The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • 185

2t Travel he btttg JHoming $jeralb wwwsmhcomau SATURDAY JULY 10 1999 baggage Kiama in winter PENELOPE Sr OR? I 1 ltfiM8 Mediterranean From $6790 Fly Lauda Air (business class) Cruise Jul to Oct '99 your choice of seven-night Travel Corp five-star Windstar cruises South Africa From $2795 Fly South African Airways six Bench to Dec '99 nights' accom with dinner International breakfasts and sightseeing New Zealand From $876 Fly to Ghristchurch six days' skiing to Oct '99 car hire six nights accom National three day-passes to Mt Hutt World Travel Coronet and Remarkables lifts Phuket From $939 Fly Malaysia Airlines six Golden Holidays Jul 14 to Sep nights' accom at 15 Oct 6 31 Golden Land Plaza Melbourne From $279 Fly Qantas two nights' accom Qantas pay by Jul 26 at Redan Quest Lodging Holidays trvl to Sep 17 1 1 Special Summer and Winter I TOURS to and from SOUTH AFRICA 1 at redujeed reurjrfes jj Send a postcard Lots of detail AN ESSENTIAL aspect to a book of travellers' tales written for the benefit of others is that readers feel swept up in the experiences adventurous or otherwise If the writer doesn't take you along for the ride then he or she might as well not have bothered This is my major sticking point with Tim Bowden's account of his trip from Port Augusta across the Eyre Peninsula and the Nullarbor Plain to King George Sound and eventually Margaret River in Western Australia The book is called Penelope Goes West in honour of the 4WD that took Bowden and his wife Ros on the journey (along with a camping trailer christened The Manor) Much of their trip followed in the footsteps of explorer Edward John Eyre and large slabs of the book retell his story and that of other explorers such as Matthew Flinders These historic portions of the book are actually much more interesting than the experiences of the present-day travellers Bowden tries hard but he wrote his personal diary of the trip without intending it to become a book a good deal of it is just everyday personal detail Although some of it is diverting excerpts which might work very well as dinner party yarns don't stand up as well to expansion on the page The constant change of tense from present to past and back as he talks about their journey is also a little irritating Still if you're planning a southern Australian driving trip you may pick up some useful tips on places to visit or avoid Penelope Goes West is published by Allen Unwin at $2495 Judy Adamson Supplied by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) Prices are twin-share economy return ex-Sydney low-season Conditions apply Bookings must be made at your local AFTA travel agent More winners DUE TO a production glitch some of the winners of the New South Wales Awards for Excellence in Tourism were omitted from last week's report They were: Unique Accommodation: Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat Camping Caravan Parks: La Mancha Cara-park Berowra Deluxe Accommodation Regional: Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens Deluxe Accommodation Metropolitan: All Seasons Premier Menzies Hotel Sydney Luxury Accommodation: Lilianfels Blue Mountains Outstanding Contribution by an Individual: John McKernan Outstanding Contribution to Regional Tourism by an Individual: Elizabeth Anne Foster Outstanding Contribution to Tourism by a Young Achiever: Andreas Breitfuss Registered Clubs: Catalina Country Club Batemans Bay A full list of winners as well as those who received awards of distinction are on Travel's Web site at wwwsmhcomautravel The winning reader's nomination for the Sydney Morning Herald Customer Service Award appears in Letters Page 7 TIRED OF heading off to Bali or the Whitsundays to soak up winter sun or fighting your way through the crowds on the slopes of the Snowy Mountains? If you are looking for something that is unusual and close to home a number of businesses in Kiama (120 km south of Sydney -less than two hours of easy driving) have clubbed together to offer a package that combines fishing eating and good quality accommodation The idea is remarkably simple For $400 a couple (or $250 a head) visitors get two nights' accommodation and two