Australia's top city lookouts

1. EUREKA TOWER, MELBOURNE - The latest addition to the world of observation decks, SkyDeck 88 at Eureka Tower is almost 300m above the street, making it the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere. The 360-degree views are extraordinary - from the tower you can look down on the MCG turf, out across the bay or watch aircraft land at Melbourne Airport. For an extreme thrill, ride The Edge, a glass cube that projects 3m out from the building, or take in the breezes from the open terrace. Also on the 88th floor is a shop and cafe. On the ground floor is the hi-tech Serendipity Table, which explores the history of Melbourne.

Australia Votes Emirates 'Best International Airline'

The award, presented at the highly-respected Australian National Travel Industry Awards for Excellence, honours the best international airline serving Australia directly. The awards are hosted by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents Limited (AFTA), the representative body for Australia’s travel agents. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide said: 'Australia plays a pivotal role on Emirates’ route network, as we strive to connect our passengers across the globe. Winning this award for the second consecutive year highlights Emirates’ leadership in providing passengers with the best travel experience.

Australia: Qantas Aussie AirPass sale

Remember, SoCal’s winter is Australia’s summer. That means flights are going to increase over the course of the year. The Qantas Aussie AirPass is on sale right now; prices can vary considerably depending on when you’re traveling. Whether you want to visit Sydney, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, surf the Gold Coast, head Outback from Darwin, see a horserace in Melbourne, travel as far as Perth or all of the above—you can on the Aussie AirPass.

Australia warns tourists in Fiji as strikes loom

Australians going to Fiji are being warned today to exercise caution as the Pacific nation faces the prospect of strikes, the first since a military coup last December.

Australia's Islands Make Top Spot

The Great Barrier Reef Islands had fallen out of the top 10 in last year's poll, but have just now made it back into the prestigious top 10, placed 10th best in the world. This also meant that they were awarded the number one spot for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific islands, beating off strong competition from Queensland's Fraser Island in second place, Fiji's islands, Bora-Bora and Tasmania.

Australia on the cheap

The Sunday Times opens its travel clinic on a daily basis to answer your holiday queries. Today: hostels in Australia: Or right next to Central station in a converted parcel shed, there's the Railway Square YHA (8-10 Lee Street, 00 61 2 9281 9666). Some of the dorms are in cleverly repro carriages, and there's a roof pool, great common areas, café and bar. Eight person dorms are £8.50 (singles/doubles £40).

Australia without limits

Great Southern Railway has today launched a new travel initiative - the Oz Tracks Pass - that allows under-35 year olds six months of almost unlimited travel on The Ghan, Indian Pacific and The Overland for only $690. The Oz Tracks Pass makes it easy to explore Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Melbourne and their surroundings, as well as key points en route. Great Southern Railway, Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tony Braxton-Smith said, “The new Oz Tracks Pass will provide an affordable and relaxing way for young adventurers to explore their own backyard. With up to 14 city to city train trips available over 6 months, Oz Tracks offers fantastic value, at less than $50 per destination.”

Travel Associates Australia

Travel Associates Australia Pty Ltd (TAA) was established to provide travel consultants (we prefer the term “Associates”) who want to work smarter with the opportunity to achieve their personal income goals. The BIG DIFFERENCE is that your remuneration is based on your sales abilities – an Associate producing $150,000 per annum in commission can expect a SALARY PACKAGE IN EXCESS OF $120,000 PER ANNUM.

CLAIRE HAY

AUSTRALIA'S third-largest city is often overlooked in favour of its more cosmopolitan rivals, but year-round sunshine and a friendly, laid-back vibe give Brisbane a welcoming feel. Recent, rapid economic growth has allowed the capital of Queensland to ditch its backwater reputation and emerge as a forward-thinking, vibrant city - and how many metropolises have rainforest right on their doorstep?

World of Accor – the largest hotel expo in the Asia Pacific – is on show in Australia

Representatives from Accor’s 300 hotels across Australia, the Pacific and Asia will be attending, along with representatives covering the wider world of Accor, whose global network has now grown to almost 4000 hotels in 92 countries. In particular, Accor has grown rapidly in a number of key destinations sold by Australia’s travel industry. They include Fiji, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Thailand and China. A further 30 hotels are scheduled to open by the end of the year.

It’s a wild party at Kangaroo Island in Australia.

KI is the third-largest island of Australia after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is 155 km long, 55 km wide and with a 540-km coastline, making it seven times larger than Singapore. Stone tools found by archaeologists suggest that aboriginal people had inhabited the island about 11,000 years ago until 200 BC. A British explorer called Matthew Flinders discovered the island in 1802 and named it Kangaroo Island.

Australia travel highlights tour

As we specialise in up market travel this is a basic program for a short visit. Using this as a template for a trip you could then add in more (or less) to suit your own plans. Flying from the U.S. on day 1 you arrive early in the morning on day 3, too early in fact to get a guaranteed check in at the hotel so unless you want to pay for the previous night or “hang around” in Sydney hoping for an early check-in I would suggest you take a connecting flight to Melbourne arriving at lunch time and in time for a check-in. (You “loose” a day when you pass the International Dateline).

A column about Australia Traveling

"Travel within Australia does not currently offer the experiences and gratifications sought from a holiday," say the authors. "Some Australians are currently resentful of the poor value for money travelling domestically offers ... Not only is Australia not different but it has a high degree of perceived homogeneity. Indigenous culture is not motivating to most Australians and thus does not provide that cultural contrast.
"The idea that travel is educational is stronger for Europe. This allows parents to feel that they are 'good parents' and that they are doing the trip for others. More importantly, parents dread the thought of car travel with children."

Australia air travel 'no great polluter'

AUSTRALIA suffers because of overseas perceptions that long-haul flights damage the environment, federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said today. Negative press campaigns in the UK and even in Australia promoted an incorrect idea about aviation's carbon emissions, Ms Bailey said today. Launching the new National Tourism Campaign Action Plan, Ms Bailey told industry chiefs a perception change was required to secure tourism dollars and jobs for Australians.