Warning for Australian tourists in Japan, Hawaii amid tsunami threat
It comes after the world's biggest earthquake in 14 years, a massive magnitude 8.8 shock, struck east-southeast of Kamchatska, off the coast of Russia, about 9.24pm (AEST).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has also added Australia to its advisory, reporting that waves reaching 0.3 to one metre are possible along the coast. However, the Bureau of Meteorology says there is no tsunami threat to the country.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, through its Smartraveller advice website, has warned Aussies of a 'Pacific wide tsunami warning' extending to Japan, Hawaii, parts of the west coast of North and South America, Alaska, parts of South East Asia, Guam and all Pacific islands.
'If you're in the affected area, move to higher ground immediately. If there's an official evacuation warning, immediately follow the advice of local authorities,' it urged.
Changing travel plans
Angus Kidman, travel expert at insurance comparison website Finder, told news.com.au thankfully many travel insurance policies will provide cover for natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
'However, any travel insurance policy purchased after a known event starts won't provide cover for that event,' he warned.
'If your travel is disrupted because of a natural disaster, you'll need to have already had your travel insurance policy in place to make a claim.
'That's why it's so important to get travel insurance as soon as you book your flights or accommodation. That way anything that disrupts your travel between booking and starting your trip can still be covered.
'Keep receipts for any expenses incurred and contact your insurer as soon as possible.'
Jess Strange, chief customer officer at Southern Cross Travel Insurance, told news.com.au travellers should speak to their insurance provider where possible to ensure they are covered for changes made to their trip.
'If you're on holiday and a disaster strikes, the most important thing to keep in mind is your safety,' she said. 'Follow the instructions of any officials or emergency personnel and seek medical attention if you need it.
'If you need to change your travel plans to get home, contact your airline or tour operator in the first instance.
'If you're concerned about what costs you're covered for, it's important where possible to speak to your travel insurance provider before making any changes. That way, you can be confident if there are costs that your airline can't reimburse you for, get in touch with your travel insurer to find out what they can cover.'
Ms Strange also recommends keeping any cancellation notifications from your airline, including emails, along with receipts for any expenses incurred by the event, such as accommodation and meals.
'You'll need to submit these with any claim,' she said.
She added Southern Cross Travel Insurance is monitoring this particular situation and is 'likely to cover any claims for travellers already in the affected areas, who have departed on their journey or who have already purchased a policy for travel to this region'.
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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Newcastle to become state's first berthing for luxury superyachts
The Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club will be the beneficiary of $5 million in state funding to expand its berthing marina to accommodate up eight luxe superyachts in a move that it promises will be a boon for the regional tourism economy. Club CEO Paul O'Rourke said there were about 30 superyachts owned in Australia, but the country was a premier destination for repair and vessel maintenance in the Southern Hemisphere such that it was expected to account for some eight per cent of the global market by the end of the year, amounting to around 533 vessels. The funding is expected to be put towards building 200 metres of dedicated marina berth that is specifically designed to accommodate the larger vessels, with extra weight and power facilities. The move to expand the Newcastle marina on Hannell Street is expected to put Newcastle in a competitive stead with Queensland, long regarded as the Australian home for superyacht construction, and will represent the only such dedicated maintenance berth in NSW. Mr O'Rourke said, while Newcastle would not build the vessels, positioning the city as a maintenance hub for the yachts that are estimated to cost between $2 million and $5 million a year to run, would unlock the Pacific for European travellers and see tourism spending flow through the Hunter. "There are probably over 30 superyachts in Australia at the moment," he said. "But the key is there are 100 coming. There are a lot of superyachts in Europe that all want to come to Australia and the Pacific, and at the moment we don't have the Pacific facilities." "We regularly get phone calls from boats out in Tahiti that want to come to Australia and park up. We haven't got the facility yet." Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the NSW Government's investment of $5 million, to which the Newcastle yacht club would add 20 per cent of the overall $6 million build costs, made sense for the state's second city. "We are a maritime city," she said. "So, it makes sense for us to can have those yachts that can travel from as far far as Europe on their way up to Northern Queensland and to further places into the Pacific." "This will become their go-to stopover." The yacht club's Commodore, Barry Kelly, said the completed projected which is estimated to be about two years away, would be equipped to provide "medium-level" maintenance to the vessels, replacing parts and servicing engines and complex onboard systems, that would generate jobs in the region. "Superyachts spend about four times as much in the region as they do on the berthing," he said. "Our spend on maintaining this facility in the last financial year was about $800,000." The funding has been carved out of the NSW Regional Development Trust, which Regional NSW Minister