region: Oceania

Lonely Planet turns 50

 

 

One of the world’s most trusted travel brands has turned 50. Lonely Planet has been the bible for adventurous travellers the world over ever since the release of Across Asia on the Cheap in 1973.

Conceived by British-Australian power-travel-couple Tony and Jill Wheeler (pictured below, arriving in Australia in 1972), the little blue books have been like super powers for intrepid travellers over the last five decades, concealed somewhere in a backpack until revealing, when called upon, the coordinates of a bar deep in the Amazon or a difficult-to-find hostel next to waterfall in Thailand, or how to say hello in Yoruba.

The numbers

        • 150 million – number of Lonely Planet guidebooks printed

        • 4 destinations have exceed 2 million copies – Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and India

        • 50 – South East Asia (formerly Across Asia on the Cheap) has been in print for 50 years across 19 editions.

        • 320 – the number of travel writers that have hit the road since the pandemic restrictions lifted in 2022

        • 1 – USSR edition, given that country had dissolved by the time the book had printed

        • 33 – the number of languages Lonely Planet publications have been translated into

        • 95% – the % of destination content covered in Lonely Planet’s printed guidebooks

        • 100% – all Lonely Planet titles are printed on FSC paper

From one set of travelling pioneers to the OG – congratulations on 50 years of bailing us out of trouble in the farthest flung locations.

 

Air New Zealand Skynest

THE CLEVER

Air New Zealand’s have taken out an award for airline innovation at the Crystal Cabin Awards during the week, with their Skynest concept winning the prize for giving the common person business class privileges.

The Skynest is a way to make sleeping more accessible on long haul flights for those that can’t afford business, and it might just pave the way for other airlines to follow suit.

The Skynest is a block of six sleep pods in a bunk bed configuration which can be rented in four hour slots each flight, allowing passengers to put their head down and actually lay flat for a while. Pretty handy for some of Air New Zealand’s flights, like the 17-hour direct flight between New York City and Auckland, which is one of the longest in the world. It’s been received well and

The Kiwis also added the Economy Skycouch to their growing range of ‘things that make your flight way better’.

It’s essentially just a row of economy seats that can change into a couch after take-off, with a special footrest on each set to make it a little more practical. It’s not rocket science, but like the Skynest, it helps you lay down and sleep on a flight – invaluable in our book.

The not so clever

While the Skynest and Skycouch have been hailed as universal winners, we’re not quite sure about the double decker concept, which has been floated in recent days as another potential innovation in the air.

The double-decker conceivably means more seats could be squeezed into a plan, and you would think more leg room down low.

The downside would be having the seat in front of you a few inches from your face at all times. It doesn’t look too comforting.

It is only a concept at this stage, but we couldn’t imagine many things much more claustrophobic than this seating arrangement for a long haul flight.



Credit: Archbishop of Banterbury

Sydney’s first wave pool

The surf revolution is well and truly underway.

UrbnSurf is opening the first wave pool in New South Wales at Olympic Park in Sydney, with completion expected in early-2024.

Surfing actually has a higher participation rate in New South Wales than Rugby League (2x), Basketball, Netball, Cricket, Hockey, Squash, Volleyball, AFL, Yoga and Fishing. Yet there are only so many beaches with decent waves, seemingly not enough to accommodate everyone.

The result? Turf wars and kook slams as every man and their dog (literally, see below) fight for a tiny piece of the ocean to get a wave on.

 

Enter wave pools: waves on cue, to thousands of people every single day, using the Wavegarden technology that closely intimates specific waves over and over again.

Wave pools are not a new thing, and UrbnSurf has actually been pumping in Melbourne since 2019. Prior to that the U.S. had a few of these bad bois before anyone else.

Some purists may turn up their nose at wave pools and yeh, we get it; you get the taste of chlorine over salt water, and you don’t have Australia’s beautiful beaches and rock faces to look back at.

But look at it this way. UrbnSurf in Sydney can take 1,000 surfers every day, which means 1,000 people that aren’t vying for waves in the beach. It’s a win-win, and more waves for everyone.

The Sydney set up will be similar to Melbourne. A variety of six different settings, spitting out waves suitable for everyone – from beginner groms through to Mick Fanning. There’ll be lessons for groms and adults alike, and a bar on-site where you can’t talk about the one that got away…because everyone was there to see it.

Lylo

LyLo in Auckland is a new kind of stay that straddles the line between cost and radness.

At LyLo you’ll be sleeping in futuristic, private pods that are surprisingly spacious and offer a surprising amount of storage, plus everything you need to recharge—both physically and electronically.

There’s a bar on site so you can hang out with other travellers, plus work and chill areas as you need. It’s the perfect scene for those looking for a social travel experience, but are wanting something a little more upmarket than a hostel filled with teenagers on their first trip away.

It doesn’t compromise on position either; located right at the heart of Auckland, you’re near the city’s underrated nightlife and in a great place to begin your North Island road trip.

From AU$58 per night

Click to LIE LOW

Shelter Brewing Co.

Beers in the west have sure come a long way from the humble bush chook.

Busselton’s locally owned Shelter Brewing Co is a recent addition to the thriving West Australian beer scene, joining stalwarts like Little Creatures, Colonial and Bootleg from that part of the world.

As well as producing an array of epic froffies, Shelter run an insightful brewery tour that also happens to be pretty laidback – like everything else here.

Seagulls, the smell of salt and probably a fair amount of sun are likely to be what greets you at Shelter, and it’s difficult to escape the feeling of that you’re in a Tim Winton novel. The brewery itself is humungous, with an arched roof that is typical of the architecture in this part of the world. Out the front is green lawn that leads up to the beach, and the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere.

