Australian Traveller
A short break in Victoria s hidden Goldfields towns 28 June 2021 . BY Imogen Eveson
A rich art, music and epicurean culture adds another layer of interest to the compelling old Goldfields towns of Castlemaine, Maldon and their surrounds.
On a sunny Sunday evening in early autumn it’s hard to imagine many places I’d rather be than at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine. There’s a band playing in its rambling back garden (home to Love Shack Brewing Co.), casting all-round good vibes to a laid-back audience of friends and young families.
The Art Deco facade at the Theatre Royal
THE COST OF GOUGING
Australia is coming to terms with the fact that we ll probably have to learn to live with COVID-19 forever. As we offer up our unspent wealth, many tourist and allied business proprietors will be gleefully anticipating getting back to business. And who can blame them? Come see Australia , they re pleading. So we should.
But a word of warning: please do try to resist the temptation to gouge that Aussie tourist you assume is cashed-up. Many of us have long memories and it s only the airlines who have us (to some degree, and on some routes) over a barrel. Other businesses should be looking at this opportunity to last for longer than a short time. You can facilitate that by pricing things reasonably.
HOLDING PATTERN
Do I hold the record wait for unpaid Qantas refunds? I cancelled my return flight from Dallas in late April. When I phoned Qantas in July I was assured that I would get my refund by mid-September. Nothing. In early November I was promised I would get an email the next day and a refund within two weeks. It s now seven months and I m still waiting. Can anyone beat that?
John Ward, Fairlight, NSW
DO THE LIGHT THING
Don t give up on hunting down the northern lights, Rhoda Silber (Traveller Letters November 28). My son and I travelled to Norway at the end of January this year and saw the lights not once, but three times. It was an unusually mild winter in Norway so our nightly sojourns into the mountains around Tromso were bearable. One has to be patient but it was well worth the wait. Despite being a woeful photographer, my photos were spectacular.