Tara Moriarty said was to prop up merit-based projects that would create jobs and economic boons for regional economies. "We have made a big deal out of this new fund and this new way of investing in our regions," she said. "This is really going to make a big difference for the local economy." The $70 million Callisto - believed to have been the largest and most expensive yacht to visit Newcastle - was spotted in the marina in 2019. lt is owned by Barbados billionaire Derrick Smith who was reportedly a co-owner of the renowned Coolmore Stud, which has operations in the Upper Hunter, Ireland and the US. The Australian superyacht sector is estimated to have a fleet value of over $7.5 billion, with annual maintenance expenditure of over $575 million. Operational expenditure in Australia, including crew wages and berthing, is worth about $400 million. A proposal document for the project, seen by the Newcastle Herald, lists more than 400 vessels over 30 metres based in the Asia Pacific. The industry is said to support about 14,500 full-time jobs, paying about $1.2 billion in wages and salaries, and with Sydney reaching capacity, overflow was being directed to Queensland and Victoria. The yacht club's pitch to secure funding amounted to positioning Newcastle to cater to provide a state's-first and one-stop shop for the super rich to dock and have their vessels serviced, estimated to represent up to 1400 jobs. According to Superyachts Australia, the number of luxury vessels in NSW has increased by 52 per cent since 2021, with 17 accounted for in 2023. The economic impact of a visiting vessel was estimated to be about $1.34 million that year. The Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club will be the beneficiary of $5 million in state funding to expand its berthing marina to accommodate up eight luxe superyachts in a move that it promises will be a boon for the regional tourism economy. Club CEO Paul O'Rourke said there were about 30 superyachts owned in Australia, but the country was a premier destination for repair and vessel maintenance in the Southern Hemisphere such that it was expected to account for some eight per cent of the global market by the end of the year, amounting to around 533 vessels. The funding is expected to be put towards building 200 metres of dedicated marina berth that is specifically designed to accommodate the larger vessels, with extra weight and power facilities. The move to expand the Newcastle marina on Hannell Street is expected to put Newcastle in a competitive stead with Queensland, long regarded as the Australian home for superyacht construction, and will represent the only such dedicated maintenance berth in NSW. Mr O'Rourke said, while Newcastle would not build the vessels, positioning the city as a maintenance hub for the yachts that are estimated to cost between $2 million and $5 million a year to run, would unlock the Pacific for European travellers and see tourism spending flow through the Hunter. "There are probably over 30 superyachts in Australia at the moment," he said. "But the key is there are 100 coming. There are a lot of superyachts in Europe that all want to come to Australia and the Pacific, and at the moment we don't have the Pacific facilities." "We regularly get phone calls from boats out in Tahiti that want to come to Australia and park up. We haven't got the facility yet." Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the NSW Government's investment of $5 million, to which the Newcastle yacht club would add 20 per cent of the overall $6 million build costs, made sense for the state's second city. "We are a maritime city," she said. "So, it makes sense for us to can have those yachts that can travel from as far far as Europe on their way up to Northern Queensland and to further places into the Pacific." "This will become their go-to stopover." The yacht club's Commodore, Barry Kelly, said the completed projected which is estimated to be about two years away, would be equipped to provide "medium-level" maintenance to the vessels, replacing parts and servicing engines and complex onboard systems, that would generate jobs in the region. "Superyachts spend about four times as much in the region as they do on the berthing," he said. "Our spend on maintaining this facility in the last financial year was about $800,000." The funding has been carved out of the NSW Regional Development Trust, which Regional NSW Minister Tara Moriarty said was to prop up merit-based projects that would create jobs and economic boons for regional economies. "We have made a big deal out of this new fund and this new way of investing in our regions," she said. "This is really going to make a big difference for the local economy." The $70 million Callisto - believed to have been the largest and most expensive yacht to visit Newcastle - was spotted in the marina in 2019. lt is owned by Barbados billionaire Derrick Smith who was reportedly a co-owner of the renowned Coolmore Stud, which has operations in the Upper Hunter, Ireland and the US. The Australian superyacht sector is estimated to have a fleet value of over $7.5 billion, with annual maintenance expenditure of over $575 million. Operational expenditure in Australia, including crew wages and berthing, is worth about $400 million. A proposal document for the project, seen by the Newcastle Herald, lists more than 400 vessels over 30 metres based in the Asia Pacific. The industry is said to support about 14,500 full-time jobs, paying about $1.2 billion in wages and salaries, and with Sydney reaching capacity, overflow was being directed to Queensland and Victoria. The yacht club's pitch to secure funding amounted to positioning Newcastle to cater to provide a state's-first and one-stop shop for the super rich to dock and have their vessels serviced, estimated to represent up to 1400 jobs. According to Superyachts Australia, the number of luxury vessels in NSW has increased by 52 per cent since 2021, with 17 accounted for in 2023. The economic impact of a visiting vessel was estimated to be about $1.34 million that