More Mantras for Queensland

Mantra Resorts has boosted its portfolio of hotels, resorts and apartments in Queensland with the addition of three former S8 properties on the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.

This follows the recent acquisition of S8 by Mantra's parent company, the Stella Hospitality Group.

In Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, Zanzibar Resort Apartments and Sirocco Resort Apartments in have been re-branded as Mantra Zanzibar and Mantra Sirocco; while on the Gold coast the former Phoenician Resort Apartments at Broadbeach has changed to the Mantra Phoenician.

This brings Mantra's presence on the Gold Coast to five properties: the Mooloolaba re-brandings bring the Sunshine Coast total to four.

A new season in the saddle for Bogong

Bogong Horseback Adventures have set their departure dates for the coming season of packhorse adventures into the peaks and plains of the Victorian High Country.

As in past years, the 2008 programme is a mix of straight out adventure rides and a few "mobile clinics" on natural horsemanship and bush riding and camping skills.

All offer similar experiences in the same spectacular landscape.

The adventures focus on traditional packhorse journeys, travelling the High Country in a time honoured fashion – with an emphasis on great horses and good food along the way.

On offer are Mount Bogong rides and Mount Fainter rides, both offering different but rewarding riding country.

On the Fainter side you can expect traditional huts and yards, sweeping open high plains and often encounters with brumbies.

The Bogong rides offer spectacular landscapes, rugged remote tracks and soaring ridges and spurs.

Numbers on the tours are limited, and some dates book out early.

Brisbane Marriott plugs in

The five-star Brisbane Marriott is claiming an Australian ‘first’ after installing Plug In technology that gives guests instant access to using personal electronic devices such as MP3s, laptops and video games in their rooms.

The Plug-in technology has just been installed in all guest rooms as part of a AUD 4.25 million refurbishment of the hotel.

Currently only on offer in Australia at the Brisbane Marriott, the Plug In panel is being promoted as the answer to multimedia travel needs, allowing guests to access various different electronic devices to help with either work or play or a mixture of both.

For example, a split-screen function allows guests to work and watch TV at the same time. Simply plug in your laptop to the Plug-In panel and the TV automatically detects the laptop and splits the screen for viewing.

Or get more work done without the eye strain and plug your laptop into the Plug-In panel which will turn the 32 inch wide screen TV into a computer monitor.

The Brisbane Marriott Hotel is also looking after those guests like to play. Through the Plug-In technology MP3 component, guests can play their personal music through the speakers, while also charging their MP3 player.

Guests can also watch in-house DVDs by simply plugging in a personal DVD player to watch a movie displayed in high definition. Another option is to plug in personal video games to the Plug-In and play on the big screen.

Digital cameras and camcorders are easily hooked up to the Plug-In technology for viewing on the 32 inch widescreen TV monitor. This technology allows the user to make the most of personal equipment they carry with them to get that home away from home feel.

The Australian Stella Group has taken over the UK-based long-haul travel retailer Travelbag for AUD 17 million.

The acquisition will further strengthen Stella's distribution capabilities in the UK, where it now has more than 90 retail outlets consisting of 83 Harvey World Travel shops and eight Travelbag outlets.

Stella has also purchased Travel 2 Travel 4 in the UK from Travelport, with extensive similarities between the businesses expected to aid integration.

The businesses will also be integrated with the Harvey World Travel network under Stella Travel Services umbrella.

Travelbag Managing Director Rick Weber and the senior management team will remain in the business.

Stella Group's existing Australian and New Zealand portfolio counts some 15,000 rooms under the Mantra, Peppers, BreakFree and Saville brands.

Rockford Adelaide joins Accor family

The Accor group has added the centrally-located Rockford Adelaide Hotel to its growing Australian network.

Located on the corner of Hindley and Morphett Streets in the West End Arts precinct, the Rockford Adelaide recently completed a full refurbishment of its 57 hotel rooms and 11 spa suites.

For leisure travellers, Rundle Mall, Adelaide Oval, the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide SkyCity Casino, Festival Theatre and the picturesque Botanic Gardens are within easy walking distance from the hotel.

Ideal for business travellers, the Rockford is conveniently located close to the Adelaide Convention Centre. The hotel has wireless broadband access, in-house conference facilities, catering for boardroom and small meetings to a capacity of 220 people.

Hotel facilities include two restaurants and a bar – as well as a heated rooftop swimming pool with views across Adelaide Oval.

Diamonds from Cairns

The Hilton Cairns in Tropical North Queensland is celebrating its 20th anniversary with diamonds.

