The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s Good Weekend will mark the 30th anniversary of its annual 52 Weekends Away, celebrating the domestic travel sector with a special edition this Saturday, November 14.
Co-edited by the Good Weekend and Traveller teams and set against the backdrop of COVID-19 restrictions, the 30th annual edition, which runs at 64 pages, features weekend escape ideas from every state and territory, and reviews of accommodation from luxury adults-only to family friendly.
With international travel off the cards for now, and borders slowly opening up, 52 Weekends Away is the perfect impetus to plan your summer holiday and 2021 mini-breaks. In a year that’s seen drought, bushfires and a pandemic, supporting our home-grown travel sector has never been more important.
The short break has changed markedly over the three decades since Good Weekend published its first 52 Weekends Away issue on November 17, 1990. And as borders re-open, Australians are set to tour their own country like never before.
“Thirty years ago, a weekend away meant driving for an hour to a fibro shack in a sleepy beachside town, where we’d put home-made spaghetti bolognese and a bottle of red on the table and call it dinner,” says Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland. “Today we fly or drive; stay in everything from fibro shacks to upmarket city hotels; and often choose our destination according to its foodie cred.”
“Just as the weekend away has evolved over the three decades in which Good Weekend has been publishing this annual issue, so too has 52 Weekends Away. Today it covers every state and territory and a vast range of accommodation. COVID-19 might have disrupted our international travel plans but the silver lining is the way it’s turned the spotlight onto our own backyard. There are so many places nationwide that I’ve been dying to visit but haven’t quite got to. 2021 is the year I will – and I’ll be using this issue as my guide.”
The cover features a painting by Melbourne artist Tom Adair, which depicts the ocean pool at Bronte Beach, Sydney. Adair says he wanted to capture how central water is to our sense of identity. Good Weekend, together with Adair and his Sydney gallery, Nanda\Hobbs, are releasing 50 limited edition prints of the painting which can be purchased at: https://thestore.com.au/weekender
The edition also has major sponsorships from both Destination NSW and Tourism Tasmania, which have taken advertising false covers on the front and back of the magazine. There’s an eight-page mini-magazine insert and sponsored content from Destination NSW revealing some of the hidden getaway gems of the state, and a seven-page advertorial from Tourism Tasmania delving deep into the Apple Isle’s spectacular off-the-beaten-track spots.
