LATEST NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA�S NORTHERN TERRITORY

- JULY 2004 -

ACCOMMODATION & DINING $2.2 MILLION UPGRADE FOR VOYAGES ALICE SPRINGS RESORT Summer 2004 will herald the completion of a five-year plan to refurbish and upgrade Voyages Alice Springs Resort. Having previously built deluxe rooms in 1999, upgraded Terrace Court standard rooms and built a new reception in 2000, added a new kitchen and refurbished Fountain Court standard rooms in 2002, Voyages is currently investing A$2.2 million to add a new bar, refurbish restaurant and conference facilities and improve Palm Court standard rooms.

Designed by Anitma Design Group, the refurbishment will incorporate earthy tones of ochre, wattle and olive, to reflect the river gum trees and rock formations of the nearby MacDonnell Ranges. www.voyages.com.au.

MONICA LEWINSKY MAKES HER MARK ON DARWIN Following a major refurbishment, Christo�s, one of Darwin�s best-known restaurants, has re-opened as a modern, new venue called Lewinsky�s, in deference to the infamous White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Locals say that it has Darwin�s most varied menu, has a funky atmosphere and is great value for money (enormous portions). Lewinsky�s is open for lunch and dinner and also has a function room which seats 30 comfortably.

NEW WEBSITE FOR SEVEN SPIRIT BAY Eco-tourism, sport fishing and bird watching are just some of the special interest holiday ideas highlighted on the new website of Seven Spirit Bay Wilderness Lodge. Located in Aboriginal Arnhem Land on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory�s Top End, Seven Spirit Bay offers a true wilderness experience, with guided nature walks and 4WD safaris into national parkland, and coastal and estuary cruises into marine park waters. Further information is available on www.sevenspiritbay.com.

TOURS & TOUR OPERATOR NEWS ECO TOUR OPERATORS JOIN FORCES Desert Tracks, a tour operator offering cultural experience tours into the Anangu Pitjantjatjara lands of northern South Australia and adjacent areas of the Northern Territory, has joined forces with Discovery Ecotours to promote their guided walking tours. Stanley Douglas, Company Secretary of Desert Tracks is the traditional owner of Cave Hill and his organisation�s decision to appoint Discovery Ecotours, which has 20 years� experience in eco-tourism in northern Australia, is intended to carefully control and develop sensitive tourism, through a planned programme of new touring experiences, thus guaranteeing the long-term survival of indigenous communities in the area.

Visitors looking for adventure combined with an authentic Aboriginal cultural experience should consider joining the five-day Ngintaka Songline Heritage Trail, a guided walk which explores the law and culture of the Anangu people, giving an insight into their Dreamtime. Participants will become students of this fascinating lifestyle and the traditional indigenous owners their teachers. Students will be given the opportunity to learn how to find water and food, to see how morality and common sense is passed to the young through songlines, and discover how work, song, dance, story telling and art all form part of a living culture that has survived many thousands of years. And all this against the backdrop of a serene desert landscape.

The trip begins at Ayers Rock Resort before departing for Eco Camp Atal at the foot of the Mann Ranges in the Pitjanjatjara Homelands, where accommodation is under canvas, with all camping equipment and meals provided. For further information visit: www.discoveryecotours.com.au.

NEW LUXURY CRUISE BETWEEN CAIRNS & DARWIN North Star Cruises, which claims to offer the most modern and luxurious cruise boat of its type in Australia, is operating a new route between Cairns and Darwin on board the True North, the ultimate in extravagant travel. The True North, a 34-metre cruiser built to explore remote coastal waters, features an on-board Bell 407 helicopter, designed to transport passengers in comfort to the sights of Queensland and the Northern Territory en route to their final destination, Darwin.

With air-conditioned accommodation for up to 28 passengers, guests have the choice of two State Rooms, six double cabins with queen size beds, a twin cabin with bunk beds, all of which have private en-suite facilities, plus five additional twin cabins with bunk beds, the occupants of which share three bathrooms. Visit www.northstarcruises.com.au for details.

AWARD WINNING BUSH TUCKER TOUR GUIDE Born in the bush near Mary River, in the Kakadu area of the Top End, Patsy Raglar is considered to be one of the most knowledgeable indigenous tour guides living in the region, and was the Brolga Award Winner 2003: Outstanding Interpretive Guide. Having absorbed the teachings of her parents and grandparents who hale from Central and Northern Arnhemland, and having grown up hunting, gathering and living off the land, relying totally on age-old skills passed down through the generations, she is well qualified to lead tour groups into the Outback guiding them through the intricacies of bush tucker, survival and ancient traditions. Patsy can be contacted through tour company, Kakadu Animal Tracks, via www.animaltracks.com.au.

NEW OUTBACK TOUR FOR WILDLIFE LOVERS A new, all-inclusive five-day camping tour designed to appeal to both amateur bird enthusiasts, keen ornithologists and lovers of wildlife and the outdoors, has been introduced by Ossies Outback 4WD tours. Departing once a month from Alice Springs, the tour includes the Newhaven Reserve Bird Sanctuary in Central Australia, where five threatened bird species form part of a colony of around 140 different species, as well as a number of threatened mammals such as the carnivorous mulgara, the blackfooted wallaby and the marsupial mole. The tours run from April until October, with group numbers limited to between four and 10 participants, and prices includes transfers from Alice, camping equipment, fees and all meals. Visit www.ossies.com.au for details.

