Win 1 Million Qantas Points

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Tara

Brush up on your writing skills, you could be one of 9 winners of 1 million Qantas Frequent Flyer Points!

Rules:
* The promoter is Qantas Airways Limited (ABN 16 009 661 901) of 10 Bourke Road, Mascot NSW 2020 (13 11 31). The promotion commences at 7.00am (AEST) on 1 June 2014 and closes at 11.59pm (AEST) on 15 June 2014 (Promotion Period). Entry is open to all (Eligible Entrants) Entrants under the age of 18 must get permission to enter from a parent or guardian. To enter, you must complete the online entry form at qantas.com/news and in 200 words or less tell us how one million Qantas Points would change your life, or the life of someone else. All entries must be the original work of the entrant. There will be nine prizes. Each Prize consists of one million Qantas Points. The maximum total prize value is AU$22,844.50 based on a sample of the Qantas Frequent Flyer Awards that could be obtained by redeeming through the Qantas Frequent Flyer program (as full defined in the terms and conditions of the program available at qantas.com/terms and the value of a QFF membership. Judging will take place between 26 June 2014 and 3 July 2014 at 10 Bourke Road, Mascot NSW 2020 and the winner will be notified by email or phone by 7 July 2014. Terms and conditions apply, visit qantas.com/newsterms for full terms and conditions.

^ Complimentary Qantas Frequent Flyer membership is offered by Qantas Airways Limited ABN 16 009 661 901. This offer is available until 30 June 2014, but may be withdrawn at any time. This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offer. Qantas Frequent Flyer membership and the earning and redemption of points are subject to the terms and conditions of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program and each application is subject to approval by Qantas.

Should You Use Pointshound Or Rocketmiles?

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Tara

One of the easiest ways to earn miles is to use certain hotel booking engines. There are currently 2 programs that give miles for your hotel bookings. Generally speaking, Pointshound has more options but gives fewer miles. Rocketmiles gives you at least 1000 miles per booking but they have a lot fewer options and don’t serve all the places Pointshound does. I’ve been able to book small eco-lodges on Pointshound but so far I can’t find any smaller places in Rocketmiles.

LINKS TO JOIN

If you are not a member of either program, using my links will give you a bonus of 250 miles in Pointshound or 1000 miles in Rocketmiles when you book your first hotel. I will also get the same amount as a bonus. You will get links of your own to share to whomever you wish so you keep collecting miles.

ROCKETMILES PARTNERS

POINTSHOUND PARTNERS

It’s a good idea to check both of them when you need a hotel, then choose the option that is most attractive for your booking. If you are collecting United miles, only Rocketmiles has them as a partner. Both programs have American and US Airways. Neither has Delta but if you want SkyTeam miles they both have Flying Blue.

Example: Belem, Brazil

Here we can see that Rocketmiles has only 2 options. Pointshound has the same 2 options at the same price but also has several other hotels which are cheaper than the Radisson and the Crowne Plaza. Choose what is important to you!

Surprise Corellas – Small Town Between Mt Magnet & Geraldton

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Tara

This was another lucky call of nature that led to a surprise sighting of some Little Corellas in the trees in a tiny Outback town somewhere between Mt Magnet and Geraldton.

There were blue-eyed crows too.

Not far from the road was a pond with breeding dragonflies and Zebra Finches and Galahs.

That’s the magic of the Aussie Outback, you never know what you are going to find! A local told us we had missed a small flock of Cockatiels by one day! It was sad to be saying goodbye to this vast wilderness but we were hoping the western coast would bring different and interesting birds that we haven’t seen yet.

Australians Must Use PIN, Not Signature From 1 August

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Tara

Most Aussies probably already know that they must use PINs instead of signing from 1 August. Our credit cards have been PIN enabled for several years so this shouldn’t be a problem.

But if you are coming here as a visitor, don’t worry. The system will recognize a foreign card that doesn’t have PIN technology and you will be asked to sign. More information.

Nallan Station – I Wish We Could Have Stayed Here

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Tara

When I was researching our trip to Western Australia, I found several glowing reports of birders who had stayed at Nallan Station and even had meals catered. Unfortunately, the owners haven’t been operating their station stay for several years. Even though the Queen of the Murchison provided great accommodation in town, there would have been something special about staying at the station and waking up with the birds. The accommodation is in the shearers accommodations and would suit backpackers or people seeking an authentic Aussie experience. I did take a peek inside the quarters, although they have not been maintained since they aren’t being used, you can get a good idea of what to expect.

