Victoria’s exciting new product at ATE 2006.

Tourism Victoria has an exciting range of new product exhibiting at ATE for the first time this year.

The Alto Hotel on Bourke opened in January 2006 and exemplifies the best in modern, stylish hospitality at the very heart of Melbourne’s central business district. The idea of building an eco-friendly hotel in a CBD location stems from a commitment by the developers to a combination of sustainable policies.  

The Alto is a contemporary 50-unit boutique apartment hotel built within the historic Australian Railway Union building with a heritage listed façade, terrazzo floor and leadlight windows at the front of the building have preserved links with the historic past of the building. – www.altohotel.com.au

Arthur’s Seat Chairlift is here for the first time and take passengers from sea level to 303 metres (1000 feet) above sea level, the highest point on the Mornington Peninsula and is located just one hour’s drive south of Melbourne.  Arthur’s Seat attracts 600,000 visitors per annum and on a clear day visitors can see about 28,000 square kilometres of Victoria from the summit.

Built within the boundaries of Arthur’s Seat State Park, it also features Seawinds Gardens, 34 hectares of botanic gardens and extensive bushwalking trails and is the longest chairlift in Australia and has a one way transit time of 20 minutes and a 74-chair capacity. www.arthursseatchairlift.com.au

bothfeet luxury walking tours was launched in October 2005 to escort visitors along the Great Ocean Walk and through Victoria’s spa country, operating a range of three and four-day scheduled journeys as well as designing customised itineraries for those wanting to explore further afield.

All journeys start and end in Melbourne and include guides, four-star accommodation with private facilities, gourmet meals, track notes, national park fees and the use of a day pack, hiking poles, souvenir map, boot covers and weatherproof jacket. www.bothfeet.com.au

Eureka Tower will be home to the Eureka Observation Deck from late 2006 and on level 88 of the tower will be the highest public vantage point in Melbourne, Australia and the southern hemisphere.   The Observation Deck will offer unparalleled views of the city and surrounds.

Visitors will be able to take in the magnificent 360-degree views through floor to ceiling glass windows, from the CBD to the Dandenong Ranges and across Port Phillip Bay. Eureka Tower stands 300m high and has 92 levels. A café and function facilities will be located on Level 88 with a modern gift and souvenir shop. Two dedicated lifts will take visitors from ground to level 88 in a mere 40 seconds. www.eurekaobservationdeck.com.au

Go West Tours provides small group day tours to the Great Ocean Road and to Phillip Island and it is the first Australian tour operator to offer a fully mobile personal audio translation service. Customers may receive tour information in any of eight international languages, including Chinese (both traditional and simplified), Korean, Japanese, Italian, French, German, Spanish. 

The tour information has been professionally translated and recorded, and is provided for customers through the use of the latest Apple iPod technology at no extra cost. www.gowest.com.au

Great Ocean Road Helicopters is situated on the Great Ocean Road at the rear of the Twelve Apostles Centre carpark, Great Ocean Road Helicopters offers the chance to experience the awe-inspiring splendour of the Port Campbell National Park and the Shipwreck Coast from the air on a scenic helicopter flight.

Highly experienced pilots provide commentary on the history of the coast. Once airborne, guests experience the majestic Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge, the Towering Limestone Cliffs of the Bay of Islands and much more. An additional scenic flight to the nearby Cape Otway Lightstation now gives a new tour further down the coast providing even more awe-inspiring views. www.gorhelis.com

Harry Nanya Tours is an Aboriginal owned and operated tour company located in Wentworth, New South Wales, at the confluence of Australia’s two greatest rivers, the Murray and the Darling, 630km north of Melbourne and they run daily coach tours run to the World Heritage Listed Mungo National Park, Lake Victoria, Wentworth and surrounds.

All tours are in air conditioned coaches with pickups from accommodation in the region as well as morning tea and lunch or dinner. Accommodation and meals can be supplied at the eco-friendly Mungo Lodge situated right outside the park.  www.harrynanyatours.com.au

Moonraker Dolphin Swims is Victoria’s longest established dolphin adventure-cruise operator and it offers both three-hour snorkel and sightseeing cruises daily from October to May.  Cruises depart from Sorrento Pier on the Mornington Peninsula, 112km south of Melbourne.

The Moonraker features both an Australian and Japanese crew. A passenger limit of 30 snorkelling guests and a total crew of seven ensure a reputation for attention to detail and excellence in service. www.moonrakercharters.com.au

Flemington Racecourse, home of the Victoria Racing Club and the Melbourne Cup Carnival, is the oldest metropolitan racecourse in Australia and has been hosting races since 1840, when Melbourne was barely five years old.   Held in Melbourne at Flemington Racecourse, the $AUD5.1 million Emirates Melbourne Cup (G1) attracts more than 120,000 people on course and is the main drawcard of the Victoria Racing Club’s annual Melbourne Cup Carnival and the highlight of Victoria’s state-wide Spring Racing Carnival.

Over the four-day carnival, more than $AUD12 million in prize money is presented to winners and over 370,000 race-goers flock to Flemington on foot, by car, train, tram, boat or helicopter. www.vrc.net.au

Work on Melbourne Aquarium’s stage two extensions have begun, with a whole new marine wonderland due to open late 2007.   The aquarium will double in size on completion, providing room for a major new exhibit. The new development will also provide improved corporate facilities, function facilities, and better access for group bookings and education visits. www.melbourneaquarium.com.au

A new marine ecotourism attraction, Phillip Island Nature Park at The Nobbies is currently being established in a renovated building which is set to re-open in early 2007. Visitors will be able to view one of Australia’s largest fur seal colonies located one and a half kilometres offshore, through interactive remote-camera technology. The Nobbies features stunning coastal scenery, abundant seabirds and wildlife. 

The newly renovated visitor centre will feature displays and a café with spectacular views. This area is perfect for group meals before or after the Penguin Parade.  New ranger-led tours will lead visitors along the boardwalks to learn about this fascinating area. Witness the spectacular blowhole, get close to the seabirds and hear tales of the incredible marine life of Bass Strait including seals and Great White Sharks. www.penguins.org.au

A new underground mine experience at Sovereign Hill is the centerpiece of a major $AUD3.8 million redevelopment project, with the first stage of the project, a new inclined tramway into the existing Quartz Mine creating exciting new access to the Sovereign Hill mine, thrusting visitors into darkness for a thrilling 90-second underground ride with special effects. Construction has begun and completion is expected in early 2007. 

The second phase of the project, the recreation of the 1882 Creswick Mine Disaster through multimedia technology should be complete in late 2007.  The redevelopment project includes three other new attractions -Trahair’s Foundry, a Bush Battery Exhibit and a second photographic room, as well as the relocation of John Alloo’s Restaurant Exhibit and refurbishment of the Victoria Theatre.  www.sovereignhill.com.au

Melbourne’s Hotel Y in Elizabeth Street will relaunch as a boutique hotel on completion of a $5 million renovation in July 2006. The renovation will see the creation of a stylish new hotel designed to a four-star standard. Overall the feel of the hotel will have more in common with the hip hotels of New York and London, yet the prices will remain at a comfortable level. 

The entire hotel has been renovated with all 60 rooms, five additional guest rooms, and the10 conference and event rooms already completed. The second stage including the foyer and café is currently underway.  www.hotely.com.au

Report by John Alwyn-Jones at ATE 2006