Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
13 The Best Alternative Accommodations
•
Underground Motel
(White
Cliffs, NSW;
&
1800/021 154
in
Australia, or 08/8091 6677): All
but two of this motel's rooms are
underground in this opal-mining
town. Rooms are reached by a
maze of spacious tunnels dug out
of the rock. See p. 228.
•
Whitsunday Wilderness Lodge
(The Whitsunday Islands, QLD;
&
07/3357 3843
): The 10 comfy
beachfront cabins are basic, but
your vacation at this island ecore-
treat will be anything but. Sea
kayak, sail, snorkel, hike rainforest
trails, dine with other guests out-
side under the Milky Way, and
maybe even swim with Myrtle, the
pet kangaroo. Considering you'll
only shell out for wine and maybe
a seaplane trip to the Reef, this is
a great value. See p. 326.
•
Kingfisher Bay Resort
(Fraser
Island, QLD;
&
1800/072 555
in Australia): If it weren't for the
ranger station and natural-history
videos in the lobby, the wildlife
walks, the guided four-wheel-
drive safaris, and other ecoactivi-
ties taking place, you'd hardly
know that this hotel is an ecore-
sort as comfortable and modern as
it is. See p. 340.
•
Binna Burra Mountain Lodge
(
&
1800/074 260
in Australia) &
O'Reilly's Rainforest Guest-
house
(
&
1800/688 722
in Aus-
tralia), both in the Gold Coast
Hinterland, QLD: Tucked almost
1,000m (3,280 ft.) up on rain-
forested ridges, these cozy retreats
offer fresh mountain air, activities,
and instant access to the hiking
trails of Lamington National Park.
At O'Reilly's you can hand-feed
brilliantly colored rainforest birds
every morning. See p. 361.
•
Emma Gorge Resort
(The Kim-
berley, WA;
&
800/221-4542
in
the U.S. and Canada, or 08/9169
1777): At this spick-and-span little
safari camp on the 400,000-
hectare (1-million-acre) El Que-
stro cattle station, guests stay in
cute tents with wooden floors and
electric lights, eat at a rustic gour-
met restaurant, and join in the
many hikes, bird-watching tours,
river cruises, and more. See p. 475.
•
Prairie Hotel
(Flinders Ranges,
SA;
&
08/8648 4844
): This
remarkable tin-roofed, stone-
walled Outback pub in the
Flinders Ranges has quaint rooms,
a great bar out front where you can
meet the locals, and some of the
best food in Australia. See p. 523.
•
Freycinet Lodge
(Freycinet
National Park, Coles Bay, TAS;
&
03/6257 0101
): These eco-
friendly bush cabins are right next
to one of the nation's best walking
trails. The ocean views from the
magnificent restaurant and the
surrounding balconies are spectac-
ular. See p. 627.
•
Cradle Mountain Lodge
(Cradle
Mountain, TAS;
&
03/6492
1303
): Just minutes from your
comfortable cabin are 1,500-year-
old trees, moss forests, craggy
mountain ridges, limpid pools
and lakes, and hordes of scamper-
ing marsupials. See p. 635.
14 The Best B&Bs & Guesthouses
•
The Russell
(The Rocks, Sydney;
&
02/9241 3543
): This B&B,
wonderfully positioned in the
city's old quarter, is the coziest
place to stay in Sydney. It's got
creaky floorboards, a ramshackle
feel, brightly painted corridors,
and rooms with immense charac-
ter. See p. 113.
