Congratulations to Bruce Jackson of Otway Eco Tours for being recognised as the Victorian winner in the national OM4Tourism Hidden Jewel Awards.

Here is what is in an earlier post ”

We have arranged to chat with Bruce Jackson at Otway Eco Tours on our way home. I have seen platypus at Healesville Sanctuary in the Dandenongs on the other side of Melbourne, but never in the wild.

So, here we are sitting on Bruce’s porch in Forrest, chatting about the wonderful wildlife that he regularly shows people in the area around his home.

Bruce and his family moved from Melbourne via Torquay – as a keen surfer he still visits Torquay often. He has a degree in biological science and chooses to utilise his knowledge by showing people the secret lives of our native animals.

While we’re with Bruce, we get to see both a male and female bowerbird – a thrill for me as I am mad about birds and didn’t even know that bowerbirds are common in the Otways. Bruce says we were particularly lucky to see the male as he is quite shy and there are fewer males around.

We make plans to return to Forrest with our family to paddle along Lake Elizabeth and see the platypus.”

To tip or not to tip - that’s a question we rarely know the answer to until after we’ve arrived at our holiday destination.

We have just returned from a trip to Canada and the USA - a great holiday that highlighted the big differences between North America and Australia when it comes to tipping.

As passengers on the Rocky Mountaineer, for example, we were advised that it would be acceptable (in other words, expected) to offer CAD$25 per day per hostess. And this is after we had paid top dollar for the tour! Our costs everywhere were higher than we had anticipated because of the “gratuities” added to meals and services.

Some argue that gratuities are necessary in countries where workers are not paid adequate wages. But does this really apply to North America? Or is it an excuse for employers to pay lower wages than they can afford?

Some restaurants and tour operators will make it clear that tips are an essential part of an employee’s take-home pay. So you’re effectively being told that you have to pay the employee part of their wage, as well as paying for the goods or services. Personally I’d rather have the extra built into the price so that I know what I’m buying up front.

Then there’s tax. To top off our North American trip, GST was added at the cash register AFTER we had selected a purchase, so you have to remember to mentally add the GST to avoid being unpleasantly surprised by this hidden extra!

When you come to Australia, when you view prices at restaurants, in stores and on Australian travel sites like this one, the price you will pay is the price advertised. GST, if applicable, is either included or stated clearly up front, and tipping is not expected. However if you feel that you have received excellent service and you wish to tip then that is your choice.

I’d love to hear your views and your experiences of tipping. Check our Travel Tips category regularly for more Australian travel tips, including advice for drivers exploring our magnificent Great Ocean Road.

You can get more information on tipping and other Australian travel matters from The Small Guide.