The tag line reads: From the cheap seats, Ben Cubby takes in the huge, hostile heart of Australia. And that's exactly what he does in an amusing look at travel through the Northern Territory on the Ghan Railway, on line from Alice Springs to Darwin. Although cramped and uncomfortable - with straight-backed chairs and unrelentingly boring scenery - Cubby admits the line has been remarkably prosporus, bringing an extra 1000 tourists to Darwin a week. Although I never made it there, I'm sure this line will make visiting the city an easier option in the future. Line dancer
NSW Seniors are going to have to dig a little deeper into their pockets after federal scheme subsidising travel for seniors has been axed. The $4 million program was quietly cut out of the budget in a move the transportation minister called "mean-spirited". I tend to agree. For more on the now-scrapped project introduced in 2001: Seniors Suffer
As the Schapelle Corby spectacle plays itself out in court, the Australian goverment is attempting to downplay the whole someone-sets-you-up-and-you-go-to-jail-for-life senario by spending 3 million dollars (AU) to shrink wrap your luggage. In a no-doh move, the government also encourages people lock their bags, except for travel to the United States where it is not allowed, due to security concerns. Ease your paranoia: Airport offers shrink-wrapping to allay drug fears
Perth really is quite dangerous this time of year, according to a memo sent out to people who subscribe to the Department of Foreign Affairs travel advisory email list. While journlists had a good time with it, pointing out the odd shark attack and mauling of sports teams, the government is left red-faced, trying to explain how this erronous message was ever sent. The tourism council is the most upset, understandably. Recount the blunder: Warning: Perth danger alert
INDIGENOUS students from remote communities will secure taxpayer-funded support to study at private schools and universities.From Remote blacks get travel aid for studyAn estimated $500million, including an extension of a program that rewards school attendance with money for recreational facilities, will be spent improving the results of Aboriginal students.
Scholarships will also be offered to 250 students to attend high-performing schools and universities.
I'm glad to see this - I often describe Australia as a country that seems like it's 50 years behind the times in terms of racial acceptance. Hopefully this will break down the barriers a little more by offering opportunities to Aboriginal students.
After multiple salt-water croc sightings, wildlife rangers have decided to close popular swimming holes in northern Australia. Not surprisingly, tour operators have objected to this..as they'll now have to find more expensive alternatives to 'a dip in the billabong'. I wonder if these are the same tour operators that were smart enough to lead a German backpacker into a midnight dip two and a half years ago - where she was promptly killed by a croc. I recall it was big news at the time as the girl had just flown into Australia after being in Bali during the bombings. I hope backpackers are smart about this, as I'm sure some operators - and travelers - will ignore the closings. For more: Australia closes crocodile swimming holes
Awww yeah!
Bowen and Kimmorley seal Queensland victory
Looked like a classic and good to see the Maroons getting off to a winning start this year.
Australian holiday-makers and travel agents have threatened to snub Bali if accused drug smuggler Schapelle Corby is found guilty by the Indonesian courts.From Bali faces Corby backlashAlmost 70 per cent of respondents to a nationwide survey of travel agents said the outcome of the case would affect the way they sold Bali holiday packages and air fares.
Conducted by travel industry journal Travel Daily, the survey showed 68 per cent of the 168 respondents would stop promoting Bali as a destination if Corby, 27, found at Bali airport with 4.1 kilograms of marijuana in her bodyboard bag, was convicted.
Instead, they would encourage tourists to visit alternative destinations such as Fiji, Phuket, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands and New Zealand.
If the travel industry boycott takes effect, it is expected to make a serious dent in the already fragile Balinese economy that has suffered a series of blows in recent years.
This is a huge blow to Bali, especially since so many of their tourists come from Oz. It really highlights what's riding on this case. I wonder how people would react if the same situation had happened to someone less media-friendly - an older male, a minority, a poor woman with kids - basically, someone people are more likely to expect as a 'drug smuggler'. I'm not saying she's innocent or guilty, I'm just intrigued by the reaction this case has gotten. It's definitely good for Corby, however, that travel agents and influential people are treating it this seriously.
