Australia Travel News 12/26/2010

After 11 months in Asia we’re home … for a month! Early last week we flew into Melbourne to catch up with friends before heading north for Christmas.

As the festive season is a time of visits from family and friends, on this Christmas Eve, I’d like to reiterate here my favourite local places, which if you come to the South Moreton Bay islands in the Bay off Brisbane, Australia, I’ll share with you

A low-cost Australia-based airline has launched new flights to the Gold Coast from Hobart.

One of the most prestigious – and lucrative – media accounts in the country is up for grabs with the $180m global media and buying contract for Tourism Australia out to tender, Mumbrella can reveal. The search and social media accounts are also up for grabs.

The response you might receive when asking about the Gold Coast would generally involve anything except for being classy.

Although it’s less popular than lamb or beef, kangaroo is becoming accepted as a common source of protein, and a leaner, healthier one at that. Many people are starting to rave about its environmental benefits – there isn’t the methane byproduct which farming cows produces.

I've been dreaming about going for years and I have a little over a month to go. I've given my notice at my part time job and have invented the Twitter hashtag #ozsoon instead of #rtwsoon.

If you’re located in the Northern Hemisphere and freezing your bum off at the moment, you’re probably going to hate what I have to share. The summer season has definitely come to the land down under, and to be honest, I find myself wanting to switch the fan on in the early morning hours because it is just plain hot.

Armed with glow sticks and guided by moonlight, those prepared to give up a night's sleep are discovering a kind of night bushwalking – ''moonwalking'' – through the Royal National Park that coincides with the full moon.

With this in mind, there are a few hostels to choose from. If you are looking for hip, clean, comfortable and cheap, Cool Bananas is the place to hang.