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Princess Kate's post-surgery pic ignites even wilder conspiracy theories

<p>In a recent revelation that has the internet buzzing, Kensington Palace released a brand new photo of the Princess of Wales alongside her adorable brood, but it seems like the royal family might be playing with more than just thrones and crowns.</p> <p>The picture, meant to express gratitude to the public for their support during Catherine's recovery from abdominal surgery, quickly became a subject of speculation, leaving royal enthusiasts scratching their heads and raising eyebrows faster than you can say "corgi".</p> <p>The image, which features Catherine sitting and embracing her children – Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte – in the scenic backdrop of Windsor, seems like a wholesome Mother's Day tribute at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, the cracks in this picture-perfect façade begin to show.</p> <p>Social media erupted with theories faster than a racehorse at Ascot. Some eagle-eyed observers speculated that the photo might have been the handiwork of artificial intelligence, citing suspiciously green grass and leaves in the dead of winter, a rarity even in England where the weather is as unpredictable as a teenage royal's romantic interests.</p> <p>"AI is that you?" asked one astute commentator on Instagram, voicing the suspicions of many.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4U_IqTNaqU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"Ummmmm, this photo looks doctored…" wrote another astute reader. "Catherine’s right hand around Louis is entirely blurry but the left hand around Charlotte, at the same distance to the camera, is not, and either is Louis’ jumper around the hand blurry. Also Charlotte’s dress, which is clothing her torso behind her arm, impedes on the sleeve at the wrist… the cardigan sleeve shows the dress in front of it, when it should only be behind. And Louis’ middle finger must be awfully long to be entirely wrapped around the next finger without being able to see the finger nail… it’s also blurry. I’m a keen photographer, and those are not true elements of a photo as taken."</p> <p>But wait, there's more! The absence of Catherine's wedding ring did not escape the notice of keen observers, prompting questions about the state of her marriage. "WHERE'S YOUR RING??!" demanded one fan, while another pondered, "no ring, tree in full bloom in winter, jeans after major abdominal surgery, face shape completely different from car photo."</p> <p>And if that wasn't enough to fuel the royal gossip mill, Prince Louis's peculiar finger-crossing gesture sent conspiracy theorists into overdrive. Is he sending secret messages? Or is it just further evidence that we're all living in a simulation run by an eccentric royal fan with a knack for Photoshop?</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Additionally, a subtle misalignment in Princess Charlotte's hand compared to her jumper sleeve raised clear suspicions of digital manipulation. As the speculation grew louder, four of the world's largest photo agencies – The Associated Press, AFP, Getty Images and Reuters – issued a "mandatory kill notice", on the image, effectively retracting it from circulation.</span></p> <p>The reasons cited varied slightly among the agencies, with mentions of "editorial issues" and inconsistencies in the photograph's details. The decision to retract the photo wasn't taken lightly; it's a standard protocol for picture agencies to withdraw images that have been significantly altered.</p> <p>The reaction on social media was swift, with royal watchers and media personalities dissecting the image for clues. Chris Ship, ITV News's royal editor, shared close-up sections of the photo, highlighting apparent discrepancies in Charlotte's sleeve, Prince Louis's jumper, and the background behind him. His commentary underscored the seriousness of the situation, questioning Kensington Palace – the source of the photo – about the authenticity of the image.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I’ve never been much of a conspiracy theorist but if <a href="https://twitter.com/AP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AFP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Reuters</a> &amp; other picture agencies are concerned enough to remove it and ask clients to delete it, there are serious questions for Kensington Palace - which was the source of the photo.<br />These appears to be the issues 👇 <a href="https://t.co/ifcSB9mUzu">https://t.co/ifcSB9mUzu</a> <a href="https://t.co/bH5gN9fJtJ">pic.twitter.com/bH5gN9fJtJ</a></p> <p>— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisshipitv/status/1766947758529822803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>Amidst the fervent speculation, Kensington Palace remained silent, neither confirming nor denying the allegations of photo manipulation. The lack of clarity has only fuelled the fire, leading to further conjecture about the intentions behind the controversial image.</p> <p>In a world where every pixel is scrutinised and every detail dissected, the royal family's attempt at a heartwarming family photo has turned into a comedic saga worthy of a Shakespearean farce.</p> <p>As the internet continues to buzz with speculation, one thing is for certain: when it comes to the royals, truth is often stranger than fiction. Or in this case, more digitally manipulated than reality TV.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

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"The wilderness of mirrors": 70 years since the first James Bond book, spy stories are still blurring fact and fiction

