How ’bout a Bahama Mama? Or is a Sexy Monkey more your thing?
Whatever your go-to, cocktails are a sure-fire way to get lit, and while Kangaroo Island isn’t exactly Ibiza, the Kangaroo Island Spirits’ Cellar Door Cocktail Masterclass is a great way to bring some lit back to the mainland.
Kangaroo Island Spirits have been making gin, spirits and cocktails for a while now (they are the birthplace of Australian gin). They’ve gotten seriously good at it, and they are award winning spirits you’ll be using.
The best part is they’re willing to share a few of their secrets, so you can impress your friends at your next house party.
In the Masterclass you’ll learn from the masters, making three delicious cocktails using award-winning spirits, recreating some some classics as well as some of Kangaroo Island Spirits’ own signatures. We’re sure you’ll do the cocktail shake thing, at which point you’ll need to harness a bit of that Outkast energy…
The beach your staying on is so secluded that you could probably walk down it naked down if you wanted (we’re not advocating this but hey, you do you).
There’s a bloody nice deck to sit out and enjoy a cold one, while watching the sun set over an extraordinary stretch of Aussie coast.
There’ll be roos jumping around and probably other wildlife too.
The lodge itself is a timeless bit of Australian architecture, fully contained and considerately designed for a self-catered stay.
Kangaroo Island was razed during the 2019/20 bushfires, but it is bouncing back in a big way. Green sprouts from blackened Eucalyptus trees on the island show this.
There’s plenty growing and going on in the Otways.
I mean sure, Victoria’s south-west has a diverse area of waterfalls, beaches, a rocky coastline and rainforests, plus mountain biking and surfing and plenty of swimming spots. But there’s a lot too eat too.
With plenty of farms and wineries, there’s no shortage of local produce for the thriving food scene to source from.
We’ve compiled five of the best local food and drink experiences that will leave you either very full, or very tipsy (or both):
The onset of summer means the onset of the berry season. Stop in at Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm and Cidery to pick a few ripe berries, and take them home with you. There’s raspberries blueberries, strawberries, currants, jostaberries, gooseberries and more, not all of which we’re familiar with. Treat yo self with an award-winning cider or berry gin afterward. You’ve earnt it.
2. FINE DINE
O.K so Brae isn’t much of a secret. The Birregurra restaraunt is regularly ranked among the very, very (repeat: very) best in the entire world. There are also six luxury guest suites you can stay in, while local Otways produce features very heavily in the menu. If you haven’t been, you’ve just gotta go.
3. GRAB A VINO
The Otways is littered with wineries. Blake’s Estate is less than a half-marathon away from the famous seaside town of Lorne, specialising in a Pinot Noir. Other worthy stop-ins include Brown Magpie, Dinny Goonan, Gosling Creek, Yeowarra Hill or Otway Estate. Spring is a great time to be at a winery but lets be honest, it’s always a good time to be at a winery.
4. GRAB A FROFFIE
They say all tracks in the Cape Otways National Park lead back to Forrest Brewing Company. Cartographically speaking we’re not sure how true that it is, but the great range of ales these independents produce is much easier to verify. Hard to find outside of Forrest, this microbrewery in a micro town is a great place to stop after a day of mountain-biking.
5. INDULGE IN CHOCOLATE
Just up the road from the brewery in the punching-above-it’s-weight town of Forrest is Platypi Chocolate. Set in an idyllic location, all chocolates are hand made on-site, which is pretty cool. An indulgence.
The Liveabroad Dive Safari is probably the most comprehensive in Great Barrier Reef experiences.
Scuba diving with Hammerhead and reef sharks at the Reef’s North Horn is adventure enough for a trip to Cairns. But things are only getting started there.
There are 26 dives on this week long adventure, where you’ll be taken to the best sites determined on the time of year you are lucky enough to find yourself there.
