Cruise Express is picking up the needle and thread, and weaving its way along the Australian coastline, crafting a new cruise for crochet lovers from Sydney to Queensland this October.
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French for ‘hooked needle’ and dating back to the 1820s, crochet is enjoying a revival as a simple activity that calms the nerves, expresses creativity, produces beautiful designs and forges friendships, with the number of avid crocheters growing across Australia and around the world.
Designed for both novice and skilled crocheters, Cruise Express’s second crochet cruise, on board Celebrity Solstice, will sail a10-night round-trip from Sydney with four ports of call — Newcastle, Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays, Cairns and Brisbane.
Led by two of Australia’s top crochet teachers — Lynda Tomkins from Crochet Australia and popular ‘Loopy Stitch’ instagrammer, Emily Littlefair — the cruise will offer onboard workshops where guests will make one of six designs they can take home at the end of the cruise.
The package includes a welcome kit valued at $250 and containing everything needed to get started, including yarn, hooks, needles, cutters and patterns.
Those booking before June 30 will receive $200 worth of mixed-hue yarn.
Fares are available from $2890 per person twin-share.
Phone 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au
Book a double-swag under the stars with Cruise Whitsundays before June 30, for travel until November 30 and bring along a friend at 50 per cent off the everyday price, a saving of $262.50.
Start the two-day ‘Reefsleep’ experience with a cruise to the spectacular Hardy Reef for a full day of diving, snorkelling and other marine activities.
As evening approaches, it’s time to settle on board the pontoon for an intimate sundowner dinner and an opportunity to watch from the underwater viewing platform as the reef comes alive.
Overnight accommodation is in a double-swag for two, especially designed for ‘Reefsleepers’ to take in the starlit skies.
Phone 07 4846 7000 or visit www.cruisewhitsundays.com
Family-friendly Pretty Valley Lodge at Falls Creek Alpine Resort is offering all-inclusive tariffs, with guests receiving complimentary snow equipment, including snow jackets, pants and helmet whilst they are staying at this well located property.
A two-night weekend stay (in Friday, out Sunday) costs $500 per adult and $375 per child under 14 (sharing a 4-6 person room).
But the real value of the all-inclusive Pretty Valley Lodge tariffs is in a swag of free extras — free hire of snow equipment, plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily are included.
Another attribute the lodge guests really appreciate is its children’s early-dinner followed by supervised entertainment programs.
Phone 03 5758 3210 or visit www.prettyvalley.com
Following the adventure of the company’s 2017 voyage, which saw travellers sail more than 4000 nautical miles, identify eight species of penguins, spot 13 mammal breeds, and cross the Antarctic Circle six times, polar specialists Chimu Adventures invites those who want the ultimate Antarctica experience to get involved this year, joining a limited number of guests on a voyage to Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica.
‘In the Wake of Mawson’ will set sail from Hobart in December aboard the Akademik Shokalskiyand, returning 28 days later to Invercargill, on a cruise that has capacity for less than 50 passengers.
Commonwealth Bay is situated approximately 2700 kilometres south of Hobart and involves 11 days of sailing on the Southern Ocean through the Roaring Forties.
Less than 300 tourists have made the journey to Commonwealth Bay in the past six years and more people have reached the summit of Everest than have stepped inside Mawson’s Huts.
Phone 1300 773 231 or visit www.chimuadventures.com
Book by June 30 and save up to $2000 per couple or $1800 as a solo traveller on Abercrombie & Kent’s 12-day ‘Highlights of China’ journey.
A feature inclusion is a four-day trip through the intriguing Three Gorges of the Yangzi River aboard the newly refurbished Sanctuary Yangzi Explorer.
New to the cruise itinerary is a choice of excursion to either the 816 Underground Project, China’s top-secret nuclear plant hidden deep in the mountains of Fuling, or the White Crane Ridge Underwater Museum, an archaeological site that has been submerged due to the building of the Three Gorges Dam.
Perennial attractions such as the Great Wall — seen from the less crowded Mutianyu section — and the Terracotta Warriors are also included, as well as the highlights of Beijing and Shanghai.
City accommodation is in the Peninsula hotels in Beijing and Shanghai and Xian’s Sofitel Legend People’s Grand.
Prices start from $9455 per person twin-share.
Just a reminder that Hawaii’s Big Island — from which the whole island group takes it name — is indeed a big place and that disruption due to the current activity emanating from Kilauea Volcano is limited to the reasonably remote Puna region on the east coast.
Companies such as Hawaii Forest & Trail continue to support relief efforts, but also point out that attractions such as the famous Kona Kohala Coast and Maunakea’s soaring summit, as well as tropical rainforests and stunning waterfalls, remain quite safely accessible.
Hawaii Forest & Trail’s signature ‘Kohala Waterfalls Adventure’, for instance, includes stunning private waterfalls, tranquil streams and the rugged valleys on a North Kohala adventure using a six-wheel-drive Pinzgauer vehicle.
Also, a visit to Maunakea, the tallest (and quite extinct) volcano on the planet, fulfills a major bucket-list must-do on any Hawaii Island itinerary. The company’s exclusive Maunakea Sunrise Experience and the Maunakea Summit & Stars Adventure are open and available for bookings.
Visit www.hawaii-forest.com