Shining a light on unique Yukon experiences

Canada's Yukon Territory has an intriguing "otherworldliness" vibe. 

For travellers seeking an immersive winter wilderness experience Aurora Island has launched a unique way to experience one of the world's greatest natural phenomena: the aurora borealis.

This new three-day, two-night retreat by Up North Adventures is situated on an island in the middle of 10 Mile Lake, accessible by private charter flight from the Yukon’s capital, Whitehorse. 

The plane lands directly on the frozen lake. 

The all-inclusive experience includes transportation, accommodation, meals and activities, allowing guests to settle in and experience the Yukon at its most wild and serene before enjoying the northern lights.

Surrounded by snow-covered trees, the glittering lake and expansive winter skies, guests can spend their days ice fishing, snowmobiling and exploring the island on snowshoes. Or maybe having a sauna. 

Resident wildlife includes foxes, hares, moose, deer and they might spot even the elusive lynx. 

Meals are prepared using local ingredients, Maybe enjoy a campfire lunch in the snow-drenched wilderness.

In the evening, guests can chill in heated viewing spaces while enjoying uninterrupted views of Yukon’s dark skies, famous for their spectacular displays of the aurora.

Aurora Island is billed as "the ultimate setting for unforgettable winter nights as the northern lights shimmer and ripple across an inky sky".

For more info you can check out Up North Adventures – Aurora Island Adventure Retreat

* Air Canada offers daily direct flights to Vancouver from Sydney and Brisbane. Direct flights from Sydney to Vancouver are also available on Qantas. Internal flights to Whitehorse and Dawson City are available on Air North and Air Canada. Additionally, travellers now have the ability to combine WestJet and Air North on a single ticket or itinerary, offering seamless baggage transfer and convenience across Air North’s network and more than 100 WestJet destinations. 

More information, including travel guidelines, visit travelyukon.com

Rick Stein’s style shines; even if he’s not in the house

Celebrity chefs put a lot of faith in their staff when they open multiple outposts.

The big-name pan handlers are invariably on site for the first few weeks, but then they have to trust the chefs and front of house staff they have hired to make sure standards are maintained.

That's particularly important when, like restaurateur, cookery book author and television presenter Rick Stein, you have a global reputation to uphold.

Rick Stein at Coogee Beach opened just before Christmas last year and is still pulling in the crowds. The 224-seat restaurant in the same building as The InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach hosts the signature restaurant, bar dining and courtyard terrace.

We've sampled Stein venues in Padstow in Cornwall before and when I checked in last week everything in Sydney was operating exactly as the English seafood chef, and honorary Australian, would have wished.

There was a full house for Friday lunch but everything was working with clockwork precision.

The vibe is beachfront casual - with design from Stein's Australian wife Sarah, and artworks by Australian artist Brigit Thomas adorning the walls and featuring on the front page of the menu, including a striking giant squid and a shimmering school of fish.

The staff are seasoned hospitality professionals. Giovanni and Zara, who looked after us, were hugely impressive - and the kitchen brigade delivered a very tasty repaste of trademark Stein flavours.

We selected sashimi of salmon, kingfish, tuna and scallops (above), served with wakame, pickled ginger, wasabi, sashimi dressing (freshness personified), and an absolutely superb twice-baked spanner crab soufflé with thermidor sauce (below) as our starters.

We followed up with two Padstow favourites: Rick’s fish and chips deep fried in dripping, served with chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce. The batter was crispy, the fish moist and flaky but I didn't enjoy the texture of the mushy peas. Picky. 

The Newlyn fish pie (below) was chock-a-block with salmon, ling, monkfish, prawns, mussels and mushrooms in a creamy seafood velouté, topped with breadcrumbs and parmesan.

We shared a dessert: a classic crème brûlée with almond biscotti. along with glasses of a deliciously zingy artisan mandarin-infused limoncello.

Our wine choice was the 2024 Rick Stein White Burgundy, a house wine selected by Rick Stein and his son Charlie and a perfect match for seafood dishes. But only after my wife had sampled the deliciously dry 2024 Graci Etna Rosato from Sicily.

