Pacific

The

ort Moresby Now

as Motel-type Accommodation As an alternative to hotel accom lodation in Port Moresby, Papua, r. O. and F. W. Long have built hat they call the Brampton Home el. It is run on motel lines, but ithout accommodation for cars.

The establishment is in Brampton treet, perched on high ground over joking Port Moresby, Ela Beach and le reef beyond. Apart from the lagnificent view, the position gives lost rooms the benefit of all the reezes that blow.

Basic tariff is for bed-and-breakfast ut lunch and dinner are available ; ordered beforehand. Room rates ary according to the quality of the oom; some are small, simply fur ished and modest in price; two are ir-conditioned, very well furnished, /ith private balconies and are com larable in price to local air

conditioned hotel rooms. At present a number of flats in the building, that were previously held on permanent tenancies, are being converted to suites of sitting room, bedroom and private bathroom; these should be available by April, 1963.

All rooms have bed lamps, inner spring mattresses, and power points.

Electric jug, toaster, tea, coffee, sugar and crockery, etc., are provided at no extra charge so that guests may pre pare light refreshments for them selves. Some of the suites have re frigerators and there are facilities for other rooms to share refrigerators.

Fans may be hired for non-air conditioned rooms.

The Home-Tel is within seven or so minutes walk from the shops or a 2/6 car fare. Avis Rent-a-Cars may be hired through the Home-Tel office —the only drawback to this, at present, being that there are no facilities for parking at the house; cars must be left in a very narrow road below.

Daily tariff ranges from £2/2/- per day per person for bed and breakfast in the most modest room to £4 for one person in a large air-conditioned studio room with private entrance and balcony; if two share this room it is £6/10/- for the two of them.

Weekly rates vary from £l3/13/- for one person (£22/10/- for two); to, in the most modest room: to £4 for one person (£4l for two).

Bookings should be made to: Brampton Home-Tel, P.O. Box 5, Port Moresby, Papua; a deposit of 10 per cent, of the anticipated charge for the period booked is required.

The New Guinea Way

To Europe

Although the Qantas Sydney-Far East service through Port Moresby to link with the jet service at Manila has been withdrawn, an increasing number of Papua-New Guinea and BSIP residents are making use of the KLM service to Europe through Biak, West New Guinea—and this in spite of the present confusion in WNG political affairs.

A prospective traveller from Lae, New Guinea, to Europe saves about £ll5 on a round trip by using this route rather than either the Pacific or the Middle East routes from Sydney.

The connection from New Guinea to pick up the KLM DCS at Biak is at present run by the KLM off shoot, De Kroonduif, or by TAA.

Both use DC3 aircraft and run on alternate weeks. The flying-time Lae to Sentani (the airport for Hollandia) is about three hours; the time from

Sentani to Biak is another three hours.

Both services, until recently, were running on Fridays but for the moment have changed over to Thurs days ex-Lae, with an over-night stop in Hollandia—or more likely, Sentani, which is about 23 miles from Hol landia. During the time the Dutch were being evacuated from WNG, this move caused some panic as there was no room in Hollandia hotels for in-transit passengers, and few facilities around Sentani. Some of the pas sengers on the first TAA flight spent the Thursday night in makeshift ac commodation in a church before go ing on to Biak on the Friday.

KLM have two different routes out of Biak: to Amsterdam via Manila, Bangkok, Karachi, Beirut, Rome, and Frankfurt; or from Biak to Tokyo, Anchorage (Alaska) and over the Pole to Amsterdam.

The flight via the Middle East originates in Sydney on Fridays; the Over-the-Pole route originates in Biak, twice weekly at present, Mondays and Fridays. This flight leaves Biak in the late afternoon and is in Amster dam the following day.

Cost of a tourist class return fare from Lae to Amsterdam via Biak and the Middle East is £546/15/-. First class is £859/10/-.