Qantas Airways, Australia face industrial action from ground staff, baggage handlers and engineers over pay and labour conditions.

 
The ground workers’ strike of October 2011 has caused inconvenience to thousands of passengers. Some flights have been cancelled while others have been delayed or brought forward. The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers association and the Transport Workers Union are the major workers’ unions battling with the airlines for better pay and working conditions. The past month saw outrages of the Qantas airlines workers through an array of full shift job walk-offs, one-hour strikes, nationwide stoppages, overtime bans and daily stop work meetings. Some threatened strikes are cancelled at the last minute, but disruption is still caused. AustraliaBargains.co.uk has warned passengers from the UK flying to Australia to keep in touch with Qantas and be prepared for delays. Whilst international flights from UK to Australia, have not been affected so far, connecting flights on the Qantas domestic network may well be delayed or cancelled.
With the travel plans and flights of 28,500 domestic and international passengers already disrupted, Qantas airways estimate that the work stoppages and industrial action will cause inconvenience to almost 55,000 passengers. International airports across the country, including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airport, are being affected greatly by the industrial strike.
The strike initiated by the union representing Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN.AU) has been successful in gaining the support of more groups of airline workers like cabin cleaners, catering staff, ramp workers and engineers. While efforts are being made to settle the issues between the airlines and the workers, a partial breakthrough has been achieved on pay negotiations.
Qantas is trying to resolve the industrial action by holding several rounds of negotiation meetings. The positive approach has calmed down the workers’ unions and a conclusion can be expected to reach soon. However, the unions warn that several strikes will follow, if the airlines fail to identify the workers’ demands and needs. Nevertheless, all passengers to Australia are advised to stay aware of the inconvenience which the industrial strike may cause.

Looking for hotels in Perth?

Perth is one of the busiest cities in Western Australia with a population of about 1,700,000, making it Western Australia’s largest city. Perth is a very remote city however still has a higher population than the rest of Western Australia, west of Adelaide, South Australia and the Northern Territory combined.

Perth is well known for being Australia’s fourth wettest capital city with Darwin, Sydney and Brisbane being the top 3. Perth is compared to having a Mediterranean climate due to its predicted weather forecast, summers being hot and dry and winters being really wet and cool. Summer in Perth begins in December and carries on right through till March, the hottest time generally being during the month of February.

As many tourists visit Perth every year there are a wide range of places easy to find to stay in Perth City Centre or around the suburbs. There is a wide variety of accommodation including, hotels, villas and apartments at low affordable prices which are well furnished and located in idyllic areas for tourists. For those indulging themselves on their holiday to Perth, there are many apartments, hotels and villas which you can spend a little more money for a super luxurious stay, with rooms being total relaxation and high quality service to ensure a pleasurable stay no matter your budget.

In the South West Division of Western Australia lies Perth’s metropolitan area, situated between the Darling Range and the Indian Ocean which many tourist come to Perth to visit. The swan river is where Perth’s central business district can be found, this being where many businesses operate from and where those travelling on business trips would be.

There are many things to do in Perth including shopping at Perth’s well known boutique’s, indulging in relaxation whilst taking in beautiful scenery, a variety of fun filled excursion for tourists to try including the beaches and water sports. Perth is located not far from the Rottnest Island which is easy accessible and a popular tourist excursion to go on when visiting Perth. Perth is an ideal place for those who love the city life and catching a tan at the same time, but also caters for those who love adventure, sight-
seeing and just relaxation. Being remote is an advantage for Perth as tourists can easily explore other areas around Western Australia from Perth whilst exploring the true beauty of the City too.

There is no doubting that Australia is a beautiful country with much to offer tourists however there are a few things that you should be aware of when heading down under.

You need a visa

If you are a British national, you are required to obtain a visa before going on an Australia holiday. To be eligible to purchase a visa you must ensure you have proof of leaving the country this could be via, providing a return or onward ticket. There are many websites advertising information on extending a working holiday visa, you should be aware that visas may be cancelled through this as these offers are scams.

