Items you should not leave in your car

Most car owners are savvy enough to know not to leave pets in their cars on warm days - but animals are still rescued on a regular basis. 

But it is not only dogs that should not be left in vehicles, a leading Australian motoring organisation says.

The RACV has provided information about common items often left in cars that could be damaged or pose safety risks.

RACV general manager motoring products Jeff Ames said many drivers are unaware of the risks associated with leaving everyday items in their vehicles.

“RACV is urging all motorists to be mindful of what they store in their cars, especially as the hot weather increases,” Ames said.

“Many of these items are often-overlooked hazards and by taking simple precautions, we can significantly reduce the risk of damage to personal property and potential safety issues."

The five common items you shouldn’t keep in your car include: 

Electronic devices: Smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets with lithium-ion batteries can overheat, potentially leading to fire hazards.
Medicine: Both prescription and over-the-counter medications can become less effective or inactive when exposed to extreme temperatures in parked cars.
Aerosol cans: Deodorants, air fresheners, and other spray cans may explode under pressure in hot vehicles.
Sunscreen: Heat can break down the active ingredients in sunscreen, rendering it ineffective for sun protection.
Glasses and sunglasses: Frames can warp in high temperatures, and lenses left on dashboards may create fire hazards.

Victorian Crime Statistics Agency data also shows a 16% increase in thefts from motor vehicles, with 53,329 reported cases in the Australian state for the year ending June 2024, up from 45,984 in the previous year.

"This significant rise in vehicle break-ins is concerning and we strongly advise drivers to remove all valuables and always lock their vehicles to prevent opportunistic theft,” Ames said.

RACV recommends that drivers regularly check their vehicles for items that should be removed and stored safely elsewhere.

For more info on car safety and security, visit racv.com.au.

Airline takes unruly passenger to court

There has been a recent plague of drunk, buffoonish, sometimes violent, behaviour on commercial aircraft.

Often the miscreants get a slap on the wrist, or a good behaviour bond.

In Europe, however, low-cost carrier Ryanair has had enough of the idiocy of buttheads.

Ryanair is taking action against a passenger it says forced a pilot to divert a flight.

It has started legal proceedings against the passenger it claims disrupted a Dublin to Lanzarote flight, which had to be diverted to Portugal, news hub Travel Mole reports.

Ryanair is seeking €15,000 (around $25,000 in Aussie money) in compensation to cover the cost of diverting the flight. The passenger has not been named. 

It filed the lawsuit in Dublin’s circuit court claiming "inexcusable and completely unacceptable" behaviour.

The damages it seeks are for overnight accommodation and related expenses given to passengers due to the diversion to Porto.

Ryanair said it will continue to take "decisive action" against other unruly behaviour.

The incident led to 160 passengers "facing unnecessary disruption and lost a full day of their holiday".

“It is unacceptable that passengers - many of whom are heading away with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday - are suffering unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time,” a Ryanair spokesperson said.

Bravo Ryanair.

Tourism to Vietnam on the up

Vietnam is rapidly bouncing back as an Asian tourism destination.

The number of international tourists visiting Vietnam saw an impressive double digit jump in 2024, new portal Travel Mole reports.

Vietnam welcomed nearly 17.6 million tourist arrivals, data from the General Statistics Office reveals.

That is up nearly 40% on 2023 and just a little short of the pre-pandemic 2019 level.

More liberal visa policies and new airline options from carriers including Vietjet helped boost numbers in 2024.

The vast majority, nearly 15 million, of foreign tourists arrived by air.

In the opposite direction, the number of Vietnamese going overseas rose 5% to 5.3 million in 2024.

The agency said the tourism industry will fully recover to pre-pandemic levels this year, with Vietnam welcoming about 22 million international visitors.

Asia continues to dominates inbound tourism source markets.

South Korea was top in 2024, with nearly 4.57 million arrivals, up 27% from 2023. China ranked second with nearly 3.74 million arrivals.

Other top markets include Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and Cambodia.

Image: Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi: Winsor Dobbin 

Leading restaurateurs unveil opening date for their Sydney boutique hotel

The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter, Sydney, will open its doors on Friday, January 31, owners Josh and Julie Niland have announced.

Room reservations are now live for the much-anticipated new venture by the renowned restaurateurs.

The 14 luxury rooms, situated above their restaurant and bar, Saint Peter, will represent the final phase of Saint Peter’s relocation to the historic site in the inner suburb of Paddington.