If you are planning a trip to Western Australia for birding, it would be worth contacting them just to see if they re-open the accommodation. It’s also a good idea to call them if you just want to come for day visits. They seem happy to have birders visit. Please offer a donation to help them conserve this amazing bird habitat for future generations.

ABC Life on an Outback Cattle Station

Michael & Sandy were away when we visited but their son Jamie showed us around and was very friendly.

Nallan Station, Cue 6640

08 9963 1054 nallanstn@bigpond.com

Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata)

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Tara

The Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata) is a species of bird in the Bowerbird family. The species is a common endemic of Australia. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Central Australia and the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Male Bowerbird

Female This bowerbird is endemic to Central Australia and mid-central inland and semi-arid Western Australia. They can be easily seen at Nallan Station near Cue in Western Australia. See black dot on map below.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WESTERN BOWERBIRDS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

VIDEO

Nice footage of Bowerbird dancing and calling for a mate.

Other Birds Of Nallan Station

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Tara

Here’s a few other birds we saw at Nallan Station that I managed to get photos of. Other species are always possible, here’s a bird list for the Cue area. These were all seen either near the homestead or near Judas Well.

Zebra Finch

Crested Pigeon

Black-faced Woodswallows

White-plumed Honey-eater

Common Bronzewing

White-plumed Honey-eater

Magpie-Lark

Diamond Dove

Not sure about this one

Why You Need Travel Insurance – TV Show “What Really Happens In Bali”

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Tara

This new tv show debuted on Australia’s Channel 7 a couple of days ago. There were some interesting stories, none that had anything to do with eco-tourism but one story did stand out as a warning.

A young girl from Melbourne was partying on a beach with friends and they decided to go cliff diving. The girl landed badly in the water and broke her back. Luckily she did have travel insurance but if she didn’t, an air-lift home to Australia could have cost $60,000. And then there’s the charity worker who gets into a motorbike accident right in front of the cameras! You can see the whole episode if you are in Australia, otherwise you will probably be IP blocked unless you can get around it.

You can see a snippet of it here.

While I wouldn’t expect eco-tourists to be behaving like these folks, we do travel into remote exotic locations and could have other things go wrong such as being bitten by an animal or slipping on a muddy path.

Although some credit cards come with insurance, I don’t want to rely on them, especially when my trips are paid for in bits and pieces, miles here, cash there with a few hotel points thrown in. I always buy at least health coverage which doesn’t have to be expensive. I have never had to claim so can’t advise on how different companies are but you can get some more information using the resources in my other post.

Here’s a sample quote for two weeks in the South Pacific and Bali. I like this company as you can choose just medical or add more coverage for prepaid travel plans and baggage.

Nallan Station – Playground Of The Bowerbird

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Tara

There’s always a bird you have never seen before that just completely blows you away. This time, it was the Western Bowerbirds of Nallan Station, near Cue. The male dazzles with his bright purple head as he danced around his bower trying to lure the female in. He didn’t have any luck, poor guy! It reminded me of last year watching the Western Parotia dancing for his fair lady.

I did the best I could with the photos but I couldn’t go too close or I would have scared them away. I was sitting under a tree, trying to be inconspicuous so some shots are partially obscured. There are 2 nests, an older one and a newer one. Most of the action took place at the older bower.

IHG Reveals A List Of Disa-Pointbreaks Valid Thru 31 July

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Tara

Really not much to interest eco-travelers here. Or anyone for that matter. Here’s a few that would be good for layovers before heading out to more interesting parts of the country. Goa would be a nice place to hang out for a beach holiday though for India I much prefer Kerala. Full Pointbreak list is here.

INDIA
HOLIDAY INN RESORT GOA

THAILAND
CROWNE PLAZA BANGKOK LUMPINI PARK

SOUTH AFRICA
CROWNE PLAZA JOHANNESBURG – THE ROSEBANK

COSTA RICA
CROWNE PLAZA SAN JOSE COROBICI
HOTEL INDIGO SAN JOSE FORUM COSTA RICA

PANAMA
HOLIDAY INN PANAMA CANAL

AUSTRALIA
HOLIDAY INN TOWNSVILLE

FIJI
HOLIDAY INN SUVA

Small town America seems to be the winner here as there are tons of hotels listed. This could work well if you need to visit family in one of these towns. Otherwise, this is a pretty boring list.

IHG is even having trouble selling points at a discount on Daily Getaways, lots of packages are going begging!

For me, I will use up what remaining points I have but won’t be chasing any more. I’d rather book indie and have more choices!

Miles To The Wild

Create unforgettable eco-tourism and birding adventures using miles & points!

Author Archives: Tara