Inside, the brewery has a capacity of about 800, and has bands playing occasionally. Tom from Shelter takes us around and tells us that 80% of the building’s power comes from the sun, the same ample sun that shines in through the gigantic wall to floor windows in the north-facing building, creating the pleasant aesthetic of drinking a beer in the sun whether you’re sitting inside or outside. He explains Shelter’s philosophy when it comes to brewing beer, which is typically laidback; “we brew beers that we want to drink”.

We walk along a platform, past a row of truly enormous vats while Tom explains the brewing process, made easier to understand with brewers brewing away right in front of us. Magic right there in front of our eyes.

There’s seven beers on tap – ignore any misgivings you might have when you hear the name of the brand-new and limited edition Beetroot Stout. It’s a smoky type of operation that is (thankfully) more stout than beetroot, and it’s delicious. The Indian Pale Ale is great too.

Shelter generally brews seven core beers, and you can get them from from bars and bottle shops around Western Australia, and available to order online for the rest of Australia.

HOT SPRING SAFARI

The Metung Hot Springs is a $12 million complex open now in Victoria’s far-east, comprising of natural thermal springs and luxurious safari-style glamping tents.

There are ten opulent lagoon-side tents, each with a king-size bed and private ensuite. These tents also contain private bathing barrels, meaning you’ll be able to soak in solitude around the clock.

Several of the tents back onto a lagoon, and will provide a view of the terraced amphitheatre that is set to sit near the front of the site and is slated to host live music, movies and other entertainment.

During the day, treat yourself at the geothermal pools (of varied depths) or bathing barrels, elevated massage tents, and for the brave, fire and ice therapy: an icy cold-plunge tub located right next to a steaming hot Scandinavian sauna.

There are also plans for a floating sauna on the lagoon, and while the complex is open, some of the build is yet to be completed.

Epic Uluru Experience on it’s way

Just when you think they couldn’t do anything cooler up at Uluru, they go and drop this on us.

Wintjiri Wiru is the name of the extraordinary, brand-new light and drone show above Uluru, coming next week.

It brings to life the ancient dreamtime story of Mala via 1,000 luminous drones taking flight each night to lift the ancient images above Uluru and into the sky. Exquisite choreography and visual artistry is accompanied by a narration in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages, and a soundtrack with traditional inma recorded with members of the local Anangu community.

The number (1,000) of drones involved makes it the largest drone show of it’s kind on earth.

The result is a pretty cool marriage of technology and the world’s oldest continuous culture.

Two Wintjiri Wiru sound and light shows will run every night, until December, beginning next Thursday, 11 May in 2023. One show a night will take place in the months of January and February.

A three-hour sunset dinner precedes the experience, which includes welcome cocktails and canapes while the sun sets over the bloody serene setting of Kata Tjuta and Uluru. Once darkness has settled the dramatic sound and light show will begin.

We cannot wait.

Check out one of the teasers below:

Bói oh Bóia

Ever feel like you’re just floating along in life? Metaphorically drifting aimlessly, without direction while getting inebriated every weekend with your mates who are doing the same thing?

Well, now you can do that for real, and your mates can come too! Bóia is the Perth-based brand selling water-based products like the Harbour: a horseshoe-shaped floating chill area that is absolutely made for summer.

Imagine jumping on a Bóia with a few friends, and having either your own private island party or the ultimate place to relax, out on a lake or an ocean. Not bad.

Don’t have any friends? Say no more fam, just set your Bóia up at Cottesloe Beach or similar, and let the friends come to you (see below).

They’re perfect for bad bóis, good bóis and sk8r bóis alike.

There are a variety of different products available from $1,075 – get one here.

The Tiny Renaissance

Into the Wild Escapes are a set of tiny homes that seem to be multiplying faster than Catholic rabbits, with 45 now dotted around Australia.

Their concept is fairly simple: make a bespoke, very small home, and plonk it somewhere beautiful with a guarantee you will not come into contact with another human being or building.

The co-founder of the Into the Wild movement says they plan to open more than 500 around the country at some stage, which sounds like a lot.

They’re called Tiny Homes but unlike the Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too, you can actually fit inside them.

Some have outdoor bathtubs and fireplaces, all have an economy of space on the inside which you probably wouldn’t want for more than a week, but feels novel and cosy – especially when you’re sipping a coffee and gazing pensively out the window, a requirement of the stay.

They are not to be confused with the movie Into the Wild, where the main protagonist never makes it out after disappearing into the bush to live in a bus, which is kind of like a tiny home, when you think about it. This is unlikely to happen however, it’s not a guarantee we’re willing to make.

Tiny Homes have been around a while now – long enough to be experiencing a renaissance.

The Into the Wild concept is a smart one: the majority of these homes are within two hours of capital cities around the country, so they’re an easy get-to.

The idea that you can guarantee not seeing anyone, and having only the company of your partner and/or kids is either paradise or horrific, depending on where you stand. But trading your iPhone and traffic for fresh air and some of the brightest stars in the world is attractive to all.

OARSOME BAY

Typing Yasawa into a search engine is enough to work out that this remote archipelago in the west of Fiji is an absolutely stunning patchwork of beaches, coral and dormant volcanos.

What a Google search won’t do is satisfy your quench for the ultimate beach holiday. For that you’ll need to head to Oarsman’s Bay Lodge on the northern tip of the islands, an impossibly attractive resort with recently renovated, simplistic ‘Bures’ and the happiest of Fijian smiles.

Turquoise waters and white sand beaches back up against volcanic peaks, with the tough decision of swimming, snorkelling, diving or laying in a hammock with a book. For about AU$160 you can even rent out your own island for the day – ideal for honeymooners and lovebirds, or extreme introverts.

From AU$280 per night

Click for YAAS-AWA

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