Mountain High: Ardour Lilianfels unveils new spa offerings

One of Australia’s newest contemporary spa brands has landed in the Blue Mountains with Ardour Lilianfels unveiling a contemporary luxury day spa and wellness offering - Èliva Blue Mountains.

The new spa features "soft, contemporary interiors" across four treatment rooms, a recovery lounge with vibroacoustic bed (never tried one of them), traditional saunas, steam rooms and mineral pools. 

The space offers a selection of holistic, full-body treatments across the brand’s three core pillars":  Rest, Recovery and Invigorate.

Treatments include advanced body therapies, "high-performance facials and innovative recovery rituals, combining the latest evidence-based practices and advanced technology", with products including those from Hungarian luxury skincare house, Omorovicza.

A range of botanical oils including avocado, macadamia, grapeseed and apricot will be on offer for guests to infuse with Èliva’s own essential oil blend featuring kunzea, cedarwood, blue cypress, juniper berry and lime, which are reportedly inspired by the Blue Mountains region, west of Sydney.

“The launch of Èliva brings something completely fresh to the Blue Mountains region," says Èliva Blue Mountains Spa manager Trudi Zurlinden. 

"It will move away from the traditional spa approach to offer a holistic, whole-body experience that is truly connected to each individual guest’s needs.

“Our goal is to create a space where guests can deeply relax and restore their energy by approaching wellness as a complete ecosystem– one that matches the peaceful nature of the Blue Mountains region.”

Èliva’s arrival marks a milestone in the estate’s multimillion-dollar refurbishment by Salter Brothers Hospitality. 

Èliva Blue Mountains is now open Monday to Thursday 10am-5pm and Friday-Sunday 9am- 6pm.

See https://www.worldsapart.club/ardour/lilianfels/wellness

High-tech new airport the new gateway to Cambodia

Flyers arriving in Phnom Penh will be landing at a new airport from next month.

The Cambodian capital is bidding farewell to its international airport in Pochentong, which has operated for 65 years.

The new airport (above) is named Techo International Airport (IATA code KTI) and is located 28km south of Phnom Penh.

Compared to the current facility which is a mere 30 minutes by car to the capital, it will take over an hour to reach the city centre.

There are plans to construct a direct rail link to Phnom Penh, but work has not yet started.

Secretary of State and Spokesperson for Civil Aviation, Sin Chansereyvutha, confirmed that: “Techo International Airport will open for operations on September 9, 2025, and Phnom Penh International Airport will close on the night of September 8, 2025.”

From September 9, Pochentong will only be used by military aircraft and private jets.

The new airport will be one of the largest in south-east Asia. Designed by Sir Norman Foster and his team at Foster and Partners, the concept is of a green facility, using natural light, integrating greenery and powered by a solar farm.

It is capable of handling up to 13 million passengers a year, which is 2.5 times more than the current airport’s capacity.

The airport’s management will be transferred to Cambodia Airports, a subsidiary of French VINCI Airports.

VINCI Airports is the world's leading private airport operator with more than 70 airports operating in 14 countries and eight capitals

Coopers unveils swish new space

Much-loved Adelaide brewery Coopers has unveiled a spectacular new $70 million home. 

Family-owned Coopers says it has “created the ultimate Australian beer experience” for visitors to its Regency Park site while also launching into whisky production for the first time in its 162-year history.

Coopers is Australia’s largest independent, family-owned brewery.

Situated adjacent to the existing brewery, the new facility features a restaurant and three bars, along with an outdoor plaza dining and family areas. 

There will aldo be a dedicated tasting room, a microbrewery, whisky distillery, history display and guided tours and underground stillage for 5000 whisky barrels. 

The doors will be open to the public from August 28. 

“This is one of the most exciting projects we’ve undertaken in the 162-year history of Coopers Brewery,” managing director Dr Tim Cooper (above) said.

“Our team has been humbled by the public’s interest, excitement and support as this impressive building has taken shape.

