Family Holiday That Won't Break Budget

Sun Herald

Sunday December 3, 2000

By DEBBIE NEILSON

LOOKING for a family holiday idea that won't break the budget?

NSW Sport and Recreation has holiday programs running at 11 centres across NSW this Christmas.

Locations include Lake Ainsworth on the north coast, Milson Island on the Hawkesbury River and Lake Jindabyne.

While there are active getaways for children aged two to 12, the programs are also designed for families. There's abseiling, canoeing, bushwalking or sailing courses.

Prices start from $29.72 a day for those under 12. Prices for family getaways start from $128.85 a day for a family of four. Prices include food, accommodation, activities and supervision.

Phone NSW Sport and Recreation on 131302 or visit www.dsr.nsw.gov.au.Breaking the iceTHE first expedition to Antarctica this summer on board the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, heads out from Hobart tomorrow.

The 25-day voyage (which returns on December 28) is titled Lords Of Antarctica Emperor Penguin Adventure and will concentrate on the impressive colonies at Cape Roget, Cape Washington and Coulman Island in the Ross Sea

Visits are also planned to Cape Adare, home to the largest colony of Adelie penguins in the world over half a million birds.

Two other voyages have been planned for the 2000/2001 season.

The voyage to the Farthest South, Bay of Whales, Ross Ice Shelf and McMurdo Sound leaves Hobart on December 28 and returns to Bluff in New Zealand.

Priced from $US11,290pp ($21,711) triple share, the highlight of this 24-day expedition is a helicopter excursion into the remarkable Dry Valleys, a geological wonderland of strangely sculpted rocks and snow-free valleys. Mummified seals, some thousands of years old, are found alongside the delicate moss beds that survive in this parched environment.

The final voyage for the season is the 25-day Great Explorers Douglas Mawson, Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott Expedition, departing Bluff, New Zealand on January 21. It focuses on polar history in the Ross Sea and Commonwealth Bay region of Antarctica. Priced from $21,615pp triple share, the trip aims to visit the historic huts and sites of three of the legends of Antarctic exploration.

No other vessel has navigated more polar waters than the Kapital Khlebnikov, with Russian captains recognised as world experts in icebreaker operations.

The vessel is equipped with the latest satellite navigation and communication equipment. There are 54 first-class outside cabins and suites, with private facilities, two lower bunks and large closets.

European chefs prepare international cuisine plus a well-stocked bar and a wine list cater for all tastes. For more information, phone Adventure Associates on 02 9389 7466 or email mail@adventuresassociates.com.

© 2000 Sun Herald

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