Largest floodwater on record creates rare outback spectacle
But the waters have also flowed to South Australia's Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, bringing Australia's largest salt lake alive for the second year in a row.
Australia's lowest natural point, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre covers an area of 9500 square kilometres. Flooding of the usually dry lake is a once-every-several-years occurrence. Back-to-back drenchings are rare, though it hasn't been completely dry for some years.
Even more rare: a filling, and that's what's predicted this year. The last time was from the record-smashing 1974 floods.
When the water comes, so too, does the wildlife, including migratory birds and even marine life from below the lake's surface. The outback landscape is its own spectacle.
Journey Beyond's Alicia Triggs says Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is best appreciated from a bird's-eye perspective.
The company's Outback Spirit is running Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and Flinders Ranges Spectacular five-day, all-inclusive, small-group coach tours that include two scenic flights over Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre as well as exploring Wilpena Pound, in South Australia's Flinders Ranges.
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ABC News
16 hours ago
- ABC News
West Australian farmers launch relief convoy for drought-stricken South Australia
It has been dubbed the "convoy of compassion". Eighty-five trucks, loaded with more than 6,000 bales of hay and straw, have begun the trek across the Nullarbor, headed to drought-stricken parts of South Australia. The massive logistical exercise is a project between charities Farmers Across Borders and Need for Feed, with support from the South Australian government. The fodder has been sent to support 400 farming businesses and feed 450,000 head of stock. The trucks have been loaded across Western Australia's agricultural heartland over the past seven days. At Kulin, 300 kilometres east of Perth, farmer Michael Lucchesi said the 1,000 bales coming from his property were good quality. "It's export quality. It was some of the first stuff we bailed last year and we got a bit more than what we needed," he said. "We got a phone call and it was available and I thought, 'Well, might as well give it to someone that needs it.'" It was the first time Mr Lucchesi had been involved in a hay run but he said it was something close to his heart. "We've been there, probably 15 years ago," he said. Co-ordinating more than 80 trucks, obtaining permits across two states, and ensuring the convoy could travel along one of Australia's major national highways without disruption has been a feat of organisation by truck driver Peter Warburton. While it had been trying at times, Mr Warburton said knowing the difference the fodder would make on the ground made it worthwhile. "Logistically, we've been probably five weeks in doing this," he said. "I did the main roads permits here in West Australia and then permits in SA. Rob Gill, from Narembeen, has also donated his time to drive a truck in the convoy. He said keeping everyone on the road safe was a top priority. "Going over there's up to 90 trucks," he said. "They'll put them in groups of 20 or 21, thereabouts, so there's not 80 or 90 trucks all in one [group]," he said. "[The safety considerations are] especially for people with cars when they're trying to pass." The charities involved have also reached out on social media to other groups of road users to alert them of the convoy and instruct them of the signage and communication plans they have in place to ensure road safety. The convoy is a financial feat as well — with trucks to run, fuel to pay for, mouths to feed, and accommodation to book. Justin Williams has taken time off work to be involved. "I thought I'd just get a little gap to come help out," he said. "The first few times I missed it, but this time around I got a chance so I thought I'd jump on it, just be a part of it." Fellow volunteer Michael Young said seeing the impact of the drought firsthand made him keen to help. "A friend of mine that's been on the run a couple of times rang me and I said, 'We're straight in,'" he said. "It will be just nice to help out and do our little bit for our fellow farmers." Farmers Across Borders president Sam Starcevich said she had lost count of how many hay runs she had done since becoming involved in 2014. She said the convoy was her third trip "across the paddock" to do a hay run over the Western Australian border. Recently relaxed biosecurity laws in South Australia have enabled other states, including Western Australia, to export hay from green snail-free areas. "It's