The Oz factor: 10 ways to sell Australia
Experiential luxury and getting back to nature have long been appealing magnets for Australia – but where do you start to make the most of it? We’ve got 10 ways to see the country at its best.
When it comes to stand-out experiences, few destinations can compete with Australia, which was mixing luxury with immersion in wild landscapes long before it was fashionable. Continued innovation, even over the country’s prolonged lockdown, means it also has plenty of new product to entice clients these days too.
Since Australia’s reopening in 2022, an early rush of visiting friends and relatives demand has given way to leisure travel and, as of April this year, the destination had notched up 78% of its 2019 visitation. Aviation capacity to the end of July was on course to reach 84% of 2019 levels for the same period.
“We know travellers are staying longer and spending more than they did prior to the pandemic. For premium travellers, new experiences such as the Wintjiri Wiru drone experience at Uluru offer exciting new ways to discover our Indigenous cultures,” says Sally Cope, regional general manager, UK and Northern Europe for Tourism Australia.
While the borders were closed, Cope adds that more than 100 new or refurbished properties opened their doors, including Silky Oaks Lodge in Queensland and The Louise in South Australia, which have both undergone complete refurbishments. Elsewhere in the luxury space, Capella opened its first Australian property in Sydney earlier this year and the iconic Southern Ocean Lodge is on track to reopen at the end of 2023.
For agents in search of neatly packaged adventures and exclusive things to suggest, the Tourism Australia-supported Signature Experiences of Australia collectives can help. Luxury Lodges of Australia is already familiar in the UK market but there are seven more such collectives covering wine, Aboriginal culture, wildlife, walking, fishing, golf and the arts, all offering easy ways to add wow factor to itineraries in the country.
1. Starring role
Clients can have a Diva for a Day makeover session or even a fully costumed walk-on role in a performance at the iconic Sydney Opera House (pictured above). These VIP experiences are among many behind-the-scenes packages offered by members of the Cultural Attractions of Australia collective. There are also opportunities to gain insights from an indigenous guide at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, to take a premium access tour of Melbourne Cricket Ground or have a private dinner with the owner of Hobart’s contemporary Mona gallery, culturalattractionsofaustralia.com
2. On the house
Australia’s longest river, the Murray, can be explored on a houseboat safari, linking luxurious accommodation with walking and kayaking. Guests might spot kangaroos, koalas and possums and abundant birdlife, and can also contribute to Citizen Science projects by logging their sightings. The six-bedroom, 12-berth High River houseboat was launched last year and includes an open-top deck with a hot-tub and uses solar power rather than a diesel generator. Fully catered three-day tours from Murray River Trails cost from around £1,210pp (twin-share) departing Renmark, South Australia; further tours of up to six days are available too, murrayrivertrails.com.au
3. Sustainable stays
Many Australian lodges and hotels now have strong commitments to sustainability. Audley has gathered several into a suggested itinerary called Coast, Outback & Reef, the Eco-friendly Way. Starting in Adelaide, it takes in Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders Ranges, then continues via the Indian Pacific train to Sydney, where a three-day stay in the city is followed by a Blue Mountains stay at the Old Leura Dairy and a coastal jaunt at Byron Bay. In Queensland, clients can enjoy nature experiences at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse in Lamington National Park before transferring to “Australia’s most sustainable hotel” on Pumpkin Island, near the Great Barrier Reef. The trip concludes in Brisbane – and the whole thing costs from £8,235pp, audleytravel.com
4. Dancing drones
A ground-breaking Aboriginal cultural event involving 1,000 carefully choreographed drones is new this year at Uluru. In the Wintjiri Wiru Experience the local Anangu share the Mala story, from Kaltukatjara to Uluru, through a drone, sound and light show designed and produced by Ramus. Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, which owns the Sails in the Desert Hotel, collaborated with 10 senior community leaders to help create the project. The experience runs twice nightly for a hamper Sunset Dinner (around £203) and an After Dark show (£100). Meanwhile British light artist Bruce Munro has a new attraction in the area, 69 Light Towers, with each of them made up of 220 bottles filled with fibre-optic cables, voyages.com.au
