The most remote of destinations becomes instantly familiar when you bring along a travel candle. Pack a little piece of home when you travel, adding a sense of relaxation and luxury to your holiday abode. With Christmas fast approaching, you’re sure to find the perfect gift for the style conscious traveller in your life.
Arriving at Long Island via Cruise Whitsundays on a quiet Monday afternoon, only myself and another couple depart at the ferry terminal. There is an eager young man ready to greet the other party, he’s all clean cut and his monogrammed polo shirt reveals he’s from the chain hotel on the island. As they head off I see a little dingy pull up and a Robinson Crusoe-esque man leaps out with jagged shorts, no shoes and a wide straw hat – this is definitely more like it!
Long Island is one of the 74 islands of the Whitsundays. From interstate, fly into either Hamilton Island or Proserpine Airport, the resort is then easily accessible by Ferry from either Hamilton Island (30 minutes) or Airlie Beach (45 minutes) or more glamorous transport options.
Arriving at Melbourne Airport I’m advised by the rental car company that there are no cars available despite the fact that I’ve booked a car to be picked up exactly at this time. I’d love it if someone could explain how hire car companies work, as a regular road trip traveller it continues to baffle me? Surely they are like hotels, you book a room/car and it’s allocated in the system – right? After an extended delay, eventually a car arrives, but the process takes an hour longer than I’d planned. The saving grace on a frustrating experience is the rental car attendant at the exit gate who asks where I’m going and then quickly presents me with a map hand marked with directions to the Mornington Peninsula. I keep quiet on the fact I’ve already punched in the destination on my GPS, as this old school gesture just makes me happy.
It’s less than 4 weeks before the world’s attention is on Brisbane for the G20 Leaders Summit. While there are some great events for locals to celebrate this important occasion including the G20 Global Café and G20 Cultural Celebration, Brisbanites are encouraged to exit the city on Friday 14 November to make way for the motorcades. While glimpsing an Obama motorcade might be cool, what’s cooler is a long weekend by the beach!