FOLLOW PRINCE HARRY ON CATTLE STATION GAP YEAR COURSE Charles Darwin University is offering a four-week Gap Year course for young international travellers in search of an authentic outback experience. The Outback Australian Experience will give visitors the opportunity of working at the university�s Northern Territory Rural College (NTRC) cattle station near Katherine, to become a fully-fledged Jackeroo or Jilleroo. Places on each course are limited to between eight and 10 participants who will stay in the college�s halls of residence on campus and under canvas.

The cost of the month-long course is A$3,900 per person and includes a bush hat, work boots and water bottle, camping equipment, a sleeping bag and mosquito net, as well as all meals, accommodation, activities and transfers from Darwin to the cattle station. Course dates for summer 2004 are: 6th June to 5th July, 4th July to 2nd August, 1st August to 30 August, 29th August to 27th September. For further details email the NTRC at Charles Darwin University on ntrural@cdu.edu.au or visit www.cdu.edu.au.

ANANGU TOURS WINS MAJOR GLOBAL TOURISM AWARD � THE WORLD LEGACY AWARD The Uluru-based Aboriginal owned company Anangu Tours was the only Australian winner at the prestigious international �2004 World Legacy Awards� announced in Washington DC this month. This award, sponsored by Conservational International and National Geographic Traveller Magazine, was awarded in the category �Heritage Tourism Award� for outstanding contributions to cultural heritage. Criteria included excellence of product and the ability to provide economic benefit for local peoples, respect for cultural diversity and conservation of nature. The award was presented by Queen Noor of Jordan at a gala ceremony. SELF-DRIVE TOUR IDEAS THE SAVANNAH WAY � NEW ADVENTURE DRIVE NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN Visitors in search of real outback adventures by road and 4x4 should consider heading out along the newly-opened Savannah Way. Stretching 3500kms from Cairns in Queensland to Broome in Western Australia, it cuts through the Northern Territory towns of Katherine, Mataranka and Timber Creek, taking in tiny townships, cattle stations, natural springs and waterholes, road-side campsites, fishing hotspots and breathtaking national parks.

The Savannah Way features a number of major highlights in the Northern Territory, including Lorella Springs Station, located in the heart of Gulf Country between Cape Crawford and the Limmen National Park. Spanning a million acres, the impressive cattle station is larger than some European countries, and features chasms and gorges, wetlands, rivers, creeks and a coastline perfect for fishing. With its clear signage, interpretative displays, and the availability of detailed maps and brochures, the Savannah Way is being described as the ultimate self-drive adventure.

TRAVEL NEWS INCREASE IN FLIGHTS TO DARWIN Australian Airlines has introduced its first scheduled flights to the Northern Territory with the addition of two new weekly flights between Singapore and Darwin. The new flights operate from Darwin to Singapore on Thursdays and Saturdays and from Singapore to Darwin on Wednesdays and Sundays. Combined with the existing service offered by Qantas Airlines, there are now five weekly flights operating between Singapore and Darwin. Visit www.australianairlines.com.au.

NEW DIRECT SERVICE BETWEEN MELBOURNE & AYERS ROCK On 26 June, air travellers will be able to fly non-stop between Melbourne and Uluru (Ayers Rock) for the first time with Qantas. Four Boeing 737 services will operate each week on the new route, making it easier to combine the States of Victoria and the Red Centre attractions of the Northern Territory within a single trip to Australia. The new services will depart Melbourne at 10.00 on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving at Uluru at 12.20. The return journey departs at 13.05 on the same days. Visit www.qantas.com.au.

BACKPACKERS� NEWS A new brochure packed with inspirational information for backpackers and young travellers visiting northern Australia is now available from the Northern Territory Tourist Commission. �Backpack The Outback� aims to create awareness among European travellers about the wealth and variety of experiences on offer within the Northern Territory, or check out www.australiasoutback.com WORKING HOLIDAYS As the Northern Territory�s high season gets underway, both the Top End and Red Centre find themselves in need of extra workers to help with the influx of visitors to the State, and to cover for resident workers taking holidays themselves. Positions needing to be filled include government posts in teaching and nursing in the recruitment hubs of Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as the smaller towns of Gove, Katherine and Tennant Creek.

There are also a number of building projects underway in the Territory, such as the Wickham Point Gas Plant, Darwin�s Chinatown project, and the redevelopment of the city�s Wharf Precinct, all of which require skilled trades people and construction workers. For those with an adventurous spirit, there are varied opportunities to work in remote Aboriginal and mining communities, ranging from computer experts, book-keepers and mechanics, to nannies, cooks and fruit pickers. Further information can be found by visiting www.ntnews.com.au and www.australiasoutback.com.

For further information about Northern Australia, contact the Northern Territory Tourist Commission website on www.ntholidays.com. -ENDS-

For further information, contact Jovanka Ristich, Independent Public Relations, tel: 01628 623003, fax 01628 635563, email: ristichj@aol.com