Short Breaks - a weekend can make all the difference!

Thanks to Mr Rudd many of us will be receiving a bonus.

Why not spoil yourself with a short break? Support local tourism while you are enjoying your well earned break. Head back to the office on Monday refreshed and ready for the working week - it's just doing your bit to keep the economy going!

Here at Travelbeen we have compiled some short breaks that are close to your door step.

A great place to start is lastminute.com.au.
lastminute.com.au offers a range of products and services including hotels, international flights, domestic flights, holidays, gifts, entertainment and experiences. They have great deals and is always worth a look for some last minute deals.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
South Austalia Tourism Commision
Official travel, accommodation and holiday planning site for South Australia - a brilliant blend of nature, wine, outback. A must see site if you are planing a short break in SA
The Barossa
The Barossa is a unique area just over an hour north of Adelaide. This site has been designed to help you discover, experience and enjoy the best of the Barossa. The combination of a rich European heritage and the fresh vitality of Australia is embodied in the lifestyle of the Barossa.
Premium wines, fine restaurants, magnificent old churches, wineries and cottages, traditional music, butchers and bakers, all in a peaceful rural setting where each season accentuates the beauty of the vineyards and the undulating hills.

Kangaroo Island

Located 126kms south of Adelaide in South Australia is one of Australia's finest nature based destinations and best kept secrets (110kms road trip from Adelaide to Cape Jervis and 16kms ferry trip from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island). Kangaroo Island is surrounded by magnificent, pristine beaches and with a third of the Island National park, it is a treasure trove of unspoilt wilderness areas teeming with fauna and flora seldom found elsewhere.
Another good site Kangaroo Island - this is a great place especially if you have children.

VICTORIA
Visit Victoria It will possibly come as no surprise to discover that driving the Great Ocean Road has been voted Victoria's favourite travel experience. Also in the top 10 is exploring Wilsons Promontory and taking part in the Great Victorian Bike Ride. Visit Victoria has a great list of short breaks that are easy travelling distance from Melbourne.

Ballarat is Victoria’s largest inland city with leafy boulevards lined with heritage buildings, and world-class attractions. Its contemporary heart is alive with restaurants, cafes, bars and boutique hotels.
Founded on innovation, determination and hard work, Ballarat is a captivating place where vivid history and mythology coalesce into the very essence of Australianism. See the web site for great accommodation ideas and places to eat

The White Hat
A useful little site that has a great guide to country & regional Victoria.

New Sotuh Wales
Blue Mountians
Discover a tempting combination of breathtaking nature, romantic accommodation, fine restaurants and indulgent shopping within two hours of Sydney, in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Listed National Park.
Breathe the fresh mountain air and relax, as you marvel at a majestic landscape of waterfalls and awe-inspiring sandstone escarpments. Indulge at restaurants renowned for their creative use of fresh, local produce. Unwind with a rejuvenating day spa treatment. This is an easy to use site that list accommodation, attractions, restaurants and cafes.

Bed and Breakfast and Farms Stay Regional NSW
From Berry to the Victorian Border, the South Coast NSW Region of New South Wales has much to offer with its abundance of pristine beaches, unspoiled natural bushland and clean waterways.
There is a wonderful assortment of Bed and Breakfasts including farm stays, romantic getaways and hotels.

CountryLink
Not fond of driving on holidays what about the train? CountryLink is your answer. CountryLink is part of the government-owned Rail Corporation New South Wales which also operates CityRail which provides the passenger rail service covering the greater Sydney region.
The web site details all the rail lines within NSW and has upto date timetables and a facility to book online.
A great way to get around.



Queensland
RACQ Travel Service a great refereence site if you are planning a road trip in QLD. With great maps available and accommodation and discount tickets for attractions it is a good place to start planning your short break.

Moolooaba
Mooloolaba and its surrounds have numerous attractions entertaining both young and old during their stay. Take advantage of this coastal destination and book in for a fishing tour, cruise on the canals, snorkel in the sea or joy ride on a jet ski.

Surfers Paradise Accomodation is a holiday reservation system that has the best rates online and great last minute deals.