<p>"The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning."</p> <p>With these opening words, Ian Fleming (1908-64) introduced us to the gritty, glamorous world of James Bond.</p> <p>Fleming’s first novel, <a href="https://www.ianfleming.com/items/casino-royale/">Casino Royale</a>, was published 70 years ago on April 13 1953. It sold out within weeks. British readers, still living with rationing and shortages after the war, eagerly devoured the first James Bond story. It had expensive liquor and cars, exotic destinations, and high-stakes gambling – luxurious things beyond the reach of most people.</p> <p>The novel’s principal villain is Le Chiffre, the paymaster of a French trade union controlled by the Soviet intelligence agency SMERSH. After losing Soviet money, Le Chiffre takes to high-stakes gambling tables to recover it. Bond’s mission is to play against Le Chiffre and win, bankrupting both the Frenchman and the union. </p> <p>The director of British intelligence, known only by his codename “M”, also assigns Bond a companion – Vesper Lynd, previously one of the agency’s assistants. The two infiltrate the casino, play at the tables, and dodge assassination attempts, while engaging in a dramatic battle with French communists, the Soviets, and each other.</p> <p>Fleming’s Bond – the sophisticated, tuxedo-clad secret agent – is an enduring image of espionage. Since 1953, martinis, gadgets, and a licence to kill have been part of how ordinary people understand spycraft. </p> <p>Some of this was real: Fleming drew on his own work as a spy for his novels. Intelligence work is often less glamorous than he depicted, but in both espionage and novel-writing, the difference between fact and fiction is not always easy to distinguish. </p> <h2>Ian Fleming, Agent 17F</h2> <p>Fleming came from a wealthy, well-connected British family, but he was a mediocre student. He only lasted a year at military college (where he contracted gonorrhoea), then missed out on a job with the Foreign Office. He could write, though. He spent a few years as a journalist, but drifted purposelessly through much of the 1930s. </p> <p>The outbreak of war in 1939 changed everything. The director of British Naval Intelligence, Admiral John Henry Godfrey, recruited Fleming as his assistant. Fleming excelled, under the codename 17F. He didn’t see much of the war firsthand, but was involved in its planning. He was an ideas man, not overly concerned with practicalities or logistics. Fleming came up with the fictions; other people had to turn them into realities. </p> <p>In 1940, for example, he developed “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-britain-fleming-bond-finea-idCAL1663266620080416">Operation Ruthless</a>”. To crack the German naval codes, Fleming planned to lure a German rescue boat into a trap and steal its coding machine. They would obtain a German bomber, dress British men in German uniforms, and deliberately crash the plane into the channel. When the German rescue crew arrived, they would shoot them and grab the machine. </p> <p>Preparations began but Fleming’s plan never eventuated. It was too difficult and risky – not least because crashing the plane might simply kill their whole crew.</p> <p>Fleming worked on various operations. When he began writing after the war, these experiences found their way into Bond’s world. Fleming and Godfrey had visited Portugal, a neutral territory teeming with spies, where they went to the casino. Fleming claimed he played against a German agent at the tables, an experience that supposedly inspired Bond’s gambling battles with Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. </p> <p>Godfrey maintained that Fleming only ever played against Portuguese businessmen, but Fleming never let facts get in the way of a good story.</p> <p>Fleming picked up inspiration everywhere. Godfrey became the model for M. Fleming’s secretary, Joan Howe, inspired Moneypenny. The Soviet SMERSH coding device in <a href="https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/From_Russia_with_Love_(novel)">From Russia, With Love</a> (1957) was based on the German Enigma machine. Many of Fleming’s characters were named for real people: one villain shares a name with Hitler’s Chief of Staff, another with one of Fleming’s schoolyard adversaries.</p> <p>It became something of a sport to hypothesise about the inspiration for Bond. Fleming later called him a “compound of all the secret agents and commando types” he met during war. There were elements of Fleming’s older brother, an operative behind the lines in Norway and Greece. Fleming also pointed to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Reilly">Sidney Reilly</a>, a Russian-born British agent during the First World War. He had access to reports on Reilly in the Naval Intelligence archive during his own service. </p> <p>Other possible models include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_O%27Brien-ffrench">Conrad O’Brien-ffrench</a>, a British spy Fleming met while skiing in the 1930s, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Dunderdale">Wilfred “Biffy” Dunderdale</a>, MI6 Station Chief in Paris, who wore handmade suits and was chauffeured in a Rolls Royce. Stories of discovering <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/mr-bond-i-presume-20141017-117xji.html">the real-life James Bond</a> still appear.</p> <p>But there was also much of Fleming himself in Bond. He gave 007 his own love of scrambled eggs and gambling. Their attitude towards women was similar. They used the same brand of toiletries. Bond even has Fleming’s golf handicap. </p> <p>Fleming would play with this idea, teasing that the books were autobiographical or that he was Bond’s biographer. Much like a cover story for an intelligence officer, Bond was Fleming’s alter-ego. He was anchored in Fleming’s realities – with a strong dash of creative licence and a little aspiration.</p> <h2>The changing world of Bond</h2> <p>The success of Casino Royale secured contracts for more Bond novels. In the early 1960s, critics began to denounce the books for their “sex, snobbery, and sadism”. Bond’s attitude toward women, in particular, was clear from the beginning. In Casino Royale, he refers to the “sweet tang of rape” in relation to sex with his MI6 accomplice and paramour Vesper Lynd. </p> <p>But the public appeared to be less concerned. Bond novels still sold well, especially after John F. Kennedy listed one among his top ten books. The first film adaptation, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055928/">Dr. No</a>, appeared in 1962 and Fleming’s success continued apace.</p> <p>Bond’s world was evolving, though. From Casino Royale to For Your Eyes Only (1960), Bond battled SMERSH, a real Soviet counter-espionage organisation. The early Bond novels were Cold War stories. Soviet Russia was the West’s enemy, so it was Bond’s. </p> <p>But East-West relations were thawing in 1959 when Fleming was writing Thunderball (1961). The Cold War could plausibly have ended and he didn’t want any film version to look dated, so Fleming created a fictional villain: SPECTRE. This was an international terrorist organisation without a distinct ideology. It could endure beyond the battles of the Cold War – and did. It features in the 2021 Bond film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2382320/">No Time To Die</a>.</p> <p>Fleming’s more fantastic plots were always anchored in reality by recognisable brands and products. Bond’s watch was a Rolex; his choice of bourbon was Jack Daniels. His cigarettes were Morlands, like Fleming’s. In the novels, Bond drove Bentleys – the Aston Martin was introduced in the 1964 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058150/">Goldfinger</a>. </p> <p>The films have changed Bond’s brands to keep up with the world around them (and secure lucrative product-placement deals): Omega replaced Rolex in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113189/">Goldeneye</a> (1995); the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/17/bond-taste-for-beer-skyfall">martini was swapped for a Heineken</a> in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/">Skyfall</a> (2012). Bond now carries a Sony phone.</p> <p>Other changes brought the 1950s spy into the 21st century. Recent films have more diverse casting. Their female characters do more than just spend a night with Bond before their untimely deaths. The novels, too, continue to change – the 70th-anniversary editions have had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/27/james-bond-novels-to-be-reissued-with-racial-references-removed">racial slurs and some characters’ ethnic descriptors removed</a>. </p> <p>Some have criticised this as censorship. But as with <a href="https://theconversation.com/roald-dahl-a-brief-history-of-sensitivity-edits-to-childrens-literature-200500">recent rewritings of Roald Dahl’s books</a>, changes like this are not new. Fleming’s family has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-28/ian-fleming-james-bond-books-changes-to-new-editions/102035958">defended the alterations by citing similar removals</a> in 1955, when Live and Let Die was first published in the United States. </p> <p>There is a risk that this whitewashes Fleming’s attitudes, making them appear more palatable than they really were. But the revised Bond novels will include a disclaimer noting the removals. Casino Royale itself has not been altered (Bond’s rape comment remains intact), so the changes will perhaps be less extensive than the media coverage suggests.</p> <h2>Spies After Bond</h2> <p>Fleming is not the only ex-spy to have successfully turned his hand to spy fiction. John le Carré’s George Smiley is perhaps an anti-Bond: slightly overweight, banal, and essentially a bureaucrat. He relies on a shrewd mind rather than gadgets or guns. </p> <p>Le Carré introduced his readers to a more mundane, morally grey world of espionage. He had worked for MI5 and MI6 in the 1950 and ‘60s. He thought Bond was a gangster rather than a spy. Le Carré’s stories have also shaped how we think about espionage. Words like “mole” and “honeytrap” – the terminology of spycraft – <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2023/02/john-le-carre-spy-came-in-from-cold-book/673227/">entered common usage via his novels</a>.</p> <p>Stella Rimington, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/apr/23/stella-rimington-i-fell-into-intelligence-by-chance">the first female director-general of MI5</a>, began writing fiction after retiring from intelligence in the late 1990s. Her protagonist, 34-year-old Liz Carlyle, hunts terror cells in Britain. Like Smiley, Carlyle appears rather ordinary. She is serious and conscientious. We get glimpses of the everyday sexism she experiences. Carlyle triumphs by remaining level-headed, not by fiery gun battles or explosions.</p> <p>After three decades of agent-running for the CIA, Jason Mathews wrote his <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/The-Red-Sparrow-Trilogy">Red Sparrow</a> trilogy to occupy himself in retirement. He called it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/books/shadowing-jason-matthews-the-ex-spy-whose-cover-identity-is-author.html">a form of therapy</a>. </p> <p>There’s a little more Bond in Mathews’ books than in those of le Carré or Rimington. His protagonists Nate Nash and Dominika Egorova are attractive, charismatic and entangled in a personal relationship of stolen moments and high drama. This is counterbalanced by the many hours they spend running surveillance-detection routes before meeting targets. The more tedious and banal aspects of spycraft – brush passes, broken transmitters, and dead drops – accompany the glamour and romance.</p> <h2>The wilderness of mirrors</h2> <p>Spy fiction is never just about entertainment. The real world of espionage is so secret that most of us only ever encounter it on pages or screens. We don’t usually look to Bond films for accurate representations of espionage. But the influence of Fleming’s spy and the general aura of secrecy surrounding intelligence work lend some glamour and excitement to the work of real spies.</p> <p>These fictions also influence our views on real intelligence organisations, their activities, and their legitimacy. This is why the <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-cia-goes-to-hollywood-how-americas-spy-agency-infiltrated-the-big-screen-and-our-minds/">CIA invests time and money into fictionalisations</a> dealing with its work. From stories based on true events, such as <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/">Argo</a>(2012) or <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790885/">Zero Dark Thirty</a> (2012), to fictional series like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1796960/">Homeland</a> (2011-20), the agency’s image is shaped via the media we consume.</p> <p>This was true when Fleming was writing, too. Soviet authorities <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Russia-and-the-Cult-of-State-Security-The-Chekist-Tradition-From-Lenin/Fedor/p/book/9780415703475">were preoccupied</a> by Sherlock Holmes’ surging popularity behind the Iron Curtain and fretted over the release of the Bond novels and films. The KGB studied both carefully. It was likely Bond who prompted KGB officers to release classified details about their most successful spy story: the career of <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-name-s-sorge-richard-sorge/">Richard Sorge</a>. </p> <p>Former intelligence officers such as Fleming are often quite good at fiction – perhaps because it is a core part of spycraft. A solid cover story has to be grounded in reality, with just enough fiction to protect the truth or gain a desired outcome. A good operation often requires creativity, to outwit a target or evade detection. And spreading fictions – disinformation – can sometimes be just as useful as gathering information.</p> <p>The world of espionage is sometimes referred to as the “wilderness of mirrors”. Spycraft relies on both reflections and distortions. The line between fact and fiction, between real stories of intelligence work and invented ones, can become blurry – and intelligence agencies often prefer it that way.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Columbia Pictures</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-wilderness-of-mirrors-70-years-since-the-first-james-bond-book-spy-stories-are-still-blurring-fact-and-fiction-201373" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Breathtaking wilderness in the heart of coal country: after a 90-year campaign, Gardens of Stone is finally protected