 “We wanted every aspect to be truly world-class and of the highest quality. It’s a significant, long-term investment by our family company and our vote of confidence in the future of Coopers and Australia’s manufacturing industry. 

“Coopers is very proud to have created a highly unique and immersive experience that ultimately celebrates the very best of Australian beer. We look forward to welcoming visitors from across Australia and overseas into our new home.” 

The new microbrewery will allow Coopers to experiment with craft beer styles which will be made available to the public. 

Given the extended timeline for spirit maturation, it will likely be a few years before Coopers’ first whisky is available for consumption. 

For more information and to book a tour or lunch go to www.coopers.com.au

Dubai unveils plans for the world's biggest airport

Dubai has unveiled plans for what will be the world's largest airport.

Once complete, Al Makhtoum International Airport will be capable of handling 260 million passengers per year. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, vice president and ruler of Dubai said.

It will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport, which is already ranked top globally for international passenger traffic, travel news portal Skift reported.

Dubai officials said airport operations would be switched from the current Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum International Airport “within the next 10 years.”

“Dubai will be the world’s airport, its port, its urban hub, and its new global centre,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

The rulers has approved the designs for the new terminals and given the go ahead for the commencement of construction for the project. It is expected to cost $US35 billion.

The airport will be able to accommodate 400 aircraft gates and feature five parallel runways, according to an official statement.

“DXB (Dubai International Airport) will continue to serve as the primary hub, meeting the needs of 100 million plus guests over the next few years as phase two of DWC (Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport) takes shape," Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.

"We will be actively collaborating with our airline customers, our strategic partners, the Dubai Government, and our stakeholders to bring this visionary project to fruition.

“There isn’t really the space to be able to add additional runways or terminals at DXB so all eyes are on the potential future of another airport development at DWC.”

Dubai has also set an ambitious target of 40 million hotel guests annually by 2031.

“The new airport… will prepare the ground for the next 40 years of anticipated growth in Dubai’s aviation sector. It will respond to the Hub Airline ambitious plans in terms of fleet acquisition and passenger growth,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group.

Wine company unveils $165 million new facility

Treasury Wine Estates, the company behind some of Australia’s biggest wine brands, has unveiled a $165m new state-of-the-art facility in the heart of the Barossa. 

TWE, which produces Penfolds, Wolf Blass and Pepperjack among many, says it is the largest premium winemaking site in the Southern Hemisphere, with the capacity to produce more than 100 million litres of wine every year.

The TWE Barossa site is the winemaker’s largest bottling operation in the world, packaging up to 216 million bottles per year, operating four bottling lines, and exporting to more than 70 countries around the world. 

The site will employ around 400 permanent team members and up to 600 during peak vintage periods.

It was opened by CEO Tim Ford and chief supply officer Kerrin Petty alongside South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.

The new site provides TWE with the ability to increase premium winemaking capacity by one-third, drive production efficiencies, and expand storage capacity. 

The site includes an additional production line, processing infrastructure and additional barrel storage facilities.

Petty said the new facility demonstrated the company’s commitment to South Australia and its continued focus on innovation in the wine sector.

“It’s a proud moment to unveil our new Barossa wine production facility, which has been two and a half years in the making through the challenges of the pandemic,” Petty said. 

“The new site is purpose-built for premium winemaking with the flexibility to scale up or down production depending on demand, which is crucial given the ebbs and flows of wine production.

“Sustainability has been front of mind throughout the entire project with the new infrastructure allowing us to manage the impacts of climate change on vintages and ensuring we can protect our most valuable grapes and produce the highest quality wine even in challenging years.

“It also sets us up to pursue our commitment to net zero. As our first step toward our target of being powered 100% by renewable energy by 2024, we are installing solar panels to offset 22% of the site’s energy consumption from the grid.

“We have also installed a purpose-built 254 megalitre dam to store treated water waste in winter and irrigate our vineyards in summer.”

The new winemaking site at Stockwell also includes a 4,500m2 Icon Cellar Building which will offer site tours.