New hotels, restaurants and tours in QLD for 2016
With Jetstar adding 300,000 more seats to its summer Queensland services, the sunshine state is set to be a crowd favourite in 2016.
The global spotlight will also shine on the Great Barrier Reef following Sir David Attenborough’s latest documentary set to air early in in the New Year.
Tours
Bespoke is the word for 2016 with new Sunshine Coast company Beyond Experiences taking the pain out of planning for those under the pump. Health and wellness feature highly in their Noosa-centric itineraries, with travellers striving for a time-out.
“We find groups of women more than anyone will lock in plans to travel together annually or quarterly, giving them a chance to relax, rejuvenate and pamper,” co-founder Emily Mills says. “They like the ‘off the menu’ factor of our packages and the fact they can create a custom itinerary.”
Increasingly, travellers are seeking immersive tour options. Sunreef’s Swim with the Whales experience in Mooloolaba will continue to attract crowds, while the immersion options available in Hervey Bay have already helped international visitor numbers spike by 5 per cent in the year ended December 2014.
Behind-the-scenes experiences will also be highly valued, with APT recently announcing their 11-day Cooktown to Cape York tour will now take guests into Steve Irwin’s pristine eco-reserve — a location previously off-limits. Accompanied by an Australian Zoo ranger, they will spend a full day at the reserve, learning about crocodile research.
Topdeck’s general manager Sarah Clark says travellers are looking for real experiences that showcase Queensland’s diverse landscape. “Our most popular trip year-on-year is the 14-day Island Suntanner for the reason that it contrasts the ocean with the outback,” she says.
Arts and Culture
What’s old is new again with The Queensland Museum being the first to host an exclusive medieval exhibition curated by the British Museum, featuring pieces spanning from AD 400 to 1500. Medieval Power: Symbols & Splendour runs from 11 December 2015 to 10 April 2016.
Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art will host ‘Everywhen Everywhere’ with major works from the gallery’s indigenous collection on display, while large-scale sculptures, immersive installations and kinetic artworks will form part of ‘The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT8).
But art is not just about looking and not touching, with Cork and Chroma in South Brisbane offering ‘Paint and Sip’ lessons for those who like to BYO while painting.
On the music front, it’s country all the way with the iconic Gympie Music Mustercelebrating its 35th birthday in 2016, joining a line-up of country music events across the state, like CMC Rocks in Ipswich.
Hotels and Accommodation
Free Wi-Fi on its own is not enough to satisfy savvy travellers and NEXT Hotel in Brisbane threw down the gauntlet to other hotel chains late last year when they introduced virtual check-in, free mini bar and an honesty-system lounge bar, heralding a new-era in stays that suit consumer’s needs.
Up north, Mount Mulligan Station — a sprawling cattle property surrounding a monolith five times the size of Uluru — was recently purchased by tourism tycoon Chris Morris (who already owns Orpheus Island, Townsville Casino, Daintree Eco Lodge and Nautilus Helicopters). It’s currently being developed into a luxury resort and camping ground for a maximum of 30 guests.
While the finer details are still under wraps, the resort will offer a quintessential Australian outback experience with cattle mustering, gold panning, bushwalking and horse riding, and is slated to open mid-late 2016.
As well Reefsleep in the Whitsundays, travellers can now also spend the night on the Great Barrier Reef off Cairns in the Sunlover by Starlight experience — sleeping in swags on the Moore Reef pontoon.
And while the race to conquer the Gold Coast skyline continues with gusto, the iconic Jupiters Hotel and Casino is in the middle of a $345 million dollar revamp, which will see a new six-star suite tower built, and existing rooms redesigned.
Food and Drink
Whether it’s a beer appreciation session for non-beer drinkers run by beer guru Matt Kirkegaard or a CityCat coffee appreciation tour with the guys from Bean Brewding, in Brisbane, visitors no longer have to bow down to TripAdvisor reviews, going straight to the local experts.
“The emergence of new laneway dining hubs in cities and regional towns is a growing trend which will continue into 2016,” says Wotif.com spokesperson, Kim Stockham, who predicts Toowoomba, Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and Townsville will entice holiday-makers looking for street art, great cafes and ‘poshtels’ with quality F & B offerings, like Rambutan in Townsville.
Progressive dinners to experience the slew of new openings and award-winning bars will also lure diners in 2016. Spicers Retreats have launched a new ‘7 hats in 7 days’ package, where guests stay at four Spicers properties and eat at five Spicers restaurants.
And while the Barossa, Hunter Valley and Margaret River are obvious choices, holiday-makers are increasingly likely to explore Queensland’s emerging wine regions surrounding Stanthorpe and Mt Tamborine, according to Wotif.com.
Big Ticket Events
With Queensland’s climate and outdoor lifestyle, it’s not surprising that triathlons and endurance events will continue to dominate in 2016, such as Noosa Triathlon — part of the largest multi-sport festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere — and IRONMAN Cairns.
The Noosa Festival of Surfing (March) and the Noosa Jazz Festival (September) will both celebrate their 25th birthdays in 2016. In Cairns, the Cairns Underwater Film Festival, held every second year, will return in 2016.
Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova will be back in Brisbane for the Brisbane International in January but science nerds will rejoice the news that the Queensland Government has struck a $650,000 deal to bring the New York-based World Science Festival to Queensland Museum in Brisbane — the first time it has been held outside of the big apple. The event will showcase some of the world’s greatest thought leaders and the biggest stars in science from 9-13 March 2016.
Source: The Courier Mail, Celestine Mitchell, 18th October 2015
Originally published as: New hotels, restaurants and tours in QLD for 2016