<p>In the rocky upland wilderness of Wiradjuri Country two hours west of Sydney lies a new protected area with a <a href="https://www.nature.org.au/a_history_of_the_gardens_of_stone_campaign">nine-decade-long history</a> of dogged environmental activism: the Gardens of Stone.</p> <p>Last month, the New South Wales government <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/bill/files/3928/First%20Print.pdf">officially recognised</a> the Gardens of Stone as a State Conservation Area within the National Parks estate. <a href="https://www.nature.org.au/a_history_of_the_gardens_of_stone_campaign">First proposed in 1932</a> and with a small portion of the area designated as National Park in 1994, this decision will see more than 30,000 hectares finally protected.</p> <p>The government has also earmarked the region <a href="https://mattkean.com.au/news/media-release/gardens-stone-and-lost-city-adventures">for ecotourism</a>. With its epic gorges, the globally unique hanging swamps of Newnes Plateau, craggy cliff ravines and slot canyons, this 250-million-year-old geological landscape is a paradise for adventurers.</p> <p>But more than anything, the Gardens of Stone is, as stalwart campaigner Julie Favell puts it, a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/13/storybook-of-nature-a-landmark-win-as-gardens-of-stone-in-nsws-blue-mountains-protected">storybook of nature</a>”. This is no simple story, but one of a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421518302489">generational mining community</a> on the brink of social change and an often thankless, hard-won battle for ecological recognition in the heart of coal country.</p> <h2>Sandstone towers and rare wildlife</h2> <p>Towering sandstone and iron-banded <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNcceomLvs0&amp;ab_channel=IntotheWildFilms">pagoda formations</a> are what you’d most likely find on a Gardens of Stone postcard. These intricately weathered structures breach the eucalyptus canopy and cluster on a cliff, like a cross between the temples of Angkor Wat and a massive beehive complex.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MNcceomLvs0?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <span class="caption">The Lost City, Newnes Plateau, in Lithgow.</span></p> <p>For close and curious observers, there are also smaller, less dramatic icons. Rare wildflowers abound, including countless native orchids and the pagoda daisy, which grows only in rocky crags. In fact, the park is home to more than 40 threatened species, including the <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10841">regent honeyeater</a> and the <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10207">spotted-tail quoll</a>.</p> <p>A humble jewel of the Gardens of Stone is its endangered upland peat swamps. Resembling a meadow clearing, up close these swamps form watery spongescapes that function as both kitchen and nursery to hundreds of local species. Inhabitants include the endangered <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10322">Blue Mountains water-skink</a> and <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10600&amp;linkId=99343958">giant dragonfly</a>.</p> <p>These upland swamps on sandstone are found nowhere else in the world, and they play a critical role in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09640568.2019.1679100">regional water and climate resilience</a>, as they store carbon and mediate flooding and drought.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434647/original/file-20211130-19-16t5mk1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434647/original/file-20211130-19-16t5mk1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Pagoda daisy, which grows nowhere else in Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <h2>A rocky battle</h2> <p>The environmental features of the Gardens of Stone are so intertwined with local, state and national conservation efforts that to tell the story of one is to tell the story of the other.</p> <p>Local environment groups have worked relentlessly to <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers/3063/">demonstrate the geological heritage</a> of the pagodas in the <a href="https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/5067592/threat-to-gardens-of-stone-from-proposed-open-cut-mining/">face of open cut mining</a>. They have documented the impacts of mining on <a href="http://www.lithgowenvironment.org/pages/swamp%20watch.php">swamps and waterways</a>, tried to <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/5268473/springvale-fined-for-damage-to-vegetation-in-endangered-swampland/">hold companies accountable</a> for their destruction, and recorded the presence of <a href="http://www.lithgowenvironment.org/pages/flora%20and%20fauna%201.php">many hundreds</a> of previously undocumented plant and animal species in an effort to have the area’s value formally recognised.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434649/original/file-20211130-17-1wc5fr7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434649/original/file-20211130-17-1wc5fr7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Gooches Crater swamp, ringed by cliffs and pagodas.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>This long campaign has also been the subject of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-02/springvale-mine-extension-blocked-in-court/8766742">legal battles</a> in the courts of NSW. The last two decades in particular have seen, for example, countless petitions, <a href="https://gggallery.com.au/anne-graham-2/">public events</a>, <a href="http://www.lithgowenvironment.org/pages/stream%20watch.php">environmental testing and monitoring projects</a>, and the task of sifting through technical mining documents with each new mining proposal.</p> <p>Two mines are currently in operation within the conservation area, with an extension to an <a href="https://www.centennialcoal.com.au/operations/angus-place/">existing site proposed</a>. The most significant impacts from mining in recent decades have been sandstone cracking, causing swamps to dry out and die, and disruptions to upland water flows and regional water quality.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434651/original/file-20211130-15-13m3pgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434651/original/file-20211130-15-13m3pgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Lithgow Environment Group’s Chris Jonkers in a swamp damaged from nearby mining.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>Conserving the Gardens of Stone has been an uphill battle in overcoming indifference and opposition.</p> <p>At the local level, environmental impacts from mining were <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/2318819/mining-industry-again-a-target/">derided as inconsequential</a> in the face of mining employment, with campaigners bearing the brunt of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/13/storybook-of-nature-a-landmark-win-as-gardens-of-stone-in-nsws-blue-mountains-protected">distrust and hostility</a> from pro-coal locals towards their perceived interference.</p> <p>At the state level, hard-won environmental protections <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/10/nsw-to-weaken-water-quality-test-for-extensions-to-mines">were overthrown in favour of mining approvals</a>. In 2017, the NSW government weakened laws to allow mining extensions that impacted Sydney’s drinking water quality, with <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/threatened-species/nsw-threatened-species-scientific-committee/determinations/final-determinations/2004-2007/alteration-of-habitat-following-subsidence-due-to-longwall-mining-key-threatening-process-listing">likely damage</a> to legally protected swamps within the Gardens of Stone not addressed.</p> <p>Due to existing mining developments, the extended Gardens of Stone isn’t officially designated as a National Park, but is instead a “<a href="https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/conservation-and-heritage/state-conservation-areas">conservation area</a>”. This means any new developments, such as extensions to mines, must use processes <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/7368602/centennial-coal-propose-new-project-to-delight-of-environmentalists/">that support</a> conservation requirements.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434655/original/file-20211130-21-1e6u2x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434655/original/file-20211130-21-1e6u2x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Spotted-tail quolls are one of the rare species living in the Gardens of Stone.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <h2>Transitioning away from coal</h2> <p>Hopefully, encouraging responsible developments will avoid further <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-30/gardens-of-stone-conservation-proposal/100103246">ecological damage</a> and help enable a smoother economic transition away from coal in the coming decades.</p> <p>Despite Australia’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/11/coal-mining-australia-climate-cop26/">national climate strategy</a> remaining entrenched in coal, <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/7291551/angus-place-in-doubt-after-parent-company-pivots-to-clean-energy-future/">local coal</a> prospects are winding down. This seems heralded by <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-24/wallerawang-coal-demolition/100643694">last week’s demolition of Wallerawang Power Station</a> just outside the new conservation area.</p> <p>The new conservation area comes with a A$50 million investment, and will see hundreds of thousands of visitors flocking to explore a range of proposed new attractions. Chief among these will be the Lost City Adventure Experience, featuring Australia’s longest zipline and an elevated canyon walk, as well as a rock-climbing route and a six day wilderness track. These attractions are expected to create an extra 200 jobs.</p> <p>This new pivot towards ecotourism provides an example of a strategic and environmentally just transition pathway for the coal community in practice.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434653/original/file-20211130-23-12arbsv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434653/original/file-20211130-23-12arbsv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Pagodas at Newnes in the Gardens of Stone.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Favell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></p> <p>The Gardens of Stone victory may reflect a <a href="https://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/5577143/mundey-cfmeu-conservationists-talk-39000-hectare-state-reserve/">new dawn of negotiation</a> that could mark an end to the often antagonistic view of conservation as a threat to local livelihoods in this area.</p> <p>This victory and vision belongs squarely with its environmental campaigners, some of whom have <a href="https://www.nature.org.au/a_history_of_the_gardens_of_stone_campaign">given over 30 years of sustained and dedicated effort</a> to make it a reality.</p> <p>As the world’s attention is increasingly turned towards climate action, the success of this campaign may provide the surge of momentum we need for a more sustainable future.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172503/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hannah-della-bosca-416132">Hannah Della Bosca</a>, PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at Sydney Environment Institute, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/breathtaking-wilderness-in-the-heart-of-coal-country-after-a-90-year-campaign-gardens-of-stone-is-finally-protected-172503">original article</a>.</p>

Domestic Travel

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The “loneliest woman in America” who brewed root beer for thousands of visitors

<p dir="ltr">From 1934 to 1986, Dorothy Molter lived alone on the Isle of Pines in Minnesota’s million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Her home was 25km by canoe from the nearest road and 50km from the nearest town, and the waters and wilderness surrounding it played home to bald eagles, swans, deer, bear, and the occasional moose.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the summer, she operated a fishing camp, but lived in almost permanent solitude during the winter. Her interesting choice of residence wasn’t what cemented her<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dorothy-molter-root-beer-lady" target="_blank">legacy</a>, however: it was the root beer she brewed with lake water and served to visitors. Thanks to this hobby, she became known as “the root beer lady”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Molter fell in love with the woods in 1930 during a family fishing trip, and after struggling to find work as a nurse during the Depression in her home city of Chicago, she returned. A man named Bill Berglund promised her that if she stayed to help him run his fishing camp, he would leave her the four-cabin resort in his will. True to his word, when he died in 1948, Molter took over.</p> <p dir="ltr">She gained a reputation as a wilderness “first responder”, using her nursing training to help injured canoers and animals alike. Her tendency to help those who were injured earned her another nickname, “Nightingale of the Northwoods”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jess Edberg, executive director of the Dorothy Molter Museum, said that despite all of this, it was her decision to live in solitude that most intrigued people. “An unmarried woman living alone in the wilderness was a curiosity,” she says.</p> <p dir="ltr">Molter herself once swore that she wouldn’t marry unless she found a man who could “portage heavier loads, chop more wood, or catch more fish” than her. It’s a good thing Molter was so self-sufficient, because living in such isolation is not for the faint of heart. Without electricity, a telephone, or running water, she chopped her own wood, hauled lake water, and harvested ice in winter to preserve food in warmer months. Communication, whether by mail, telegraph, or word-of-mouth, often took days.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her isolation was only exacerbated by the US government’s attempts to preserve the wilderness surrounding her home. After float plane flights to the island ended in 1952, Molter was dubbed the “loneliest woman in America” in the press.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Wilderness Act of 1964 mandated that residences and buildings had to be removed from the area. Molter ignored repeated orders from the US Forest Service to vacate, and eventually, following a groundswell of public support, she was allowed to stay on her island as a “volunteer-in-service”, although she was forced to close her camp. This made her the last resident of the Boundary Waters.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the cessation of flights to the area, it became impossible to transport drinks, so naturally, Molter began making her own root beer. She bought flavoured syrup from the nearby town or local Boy Scout base, and blended it with sugar, yeast for carbonation, and lake water in a 30-litre crock. She bottled the resulting beverage in hundreds of empty glass bottles she had collected over the years, with nowhere to dispose of them.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the quality of the drink not always being consistent, as many as 7000 visitors managed to consume around 12,000 bottles of the homemade soda, with the local Boy Scouts being particular fans.</p> <p dir="ltr">After Molter passed away at her cabin in 1986, a group that dubbed itself “Dorothy’s Angels” managed to move her buildings to the nearby town of Ely and create a museum in her honour. The Dorothy Molter Museum sits in a woodsy area at the edge of the town, offering visitors a sample of root beer and a taste of Molter’s quiet life.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Buddy Mays/Corbis via Getty Images</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Indigenous knowledge and the persistence of the ‘wilderness’ myth

