• News

    Rest Up: Your Weekend Escape Just Got Extended For Free, with Mudgee Offering Visitors a Third Night on the House

    Turns out the secret to a truly relaxing holiday isn't heading away more often — it's staying an extra night for free.

  • Feature

    The Best Winter Weekend Getaways in Australia

    Bypassing peak-season summer crowds has its perks. We have tracked down Australia’s premier cold-weather sanctuaries, packing in architectural eco-lodges, hyperlocal vineyard dining, and the best places to thaw out by a roaring open fire.

  • Feature

    Dark Arts, Hedonism and Exploration: A Weekender's Guide to Visiting Hobart for Dark Mofo

    Dark Mofo bathes Hobart in red light, fire and ritual every winter solstice. Here's where to stay, what to eat and how to do the long nights properly — from the Winter Feast to Night Mass.

  • Feature

    The Best Unconventional Stays in Australia

    From sleeping in former prison cells and bubbles under desert skies to floating villas, cliff-edge cabins and islands you can have entirely to yourself, these are Australia’s most unconventional stays.

  • Feature

    The Luxury Traveller's Guide to Brisbane to Inspire Your Next Indulgent Escape

    From helicopter wine tours to luxury hotel stays, there are plenty of ways to live the high life in Brisbane.

  • Feature

    Your Essential Guide to Memphis, Tennessee

    Memphis is a veritable playground for music fans. It's not only the home of blues and soul music but also the birthplace of rock 'n' roll.

  • Feature

    Nine Luxury Experiences in Tropical North Queensland That Are Also Environmentally Responsible

    Head north for an eco-friendly escape that doesn't skimp on luxury.

  • Feature

    Into the Wild: Go off the Beaten Path at These Fascinating Regional Destinations

    Get out of town — literally — and do your weekend differently.

  • Feature

    Green Playground

    Tropical North Queensland is the destination that should be perched at the top of your responsible travel hit list.

  • Feature

    Taste of Tasmania: Discover the Delicious Charm of the Apple Isle

    Australia's island state boasts the perfect conditions for producing top-quality, flavour-filled produce — and an exceptionally talented roll call of passionate people doing spectacular things with it.

  • Feature

    A Southern Edge Road Trip: Follow a CP Writer's Ambling Foodie Adventure in Tasmania's South

    "While I love a scenic road trip with good company as much as the next person, this road trip truly rivalled almost every journey I can recall."

  • Feature

    A Northern Forage Road Trip: Follow a CP Writer's Tasting Tour Across Tasmania's North

    Proceed with an empty stomach, an open mind and a readiness to build a more meaningful relationship with what’s on your plate.

  • News

    Meet The Culinary Tastemakers Championing Tasmanian Produce

    Meet the passionate advocates and entrepreneurs who deal in flavours of the wild and tastes of terroir with the finest produce the earth and sea can offer.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide to Byron Bay

    Where to stay, eat, drink and play around one of Australia's most-loved coastal towns.

  • News

    Gastronomy, Festivities and Frivolity: A Weekender's Guide to Adelaide During Mad March

    Heading to Adelaide for Mad March? Here’s how to spend a weekend during Fringe and WOMADelaide — including where to stay, eat, drink, play and wander.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide to Kangaroo Island

    The South Australian island's wineries, beaches, oyster farms and accommodation are as beautiful as ever.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide to Queensland's Bundaberg Region

    Watch baby turtles hatch, swim at the Southern Great Barrier Reef, then sample award-winning local gin and rum.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide To Bowral and the Southern Highlands

    Stay at a country estate, taste locally produced wine and whisky, peruse a whole heap of art and feast at a hatted restaurant — all in just one weekend.

  • Hotel

    The Calile Hotel

    48 James Street, Fortitude Valley

    A Fortitude Valley stay that pairs resort-style living with one of Brisbane’s best dining and shopping precincts.

