Cattleman Gordon Pringle who owns Australian Muster Experience backing on to the beautiful rainforest of Daintree National Park, a short drive north of Port Douglas, is looking forward to tomorrow night’s much anticipated airing of HBO’s The Pacific on Channel Seven.  The 10-Part Miniseries was filmed on his properties at Rocky Point.Australian tourism is set to benefit when HBO’s, The Pacific airs on Channel Seven tomorrow night.  

Dramatic coastlines, vast expanses of beach, dense rainforest and arid outback provide a rich and romantic cinematic landscape for this epic 10-part miniseries. Executive produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, The Pacific is a multi-million dollar production filmed on location in the tropical north – namely Rocky Point - north of Port Douglas.

Managing Director of Australian Muster Experience and Five Star Venues and owner of the land where the mini-series was filmed, Gordon Pringle said he was honoured to make his slice of paradise available to film crews and cast members for the duration of the eight month shoot.

"Not only does this production effectively showcase the beauty of the region to millions of viewers, worldwide, it also highlights the diversity of the area to future production companies looking for spectacular locations.  On a personal level, I am confident The Pacific will greatly enhance our efforts in marketing the destination."

In an excerpt from correspondence with Pringle following the wrap up of production for The Pacific, co-Executive Producer/Writer, Bruce C. McKenna exclaimed "What a surprise! I was just talking about your property to a reporter the other day.  We chose it because it had everything we needed – especially the expanse of beach.  It was close enough to town to get crews in and out, but far enough away that we weren’t going to keep the entire ‘coast’ up at night.  You were incredibly gracious for letting us construct what we needed and the production is deeply grateful."

Mr Pringle said his land had received further attention with Mount Mulligan currently being considered by a new international production company planning to film the history of far north Queensland’s gold rush. 

The miniseries tracks the intertwined real-life stories of three US Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone, and Eugene Sledge – across the vast canvas of the Pacific rim during World War 11.

The miniseries follows these men and their fellow marines from the first battle with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, through the rainforests of Cape Gloucester and the strongholds of Peleliu, across the bloody sands of Iwo Jima and through the horror of Okinawa, and finally to their triumphant but uneasy return home after V-Day.

The Pacific is based in part on the books "Helmet for My Pillow" by Robert Leckie and "With the Old Breed" by Eugene B. Sledge, with additional material from "Red Blood, Black Sand" by Chuck Tatum and “China Marine” by Eugene B. Sledge, as well as the original interviews by the filmmakers.

The Pacific has already started airing in the US to great acclaim, achieving in the vicinity of 9 million views for its first four episodes.

Parker Travel Collection have released the new Sunlover Holidays version of the ‘Hot Deals to Cool Places’ brochure. Focusing on holiday packages and pay/stay deals, it offers 16-pages of Queensland’s best products, with an emphasis on the Tropical North.

New for 2010 are the many value-adds available when booking a package. Holiday voucher booklets provide over $200 in savings at various attractions and restaurants, in addition to FREE entry into Kuranda Koala Gardens Wildlife Park for all clients booked on the Essentials, Premium or Grand Family packages.

The ‘Hot Deals’ brochure continues to ensure retail agents have easy to sell products, with great deals to satisfy their clients’ needs.

 To see a copy of the brochure, click here.

For brochure orders, agents can e-mail hotdeals@trav.com.au

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa has won BEST LUXURY ECO TOURISM at the 2010 Luxury Travel Magazine Awards, in a category with 14 Australian and International finalists.

Small in size but mighty in authenticity, the lodge was also placed 3rd out of 25 finalists in the BEST AUSTRALIAN SPA category.

Founders and Owners of Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa, Terry and Cathy Maloney said of the award: “It is a privilege to be awarded BEST LUXURY ECO TOURISM in the world category by the discerning travellers and followers of Luxury Travel Magazine. This prestigious award recognises the efforts over the past 15 years of developing a truly authentic and experiential travel destination in Australia. To be selected by the consumers from such an outstanding collection is most humbling”.

Vision Hotels and Resorts’ flagship property, The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa, has been named one of the Top 10 places for families to stay in the South Pacific for the second year in a row.

