INSERT BACKGROUND IMAGE The HOT LIST July 2021 Melbourne, Victoria The Hot List Table of Contents Table of ● Key Pillar & Themes Indicator – 3 ● Upcoming Festival & Events – 4 contents ● Virtual & Online Experiences – 6 ● New Tourism Products & Experiences – 10 ● Food & Drink Openings – 31 ● New Accommodation – 43 ● Future Accommodation Announcements – 52 The Hot List Tourism Products & Food & Drink Openings New Accommodation Experiences Key NATURE & WILDLIFE BAR & DINING HOTELS Pillars BOUTIQUE & LUXURY AQUATIC & COASTAL BARS HOTELS FOOD & DRINK RESTAURANTS HOSTELS MODERN & INDIGENOUS WINERIES, BREWERIES & GLAMPING & CAMPING CULTURE DISTILLERIES CAFÉS, BAKERIES & ECO-RESORTS & LODGES DESSERT SUSTAINABILITY LUXURY Dark Mofo Festival, Tasmania INSERT BACKGROUND IMAGE FESTIVALS & EVENTS The Hot List Upcoming Festivals & Events UPCOMING august September OCTOBER ● Tassie Scallop Fiesta - Bridport, ● Junction Arts Festival - Launceston, ● Bastille Festival Sydney - Sydney, New Tasmania (1 August) Tasmania (1 - 5 September) South Wales (1 - 4 October) FESTIVALS ● Melbourne International Film Festival - ● Targa Great Barrier Reef - Cairns, ● 2021 Archibald Prize Regional Tour - Various locations, Victoria (5 - 22 Queensland (2-5 September) Gippsland, Victoria (8 October - 21 August) November) & EVENTS ● Condo Skyfest Miima Warrabinya - ● Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair - Darwin, Condobolin, New South Wales (3 - 5 ● Melbourne International Jazz Festival - Northern Territory (6 - 11 August) September) Melbourne, Victorial (15 - 24 October) ● Tasmanian Whisky Week - Hobart, ● Lost and Found Festival - Bunbury, ● Vegan Festival Adelaide - Adelaide, Please check event and Tasmania (9 - 15 August) Western Australia (9 - 12 September) South Australia (30 - 31 October) festival websites for further information about ticketing ● Beaker Street Festival - Hobart & ● Margaret River Region Open Studio - Launceston, Tasmania (14 - 22 August) Margaret River, Western Australia (11 - and bookings. 26 September) ● Cairns Indigenous Art Fair - Cairns, Queensland (17 - 22 August) ● Floriade - Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (11 September - 10 October) ● Melbourne Food and Wine Festival - Various locations, Melbourne (20-29 ● Vivid Sydney - Sydney, New South August 2021) Wales (17 September - 9 October) ● Shore Leave Festival - Geraldton, ● Kimberley Writers Festival - Kimberley, Western Australia (24 - 27 September) Western Australia (20 - 22 August) ● AFL Grand Final – Melbourne, Victoria (25 ● Cinefest Oz - Busselton, Western September 2021) Australia (25 - 29 August) ● Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Various venues, Ballarat (28 August – 24 October) ● Shinji Matsuri - Broome, Western Australia (28 August - 5 September) Umpherston Sinkhole, South Australia INSERT BACKGROUND IMAGE Virtual & ONLINE Experiences VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE NATURE & WILDLIFE Virtual Experience National Launched July 2021 Live penguin tv INSERT Live Penguin TV has returned to screens, allowing Australians IMAGE and international viewers alike to witness the much-loved Penguin Parade from home. Phillip Island Nature Parks’ world-first live streaming of the Penguin Parade with expert ranger commentary ran for 112 nights during the height of Victoria’s restrictions in 2020 – amassing 25 million viewers live penguin tv across 100 countries. Live Penguin TV allows fans to watch the famous Penguin Parade on their phone, computer or device, or stream to their TV, through Phillip Island Nature Parks’ YouTube and Facebook channels. The parade will stream every night from 6pm for at least a couple of weeks. Penguin parade youtube Phillip Island Nature Parks GUIDE TO PHILLIP ISLAND MODERN & INDIGENOUS VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE NATURE & WILDLIFE CULTURE SUSTAINABILITY Virtual Experience Byron Bay, New South Wales Launched 2021 New virtual ECO-TOURS INSERT Looking for new ways to explore Byron and the hinterland? IMAGE Vision Walks has launched virtual Eco-Tours to help people connect with nature and explore life in and around Byron Bay. There are a number of tours available for different interests. The Virtual Platypus Tour and Virtual Koala Tour allows viewers to Vision Walks see the animals in their natural habitat, while learning more about their habits. Or head off on a tour of Nimbin, a Virtual Aboriginal Tour of Cape Byron, or the Glow in the Dark Live Virtual Tour where you can see the forest and it’s creatures lit up via a UV light, selfie stick and smart phone. For more details on these tours, visit their website. Vision walks @visionwalks Guide to byron bay VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE NATURE & WILDLIFE MODERN & INDIGENOUS CULTURE Virtual Experience National Launching August 2021 Back to Nature INSERT Back to Nature is a visually