  • Guide

    The Ten Best Hotels in Brisbane

    From resort-style pools and design-led suites to heritage stays and boutique hideaways, these hotels prove that a great stay in Brisbane can be as much about atmosphere as it is about location.

  • News

    The Best Glamping Sites Around Australia

    Stay in luxury tents scattered among remote deserts, lush rainforests and tropical islands at these Australian glamping sites.

  • News

    Ten of the Most-Unique and Relaxing Stays You Can Book Around Auckland

    From sprawling rainforest escapes to chic inner-city lofts, Auckland's Airbnb game is set to impress.

  • Guide

    The 16 Best Hotels In Melbourne for 2025

    Whether you're vacationing or staycationing, this lineup of the best hotels in Melbourne will help you live your best life — fine restaurants, premium spas, rooftop pools and pillow menus await.

  • News

    The Most-Beautiful Coastal Stays That You Can Book in Noosa

    Beach sessions, rainforest treks and breezy holiday vibes await you on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Travel

Get Concrete Playground's take on the latest travel news, events, places and trips
  • Travel & Leisure

    The Auchenflower Stretch of Coronation Drive Is Closed Due to a Police Incident

    Bus detours are in place, ferries aren't stopping along the river — and it's recommended that you avoid the area.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Luxe New Brisbane Hotel Ovolo The Valley Has Just Opened Its Rockstar-Inspired Doors

    The old Emporium hotel site has had a $55 million, design-led facelift.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Brisbane's New Riverside Art Series Hotel Is Inspired By Famed Aussie Painter Vincent Fantauzzo

    And it's being built into the cliff underneath the Story Bridge.

  • Travel & Leisure

    The Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach Has Been Named One of the Best in the World

    Six Australian beaches have made FlightNetwork list of the top 50 best beaches in the world.

  • Travel & Leisure

    The Impressive Geminids Meteor Shower Will Be Visible in Australia Tonight

    The spectacular starry event only happens once a year.

  • Travel & Leisure

    A New Luxury Cross-Country Train Will Soon be Making Its Way Across Australia

    It'll travel from Adelaide to Brisbane over three days — and make the reverse journey across four.

  • Travel & Leisure
    Brisbane City

    W Brisbane

    A five-star hotel that brings colour, cocktails and maximalist design to the CBD waterfront.

  • Travel & Leisure

    The Big Melon Is Australia's Newest Giant-Sized Tourist Attraction

    Joining the ranks of the Big Pineapple and Big Banana, this newcomer has made its home in the QLD town of Chinchilla: the melon capital of Australia

  • Travel & Leisure

    A Fancy New Double-Decker CityCat Will Soon Be Cruising the Brisbane River

    It's set to hit the water in late 2019 — and come 2020, it'll also stop at Brisbane's newest inner-city terminal.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Brisbane's Westin Hotel Opens This Week with the City's First Swim-Up Pool Bar

    The 299-room hotel features not only the impressive pool, but a restaurant, a jazz bar, a fitness studio and luxury spa.

  • Travel & Leisure

    You Can Now Escape to a Luxury Dome Tent in the Middle of the NSW Bush

    This two-person stay is located on a sprawling property and totally secluded, with stunning views and minimal carbon footprint.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Sri Lanka Has Been Named the Number One Country to Visit in 2019 by Lonely Planet

    The island nation has taken the top spot on the annual travel destination list.

  • Travel & Leisure

    MONA Wants to Fly You and Your Mates to Its Summer Festival for Free on Its New Airline Air Mofo

    It's giving away Mona Foma festival tickets and airfares for you and five mates — and it won't be an ordinary flight, either.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Six Alternative Ideas to Help You Get Out of Town Over New Year's Eve

    If you don't feel like joining the crowds in the city or sweating it out at a festival this year, ring in 2019 from Tassie, a yoga treehouse or a secluded west coast beach.

  • Travel & Leisure

    The Calile Is Fortitude Valley's New Resort-Style Hotel with Cabanas, Poolside Dining and an All-Day Bar

    The new 175-room spot is calling itself 'Australia's first urban resort'.