There is an impressive wine list by both the glass and bottle with a nice balance between Australian wines and quality imports.

Well worth a visit whether or not Stein is in the house.  

Note: Rick Stein at Coogee Beach is a cashless venue, although I'm sure the staff prefer their tips as cash.

See https://www.ricksteinatcoogeebeach.com.au/

# The writer was hosted by Rick Stein at Coogee Beach

New custodian for Toolangi wine brand

Rochford Wines owner Helmut Konecsny has passed the winery’s Toolangi brand and vineyard assets on to his long-serving winemaker, Kaspar Hermann, and his family, in a major move in the Yarra Valley.

Konecsny said this ensures Toolangi remains a family-owned vineyard as it becomes an independent business.

Konecsny, who purchased Rochford in 2002, has sold the Toolangi brand and its vineyard assets to Hermann, the winemaker who has shaped its wines for years.

Toolangi will now operate independently under Hermann’s direction with Hermann continuing his role as winemaker for both houses.

Konecsny purchased the Toolangi brand from Garry and Julie Hounsell in 2017.

“Wine is made by people, not portfolios,” Konecsny said. “Kaspar has poured his heart into these wines. He has walked these rows through frost and heatwave, through hard vintages and great ones.

"A winery is not barrels and buildings. It is the people who give their lives to it. The proudest thing an owner can do is not to hold on. It is to hand over well, to the right hands. Toolangi is in the right hands.”

For Hermann, the transition fulfills a lifelong dream.

“Every winemaker carries a quiet dream that one day the wines they make might carry their own family’s name behind them,” Hermann said.

“Helmut has made that dream real for us. Nothing changes in the glass. The same vineyards, the same standards, the same hands on every vintage. 

"What changes is the heart behind the label. My children will grow up knowing their name is on a vineyard, and that is because one man chose loyalty over consolidation.”

Head back in time with innovative cocktails high above Sydney

 

Take the lift to level 22 and the world looks a whole lot better. 

High above the hustle and bustle and construction noise of the day, Sydney sparkles from up in the sky. 

Mixology is a serious business but the cocktails at stylish sky-high bar Dean & Nancy on 22 are full of fun. 

This is a cocktail bar worth seeking out; a nice vibe; great views. And some nifty snacks, as well. 

I was a bit late checking out the launch of its new signature cocktail menu, Time Machine, which is billed as "a spirited journey through the cultural icons, inventions and milestones that defined the 1950s and 1960s".

Innovative, with the interactive menu that invites guests to unlock each cocktail by rotating a spinning time selector, revealing the stories and flavours of 14 signature creations. And that's in addition to some long-time favourites and some ‘High Roller’ drinks made tableside. 

You can choose to sit at the bar, or at a private booth (ideal for small groups). 

Among the menu of craft cocktails is: Road Runner ‘Beep Beep’: A playful tribute to the beloved Warner Brothers’ cartoon, this tequila-based cocktail arrives in a custom 3D printed dynamite bar vessel. 

There is also  the Instant Camera: blending nostalgia with innovation, this vodka highball channels the childlike curiosity that sparked Edwin Land’s invention of the Polaroid. Guests receive a freshly snapped instant photo as their garnish - and as a keepsake. 

I very much liked the great looking Black Box (above), a citrus‐driven whisky cocktail honouring Australian inventor Dr David Warren and his invention in 1954 of the flight recorder. Think macadamia‐infused The Dalmore 12, mandarin, blackberry, black chinotto and an orange dust garnish to echo the real device’s colour. 

We also tried the fun M&Ms (Michters Rye Whiskey, Oats, Licor 43, vanilla, peanut butter, cacao and cream), which comes with a side serve of M&Ms, and a Kid Ory, a blend of Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum, salted calamansi and pineapple, Tia Maria, Agricole Rhum and Cacao bitters. 

Great if you don't have to drive. 

There is an enticing selection of snacks: we sampled the impressively French-accented saucisson sec with cornichons (below), caramelised onion dip with pickles and parmesan crackers, and Manchego croquettes with Iberico and verde mayo.

