Each cruise from
Coral Expeditions,
who are certified
by Ecotourism
Australia, carries
a maximum of
120 passengers,
and travels to
remote locations
around Australia
and the South
Pacific without
overwhelming
the environment.
Where possible,
their small-batch
cuisine is sourced
locally, and menus
are built around
the seasonality
of produce. The
company also
supports local
sustainable
initiatives such as
the Cairns Turtle
Rehabilitation
Centre, and
tree planting in
Takabonerate
Atoll, southern
Indonesia.
Over-tourismis morethanjustbumpingshoulderswiththousandsattheTreviFountain.
It alsosucksupresourcesanddepleteslocalculture.HerearethreeAustralian
destinations worth putting on your bucket list to travel off-the-beaten track:Alice
Springs, NT
Thisvibranttownhosts
regulareventsincluding
theLGTBIfestival, Fab
Alice, andtheIndigenous
light installation, Parrtjima.Bairnsdale,
Vic
ThissmalltowninEast
Gippslandis theperfect
placetobaseyourself
toaccesstheregion’s
lakes and wineries.Stanley,
Ta s
SittingneartheTarkine
wildernessis thisquirky
seasidetown.Booka suite
attheconvertedheritage
pub, The Ship Inn.“‘Treat’foodis supposedtobetheretotreatus,butyouonlyneedtolookatthebiscuit
orchocolateaislein thesupermarkettoseethatconsumptionis aboveanylevelthat
couldbeconsidereda treat,”saysDrMichalisHadjikakou,a researchfellowatthe
SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciencesatDeakinUniversity.In fact,hesays,
it’sestimatedthat 35 percentofourcarbonandlandusefootprintcomesfrom
discretionary– ie,treat– foods,ratherthanfoodsthatmeetourbasicnutritionalneeds
suchasvegetables,grains,leanmeatsanddairy.“Weshouldbeprioritisingcorefood
andsavingtreatsforspecialoccasions,”hesays.“Sobyallmeansgoouttothatnice
restaurant and order that dessert. But don’t drink soft drinks on a daily basis.”●“TREAT” EATING
CUT DOWN ON
LO
CAL TRIP
SGOURMET TRAVELLER 65