SpendaNIGHTinthelatest,
greatest and most FABULOUS
NEW STAYS in the country.
A WHOLE NEW RAE OF SUNSHINE
Even the best of us need a declutter sometimes, and that
includes award-winning Byron Bay, ultra-luxury property
Rae’s on Wategos. Sydney interior designer Tamsin Johnson
whisked away the old velvet and suede decadence and has
installed, instead, natural materials such as sandstone,
bamboo, linen and rattan, dip-dyed concrete bedside tables,
breezy white shutters and bespoke furnishings. Next on the
agenda is a refurb of the on-site restaurant. raes.com.auTHE FRONT DESK
Peter Brown, chief concierge
at HYATT REGENCY
SYDNEY, shares his top tips
for a weekend out and about in
Sydney when staying at the new
hotel on Darling Harbour.
sydney.regency.hyatt.comHISTORIC BALMAIN Ta k e
a short ferry ride across the
harbour to one of Sydney’s
earliest suburbs. Enjoy lunch
in one of the many historic
pubs, just a short stroll from
the ferry wharf.
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN
SYDNEY Take an Aboriginal
Heritage tour within the
garden, or explore Mrs
Macquarie’s Chair – one of
the best lookout points over
Sydney Harbour. My tip is to
take a ferry from King Street
Wharf, behind the hotel,
which will stop at Circular
Quay right next door to
Royal Botanic Garden –
a 30-hectare oasis right in
the middle of the city!
QUEEN VICTORIA BUILDING
Stroll up from the hotel to the
beautiful Tea Room on the top
floor of what is now fondly
known as QVB. For the sweet
tooth, pick up some chocolate
delights from Josophan’s Fine
Chocolates, made locally in
the Blue Mountains.
NIELSEN PARK Catch a ferry
from King Street Wharf to
Watsons Bay and enjoy a
picnic in the park overlooking
the bay with the city skyline as
your backdrop. Don’t forget
to pick up your readymade
picnic hamper from our
concierge team.
STRAND ARCADE Sit down to
a single-origin espresso in any
of the many coffee houses
within the Strand Arcade, or
grab a coffee on the go.pillow talk
SHORTCUTS | Pillow talk
A track winding back
As far away as you can get from one
city (Sydney) without starting to head
into another city (Melbourne), the
halfway point of Gundagai is an ideal
place to hide from both. Kimo Estate is
set on 7000 hectares of working farm,
and although its century-old workers’
cottages make for a charming stay, it is
the luxe, architecturally designed,
solar-powered eco-huts, with sweeping
360-degree views of the Murrumbidgee
flats that scream (or is it whisper?) ‘get
away from it all’. kimoestate.com26 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM
CITY SLICKER
As Perth enjoys an astonishing
construction boom, its latest
opening brings a slick, sleek
hotel to The Springs Rivervale,
an urban renewal project along
the eastern bank of the Swan
River. Aloft Perth, part of
Marriott International’s hip
Aloft brand, features 224
rooms with free wi-fi, rain
showers, and locally sourced
live music, art and coffee –
but of course. aloftperth.com