Ever wondered what it would be like to visit Down Under? It’s not your Crocodile Dundee, Fosters-swilling, shrimp-on-the-barbie Australia any more. And it never really was, according to our guide, Paul, who recently guided Kelly and I around Melbourne. “That was just some clever entertainment from Paul Hogan.”
In fact, Australia has lots of rules: fasten your seatbelts; no texting while crossing the street; drink in moderation; no speeding! Don’t worry, though, as there are plenty of cafes, beaches, restaurants, bars and parks are full of Aussies enjoying the good life.
And what a good life it is. Australia’s infrastructure is excellent with great roads, comfortable accommodations and modern airports. The food is delicious and the domestic beer, wine and spirits are outstanding. Visiting in the Australian summer, the weather ranges from mild to hot and humid and provides a great escape from North America’s winter.
Australia is huge – roughly the same size as the United States – but its population is less than 30 million, or about the same as Texas – so there’s plenty of open space. Relatively few people live in the interior and most are located in the coastal areas east of the Great Dividing Range, a string of mountains running roughly from Cairns in the north to Melbourne in the south. That’s the area we visited on our three-week tour.
As tennis fans, we started in Melbourne to enjoy several days at the Australian Open (AO), the first of four Grand Slam tournaments held each year. Event tourism is Melbourne’s forte and this sports town hosts competitions like the AO, international cricket matches and an annual Grand Prix race. The city sits along the Yarra River where it meets the Pacific Ocean and features a mix of modern high rises and some older low-rise sections. The restaurant scene is amazing and the locals are proud and friendly. And just outside of town, a dramatic coastline and wine country beckons visitors.
Australia has the most national parks of any country in the world with around 650 protected areas, mostly run by states and territories. These parks account for about three percent of Australia’s land mass – an area about the size of Italy – and Australia has the second largest amount of its land protected as national parks next to Canada. Wildlife abounds in Australia’s numerous national parks and in many areas kangaroos run rampant like deer in some parts of the Unted States, but it can be challenging for visitors to see all the iconic Australian species in their natural habitats.
We paid a visit to a rescue and rehabilitation center offering up-close-and-personal views of marsupials, birds, reptiles and more. At the Moonlit Sanctuary we loved seeing wombats, dingos, Tasmanian devils, koalas, kangaroos, spot-tailed quall, squirrel gliders and much more. The center is located on the scenic Mornington Peninsula, which juts off the mainland toward Tasmania and features rugged coastline with crashing waves and intermittent sandy beaches. Quaint towns abound and there are numerous attractions for visitors. We did see some species in the wild like eastern grey kangaroos and the tiny antechinus, a mouse-like marsupial with distinctive serrated ears.
Australia boasts several great wine growing areas and our favorite was the Yarra Valley which features rolling hills and fertile valleys populated with a number of great wineries including Yarra Yering, a producer of pinot noirs, chardonnays and many other varietals. There are many opportunities for tasting here, along with delicious meals at places like Oakridge Vineyard where we enjoyed a three-course lunch with wine pairings – starting with a Ramarro farm pepper tart with tomatillo and crispy shallot, then moving on to lamb Wellington or Portarlington line-caught snapper or ricotta gnocchi with pesto, and finishing with a vanilla parfait with raspberry, rose syrup and elderflower.
In addition to vineyards there are hills covered with giant eucalyptus stands, riverside paths and much more.
Sydney is Australia’s first city. This is where it all started with British soldiers and convicts landing in the late 18th century to start a new colony and wreaking havoc on the indigenous population. Today, it’s Australia’s largest and most beautiful city (despite what Melbournians will try to have you believe) with miles of beautiful beaches and inlets along huge Sydney Harbor where cruise ships dock and tourists visit the famous Opera House and trek over the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We enjoyed walks along the coast in Sydney Harbor National Park and other areas such as Watsons Bay, Manly and famous Bondi Beach where surfers, swimmers and people watchers flock. We stopped for a pint in Sydney’s oldest pub, The Fortune of War, opened in 1828 in the heart of The Rocks (Sydney’s oldest colonial neighborhood).
Just over an hour outside of Sydney, the elevation rises in areas like the Blue Mountains, a huge canyon filled with interesting rock formations like the Three Sisters, steep cliffs, waterfalls and plenty of hiking trails. The park is home to a variety of wildlife, but the views and hiking alone were worth the trip.
When planning our trip, we were most excited about seeing Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef and it was, hands down, the highlight of our trip. More than 1,200 miles long and consisting of more than 2,100 individual reefs, it has more than 10 times more types of marine plants and animals than the Caribbean.
We enjoyed the luxurious 40-room Relais & Chateaux Lizard Island Resort as a base to experience the reef’s natural beauty. Here, we enjoyed delicious meals including fresh seafood with excellent wines, along with friendly service. Lizard Island is a national park and “private” island at the same time. Guests access the island via one-hour small plane flights from Cairns or by private boat. There is a small campsite for intrepid boaters, but it’s essentially a private island with one resort and a small research station. There are no shortage of beautiful beaches with few to no other people around.
Because the resort is on the reef, guests can avoid multi-hour boat trips to access the reef and simply snorkel or dive right off the island. They can take a short boat ride to nearby colorful reefs like Mermaid Cove, view sea turtles in Blue Lagoon or see giant clam beds in Watson’s Bay, like we did. Guests can also take day trips to the outer reef to have the chance to see larger species such as giant groupers, hammerhead sharks and manta rays. For guests interested in conservation, the resort has partnered with Parley and Eye on the Reef to aid ocean clean up and reef protection initiatives.
We finished our great Australian adventure with a visit to Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane. This is another of Australia’s beautiful coastal areas, the town reminiscent of La Jolla near San Diego. Here, a coastal walk in Noosa National Park (Australia’s most visited, with good reason) is not to be missed. We also explored Noosa’s hinterland (Kondalilla National Park which features mountain views, waterfalls and hiking) with Africa Adventure Consultants Senior Journey Specialist Angie Voigt who are locals and know the area extremely well.
While we had a nice, long visit to Australia, we left with so much still to see. Next time, we’ll add Kangaroo Island for endemic wildlife; Barossa Valley, Margaret River and McLaren Vale for more vineyard hopping; Phillip Island for viewing little penguins, the world’s smallest species; Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) for scenic beauty and Aboriginal history and culture; the Daintree for rainforest and traditional culture; and maybe a return to Lizard Island for more time on the Great Barrier Reef.
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Photos courtesy AAC President Kent Redding