stunning documentary series IMAGE featuring two storytellers who guide viewers through the wonder and awe of the Australian landscape and reconnect with Country through stories. Both yearning to reconnect with nature themselves, actor ABC DOCUMENTARY Aaron Pedersen and writer Holly Ringland take the audience on a journey into the deep interconnectedness between SERIES human beings and the landscape, exploring stories on geology, history, natural science, mystery, spirituality and First Nations’ knowledge. The series sees Country as a living being, with themes of BACK TO NATURE interconnection, mutual symbiosis, and cooperation in nature. Each episode is set in a location that’s within easy reach of a @abcaustralia city or town. This series isn’t about travelling to exotic, Unique experiences at faraway places, but about seeing the local and accessible australia’s icons with fresh eyes and deeper appreciation. Screening on ABC from August 10th or via ABC iView - you won’t want to miss this one. INSERT BACKGROUND IMAGE Tourism Products & Experiences Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel, Tropical North Queensland NATURE & WILDLIFE Tourism Products & Experiences Nulkaba, New South Wales Launched July 2021 Hunter Valley Zoo joins Australian Wildlife INSERT Parks IMAGE Hunter Valley Zoo has been welcomed into the Australian Wildlife Parks group, joining Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park in Western Sydney and Mogo Wildlife Park near Batemans Bay. The purchase cements Australian Wildlife Parks as Australia’s Hunter valley largest private wildlife tourism operator and strengthens NSW’s wildlife tourism offering. zoo Over the past 14 years, Hunter Valley Zoo has expanded from a native only collection to now housing species including primates, American alligators, white lions, wolves, meerkats and capybaras. Hunter valley zoo Visit their website to check out who’s who in the zoo - and to @Huntervalleyzoo make a booking! Guide to the hunter valley NATURE & WILDLIFE AQUATIC & COASTAL SUSTAINABILITY Tourism Products & Experiences Sydney, New South Wales Launched July 2021 GUIDED WALKS IN Sydney with EcoWalk Tours INSERT Departing from the iconic Taronga Zoo - EcoWalk Tours run a IMAGE range of guided walks around Bradleys Head, Taylors Bay, Chowder Bay, Georges Head, and on to either Obelisk Bay, Middle Head or Balmoral Beach. With options ranging from longer walks, to school holiday adventures for the kids - there is a walk to suit any capability and interest. Ecowalk tours The bushland in Sydney includes hundreds of native herbs, shrubs and trees as well as a variety of bird life, reptiles and possums. A walk among nature can offer so many benefits, but a guided walk is the next best thing. Sydney Harbour National Park is home to a diverse range of native plants and animals commonly found within Sydney’s sandstone gully forests and Eco walk tours coastal banksia scrub. Guide to sydney Visit the EcoWalk Tours website to book a spot on one of their many tours. MODERN & INDIGENOUS NATURE & WILDLIFE AQUATIC & COASTAL CULTURE SUSTAINABILITY Tourism Products & Experiences Bermagui, New South Wales 14 August 2021 NEW CULTURAL EVENT TO MARK Sapphire coast INSERT whale SEASON IMAGE On 14 August, the town of Bermagui on the Sapphire Coast will host its first event to mark the opening of the whale season. Called Walawaani Muriyira-Waraga (which means ‘safe journey whale – many’ in the Dhurga language) the new cultural event SAPPHIRE COAST will connect people to place and celebrate the relationship between whales, Yuin culture and the community. As part of the festival, there will be an opening ceremony including a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony, Dance performance and talks about Yuin cultural connections to Whales. Following the ceremony, the community is invited to Sapphire coast paddle out and welcome the whales as they pass Bermagui on their annual journey south to the Antarctic. @sapphirecoastnsw Guide to the sapphire coast For details on how to register for the event, please visit their website. MODERN & INDIGENOUS NATURE & WILDLIFE CULTURE Tourism Products & Experiences Kakadu, Northern Territory Launched July 2021 NEW Kakadu cultural experience INSERT Scenic Flight operator Kakadu Air has launched a new day tour, IMAGE the Kakadu Culture Experience. In partnership with local Indigenous tourism operators, the new tour delves into the ancient stories and culturally significant sites across the National Park. With nearly two hours of spectacular scenic flying above the Kakadu escarpment, the tour also includes a Kakadu Air 90-minute cruise along the East Alligator River with Guluyambi Tours, a visit to Ubirr to view the famous Aboriginal rock art galleries and on to Jabiru where guests enjoy a custom-made packed lunch featuring native ingredients. On this day tour, departing and ending in