Tasmania
TasmaniaTravel Company
Budget, Standard and Luxury Travel Vacation Holiday in Tasmania. Are you looking for the ultimate holiday? With tasmania.com you can fly to Tasmania, and then take any number of Tasmanian tours. You can take a bus tour, visit wilderness wonders, stay in exclusive accommodation, and enjoy the ultimate in luxury travel.
Pure Tasmania
Cradle Mountain Chateau, situated in alpine woodland adjacent to the Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park. At Cradle Mountain Chateau, lace up your bushwalking boots and venture out from your luxury accommodation – see Gondwanan vegetation fringing mountain pools, hear the cry of currawongs in the forest, climb high and gaze across an ice-carved world.


Western Australia
Western Australia the official travel and tourism website for Western Australia where you'll find everything you need to know about planning your holiday in WA. Western Austalia boasts unspoilt beaches, amazing scenery, big blue skies and friendly faces.
Margaret River, a must see region is you are into wine, relaxation and beautiful scenery.
Expericene Perth While many destinations claim to have it all Perth simply lives it all - beautiful beaches, sunny weather, sumptuous food and a virtual smorgasbord of fun all year round. And best of all, everything’s on offer within a short drive of Perth's city centre. To discover more, visit Experience Perth.

Want more ideas on short breaks? Visit Travelbeen where you can search, bookmark and sort all your favourite travel sites.

Family Friendly Holidays

Now is a great time to plan for your next family holiday.

There are literally hundreds of wonderful deals on offer at the moment. If you have young children and want a holiday outside of school holidays, or you are planning the next school break, Travelbeen has loads of site that will help you plan.

Here are just a few of our favourites!

South Australia The official South Australian website has a great section of things to do in SA that have a child friendly focus. "Forget the overpriced theme parks and the school holiday crowds you get eelsewhere. South Australia has all the ingredients for a family holiday with a difference - all at affordable prices. Try paddle boating along Adelaide's River Torrens. Have a picnic on one of our secluded beaches. Take the family fossicking for opals at Coober Pedy. Go for a ride on an steam train. Or relax on a houseboat on the Murray River, and watch the kids learn to water ski. There's countless opportunities for the whole family to play, to relax, and to learn. No matter what you choose, you'll get an unforgettable, authentic holiday - without the same old cartoon character rollercoasters and the same old holiday crowds."

KidsHolidayOnline is a fantastic resource if you have children and are in need of a holiday. The site offers child friendly accommodation suggestions, travel guides, packages and information, which all have a family focus. They also have an up to date 'Specials' section with particular interest if any of the airlines have a deals on children's flights.

Holiday with Kids - Family Travel specialists
This is a great site. It has a really user friendly menu allowing you to easily look up accommodation, school holiday activities, family holiday specials and even a great section for single parents holidaying with children. It is a good site to bookmark as they have weekly specials on flights and holidays package.

Harvey World Travel
In a section called "Great Deals" they often have family holiday specials. At the moment the focus is on New Zealand. Savings range from 50% off a cruise from Melbourne to New Zealand or a Queenstown Short Break Package that has a camper van option, a great deal when travelling with children.

Stella Hospitality Group
The Stella Group has a range of accommodation options, from the very luxurious, to the quick get away. It has a section that it updates regularly that focus on children. The focus this weeks is the FUN4KIDS FESTIVAL held at Warrnambool. "Held annually during the first week of the Victorian winter school holidays, the Fun4Kids Festival presents children with the unique opportunity to participate in an imaginative world of arts, hands-on workshops and exceptional live entertainment for children 2 to 12 years."

Australia Zoo
If it is an adventure that you are after there is no other zoo like Australia Zoo. As they say...
"We pack in stacks of wildlife action every day and move at a great rate of knots - there is always an exciting wildlife show to see, friendly and knowledgeable zoo keepers to chat with and heaps of drop-dead gorgeous animals that can't wait to get up close and personal with YOU!"
Tickets can be purchased on line to avoid any waiting on the day.

GoDo Australia. This is a really useful site if you are planning to visit a theme park. It features the vast majority of theme parks across Australia and the tickets for these can be purchased on line often at greatly reduced costs.

TakeABreak
This site has the ability to search under various categories e.g. pets or family. It lists all the school holidy dates for different states which is extremely handy if you are a parent of non-school age children as it is cheaper to book outside of school holidays!


There are many more great websites that concentrate on family frienly holiday that we have selected for you at out unique travel only search website.

All you need to do is visit our site at Travelbeen and seach for 'family holiday Austalia', or if you want a more refined seach you can just click onto accommodation or flights etc. and type in family holiday.

Bookmark the site. It's a great tool when you are planning for your next holiday.