well and truly over half-a-million-dollars worth of hay, and then the fuel is probably three times, four times that amount," Ms Starcevich said. The impressive trip has been met with one further hurdle at the last stop in Fraser Range before making the journey across the border. Damaging winds reached 100 kilometres per hour as a storm rolled across southern parts of the state, delaying the convoy's plan to leave in the early hours of Friday. Nonetheless, Ms Starcevich hoped they would be able to get to farmers by Sunday. "It's crazy weather isn't it," she said. Despite the massive undertaking, Need for Feed chairman Graham Cockerell said the convoy still would not meet all requests for assistance the organisation had received. The charity had been sourcing hay from across the country, going as far as northern New South Wales to provide relief to the most drought-stricken parts of South Australia. "We've got about 450 [requests], and this will get to about 300," he said. "We know people who have de-stocked to a large extent, and they're pretty desperate trying to hang onto their breeding stock.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Aussie discovers ‘game-changing' flight tip for travellers
An Aussie model has revealed a lesser-known travel 'hack' during her trip to Perth. Olivia Rogers was home-bound to Melbourne when she learnt travellers can access their journey's details by sending their flight number in a text message. The South Australian turned Melbourne local shared a demo on TikTok using her flight details, after a friend let her in on the feature. 'A friend of mine recently told me a really helpful travel hack, so I'm going to share it with you,' she said. 'All you need is your flight number so it doesn't matter what airline you are flying with or what country you're flying in. 'You're just going to type your flight number in a text message to a friend or family member who is picking you up, or you can send it to yourself.' After sending the flight number on her iPhone, a hyperlink appears with a button option labelled 'preview flight' which reveals a host of details about her upcoming flight. Travellers can see a live map of where the plane is situated on the globe, the estimated duration of the flight, the departure time and expected arrival time, aswell as the baggage carousel number. Ms Rogers hailed the feature as a convenient way to share and access travel information without opening separate browsers. 'It literally tells you everything you need to know and it updates live, even while you're mid-flight,' she continued. Olivia Roger's flight details appeared after sending her flight number in a text message. Credit: oliviamollyrogers 'It will even tell you what carousel to go to, it is a game-changer.' Ms Rogers' advice caused some divide in the comments section. 'Influencer discovers basic function a lot of people know yet posts like she's re-invented the wheel. 'There's never been a generation that's recorded themselves so often doing nothing of note,' one person wrote. 'What hack??? Every traveller knows it,' another said. Other travellers were quick to defend Ms Rogers, thanking her for pointing out the useful information. 'So many smarty pants in the comments haha congrats I guess? I travel a lot and I didn't know this so thank you,' one said. Another added: :Keyboard warriors in the comments section. Thanks for this, super helpful for lots of us that didn't know.'
Sydney Morning Herald
27-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Michelin meals on trains, in-flight sleeping pod rentals: Fancy travel's next stops
This story is part of the June 28 edition of Good Weekend. See all 21 stories. Let the good times roll Love the thought of rolling through Great Britain's bucolic beauty without the petrol stops? Belmond's Britannic Explorer will take luxury on British tracks to the next level when it launches in July with 18 sleeper suites. The train will offer three-night itineraries across three destinations – Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales. Expect lots of tea, and modern British cuisine overseen by Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan. Three nights all-inclusive starts from £11,000 ($22,900) per person, based on twin-share accommodation. If you want the Rolls-Royce of trains, go for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – another one from Belmond. Its new Paris-to-Tuscany route launched in May, departing Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to arrive in Castello di Casole three nights later. It's priced from £9350 per person. This train also recently unveiled the L'Observatoire – a luxury sleeper carriage with interiors by artist JR – priced from, wait for it, £80,000 ($167,000) a