Why Melbourne is one of Australia’s most family-friendly destinations

An Aboriginal healer, dressed as a Jedi and wielding a glowing blue boomerang like a lightsaber, beckons to me. Inching my way along the shadowy corridor of Flinders Street Station’s third floor, I find twisted tree roots carved into haunting sculptures, ancient spirits cast in red neon lights, and an ochre termite mound rising from the centre of a cavernous ballroom. A woman’s mournful singing floats in the darkness. 

In a move aimed at boosting tourism and the economy, Indonesia is exploring the possibility of offering visa-free entry to Indians along with 19 other countries, including the U.S., China, Australia, South Korea, Germany, Britain, and France.

Cosmopolitan Melbourne is arguably Australia's most exciting urban adventure. Famed for its food, sport and obsession with artisanal coffee, it's a city that never stands still. The Central Business District (CBD) mixes Victorian architecture with the steely glint of a skyscraper skyline, carved up by tram lines and the Yarra River, making it a handsome place to wander and easy to travel around. You could try to catch an Aussie Rules match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or pay your respects to Australia's top artists at the National Gallery of Victoria — but many of the city's greatest delights are hidden down its skinny laneways and ornate arcades, where locals nurse flat whites at hole-in-the-wall cafes splashed with street art, or while away hours dipping in and out of small independent shops.  

If you’re looking for culture, activities, wildlife or sheer adventure, Indonesia is one of the richest countries in the world. With an estimated 13,466 islands, it's a whopper too. But Indonesia beyond Bali and Lombok (and the Gili Islands) remains largely unknown to many travelers. To pick just one example, Sumatra (80 times the size of Bali) is almost a world in itself. And yet people ask the question: “Is Indonesia worth visiting?”

Southern Ocean Lodge, the dramatic retreat that set the bar for small luxury properties in Australia, reopened today on the wild and windswept Kangaroo Island off the country’s southern coast. The Lodge opened in 2008 on a dramatic bluff, facing the relentless Southern Ocean surf below. Fabled among luxury travelers, bushfires decimated it in 2019 and 2020. After three years of rebuilding, the lodge has been reborn.

Top of the morning to you. Do you know that quote, “There are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet?” 

Being tasked with choosing the best places to visit in Australia is no easy assignment.

With 60,000km (37,282 miles) of coastline, picking a favorite amongst Australia’s roughly 12,000 beaches is an almost impossible task.

“He’s in here, in the kitchen every night and he’s smiling. He’s so happy to be doing this,” explains one of the managers of Café Carmellini. He is chef Andrew Carmellini, well known around New York the past 15 years for his respected but more casual restaurants Locanda Verde, Lafayette, The Dutch, Carne Mare and Bar Primi. This restaurant, which opened November 1st in the new Fifth Avenue Hotel, marks his return to fine dining with reinterpretations of French and Italian classics and as his most personal restaurant is the first one that bears his name. It’s been packed since opening night and looking around the Gilded Age style dining room with its oversized bronze and seeded glass chandeliers suspended from double height ceilings, plush blue banquettes and sculpted trees in the middle of the floor, the chef isn’t the only one smiling.

Planning a trip to Australia? Whether you’re heading Down Under for a short break or extended working holiday, you’ll likely need a visa. 

I’ve lived in Melbourne for over 25 years, so I can confirm the first thing everyone will tell you about Australia’s second-largest city: the weather is variable.

In the good old days, Indonesia had only two uncomplicated seasons: wet and dry. But then climate change teamed up with El Nino and La Niña to turn the weather upside down.