Be aware

If travelling to the Northern Territory, parts of Western Australia or South Australia and Queensland, ensure extra health precautions have been made due to numerous cases of serious illnesses and in some circumstances death over 2011 in several states/Territories from Murray Valley Encephalitis. There is also the potential risk of being infected with Pertussis (whooping cough) which is a growing problem across the whole of Australia, with Queensland and New South Wales also being infected by the hendra virus more recently.

Natural disasters

All tourists must be aware of the natural disasters that occur seasonally in Australia. Australia is one of many countries that are prone to seasonal disasters some of which include tropical cyclones, dust storms, bush fires and flash flooding. The cyclone season occurs between November to April normally, but due to the unpredictability of nature and the disasters travellers in affected areas should at all times keep up to date with advice from emergency services and local media. This is shown in recent months
were Australia has seen heavy rain and flooding throughout, with Queensland suffering a flood with an area the size of France and Germany inundated, being the worst of them all.

Be careful

For tourists who intend on bushwalking around Australia or exploring national parks you must be aware that most of these areas are remote and if in trouble it can take hours to reach help when needed. This downfall has resulted in numerous deaths over the years; the intense heat and difficult terrain can have a severe impact on your judgement, wellbeing and general awareness. Water and a means of rigging up a shelter to shade yourself away from the sun is vital to keep you hydrated and safe. All tourists are also warned about how frequent bushfires are in Australia, occurring unexpectedly throughout the year but more commonly known in the summer month November to February.

We are the Australia holiday experts and today we wanted to highlight some two of the best Australia tours packages that help you see as much of this beautiful country as you can.

Blue Mountains nature and wildlife day tour from Sydney

Explore Sydney to the fullest; taking a whole day for a nature and wildlife trip to the world heritage listed Blue Mountains. You will visit Featherdale Wildlife Park and quaint mountain villages on the scenic route from Sydney, as well as what the Blue Mountains have to offer, including, Aboriginal Dreamtime legends, the Three Sisters and a stroll through the rainforest.

The tour includes the following:

-          Scenic drive from Sydney to the beautiful Blue Mountains

-          Visit to Leura and Katoomba mountain villages, with free time to look around

-          Stopping at Echo point to see the famous Three Sisters rock formation

-          Discovering the Aboriginal Dreamtime legends of the mountains

-          Following scenic route, enjoying views of Megalong Valley

-          Option to visit Scenic World and ride the Scenic Railway, Scenic Skyway or Scenic Cableway

-          Australia’s native animals at Featherdale Wildlife Park

-          Boardwalk stroll through the rainforest

-          The option to lunch at Scenic World, with 360-degree panoramas and views of the Three Sisters from your table

-          Hotel pickup and drop off

The tour guarantees a fun and exciting day out, seeing Australia’s beautiful scenery and unique wildlife, such as, kangaroos, koalas and wombats.

Average cost of the Blue Mountains nature and wildlife tour is £91.81, just for the day trip and £103.04 including lunch.

Rottnest Island Day Trip from Perth 

Perth has many exciting tourist attractions to visit; the Rottnest Island is a great excursion for those who want to enjoy the beaches whilst staying at Perth too. Visiting secluded beaches, land locked lakes and isolated sandy bays, whilst learning of its early settlement and history. The Indian Ocean island paradise is abundant in marine life and wild life, the most unique being the quokka, a small nocturnal marsupial, there is also the appearance of a pint sized kangaroo that is native to the island.

The tour includes the following:

-          Travel by boat and see the sights from the water

-          Great overview and orientation of the city

-          Cruise over the Swan River while enjoying morning tea

-          Informative, friendly and professional guide

-          A unique guided tour of Rottnest Island, history, environment, heritage and wildlife

-          Free time to explore, shop or enjoy other activities (own expense)

-          Sample wine from Western Australia’s award winning wine growing regions

-          Free drinks included

-          Free snacks included

-          Pick-up from a centrally located meeting point

Average cost of the Rottnest Island excursion is around about £90

Australia is one of the most exciting places in the world with its beautiful scenery and rare animals. It is a popular tourist destination with great cities some of these including, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. Australia is truly a place for all the family.