If you’re ballsy enough to dive into the ‘Snake Pit’ then you’ll find yourself swimming with Olive Sea Snakes. A jump into the Cod Holes will have you face to face with 30kg Cod fish and the exceptionally curious Maori Wrasse, who are the size of a large dog. There are turtles, stingrays and the rare Minke Whale to be found in other spots, as well as Garden Eels and schools of Big Eye Trevally and Barracuda. Oh, and did we mention the reef itself?
When you’ve had enough of living under water you can retire to the luxury vessel that you’ll live in for a week at the Cairns Marina, with world famous sunsets to enjoy after a big day diving.
You may have noticed we haven’t put the exact location of Toots in the ‘location’ section of this article. That is because we, err, can’t actually tell you.
Toots is Perth’s secret 70s disco bar. Dance to Boney M, Gloria Gaynor and more while sipping on Fruit Tingles, White Russians and the like. There is glitter, there is colour, and you’d better believe there are a lot of disco balls.
Located in another bar in Northbridge’s Chinatown precinct, we can’t share with you the exact location, but we can tell you that these are the steps to a good night at Toots:
🍷 Find the ‘front’ bar.
🍷 Kindly ask the bartender if “Toots is in?”⠀
🍷 Get your golden ticket and follow the instructions to the secret door.⠀
The Sunny Coast is only an hour and a bit away from Brisbane, making it the perfect getaway spot for Brisbanians wanting a bit of a break from the ol’ Brown Snake.
Scandi at Maleny only opened in the last few weeks. It combines cool, crisp Scandinavian simplicity (hence the name) with spectacular natural surrounds.
While there is surf not far away and plenty of places to hike, co-owner Dee Montalva says Scandi cabins are just as good for doing…nothing at all.
“We want our cabin to be a place for guests to disconnect so they can reconnect, to sleep deeply with no alarms, and to have uninterrupted conversations with their favourite person,” Dee said.
“We want them to forget about the to-do lists and schedules, and simply be in the moment.”
The idea of cruising down the Mooloolaba canals, eating the famous Mooloolaba prawns while sipping on beer and champagne sits really nicely with us.
But it’s not just the seafood that brings the local theme to Saltwater Ecotours’ boat cruises on the Sunshine Coast. Their vision is to “establish a unique marine experience that would inspire a deeper connection to Indigenous culture and the ocean.”
The cultures of both Torres Strait Islander and the local Kabi Kabi people are explored and explained in detail on this two-hour cruise, set on a beautifully restored, century-old sailing vessel.
There’s a variety of different cruises they offer, with subtle differences depending on what you’re after from your experience.
As well as all that $1.50 of each ticket to the Southern Ocean Carbon Company, a carbon mitigating company with a focus on growing seaweed in the oceans of Southern Australia. So you can cruise along with a champagne in one hand and a prawn in the other, and know you’re doing your bit for Mother Earth. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Located 200km north of Broome (which is pretty remote as it is) an untouched paradise awaits travellers on the completely Aboriginal owned and operated Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours.
Led by Jawi woman Roseanna Angus, find out about the mission that ran here until 1962, and about the extraordinary cultures of the neighbouring Bardi and Jawi people.
From Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, you retrace (by boat) the ocean journey from Bardi Country on the mainland, and through the network of islands and tidal passages that make up Jawi Country, navigating massive tides, whirlpools and eddies.
Gorgeous white sand flanked by clear turquoise waters awaits at Sunday Island, where there is the opportunity to drop a line or go for a swim.
Nestled in between a heap of sandalwood trees, Talbot Lodge is a no frills building of simplistic beauty that reflects the simplistic beauty of nearby town, York.
The oldest inland town in Western Australia, York sits on Ballardong Nyoongar land next to the Avon River.
There’s no shortage of timber in this part of the world, something the builder of the Lodge was clearly aware of. Rustic timber floors and a cathedral ceiling sandwich artful timber-panelled walls, and it all works so nicely.
There are two fireplaces on the inside and a fire pit on the outside, so it’d be remarkable if you ever got cold. There’s a chef’s kitchen to create, and a gorgeous verandah to kick back and listen to the trees rustling and the cockatoos calling.
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