Cruise the Murray River following the same route as the early working days of the Paddlesteamer Trade, taking in Wharparilla Station, Winbi Station, Cadell’s Lodge, Merool Station ,Perricoota Station & LOCK 26 Torrumbarry Weir, (when suitable). Maidens Inn Captains Break is where William Randell landed the first Paddlesteamer the PS Maryann. click here for more details, costs etc www.maryann.com.au

Tim Acton, who was our inaugural travel writer, has now retired. Thanks for all of your enthusiasm and support Tim, we will miss your articles and ever present good nature.

 

 

                                            DESTINATION:         CLARE VALLEY,  SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 

         

           South Australia has three wine-growing areas in close proximity to Adelaide  - 

           The Barossa Valley to the east of the city,  McLaren Vale incorporating the Adelaide

           Hills and Fleurieu Peninsular to the south  and my favourite  the CLARE VALLEY.

 

           My recent trip to the Clare Valley took me by car on an easy drive to the north of Adelaide,

          bypassing Gawler and making the first stop at RIVERTON. Its railway station  was the

          scene of Aust's first political assasination in 1921 when a member of Parliament, Mr

          Percy Brookfield was shot by a Russian immigrant called Koorman Tomayaff.

          The attractive historic station is now a tea-room and art gallery.

         

          Then on to the lovely little town of BURRA.  In 1845 copper was found in the area and a

          huge mine called The Monster Mine was dug, yielding the richest ore the world had seen

          in those days.  Nine very small towns grew up around the mine with a total population of

          approx 5000 and eventually these were formed into one town  -  Burra. 

 

         On my visit I stayed at the Burra Motel Inn beside the picturesque Burra Creek  and called

         into the nearby Visitor Centre.  There I purchased for $11  a "Burra Heritage Passport", an

         excellent tool with which to explore Burra by private car.  You are provided with a detailed

         map which outlines a well-defined route around Burra covering 47 points of historic interest

         in logical order.   You go past lovely old buildings, bridges, monuments, old shops, the

         railway station and the mine.   You are also given a key which enables you to enter seven

         places including the main mine site, the police lock-up and stables, Redruth Gaol (where

         parts of the film "Breaker Morant" were made, an old brewery and miners dugouts.

         You make your own pace in your car (two hours in my case) and  everything is maintained      

          by The National Trust.   Brilliant concept, most interesting and enjoyable.

 

          Next morning through farming country via Clare (not great) to SEVEN HILL, the Clare Valley's

         oldest winery  -  started by Jesuit monks from Austria in 1851 to produce sacrimental wine.

         This is now a commercial winery but it has attractive St Aloysius Church in its grounds.

         The area is dotted with wineries, all open to the public and well-known, with cellar-door

          tastings and wines to purchase at good prices.

 

          On to a treasure of a place  -  the village of MINTARO, built in 1849 and described recently as

          "a tranquil time capsule".  Only two streets, it provides a real snapshot of our colonial past

          with its little stone cottages (some now b and bs), traditional country pub "The Magpie and

          Stump", slate quarry, three-acre park and John Smith's cafe with home-made apple cake

          not to be missed!!!    Do NOT miss Mintaro.

 

          Nearby Mintaro is MARTINDALE HALL, one of SA's finest historical homes. Built in 1879

           by an English aristocrat Edmund Barton on an 11000 acre farm at great expense, this

           magnificent mansion was sold to the Mortlock family in 1950 and then donated to the

           people of SA.  A Georgian building full of antiques, paintings and stylish furniture, it has

           nine bedrooms, two formal dining-rooms, library, huge kitchen, a superb billiards room

           and sweeping staircase.   AND you can stay there  -  bed and breakfast Mon-Thu and if

           you have dinner there it is served by a butler!    Oh,  and Martindale House featured in the

           film "Picnic at Hanging Rock"  as the girls school.

 

          90 minutes drive back to Adelaide with a coffee-break at  AUBURN,  birthplace of  C J Dennis

          who wrote  "The Sentimental Bloke".  End of a great three-day holiday with lovely scenery ,

          lots of historic buildings, tasty wines, fresh air and very relaxing  -  THE CLARE VALLEY.

