Travel

Talk

Two dates to keep in the Pacific are mentioned in this month's Travel Talk. And there are also details of an off-the-beaten-track tour, some information of what to do in Tahiti, and—for those planning trips abroad —some more on travelling cheaply in Europe and a plan for a working holiday for girls. But perhaps you can’t afford to do any of those things? Never mind. . . . This section is for those who want to travel, and for those who fust want to dream about it.

What To Do In Tahiti In March Travel Talk we got you to Tahiti and found you a hotel.

Now, what can you do to fill in the time?

If you are the relaxing type, you can drive in your U-Drive car or on your Vespa to the black or white sand beaches for swimming, skin diving, fishing or just sitting in the sun. For the more energetic there are mountain excursions by jeep or on horseback; or you may paddle around in a pedalo boat (10/- an hour), or borrow a Tahitian’s out rigger canoe for much less.

You may take an excursion in a glass-bottom boat (£1 each); or sit at the Vaima cafe over a cool bottle of Hinano beer and watch the world go by.

Or there is always a tour of the island to be made with perhaps an overnight stop at one of the two native inns.

Native inns are exactly the way they sound—and the meals are generally fish.

Or there is horseback riding in the country near Papeete from £1 per hour with a reduction for groups; waterskiing at week-ends at 5/- once around the bay. Or a boat trip to Moorea with an overnight stay at Hotel Aimeo or at the native inn in Paopao called Pauline’s. Return boat fare is about 17/6 per person and you will travel with sea-sick Tahitians, and sundry small livestock like pigs and chickens.

You may, of course, hire your own boat and do a little deep sea fishing on the way. One launch, with room for four or five, but no toilet, costs £l7/10/- per day, inclusive of beer; while another with

toilet is available for £25 per day.

If you like fishing, you’ll catch fish all year round —marlin, bonita—best after November—wahoo, dolphin and sharks.

For the stay-in-Papeete types there is always a tour of the town by taxi at about 25/- an hour or about 6/- a mile. For those who wish to go native, a ride in a native bus called ‘le true’ is a must. All in with the Tahitians, coconuts, fish on strings hanging by their tails and perhaps a squealing pig, and you’ll get a 10 miles ride for about 1/6.

If you are an exploring type, you can take the RAI flying boat to Raiatea or Bora Bora—the latter

about 90 minutes flying-time from Papeete. Return fare to Bora Bora is about £l7 and there is native inn accommoda tion there, also a luxury hotel.

That takes care of your days. What about the nights?

Most people think first of Quinn’s Tahitian Hut, a waterfront bar that has been known to sailors, waterfront drifters and tourists alike for the past several decades. Music for dancing starts at 8.30 p.m. with a good lively orchestra, and closing time is 11.30 p.m.

This is a favourite pick-up place for the solitary male tourist—and whatever he is seeking, he is pretty sure to find it in Quinn’s or at the Col Bleu or at Bar Lae.

The evening need not be expensive with big bottles of beer at 3/6 and perhaps a flower lei for the vahine at 2/-.

When the Papeete night spots close everyone jumps aboard a Tahitian

‘true’ for a ride out to Lafaye; (return fare by ‘true’ 4/- or by at least 30/-) which does not elf until 2 a.m.

For those more inclined to quie evening entertainment, there is da ing at Hotel Tahiti each night exc Monday. Drinks here are hig than in Papeete (4/- for a sn bottle of beer). There are Tahit dancers on boatnights at Hotel Tal without extra charge. And a Mom Tahitian party with dinner Tahitian dancers at Hotel Tropiques for £3 per head. (Prices quoted in Aust. currency.) Dates to Keep In the Pacific Hibiscus Festival, Fiji’s gala w It will be held between Septem 16 and 23 this year. The Visitors’ Bureau is in charge arrangements and, as usual, a II Hibiscus competition will be important item on the agenda.

Mt. Hagen Show —this is a ri comer to the now long list nominally Agricultural Shows hel District centres in Papua and I Guinea. Apart from the agricult aspect, they give the rest of Territory a chance to see somet: of the local native people and expected that Mt. Hagen’s first e; will attract thousands of prim Western Highlanders in their coll ful dress (and undress). Fc number of years, the Goroka S

(in the Eas NG Highla: held in May June, has been most spectac in this respe but the ston that Mt. Haj

first show will “leave Goroka dead”. It will be held on Septer 23 and 24 and Mr. Tom I Western Highlands District C missioner, is the driving force hind the programme.

Off-the-Beaten-Track Tours

Some off-the-beaten-track pi —at least for American tourl are included in the Hemphill W Cruise that left Los Angeles on 13. It’s aimed at the well-trav tourist who’s just about seen e; thing else, and will take in Bat Day celebrations in Tahiti, walking on Beqa, Fiji, NG Highl; Rabaul, Honiara and adjacent of Guadalcanal, and the Austr Centre.

The tour is of about 10 \* duration and costs $6,46C roughly £2,870 in Australian nu

ou Can Travel

urope Cheaply—Part 111

CAMPING, once a peculiar New farld pastime is becoming more and lore popular in Europe. Particularly ith Germans, who haven’t the icney the British have to spend on apri, Costa Brava and French iviera hotels. The Germans arrive ad enjoy these places but stay in imping grounds.