<div class="copy"> <p>According to the Oxford English dictionary, wilderness is defined as:</p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large"> <p>A wild or uncultivated region or tract of land, uninhabited, or inhabited only by wild animals; “a tract of solitude and savageness”.</p> </blockquote> <p>Aboriginal people in Australia view wilderness, or what is called “wild country”, as sick land that’s been neglected and not cared for. This is the opposite of the romantic understanding of wilderness as pristine and healthy – a view which underpins much non-Indigenous conservation effort.</p> <p>In a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/40/e2022218118" target="_blank">recent paper</a> for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, we demonstrate how many iconic “wilderness” landscapes – such as the Amazon, forests of Southeast Asia and the western deserts of Australia, are actually the product of long-term management and maintenance by Indigenous and local peoples.</p> <p>But this fact is often overlooked – a problem which lies at the heart of many of the world’s pressing environmental problems. Indigenous and local people are now excluded from many areas deemed “wilderness”, leading to the neglect or erasure of these lands.</p> <h2>The Anthropocene and Indigenous people</h2> <p>“Anthropocene” is the term scientists use to refer to the time period we live in today, marked by the significant and widespread impact of people on Earth’s systems. Recognition of this impact has sparked efforts to preserve and conserve what are believed to be “intact” and “natural” ecosystems.</p> <p>Yet, the Anthropocene concept has a problem: it is based on a European way of viewing the world. This worldview is blind to the ways Indigenous and local peoples modify and manage landscapes. It is based on the idea that all human activity in these conservation landscapes is negative.</p> <p>The truth is, most of Earth’s ecosystems have been influenced and shaped by Indigenous peoples <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/17/e2023483118" target="_blank">for many thousands of years</a>.</p> <p>The failure of European-based “western” land management and conservation efforts to acknowledge the role of Indigenous and local peoples is reflected in recent scientific attempts to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07183-6" target="_blank">define “wilderness”</a>. These attempts lay out a strict and narrow set of rules around what “human impact” is, and in so doing, act as gatekeepers for what it is to be human.</p> <p>The result is a scientific justification for conservation approaches that exclude all human involvement under the pretence of “wilderness protection”. The disregard for the deep human legacy in landscape preservation results in inappropriate management approaches.</p> <p>For example, fire suppression in landscapes that require burning can have catastrophic impacts, such as <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/112/15/4531" target="_blank">biodiversity loss</a> and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/4/3/61" target="_blank">catastrophic bushfires</a>.</p> <h2>Our case studies</h2> <p>In the Amazon, forest management by Indigenous and local peoples has promoted biodiversity and maintained forest structure for thousands of years. Areas of the Amazon considered “wilderness” contain domestic plant species, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta" target="_blank">anthropogenic soils</a> and significant earthworks (such as terraces and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/8/1868" target="_blank">geoglyphs</a>), revealing a deep human legacy in the Amazon landscape.</p> <p>Despite playing a key role in maintaining a healthy and diverse Amazon forest system, Indigenous and local peoples struggle constantly against wilderness-inspired conservation agendas that seek to deny them access to their homelands and livelihoods in the forest.</p> <p>Similarly, the forests of Southeast Asia and the Pacific are some of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. These forests have been managed for thousands of years using rotational agriculture based on small-scale forest clearing, burning and fallowing. Scientific attempts to define the last remaining “wild places” falsely map these areas as wilderness.</p> <p>Rather than being wild places, agriculture has actively promoted landscape biodiversity across the region, while supporting the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of Indigenous and local peoples.</p> <p>In the central deserts of Australia, areas mapped today as “wilderness” are the ancestral homes of many Aboriginal peoples who have actively managed the land for tens of thousands of years.</p> <p>Removal of Traditional Owners in the 1960s had catastrophic effects on both the people and the land, such as uncontrolled wildfires and biodiversity loss. Unsurprisingly, a return of Aboriginal management to this region has seen a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/april/martu-burning-australia-042910.html" target="_blank">reduction in wildfires, a significant increase in biodiversity and healthier people</a>.</p> <p><em><strong>Read more: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/although-we-didnt-produce-these-problems-we-suffer-them/" target="_blank">‘Although we didn’t produce these problems, we suffer them’</a></strong></em></p> <h2>A way forward</h2> <p>By framing landscapes created and managed by Indigenous and local peoples as wilderness, we are denying the land the care it requires. The effects of this neglect are evident in the catastrophic wildfires and environmental degradation occurring in Australia, northwest America and the Amazon – all lands invaded and colonised by Europeans.</p> <p>Climate change is now making these problems worse.</p> <p>Science alone has failed to solve these problems. Imposing land management approaches developed in Europe have failed. The idea of wilderness is destructive, and must be abandoned. We need new ways of engaging with the world around us if we’re to live sustainably on this planet.</p> <p>Indigenous and local peoples must be engaged in the full range of efforts that affect their lands. This includes developing and implementing environmental initiatives and policymaking, the production and execution of research, and environmental management.</p> <p>There are models that can be followed, such as developing Indigenous and community-conserved areas, Indigenous-protected and -conserved areas, or similar rights-based initiatives that merge the science and technology with the power of Indigenous and local knowledge.</p> <p>This is one way forward in effectively decolonising conservation and making the Earth healthy again.</p> <p><em><strong>Read more: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/indigenous-stewardship-linked-to-biodiversity/" target="_blank">Indigenous stewardship linked to biodiversity</a></strong></em></p> <p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-shawn-fletcher-99786" target="_blank">Michael-Shawn Fletcher</a>, Associate Professor in Biogeography, <em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">The University of Melbourne</a></em>; <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-palmer-1166017" target="_blank">Lisa Palmer</a>, Associate Professor, School of Geography, <em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">The University of Melbourne</a></em>; <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-hamilton-1006537" target="_blank">Rebecca Hamilton</a>, Postdoctoral Fellow, <em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/max-planck-institute-for-the-science-of-human-history-3416" target="_blank">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a></em>, and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wolfram-dressler-162824" target="_blank">Wolfram Dressler</a>, Senior Fellow, Development Geography, <em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-knowledge-and-the-persistence-of-the-wilderness-myth-165164" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p> <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=167769&amp;title=Indigenous+knowledge+and+the+persistence+of+the+%E2%80%98wilderness%E2%80%99+myth" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></div>

Domestic Travel

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Willy Wonka star reveals Gene Wilder’s “favourite brat”

<p><span>A child star who had the opportunity to work alongside the infamous Gene Wilder has spoken out on the experience, 50 years since its first premier date.</span><br /><br /><em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory </em><span>hit movie screens 50 years ago on June 30, 1971 and achieved rapid success almost overnight.</span><br /><br /><span>The film went on to become a phenomenon that was registered in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.</span><br /><br /><span>The child actors Peter Ostrum, Julie Dawn Cole, Michael Bollner, Paris Themmen and Denise Nickerson – who played Charlie Bucket, Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee and Violet Beauregarde – all came together for a virtual reunion in honour of the film’s anniversary.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842239/willy-wonka.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b9da36eca8c24fbeb170655d6cf92150" /></p> <p><em>Image: Yahoo</em><br /><br /><span>The actors all had the opportunity to co-star together, and even got to explore the imagined Wonka Chocolate Factory.</span><br /><br /><span>The cast recounted such fond memories of exploring the film sets in Bavarian Germany and working with Gene Wilder.</span><br /><br /><span>Themmen admitted that he was indeed a “notorious troublemaker on the set.”</span><br /><br /><span>So much so that even Wilder called him “a handful”.</span><br /><br /><span>“I can corroborate that,” the actor, who played the television-obsessed rascal Mike Teavee, admitted.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was younger than the others. I was 11, they were 13 and was naturally just sort of more high-spirited and rambunctious.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842237/willy-wonka-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a8d501bcedd64f7b97dd573169a7717a" /></p> <p><em>Image: Yahoo</em><br /><br /><span>The now-62-year-old opened up about one brief moment he shared with Wilder, in 1976 during a fundraiser screening for the film <em>Silver Streak</em> at the Avon Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut.</span><br /><br /><span>“I sat at the back of the room and he gave his commentary and then I went up to the front of the room afterwards with my poster in hand,” Themmen relived with a smile.</span><br /><br /><span>“I said, ‘Hi, Gene, how you doing? I’m Paris Themmen, I was Mike Teavee in Willy Wonka.”</span><br /><br /><span>“And he said, ‘Oh you were a brat!’ And I flashed all the way back 50 years, or 40 years at that time, and said, ‘Well, I’m 50-something now and maybe not as much of a brat.’</span><br /><br /><span>And he signed my poster, ‘To my favourite brat.’”</span><br /><br /><span>Wilder died in 2016 at the age of 83 after a long vibrant career.</span><br /><br /><span>Cole, who played Veruca Salt, said: “I think people kind of want us to tell you that he was like Willy Wonka offset, but he wasn’t.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was such a lovely, kind man, very unassuming,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was just down to earth, not pretentious, he was just a wonderful person to be around and to work with,” said Ostrum, who played Charlie Bucket.</span></p>

