well as all entry fees.
Visit www.toursgallery.com.
On the itinerary: Niagara Falls.
Arguably the world’s most famous waterfall, Niagara Falls, the motor city of Detroit, bustling Chicago and the vast Great Lakes all feature in a new, 10-night cruise package offered by boutique American cruise company, Victory Cruise Lines, and Australian small ship specialists, Cruise Traveller.
Travellers can save up to US$800 per couple if they book the package by March 31.
North America’s Great Lakes hold 20 per cent of the Earth’s freshwater and are known for their ocean-like features such as rolling waves, distant horizons and strong currents.
Covering an area of 244,000 square kilometres — roughly the size of the UK — they also boast fishing ports, surfing beaches, indigenous communities, car-free islands, the largest freshwater sand dunes in the world and a ghost town.
Australians can sail on each of the five major lakes on Victory Cruises’ ‘Splendour of the Great Lakes’ cruise from Toronto to Chicago in July, with the route tracing the US-Canadian border for much of the journey.
Including all on-board meals, free-flowing drinks, shore excursions with local guides at every port, shipboard wi-fi, on-board gratuities and port taxes, the cruise package is available from US$5907 per person twin-share.
Phone 1800 507 777 or visit www.cruisetraveller.com.au.
On the Canal du Midi: the Anjodi.
European Waterways will this year explore some of the top UNESCO World Heritage sites in Europe aboard its fleet of luxury hotel barges.
Highlights on the World Heritage List include famous attractions such as France’s sweeping Canal du Midi — a masterpiece of hydraulic and structural engineering and one of the greatest constructions of the 17th century.
Four of European Waterways’ barges cruise various lengths of the Canal du Midi, which stretches 224 miles through picturesque countryside and sleepy villages to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.
The eight-passenger Anjodi, a classic Dutch barge which made its first appearance on the canal over 35 years ago, will, for instance, offer a blend of luxury, spacious accommodation and style in the Midi countryside.
Phone 1800 828 050 or visit europeanwaterways.com.
Renaissance Nanning Hotel: in the heart of the Chinese city.
Renaissance Hotels has opened the Renaissance Nanning Hotel,the brand’s first hotel in Guangxi, in what is officially known as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a tranquil mountainous area in the far south of China and sharing a border with neighbouring Vietnam.
The hotel is imbued with a sense of theatricality, with spaces designed to tell a story.
The design is inspired by the diverse landscape of Nanning and the colourful culture of the ancient Zhuang, the indigenous people of Guangxi region.
Traditional Zhuang weaving becomes a theme that unifies the design narrative throughout the hotel. In the guestrooms, work area lamps are inspired by the traditional fish cages of the region. Above the bed, a pattern of interwoven leather echoes the rich patterns of Zhuang brocade.
Visit www.renaissance-hotels.marriott.com.
New Zealand’s Garden of Creative Diversity.
Grand Pacific’s 11-Day ‘North Island Garden Tour’ provides a mix of gardens and iconic New Zealand culture, sights and stunning scenery.
“Nowhere in the world will you find such a diverse range of plant varieties, both native and exotic, so easily accessible to the visitor,” said Peter Harding, Managing Director, Grand Pacific Tours.
A highlight will be the private gardens of the Taranaki Garden Festival. Established in 1987, it continues to delight with an intriguing mixture of unique and stunning gardens, each with their own story to tell.
The all-inclusive package includes airfares, taxes, return airport transfers in New Zealand, modern coach travel, four-star accommodation, 21 meals including breakfast daily, sightseeing and prepaid attractions.
Visit www.gptnz.com.
The Great Wall China: off limits for the time being.
World Expeditions has cancelled all scheduled trips to China, for departures up until 30 April, in response to the evolving situation with the coronavirus.
World Expeditions is contacting travellers or their travel agents to advise of the decision and to offer advice on alternative travel destinations as part of this process.
Should suitable alternatives not be found, World Expeditions is offering full refunds for the land services associated with travel to mainland China for departures between January 30 and April 30.
All destinations outside of China remain operational.
Visit www.worldexpeditions.com.
