Posts Tagged ‘Singapore Airlines’
A world apart in every sense, Tasmania is Australia’s only island state, and the very isolation that once made it an ideal location for penal settlements now helps preserve its natural riches. Tasmania would seem to have it all, from history and wilderness to friendly people and great food and wines.
Tasmania certainly seems to move at a much slower pace than the mainland, affording visitors the time and space to relax. Over 360 km (224 mi) long and 306 km (190 mi) wide, it’s big enough to allow you to head for the hills on the back roads and escape everyday life. Along the way are magnificent peaks, old colonial settlements and empty beaches. It also purports to have some of the cleanest air in the world.
The first European to sight Tasmania was the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1642, and from then on many explorers came this
way, including James Cook and William Bligh. But the arrival of these men was bad news for the Tasmanian Aborigines. They lost their traditional hunting grounds and sometimes their lives, and were resettled to Flinders Island to be “civilized”. Many Aboriginal sites are sacred, but on the cliffs around Woolnorth can be seen some of their unique art.
Corners of Tasmania are often likened to the green pastures of England, but here there are also vast wildernesses: the west is wild and untamed, inland are glacial mountains and roaring rivers.
For the less adventurous, there is the cosmopolitan capital Hobart, spread out over seven hills and with a waterfront location to match Sydney’s. In the heart of the countryside lies sleepy old Richmond with some of Australia’s finest and most pristine colonial architecture it’s now a Mecca for artists and artisans.
Tasmania is often overlooked by tourists to Australia. Yet this discreet island, roughly the size of Ireland, is both gentle and wild, charming and challenging.
If you are looking for cheap international flights with Singapore airlines, you can’t beat Flight Centre. Flight Centre has great deals including Vanuatu holidays and Australian holidays.
Part of the Mascarene Islands, the Republic of Mauritius is off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, 900 km (560 mi) east of Madagascar. The republic consists of five islands: St Brandon, Rodrigues, two Agalegas Islands and Mauritius itself.
The latter was originally uninhabited, but the Dutch named the island and established a colony that was seized by the French in 1715. They renamed the place Ile de France and built a prosperous economy based on sugar. But the British took the island in 1810 and it reverted to the original name.
Independence was granted in 1968 and this Commonwealth country is a stable democracy with one of Africa’s highest per capita incomes. This might be guessed by a visitor to Port Louis, who finds a sophisticated place with a cluster of high and medium rise buildings that might be mistaken from afar as the downtown area of a small American city, were it not for its location beside the azure Indian Ocean, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation.
Tourism has become an increasingly important sector of the economy, which had hitherto been based on sugar plantations and off-shore financial services.
The effort to attract visitors is proving successful, and might not even need the boost of a move to duty-free status. Mauritius is the most accessible island in the Indian Ocean, with wonderful beaches and crystal-clear waters.
Important though these essential ingredients of every tropical holiday destination may be, Mauritius has something extra, friendly people and a vibrant cultural mix that will leave a long-lasting impression.
There is a festival or fiesta practically every week and a tempting variety of ethnic food choices. The place must be good. Author Mark Twain remarked that Mauritius was made before heaven, and heaven modeled on Mauritius.
For cheap airfares and cheap flights on Singapore airlines visit Flight Centre today. We also have cheap domestic flights, including flights to Melbourne.