Upcoming Adventure Travel Expos in 2013

If you missed the incredible Sydney travel exhibition earlier this month, do note there are two more pending events where you can listen to informative travel talks, win prizes, get great travel deals and just live and love travel.

Pic: myadventureexpo.com

Both Melbourne and Brisbane have events in early 2013.

Melbourne
Where: Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne
When: 23-24 February
Cost: FREE!!
Read more here.

Brisbane
Where: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (Hall 2)
When: 23-24 March
Cost: FREE!!!
Read more here.

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Hope you’re enjoying the VIP Backpacker’s Travel Blog. If there are any travel topics you want covered feel free to contact Jo at viplounge@vipbackpackers.com

St Patrick’s Day down under

Irish Shamrock. Pic: wikimedia.

All the madness and mayhem of the greenest day of the year is fast approaching. And that means lots of Guinness, live bands and green clothing.

If you find yourself in the land down under for this year’s St Pat’s day rest assured all things Irish are celebrated here. But do note not all take place right on the 17th March – some are held the weekend before or after the official date. But there are plenty of Irish people to celebrate with given the nation’s heritage. With that in mind we’ve got a list of events from the major cities in Australia. It’s also worth checking out all the Irish pubs in these cities for details of festivities:

Adelaide:

“Celebrate St Patricks Day with the best tasting Guinness in Australia, Irish stalls, traditional food, live bands all day and comedian Mickey D as MC. Then make it a Paddy’s day to remember and party into the night at their East Terrace Street Party.
P.J. O’ Brien’s, 14 East Terrace, Adelaide. Saturday 17th March. Open from 9am for breakfast and the street party kicks off at 5pm.”

Tropfest short film festival to hit Aussie cities on February 19

One of the must see events happening in Australia this February is TROPFEST – the world’s largest short film festival.

It’s taking place on February 19 in Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Surfers Paradise and also in New Zealand. See http://tropfest.com/au/ for all the details about times and when you should get there – we recommend you go early for a good spot. It’s great fun.

Entry is free!

Take a look at the 2011 winner.

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Hope you’re enjoying the VIP Backpacker’s Travel Blog. There’ll be an update added every other Friday, so keep tuning in to keep your travel dreams alive! If there are any travel topics you want covered feel free to contact me, Jo, at blog@vipbackpackers.com

Five cheap things to do in Brisbane

A city cat cruising the Brisbane River. Pic: Joanne Lane, http://www.visitedplanet.com

Continuing in our series of “cheap things to do” in Australian cities (see the Sydney and Melbourne entries), here’s five things to do in Brisbane that won’t break the budget.

Swim or sunbathe at Southbank
It sounds corny but Brisbane has its very own man made beach. It might not quite be Bondi but it’s not too far off and seriously, it’s pretty cool to lay on a beach and look across at the high rise of the CBD. Southbank has an array of restaurants, barbecues and other entertainment from markets to open air movies and other events – there’s wicked New Year’s Eve fireworks too. It’s a great place at any time of the night and day.

10 things the Queen loved about Australia

The Queen in Brisbane. Pic: Joanne Lane, http://www.visitedplanet.com

The Queen has been visiting Australia over the last week or so and during her visit she toured Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne and is now in Perth.

Here’s a list of some of the experiences she enjoyed during this trip that we think you should consider if you’re visiting Australia.

Not only will they give you a royal tinge to your holiday but they are everyday activities anyone can enjoy whether you be of the House of Windsor or just an average backpacker.