Adam Dalton is 25, almost two metres tall, and weighs 127 kilograms. The Westmeadows labourer and footballer is heavily tattooed, has huge shoulders, and looks so formidable that he concedes that some people might find him intimidating.From Boys' night out ends in nightmareHe has now been in the Spanish city of Barcelona for almost eight months. Originally, it was to be a mid-trip stopover with a group of mates from Melbourne. They were doing the grand European tour, backpacker style. He had been to London, Greece and Rome, and was about to leave Barcelona for Paris and Munich when things went dreadfully wrong. Only five weeks into the trip, he found himself in jail.
He's out on bail now, contemplating the events that have changed his life and brought his Melbourne parents to the brink of losing their home. They are struggling to pay mounting legal fees for their only son, who is forced to remain in Spain while a cumbersome judicial system deals with his case.
Yes, I agree, the justice system is definitely dragging here. However...may I ask why the hell this guys 'keep' is more than 1,200 a week??? Seriously! What is he doing?? I sort of stop feeling sorry for him when I read this. It's a bum rap, but this guy obviously has priority issues. A quote from his mother - "It's ridiculous," she says. "What country seriously expects a 23-year-old kid to be able to survive, stuck on their own, without help from their parents.". What the hell? He's 23. Not 12. Seriously. I'd hope my parents would help me out in a situation like this but he's 23. 2. 3. Ugh. Someone, please start taking some responsibility here.
THREE years after East Timor became independent from Indonesia, Australians are starting to look at the world's newest nation as a tourist destination.From Explore pristine coral reefs in Timor-LesteHotels and restaurants are improving in price and quality, you can fly there direct from Darwin by Airnorth, and the new expedition cruise ship Orion will soon start calling there regularly.
What's now officially called the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste hopes to have its application for membership of the World Tourist Organisation approved in November.
I've wanted to vist fomerly-called East Timor since writing a paper on the country while studying in Australia in 2002. It's great to see that they are 'coming back' and I'm sure that as time passes, the country will see an increasing number of visitors from Australia and elsewhere - just as this article predicts, I expect many of them will be the "see if before everyone else does" types. Or, a more rustic alternative to Bali...
Canberrans spend much less time behind the wheel travelling to and from work than other Australians, spending an average of 30 minutes commuting each day.From Canberra commute shortest in nationA Canberra Times report says a new Australia Institute report Off to Work: Commuting in Australia, published on Thursday, found Canberrans spent two hours and 29 minutes a week commuting, the least of any capital city and more than an hour less than Adelaide, which was next best.
Sydneysiders face commute times that are twice as long as their southern neighbors - not surprising, given the high population in Sydney's CBD. However, I expected Perth and Darwin to be up on the 'short commute' as well - perhaps people live further away from their jobs in the cities and have long drive times that way? It certainly wouldn't be because of traffic going to the suburbs (when compared with Melbourne and Sydney)
Australians heading to Indonesia are being reminded of the country's harsh drug laws as 10 Australians sit in Bali jails accused of drug trafficking and facing the death penalty.From Travellers reminded of Indonesian lawsThe updated Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade travel advice comes in the wake of the cases of Gold Coast woman Schapelle Corby on a charges of importing marijuana and the group known as the Bali nine, arrested for heroin smuggling.
DFAT is warning Australians that when overseas they are subject to local laws, which can be very different to those in Australia.
Is this a case of too little, too late, and just something for show? Does it even matter? The information hasn't changed - people just need high profile cases like this one to be reminded exactly how stupid smuggling drugs is...I'm not sure it's going to make much of a difference six months down the road, anyway.
Native animals are a major source of a bug that is infecting people in the southern island state of Tasmania at a higher rate than anywhere else in Australia, a conference has heard.From Aussie native animals spread salmonellaAnd travellers drawn to remote areas of the state, often by its famous untamed wilderness areas, are most at risk.
Word to the wise: If you're heading out into the bush and planning on doing some camping, take a water filter. Even though the water *looks* clean and you may be far away from all obvious sources of human-made contamination, it's no surprise that the lesson you learned in elementary school still holds true: you can't always see germs. The study on the topic was from 2001-2002 data.
Despite the worldwide attention given to the threat of virus infection on mobile phones little has actually happened in Australia - even the antivirus vendors are currently labelling them as 'proof of concept'.From Mobile viruses yet to travel Down UnderLast week Finnish Internet security vendor F-Secure released an alert stating the Cabir virus had been discovered in 20 different countries around the world (Cabir is expected to be the largest of some 50 different mobile phone-based viruses). But the trove of viruses propagating through Bluetooth-enabled portable gear has largely missed Australia.
