Hayman Island, Greece and more…

By John Rozentals.

Accor’s new Art Series hotel in Perth has been named after one of Australian street art’s most influential big-wall painters — Matt Adnate.

Matt is an artist who creates his portraits with spray paint. His monumental works portraying Indigenous people have captivated viewers around the world … and now, with the arrival of The Adnate, Perth will be home to one of the world’s tallest murals, and the first Art Series hotel dedicated to street art.

The 27-storey ‘Mega Mural’ on the west-facing side of the hotel is the largest artwork Matt has painted on a building and, once completed, will feature faces which represent the cultural history and community of Perth.

The Adnate will also be home to a chic new international food and beverage destination, serving Mediterranean cuisine and some of the city’s best cocktails. The venue will be centred on the hotel’s pool area on level one, positioned directly above Hay Street.

Visit www.artserieshotels.com.au.

The ‘Grazing Down the Lachlan’ culinary event will take place near the NSW Central West town of Forbes on Saturday, September 21.

Guests will be free to wander along a designated corridor of a picturesque nine-mile reserve along the Lachlan River, between seven stations offering delicious food with a matched beverage.

Located in the heart of the Lachlan Valley, Forbes is a rich primary producing area, perfect for grazing on local lamb, freshly caught fish, fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s also a gazer’s delight with incredible indigenous night sky.

The event features a fusion of locally farmed and foraged produce, with traditional bush tucker, a traditional welcome-to-country and live entertainment.

Forbes is located a five-hour drive from Sydney or there are flights from Sydney to nearby Parkes with REX airlines.

Visit www.grazingdownthelachlan.com.

The recent reopening of a totally refurbished Hayman Island, on the northern tip of Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands, represents one of four new worldwide ventures this year by the InterContinental group, the others being at Thailand’s Phuket, in the Maldives and at the southern Japanese hot-springs centre of Beppu.

The 166-room resort offers three distinct wings of guest rooms, suites and villas hugging the coastline of the island: the Pool Wing, the Beach Wing and the Lagoon Wing, each boasting views of the Coral Sea.

The resort has introduced five restaurants and bars, including Pacific, where guests will begin their days exploring the breakfast stations, and Bar Fifty, in the heart of the resort and transporting guests back to an era of globetrotters in the 1950s.

From diving excursions to guided tropical hikes across the island, guests are encouraged to explore at their own pace.

Room rates start at $750 per night.

Visit www.haymanisland.intercontinental.com.

Take a spin around the island that helped coin the much loved ‘Get Wrecked on Great Keppel’ advertising campaign of the 1980s.

The exhilarating boat tour, done in a fast-speed 12-seat RIB, is reputedly the only way to island hop all North and South Keppel Islands and circumnavigate Great Keppel Island.

Explore secret beaches, take in stunning backdrops and spot secret caves. Just remember to BYO lunch.

The Keppel Explorer departs daily from Keppel Bay Marina, near Yeppoon at 9.30am and returns at 2pm. Prices start from $99 per adult.

Visit www.keppelexplorer.com.au.

This is as fresh as it gets. Tasmanian Wild Seafood Adventures invites guests to take morning or afternoon cruises through some of the state’s waterways while enjoying the fresh seafood that’s been caught right there.

The tours depart from the Hobart waterfront and offer five hours of cruising and feasting.

Participants will see divers harvest periwinkles and sea urchins from the sea floor through two on-board plasma TVs linked to underwater cameras, and visit a Tasmanian oyster farm to taste them as fresh as they get and enjoy a degustation menu including rock lobster, abalone, and salmon.

This is followed by a platter of Tasmanian cheese and fudge.

The 12-guest catamaran has warm indoor seating and covered outdoor seating.

Watch out, though, for towering sea cliffs, colonies of seals, flocks of seabirds, penguins and dolphins.

Visit www.tasmanianwildseafoodadventures.com.au.

MSC Cruises’ coming winter Caribbean season — from this November till next April — will feature Armonia’s maiden call at the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve just one week after it opens its doors.

Ocean Cay will be a private island destination surrounded by protected waters rich in marine and coral life.

Snorkelling tours, scuba diving, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking are among the outdoors activities that MSC Armonia’s more adventurous guests will be able to enjoy at Ocean Cay.

Those seeking a more relaxing experience will have eight white sandy beaches to choose from.

Armonia will stay at berth from 9am to 11pm, allowing guests to make the most of their time on the island and enjoy stunning sunsets by the iconic lighthouse.

Visit www.msccruises.com.au.

The American state of Colorado is home to an abundance of colour provided by Mother Nature — from fiery sunsets and red rock canyons to mountains dotted with wildflowers throughout summer, developing into red, gold, orange and yellow hues as the autumn colours decorate the state from late August to October.

Vibrant days are met with equally stunning night skies, as parks and wilderness areas with low light pollution are perfect for stargazing in the warmer temperatures of summer and autumn.

UTracks has a new self-guided walk around the Greek Cyclades archipelago island of Andros, with its unspoilt beaches, natural springs and archaeological marvels.

Passionate local volunteers have undertaken the enormous 10-year task of restoring the ancient 170-kilometre network of paths, and each hiker is given small pruners and gloves for the duration so they can help with vegetation maintenance of the trail as they go along.

The eight-day trek allows walkers to choose their own pace each day, through traditionally cultivated land, lush valleys and charming historic villages.

The undulating landscape is dotted with monasteries, waterfalls and ancient stone footpaths, bridges and buildings.

Prices are from $990 per person twin-share.

Phonee 1300 303 368 visit www.UTracks.com.

Macao is preparing to celebrate its twentieth anniversary as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China with a bang.

For the first time in the three-decade history of the annual Macao International Fireworks Display Contest, the competition will involve 12 nations, two more than in previous challenges.

The contest, to be held over six nights from September 7 till October 5, will be the most comprehensive and spectacular series of fireworks displays staged in the former Portuguese enclave.

On top of this extravaganza, a special twentieth-anniversary fireworks night has been scheduled for December 20, the date of the handover in 1999, followed by the traditional New Year fireworks on December 31.

Visit www.visitmacao.com.au.

Ecruising’s ‘Navigate the World: Elements of the Pacific’ 2022 adventure combines a two-night stay in San Francisco with a 120-night voyage traversing the Pacific Rim on board the all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner, which features a staff-to-guest ratio of 1:1.6.

The voyage takes in 17 countries ranging from the lush landscapes of the South Pacific and the unique wildlife and hospitality of New Zealand, to the imperial splendour of Japan and the spectacular Arctic scenery of Alaska.

Prices are from $83,099 per person twin-share, including fine wines and premium spirits, free open bars and lounges, free in-suite mini-bar replenished daily, all pre-paid gratuities, free specialty restaurants, and unlimited wi-fi and laundry including dry cleaning and pressing.

Book before August 31 and receive free return economy-class flights from Australia.

Phone 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel.