The London hotel where you are most likely to spot a royal
The Goring's geographic location couldn't be more fitting for a royal legacy. A 10-minute stroll from the palace gates, the hotel has served as a discreet haven for royalty and dignitaries for 113 years. It was famously the choice of accommodation for Kate Middleton on the eve of her wedding to William, Prince of Wales, and Queen Elizabeth II was a regular in the restaurant –cementing its place among Britain's most revered establishments.
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Sky News AU
17 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Virgin Australia to open 1-point store in Sydney this week to encourage Velocity Point sign ups as battle of the airlines heats up
Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer 1 Point Rewards Store is returning for 2025 after thousands queued down Melbourne's Chapel Street for its debut in 2023. The pop-up stores allow customers with Velocity Frequent Flyer accounts to redeem 1 Velocity Frequent Flyer point for a reward of their choice, with headphones and Virgin Australia flights among the products up for grabs. Cabin crew will also be on hand to guide members through the experience. The airline said members need to have their Velocity Frequent Flyer cards and the mobile app on hand to take part. CEO of Velocity Frequent Flyer Nick Rohrlach said the aim of the program was to get rewards into people's pockets so that they did not have to wait long to earn the next reward or flight. 'Velocity is all about getting our members to rewards faster and the 1 Point Rewards Store puts the spotlight on that,' Mr Rohrlach said. He went onto say that the ways in which people could earn points were just limited to booking flights with Virgin Australia or partner airlines. 'With Velocity, earning Points is easy and fast. You don't need to spend big or wait long for your next reward – spending daily on things like your morning coffee, a tank of fuel, weekly grocery shop or mobile phone bill could get you there in no time,' he said. While rivals Qantas allow their frequent flyers to collect points at Woolworths or though Accor Hotels, Velocity points can be collected at places including Coles supermarkets, 7 Elevens and shopping at Myer department stores or via the click and collect service. But Frequent Flyer schemes have come under the microscope as to whether they offer value for money, with Qantas recently announcing changes to its scheme which saw an increase the number of points people need to earn in order to redeem on domestic and international flights. According to Australian Frequent Flyer, the best loyalty scheme that offers value for money is Virgin Atlantic's scheme, with the British airline offering an exchange rate of 2.1 cents per dollar. The airline does not fly to Australia but relies on partner airlines to offer services Down Under. When the pop up store opened in Melbourne in 2023, the store rapidly sold out - with hundreds queueing down Chapel Street to secure a bargain. According to Virgin, people who do not have any Velocity Points will be given the opportunity to earn points at the stores, with the Sydney store opening at 8am. For Queenslanders and Victorians an opportunity to experience the stores will be offered at a date yet to be confirmed.
Herald Sun
5 days ago
- Herald Sun
I cruised to Antarctica with Aurora Expeditions, this was the highlight
'How far do you think it is?' asks Ivan Klochkov, one of Aurora Expeditions' sea kayak guides. We're paddling in Recess Cove, Antarctica, towards a colossal glacier. We need to stay at least 400m away for safety, but features this large distort your perspective. It feels like we're quite close; I guess 500m. Ivan points a laser rangefinder at the ice and smiles. 'Actually, it's 1100m,' he says. 'Cool, hey?' Cool? More like extraordinary. Surreal springs to mind. Astonishing – a word I've never actually said out loud before – comes tumbling out of my mouth. But the size of the landscape isn't the only thing that blows my mind on this journey. Here's how an expedition cruise to the wild south unfolds. Exploring Recess Cove, Antarctica. Picture: David Jaffe/Auroa Expeditions WEEK ONE Friday: Ushuaia We haven't even made it to the ship before the itinerary is thrown out the window. We've travelled all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina – known as 'the end of the world' – and from the hotel we can see Sylvia Earle, one of Aurora Expeditions' two purpose-built expedition ships, docked in the port. There are no signs of the storm brewing in the Southern Ocean, between Argentina and Antarctica, but it's there. And it's big. The decision is made to do the journey backwards, in an attempt to sail around it. First stop: the Falkland Islands. Second, South Georgia. And finally, the Great White Continent. Auroa Expeditions ship Sylvia Earle at Neko Harbour, Antarctica. Picture: David Jaffe/Aurora Expeditions Sunday: Falklands Seeing land, after two days at sea, is lovely. Seeing a child pop over the hill, with a crisp British accent, is a shock. We've landed on Carcass Island and we're walking towards the remote lodge where he lives, where we're treated to morning tea of homemade cakes, biscuits and scones. We move to Saunders Island in the afternoon and walk to see a colony of rockhopper penguins. I ask the landowner how often they receive visitors; he says they're expecting three cruise ships today. Aurora Expeditions ship Sylvia Earle at Saunders Island in the Falklands. Picture: Kirrily Schwarz WEEK TWO Wednesday: Jason Harbour South Georgia is sometimes described as the 'Galápagos of the South', thanks to its remarkable biodiversity. Our first stop, in pretty Jason Harbour, doesn't disappoint. It's the first opportunity for the kayakers to hit the water, so we don warm layers and dry suits before paddling over a kelp forest into a seal-filled lagoon. They're surprisingly puppy-like, curious and playful, as they check us out. Hiking at Godthul, South Georgia. Picture: Kirrily Schwarz Thursday: Sandebugten to Godthul One of the coolest things about this voyage is that itinerary-related decisions are often made in real time, depending on the weather. Today is glorious – sunny and quite warm – and we're given the opportunity to land and hike 8km from Sandebugten to Godthul (paying careful attention to the strict local biosecurity rules). It takes our group of 13 hikers and four guides about four hours to navigate the windswept landscape, which changes rapidly from marsh to rocks to snow to tussock. King penguins at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island. Friday: Prince Olav, Salisbury Plain, Prion Island Today is a three-for-one deal. First, we land at Prince Olav, an abandoned Norwegian whaling station and a photographer's dream even though the barest fraction of it actually fits into the viewfinder. Second, we land at Salisbury Plain – home to a king penguin rookery with an estimated 250,000 birds. Fluffy brown chicks, as tall as their parents but with soft down coats, yell at full volume as their mothers and fathers race to feed them. Third, just as I'm thinking this is the best day of my life, we visit Prion Island and launch the kayaks for a golden-hour paddle with seals for company. Wildlife at Salisbury Plain. Picture: Kirrily Schwarz Saturday: Grytviken The scale of the former whaling operations at Grytviken, in South Georgia, is impressive and confronting. Work started in 1904 when Carl Anton Larsen, a Norwegian, ventured south with the Swedish Antarctic Expedition. The first season, they nabbed 183 whales right in the harbour. As the station developed, they added plants for cooking meat and bone, as well as blubber. At its height, it employed up to 400 men and processed up to 30 whales per day. It only closed in 1966. The former Grytviken whaling station, South Georgia. WEEK THREE Thursday: Point Wild, Point Walker, Gibb Island After another four days at sea, we see land. It's Elephant Island, about 61 degrees south, a rocky refuge where Sir Ernest Shackleton's crew sheltered for more than four months after their ship, Endurance, was lost in the ice of the Weddell Sea in 1915. We cruise past Point Wild, where they lived – a minuscule sliver of land cut off by a near-vertical mountain, which is equally beautiful and wretched. Kayaking off the Sylvia Earle expedition ship. Picture: Ivan Klochkov Friday: Half Moon Bay Kayaking, with Aurora Expeditions, is essentially an expedition within an expedition. Today, four of us paddle through a sea of brash ice around Half Moon Bay on Livingston Island as we make our way towards a chinstrap penguin colony. They're magnificent climbers – we watch one chip away at an enormous vertical face to reach its family at the top and the speed at which it hikes is amazing. Penguin Highway, Half Moon Bay. Picture: Kirrily Schwarz Saturday: Antarctica Today is the most anticipated day of the voyage. It's time for the polar plunge, which sees a plucky few don their swimmers and jump from the stern into the frigid waters of the Antarctic Circle. I'm among those questioning their life choices as I line up – under the gaze of saner travellers on the decks above – and leap. The endorphin rush is powerful, and after a sauna and then a soak in the hot tub, I can confirm it's incredibly invigorating. But the crew isn't done yet. Today we're also offered the chance to camp on the Antarctic Peninsula, rolling out bivouacs at Argentina's Almirante Brown base. Kirrily Schwarz camping at Skonthorp Bay. Sunday: Skonthorp Bay Improbably, the crew has saved the best for last. Skonthorp Bay is a glacial gallery – we're carving a path through ice with our kayaks, marvelling at the huge icebergs, when we hear a tremendous boom. An avalanche releases to our right and a valley's worth of snow rockets into the sea. It's an awesome thing to witness (from a safe distance). Ivan turns to me and grins. 'Cool, hey?' The writer travelled as a guest of Aurora Expeditions. Kayaking off Sylvia Earle. Picture: Ivan Klochkov How to get to Ushuaia, Argentina Book a flight with Qantas or LATAM to Buenos Aires (via Santiago), then jump on a connecting flight to Ushuaia (just make sure you double check the airport name as Buenos Aires has two). It's well worth booking a transfer as it will streamline your arrival after a long trip. Cruising Antarctica Aurora Expeditions' 23-day Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula cruises start from $US19,197 ($29,490) per person, twin share. The next journeys are in December 2025, March 2026 and October 2026, departing from Ushuaia, Argentina. Originally published as I cruised to Antarctica with Aurora Expeditions, this was the highlight
The Australian
5 days ago
- The Australian
Historic Swedish church being moved as giant mine casts growing shadow
A historic red wooden church considered one of Sweden's most beautiful buildings is to be moved from its longtime home in the Arctic town of Kiruna next week as part of a campaign to expand Europe's biggest underground mine. Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church, dates from 1912. The 672 tonne, 40 metre (131 feet) high building will be moved five kilometres (three miles) on a lorry to the new Kiruna town on Tuesday and Wednesday. The complex and costly logistical operation has generated widespread interest, with more than 10,000 people expected to line the streets of the town of 18,000. King Carl XVI Gustaf will be among those in town following the move. Swedish television will broadcast the entire journey live -- a new iteration of the "Slow TV" trend -- with 30 cameras set up along the route, it said. Kiruna's entire town centre is being moved because of the giant mine that dominates the region. As the LKAB iron ore mine's operations have progressed ever deeper over the years, the stability of the ground under Kiruna has weakened, increasing the risk of collapse in some parts. - Unique event - The town's relocation process began almost two decades ago and is expected to continue for years to come. The new town centre was officially inaugurated in September 2022. The relocation of the church alone is expected to cost 500 million kronor ($52 million) and is being paid for by LKAB. Designed by Swedish architect Gustaf Wickman, the imposing structure is a mix of influences and includes designs inspired by the region's indigenous Sami people on the pews. The neo-Gothic exterior features slanting roofs and windows on each side, while its dark interior has elements of national romanticism as well as an Art Nouveau altarpiece painted by Sweden's Prince Eugen (1865-1947), a pastel landscape inspired by his trips to Toscana and western Sweden. The church is one of 23 cultural buildings relocated in the Kiruna move. LKAB has called next week's relocation "a unique event in world history". The structure has been "thoroughly examined ahead of the move to protect its cultural assets in the best possible way, to ensure that the altarpiece and organ in particular are moved with care," the company said. The roads on the route have been widened, a process that took a year according to LKAB, and the ground around the church's current location has been dug out. "The church is sitting on a beam system, then two rows of trailers were brought in," LKAB project manager Stefan Holmblad Johansson told AFP. The move is expected to take on the air of a street party, with LKAB treating crowds to snacks, refreshments and live entertainment. nzg/po/tw