The Grand National Hotel was once a much-loved neighbourhood pub, with the original structure dating back to 1890.

Building owner George Penklis wanted to restore The Grand National and maintain its role as a Sydney hospitality destination.

He first approached the Nilands in 2018 with the idea of opening a restaurant. In the years that followed, as building work progressed, Josh and Julie Niland’s vision of extending their hospitality offering evolved.

The result is the Nilands’ first venture as hoteliers.

Belinda Chippindale and Dimity Chitty of Studio Aquilo designed the hotel interiors with extensive participation from the Nilands. When work began, the structure was in a state of semi-dilapidation.

Original features including marble fireplaces, architraves, and vintage tiling have been retained.

The aesthetic in the bedrooms is described as "more vibrant and elaborate than in the restaurant downstairs".

Upstairs, design features blend texture and colour to offer elegant, modern comfort, respecting the classic heritage backdrop.

Chef Josh Niland’s whole fish philosophy has equally found its place in the hotel, with the rooms boasting fish-fat candles and ceramics made from fish bones.

“When approaching the hotel, we paid as much attention to detail to the design and furnishing as we did with the restaurant," says Julie Niland.

"This is our first venture into being hoteliers, and we knew that we wanted to apply the same level of care to the rooms so that they weren’t just an addition to Saint Peter but a destination in their own right."

Josh Niland adds: “Opening the hotel allows us the opportunity to fulfil our vision of hospitality beyond dining into a thoughtful 360-degree hotel experience, from handmade chocolates on your pillow to the breakfast cooked by our team.”




Room rates include breakfast, a complimentary non-alcoholic mini bar and snacks.

Prices start from $600 a night.

See www.saintpeter.com.au/stay

Restaurant opening times: Lunch: Thursday to Sunday.- Dinner: 7 days a week.

Images: Christopher Pearce

New M.Burton wine range driven by innovation

 

Gundog Estate winemaker Matt Burton is a busy man. 

Not only does he produce several wine ranges under the Gundog label using fruit from the Hunter Valley, Canberra region and the Hilltops, he also crafts Yarra Valley wines in partnership with close friend Dylan McMahon under the Burton McMahon label. 

And he also has another small-batch project: M.Burton Wines, which produces just 50 cases each of the 2023 M.Burton Shiraz and 2023 M.Burton Riesling. 

The shiraz is a classic cool-climate shiraz made using grapes grown at the Long Rail Gully vineyard in Murrumbateman blended with a small portion from the Wallaroo vineyard at Hall, just outside Canberra. It spent 10 months on skins gaining texture and complexity

Think natural ferments, aromatic spice notes and a very silky palate. 

"Having worked with shiraz from the region for 17 years, I must say this wine takes it to a whole new level," Burton says. 

The single-site riesling was grown at a family vineyard at Gundaroo and is high in acid and classic varietal flavours. The juice was fermented in older oak barrels - most Australian rieslings are unoaked - and then spent eight months on yeast lees.

"We hope these wines demonstrate a spirit of innovation," Burton says.    

Don't expect any info from the minimalist labels, which contain just the name M.Burton and the words "love, courage and integrity". 

"There are no other wines in our range that so purely express what drives me, and the business, or demonstrate the spirit and collective skillset we are so very fortunate to draw upon in their making," Burton adds.   

 The supple and stylish shiraz costs $80 and the feisty riesling $50. See www.gundogestate.com.au. 

Remember wild animals are wild, even if they are in refuges

Nothing is more likely to make a tourist behave stupidly than an interaction with a wild animal.

Over the holidays I watched a video of a family of imbeciles feeding a wild moose, who promptly head-butted a young child.

And earlier this week a "stressed" elephant killed a Spanish tourist during a "bathing session" at a Thailand elephant sanctuary, news portal Travel Mole reported.

The 23-year-old woman was hit by the "panic stricken" animal’s trunk, police said.

It happened at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Centre in Phang Nga province.

“A female tourist was killed while bathing an elephant,” police chief Jaran Bangprasert said.

Spanish media identified the woman as Blanca Ojanguren García.

She was in a group of about eight tourists at the sanctuary when it happened.

Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said his country's consulate in Bangkok was assisting a Spanish family.

The elephant sanctuary offers various ‘elephant care’ packages which include bathing, walking and preparing food and feeding the elephants.

Deaths by wild elephants are relatively common but rare in elephant refuges and sanctuaries.