General Manager of Vision Hotels and Resorts Craig Biber said The Lakes was named eighth best family accommodation in the South Pacific in this year’s 2010 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards.

“This is a real testament to the staff at The Lakes who have worked extremely well to overcome our difficult economy and associated challenges of the past 12 months,” he said.

“It is a great honour to be named among the world’s best hotels which have earnt their distinction from those who know them best – real travellers,” he said.

Chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor Christine Petersen said the Travellers' Choice winners were based on millions of real and unbiased opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com and content from across the web.

“From remarkable bargains to the trendiest hotels, travellers worldwide have recognised more than 700 hotels for their outstanding service, value and quality in the eighth year of the awards.”

Situated only 3km from the Cairns International Airport and 3km from the Cairns CBD, The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa is an award-winning 4.5 star resort situated on 4ha of lush tropical gardens, scenic lakes and large resort style pools.

Ochre Restaurant is one of the very few restaurants that specialises in Australian Native Cuisine and has over 15 years developed knowledge in direct use of these little known ingredients. 

Dining at the Ochre Restaurant is like a virtual tour through the culinary delights of Australia. With a dedication to local produce and experience like no other in crafting Native ingredients into modern exciting cuisine, offering a range of exquisite dishes for tourists and locals alike.

We have long known that Australian Native or ‘Bush Tucker’ foods are very good for you, the Aboriginal People survived traditional in the harshest of environments with great help from the incredible healthy foods they were able to eat. These native foods offer sustainability and a low carbon future.

Recently a new study commissioned by the Australian Government has further documented the amazing super foods that are Australian bush foods, covering 13 different fruits and spices that we at Ochre use regularly. The research covers antioxidant capabilities, vitamin and mineral content. These native foods were benchmarked against the blueberry, widely know as the healthy fruit, and they have blown the blueberry away. This new research has proven that Australian Bush Foods are the new super food, and will go along way to improving human health and fighting chronic disease. Go to  https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/09-133.pdf   for the full report.

Eating at Ochre provides a dining experience with fantastic flavours and exemplary service showcasing the best of Australian and regional produce. Listed in the top 100 restaurants in Australia by Diners Club for 3 years running Ochre has completed the development of 'bush food' into Modern Australian Cuisine.

Pictured Left: Rodney Harrex, Tourism Australia UK office receiving World Award from Miss World in London. 

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa has scooped the prestigious World Travel Awards last night, taking out two categories, Australasia's Leading Green Hotel and World's Leading Eco Lodge.

Described by the Wall Street Journal as the 'Oscars' of the global travel and tourism industry, the World Travel Awards is the most prestigious, comprehensive and sought-after awards programme recognising the world’s  best performers.

To win Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel exceeded our expectations but then to come away as the World’s Leading Eco Lodge – it’s simply the absolute highest pinnacle. All associated with the Lodge who believe in its philosophies, principles and its future are thrilled with the news.

Daintree Ecolodge & Spa beat off entries from first-class lodges in Kenya, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mozambique, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. We’re proud that our family-run, close knit team has created the planet’s best eco-lodge, right here in Australia - in our own backyard!

The winning combination is ecotourism, unique spa and Aboriginal culture experiences, nestled in the Daintree Rainforest – an ecosystem that is 135 million years old and one of the earth’s most magical places.

The 16th annual awards are voted by travel professionals from 183,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organisations in over 160 countries across the globe.

The only other Australian winners in the Australasian Regional Awards are Tourism Australia named Australasia’s Leading Tourism Board, Sydney as Australasia’s Leading Destination, Tourism New South Wales named Australia’s Leading Tourism Board, and in the World Category, Bondi Beach recognised as the world’s Best Beach. Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa is the only Australian private enterprise awarded in these categories.

This year the Lodge has been honoured with 10 major awards for excellence in spa, health and wellness, eco, nature, green and travel experiences.

Workers and families in the Mt Isa region are being lured to Tropical North Queensland with discount flights and holiday packages during summer.

Tourism business development company Parker Travel Collection has formed an alliance with Skytrans to present the first of a series of holiday campaigns with special fares on the four weekly air services from Mt Isa to Cairns starting at $99 one way.

