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Sydney skyline from the pylon lookout on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 1957 - FXJ250902

4 Traveller ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 The Sun-Herald

Ta

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YOURSUNDAYTRAVELDOSSIER

Edited byBELINDA JACKSON

belinda.jackson@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Snow placelike dome

SPOTLIGHT

Photos: Geoff Marks

They organise Himalayan base camps andexpeditions, so surely it wouldn’t be toodifficult for Everest veteran Guy Cotter, hispartner Suze Kelly (she also has climbed thatpeak) and their team at AdventureConsultants to make camp in the alps aboveWanaka, in New Zealand’s South Island.

Turns out it wasn’t straightforward, butafter a couple of years negotiating with theDepartment of Conservation and applyingsome astonishing Kiwi ingenuity to completethe structures, the First Tracks Wanaka

Alpine Heli Camp is a reality. Built for skitourers in the winter and bushwalkers in thesummer, the camp is in the McKerrow Range,well above the snowline at about 1600metres.

The main shelter is a metal-framed domewith double PVC layers to keep the weatherout and cope with condensation. Despite itsrelatively sheltered location, the dome hasbeen built and anchored to handle winds ofup to 250 km/h.

The high ceiling gives a sense of space to

FLY

Travel onyour lips

Travellers passing through Sydney Airport’sinternational terminal should keep an eyeout for Uri, a giant red gorilla that standsguard at the new Giorgio Armani Beauty Boxpop-up.

Sydney is the first Australian airport toexperience the Armani Box, which is freshfrom Hong Kong International Airport.

Until November, test-drive its Lip Maestro

405 lip stain, a muted version of the iconic,pillar-box red 400 lipstick, created especiallyfor the installation.

The luxury-goods precinct also sees thearrival of Bvlgari – another first amongAustralian airports – which touches downlater this quarter.

The airport says that T2, Australia’sbusiest domestic terminal, is next in itssights, with changes being unveiled aroundthe end of this year. Expect new retailofferings as well as better use of space fornew seating, pods, connectivity andbathroom upgrades.

“We’re ticking it off from a retailperspective, but also from a facilitiesperspective,” says a spokesperson for theairport.

Escape to paradise in tropical luxuryat Pacific Hotel Cairns.

From the moment you float in on the plush carpet in your luxurious roomyou will know that you have arrived somewhere uniquely special.

Escape to Cairns and book your Tropical Luxe room today.07 4044 1700 / reservations@pacifichotelcairns.com

pacifichotelcairns.com

43 ESPLANADE, CAIRNS QLD 4870

y

ZQNWHICH AIRPORT IS THAT?Pilots love this airport for the technical skills it demands on take-off and landing;window-seat passengers love it for the views it delivers. The answer is on page 42

The Sun-Herald SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 Traveller ON SUNDAY 5

the Tardis-type interior that contains adining table, gas-range kitchen, four bunks,solar-powered lights and charging(blissfully, no phone reception though) andeven bean bags to scatter around a woodstove.

Nearby is a bush toilet with its framerefashioned from a trampoline and aweather-proof cover. A second, eight-bunkdome will be moved to the site this spring.

The ski touring out the door is superb,with slopes of varying pitch and views to

lakes Wanaka and Hawea and peaks such asAspiring in the distance. Ski touring this yearshould go well into October.

Trips starts at $NZ980 a person (four-share) including helicopter transfers, campaccommodation, meals and guided skitouring.

Jim Darby was a guest of AdventureConsultants and Lake Wanaka Tourism. Seeadventureconsultants.com and -lakewanaka.co.nzJim Darby

Ice caving

FIND

Those already missing winter can nowretreat to Australia’s first ice cave, at theinnovative Peninsula Hot Springs onVictoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

The mercury drops to -4 in the cave, whiletemperatures plunge to -25 degrees in itsinner chamber, appropriately named DeepFreeze, making the accompanying+12-degree plunge pools sound positivelybalmy. The hot component of the newwellness Fire and Ice experience comes

from its 50-degree dry and wet saunas.The springs’ $13 million expansion will be

unveiled on September 22-23 as part of

World Wellness Weekend. Discoverseven new hot springs pools, moreplunge pools, a new cafe, stage andmeeting centre, where it willexplore wellness trends andtraditional therapies and ritualsfrom around the world.

Entrance to the springs costsfrom $25 (weekdays) or $55(weekends). A special packageduring the weekend includes body

clay workshops, Pilates, meditation and yogafor $80.

See peninsulahotsprings.com

EXPAT

Know an expat who’s in the know? Contactbelinda.jackson@fairfaxmedia.com.au

I live here ...

Madrid

WHO David Gillison,42, runs small-group tourcompanymadridivine.com

FROM Cairns,living in Madrid for11 years

SEE Madrid has amazing galleries, like thePrado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen, but don’tever try to see all three in one day as yourbrain will explode. Buy tickets for the Pradoonline and visit during the quietest time,from 2pm-6pm. Entry is free Monday toSaturday 6pm-8pm and on Sundays, but thequeues are very long. Check out the Madridopera, the Zarzuela, in the theatre of redvelvet, gold and crystal chandeliers, whichhas a folkloric feel. See museodelprado.es,teatrodelazarzuela.mcu.es

DO Walk the streets of Malasana, La Latinaand Lavapies, full of great cafes, boutiqueshops, graffiti art and local life, with terracebars on cobbled streets and 17th-centurychurches. For good coffee, try la bicicleta inMalasana (labicicletacafe.com). Watch thesunset sitting on the grass in front of theRoyal Palace.

EAT Locals in the know move from eatinghouse to eating house to savour eachvenue’s speciality in tapas or raciones(sharing plates). Start in downtown LasLetras and Plaza Santa Ana and drift acrossto the high-end tapas Mercado san Miguel.Visit La Casa de Abuelo for some of the bestgarlic prawns in town.See mercadodesanmiguel.es andlacasadelabuelo.es

DRINK My favourite jetlag cure is traditionalSpanish Vermut, a delicious aperitivo with agood kick, served either on tap or bottle. Oneof Europe’s best jazz bars, Cafe Central, hasa great vibe and divine, crisp white wine,Verdejo. See cafecentralmadrid.com

AVOID Don’t carry valuables that aren’thidden from pickpockets. See esmadrid.com

GEAR

Soft landingfor tech heads

Is it a pillow? Is it a laptop saviour? Forthose tired of hauling pointless pillows

on long-haul flights (note: they areneck pillows, not fashion statements),

the new Scrubba Air Sleeve byMelbourne company Calibre8 doubles

as comfort for your weary head andsafety for your laptop. The sleeve auto-inflates to cushion precious tech, andwith a couple more puffs of air, offersextra protection and becomes a snug

pillow for impromptu napping, with thelaptop safe inside. Take the laptop outand unzip the sleeve completely for alarger pillow, ideal for travel. Its lack of

tech branding throws would-be thievesoff the trail of your electronic goods.The Air Sleeve comes in five sizes toaccommodate 10-inch tablets and

laptops up to 15.4 inches, and isavailable in splashproof grey or blue.

Costs from $59.95 to $84.95. Seethescrubba.com.au