Sydney Weekender Autumn 08

Whit's Bit
Hello Autumn!

G’day and welcome to autumn! I can’t believe it’s the end of our 4th year of the Sydney Weekender Magazine. A special ‘thanks’ goes out to the subscribers who’ve been with us since the beginning and also to those who have joined us along the way. If you’ve kept all of your issues, you should now be experts on travel and leisure in Sydney and around our great state. New subscribers, you could be jumping for joy with this issues subscription prize. Thanks to SkyDive the Beach Sydney we’ve got a bunch of tandem skydives to give away.
This bumper issue is close to my heart because it features one of my favourite inland destinations – New England. Over my 14 years on Sydney Weekender TV this area has been an absolute treasure-trove. Check out my story on Cheyenne Wilderness Retreat – if you’ve got a family or a big group this is the place to base yourself. From here you can eat, drink and be merry. And you can cover off all three at Koolkuna Berries. Here you can pick your own berries straight from the vines then drop into the shop and meet my old mate Lothar and sample some of his unique wines made from what else but berries! Go easy though, they’ve got a kick.
Then head up to Inverell and strike it rich. You’re not looking for a flash of gold here, but a flash of blue at 7 Oaks Sapphires. This is a great one to get the kids in on as well. For $20 you can pan all day and you might find a rare beauty worth up to $300 a carat. I found a beautiful little stone which I wear around my neck all the time as my reminder of the beautiful New England region.
Deals! Deals! Deals! Hot deals in fact! As usual there are some great discounts and bargains just for Sydney Weekender readers so dig them out and save yourself a few bucks.
For the girls, check out Sally’s Scoop and learn how to dress like a celebrity. I don’t know why she didn’t call me for that story! Then follow her as she stocks up the pantry for winter. She’ll also save you some dollars along the way.
And my pick this issue is beautiful Port Stephens – great in any season. There’s so much to do in this area from playing in the sand to playing in the ocean.
And round off your read with “Let’s Dine”. This issue we eat our way around the Eastern Suburbs. There are so many restaurants in this area, we could have filled a book. And in fact we have – have you got it yet? The very first volume of Sydney Weekender’s Eating In Eating Out Restaurant Guide & Cookbook is available at newsagents and good bookstores or by calling our subscription hotline on 1800 20 50 47.
In the meantime, get out there and enjoy everything New South Wales has to offer. I am, and you can catch all the fun every Saturday at 5.30pm on Seven.

Happy travels,

Mike