THE
PURPOSE of this site
is to give clear, concise reviews of where to go, what to see and
where to stay in Australia, with
an emphasis on my home state Victoria and its admirable history. It is run by me,
Peter Robinson, a professional travel writer, photographer and B&B
reviewer with 25 years experience.
Other states will gradually be represented and the focus here will be great places to stay in great tourist locations. Tasmania and South Australia already have a small representation which will continue to grow as I revisit previously reviewed properties.
Bed and
breakfast houses, cottages, small hotels and other accommodation mentioned
on these pages are chosen because I have visited them at least once
and found them to be clean, well hosted places that are amongst the
best in this country. They offer differing styles of comfort, from
very comfortable ensuite bedrooms to the most luxurious money can
buy - though in most cases they will be easily affordable. Accommodation will be re-visited regularly, and when new owners/hosts take over, the listing will be reviewed. NB: prices, ownership and hosting may change without notice, and some of these properties have not been re-inspected for over two years due to remote locations. Updates will be made when possible.
All properties
chosen by me get a free listing on the regional page - a thumbnail
photo where possible and brief description with phone number. No
booking fees or commissions are charged.
HOW
DO I MAKE THE SITE PAY FOR ITSELF? This site is currently
run on a shoestring. Since the site has been operating and receiving
excellent hit rates, I have invited many featured properties to take
a full review page, written by me, for a 12 month fee of $110. This includes
four of my own photos and a link (reciprocal) to their own website. The review is not transferable to new owners or hosts.
I hardly
think this amount of money will break the bank of the reviewed properties,
nor will it encourage me use copious and unwarranted superlatives
or flowery descriptions. In other words, my integrity can't be bought
for $110. Some consider the Australian Places review is a B&B "seal of approval" for guest comfort and hosting quality - and an improvement on AAA rating methods.
Accommodation
properties only need one booking (per annum) from an enquirer on this site, to
make the review fee worthwhile. I would like all properties to eventually
take a full review page, and I really appreciate the support of those
that have already done so - in fact, many hosts have encouraged me
to charge more because they firmly believe this site is unique and
a much needed independent, honest voice in the big-money world of
advertising (though I'm not saying all advertising is dishonest).
I know
many accommodation properties pay thousands of dollars annually to
advertise their rooms, often without much success. This site is online
24/7 and receives substantial hits from international surfers.
Australian
Places soared through 20,000 hits/month in June 2007 and full
review pages are getting around 100 hits/month each - these figures are
growing. Many featured properties report a steady flow of bookings as a result of their Australian Places listing.
HOW
CAN YOU GET LISTED ON THIS SITE? I will only list properties
that I have visited. If you would like me to review your property
for possible inclusion please contact me via email or phone. From
2008 there will be a small fee (approx $55) for the review process
in order to cover some of my out-of-pocket expenses. I also expect
each property with a full review to host me one night per annum so
I can ensure standards are maintained.
GOOGLE
RANKINGS. I have worked hard to optimise these pages and
on a variety of Google searches - at least sixteen - my site appears on
the first page. This
is an exceptionally good result - something few others
can emulate, and I will endeavour to maintain it. Google has fully indexed more than 40 pages of the site.
My country
drives and heritage town pages are incredibly popular with site visitors,
taking substantial hit numbers each month. I encourage tourist
organisations to sponsor their Australian Places page
so that I can host more town/drive information and photos. It provides
an important alternative portal that will improve tourist numbers
to the regions and its importance should not be underestimated.
PHOTOGRAPHY: I have had over 20 years experience on bed and breakfast photography assignments for many successful publications. Need photos of your property? Doing a new brochure? I can supply professional images and text at reasonable rates.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AGENTS: please feel free to contact me for accommodation reviews or advice when your clients require luxury places to stay in country Australia. I am a specialist in hand-picking the best places.
I
encourage and welcome contact from site visitors and I will always
try to respond to queries promptly - without spam.
CONTACT
ME HERE
MOBILE
PHONE IN AUSTRALIA - 0407 032 613
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