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Archive for January, 2009

Serious Warning — Heatwaves in Victoria and South Australia

Posted on 31 January 2009 | Related Categories: Cities, News, Weather

The latest news story on BBC tells about the extreme heatwave in Victoria (Melbourne) and South Australia (Adelaide).

Already there have been deaths relating to the heatwave, and there has been disruption to transport services with train lines buckling and traffic lights not working. There are also some bush fires in rural areas.

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Sydney Harbour island holiday — visit Cockatoo Island for great views

Posted on 25 January 2009 | Related Categories: Children, Cities, Places to stay, Things to do

Something new for my wish list on my next visit to Sydney — a trip to Cockatoo Island.

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Schools out! (and when they’re not!). A very useful guide to when Australian kids are on their school holidays

Posted on 23 January 2009 | Related Categories: Children, News, Travel

Image of Lucy and Alex by a playground in Robe, South Australia
Australian kids really do get fantastic views from their playgrounds. This one is in Robe, South Australia (that’s me and Alex sitting on the grass).

Being that they live in such a GREAT country, then it’s hardly surprising that a lot of Australians choose to take their holidays ‘at home’. Now this is great for the Aussies, as they are already in my favourite country for a vacation :) but for the rest of us visiting from overseas, we might like to explore when it’s a bit quieter.

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The Best Job in the World… and I want it! 6 months living and blogging in the Great Barrier Reef

Posted on 12 January 2009 | Related Categories: News, Places to stay

Image of Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia
I want to work here please! This is Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays, ‘next door’ to Hamilton Island where The Best Job in the World has its ‘office’.

OK — so I am thinking this job has my name on it?!

It’s billed as ‘The best job in the world’, and I think for once the advertising might be spot on…

Now, of course I don’t really want to tell you about this in case you apply too (seriously, I am going to apply), but you might have spotted it on the news and in the paper already, so am thinking it’s not a secret! Here’s an article in the Guardian today about this best job in the world. And here’s the official web site about it, the aptly named www.islandreefjob.com

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Flight sale update — £585 return to Perth and £595 to Sydney

Posted on 10 January 2009 | Related Categories: Flights, News

If you fancy the Cathay Pacific offer I featured yesterday, then if you book with Travelbag you can pay even less!!

Travelbag are advertising Perth at £585 return and Sydney at £595 for a return flight. OK, so it’s only £14 less to Perth and £4 less to Sydney than the deal with Trailfinders, but that’s a beer or two :)

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5 day sale — £599 return flights to Sydney and Perth with Cathay Pacific

Posted on 9 January 2009 | Related Categories: Cities, Flights, News, Places to stay

I got an email from Trailfinders this morning alerting me to this great £599 deal on cheap return flights to Australia.

The dates for travel are 20th April to 11th June, which is already a cheap time to fly (see recent ‘January Sales‘ post about other flights in the £600s for that time of year), but for Sydney especially this is almost a £100 saving on other airlines for this time of year.

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Melbourne gets an ‘eye’ — Southern Star opens for bird’s eye views of the city

Posted on 8 January 2009 | Related Categories: Cities, News, Things to do

Not for the vertigo sufferers among you, but if you’re visiting Melbourne and would like a bird’s eye view of things, then the new Southern Star is for you.

Image of the Southern Star in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The Southern Star puts you high over the Melbourne skyline — image by Jeffery Yates from the Southern Star website

Modelled on the London Eye, the Southern Star is a gigantic ‘Ferris wheel’ with observation ‘pods’ on it to give you a show of the city skyline.

Tickets are priced at AUD$29 for adults and AUD$17 for children. There is no online booking at the moment, so if you’re in Melbourne and in a hurry you can pay AUD$58 for ‘Premium Access’ (AUD$£34 children), which allows you to get right on at the front of the queue.

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January Sales — cheap flights to Australia alert!

Posted on 2 January 2009 | Related Categories: Flights, News

As with the high street, there are some bargains out there now it’s January.

Best cheap flight to Australia I’ve seen so far in 2009 is a fare with Asiana Airlines advertised on STA Travel (yes, I know I am not under 26, or a student!), but this fare is ‘open to all’, according to STA — which I assume means old people with jobs too :)

£619 for a return to Sydney. THIS MONTH!

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