Canberra:

Most tourist visiting Canberra come to see the stunning collection at the National Gallery of Australia, or to browse through the many museums and science centres. Canberra isn’t just a place to seen for its big-ticket monuments, it is a relaxed place with much more to offer, with its open spaces and clean air it feels more like a park than a metropolitan capital. Making it an ideal place for all the family, it includes a bunch of fun filled activity centres and interesting places for both children and adults to join in the excitement. A popular place for kids to visit for fun is the National Zoo & Aquarium.

The National Zoo & Aquarium is Australia’s only combined Zoo and Aquarium; it is two attractions combined into one making it double the fun for kids when they visit. Situated just five minutes from the centre of Canberra, the Zoo & Aquarium is made up of 7 hectares of land, with a wide variety of both exotic and native animals, as well as the largest inland saltwater tank Australia has. There is opportunity to get up close and personal with their animal encounters, with something for everyone to do it is guaranteed fun for all the family.

Sydney:

Most tourist visit Sydney for its captivating scenery and its world famous Opera House. Sydney is the oldest and largest city in Australia and is the capital of New South Wales; the city is built round Sydney’s harbour. Most of its tourism comes from the world Famous Opera House, however, the city has an incredible array of activities to offer with a number of beautiful beaches and national parks. One of the favourite attractions for kids to go to is Merimbula’s Magic Mountain, which includes activity for not only kids but adults to.

Merimbula’s Magic Mountain is an amusement park, with water rides and attractions. Offering a fun action packed day out for the whole family, with lots to see and do kids will definitely be entertained. Some of the exciting activities include, the Diamond Python White Knuckled Roller Coaster, Mountain Water Slides, Triassic Park Prehistoric Fun and loads more. The amusement, water and attraction park has plenty of excitement to suit everyone.

Flying to Australia is a 24 hour flight, delivering travellers at a unique and diverse destination of one of the most exciting and beautiful countries in the world. Its attractive cities give way to luxurious rainforests, lagoons, snow-topped mountains, desert and lush vineyards.

Best time of the year

Peak Season

The peak season in Australia is Christmas to the end of January as this is when children over there are on school holidays and the popular resorts are packed. June, July and August which are the winter months are the high season for the north of Australia, when visitors from Southern states travel to escape their colder winters.

Low Season

In the Northern states of Australia, the Kimberley, the Top End, North Queensland including Cairns, the summer months are October to March, which are characterised by humidity, heat and rain.

Between mid- April and mid- June, the weather can be quite cold in the southern Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne, this is when airlines release discounted flights to Australia due to the drastic change in weather during that season. Up North, the wet season ends by mid-May and this can be a great time to visit.

Best websites

www.cheapflights.co.uk – are not a travel agency but can be known as a price comparison site, deals publisher, travel search engine or flights aggregator. The company is there to help find the best possible deal for their customers compared to other websites or a travel agency to ensure
their customers satisfaction.

www.netflights.com – Offers customers instant access to the best travel offers available for them. They are an easy to use site with flights being booked quickly and securely online.

www.ebookers.com – ebookers.com is a leading pan-European online travel agency specialising in worldwide travel offering a wide range of travel products including a choice of over 250 airlines to all their customers.

Best time to book

When flying to Australia you need to take into account that their peak holiday periods are August and Christmas, so January and September are the busiest months for bookings to Australia. The best time to book is July and November as Australia flights are always emptier and cheaper in comparison to other months.

You don’t have to break the bank to stay at a beach front property in Australia. Imagine waking up to sea views down under. Here’s a small selection of good value for money, very well located hotels in Australia.

