travel connection

^{Pat’s easy} Whether it’s nightlife or holiday wildlife, with more flights and lower fares, there’s no rush to to_uch-ups see everything in one trip.

WHY NOT MAKE this the year you give the Australia: holidays a fresh ’do? Here are some quick holiday touch-ups that have worked well for me in recent years. One bite at a time

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• Invest in at least one new category of holiday trim. Try outdoor LED lights or sets of ^{By Elizabeth Hansen}

Costco’s Kirkland Signature matching gar- IRECENTLYSPENTanentireafternoonad- this rural environment includes watching lands and wreaths. miring the Sydney Opera House. This may fairy penguins swim ashore and waddle into • Speaking of garlands, hang them in sound a little strange—after all, Sydney is one their burrows. doorways, walls, banisters and shelves or even of the world’s most popular cities, with lots of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is place one or more down the center of the hol- things to do—but I did it because I wanted to known for wineries and good food. The iday table. As for wreaths, expand their service and I could. Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Vale, to include greeting card caddy or candy cane Like many travelers to Australia, I’ve re- all within day-trip distance of the city, pro-holder. vised my approach to experiencing this vast duce almost half of Australia’s wines. Vintners • Bring the outdoors in by filling your country. Now, instead of rushing from place in each of these places welcome visitors to home with evergreens, nuts, pine cones, to place, trying to eat the whole elephant in a their tasting rooms. One of the world’s great-berries and even snowflake ornaments. big gulp, I focus on one city, state or region on est wines, Penfolds Grange, is made from Shiraz Consider adding Costco’s fresh holiday flow- each visit. I know that what I miss on this trip grapes grown in the Barossa Valley. ers or famous potted red poinsettias (arriving I’ll see on the next, because more flights and When I’m in Adelaide, I like to visit the November 12) and “puddles” of cranberries. lower fares mean that “Oz” is no longer a once- Central Market, the largest fresh-food market • Think outside the traditional red and in-a-lifetime destination. in the Southern Hemisphere. The vendors in green color palette and mix in one new, trendy And so, after years of fleeting glances, the 80-plus stalls reflect the city’s multicul-color. I’m considering orange this year. I finally allowed myself enough time for tural population. My favorite thing to do is to • Decide on a new mood for all your dec- a good look at this beautiful landmark. I also wander up and down the aisles, tasting Asian orations such as whimsical, Santa’s workshop, enjoyed a leisurely stroll through The Rocks, vegetables, Greek cheeses, German sausages or urban chic and tie this theme in through- a waterfront neighborhood where colonial and Italian bread, all locally produced. out your home. buildings of convict-cut stone hold shops, pubs My next trip? I’m still deciding between • Create a “secret garden” holiday vignette and restaurants. Later, I took a ferry across Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, and under the tree, on the mantel or on a desk. the harbor to Manly and joined local Aussies the Great Barrier Reef.

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Costco’s new Kirkland Signature nativity and for a day at the beach. I also went to a wildlife Another decision: whether to opt for a nutcracker village sets make this job easy. park to see koalas and kangaroos; stopped at motor-coach tour (up to 45 people) or a van

• If a holiday decoration grabs your atten- the Sydney Aquarium to gawk at sharks, croc- tour with a smaller group (up to 20). The for-tion either in a warehouse or online, do not odiles and rays; and still had time to shop for mer is more cost-effective and hits all the hesitate—buy on the spot and purchase as opals, Aboriginal art and an Akubra hat. highlights, while the smaller group is more much as you will ever want. Costco’s holiday On an earlier trip to Australia I focused personalized and flexible. trim items sell out fast and most will not be on native wildlife. For the best look at ani- Either way, it’s easy to enjoy Australia— available again. mals in their natural habitats, I went to Kanga- one bite at a time. C

• Reclaim the quiet joys of the season. roo Island in the state of South Australia.

Place Costco’s Kirkland Signature Belgium Here I walked among Australian sea lions sun- Elizabeth Hansen is the author of the Chocolates in guest rooms, leave Costco’s ning themselves on the beach and petted original Frommer’s Australia and latest holiday children’s books in the family a joey (baby kangaroo) when he stuck his Frommer’s Australia from $50 a Day. room, add a new holiday CD to the mix, dis- head out of his mama’s pouch. The island is mantle one of Costco’s terrific spa baskets and about the size of Puerto redistribute the items in bathrooms and bed- Rico, and a third of it is The Costco Connection rooms and put one extremely difficult jigsaw national park or con- Costco Travel offers vacations to many other Australian destina- puzzle out on a card table for all to attempt. servation park. After- tions. For more information about these and other Costco Travel

Happy holidays!—PV dark entertainment in offerings, visit costco.com, or call toll-free 1-877-849-2730. ^{24 The Costco Connection OCTOBER 2005} ARTICLE FEEDBACK _{EXCLUSIVE TO THE ONLINE EDITION}