 

 

 

 

                                              HOT TRAVEL NEWS;    FLIGHTS TO NORTH AMERICA

 

              Earlier this month the Australian and U.S Governments signed an "Open Skies"

              agreement covering the air routes between Australia and USA across the Pacific.

              Until now these routes have been dominated by Qantas and Unitied Airlines under

               respective Govt legislation and authority but this new agreement will allow other

               airlines to operate.  The result for the travelling public should be greater choice of

               airlines but also cheaper fares.  Already Virgin has indicated they will be flying ex

               Sydney to Los Angeles and/or San Fransisco  and other airlines are likely to follow.

 

 

 

                                                          DISCUSSION POINT:   AUST DOMESTIC AIRLINES

 

                We now have three major domestic airlines flying domestic services within Australia:

                QANTAS JETSTAR,   VIRGIN  and  TIGER AIRWAYS.    Which one do you prefer and why?

                Tell us about  your experiences on these airlines, good or bad please.               

 

 

                                                              DESTINATION:       GLASGOW

 

           Glasgow , from the visitor's point-of-view, has long been seen as the poor cousin to the

            more stately and visably-attractive Edinburgh, just one hour away by car or train.

            Personally I have always had a soft spot for Glasgow  -  its people are warm and friendly,

            the River Clyde is a real working river and two of the best soccer teams in the world are

            based there!

             In recent years a transition has taken place and Glasgow is now one of the liveliest and

             most cosmopolitan cities in Europe. It has been reborn as a centre of style and modernity

            against a background of great Victorian architecture.  It now boasts world-famous art

            collections, possibly the best shopping in UK, good accomodation and a fine choice of

            eating places.  Public buildings have been sand-blasted to their natural colour, city

            streetscapes have been improved and a number of visitor attractions introduced and in

            1999 Glasgow was honoured as the UK city of architecture and design.

             Some recommendations for things to see and do as a tourist in Glasgow:

             a)  Visit the Tourist Info Bureau in George Street opposite the main railway station. Helpful

                   staff, comprehensive brochures and a good local map to set you on your way.

             b)  George Square has several fine statues  -  Sir Walter Scott,  Queen Victoria and Prince

                   Albert,  Robert Burns and James Watt (inventor of the steam engine).

              c)  Glasgow Cathedral, a great example of a complete Pre-reformation Scottish Cathedral.

             d)  Glasgow Necropolis, a spectacular cemetery (if they can be described that way!)

                   modelled on the well-known "Pere La Chase" Cemetery in Paris and containing some

                   beautifully designed tombs.  Also a great place for a panoramic view of the whole city.

               e)  St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art which offers an insight into faiths through-

                    out the world. It also houses Salvador Dali's famous painting  "Christ of St John of the

                    Cross".

               f)  The Gallery of Modern Art in Queen Street has four floors of paintings, sculptures and

                    "novelty" artworks, some very surreal.  

               g)  The Mitchell Library, founded in 1874 and now Europe's largest public reference

                     library containing over 1.5 million volumes of literature.

               h)  Outside the city area about 16 miles to the south-west is a "must-see" called The

                     Burrell Collection".  Sir William Burrell was born in Glasgow in 1861, became a 

                     very wealthy shipping magnate and developed a massive art collection  -   medieval

                     European art, oriental ceramics and bronzes,  European paintings, ancient civil-

                     isation relics  -  over 9000 works of art in total.

                    In 1944 Sir William gifted his whole collection to the city of Glasgow and it is housed

                    in a fine building called Pollok House in a rural setting.  It is a wonderful exhibition, 

                   extremely varied and interesting.

                i)  "THe House for an Art Lover",  a house in Bellahouston Park which was built by the

                    famous Scottish architect Charles Rennie McIntosh as his entry in an architectural

                    competition held in Vienna in 1901.  The exterior and interior of the house had to be

                    a unified work of art using contemporary modern architecture  and it was to be used by

                    an art lover to facilitate lavish entertainment.