5. Lounge lizard
Secluded bolthole The House can now be hired on Lizard Island in Queensland. Opened last year, it occupies a corner surrounded by three white-sand beaches. Up to eight guests can enjoy an all-inclusive stay, with a nearby cottage suitable for further guests or staff. A private host can prepare experiences, supported by a chef and sommelier, spa therapists, a yoga instructor and a naturalist, and boats are also provided. Meanwhile nearby on the Great Barrier Reef, the Museum of Underwater Art has been expanded with eight giant sculptures modelled on leading marine scientists added at John Brewer Reef, thehouseatlizard.com
6. Truffle shuffle
Truffle hunting isn’t just the preserve of Italy – trained scent dogs track down the delicacy in parts of Australia too, and visitors can join the search then cook and eat their prize. Thanks to 722 trees producing summer, winter and spring varieties, working farm RedGround (pictured, redground.com.au) in New South Wales is the first in Australia to offer truffle-hunting experiences from February to October. In the pine forests of Oberon, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Sydney, the farm has a two-bedroom cottage for hire, offers horse riding and can host private events. Truffle hunting is also new at Sequoia Lodge (sequoialodge.com.au) in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, just outside the city.
7. Putting on the Ritz
Melbourne’s hotel scene has really been heating up, and earlier this year in March saw the arrival of a Ritz-Carlton (pictured, ritzcarlton.com). Among its top attractions are a spa by Espa, and 80th-floor Atria restaurant, which showcases “hyper-seasonal” contemporary Australian cuisine. For a more retro vibe, consider the former Rolls-Royce showroom that opened this year on Melbourne’s St Kilda Road as The Royce (roycehotel.com.au), a 96-room hotel with design nods to its Art Deco origins particularly in its showy bar-lounge. An Art Deco facade also fronts the new Le Meridien Melbourne (marriott.com), which features an open pool deck overlooking Fitzroy Gardens and the city skyline.
8. Cruise control
Options continue to expand for luxury cruising along Western Australia’s Kimberley coast and beyond. Adventure yacht True North’s (truenorth.com.au) sister vessel was relocated from Indonesia and relaunched this year following an extensive refit – True North II (pictured) is more compact, sleeping 20 guests (compared to its sister’s 36), and is priced around 25% lower. New itineraries include fishing and snorkelling at the Montebello Islands and different durations in the rugged Kimberley and on the Great Barrier Reef. Meanwhile, an 11-day Discover the Kimberley Coastline: An Ancient Wilderness itinerary is offered on Scenic Luxury Cruises’ (scenic.co.uk) new Discovery Yacht, Scenic Eclipse II. Departing from Darwin, it includes wildlife spotting and the opportunity for helicopter flights over the McLarty Range.
9. Two days on two wheels
A new two-day mountain biking experience has been added to Blue Derby Pods Ride’s repertoire of small-group breaks in the north-east Tasmanian bush. After a day of adventure, each evening ends with fine local food and wine at a central hub and a stay in architecturally designed “pods”. Departing Launceston on Sundays, the guided adventure can be adapted to different abilities, with e-bikes also available. Those with more time can take three- or four-day breaks, the latter including a chef-prepared seafood lunch on the beach at the Bay of Fires, bluederbypodsride.com.au
10. Tee and coast
Wild koalas, kangaroos and seals are among wildlife spots that may be possible during play when lofty links golf course The Cliffs (thecliffs.com.au) opens on the coast of Kangaroo Island next year. This December will meanwhile see the resumption of stays at the South Australia island’s Southern Ocean Lodge (southernoceanlodge.com.au), three years after it was razed by bushfires. Created by the lodge’s original architect Max Pritchard, the new property (pictured) will have almost the same footprint but with its 25 suites reoriented to maximise views; a four-bedroom, four-bathroom Ocean Pavilion with pool and terrace is new too.
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