The Federal Government may back down from a plan to make foreign tourism operators pay GST.From Government �may scrap� tourism GSTThe government is reconsidering its stance after a report revealed the move could deter thousands of visitors from Australia, according to The Australian.
The departmental report, commissioned by Tourism Minister Fran Bailey, found that the Australian market would lose 35,000 tourists and suffer losses of $150 million in visitor spending if the laws went ahead.
The value of inbound tourism will grow to $32.1 billion by 2014, by which time China will be Australia's top earning market.From Inbound tourism worth $32b in a decadeInbound tourism's value will grow at an average 6.3 per cent from $18.5 billion, according to the inaugural release of economic value market forecasts from the Tourism Forecasting Committee.
As the top earner, the UK market contributed about $2.8 billion to tourism earnings in 2004 and that market will grow to $4.8 billion in the coming decade.
More bad news for the Australian government, this time the immigration department. Like the U.S., the government has a knack for being stupid and inflexible when it comes to some immigration issues and processes - and now, some of these have come back to bite them in the butt. As this article puts it, "It had not been a good week for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs: the Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister strip-searched at Brisbane Airport, the assistant consul-general for Bangladesh unfortunately banged-up for six months in the Baxter detention centre and a touring West Indian cricketer accidentally deported to Sierra Leone. Not to mention the world-renowned Israeli cellist refused entry at Tullamarine because somebody on the third floor had put him on file as a Libyan Air Force flight instructor." Read the whole sob story.
THE catchcry may be for sun one day and perfection the next, but the grey clouds that have been casting gloom over Queensland's tourism industry over the last few years have only just started to disappear.From Tourists rediscover the Sunshine StateThe inclement weather seems to have passed after the sector lurched from one storm to another with the collapse of Ansett, fears of a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic and post-September 11 terror threats.
A few seasons on and time has healed the fears of many travellers and the sun has started to shine on Queensland tourism again.
Hmmm...maybe they should also start thinking about the backpacker market again...
Road travel is "by far the greatest contributor" to Australian domestic tourism, according to Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey.From Road travel is domestic tourism keyAbout 75 percent of all domestic tourism trips taken in 2004 were taken by road.
Ms Bailey said this meant road travel was also a vital link in the economic fortunes of remote and regional Australia.
"For many Australians, a great family holiday is going for a drive with a caravan in tow or a tent in the boot, finding a great space and exploring what the local region has to offer," Ms Bailey said.
Backpackers, you are not alone. Australians hit the road more often than you think - why don't you try getting a ride or two??
October 1994: Backpacker David Wilson and two fellow travellers killed by Khmer Rouge rebels in Cambodia.From Australian hostages abroadApril 1995: Australian-Swiss citizen released after being held by anti-government forces in Sierra Leone.
November 1996: Sudanese militia release Sydney nurse Maree Worthington and two others after holding them for five weeks.
December 1997: Western Australian oil worker released after being held captive by disgruntled villagers in Nigeria.
This interesting article sums up the Australian hostages that have been held overseas within the past decade. It's a quick timeline, no analysis, and no doubt written after the recent Australian kidnapping in Iraq. Log in info: AustraliaBlog and BootsnAll if you can't see the article.
AUSTRALIA'S great cultural export - children's television - is growing up. Move over B1 and B2, the sun-kissed teenager on a surfboard is the latest antipodean character to storm the international TV market.From Tween surf stories travel well over the foamThe ABC's new teen drama series Blue Water High was launched internationally at MIPTV, the TV marketplace in Cannes, this month and has already been snapped up by Belgium, South Africa, France, New Zealand and Germany. It is set in a surf academy where seven lucky teenagers have been selected for an 12-month surf and school program.
Australia sells more children's TV than adult TV overseas. Part of the reason is that the budgets for children's drama are quite high - some $600,000 an hour compared with $400,000 for adult drama - because there is often a lot more action.
Everybody is surfing...
Five Australian films will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May.From Five Aust films to screen at CannesThe Australian short drama, Blue Tongue, directed by Justin Kurzel and produced by Tim Jolley, has been selected to screen in Critic's Week at 2005 festival.
It is the first Australian short film to screen in Critics' Week.
The Critics' Week each year selects seven features and seven short films from first or second time directors.