  • Travel & Leisure

    The Royal Itinerary Is Actually Useful for the Next Time Your Mates Come to Australia

    Don't worry, you won't need a royal's budget.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Visit Victoria Has Created a Slightly Ridiculous Tourism Ad Encouraging Dogs to Go on Holiday

    And the campaign video is optimised for 'dog vision', too.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Ovolo Is Giving Fortitude Valley's Old Emporium Hotel a Huge Makeover

    It’ll be Ovolo’s second site in Brisbane, and it opens in November.

  • Travel & Leisure

    The Five Best Glamping Spots on New Zealand's South Island

    Where to blend luxury and nature all in one stay.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Five Places to Stay in the South Island that Don't Involve Camping

    From a converted railway wagon to an old gaol cell, these unique locations are way better than your tent.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Bannisters Is Port Stephens' Luxe New Waterfront Hotel with an Infinity Pool

    Featuring 80 stunning rooms with views of the river or bushland, and a restaurant from an acclaimed chef.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Five Scenic Cycling Trails to Hit on the South Island

    Soak up the stunning scenery of the south on two wheels.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Sydney International Airport Now Has a Team of Very Good Dogs to Help Passengers De-Stress

    The pups are available for pre-flight cuddles, as part of the new emBark program by American Airlines and Assistance Dogs Australia

  • Travel & Leisure

    The World's Longest Non-Stop Commercial Flight Will Launch Next Month

    The nearly 19-hour flight from Singapore to New York will soon take to the skies.

  • Travel & Leisure

    You Can Tour Antarctica on a Day Trip Thanks to This Indulgent Sight-Seeing Plane Tour

    Explore the icy continent during the day, then return home to your own bed.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Lon Retreat and Spa Is Point Lonsdale's New Luxury Coastal Escape

    The 200-acre hillside property boasts seven luxury suites, a mineral pool and its own private art gallery.

  • Travel & Leisure

    South Island Journeys

    Break free from the daily grind, and head east then south for a tour around NZ's South Island. Together with Tourism New Zealand, we’ve fashioned these guides to take you all over the South. Based on key driving routes, these journeys will help you find the very best experiences — from adrenaline-charged adventures to luxurious days of pamper.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Direct East Coast Flights to New York and London Look Set to Become a Reality

    It's looking likely that you'll be able to fly non-stop from Australia's east coast by 2022.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Australia's First Super-Luxe St Regis Hotel Will Be Built in Melbourne

    The 168-room hotel will be part of the Flinders Bank towers and will open in 2022.

  • Travel & Leisure

    You Can Now Stay at the World's First Craft Beer Hotel

    Complete with a beer on arrival, in-room beer taps and shower beer fridges.

  • Travel & Leisure

    This New Service Lets You Travel to Japan Without Any Luggage

    Leave your clothes at home and rent someone else's.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Ten Stunning Onsens in the Forest to Visit on Your Next Trip to Japan

    The authors of 'Onsen in Japan' have found the most secluded spots for naked bathing in the country.

  • Travel & Leisure

    This House-Sharing Service Lets You Stay in the Luxe Homes of Friends of Friends

    If you've ever visited a pal's place and thought that you'd like to holiday there, or heard stories about a mate of a mate's gorgeous pad in a far-flung spot, this is for you.

  • Travel & Leisure

    An Opulent New Hotel and Gin Distillery Is Coming to the Yarra Valley

    The 170-room 'voco' hotel will also be home to a lavender field and a mirrored maze.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Australian Travellers Can Now Check Into International Flights Using Their Phones

    Electric boarding passes for international flights are now allowed at all Australian airports.

  • Travel & Leisure

    A Winter Weekender's Guide to NSW

    Work hard, play (or relax) harder. From a quick overnight trip to a long weekend, make the most of your spare time and discover what NSW has to offer.

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