Movies

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Our nearest neighbour invites us to explore its sublime wilderness

<p>So close. Worlds away. Discover the incomparable beauty that lies just beyond our shores. The Land of the Long White Cloud, draped in breathtaking landscapes, waits to be discovered; its abundant mountain peaks and fiords seeming almost at odds with the modest size of its twin islands. From its largest city, Auckland, and the subtropical Bay of Islands to the geothermal wonders of Rotorua, the North Island showcases the country’s unique culture and landscapes. Crossing Cook Strait to the South Island, witness the striking Marlborough Sounds, as well as a host of other natural wonders, including Franz Josef glacier, Milford Sound and the World Heritage-listed Aoraki Mt Cook National Park.</p> <p>Its proximity to Australia means New Zealand is ideal for those wanting the benefits of an overseas adventure without the hassle of sitting on a plane for the better part of a day. You’ll enjoy the country’s finest destinations, which are to be found brimming with natural beauty, on an engaging <a href="https://www.aptouring.com.au/trips/newzealand/ncc17?utm_source=over%2060%27s&amp;utm_medium=native&amp;utm_content=20191122_nz2021_over60s_nativearticle_ncc17&amp;utm_campaign=newzealand2020">APT 17-day tour</a>. And with the flexibility to choose experiences that peak your own interests, you’ll reap the benefits of experiencing New Zealand your way, with a wide selection of cultural, culinary, historical and adventurous experiences available.</p> <p><span>Following a relaxing introduction to New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, you’ll become acquainted with an enthralling local history. The Kauri Museum grants insights into the region’s pioneering days, while at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, you’ll be brought to the spot where the original treaty was signed between the British and Māori people. A place of great cultural, spiritual and historical significance, Waitangi brings together the diverse stories of the people, events and places that paved the way in creating the New Zealand we have come to know. From here, the vast beauty of the Bay of Islands is revealed as a catamaran delivers you to Cape Brett. Here, an historic lighthouse looks out over the legendary Hole in the Rock. As you chart a course alongside the many islands here, serene views of spectacular rocky outcrops and sandy beaches are to be enjoyed.</span></p> <p><span>Heading south to Rotorua, relish the chance to deepen your understanding of Māori culture as you enjoy a traditional HāngīFeast and performance. The opportunity to visit a few of the sets from the Lord of the Rings movies also presents itself. Afterwards, head to the Wairakei Steam Valley, followed by a visit to the impressive Huka Falls, which is sustained by the gushing waters of the Waikato River. At the midpoint between Auckland and Wellington, the World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park reveals its vast volcanic landscape. Renowned for being <a href="https://www.aptouring.com.au/destinations/new-zealand?utm_source=over%2060%27s&amp;utm_medium=native&amp;utm_content=20191122_nz2021_over60s_nativearticle%20&amp;utm_campaign=newzealand2020">New Zealand’s</a> oldest national park, it features three active volcanoes: Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro. Arriving in Wellington, the capital’s myriad sights are yours to discover, with ample time allocated for you to explore at your own pace.</span></p> <p><span>Turn your attention now to the South Island, as the Interislander ferry takes you across Cook Strait. Along the way, take in stunning views of Marlborough and Queen Charlotte Sounds, with sharply rising hills lining the water’s edge on either side. Back on land, head south from the coastal town of Picton, before making a stop in the charming fishing town of Kaikoura. A short drive along the coast brings you to Christchurch in time to board the TranzAlpine train for one of the great rail adventures. Crossing the Canterbury Plains, striking views of the Southern Alps are afforded as you make your way to Arthur’s Pass National Park. In the small coastal town of Hokitika, witness the locally sourced stone, pounamu, carved into jewellery. Also known as New Zealand jade, the stone is only found on the South Island of New Zealand. The striking topography of Franz Josef then becomes evident for all to see. Surrounded by lush rainforest and snow-capped mountains, as well as the glacier that shares it name, the region is blessed with an abundance of flora and fauna, while close by, one of the rarest species of New Zealand’s native kiwi can be found. Retiring to your distinctive forest retreat, enjoy the feeling of inhabiting the treetops in this unique environment, before waking to the soothing sound of birdsongs.</span></p> <p><span><a href="https://www.aptouring.com.au/destinations/new-zealand?utm_source=over%2060%27s&amp;utm_medium=native&amp;utm_content=20191122_nz2021_over60s_nativearticle%20&amp;utm_campaign=newzealand2020">New Zealand’s</a> adventure capital, Queenstown, awaits. Here, a range of activities include a scenic gondola ride, a cruise aboard a vintage steamship, and a river safari. From Queenstown, a short journey by road brings you to the otherworldly Milford Sound. With its series of cliffs rising majestically from the water to tower above you, a discernible contrast between the landscapes of our respective nations becomes clear. As your vessel steers a course across the tranquil waters of this majestic fiord, you’ll get up close to several of the surrounding cliffs, including the epic Mitre Peak. In the evening, local authentic flavours will tantalise your palate during a special Taste of Fiordland dinner.</span></p> <p>Further north, arrive at Aoraki Mt Cook National Park and witness the lofty peak of New Zealand’s highest mountain. The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre then shines a light on the region’s place within the wider universe – the jump across the Tasman has never seemed shorter.</p> <p>Moving further inland, Lake Tekapo turns on the charms with its Church of the Good Shepherd, built of stone and oak. Delightful rural scenes further paint the landscape on the drive back to Christchurch.</p> <p>Your visit to our cousins across the water concludes in Christchurch; our countries’ cultural, historic and geographical distinctions making for a captivating experience, while their relative nearness to one another proves especially convenient.</p> <p>New Zealand’s incomparable beauty is abundant and waiting to be explored. <a href="https://www.aptouring.com.au/destinations/new-zealand?utm_source=over%2060%27s&amp;utm_medium=native&amp;utm_content=20191122_nz2021_over60s_nativearticle%20&amp;utm_campaign=newzealand2020">Learn more here</a>.</p> <p><em>This is sponsored content brought to you in conjunction with <a href="https://www.aptouring.com.au/destinations/new-zealand?utm_source=over%2060%27s&amp;utm_medium=native&amp;utm_content=20191122_nz2021_over60s_nativearticle%20&amp;utm_campaign=newzealand2020">APT Luxury Travel</a>.</em></p>

International Travel

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Discover Arnhem Land on an exclusive wilderness adventure