The Directors Fortnight at Cannes will also feature writer and director Greg McLean's film Wolf Creek.
An Australian travel agent is refusing to sell holidays to the Indonesian island of Bali in protest against the treatment of alleged Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby.From Australian travel agent launches own protest against Corby trialThe 27-year-old is accused of trying to smuggle more than four kilograms of marijuana into the Indonesian island of Bali last October, a crime punishable by firing squad.
I think this is a good way to keep this case in the news for a little while longer. I'm not sure how much it will help her, but at the same time, Bali doesn't need any more bad press. I wonder if others will join in this protest - I have read reports of others booking trips elsewhere, but I am unsure if the impact of this case can be measured. Nick writes more about the case at BaliBlog.
GET upset about Gallipoli litterbugs. Take umbrage at the Anzac Cove roadworks. Just lay off the Bee Gees.From Just don't rubbish the Bee GeesGiven politicians from all sides have tried to turn Anzac Day on the battlefield into a self-serving circus, it's little wonder a proportion of the backpacker crowd feels compelled to play the clown.
But embattled Veterans Affairs Minister De-Anne Kelly's decision to show pop videos featuring Bee Gees tunes to keep the visitors awake during the night is entirely defensible.
This is an interesting article - an amusing look at the diggers today through the Bee Gees songs played at the ANZAC festivities. A quick read - one of those 'gotta hand it to you' type props for the writer.
A shortage of citrus pickers in the Riverland is opening up some sunny job prospects for backpackers.From Sunny pickings for backpackers"The Riverland is one of Australia's sunniest regions and autumn is one of the best times to visit," Riverland Marketing Manager Roz Becker said.
"Most years the region experiences a shortage of workers in May and June when export to the United States begins.
"This year there is expected to be even more work available, providing backpackers with a terrific way to see a beautiful part of Australia while earning money at the same time."
Ms Becker said 'about six to eight weeks' work is available, from the end of April.
Australia's youthful revellers are indicative of a larger trend here that is seeing this annual day of remembrance take on an increasing importance to a younger generation. And it is a trend that Canada would do well to emulate.From Rekindling the Anzac spiritConsider the poll by the Dominion Institute earlier this month that found that the vast majority of young Canadians have little familiarity with even the barest details of our nation's most significant single victory of the First World War, the capture of Vimy Ridge. Only 26% of those under the age of 35 knew about Vimy, and fewer than 7% of Quebecers.
What the author of this article fails to understand - although it is mentioned - is that to many young Australians, and the backpackers that visit these areas on ANZAC day - remembering these deaths is more just a reason to party than an opportunity to give thanks. It's like throwing a party on D-Day for Americans or something of that accord just because they can. The drinking and boozing is first, the remembering is secondary.
IT is almost unthinkable: international backpackers are deserting the reef, rainforests and beaches of tropical Queensland for the grey skies and green rolling hills of Victoria.From Gloom for sunshine state as backpackers fly southWhile Queensland still attracts more backpackers than any other state, the latest figures from the Regional Tourism Activity Monitor show it has shed 10 per cent of its visitors since 2003, and Victoria has boosted its numbers through savvy marketing, major sporting events and the availability of fruit-picking jobs.
International Visitor Survey figures show that, between 1999 and 2004, Victoria gained more backpackers than any other state and boosted the number of nights they spend in the state by 12per cent.
Well, well, what do we have here? You mean to tell me that Queensland has been resting on her laurels for too long? Amazing. Melbourne and the rest of Victoria have been putting in a big push for the backpacker dollars while Queensland seems to have been content just waiting for the Japanese tourists and those who are willing to spend the big bucks on luxury tours and SCUBA diving lessons. People are always going to go to Queensland - it's just nice that they're spending time in other areas of the country as well.
Strength in student travel reflects overall health in travel services, despite the internet.From Educated travelling wellStudent travel is a growth sector of the travel industry. STA has expanded from being a niche operator into the mainstream. Flight Centre has moved into the market with its own brand - Student Flights.
Now another company, Orient Express Travel Group, is creating a string of student travel centres across Australia called Asian Student Travel, aimed at a particular segment of that market.
THE recent deluge of negative press involving Australians in Bali has not turned people off holidaying on the resort island, but most are taking extra precautions.From Have locked bags, will travel"Every aperture of our luggage has a padlock on it, which we wouldn't have done before," said Ken Postill of Sydney, who is spending six days in Bali with his wife Joanne and two young children.
