Gippsland resort puts guests in the picture

RACV Inverloch Resort has officially opened the exhibition Narelle Autio: Selected Watercolours which showcases the work of one of Australia's most celebrated photographers.

The exhibition is on display until June 8.

RACV Head of Visual Arts Mardi Nowak said that Autio's Watercolours series captures the essence of Australians' relationship with the water, presenting images that are both complex and beautiful.

"The collection of photographs provides visitors with an immersive experience into Autio's exploration of Australian coastal life and we are thrilled to host Narelle Autio's Selected Watercolours at RACV Inverloch Resort," Nowak said.

"Her ability to portray the beauty and drama of Australian coastal life aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing enriching cultural experiences for our members and guests."

Autio has been recognised with numerous awards, including the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, making her the first Australian recipient. Autio has also won two World Press awards and two Walkley awards

Her photographs are held in collections including such as the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.

In addition to Narelle Autio: Selected Watercolours, guests visiting or staying at the RACV Inverloch Resort will also be able to enjoy Digital Dreams, Analog Echoes - an Artificial Intelligence-inspired art exhibition.

Victorians and visitors can enjoy Inverloch Resort with the Gippsland Gourmet Getaway offer. From $399, a package includes a two-night stay in a resort room, a two-course dinner for two at the Radius Restaurant and daily breakfast for two.

The offer is valid for bookings until 31/05/2025, for stays to 31/07/2025.

RACV members receive an 11am late check out (not hat late to be honest), a welcome cocktail in Zenith Lounge for two, gourmet chocolates and biscuits, and a bottle of wine.

Inverloch is in Gippsland, 143 kilometres south east of Melbourne.

Visit RACV Travel and Experiences for more details.

Joint wine venture aiming for high marks

The d'Anna family never sits still.

The d’Annas have been selling wine and gourmet products to Melbourne residents for over 60 years at their Boccaccio Cellars store in Balwyn.

The family recently added a new wine bar/bistro, Enoteca Boccaccio, which quickly gained an Age Good Food Guide hat.

The family also owns the much-admired Hoddle Creek Estate winery in the Yarra Valley, producing superb-value wines under labels including 1er Yarra Valley, Hoddle Creek, Wickhams Road, along with several stand-alone offerings.

Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 when the D'Anna family decided to establish a vineyard on the property that has been in the family since 1960.

All the wines are single vineyard, estate grown, and are made in a 300-tonne winery.

Just to make sure there are no dull moments, the d'Anna family is also involved in a small-batch DML VIN venture: D’Anna Middleton Lewis, with Sam Middleton and Jordan Lewis.

The brand focuses on single-site regional pinot noir with the first vintage being released in June 2019. The new 2022 releases are a contrasting pair from the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra wine is more ethereal, the Mornington offering more sturdy, and savoury.

The Mornington pinot is a blend from two vineyards on the Peninsula, one situated in Balnarring and the other in Merricks, while the Yarra wine comes from a well-regarded upper Yarra Valley vineyard. A fascinating contrast in styles.

Four-time AFL premiership player Jordan Lewis, ex Hawthorn and Melbourne, and his wife Lucy developed a love for wine when they spent time in Florence.



Upon returning to Australia, he wanted to explore the world of wine a little bit deeper. Through good fortune he met the d'Anna boys over social media and a friendship through wine was born.



Sam, meanwhile, is a third-generation winemaker from the Middleton family and has held the role of head winemaker at highly renowned Mount Mary since 2011.

His background includes stints at Coldstream Hills and Dominique Portet, as well as working in Burgundy.

Three different inputs; two stylish wines.

For more info see DML VIN

Now Eurostar will have a rival on cross-Channel rail routes

Virgin Trains, part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is set to begin operating passenger trains to mainland Europe through the Channel Tunnel following an announcement by the UK rail regulator. 

Virgin Trains has also announced the acquisition of a fleet of high-speed trains as it gears up to challenge Eurostar, which has held a monopoly on routes to Europe since 1994.

Virgin Trains said this week that there are “no more major hurdles to overcome” before it can begin operating. 

It has acquired a fleet of 13 high-speed trains for future services from London through the Channel Tunnel to Paris, Brussels and onwards to Frankfurt, starting in late 2027.

Thanks to a financial package negotiated with BlackRock, Virgin has purchased the 330 kmh trains from Germany’s Deutsche Bahn. 

The Siemens-built 406 series trains were most recently in service between Frankfurt, Brussels and Amsterdam. Each train is composed of eight carriages and seats 425 passengers, news portal Travel Mole reports.

“The opportunity to purchase these trains now was an offer too good to turn down," Branson told British media. 

"With no need to wait for new trains to be built, we can bring forward our plans for new services through the Channel Tunnel that customers have been demanding. 

"Anyone who has taken one of these trains has been enchanted by their reliability and comfort.”

Virgin Trains will start its services in December 2027, with seven return trips planned each day from 
London to Paris, and six a day to Brussels. Two of the Brussels services will continue to Germany. 

That will make Virgin the first company to offer direct UK-Germany services.

Virgin Trains head of European Operations Jean-Eric Suiscon said “We are happy to have 
found a way to adapt services in Germany for Channel Tunnel services."

Dark Mofo promises a car crash - and lots more

From car crashes to artworks, performances to food and wine, Tasmania's favourite winter festival Dark Mofo returns from June 5-15 and 21.

