Travelogue: A Dark-Sky Sanctuary in the Desert and More Travel News

Flight deals

• Click Frenzy’s travel-themed sale is live for five days, with deals on flights, accommodation, attractions, experiences, luggage and more. Highlights include 10 per cent off selected Qatar Airways flights, 10 per cent off hotel bookings with Trip.com and up to $100 off campervan hire with Camplify. The sale runs until August 30.

• Webjet’s latest flight sale spans more than 150 countries, including Bali, Auckland, Fiji, Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, Rome and more. Flights depart from Sydney Airport only; highlights include Sydney to Tokyo return from $749 with Vietjet, Sydney to Los Angeles from $875 return with Delta and Sydney to London from $1215 with China Southern. Book before September 13.    

• Sydneysiders can also take advantage of Singapore Airlines’ newly launched route between Western Sydney Airport and Singapore, with return flights from $688. Book before September 13 for travel between November 24 and December 8.

• Low-cost airline Scoot is launching a new route from Australia to Guiyang, in China’s mountainous Guizhou region, with the first flights taking off from October 26. There are flights from Perth from $270 one-way, or from Sydney and Melbourne from $300 one-way. As well as a destination worthy of exploration in its own right, Guiyang is a gateway to broader China, with bullet train connections to Guilin, Nanning and Guangzhou.

• Jetstar’s new route from Melbourne to Colombo has launched, offering direct flights to the Sri Lankan capital, home to tuk-tuk filled streets, buzzing fresh food markets and laneways emblazoned with street art. The new route departs three times weekly, with the flight taking approximately 10 hours.

• Garuda Indonesia’s new campaign gets you one free flight within Indonesia when you book an international round-trip. To access the offer, book an eligible Garuda Indonesia international flight to Indonesia, add one eligible domestic flight to a second destination – excluding Jakarta and Bali – and enter the code INDO when you check out. Choose from island destinations across Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Java and more – book and travel before November 30.

Destination dining

• The Hunter Valley will host Chefs in the Vines in September, bringing together chefs working at some of the most storied hotels and guesthouses in the region. Hosted at Spicers Guesthouse in Pokolbin, the day will showcase talent from Rick Stein at Bannisters Port Stephens, Orleana at Kingsford The Barossa, Éremo at Spicers Guesthouse, Botanica at Spicers Vineyard Escapes and Circa 1876 at The Convent Hunter Valley, and highlight the region’s local produce and wine.

• Positioned halfway between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay, Pipit is known for its exemplary degustation using produce sourced from the surrounding Northern Rivers region. This September, the Pottsville destination diner is hosting a weekly pop-up residency by Mr Trinh’s Vietnamese, serving share-style plates inspired by Vietnamese family recipes. The commitment to the hyperlocal remains the same, with local growers including Conscious Ground and Boon Luck Farm supplying produce: expect cheffy spins on Vietnamese classics like spanner crab bun rieu noodles and banh mi served on choux bun. 

Wellness and retreats

Australia

• Sol Elements, an architecturally designed floating bathhouse in Tamborine Mountain Glades on the Gold Coast, has opened a new private massage space, designed for couples, as well as a new floating platform, built for tea ceremonies, sound healing and live performances. The expansion builds on Sol Elements’ broader suite of wellness offerings, including thermal pools, cold plunges, salt-water flotation caves and massage.

• Lancemore Hotels recently debuted its new outdoor sauna experience, The Slow Season, at its Milawa and Lindenderry Red Hill properties. To mark the launch, guests who take up The Slow Season offer go into the draw to win a luxe Orans sauna. The Slow Season is available only for people who book directly with Lancemore Hotels at Milawa and Lindenderry Red Hill.

• Australia has scored a new dark-sky sanctuary – our third – with the Northern Territory’s Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) Conservation Reserve getting the nod from Darksky International for the quality of its night skies that remain untouched by light pollution. The 1800-hectare reserve, recognised as a sacred site for the Kaytetye, Warumungu, Warlpiri and Alyawarra Traditional Owners, is distinguished by the ancient granite boulders scattered across its wide, shallow valley and its uninterrupted views of the Milky Way. Grab a Northern Territory Parks Visitor Pass before you set up camp.

International

• Merasa Origins is Desa Potato Head’s deep dive into the cultural roots of Balinese wellness practices, tracing its history through a centuries-long synthesis of Vedic spiritual traditions, Buddhist teachings and local mystical and esoteric belief systems. The second of this three-part series comes to Desa Potato Head in September, led by Tantric priest Pak Sugeng and spiritual anthropologist Serj Hunt. The four-day event includes a welcome dinner, morning movement sessions, guided workshops, talks and traditional ceremonies, set within Desa Potato Head’s sprawling beachfront complex in Seminyak.