The ever-shifting sands of Lake Mungo National Park are Australia’s window into deep time, where people sat, cooked and talked tens of thousands of years ago. Professor Dirk HR Spennemann has ventured this way before. But he never tires of taking the journey, and it always leaves its mark.

For all that extra stuff we just couldn't get into, for all that malarky to help you survive Mancation and a post Mancation world, here are a few tips and leads from AT to help you out...

The classic Boys’ Weekend Away is a near-sacred tradition. Often difficult to negotiate with partners and loved ones, they are hard earned and come at a high cost – in brownie points at the very least. Here then is a little Mancation inspiration: the best of the best of boys’ weekends in Australia. So unwind, enjoy, and remember . . . it’s all in the name of manly fun. Words by AT Staff, edited by Craig Roberts

If the best things in life are free, then the second-best things must cost just under ten bucks. To that end, budget travel hound Sarah Tierney has come up with some great ideas for saving money on travel in these lean times.