breakfasts in either the Cranford Inn Elii's Bed and Breakfast or Sage Cottage all good quality They also get four hours on the Kiama Harbour Game Fishing and Reef Charter with the opportunity (if the fish are biting) to catch snapper king-fish john dory blue morwong or deep sea perch Then once the physical bit (is fishing really physical?) is over there is a three-course meal with a complimentary bottle of wine at the Harbourside Brighton Restaurant this year's "Tourism Restaurant" category winner in the lllawarra Tourism Awards Beyond that the Kiama area -particularly Jamberoo Gerringong and Gerroa offers dozens of excellent bush-walks and the opportunity to wander along peaceful beaches and quiet coastline At the moment the offer operates from Monday to Friday only (the boat is booked out on weekends for months ahead) but if you ring Andy Keating (the entrepreneurial Irish expatriate with more than a touch of the blarney who runs Sage Cottage) and insist on a weekend he'll undoubtedly come up with some suitably lateral solution Details: Sage Cottage on (02) 4233 1921 Elii's on (02) 4232 2879 or Cranford Inn on (02) 4232 1060 Bruce Eider The images extend from Australia to foreign ports but not all are portraits of cold steel and billowing smoke stacks For example there is a collection of snapshots of a Dutch freighter in the Panama Canal in 1959: one depicts a captain's dinner another shows contented guests enjoying afternoon tea on deck For Sydneysiders the most interesting series may well be the 23 postcards and prints of Sydney ferries from 1940-1970 the 59 colour postcards of the harbour with ships from the 1960s to 1980s and the 41 colour postcards of the harbour from 1960 to 1980 One series of photographs of Sydney and surrounds dating from the '50s to the '80s includes images of East Circular Quay circa 1960 sans Toaster The collection can be viewed at Wemyss Gallery 10 Wentworth Street Sydney and about half the images are displayed on the Internet with others available by e-mail The auction link can be found at wwwwemysscomau and the hammer drops next Wednesday All estimates are stated in US dollars and a buyer's premium will be levied at 125 per cent of the hammer price Proceeds from the auction will benefit the World Ship Society David Lockwood WEMYSS GALLERY is holding an on-line auction of 107 maritime postcard sets from the colourful collection of the late Kitty Dick Well known among the postcard-collecting fraternity Dick lived in Sydney was a founder of the World Ship Society in NSW and is a historian by default Her thorough collection of maritime cards encapsulates the glory days of ships and shipping beginning with the steamers of the early 1900s and covering passenger ships naval ships freighters and ferries Most of the cards are inscribed by Dick with the specifications of the vessel its tonnage what flag it flew under and so on Dick's collection includes cards sent to her from all around the world some with little stories attached others saying nothing more than "Dear Kitty thought you might like this one Predictably the most coveted card is a black and white drawing of the Titanic It's captioned "Ocean Liner Titanic Largest Steamer in the world Sunk by iceberg on maiden trip off Halifax April 15 1912 and is expected to fetch The cards' styles include line drawings paintings romantically touched-up prints from the '40s and '50s and a multitude of black and white photos Trip IN THIS week's instalment of The Big Trip our online serial about four Sydney backpackers in Europe Michelle Matt Allison and Bronwyn offer tips on securing What's it cost? Big Mac 419 Taxi airport to city 1017 Bottle of Heineken 186 Gup of coffee 042 Car hire smalldaily 8058 Night in a 3-star hotel 15268 I Daily newspaper 051 Local phone call 139 Post to Australia 037 I Prices from Thomas Cook Foreign Exchange Prices converted at $A1 11789 Fiji dollars 1 Rates subject to change accommodation in peak season See Travel's Web site at (mm im wwwsmiicomauiravel jyjB Editor Monique Farmer phone (02) 9282 2822 fax (02) 9282 2481 Advertising Adell Nair phone (02) 9282 2441 wwwsmhcomau travel ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA CAPETOWN to NAIROBI ISTANBUL to