Paradise on the Beach

Balcony at Paradis on the Beach Hotel

This hotel is regarded as Cairn’s premier beach destination, it is a boutique resort surrounded by amazing scenery is situated on the beachfront in the heart of Palm Cove and is the best kept secret of the tropical north. Its 32 studios and 1-bedroom suites are indulgent designer decorated with amazing views across the pool, gardens and beach it provides a perfect backdrop to an idyllic tropical beach setting. Paradise on the Beach resort is a beautiful luxurious accommodation at great value and is based just a short walk away from Palm Cove’s renowned restaurants, spas and shops. The resort is ideally located to access all of the region’s outstanding attractions including the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforests, Skyrail and Kuranda.

Best Western Beachfront at Bicheno

Ocean Views at the Best Western Bicheno

The Best Western Beachfront at Bicheno, Tasmania is a resort with breath taking views of Waubs Bay offering well-appointed rooms with reverse-cycle air conditioning and modern décor, with the availability of tooms with panoramic sea view. The Best Western is located directly opposite the beach and is Bicheno’s most ideally located accommodation, the perfect place to indulge and relax taking in the finest sceneries. The resort is also the best place to stay to explore Tasmania’s stunning east coast. The Best Western Beachfront hotel include a licensed restaurant and bar that serve great tasting food and drinks, as well as a swimming pool, BBQ and children’s playground, a place for all the family.

Ocean Royale, Broadbeach

View from the Ocean Royale, Broadbeach

This beautiful hotel is centrally located on the stunning Gold Coast of Queensland, offering only the best selection of well-designed elegant and modern spacious 1 and 2 bedroom fully self-contained apartments as well as luxurious 3 bedroom 2 storey penthouse. The Ocean Royale resort is perfectly situated on the Ocean side of the beautiful broadbeach and just a few steps to spectacular beaches and scenery. Each apartment in the resort provides panoramic ocean views with private balconies and secure undercover parking. This Gold Coast apartment accommodation is right on the door step of the most exciting and breathe taking places in the region, from the sparkling shores and world-class theme parks to the finest cuisine destinations, casino and shopping boutiques.

Australia has more sheep than it does people, the population of people living in Australia is around about 22 million. The population for sheep is almost six times this amount at a whopping 115 million, this equates to approximately five sheep to every one person living in Australia.

Australia hit a milestone in it’s population towards the end of 2009 with the amount of people being approximately 22 million, before 2009 the population was just roughly 20.6 million people. However Australia’s land mass is the sixth largest in area in the world making this percentage of population small taking into account the size. When you compare it to America, they have a larger land mass placing them third largest in the world, having a population of approximately 304 million people. There is also the comparison to United Kingdom who place 78th in the world for land mass but have a population of around about 61 million which is high compared to Australia.

Outback and desert occupy around 70% of the entire continent, this is classified as arid or semi-arid, which means it gets less than 500 mm of rain a year that makes Australia the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Only 3% of the Australian population live in the dry 70% of the continent, the rest of the population is concentrated on the coasts.

Australia is the only place where dasyurids or carnivorous marsupials are found. These animals include the quoll, Tasmanian devil, ningaui, antechinus planigale and phascogale among others. The Tasmanian devils are found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. It seems Tasmanian devils were spread all over Australia and they may have been in Papua New Guinea. They probably became extinct on mainland Australia at least several thousand years ago it is thought this may either be through failure to compete successfully with dingo’s or through disease, climate change or another process. The actual cause of extinction is not known precisely.

Australia is made up of six mainland states they are Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensalnd. It also has one island state this being Tasmania.

The Great Barrier Reef

Formed around 9,000 years ago and can be found in the Queensland area of Australia. The coral was formed after the last ice age, as the coral can only be grown below water level as the ice melted this increased the level of the water and formed the reef. The reef stretches 1,250 miles with an area of 135,000 square miles. It is estimated to be home to 2,000 types of fish and 500 species of coral.

Shark Bay World Heritage and Marine Park

A World Heritage area and is home to many endangered species and set in Western Australia. Monkey Mia and Shell Beach are two of the main areas of interest within the park. Monkey Mia’s natural untouched surroundings are home to bottlenose dolphins which can often be fed, tiger-sharks and dugongs. Shell Beach is made of deep layers of cockle shells 40 miles long, this gives a long white beach with aqua blue ocean waters of the Indian Ocean next to it.