Organisers today announced an ambitious program designed to entertain locals and bring tourists to the island state during its coldest month.

The mid-winter festival will showcase large-scale public artworks in the Dark Park art hub and across Nipaluna/Hobart, along with annual rites such as the sprawling Night Mass parties, the Winter Feast gourmet festival, the traditional Ogoh-Ogoh burning, and the Nude Solstice Swim.

Dark Mofo Films also make a comeback under new artistic director Chris Twite.

"Once again we will bathe the city in red, filling it with art and taking over disused and hidden spaces all across Nipaluna/Hobart," Twite says.

"Night Mass - the late-night labyrinth of revelry - will carve new paths through the city and a host of Australian-exclusive artists from around the world will storm our stages."

The festival will utilise deconsecrated churches, rooftops, basements, bars, bank vaults and the shores of River Derwent. Dark Mofo will also stretch its tentacles to a theatre in Launceston and the planetarium in Ulverstone.

"It feels incredible to bring so many boundary pushing artists to Tasmania in 2025 for the full-scale return of Dark Mofo," says Twite.

The festival features new artwork commissions from Paula Garcia and Carlos Martiel, the Australian premiere of a massive light installation from Nonotak and performances from the likes of The Horrors, Tierra Whack, Beth Gibbons and Crime and the City Solution.

In Crash Body (above), two cars will engage in an exchange of near misses, building to a visceral head-on collision between Brazilian artist Paula Garcia and a stunt driver. This event will unfolding at the Regatta Grounds over two hours and festival-goers will encounter the aftermath at Dark Park.

SORA by Nonotak will create a dancing, hypnotic firmament inside a cavernous warehouse. Lights on kinetic armatures will spin and pulse at the whim of an invisible wind at times and raging like the apotheosis of an electrical storm at others.

In a brand new Mona exhibition, in the end, the beginning, Italian sculptor Arcangelo Sassolino (ITA) plays with fire.

The Winter Feast will take over Princes Wharf and Salamanca Lawns throughout the festival. This year the Feast welcomes guest chef Niyati Rao from Mumbai restaurant Ekaa.

She will be teaming up with Chef Craig Will and fellow co-owners of Launceston’s Stillwater, Bianca and James Welsh.

This year’s Ogoh-Ogoh ritual solicits fears to feed a giant Maugean skate - an endangered species found only in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour and threatened by polluting fish farms.

Tickets go on sale to subscribers 10am Wednesday 9 April AEST and to everyone else from noon on Wednesday, April 9. Subscribe for updates at www.darkmofo.net.au.

Airline warns of slowing demand for UK-US flights

It's not just the Canadians who are showing a reluctance to travel to the US.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has signalled that demand for flights from the UK to Crazyland has been slowing.

The airline this week reported its first annual profit since the pandemic, but also some caution regarding weakening demand, news portal Travel Mole reported.

CFO Oli Byers said: “We think that is quite a natural reaction to general consumer uncertainty.”

The news comes as trans border travel demand from Canada to the US has seen a huge drop of more than 70% for this summer.

That is specifically down to the trade war and like-for-like tariffs, which could soon impact transatlantic traffic due to political and economic factors, and, perhaps, fear of US entry security goons.

Mainland Europe’s top airlines have cited concerns, but that has yet to translate into a fall in bookings.

“It is concerning for us but as of today, we don’t see any material change in forward bookings,” Air France-KLM’s CEO Ben Smith said.

Virgin Atlantic is highly reliant on US-UK transatlantic bookings.

Discover $199 fares between Australia and Vietnam - but you'll need to be quick

My friends at Vietjet, now the biggest Vietnamese airline flying between Australia and Vietnam, have launched four new non-stop services connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Beijing and Guangzhou in China.

These routes mark a milestone in Vietjet’s expansion in 2025, which includes new routes to India, Japan, and Singapore.

Australian travellers now have more opportunities to explore China with a cost-effective transit network through Vietnam.

With many Chinese students studying in Australia, this also offers a convenient travel option for those returning home during holidays or visiting family.

To celebrate thew destinations, Vietjet is offering a limited-time promotion from now until April 5 (so you'll need to be quick) \with all-inclusive one-way Eco-class fares starting as low as $!99 for all routes between Australia and Vietnam.

Australians wanting to explore Vietnam can also find deals when booking domestic flights within the country. The travel period is between April 15 and March 28, 2026, for bookings made via www.vietjetair.com or the Vietjet Air mobile app.

The routes between Ho Chi Minh City and Beijing and Guangzhou, as well as between Hanoi and Guangzhou, have already commenced daily services. 

The Hanoi-Beijing route will initially operate three times a week before transitioning to a daily service on April 27 while a new Hanoi-Shanghai service will commence on April 29, offering daily flights.

Since its first flight from Vietnam to China in 2014, Vietjet has strengthened its flight network between the two neighbouring countries, which now covers more than 50 destinations across China. 

“Vietjet is excited to launch four new routes from Vietnam to Beijing and Guangzhou, major economic, cultural, and tourist hubs in China, as part of our ongoing strategy to expand our flight network," said Vietjet vice chairwoman Nguyen Thanh Ha. 

"With this expansion, we will continue to provide affordable and convenient travel options for both locals and tourists, further enhancing connectivity between Vietnam and China, and beyond.”

Vietjet is also set to launch its inaugural route between Ho Chi Minh City and Auckland in New Zealand in September.