<p>On an exclusive <a href="https://www.outbackspirittours.com.au/destinations/arnhem-land/">Outback Spirit adventure</a> to this remote wilderness, you’ll be granted access to a part of Australia few people ever get to see: a sacred and mystical land occupied by Aboriginal people for more than 60,000 years. As the only tour company with permission to travel right through the heart of Arnhem Land, Outback Spirit delivers an extraordinary experience that no other tour company can provide.  </p> <p>Beginning in Nhulunbuy in east Arnhem Land, <a href="https://www.outbackspirittours.com.au/destinations/arnhem-land/">Outback Spirit’s 13-day adventure</a> travels west through Ramingining, Maningrida and Gunbalanya before heading north up the Cobourg Peninsula. Along the way, you’ll stay in luxury wilderness lodges and safari camps, established in consultation with Traditional Owners and the Northern Land Council. Situated in spectacular locations, these camps and lodges have enabled a journey that will awaken new perspectives and foster a deeper understanding of this pristine, ancient landscape. A landscape in which rugged coastlines, towering escarpments, remote islands, lush rainforests, idyllic billabongs and rivers teeming with fish are only just the beginning.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see the natural wonders that await you in Arnhem Land.</p> <p><strong>The oldest surviving culture in the world</strong></p> <p>Travelling through Arnhem Land is an adventure in culture, and it is the insights from local Aboriginal guides that form one of the biggest highlights of Outback Spirit’s adventures. Traditional Owners continue their Indigenous culture and ancient ceremonies to this day, and as a guest with Outback Spirit you’re invited to experience this through activities such as a 'Welcome to Country' ceremony on the beach at Cape Wirrwawuy, where you’ll be welcomed by the land’s original custodians to begin your journey of discovery. Locals share stories of their culture, custom and ancient traditions, including a bush medicine demonstration, all of which serves to help guests understand the deep connection to country held by Indigenous Australians.</p> <p>Over two memorable days at Davidson’s Arnhem Land Safaris, Mount Borradaile you’ll be guided by local experts to explore some of the best-preserved rock-art galleries in the world. Artwork dating back over 50,000 years includes a six-metre rainbow serpent snaking across the sandstone roof and vivid yellow and red handprints, portraying the world of its ancient inhabitants and inspiring awe and wonder.</p> <p><strong>Astonishing natural surrounds</strong></p> <p>Arnhem Land is abundant in wildlife and offers a wealth of natural riches. Besides the famous saltwater crocs, its coastal regions are important conservation areas for dugongs (often referred to as sea cows and even mermaids), nesting turtles and migratory birds.</p> <p>On this adventure you’ll discover the vast and sacred Arafura Swamp on a wetland cruise and 4WD safari, as Indigenous guides explain why this spectacular area is so significant to them. Covering 1,300 square kilometres, the wetland supports up to 300,000 water birds. Brolgas wade on spindly legs in the shallows and flocks of magpie geese skim across the top of the water. This was the location for the acclaimed film <em>Ten Canoes</em>, and it’s every bit as captivating in real life.</p> <p>Meanwhile, anglers will be privy to the best that Australian fishing has to offer, with the Tomkinson and Liverpool rivers teeming with barramundi, longtail tuna, giant trevally and more. Access to these regions is tightly controlled, but Outback Spirit’s special permits and licences at the Arnhem Land Barramundi Lodge once again afford guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Here, you’ll be accompanied by expert fishing guides as you navigate pristine rivers in state-of-the-art boats.</p> <p>In one of the least inhabited spots on earth, the Cobourg Peninsula, you’ll spend three exclusive nights exploring the treasures of the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park and the Cobourg Marine Park Sanctuary, where dolphins, dugongs and turtles ply the turquoise waters. Barramundi and other tropical species afford an unforgettable angling experience from one of Outback Spirit’s fishing boats, while the historic Victoria Settlement at Port Essington, the multi-hued cliffs of Rainbow Beach and the palm-covered bushland surrounding Seven Spirit Bay, all offer transformative experiences that will remain with you forever.</p> <p><strong>Unique lodgings </strong></p> <p>A highlight of the tour through Arnhem Land, and exclusive to Outback Spirit passengers, is the stunning accommodations – a network of luxurious, eco-friendly wilderness lodges and safari camps. On the banks of the Arafura Swamp is Outback Spirit’s stunning Murwangi safari camp, where your deluxe safari suite offers all the welcome inclusions you could want while barely making a footprint on the pristine surrounds.</p> <p>At the Arnhem Land Barramundi Lodge near Maningrida, you can have the chef expertly cook up your catch of the day, while on the Cobourg Peninsula you’ll enjoy three nights in Outback Spirit’s flagship lodge; Seven Spirit Bay. Here, you’ll be amazed at the 5-star offering in such a remote location, with accommodation consisting of stunning Habitat Villas overlooking Coral Bay. As each day draws to a close, retreat to the Wawidada Pavilion for breathtaking sunsets, beautiful sea breezes and exceptional cuisine.</p> <p><strong>Early bird sale on <em>now</em>! </strong></p> <p>Don’t wait! <a href="https://www.outbackspirittours.com.au/destinations/arnhem-land/">Book a trip to Arnhem Land with Outback Spirit before 31 December 2019 and save up to $1,400 per person twin share</a>.</p> <p><strong>Outstanding value inclusions </strong></p> <ul> <li>Small Group Size – 22</li> <li>All meals provided while on tour</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Spend 7 nights in Outback Spirit’s network of luxurious safari camps and wilderness lodges, including 3 nights at the iconic Seven Spirit Bay.</li> <li>Spend 2 nights at Davidson’s Arnhem Land Safaris, Mount Borradaile</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Travel aboard a 5-star 4WD Mercedes Benz Coach</li> <li>All activity and attraction fees</li> <li>All permit fees to enter Aboriginal Land</li> <li>Escorted by expert tour guides</li> <li>Outback Spirit Explorer Pack featuring handy travel items</li> </ul> <p><strong>About Outback Spirit</strong></p> <p>Founded in 2000 by brothers Andre and Courtney Ellis, Outback Spirit is a multi-award-winning business and Australia’s largest premium small group outback tour operator.</p> <p>Outback Spirit strives to stay ecologically sustainable and limit its impact on the environment through good practice, innovation, and by providing financial support to the Australian Wildlife Conservatory. It also supports remote Indigenous communities across the Kimberley and Arnhem Land through employment opportunities, community sponsorships and support for Indigenous-owned businesses. Outback Spirit has been acknowledged for consistently delivering professional and authentic adventures to remote destinations of Australia.</p> <p>Why would you travel through outback Australia with anyone else?</p> <p><em>This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with </em><a href="https://www.outbackspirittours.com.au/"><em>Outback Spirit</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Best places to view the stars in New Zealand

<p class="">Who doesn’t love a night staring at the stars? </p> <p class="">For some of the best astro-views on the planet – you should consider New Zealand. <span>New Zealand is home to the only island granted dark sky sanctuary status – the north’s Great Barrier Island. Head to the south and you could catch a glimpse of the </span><span>Aurora Australis. </span></p> <p class=""><span>The night sky is woven into the culture of the New Zealand Maori people. Matariki, the rise of the Pleiades constellation, signals the start of the Maori New Year. </span></p> <p class="">Here are some of the best places to view the stars in New Zealand. </p> <p><strong>Great Barrier Island (Aotea)</strong></p> <p class="">Great Barrier Island (yes island, not reef) is an<span> International </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.darksky.org/idsp/sanctuaries/" target="_blank">Dark Sky Sanctuary</a><span>. It’s </span><span>one of only four places in the world (and the only island) to be granted sanctuary</span><span> status.</span><span> </span><span></span></p> <p class=""><span>A dark sky sanctuary is defined as public or private land that has “an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights”.</span></p> <p class="">Great Barrier Island the largest of the Hauraki Gulf islands north east of Auckland. It’s <span>isolated, has a small resident population and is free from the electricity</span><span> grid. What this means for travellers is less light pollution and more protected stargazing. At night the Milky Way spans the sky and the Magellanic Clouds, not visible in the Northern Hemisphere, are easily seen.</span></p> <p class=""><span>For the roughly 1000 residents, a dark night sky has become a way of life and you’ll find yourself slowing down and appreciating life on any visit here. But star gazing isn’t the only thing you can do. </span><span>Aotea is also a boating paradise, a popular destination for diving, fishing, surfing, mountain bike riding and hiking.</span></p> <p><strong>Aoraki Mackenzie</strong></p> <p class="">Another top spot to search for shooting stars is Aoraki Mackenzie, in the middle of the South Island. Aoraki Mackenzie is a designated International Dark Sky Reserve. The difference between names is that a sanctuary is usually in a remote place with little threat to its night skies. It includes Aoraki Mt Cook National Park, and the villages of Lake Tekapo, Twizel and Mt Cook.</p> <p class="">Aoraki Mackenzie isn’t remote – but it is still a prime place to admire the constellations. It is the largest dark sky reserve in the world. </p> <p class="">Spend one night doing a classic guided tour to the observatory to learn about the stars. And then the next just soaking up the view while relaxing in the<span> </span>hot pools at Tekapo Springs.</p> <p class="">Or for something really special, check out SkyScape Lodge, an architecturally designed, glass-roofed accommodation building on a 6000-acre high country station about 12 kilometres from Twizel. </p> <p><strong>Lake Tekapo</strong></p> <p>Lake Tekapo is home to New Zealand’s premier scientific astronomy observatory, Mt John Observatory. The observatory site was chosen in 1963 for the clarity and darkness of the night sky after three years of site testing.</p> <p class="">About three hours drive south-west of Christchurch in the Mackenzie Basin, Earth and Sky Tours at Mt John Observatory offers a range of astro-tours. On a clear night several telescopes are set up outside. If you bring your DSLR camera, the observatory’s astro-photographers may capture the night sky for you. </p> <p class="">If the sky is cloudy, don’t worry. Mount John also offers a fascinating behind the scenes tour of what life is like for an astronomer. It offers the chance to see the research equipment that is usually off limits to the general public and to learn about the research conducted at Mt John. </p> <p class="">In the day time, the views at Lake Tekapo are just as stunning. The remarkable turquoise colour lake is framed by snow-capped mountains. Lake Tekapo gets its intense milky-turquoise colour from the fine rock-flour (ground by glaciers) which is suspended in the water. </p> <p><strong>Stewart Island</strong></p> <p>Head south if you want to see the Southern Lights, also known as Aurora Australis. The aurora occurs when <span>electrically charged solar particles collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen</span><span> in the Earth’s atmosphere</span><span>, causing those gases to emit light. The most common colour is a yellow-green, but the aurora can also be pink or purple. </span><span></span></p> <p><span>Despite the name, you don’t have to be in Australia to see them. The auroras happen in ovals around the earth’s two magnetic poles. The further south you go, the more likely you are to see the Aurora Australis. </span></p> <p>The furthest south you can go in New Zealand is Stewart Island. Up to 80 per cent of the island is made up of the Rakiura National Park – meaning there’s little light polution and a great chance for star-gazing. </p> <p class="">Auroras can happen at any time, but they are more common in the winter months. </p> <p class=""><span>The website </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.aurora-service.net/aurora-forecast/" target="_blank">Aurora Service offers hourly aurora forecasts</a><span>, using real time solar wind data from Nasa’s Ace Spacecraft. The aurora strength is measured in Kp. Kp ranges between zero and nine. Zero is the weakest and nine is the strongest. Anything Kp5 or above is considered a geomagnetic storm and a good chance of an aurora occuring.</span></p> <p class="">Dunedin in New Zealand is one of the best larger cities to catch the colourful night-time display. Queenstown has also been known to have incredible southern lights displays. And Lake Tekapo (see above) is also known for spectacular displays.<span></span></p> <p class=""><em>Written by Alison Godfrey. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/dark-parks-the-best-places-in-new-zealand-to-view-the-stars/">MyDiscoveries</a>.</em></p>