A lot of friends had warned them off coming because of a common perception in Australia that Schapelle Corby had been unfairly treated by the Indonesian justice system, he said.
Prosecutors last week demanded a Bali court sentence Corby to life in prison for alleged drug smuggling.
I wonder how much padlocks really matter, in terms of deterring people. In the States, you can't use them. One trick is to use twist ties, as the time it takes to undo them is note-worthy, and if they're missing, you know to be extra aware when grabbing your bags. I suppose with this most recent court case, however, I'd even be a little more wary when heading to Bali.
FIJI police hopes changes to Australia's privacy laws will help them identify convicted paedophiles visiting the country.From Aussies to name child sex touristsThe privacy laws prevent the Australian Federal Police from passing information about all paedophiles they know of who were travelling overseas.
However, the Australian Federal Police have successfully pressed for an exemption.
DODGY backpacker hostels are placing guests at risk through unhygienic, overcrowded premises which do not adhere to fire and other safety regulations, according to a report commissioned by the tourism industry.From Shonky operators hurt backpacker marketAt the same time that the illegitimate operators were financially hurting legal establishments, they were also depriving state and federal authorities of revenue, the Australian Tourism Export Council was told.
From the 'no duh' files....
I've stayed in some not-so-nice and definitely not-legit places before and I don't recommend it. Saving a buck or two while taking extra risks with your safety isn't worth in, in my opinion. I'm talking about the people that approach you at bus stops, on trains, etc. Most of the time, the price will be ok, but you'll end up really far out of the city, and in conditions you may not be so happy about either. Another article with the same info.
A SWEDISH backpacker missing in Victoria for a month may have joined a cult, say his worried family.From Cult fear on lost sonBut there are also concerns that Max Vidar Castor, 20, may have taken his own life.
Mr Castor's family has launched a desperate email-based search for their son, who has not been seen or heard of since last month, when he posted a strange parcel to his family in Stockholm.
Australian police code-breakers will be called in to help Indonesian police crack mobile phone passwords of the Bali nine ringleaders as authorities try to close in on the masterminds behind the heroin ring.From Bali police call in code breakersAs Indonesian authorities continue their interrogations, a psychiatrist has called for one of the nine, 27-year-old Renae Lawrence, of Brisbane, to be placed on suicide watch.
THE alleged leader of the so-called Bali nine is reported to have been planning a second delivery of drugs to Australia at the time of his arrest in Indonesia.From Sukumaran planned second drug runMyuran Sukumaran, 24, was arrested along with three other Australians at an hotel after police caught four of the drug "mules" at Bali International Airport with 8.3kgs of heroin strapped to their bodies.
THE South Australian town of Murray Bridge has hundreds of jobs for skilled migrants and refugees but few houses to accommodate them.From Work for migrants, but nowhere to liveWith the federal Government planning to lure 97,500 skilled migrants to plug gaps in trades, the case of Murray Bridge, 78km from Adelaide, highlights the need for regional infrastructure.
"I have between 150 and 200 unemployed refugees on my books who would start tomorrow (at Murray Bridge) if they could, but accommodation is the issue," said Hafez Zemani, the Adelaide-based employment manager with the Australian Refugee Association.
Australia's high crime rates have prompted Japan to issue a travel advisory warning tourists to beware of Aussie thieves.From Australia's high crime rates prompt travel warningDue to Australia's extremely high rate of theft and muggings, Japan's Foreign Ministry has warned tourists to Australia's Gold Coast region not to leave valuables in locked hotel rooms and "to keep a tight grip on hand and shoulder bags".
But CDNN Travel Editor Carmen Sanchez said that Japanese travelers are more likely than any other nationality to change their travel plans based on official government travel advisories and warned all dive travelers to Australia to take extra precautions to prevent thefts.
I'm...speechless. I can only assume that there is a travel warning out for just about every country - United States, England, Spain, Morocco, Russia, etc. I know it may be 'standard' and all, but it seems sort od f shake-your-head laughable when they equate a pickpocketing to a terrorism alert. They send off 'warnings' so frequently that they pretty much have convinced people that there is always a warning so no one takes them as seriously as perhaps they should. Boy who cried wolf, is the saying that comes to mind.