I ventured off to Australia last year and can't wait to go back. My touring started in Alice Springs where I visited the icons of the Red Centre, namely - Uluru (a.k.a Ayers Rock), Kata Tjutu (the Olgas), and Watarrka (Kings Canyon). The landscape is spectacular and even the birds and trees are totally different from up here in North America. I fell asleep to the call of the dingo, while snuggled up in a swag in the outback and woke up to the most musical bird I have ever heard, which I believe was a pied butcherbird. Alice Springs also has great bush walks and the essential junction for hitting the trails is near the Alice Springs Telegraph Station. I managed to see a kangaroo, which I believe was about as tall as I am, and I'm 6-1. The marsupial was about a 100 yards off the trail, but a fairly intimidating sight nevertheless. I wouldn't mind going to go back to Alice just to bush walk at least part of the Larapinta Trail. Uluru and Kata Tjutu are very spiritual places, even if one is not the religious type. After visiting, one can understand the spiritual and cultural significance the local aboriginals place in them.
From there it was off to Broome in Western Australia where I paid a visit to Cable Beach and Gantheaume Point. Beach lovers won't be disappointed, although be sure to check the sign posted on the walkway to the beach for any jellyfish warnings. Broome also serves as a gateway to the Kimberley region of Western Australia, where more fantastic landscape lies throughout. I flew over some of this landscape on my way out enroute to Darwin and immediately knew I'm going to have to make a return trip to explore this region. The plane made a pit stop in Kununurra, which is the base for checking out the Bungles.
Darwin served as my base for visiting Kakadu, which was made internationally famous by filming parts of "Crocodile Dundee" in the area. Movie buffs will probably want to visit the Adelaide River Inn to see "Charlie" the water buffalo, who resides there and the bar itself was featured in the film. Kakadu is the Australian version of America's Yellowstone, where dramatic and various landscapes contain unique species of birds and the star attraction, the crocs. The croc spotting tours are worth it. Chances are you will see some pretty good sized ones hanging out along the river bank or billabong. In addition, aboriginal culture has a very strong influence here as well. There are aboriginal rock art sites in the park and the aboriginals govern their own exclusive traditional land, known as "Arnhem Land." This will be my excuse for returning to this area because I didn't have the time to visit Arnhem Land. A couple of other areas worth checking out are Litchfield National Park, famous for its magnetic termite mounds, and Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge), where one can hire a kayak and paddle through a series of scenic gorges. Oh, I almost forgot, when in Darwin try to visit the Mindal Beach Sunset Markets or if you can't, dine on fresh barramundi. Best tasting fish I ever ate.
From Darwin, it was on to Cairns for my adventures on the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. I went on a couple of cruises. The first was out of Port Douglas (which has its own awesome beach) on Quicksilver. There is all sorts of stuff to do once out on the moored pontoon on Agincourt Reef. One can snorkel, dive, take a ride on a semi-sub, take a helicopter ride or even try seawalking. I took the helicopter and semi-sub rides, and did a bit of snorkeling. The coral and the fish seem surreal, even though its the real thing. On my second reef trip, I went out of Cairns on a day trip to Green Island on Great Adventures. This time I went on a glass bottom boat ride, had a go at seawalking and hiked around on Green Island checking out the beach and rain forest. If you haven't tried seawalking and wish to try it, its worth it. Picture yourself walking the seafloor with a fishbowl on your head. You can even stick your hand up under the helmet to scratch your face or to pinch your nose to adjust to the water pressure. The instructor told me seawalking is the precursor to diving.
There's plenty to do in the Daintree National Park area. There are two sections of the park, which is roughly bisected by the Daintree River, and yes, loaded with crocs. On the Mossman side one can pay an educational visit to the Kuku Yalanji before continuing up the road to Mossman Gorge. The bushwalk through the rainforest with the aboriginal guide was very informative. One learns how the aboriginals live in harmony with the rainforest. Once crossing the Daintree River on the ferry one lands in a unique world, known as Cape Tribulation, which was named by Captain Cook after his ship became lodged on the Great Barrier Reef. There are great bushwalks and beaches branching off from the sealed road from the river ferry to the end of Cape Tribulation village where the road becomes unsealed. In this regard, I took a tour up this road, which leads up to Cooktown. Cooktown itself was named after the famous explorer and sports a pioneering spirit, which is a combination of the town's history and its remoteness, especially during the wet season. While on the Cape Trib, its also almost mandatory to stop at the exhaustive Daintree Discovery Centre. Everything you want to know about the rainforest is in there. Upon exiting Daintree and heading back towards Cairns, the Kuranda Scenic Railway, combined with a visit to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park makes for a great day trip. I also managed to pack in a 2 day kayaking trip out to Snapper Island, which is a good place to camp, kayak and snorkel.
Anyway, I'm in the planning stage for my return trip to the Land of Oz early next year. I'm currently working on an itinerary which will include Tasmania, Kangaroo Island, the Barossa Valley, Melbourne, Sydney and Fraser Island. Once this trip is completed, I hope to go to New Zealand and do more concentrated Australian touring. I could easily find ways to spend vacations for the next ten years heading down under.