International Travel

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Te Ariki Nui: A luxury lodge in the remote wilderness of New Zealand’s Wanaka

<p><strong><em>Justine Tyerman comes across a 'talking landscape' on the outskirts of Wanaka in the South Island of New Zealand. </em></strong></p> <p>I’ve made the pilgrimage to Wanaka hundreds of times since the days of my youth and we’ve always stayed within sight of the lake.</p> <p>The panorama of Lake Wanaka is without doubt magnificent but it’s a busy, bossy view which demands to be looked at all the time – jet boats, para-gliders, water skiers, kayakers, rowers and swimmers. The lake is seldom quiet and even when it is, it exerts a magnetic force that compels one to watch it. Hours can be lost just gazing at its changing moods from satin smooth to grey and stormy.</p> <p>But on this occasion, we needed a quiet hideaway to prepare for a family wedding, a place far enough away from the lake and the township to ensure privacy and deter well-meaning friends from ‘just popping in’. </p> <p>On the outskirts of town, we found Te Ariki Nui, an idyllic, peaceful rural retreat surrounded by the wild and rugged Central Otago landscape I’ve loved since my childhood days. Mountain ranges gouged by ancient glaciers, tussocks flattened by the wind and the snow, sweet-smelling pastel-hued lupins growing wild along the roadsides, sun-ripened sweet apricots and tart green gooseberries, lizards basking on the warm schist rocks, the shimmering dry heat of the Central Otago sun,  pink sunrises and golden sunsets, the long dark shadows cast by the late afternoon sun . . .</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14499 no-display appear lazyloaded" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Te-ariki-nui-wanaka-landscape.jpg" alt="Te Ariki Nui Wanaka New Zealand" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Te Ariki Nui sits light and low on the landscape, recessed into a shallow gully.</em></p> <p>We were only 10 minutes from Wanaka but Te Ariki Nui felt like a luxury lodge in a remote wilderness. Apart from invited guests, we saw no other human beings. Our only neighbours were the sociable alpacas in the paddock next door and a large family of bobtail rabbits. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14502 no-display appear lazyloaded" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/wanaka-alpacas.jpg" alt="Alpacas in Wanaka New Zealand" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>The alpacas feeling the chill after a mid-summer snow storm.</em></p> <p>Te Ariki Nui exceeded all our expectations. Designed by award-winning architect Paul Clarke and runner-up in the 2005 New Zealand Home &amp; Entertaining Home of the Year Award,it is the Wanaka home of New Zealand fashion icon Robyn Hall.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14498 no-display appear lazyloaded" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Te-ariki-nui-wanaka-hollow.jpg" alt="Te Ariki Nui Wanaka New Zealand, photo by Simon Darby" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Te Ariki Nui is nestled in a hollow surrounded by 4 hectares of land on the outskirts of Wanaka.</em><br /><em> Image credit: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.wanakaphotography.co.nz/" target="_blank">Simon Darby Photography</a></strong></span></em></p> <p>The long, low concrete, glass and timber house sits quietly in its surroundings, allowing the landscape to take centre stage.</p> <p>I loved the simple, clean lines of the house – the dull sheen of the natural polished concrete floors, the warm glow of the tall beech doors and cabinetry against a predominantly white palette, the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, and the minimal adornment.</p> <p>“The landscape does the talking,” as Hall says.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14489 no-display lazyloaded appear" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/te-ariki-nui-interior.jpg" alt="Te Ariki Nui Wanaka New Zealand" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>The interior has minimal adornment allowing “the landscape to do the talking”, as the owner says.</em></p> <p>Four bedrooms and three bathrooms including a lovely detached, self-contained studio provided ample private space for eight of us while the large open-plan kitchen, dining and living area was perfect for family dinners and socialising.</p> <p>The kitchen was equipped with every imaginable high-end appliance and utensil along with a generous array of pantry essentials.</p> <p>The massive floor-to-ceiling glass walls on both sides of the house slid aside to unite inside and outside living areas. Double-glazing, underfloor heating and a raised gas fireplace in the lounge would make Te Ariki Nui super-cosy in winter.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14491 no-display lazyloaded appear" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/te-ariki-nui-living-area.jpg" alt="Te Ariki Nui Wanaka New Zealand" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>The massive floor-to-ceiling glass walls allow the ultimate in inside-outside living. Image credit:  Simon Darby Photography</em></p> <p>The luxurious master bedroom at the far end of the house had an Agape tear-shaped bath by the window where you could bathe while communing with nature.</p> <p><em style="text-align: center;"> </em><img style="text-align: center;" class="size-full wp-image-14487 no-display appear lazyloaded" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/te-ariki-nui-bathroom.jpg" alt="Te Ariki Nui Wanaka New Zealand" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>The Agape tear-shaped bath by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the master bedroom. Image credit: Simon Darby Photography</em></p> <p>The bathrooms in the main part of the house featured glass-walled showers and unencumbered views of the landscape through full-height windows.</p> <p>An impressive gabion wall made with stones smoothed by the nearby Cardrona River provided a visual shield between the entrance pathway and the house. Rectangular steel inserts in the wall allowed light to filter into the hall and master bedroom without sacrificing privacy. </p> <p>A Jacuzzi in a sheltered courtyard offered hydro-therapy to soothe the nerves. It was quite surreal to soak in the pool surrounded by mid-summer snow on the peaks and ranges, the aftermath of an unseasonal ‘weather bomb’.</p> <p>Nearby, a table and chairs with a large shady umbrella was an ideal spot for alfresco dining.</p> <p>I liked to sit on the swing suspended from the terrace roof at the front of the house and watch the antics of the alpacas in the paddock next door. Hand-feeding the quizzical creatures provided a welcome distraction from wedding preparations.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14503 no-display appear lazyloaded" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/wanaka-new-zealand-alpaca.jpg" alt="Alpacas in Wanaka New Zealand" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Is it feeding time?</em></p> <p>I also loved exploring the stunning collection of sculpture Hall, an enthusiastic supporter of New Zealand art, had scattered around her 4-hectare property. Large sculptures were cleverly placed outside to catch the eye while smaller pieces quietly adorned the interior but did not challenge the dominant feature, the landscape . . . art framed by the windows.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14484 no-display appear lazyloaded" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sculpture-axeman-hannah-kidd.jpg" alt="Axeman Sculpture by Hannah Kidd" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>The axeman in the orchard at Te Ariki Nui never quite managed to fell the tree. The sculpture is by New Zealander Hannah Kidd</em></p> <p>To the right of the house, Hall has planted an impressive orchard of fruit and nut trees including hazelnuts, plums, peaches, pears, nectarines, redcurrants, cherries, apricots and gooseberries. The trees have to struggle to survive so Central Otago fruit has an intensity of flavour like no other region.</p> <p>And beyond the artworks, orchard and alpacas, a spectacular 360-degree necklace of majestic mountains - Black Peak, the Buchanan Mountains, Mt Maude, Mt Iron, Mt Barker, the Cardrona Mt Pisa Ranges - encircled the house.</p> <p>We seldom ventured into town, which was hectic with mid-summer madness, but spent our time rebonding as a family after too long apart, entertaining guests who had travelled from afar and buzzing to and from the lakeside venue with checklists of things to be done for the marquee wedding. It was like constructing a small village in a bare paddock from scratch, bringing all the infrastructure onsite.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="size-full wp-image-14504 no-display appear lazyloaded" src="https://travelmemo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/wanaka-wedding-venue.jpg" alt="The Olive Grove wedding venue Lake Wanaka" width="500" height="NaN" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>The Olive Grove wedding venue overlooking Lake Wanaka</em></p> <p>That’s when our friends at JUCY Rentals came to the party, literally. The vehicle rental agency had offered us a generous bulk deal so JUCYs were out in force, ferrying people and equipment to the venue. Our eight-seater JUCY wagon was invaluable as a people, drinks and flowers-mover.</p> <p>And at the end of a busy day, soaking in the spa pool under the stars at Te Ariki Nui, was a magical way to unwind. Lounging amid the bubbles with a glass of bubbles was sheer bliss.</p> <p>Te Ariki Nui certainly lived up to its name – translated from the Maori language, it means “Above all others”.</p> <p>FACTBOX</p> <p>*Te Ariki Nui is an ideal base for pre- and post-wedding events and holidays at any time of the year. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.tearikinui.nz/" target="_blank">www.tearikinui.nz/</a></strong></span></p> <p>*Pick up a JUCY Rental at Queenstown Airport and drive to Wanaka - 60 minutes over the Crown Range or 90 minutes via the Kawarau Gorge, both magnificent scenic experiences. The convenience of being able to pick up a vehicle at Queenstown Airport and drop it off in Christchurch, Wellington or Auckland makes JUCY a super-convenient choice for travellers arriving from overseas. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.jucy.co.nz/" target="_blank">www.jucy.co.nz</a></strong></span></p> <p>* Air New Zealand flies daily to Queenstown from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch with connections available across the domestic network. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/" target="_blank">www.airnewzealand.co.nz</a></strong></span></p> <p><em>Written by Justine Tyerman. Republished with the permission of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://travelmemo.com/" target="_blank">Travelmemo.com</a></strong></span></em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Gene Wilder's widow says his Alzheimer's battle almost "killed" her too