CAIRO VIETNAM ADVENTURE NORTHERN THAILAND INDOCHINA LOOP BALI to BEIJING TIBET NEPAL 1 8 day camping $995 kitty 56 days camping $3350 kitty 35 days camping $1 550 kitty 22 days Hanoi to Saigon $1890 16 days $1040 30 days Bangkok to Phnom Penh $2990 84 days overland $7490 8 days overland from Kathmandu Machapuchare 8 days from Pokhara $855 Planning a Trip Overseas? SPECIAL OFFERS FOR GROUP INDIVIDUAL TRAVEL Service Itineraries tailored to individual requirements For brochures contact: adventuezspezhotmaiIcom THE ADVENTURE SPECIALISTS (02) 9261 2927 Car Hie 1st 69 Liverpool St SYDNEY 2000 Fax (02) 9261 2907 Lie No TAJ709 Competitive rates for feewheeling programs Regular departures local sightseeing and Coach Tours longer tours half day to 15 days Accommodation Budget to deluxe hotels Resorts Castles Manors Paradores Pousadas MUas and PepperS Apartments We offer over 2(XK) possibilities City Packages Adventure for an extended stay overseas obtain a statement from your doctor or dentist explaining your need for such quantities Don't get caught smuggling PBS prescription drugs You could receive some bad medicine 3-5 day programs Yachts Rafting Ballooning Trekking and Desert Excursions Flamenco Whirling Dervishes Fado Folklore entertainment authentic restaurants Specials NOW IS THE TIME TO ADD A TOUCH OF WARM PEPPERS TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP Individually planned itineraries are our speciality THREE CHEERS FOR AANUKA BEACH RESORT Each year the smuggling of PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) subsidised drugs costs the Australian taxpayer around $20 million It is illegal to carry or send overseas any prescription drugs that are PBS subsidised if they are not for personal use It is also dangerous to give prescription drugs to anyone other than the person they are intended fdr Deluxe Accommodation Award Finalist Sending PBS prescription drugs through the mail? Do not send PBS subsidised drugs through the post unless they will be used by you Australian Customs Service Officers will maintain regular checks of international mail centres and detain such items The Australian Customs Service can detain PBS prescription drugs that are considered not for personal use Over the counter medications and drugs that do not incur the PBS subsidy are not affected Annie's Restaurant Award Finalist Take open fires superb food an extensive wine list luxurious accommodation a special tariff and a touch of "Peppers'! It's a winter recipe to add warmth to any relationship And you can find it at any one of our unique Peppers Retreats in the Hunter Valley Port Stephens and the Southern Highlands A little further away from home we offer Peppers Delgany on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula With Peppers Retreats comes a combination of uniquely Australian style and genuinely friendly service that makes it a pleasure to escape winter in the city Now all you need to do is choose where you would like to be indulged by Peppers For further information or to make a reservation call one of our Retreats listed below we promise you a warm reception Going overseas? Weekday packages start from $176 ppi 'night dinner bed b'fast Convent rates only Make sure you only carry drugs prescribed for you or someone travelling with you and that all pharmacy labels are intact If you have repeat quantities of PBS subsidised drugs Lagoona Brasserie Award Finalist Relax in an enchanting Balinese style environment stroll through perfumed gardens or along an idyllic beach indulge in fine dining and enjoy the facilities of a resort with more than its fair share of Excellence Award nominations CALL NOW 1800 028 919 km If you need more information on what is allowable contact the Health Insurance Commission on 1800 500 147 Peppers Convent Hunter Valley (02) 4998 7764 Peppers Guest House Hunter Valley (02) 4998 7739 Peppers Manor House Southern Highlands (02) 4868 2355 Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens (02) 4984 2555 Peppers Delgany Mornington Peninsula (03) 5984 4000- wwwpepperscomau PBS mm PepperS BEACH RESORT HARBOUR www aanukacom a RETREATS HEALTH INSURANCE COMMISSION Aonuka Beach Resort Firman Drive PO Box 6069 Coffs Harbour NSW 2450.