Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

Every year when the weather gets cold, I start yearning for a holiday. Whether it’s a hot or cold destination, travelling in winter is perfect. Not only do you get a reprieve from having to get out of bed on those awful dark mornings, destinations are usually cheaper and are much less crowded.

A few years ago I lived in England and with the grey, foggy skies, drizzly rain and short 7 hour days, I spent a fair amount of time on Easyjet and Ryanair websites trying to find budget flights to anywhere with some sunshine.

My favourite winter destination was Italy. I visited there over Christmas one year and was lucky enough to have most of my family join me in a villa in Tuscany (I know, it oozes romance, doesn’t it). As soon as I got off the plane in Pisa, I realised what I’d been missing in my life in London – the sky! It was huge and blue and gorgeous, just like it is in Australia.

Now that I’m back home in Oz and winter looks like it has dig its heels in, I’m back on the net searching for destinations. Last year I went on a lovely little long weekend to Mudgee, NSW. The days were filled with wine tasting, reading books and dozing by the fire. It was a perfect winter retreat.

This winter I’m in the mood for some sun. One area that is of particular interest is Northern Territory, particularly after seeing the movie Australia. It’s not just the balmy 30 degree temperatures that are luring me there, or the fact that the rest of year it pours with rain. I’ve always wanted to see Kakadu but Litchfield Park and Katherine both seem really interesting:

Litchfield is a mini Kakadu, with swimming hole, waterfalls and termite mounds. Katherine has the Gorge (Nitmitiluk National Park) and Mataranka. More

The city of Darwin also sounds pretty cool:

Don’t forget to book yourself onto one of the Harbour cruises, the sunset cruise is particularly lovely. And if you like this sort of thing, spend a day out fishing for the legendary barramundi, several operators have this. More

Wow, I think I better go and book! Where else do you recommend for a winter holiday?

Caitlin
Community Manager

For most of us, this weekend we’re blessed with an extra day off for the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend. Lucky us! Want to escape the rat-race? Here are some good ideas:

What’s a good place in/near Victoria to go for a weekend?

Find a house that the group of you can rent for the weekend. You can either get an apartment at (say) Docklands, and go out to party all night. Or you could get a house down the peninsula or anywhere along the coast; but make sure it has a jacuzzi/spa. Pack the car with towels, sheets, blankets and food. Sitting in the spa drinking champagne or magheritas; barbecue up eggs and bacon for brunch; bring heaps of games to play – wii, nintendo/playstation or anything on DVD. For around $300-$350 you can get a place for the weekend that sleeps 6-8 people (around $45 per person per night). You can then spend more money on having a great time. More

Where are some weekend getaway suggestions within a 4 hour drive of Sydney?

A bike ride to Wollombi is one you will never forget – go via Wisemen’s Ferry. A stop off at the Wollombi Tavern is a must. Then head on to Pokolbin, flip a coin and go to one of the many wineries. Tintilla Winery is lovely and the staff there really know their wines and have a really good knowledge of the area so they can advise you where to go to get a nice feed or probably to stay as well. We were there a couple of months ago and we couldn’t recommend them highly enough. I think the woman’s name there was Winn, or maybe Lynn, she is really lovely and very helpful. More

What’s cool to do on my weekend in Hobart?

Salamanca markets Saturday morning, the Cascade Brewery tour (you’ll have to book), the Nth Hobart pubs (they will all have some type of band on) and restaurants. Depending if you want to spend a bit of money try the cruise around Bruny Island or the Tasman Peninsular. More

Of course, if you’re like me and haven’t got organised enough to do book anything for the long weekend, you might need some inspiration for some fun things to do at home. Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered!

What are some good activities you can do with a 2 1/2 yr old on a rainy weekend?

At this age attention span is small so it will be short activities. Water play with washing up bowl full of water and some washing up liquid for bubbles. They learn filling, pouring and general have fun which is what it is about to learn. Make some play dough out of flour, water and add a bit of food colouring to change colour red is good or green not blue for some reason they do not like blue. You can throw it away after and also get some shape cutters and a small rolling pin for them to play with. (put drop of food colour in water before you mix for good even colour) More

What are some different activities to do on the weekend?

Hire a kayak, go cycling, look in shops at things you’d like to buy, go to the zoo, go to the museum, go bush walking, go on a picnic, catch a bus or the train to where-ever, go ice-skating, go roller-skating, go to an amusement place, go to the park and kick a ball around, take a ride on a tram, build a tree hut, do some baking, go visit someone, catch the ferry, go horse riding, go to your local ‘Information Centre’ and get pamphlets on places and activities to do and see in your area. More

We want to do something different with our kids this weekend, any ideas?

When our boys were the same age as your boys, we had scavenger hunts… they loved them…. we went through the neighbourhood and asked for some everyday type items and then some not so ordinary items…. also might think about a treasure hunt… with the final treasure at a favourite park or something like that. More

Are there any special events in Sydney for the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend?

There is HEAPS going on, such as the Sydney International Film Festival which starts this week. The Sydney Italian Festival has been going for a while but finishes on the long weekend. The Darling Harbour Jazz & Blues festival and Luminous will also be on over the long weekend. More

Wow that’s definitely getting me inspired… So, what are your plans for the long weekend?

Caitlin
Community Manager