Sydney Opera House

Designed by the Danish architect, Joern Utzon. The Opera House was completed in 1973 and can be found on Benelong Point. The Opera House is the biggest art center in the world, consisting of, five theatre bars, 100 rooms, 60 dressing rooms, five rehearsal studios and the green room canteen and lounge. The final cost came to $100 million. It is possible to tour the Opera House and view it’s performing arts.

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

Based in the Northern territory of Australia and is one of Australia’s most famous features. Uluru formerly known as Ayers Rock was changed in 1985 by the Australian Aborigines after the Australian Government handed the title over. The Rock is masked in Aboriginal myth and legend from years past, it is a single rock consisting of sandstone rich in crystalline minerals making it’s colour change throughout the day. Generally the Rock appears red or orange however when it rains it can turn purple or black. Uluru is a popular tourist attraction standing 1,200 feet high with many tourists attempting to climb it, although not many people make it all the way.

Kakadu National Park

Located in the Northern Territory of Australia it covers 20,000 square km and has a very diverse environment. Tourists can have the experience of seeing ancient aboriginal rock art or visit the floodplains of the South Alligator River with its amazing assortment of wildlife. If you take the Adelaide River tour you will get to see the famous jumping crocodiles, you will be amazed as they jump for food and you can get as up close and personal as you dare!!!

Today we have for you 7 of the finest hotels in Australia…

Palazzo Versace- Gold Coast Australia

Based on the Gold Coast of Australia amongst some of the best attractions and events Australia has to offer, the hotel is a perfect location for a relaxing 5 star holiday with its stylish design and luxury appeal. Palazzo Versace offers guests not only a marina, a private beach and a luxury spa, but also allows guests to dine in style with their award-winning restaurants.

The Westin Sydney

A premier 5 star hotel situated in the lively City of Sydney a short distant from famous attractions. The Westin Sydney was awarded the inaugural 2009 Bentley Award for Outstanding Hotel Service by Luxury Travel Magazine. The hotel is the perfect destination to experience the past and vibrant present of Sydney, it offers a range of luxurious facilities including beautiful heritage rooms with in room massage treatments to ensure a truly enjoyable stay for every guest.

Intercontinental Sydney

A true expression of luxury located on the edge of the beautiful Sydney harbour. Intercontinental Sydney allows guests to ultimately experience the City in luxury with it’s contemporary designed rooms with picture framed views. The hotel is fitted with boutique furnishings and the latest technology making it an ideal stay for guests staying for business or pleasure, this has included world leaders and celebrities for the last two decades.

Angsana Resort and Spa Great Barrier Reef

Located in the luxurious Palm Cove village just north of Cairns. If you love nature then you will love this hotel. The hotel is on the doorstep of the world famous Great Barrier Reef and has views over the Coral Sea that leads to this famous site. Featuring an award-winning spa the hotel is an oasis for guests.

Quay Grand Suites Sydney

Situated in Circular Quay and overlooks the world famous Sydney harbour. This 5 star hotel is of a luxurious Sydney apartment style and offers guest a unique experience throughout their stay. Guests can dine in the elegant Quadrant Restaurant or drink cocktails in ECQ Bar.

Sofitel Melbourne

Based in the world’s most accommodating city, known for its vibrant cultural life. State of the art rooms offer outstanding views over the city and allow guest to relax in total comfort with luxurious bathrooms. The hotel also offers modern cuisine in it’s exquisite restaurants.

Lilianfels Blue Mountains Hotel Resort and Spa

Located in one of Australia’s most beautiful destinations the Hotel is an ideal place for those that want to get away for a romantic break. The 5 star hotel is a historic country mansion, with views over the two acres of manicured gardens and overlooks some of the spectacular scenery in the Blue Mountains. The hotel is the perfect place for guests to receive pampering bliss.