For as little as the equivalent of i- a night you can pitch a tent in a imping ground. You will find a lower block, toilets (often of the sian variety), restaurant and dining lelter provided.

The best country for camping is ndoubtedly Denmark, which has lany camps. Each year sees more ad more of them opened, and you ill find yourself rubbing bikinis with le nouveau riche on the beaches for ss than the price they are pay «• There is an excellent illustrated imping Guide published, with maps ad information about camps in urope. It is in six languages and lit out by a German firm. It is a aaust” for the would-be camper.

Yugoslavia is one communist auntry which is attempting to en aurage Western tourists. There are lany camping grounds along the eautiful Adriatic, the playground of ie ’3o’s: however, the roads are ractically non-existent between the amps.

Petrol, like most available in Iron Curtain countries, is of very low ctane and garages are few and far etween. Heaven help you (the UK automobile Association might), if ou break down and need spare parts.

Scandinavia offers the tourist reathtaking scenery but watch out or those narrow, unsealed, twisting oads in Norway, and the corrugated irt tracks of Finland. Swedish roads re excellent, like main roads in Ger many. Belgium, France and Italy, panish roads are generally very poor ' nce you are off the main routes.

There is not a great deal of room o camp in the United Kingdom it «f. but that is not to say that people lon t try. In a good summer in the [orthern counties and in Scotland, iny pup-tents—like the sort of thing ■stralians buy for their small hildren—may be seen in the oddest

places. The kind of camping that goes on in tent-towns at the seaside resorts around Australian cities in the summer which requires every thing including the kitchen sink and refrigerator and needs a pantechnicon to move it, is not for these hardy souls. With them, mere absorption of the unusual sun seems to be an end in itself.

Making it Easy For

World-Girdling Girls

THE battle for the youthful traveller seems to have been joined with a recent announcement in Australian newspapers by Brook Street Bureau of Mayfair, Ltd., which has opened an office in Union House, 247 George Street, Sydney.

Formerly the Overseas Visitors’

Club was sole guide, philosopher and friend to the young tourist—and some thing of the OVC’s work was de scribed in this section in April. A more or less recent development of the OVC was a tie-up with the Greek shipping line and block bookings of a large slice of the accommodation on the liner Patrice.

In June the OVC announced “the lowest ever” return sea fares to Europe. For £A236 the traveller gets forward bookings on Patrice to Athens, train travel from there to London and return sea travel from Southampton to Australia by 20,000 tons Bretagne any time within two years. There are also a few other extras thrown in free for this bargain price.

But back to Brook Street Bureau, which is offering a trip to England on a P & O-Orient ship, two weeks bed and-breakfast accommodation on ar rival in London, plus a guaranteed job, all for as little as £AI2I.

This remarkable offer is available to all trained female office staff norm ally resident in Australia—no males need apply! [About 80 per cent, of the young Australians going abroad these days are female, one reason of course being that in that age-group young men are usually training for their future careers. What the end result will be of this world touring for the girls, while the boys stay close to home, is beyond the scope of this column to judge.] The Brook Street Bureau of May fair, Ltd., an English employment agency, has worked out its plan in conjunction with the P&O-Orient com pany to provide a comprehensive scheme for the thousands of Aus tralian secretaries, shorthand typists, and bookkeepers who are beating the well-worn path to London, It is made possible by the fact that,

in Britain, there is a perpetual short age of office workers. Brook Street Bureau normally interviews 100,000 girls a year and supplies staff to three-quarters of the country’s largest corporations.

These days English girls change jobs frequently, and all go away for their summer holidays, often to the Continent, So from May to Septem ber there is a mass migration of office girls from their desks to the beaches of the Costa Brava or the Pier at Brighton. Brook Street Bureau aims to plug the gap with Aussie girls.

The whole of Operation Working Holiday is very business-like. The prospective customer completes the application form, sends in a full length, postcard sized photograph of herself, and the names of two persons prepared to supply references. On payment of £AI2I she then becomes entitled to: • A passage via Suez on a P & O-Orient Liner (a supplement is payable if she wishes to go via Panama); • Two weeks temporary accom modation on arrival in London in a boarding house or hotel; • Introductions to permanent posts with reputable public and private employers requiring trained office girls; OR a post on the temporary staff of the Bureau for a minimum of 30 hours per week at ruling English rates, within three days of registering for work; • An accommodation service enabling girls to choose a more per manent home after the two weeks free accommodation is taken. She chooses this from a comprehensive list of vacancies (a fee of one week’s rent in advance is normally payable to the agent); • A Travel and Work plan for temporary office workers who can travel from city to city during the summer months in England, with a job waiting at each place; • Welfare and Legal Advice from the Bureau.

The average weekly wage of a shorthand typist, bookkeeper or office machine operator working in London on a permanent basis would be up to £Stg.l2/10/- per week A temporary employee working five days a week from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., should earn up to £Stg. 10/10/a week, said Mrs. Pauline Nagle Sydney office manager for Brook Street Bureau. .

Information about the Working Holiday Plan can be obtained from travel agents, the P & O-Orient Co. or direct from Brook Street Bureau s Sydney office.