                    It is beautiful  -  very clean simplistic lines, predominently white in colour and set in 

                    lovely gardens.  The interior is also white with subtle lighting, minimilistic furniture

                   but with great lines, artistic fireplaces, cleverly concealed wall cupboards  -  and an

                   overall feeling of space, light and peacefulness.  Well worth visiting.

 

            Glasgow is certainly well worth visiting in its own right and it is also a great setting-off

            point to Loch Lomond, Oban and the western Isles  and especially an unforgettable train

            journey to the Isle of Skye, to Inverness in the middle of Scotland, to the Highlands and

            the Orkneys.         

               

                 

 

 

 

                     Thai Airways Int is offering people aged 55 years and over a SENIORS 

                      BUSINESS CLASS airfare to Europe and return from Sydney, Melbourne

                     and Brisbane from A$5739 plus airport taxes.

                     Fares are valid for travel until 30th Sept 2008 and conditions apply.  Contact

                     your travel agent or log on to www.thaiairways.com.au for further details.       

 

 

                              DESTINATION:                    HERVEY BAY,  QUEENSLAND

 

          Hervey Bay is on the Queensland coast, 300kms to the north of Brisbane  between

          Maryborough and Rockhampton.  It was discovered by Capt James Cook in 1770

          and was named by him after Lord Augustus John Hervey, Capt Cook's superior in

          the British Royal Navy.  The area was first settled by Europeans in 1854 and currently

         has a permanent population of 55000.  Hervey Bay was declared a city in 1984 and

         incorporates a number of suburbs running along the coast from Urangan in the south

         to Point Vernon at its north.

         A main road and pedestrian pathway go the length of Hervey Bay between the stretch of

         beach and the built-up areas of shops, cafes, small accom houses, private dwellings

         and gardens.  In this way it is rather like the bay area of the Mornington Peninsular in

         Victoria.

         Approx 70000 visitors come to Hervey Bay each year to enjoy the warm weather and very

         relaxed life-style.  It is at its busiest during school holidays but quite quiet at other times.

        What to do on holiday there apart from relaxing, eating and sleeping?  Some suggestions:

 

        a)   From late July till early November humpback whales and their calves play in the Pacific

            Ocean in Hervey Bay as a break from their annual migration.  Whale watching from cruise

            boats is very popular and when I did this I saw about 20 whales in one morning.

        b)  A "must" is a full-day visit to Fraser Island, only 50 mins away by motor-boat  -  the world's

             largest sand island and completely unspoilt. 

        c)  Bird-watching  -  over 250 species frequent the bay area including migratory  birfds from

             Japan, Alaska and Siberia.  Local birds include brolga, Jacana, Brahminy Kites and my

             favorites, pelicans.

         d)  Fancy fishing?  easily done from the very long Urangan Pier, from the beach or by boat,

              you are guaranteed a good catch and a veru tasty meal or two.

         e)  If you are interested in history I suggest a visit to the Hervey Bay Historical Village and

              Museum in Zephyr Street.  You will need at least two hours to visit the 19 buildings

             containing a huge colection of historic memorabilia.

         f)  Brooklyn House in the nearby town of Howard, 30 mins drive from HB.  A typical  Queens-

             land home of the late nineteenth century of 64 squares, 14ft high ceilings and wood

            panelling, this was the home of Dame Annabel Rankin, Queensland's first female

            Senator and then the Dowd family but when they left in 1976 it fell into disrepair and

            was vandalised.    A lovely couple called Terry and Jan Ward from Victoria bought the

            property in 1987 and have done a brilliant job in restoring it to its former glory.   Great

            place to visit  -  and to have a Devonshire tea!!

        g) Sea shell fanciers or collectors will enjoy the Sea-Shell Museum in Scarness, a suburb of

            HB  -  over 50000 shells on display and reputed to be the biggest collection in the State.

 

         So there you are  -  Hervey Bay on the coast of Queensland.  Easy to reach by air,  plenty of

         good accom (except during peak periods) , many reasonable eating places, friendly locals

         and extremely relaxing.