Skytrans Queensland Hot Deals accommodation packages are available in Cairns city, at the beaches, Port Douglas, Daintree and Green Island with prices starting at $130 for three nights. Tour packages are also on offer with reef and rainforest trips, plus some of Tropical North Queensland’s iconic attractions on offer.

Parker Travel Collection Managing Director Todd Parker said the campaign was the first of its kind in regional Queensland where an innovative approach was needed to sell holidays during summer.

“A holiday at the beach, a rainforest sojourn or a city getaway is ideal for the Mt Isa market and we already have the advantage of frequent Skytrans connections, so Tropical North Queensland is the perfect place for families and mine company employees to take a break,” he said.

“This is the beginning of a mining and regional strategy for Parker Travel Collection and we are very proud to be working so closely with Skytrans to develop a long-term sales solution for regional Queensland.”

Skytrans Commercial Manager Steve Jones said the Skytrans Queensland Hot Deals campaign between Mt Isa and Tropical North Queensland was the first step in the company’s goal to develop a Skytrans Holidays division satisfying all the ports within the network with accommodation, attractions, touring and holiday packages. 

“This would increase the use of Skytrans flights and establish us as a pioneer in developing Central, Regional and Tropical North Queensland from a tourism perspective while working hand in hand with the growth in the mining and agriculture sectors.

“We are very excited about the long-term development of an airline holiday product range for a very unique market.

“The team at Parker Travel Collection offers the infrastructure, products, experience and skills to develop this range and, as they are already actively involved in developing saleable tourism in central Queensland, we can capitalise on this and then grow further into Cape York Peninsula.”

Mr Jones said the Skytrans Queensland Hot Deals brochure would be distributed on all Skytrans Flights and by travel agencies and companies in the region.

Pictured above: Mike Thinee - General Manager Commerical, Todd Parker - Managing Director, Parker Travel Collection, Steve Jones - Manager Commericial, Muralee Siva - CEO

Parker Travel Collection has launched a new campaign in Hong Kong designed to bring independent Chinese travelers to Queensland.

Managing Director Todd Parker said the campaign was based around China Airlines’ 50th anniversary, using China Airlines flights from Hong Kong to Sydney and Brisbane with special fares that can be used with Qantas internally.

“The China Airlines Vacation promotion is one of the first destination models targeting the Free Independent Traveler (FIT) market in southern China and Hong Kong,” he said.

“The campaign builds on the recent Tourism Australia promotions targeting this market in Hong Kong. “Queensland has proven itself a popular destination for Chinese groups with the successful charters each Chinese New Year, but with this campaign we will see families, couples and single travelers experiencing the holiday of a lifetime in Queensland’s most popular destinations including Cairns, Port Douglas, the Gold Coast and Noosa.”

The China Airlines Vacations campaign which features accommodation and touring packages throughout Queensland will be distributed via the internet and retail agencies in Hong Kong and South China. Parker Travel Collection will make sales calls in the market for the next seven months as the promotion runs through to 31 March, 2010.

Download China Airlines Vacations brochure.

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa, in Tropical North Queensland, has just been voted Australia’ s Best Spa and Health Retreat Experience.

An international panel of  Premier Aussie Specialists voted 20 Best Australian Experiences for the leading global magazine, Travelling In Australia. The 14 finalists in Best Spa and Health Retreat Experience category are an extraordinary collection of bespoke Australian Spas and Health Retreats.

The experiences on offer at Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa are in harmony with nature, in the essence of nurture and combined respectfully with the culture of the local Kuku Yalanji rainforest Aboriginal people.The setting is in a special lush valley, nestled in the world’s oldest rainforest (135 million years old, 65 million years older than the Amazon) and only 40 minutes north of Port Douglas.

Earlier this month Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa added to it’s World Recognition when named by Tatler UK in the World’s Best 101 Spas.

Parker Travel Collection and Sunlover Holidays have released the latest
2009/10 Hot Deals brochure. Focused on inclusive packaged holidays and
general tourist information, the 16 page brochure will make the agent an
instant expert on Queensland holidays, with a focus on TNQ. To see a copy of
the brochure, click here.

For brochure orders, agents can e-mail  hotdeals@trav.com.au