night for double occupancy. Closer to home, in April next year, Journey Beyond will release its 'next-level platinum' cabin class on select trains. The Aurora and Australis suites (which you can find on The Ghan and the Indian Pacific) will be the Adelaide-based brand's most luxurious offering yet. The Aurora Suite is priced from $7990 per person ($11,890 per person for the slightly larger Australis Suite) on the two-night, three-day Adelaide-to-Darwin trip aboard The Ghan in November 2026. Take me to the river Along with expeditions, river cruising is the fastest-growing sector in the cruising category. Australian Pacific Touring started out doing local bus tours before branching out into overseas cruises. In April this year, APT launched Solara, followed by Ostara in June. The near-identical ships have 77 suites across three cabin categories, and hold 154 passengers and 60 crew. The sweet spot is the Balcony Suites, offering full-length, electric slide-down windows opening onto a French-style deck. Choosing APT means you'll never have to explain a flat white, or ask for the Vegemite while sailing on the Rhine, the Main or the Danube. An eight-day cruise from Munich to Amsterdam starts from $7645 per person in a Balcony Suite. Viking River Cruises began in 1997 with just four river ships; today, it's a juggernaut with about 80, mainly in Europe but also on the Mississippi and the Mekong. But the most immediate growth is scheduled for Portugal – with ships planned for the Douro River – and Egypt, where Viking plans to have 10 ships on the Nile by the close of 2026. These include Thoth, from October this year, hot on the heels of Amun, which is set to debut in September. Both cater for 82 guests and 48 crew. Our value pick is the 22-square-metre Veranda Stateroom, where, for $14,795 per person, you can book the 12-day 'Pharaohs & Pyramids' cruise. Loading Talking of next-generation river ships, Tauck is preparing to debut MS Serene in early 2026. The ship holds 124 guests and 41 crew, and will focus on the River Seine. A sibling, the slightly longer MS Lumière (for 130 guests and 44 crew), will be released at the same time. Both ships feature a large sundeck with a pool and bar area, plus The Retreat – a fitness centre, massage room and lounge area encased by floor-to-ceiling windows. An 11-day Bordeaux, Paris and The Seine cruise sailing in 2026 is priced from $10,990 per person on MS Serene. The pointy end Cathay Pacific became one of the few airlines to offer the privacy of a sliding door on its airline's business-class seats from late last year. While it's more of a sliding screen (you can see over the top), it still creates a 'cocoon in the sky' vibe. Each of Cathay's refurbished B777-300ERs has 45 business- class Aria Suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, with all-aisle access. The seat is 53.3 centimetres wide, with a bed length of 190.5 centimetres when it reclines to fully flat. But it's the ultra-high-definition screen that has the biggest 'wow' factor. At a whopping 60.9 centimetres, it's perfect for film buffs. The Aria Suites are only on Cathay's refitted 777s and to date, only a handful have been refreshed. Cathay flies daily between Hong Kong and Sydney, London and Beijing. Business class is always expensive, but Webjet data for 2024 shows the airline was one of the most competitively priced options. Emirates has refitted 19 of its 120 B777-300ERs from nose to tail. Earlier this year, it began flying its refurbished four-class 777s between Dubai and Melbourne, putting its new 'Game Changer' first-class suites, with fully enclosed floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, on an Australian route. There are three flights daily between Melbourne and Dubai: two on refurbished A380s, and one on the refurbished 777 (flight number EK405). The 42 business-class seats are set out as 1-2-1, and are 52.6 centimetres wide, stretching to 199.6 centimetres when flat, and there's a 58.4-centimetre entertainment screen. Air New Zealand unveiled its first refurbished 787-9 Dreamliner last month and it flies between Auckland and Brisbane, Rarotonga, Vancouver and San Francisco. The airline has gone from having among the worst business-class seats to an acclaimed product across two pointy-end options – Business Premier (22 seats) and Business Premier Luxe (four seats) that come with sliding privacy doors. Seats in both areas are 54 centimetres wide, reclining to 203 centimetres when flat. An option to look out for 2026 is Air NZ's innovative SkyNest, which will only be available for economy passengers. SkyNest is the airline's bunk-bed-style sleeping pod, where you can book a four-hour session to lie down for considerably less than you'd pay for a business-class seat.
