AUSTRALIAN MANTRA HOTELS

April 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Winners of the AFTA National Travel Industry Awards 2010 for “Best Hotel/Resort Group”, Mantra Hotels are located around Australia and comprise the brands Mantra, Peppers and BreakFree.
Mantra Hotels and Resorts cater to both business and leisure travellers, offering complete conferencing solutions throughout Australia and New Zealand. Mantra’s Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney conference venues offer ideal city locations close to the CBD. Mantra conference venues are also located in delightful country areas away from the hustle and bustle of the city such as Kangaroo Valley and the Southern Highlands in New South Wales or Daylesford in Victoria. Mantra’s Gold Coast conference venues are also a popular choice.

On the Queensland Gold Coast, Mantra offers a fantastic portfolio of properties that offer special packages for weddings.

The upmarket Peppers collection of retreats, resorts and hotels offer unique and indulgent located throughout regional Australia and New Zealand.

There are 27 exquisite properties in the Peppers group, perfect for a romantic getaway, wedding or family holiday. Peppers’ country retreats are located amid the wineries of the Hunter Valley and in relaxing beachside locations including Port Douglas and Kingscliff.

Peppers retreats are all about experiencing the finer things in life and are set in idyllic locations such as the Byron hinterland and the lovely Daylesford and Macedon Ranges in Victoria. At each exclusive retreat you’ll experience superb food and wine and superior indulgence.

Peppers resorts are located in popular coastal destinations including Airlie Beach and Palm Cove in Queensland. These resorts include many leisure facilities such as golf courses, day spas, pools and tennis courts.

BreakFree hotels, resorts and apartments offer over 50 properties in popular holiday playgrounds and major cities across Australia and New Zealand.

BreakFree’s spacious, self-contained apartment accommodation combines value for money with east access to the finest beaches, city sights and rural attractions, making them a great choice for both holidaymakers and business travellers.

BreakFree is the largest accommodation provider on Queensland’s popular Gold Coast with over 20 properties located in the region.

Wherever you are travelling within Australia, you’ll find Mantra hotels ideal for your accommodation needs.

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Spending Time in the Pacific Islands

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Pacific Islands, or the South Pacific Islands as they are otherwise referred to offer some of the best in aquatic entertainment. This large group of islands are located in tropical waters just to the east of Australia. As major storms pummel the northeast of the United States during harsh winter month, the Pacific Islands offer and ideal vacation destination for those looking for some heat. Here are just a few of the activities the Pacific Islands provide:

1.)Snorking- The white sands are bested only by the water, which is clear blue and provides an excellent site for snorkeling. Bring your gear and examine the ocean life in pristine waters.

2.) Golf- Some of the most beautiful scenery in the world is visible on the front and back nine as you golf in the Pacific Islands. Play the game you love while enjoying an incredible view.

3.) Diving- Whether you are an experienced diver or a newbie requiring a little instruction, you will not be disappointed with the diving opportunities available to you. Indeed, you will dive down and see ocean life as never before in the clear water of the Pacific Islands.

4.) Canoeing and Kayaking- You don’t even have to get wet to enjoy the beautiful water of the islands. The islands provide for ideal paddling channels as you take in the view of the surrounding scenery. Rentals are available at all island resorts and are typically available either by reservation or on a first come first served basis.

There is no shorttage of reasons to visit the South Pacific Islands, especially if you are making a trip during the winter time. Indeed, a trip to these warm and beautiful islands will not be one you will regret.

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SOPAC: PACIFIC ISLANDS APPLIED GEOSCIENCE COMMISSION

December 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The SPC Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC) was established as a part of the regional cooperation plan established by the leader’s forum of the Pacific islands. SOPAC has traversed a lot after it was setup in 1972. Initially it was a part of a UN programme that looked into mineral mining potentials, but now it has acquired far more prominence and stature in various other activities.

From looking into mineral mining potentials in the seabed and on the shore, it is now employed to do a lot of other things like, protection of coasts, and assessing biologically hazardous activities and substances amongst other things.