All were tasty and well presented, but you can also choose from some share plates, perhaps some oysters, or buttermilk kingfish, or opt for a pork and beef lasagna, or a Wagyu ribeye with chimichurri sauce.   

“At Dean & Nancy, we’ve always believed cocktails should do more than taste great - they should spark the imagination,” says restaurant and bar manager Krisztian Csigo.

“Our Time Machine menu celebrates the people and moments that shaped a generation, brought to life through playful techniques, vintage references and modern mixology.” 

The Time Machine menu was developed in collaboration with the world-renowned team at drinks innovators Maybe Sammy. 

There is an aperitivo hour between 5-6pm with discounted drinks, including cocktails and wines by the glass. Ideal for watching the sun set. 

Dean & Nancy on 22, Level 22, 2 Hunter St, Sydney. Open 4.30pm until late. 

See www.deanandnancyon22.com.au

* The writer was hosted by Dean and Nancy on 22.

Accor to have three new hotels in Hamilton, New Zealand

Accor, the largest hospitality group in New Zealand, is going all in on the city of Hamilton.

The group has announced the signing of two new Mantra hotels in the fast-growing regional centre.

To be developed by Hamilton-based developers Sanjil Mistry and Pienaar Piso from Mistry Centre Ltd., the two new-build hotels are expected to open in 2027.

Together, they will add 92 rooms to the city inventory, with Mantra Hamilton Pembroke Street (render above) set to offer 52 rooms and Mantra Hamilton Karewa Place set to offer 40 rooms.

The signings build on Accor's existing relationship with Mistry Centre, which is also developing the upcoming Pullman Hamilton, a landmark conversion hotel project in the heart of the city.

The addition of two Mantra hotels will complement Pullman Hamilton by broadening Accor's offering across multiple segments and guest needs, from premium city stays to flexible studio and apartment-style accommodation.

Hamilton is New Zealand's fourth-largest city and a key gateway to the wider Waikato region.

“Mantra is one of the most trusted and recognised hotel brands in the Pacific, and these signings represent an exciting step in its continued expansion across New Zealand,” said Adrian Williams, Chief Operating Officer of Accor in the Pacific region.

“Hamilton is a city with strong momentum, growing visitor demand and an increasingly diverse travel market. By introducing two new Mantra hotels alongside the future Pullman Hamilton, we are creating a stronger, more complete accommodation offering for the city, while deepening our valued partnership with Mistry Centre.”

Avani rings the changes to mark Queenstown debut

Visitors to Queenstown are about to gain another international brand hotel option when Minor Hotels opens Avani Queenstown, a lakeside retreat in New Zealand’s adventure capital.

Opening in September 2026, the re-imagined hotel marks Avani’s Queenstown debut and will be brand's New Zealand flagship.



Formerly known as Oaks Shores Resort, the property has undergone a significant transformation; from serviced apartments into a full-service hotel.

Set on Queenstown’s lakefront, Avani Queenstown is designed to offer experiences ranging from après-ski moments by the fireplace to private dining experiences and flexible event spaces for both for intimate celebrations and larger gatherings.

Wellbeing is priority, with AvaniSpa offering space to reset and recharge, and AvaniFit delivering a modern approach to fitness.

A defining feature of the hotel will be Six to Midnight, an all-day dining venue showcasing local and seasonal produce. Designed as a social hub for both visitors and locals, the venue evolves throughout the day from breakfast and lunch to high tea, après-ski drinks and evening à la carte dining.

Craig Hooley, Chief Operating Officer of Minor Hotels Australasia, said the hotel's transformation reflects both the strength of the Queenstown market and Avani's continued growth in the region.

“Avani Queenstown introduces a premium lifestyle offering to one of New Zealand's most dynamic tourism destinations," Hooley said. 

"Combining a standout lakefront location with Avani's design-led approach, the hotel delivers a contemporary guest experience that reflects how travellers increasingly want to stay, connect and experience a destination."

Avani Queenstown joins Avani Auckland Metropolis Residences as the brand’s second property in New Zealand, strengthening the brand;s presence across Australasia following the recent opening of Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Visit avanihotels.com for more information.