year. The Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club will be the beneficiary of $5 million in state funding to expand its berthing marina to accommodate up eight luxe superyachts in a move that it promises will be a boon for the regional tourism economy. Club CEO Paul O'Rourke said there were about 30 superyachts owned in Australia, but the country was a premier destination for repair and vessel maintenance in the Southern Hemisphere such that it was expected to account for some eight per cent of the global market by the end of the year, amounting to around 533 vessels. The funding is expected to be put towards building 200 metres of dedicated marina berth that is specifically designed to accommodate the larger vessels, with extra weight and power facilities. The move to expand the Newcastle marina on Hannell Street is expected to put Newcastle in a competitive stead with Queensland, long regarded as the Australian home for superyacht construction, and will represent the only such dedicated maintenance berth in NSW. Mr O'Rourke said, while Newcastle would not build the vessels, positioning the city as a maintenance hub for the yachts that are estimated to cost between $2 million and $5 million a year to run, would unlock the Pacific for European travellers and see tourism spending flow through the Hunter. "There are probably over 30 superyachts in Australia at the moment," he said. "But the key is there are 100 coming. There are a lot of superyachts in Europe that all want to come to Australia and the Pacific, and at the moment we don't have the Pacific facilities." "We regularly get phone calls from boats out in Tahiti that want to come to Australia and park up. We haven't got the facility yet." Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the NSW Government's investment of $5 million, to which the Newcastle yacht club would add 20 per cent of the overall $6 million build costs, made sense for the state's second city. "We are a maritime city," she said. "So, it makes sense for us to can have those yachts that can travel from as far far as Europe on their way up to Northern Queensland and to further places into the Pacific." "This will become their go-to stopover." The yacht club's Commodore, Barry Kelly, said the completed projected which is estimated to be about two years away, would be equipped to provide "medium-level" maintenance to the vessels, replacing parts and servicing engines and complex onboard systems, that would generate jobs in the region. "Superyachts spend about four times as much in the region as they do on the berthing," he said. "Our spend on maintaining this facility in the last financial year was about $800,000." The funding has been carved out of the NSW Regional Development Trust, which Regional NSW Minister Tara Moriarty said was to prop up merit-based projects that would create jobs and economic boons for regional economies. "We have made a big deal out of this new fund and this new way of investing in our regions," she said. "This is really going to make a big difference for the local economy." The $70 million Callisto - believed to have been the largest and most expensive yacht to visit Newcastle - was spotted in the marina in 2019. lt is owned by Barbados billionaire Derrick Smith who was reportedly a co-owner of the renowned Coolmore Stud, which has operations in the Upper Hunter, Ireland and the US. The Australian superyacht sector is estimated to have a fleet value of over $7.5 billion, with annual maintenance expenditure of over $575 million. Operational expenditure in Australia, including crew wages and berthing, is worth about $400 million. A proposal document for the project, seen by the Newcastle Herald, lists more than 400 vessels over 30 metres based in the Asia Pacific. The industry is said to support about 14,500 full-time jobs, paying about $1.2 billion in wages and salaries, and with Sydney reaching capacity, overflow was being directed to Queensland and Victoria. The yacht club's pitch to secure funding amounted to positioning Newcastle to cater to provide a state's-first and one-stop shop for the super rich to dock and have their vessels serviced, estimated to represent up to 1400 jobs. According to Superyachts Australia, the number of luxury vessels in NSW has increased by 52 per cent since 2021, with 17 accounted for in 2023. The economic impact of a visiting vessel was estimated to be about $1.34 million that year. The Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club will be the beneficiary of $5 million in state funding to expand its berthing marina to accommodate up eight luxe superyachts in a move that it promises will be a boon for the regional tourism economy. Club CEO Paul O'Rourke said there were about 30 superyachts owned in Australia, but the country was a premier destination for repair and vessel maintenance in the Southern Hemisphere such that it was expected to account for some eight per cent of the global market by the end of the year, amounting to around 533 vessels. The funding is expected to be put towards building 200 metres of dedicated marina berth that is specifically designed to accommodate the larger vessels, with extra weight and power facilities. The move to expand the Newcastle marina on Hannell Street is expected to put Newcastle in a competitive stead with Queensland, long regarded as the Australian home for superyacht construction, and will represent the only such dedicated maintenance berth in NSW. Mr O'Rourke said, while Newcastle would not build the vessels, positioning the city as a maintenance hub for the yachts that are estimated to cost between $2 million and $5 million a year to run, would unlock the Pacific for European travellers and see tourism spending flow through the Hunter. "There are probably over 30 superyachts in Australia at the moment," he said. "But the key is there are 100 coming. There are a lot of superyachts in Europe that all want to come to Australia and the Pacific, and at the moment we don't have the Pacific facilities." "We regularly get phone calls from boats out in Tahiti that want to come to Australia and park up. We haven't got the facility yet." Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the NSW Government's investment of $5 million, to which the Newcastle yacht club would add 20 per cent of the overall $6 million build costs, made sense for the state's second city. "We are a maritime city," she said. "So, it makes sense for us to can have those yachts that can travel from as far far as Europe on their way up to Northern Queensland and to further places into the Pacific." "This will become their go-to stopover." The yacht club's Commodore, Barry Kelly, said the completed projected which is estimated to be about two years away, would be equipped to provide "medium-level" maintenance to the vessels, replacing parts and servicing engines and complex onboard systems, that would generate jobs in the region. "Superyachts spend about four times as much in the region as they do on the berthing," he said. "Our spend on maintaining this facility in the last financial year was about $800,000." The funding has been carved out of the NSW Regional Development Trust, which Regional NSW Minister Tara Moriarty said was to prop up merit-based projects that would create jobs and economic boons for regional economies. "We have made a big deal out of this new fund and this new way of investing in our regions," she said. "This is really going to make a big difference for the local economy." The $70 million Callisto - believed to have been the largest and most expensive yacht to visit Newcastle - was spotted in the marina in 2019. lt is owned by Barbados billionaire Derrick Smith who was reportedly a co-owner of the renowned Coolmore Stud, which has operations in the Upper Hunter, Ireland and the US. The Australian superyacht sector is estimated to have a fleet value of over $7.5 billion, with annual maintenance expenditure of over $575 million. Operational expenditure in Australia, including crew wages and berthing, is worth about $400 million. A proposal document for the project, seen by the Newcastle Herald, lists more than 400 vessels over 30 metres based in the Asia Pacific. The industry is said to support about 14,500 full-time jobs, paying about $1.2 billion in wages and salaries, and with Sydney reaching capacity, overflow was being directed to Queensland and Victoria. The yacht club's pitch to secure funding amounted to positioning Newcastle to cater to provide a state's-first and one-stop shop for the super rich to dock and have their vessels serviced, estimated to represent up to 1400 jobs. According to Superyachts Australia, the number of luxury vessels in NSW has increased by 52 per cent since 2021, with 17 accounted for in 2023. The economic impact of a visiting vessel was estimated to be about $1.34 million that year.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aussies warned Bali police conducting spot checks
Police in Bali have confirmed that they are conducting spot checks on tourist vehicles in order to ensure that safety is enforced across the island. Aussies travelling to Bali should be aware that The Bali Transportation Agency will be pulling over tourist taxis and tourist transport vehicles across Badung Regency (which includes popular areas like Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu). The spot checks began on July 29 and around 20 violations resulted in drivers receiving tickets according to The Bali Sun. Almost all of the violations were from drivers who were driving tourist vehicles and the Bali Transportation Agency also identified a worrying amount of private cars that were transporting tourists without the correct tourist transport licences and permits. The spot checks began on July 29 and around 20 violations resulted in drivers receiving tickets. Credit: borja llanos / Borja - The Head of the Road Transportation Division of the Bali Transportation Agency, Nyoman Sunarya, told reporters that these spot checks on tourist taxis will likely continue for the next month and wouldn't impact tourists taking taxis. '[tourist vehicles that were unlawful] were allowed to continue carrying passengers, then they were given a ticket and a warning and asked immediately to process the permit,' he said. The updates from the Bali Transportation Agency come just days after Bali Police conducted a series of visits to tourist taxi drivers in the South Kuta area. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Sunarya clarified that the Badung Recency was the main area of focus for the spot checks and the purpose was to make sure all taxi drivers were following safety guidelines. 'Continuing, especially in Badung, the team will regularly conduct guidance and supervision in the Bali region to ensure safety, security, and comfort,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
17 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Does Australia's biggest contribution to global dining come from ... McDonald's?
Before flat whites surged through New York City, Aussie-inspired coffee was being poured at America's first McCafe in Chicago, back in 2001. Since its Melbourne creation in 1993, the McDonald's concept has taken off globally and McCafes now serve macarons in France and alfajores in Argentina. There are McCafes with bubble tea in China, zaatar croissants in Saudi Arabia and local coffee beans in Guatemala. 'I don't think it would be crazy to argue that Australian coffee culture is the country's biggest culinary contribution to the world, within which McCafe plays a major role as the delivery vehicle,' says Gary He, author of McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches. The self-published book won the Reference, History and Scholarship category at the prestigious James Beard food media awards in June, held in Chicago. He, a US-based writer and photographer, travelled to McDonald's outlets across six continents to document the fast-food chain's surprising diversity. The project, started in 2018, has taken him to more than 50 countries, from Sweden's McSki to Germany's McBoat and New Zealand's Taupo location which incorporates an actual plane.
