From the Editor
THERE IS SOMETHING RESTORATIVE ABOUT HOLIDAYS BY THE WATER. When I think back to the best summers of my childhood, they revolve around time spent at the beach or somewhere near water. There was the time staying at a holiday rental at Macmaster’s Beach on the NSW Central Coast when my sister fell into the lake – she could swim and was perfectly fine, but somehow convinced my mum that she needed a new set of shoes to compensate for her ‘trauma’. Or the time, crammed into a shack at Mollymook Beach on the South Coast, my cousins and I exhausted our mothers with trips to the beach and endless demands for ice-cream. My parents’ house at Palm Beach in Sydney’s northern beaches was usually rented out during the peak summer periods, but when it was empty and we were lucky enough to stay there, it was pure magic – out in the waves, our worried mum on the shoreline waving for my sister and I to come in as the sun was disappearing behind Barrenjoey Headland. My fondest memories of my late father are of him in the breakers with an inflatable lilo, which he embarrassingly called ‘the surfo-plane’, gliding through the waves and laughing wickedly like a madman. Here in the water was one of the few times I saw him, a father of six with a demanding job, able to really throw caution to the wind and be child-like.
Today, with airfares so much more affordable than in my parents’ generation, there’s a world of oceans and rivers that await for either adult or family-oriented waterside vacations. We’ve devoted this summer 2019/20 issue to Water Holidays.
Our talented contributors have explored destinations such as French Polynesia, New Caledonia, the Arctic, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia. In our Connection section starting on page 105, we also highlight some of the best spas where you can literally be on the water while soaking up a five-star wellness experience.
For this issue, I set off to Mykonos in the Greek Islands where the waters of the Aegean sea and the history found on UNESCO archaeological site Delos is totally captivating. Closer to home, I ventured into the Pacific to the Hawaiian islands, visiting Oahu and Maui. It’s little wonder that so many Australians seek the aloha spirit, visiting this laid-back and visually spectacular destination.
This issue also includes a special 32-page advertising feature from our friends at Silversea Cruises – all about the extensive and premium cruise options they provide for their passengers. Turn to page 61 so that you can start planning now where you’ll be sailing in 2020 and beyond!
Wherever you spend your summer holidays this season, we wish you safe travels, relishing your ‘beach hair, don’t care’ vibe and travelling with reef-safe sunscreen wherever you go.