It is running a promotion that offers guests the chance to win one of 20 half-carat diamonds from a local jewellery store.

Every booking at the Hilton Cairns between until December 15 (inclusive) will receive an arrival voucher inviting guests to go to Hardy Brothers Jewellers in Cairns to select a colourless gem and have it checked to see if it is a real diamond.

It doesn't matter if guests don't select a real diamond the first time around, they will still go in the draw to win a one carat diamond valued over AUD 11,000 drawn on December 18.

Accommodation rates at the Cairns Hilton start from AUD 150 per room, per night.

Eco-friendly driving with Hertz

Hertz has introduced the petrol/electric Hybrid Toyota Prius to its Australian rental fleet. The car can travel up to 100 kilometres on just 4.4 litres of fuel, and up to 1,000 kilometres in a full tank.

The new Prius, which is being introduced progressively at major Hertz locations around the country, emits up to 55 per cent less carbon monoxide than conventionally powered vehicles of a similar size..

Hertz has more than 220 locations dotted around Australia.

In another sign of the times, Hertz has launched an on-line version of its Tour Operators Manual (TOM), providing tour operators and travel agents with detailed information on its Australian products and services.

Access is easy: just go to the site, enter the word “tom” as both Use ID and password and then click on the Tour Operator tab. You can also pick your preferred language: English, German, French or Spanish.

Apart from detailed information about its fleet, locations and contacts, there is also a mileage chart – which is very handy when preparing clients’ self-drive vacation itineraries. The site also gives some good advice on driving in the Outback.

Gippsland pushing to return

Well-known for its excellent beaches, vast lakes, untamed wilderness and seasonal snowfields, the Gippsland Lakes region on Victoria’s south eastern coastline is currently pushing hard to restore its popular tourism appeal for the coming months.

Bushfires kept tourists away from the region over last year's Christmas holidays and tourists have been cancelling their winter trips because of the recent floods.

The Gippsland Lakes system is Australia’s biggest and most beautiful expanse of inland waterways with more than 400 square kilometres of lakes, rivers, lagoons and islands to explore.

The ideal way to explore the lakes is by boat. Head for Metung, a small, stylish lakeside village that offers a range of accommodation and award-winning boat hire options.

The lakes are separated from the ocean by a strip of coastal sand dunes known as the Ninety Mile Beach.

Separating the stunning Gippsland Lakes from the Bass Strait, Ninety Mile Beach is one of the most natural and unspoilt beaches in the world -- and is ideal for whale and dolphin-spotting.

Along with Wilsons Promontory, Gippsland’s Ninety Mile Beach are among Victoria’s greatest natural attractions – and both of them are ‘must visit’ locations on Melbourne-Sydney coastal self-drive itineraries.

Wilsons Promontory or 'The Prom', as it is fondly called by locals, sits at the southernmost point of mainland Australia.

The 50,000 hectare national park features great beaches, cool fern gullies, spectacular rock formations and an abundance of wildlife. Around half of Victoria’s bird species and a third of its mammals, both rare and common, can be found there.

The area is also renowned for its scenic walking tracks – more than 30 walks cover 130 kilometres of tracks varying in length and difficulty.

Victoria's new birdwatching tour

Birdwatchers, and you'd be surprised how many there are among visitors to Australia, are now given the opportunity to explore the sights and sounds of the Geelong Otway Region on a new ecotour that focuses on the diverse and remarkable birdlife of the area.

Catering for small groups, Go Birding Tours offers a variety of day tours for birdwatchers who are keen to experience the widely diverse habitats of the area and observe the local wildlife.

What makes this tour so attractive for birdwatchers (or any eco-minded visitor) is that more than 300 different bird species have been recorded in this region, which begins just a one hour’s drive south west of Melbourne and includes the Bellarine Peninsula, Great Ocean Road, the Otways, and Brisbane Ranges region.

Tour guide Barry Lingham has lived on the Bellarine Peninsula for 20 years and has a wide knowledge of the fauna and flora of southern Victoria. He enjoys sharing his passion for bird watching with visitors to the area.

Catering for small groups of up to six people, the tours are conducted from a 4WD mini van and stop at key birdwatching areas along the way including: the wet forests of the Otways Ranges and Great Ocean Road; the coastal floral heathlands of the Surf Coast; the dry forests of the Brisbane Ranges and areas north of Geelong; and the Ramsar listed wetlands of the Bellarine Peninsula.

Go Birding operates out of a place called Ocean Grove, but will pick up guests within 30 kilometres of Geelong, which is the second largest city in Victoria, some 75 kilometres from Melbourne.