SOPAC has several acting members including Australia, and New Zealand. The SOPAC is an important agent of change, and development for the countries of the Pacific islands. SOPAC has three main arms that deal in specialized activities. One arm deals with activities related to islands and the sea in general. The other deals with issue related to water, sanitation, and living conditions. The last arm deals with matter relating to handling emergencies and hazards.

SOPAC provides valuable technical knowledge to the governments of the nations in the pacific islands. It effectively dispatches technical knowhow on things like ocean resource utilizations, oceanic policies, coastal improvement programs, strategic partnerships, and a host of other things. All these are enablers of positive economic change for the nations in the pacific islands.

Sanitation programmes of the SOPAC have given governments the focus to better manage their water resources. Due to the lack of natural storage capacities, small islands in the pacific need the use of technology to bail them out. SOPAC provides invaluable advice, and partnership programmes to meet the needs of the people in these areas.
Timely help in situations of emergency and disaster is what SOPAC is known for. It advises member nations on policies related to handling hazardous activities and substances. Policy setting, disaster recovery, and welfare activities is what SOPAC is known for.

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Pacific Islands Ethnic Museum

December 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Pacific islands are some of the most beautiful islands in the world. Close to 30,000 islands are known to fall in the pacific island list. Pacific islands lie in the Pacific Ocean, which is a vast ocean starting from North America, covering Asia, and finally Australia.

The Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum opened on October 15, 2010.With its main aim to educate people about the culture, tradition, and mystery of pacific islands, this museum will houses all relevant artifacts. Considering that certain islands of the pacific ocean had no one visiting it for centuries, until lately, there definitely is a lot of mystery left that is unexplored. This is the area where the museum will delve into to get more historical discoveries.

Some islands have colorful cultural backgrounds. Aspects of such cultures can be brought to the museum. Given the fact that there are close to 30000 islands, one can imagine the kind of cultural, and biological diversity that might exist. And the museum has a lot of potential in documenting those evidences by way of showpiece specimens.

The museums chief had started of the process of putting together a museum in the 1990s iteself. At that time the museums founder travelled and met with the chiefs of the tribes that resided on these islands. By doing this a lot of information was taken, and this paved the way to the opening of an art institute in the micronesian islands in the 1990s. A point to be noted is that the pacific islands are structured into three distinct entities namely, polynesia, melanesia,and off course micronesia.

Apart from showcasing art,the Pacific Islands Ethnic Museum will also offer background information. Visitors will be highly enriched in their knowledge about these islands from the background information. The museum will help people understand how geographically dispersed islanders live their lives. It will offer a glimpse of how human beings in general adapt to living in geographical isolation.

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The Pacific Islands Golden Age

September 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
A swimmer performing the front crawl.
Image via Wikipedia

Beaches and Australians or Pacific Islanders have always gone together as readily as oreos and milk, or peanut butter and chocolate. Aboriginals used the coasts to fish and gather vital protein, as well as for cleaning and predicting weather changes. Along the lovely white coasts of the Pacific Islands, where the multi-million dollar mansions now blot out the sun for mere pedestrians, remnants of lives long lost still remain piled up behind trees, like so many shellfish.

Aboriginals made acquaintanceships with white settlers on the beaches of Australia and the Pacific Islands. The Australian love of water sports, swimming, and sunbathing was born on the soft white sands of the land. The Australian and Pacific Island beaches are a class leveler: all people, whether rich or poor, local or tourists, are welcome to sit-back and relax. Ideals are hosted on the beach, and proposals are pitched. People fall in love on the beaches, and children learn how to swim there.

Photos of the beachfront over the years accurately depict the growing bustle, the departure from solitude and peace, and the growth of these popular destination beaches. Bondi, in 1959, was both modest and elegant, small and homogeneous. Today, as the most popular beach in the area, it’s apparent how far the nation and surrounding regions have come. All of the things that were celebrated and desired in the past, like swims, picnics, and star-gazing, are still possible in the clear skies of Bondi.

People of the Pacific Islands and Australia know how to relax and enjoy life, how to accept one another, if only on the beach, and how to set aside time for oneself. Fifty years ago and fifty years from now, people will be dining al fresco, serenading loved ones, and planning family picnics on the beaches of this lovely area. Beaches are a vital facet of island life.

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