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.
Dad’s shed, but get rid of the tools and put in a bed. And make that bed slide out, so you can lie outside beneath the stars at night.
That’s Stella the Stargazer in a nutshell, A brand new, epic off-grid stay that is being shifted around the Victorian countryside this summer.
The idea that spawned Stella came from the designer’s childhood, in which his family would move a double bed into the middle of a paddock so that they could stare up at the stunning night skies southern Australia is blessed with.
The home is made out of corrugated iron salvaged from central Victoria, that is “at least” 60 years old, according to the makers. The kitchen is centred around a woodfire oven that also functions as a hotplate, with glass sliding doors that open out onto a modular deck. There’s also a bush TV (firepit) for you to talk shit around.
The house has been touted as a tiny home but we think this doesn’t quite encapsulate it. There almost needs to be a more niche category: outback-corrugated-iron-astro-stay is probably more it’s vibe.
The first activation will take place at Blue Gables vineyard in Maffra, with two more locations to follow which get lost aren’t allowed to tell you yet. But we can tell you, they’re really bloody beautiful and full of that fresh country air.
We’ve all had a cabin dream at some point, and we’ve found one in the southern reaches of Australia that wouldn’t look out of place in those dreams.
On the edge of a picturesque gully overlooking the coastal cliffs of the south coast of the Eyre Peninsula in southern Australia, is Maldhi, a brand-new, off-grid cabin of exquisite simplicity. Sun, which there’s plenty of in these parts, powers the place completely.
The cabin makes the most of this desolate, barren, beautiful part of the world by taking up minimal space, letting the location do the work.
There’s surf down below and there’s trails to explore, but when it comes to cabin life, it’s all about getting away and taking it slowly with the special people in your life.
Ever wanted to be James Bond for a day? In the Northern Territory, you can.
00Seven are a Darwin company offering epic Bond-themed adventures, on both water and land.
get lost took on the Casino Royale tour – a jet-ski adventure at full throttle along Darwin’s waterfront.
Fly along at long sun drenched, unspoilt coastlines while spotting marine life, feeding fish and enjoying the thrill of the pristine, open water. The tour goes over World War Two shipwrecks, and past Darwin’s iconic Mindil Beach Casino, making it feel as if you’re in hot pursuit of Le Chiffre following a high-stakes poker game.
All of the jet skis are named after Bond girls (get lost found itself on Pussy Galore) with the best tours running at sunrise and sunset, with the stunning ambience of Darwin’s famed red skyline providing the perfect backdrop.
As well as Casino Royale, other excellent picks are Golden Eye (an amateur photography class, by jet-ski) and Espresso Martini tour (an express session, with a ‘secret’ mission).
Back on land, the Moonraker, Licence to Thrill and Skyfall four-wheeler tours through Charles Darwin National Park are epic adventures in their own right, taking in wild trails, World War Two ammunition storage spots, bunkers and more.
The company is a well-oiled machine, with free photography and videos a part of the tour at the end of the day, and knowledgeable guides providing information along the way.
All skills and experience levels are welcome – you don’t have to be a Bond-level marksman, and doing a flip on a jet-ski that’s on fire as you chase a bad guy is not expected.
Darwin
Darwin can be visited at anytime, but is definitely best during the dry season, from May to October each year.
Temperatures are generally in the late 20s and the Top End’s famed humidity is more than manageable during this time.
There’s a few different parts to get your head around. First, the Atrium; a light-filled, open-air space with nautical vibes that don’t overdo it.
Out the back of the Atrium there’s the Lawn, a breezy, green area with picnic tables and umbrellas. You can imagine an absolute vibe kicking up here in the summer months.
Heading indoors there’s the front bar; with wooden floorboards and booths – a bloody good spot to catch some mates. And further down through the classy walkway is the bistro, which is packed out most weekends for lunch and dinner.
The pub’s food offering makes heavy use of this coast’s excellent seafood. Portarlington mussels – the subject of a truly riotous mussel festival every January – are especially delicious here in the seafood-and-chorizo risotto. You’ll also find pub staples such as panko-crumbed schnitties, the classic chicken parma, whiting with chips and more. Locals supply the grog, with esteemed wineries Jack Rabbit and Terindah Estate, plus Flying Brick Cider Co, The Whiskery and more.
