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Weekend getaways

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The rootop Monica.

Cool new addition to Sydney’s hotel scene is relentlessly quirky

Located in a landmark Sydney building, this hotel pays tribute to its history while maintaining a hip atmosphere.

  • Craig Platt

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Explore Melbourne’s famous laneways on a Hidden Secrets tour.

Nine ways to embrace Melbourne’s cooler months this year

The city’s Europeanness truly comes to the fore in autumn and winter. From shows to cosy new openings, here’s how to soak up the best of the season.

  • Katherine Scott
Aerial view of Mount Yasur, Tanna island, Vanuatu.

A three-hour flight to an island showed me I’d been doing holidays wrong

I was overdue for a break and needed some rest and relaxation. Instead I did the exact opposite – an action-packed itinerary that revitalised me.

  • Kate Aubusson
The 19th-century building has been transformed into two luxury self-contained apartments.

Ancient Tasmanian storage building is now a five-star escape

Heritage walks, a wine bar and vast wilderness await - if you can kick off the slippers provided and drag yourself outside.

  • Kerry van der Jagt
Pebbly Beach Escape blends in with the landscape.

Ideal beach escape three hours from Sydney will suit all types

I’m not sure what Pebbly Beach cabin’s founder would make of the modern comfort, but she’d certainly approve of the set-up.

  • Kerry van der Jagt
The Federation-style timber Yungaburra Hotel.

The unexpectedly cool Queensland town you’ve probably never heard of

We came for the waterfalls. We stayed for the passionate locals who make this heritage-listed rural town a destination worth detouring for.

  • Riley Wilson
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Hide’s 12-metre mineral pool.

New adults-only Byron stay attracts the beautiful people (and the rest of us)

Arriving at Hide is like wandering into someone’s luxury home, with its 12-metre mineral pool, intimate UV sauna and ice bath in the backyard.

  • Damien Woolnough
The Zig Zag Railway.

Beat the petrol price: 10 of the best places to visit by train from Sydney

With fuel prices spiralling on the back of war, it’s so much cheaper to share wheels – especially if they’re gliding along train tracks.

  • Sue Williams
Ardour Milton Park Bowral.

Famed country estate reopens after $10 million makeover

Heritage values remain in the bones of the 1910 estate, but the experience has been recalibrated for modern travellers who value comfort, design and dining.

  • Julietta Jameson
Luxury studio rooms overlooking the vines.

A country escape without leaving Melbourne’s city limits

A rural reset in Melbourne’s deep north – and without the crowds of the Yarra Valley? This is a one-stop shop of good wine, food and accommodation.

  • Belinda Jackson