<p>The widow of the late actor Gene Wilder has called for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients to be given more credit and support. In an essay for ABC News, Karen Wilder, who lost her husband to the disease last August, praised researchers’ efforts to fight the disease. She also made special mention of the fact that the caregivers to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients are often not given the support they need.</p> <p>In her essay, Wilder writes, "It is a strange, sad irony that so often, in the territory of a disease that robs an individual of memory, caregivers are often the forgotten. Without them, those with Alzheimer’s could not get through the day, or die – as my husband did – with dignity, surrounded by love.”</p> <p>The essay states that one in three seniors die from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, and yet a Stanford Medicine study showed 40 per cent of Alzheimer's caregivers die before their patient, "not from disease, but from the sheer physical, spiritual and emotional toll of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's ... I am grateful that Gene never forgot who I was. But many caregivers of Alzheimer's patients are less fortunate.”</p> <p>After her husband’s death, Karen has felt a sense of responsibility towards raising awareness of the disease and supporting carers. In her essay, she mentions her partnership with the Alzheimer's Association's "Pure Imagination Project,” named after her late husband’s well-known performance in <em>Willy Wonka. </em></p> <p>She also made mention of the Gates Foundation’s recent $100 million donation to assist with research to eradicate the disease. </p> <p>Do you know anyone affected by Alzheimer’s? We would love to hear your thoughts on whether you feel that carers are well-supported in the comments below. </p>

Caring

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Sydney NYE Fireworks to honour Bowie, Prince and Wilder

<p>Sydney’s fireworks are always one of the real highlights of the New Year’s festivities, and this year’s pyrotechnics will take on special significance with the City of Sydney confirming there will be tributes to David Bowie, Prince and Gene Wilder.</p> <p>Barges on the harbour have reportedly been loaded with 120 tonnes of fireworks ahead of the incredible display, which will entertain visitors from all around the world.</p> <p>Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore told <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Huffington Post</strong></em></span></a>, "This year sadly saw the loss of many music and entertainment legends around the world. Celebrating their music as part of the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks displays is an opportunity to reflect on the year that's been and celebrate what the future holds.</p> <p>"Sydney is especially significant for David Bowie, who called Elizabeth Bay home for a decade from the early eighties, filming music videos and recording an album here.</p> <p>"Prince performed in Australia many times and his Sydney Opera House concert was one of his last. And I know children and adults everywhere will delight in the colourful Willy Wonka moment during the midnight fireworks."</p> <p>Are you looking forward to the fireworks?</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/12/what-does-2017-hold-for-you/"><strong>What does 2017 hold for you?</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/domestic-travel/2016/12/5-best-places-to-spend-nye-in-australia/"><strong>5 best places to spend New Year’s Eve in Australia</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/08/david-bowies-son-welcomes-baby-boy/"><strong>David Bowie’s son welcomes baby boy</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

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Gene Wilder’s final moments revealed in moving tribute

<p>As tributes continue to flow for the <a href="/news/news/2016/08/gene-wilder-passes-away-age-83/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>late, great Gene Wilder</strong></span></a>, the actor’s nephew has released a statement describing his beloved uncle’s final moments.</p> <p>In a beautiful tribute to the star of films such as <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em>, <em>Blazing Saddles</em> and <em>Young Frankenstein</em>, Jordan Walker-Pearlman detailed his uncle’s final moments which were spent with family, listening to <em>Somewhere Over The Rainbow</em>.</p> <p>The tribute reads: “He was eighty-three and passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember.</p> <p>“As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favourites: Ella Fitzgerald.</p> <p>“There is a picture of he and Ella meeting at a London Bistro some years ago that are among each our cherished possessions.</p> <p>She was singing <em>Somewhere Over The Rainbow</em> as he was taken away.”</p> <p>Walker-Pearlman also revealed the reason his uncle didn’t disclose details of his illness to the public, was that he, “couldn't bear the thought of one less smile in the world”.</p> <p>Are you as heartbroken as we are with this loss? What was your favourite Gene Wilder movie? Let us know in the comments. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/08/gene-wilders-most-memorable-film-roles/"><strong>Gene Wilder’s most memorable film roles</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/08/gene-wilder-passes-away-age-83/"><strong>Gene Wilder passes away age 83</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/08/make-up-artist-can-transform-herself-into-anyone/"><strong>Make-up artist can transform herself into anyone</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

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Gene Wilder’s most memorable film roles

<p>Gene Wilder was known the world over as a comic genius. He brought wonderfully weird characters to life with uninhibited creativity, and never failed to steal the show. Characters such as Willy Wonka and Skip Donahue will be enjoyed for generations.</p> <p>But the legendary actor, screenwriter and director once whimsically confessed, “I don't think I'm that funny. I make my wife laugh once or twice around the house, but nothing special."</p> <p>The humble and dewy-eyed star approached fame with an unconventional sensibility, and because of this, he will be remembered foremost for his work and his talent.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see Gene Wilder’s most memorable roles as the folllowing charcters. </p> <p>1. Jim in <em>Blazing Saddles</em></p> <p><em>2. </em>Dr Frederick Frankenstein in <em><span>Young Frankenstein</span></em></p> <p><em><span>3. </span></em>George Caldwell in <em>Silver Streak</em></p> <p><em>4. </em>Leo Bloom in<em> The Producers </em></p> <p><em>5. </em>Willy Wonka in<em> Charlie and the Chocolate Factory </em></p> <p><em>6. </em>Skip Donahue in <em>Stir Crazy</em></p> <p><em>7. </em>Teddy Pierce in<em> The Woman in Red</em></p> <p>Which one of these is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/2016/07/what-10-stars-looked-like-when-they-were-young/"><em>What 10 stars looked like when they were young</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/2016/06/shocking-actor-transformations-for-movie-roles/"><em>10 shocking transformations by actors for movie roles</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/2016/05/7-actors-children-who-became-actors-too/"><em>7 children who followed in the footsteps of their actor parents</em></a></strong></span></p>

News

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Gene Wilder passes away age 83

<p>The world has lost another irreplaceable icon with confirmation that legendary actor Gene Wilder has sadly passed away at age 83.</p> <p>Wilder, perhaps best-known for his role in the 1971 film <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em>, passed on Monday at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. Confirmation of his passing came from the actor’s nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, who said the passing was due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease in a statement to <a href="http://www.variety.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Variety</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>Walker-Pearlman wrote, “We understand for all the emotional and physical challenges this situation presented we have been among the lucky ones — this illness-pirate, unlike in so many cases, never stole his ability to recognise those that were closest to him, nor took command of his central-gentle-life affirming core personality.</p> <p>“The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn’t vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him ‘there’s Willy Wonka,’ would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment or confusion. He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world.”</p> <p>Tributes have started to flow in for the two-time Oscar-nominee who started in classics like <em>The Producers</em>,<em> Blazing Saddles</em> and <em>Young Frankenstein</em>.</p> <p>Our thoughts are with his family at what must be a difficult time.</p> <p>Share your favourite Gene Wilder moment in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / beralts</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/08/make-up-artist-can-transform-herself-into-anyone/"><strong>Make-up artist can transform herself into anyone</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/entertainment/books/2016/07/5-authors-who-hated-the-film-adaptation-of-their-book/"><strong>5 authors who hated the film adaptation of their book</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/entertainment/books/2016/04/best-childrens-books/"><strong>5 all-time best children’s books</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

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10 images showcase the beauty of Tasmania’s wilderness

<p>As we’ve shown you in previous articles, Tasmania is one of the most picturesque regions on earth and seriously underrated as a holiday spot for international tourists.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above and you’re sure to agree.</p> <p><a href="http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Australian Geographic</span></strong></em></a> asked five of their best photographers to put together a series of images that showcase some of the best scenery on show in the Emerald Isle.</p> <p>From dense rainforest to sprawling mountains and incredible vistas, there’s something undeniably captivating and enchanting about the view of Tasmania.</p> <p>To see all the incredible pictures, scroll through the gallery above.</p> <p>Have you ever been to Tasmania before, and if so, what would you recommend? Was there a highlight of the experience that stood out above the others?</p> <p>Share your story in the comments.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram / australiangeographic</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/05/6-incredible-places-to-spot-kangaroos-in-australia/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>6 incredible places to spot kangaroos in Australia</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/06/5-of-the-best-activities-to-try-in-hobart/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>5 of the best activities to try in Hobart</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2015/10/great-aussie-spots-reachable-only-by-foot/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Spectacular places in Australia you can only reach on foot</strong></em></span></a></p>

International Travel

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