Portarlington is only an hour from Melbourne by ferry, which cuts across Port Phillip Bay and is actually shorter than driving, making it the perfect weekend getaway location. There’s 18 stunning rooms upstairs from the pub main, six featuring balconies looking out over the town and the water.
There’s been plenty of pub and restaurant openings over the last few years, and s well as being on the water and a destination in its own right, Portarlington is in close proximity to surf coast hotspots like Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads.
At the very southern tip of mainland Australia is both a landscape and promontory so magical they belie the true nature of the destination.
Wilsons Promontory in Victoria is one of Australia’s most breathtaking national parks, laced with white sandy beaches, wombats, endless walking trails and ancient bushland. Shellback in nearby Cape Liptrap offers unbelievable views over ‘The Prom’, a laidback farm-style stay with modern touches in an open plan kitchen and living room. Life doesn’t get much better than sitting on the deck with a craft-beer from nearby Burra Brewing in Korumburra, and farmland lapping at the edge of this timeless property.
New hotels come and go in big cities, but when they make an effort to truly redefine the guest experience from the minute those lift doors open, you know it’s a keeper.
The studio rooms and apartments at A by Adina in Sydney are completely surrounded by office buildings and sandstone Victorian architecture in the city’s CBD skyline, but not imposingly so. Instead the rooms here feel cradled and secure, like a jewel in the casing of a necklace. The modern fit-out of the two-bedroom apartments, including the fully automated blinds on the floor-to-ceiling windows, are certainly chic, but not overstated. But please do yourselves a favour and hire a babysitter so you can saunter upstairs to Dean & Nancys on 22, a swanky new speakeasy featuring some of the most Instagram worthy cocktails in the city.
TLC told you not to, but contrary to popular opinion, I did and don’t regret it. Chasing waterfalls’ is the game, and Taveuni, Fiji’s Garden State, is the playing field.
For those in need of a breath of air from the rigour of scuba diving on Tavenui’s famous coral reefs, the Lavena Waterfall Adventures is the right level of moderate adrenaline-filled thrill-seeking to help recharge the battery.
Within moments of a quick phone call to a local Lavena guide, you’re out on the water exploring the waterfall-rich southeast side of Taveuni, unreachable by land.
The final stop on tour is an impressive three-tiered waterfall cascading from the spectacular mountains of the lush Bouma National Park. You’d be remiss not to take a dip. Freshwater is the perfect remedy to Fiji’s tropical humidity.
One of the friendly guides at Aloha Tours will be more than happy to coordinate this adventure for you, along with other off-the-beaten-track experiences in Taveuni. Just ask about the natural waterslide; you won’t regret it.
Hiking is so old hat. In 2022, Heli-Hiking is where it’s at.
When you go on a hike, you spend a lot of the time looking at the ground in front of you, concentrating on where your next step is going and making sure not to fall A over T.
It means you can miss some of the best views and bits of wherever you are. And when you’re somewhere as beautiful as Tasman Island, that’s not what you want to be doing.
The way around this? A Heli-Hike, which combines the stunning birds-eye vistas of a scenic helicopter flight with the endorphins of completing an epic hike.
Life’s an Adventure has released a three-day, Walk Three Capes itinerary combining the best of these two worlds. After a helicopter takes you to the top of the island, near the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, you’ll complete a two-night hike across dramatic cliffs and through lush rainforest, before eventually being escorted back to Hobart in a chopper like some sort of hiking mega-celebrity.
This is an epic way of spicing up of the regular hike; an amped up way of getting some fresh air and touching base with nature.
When get lost stayed at Freycinet Lodge, we got a knock on the door at 5pm on our first night for housekeeping. The ‘housekeeping’ turned out to be a complimentary shot of local whiskey, and some chocolate. We knew we were in our place.
This touch is one of several small details that takes Freycinet beyond any average nature lodge.
From the balcony of a gorgeous array of secluded rooms, you can see Freycinet’s jagged peaks, called The Hazards, and Richardson’s Beach, a quiet bay which backs onto the Tasman Sea that never seems to have more than about 10 people on it at one time.
You’re surrounded by gumtrees and the call of kookaburras, and the luxuriously-sized bath that backs onto a floor to roof window allows you to bask in all of that while completely starkers.
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