#travel #cruises #cruising #SouthPacific #Australia #NewZealand #IslandGetaways

For more information on Cruising,
contact: Jacintha Perera, MCC
Master Cruise Counsellor
Aussie & Kiwi Specialist
JP@IslandGetawaysTravel.com
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597 M-F 9am – 5pm PST

https://youtu.be/IngWPsbz9qc

“Escape the city & get back to the great pleasures of life: food, wine & nature.
Drive through mountain forests, sample regional wines & local produce,
or fly over the rolling hills in a hot air balloon.”

#travel #SouthPacific #Australia #Victoria #Yarra #IslandGetaways

For more information on travel to Australia,
contact: Jacintha Perera, ACC, MCC
Aussie Specialist & Master Cruise Counsellor
JP@IslandGetawaysTravel.com
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597 M-F 9am – 5pm PST

“Get up close to the 12 Apostles along Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road, with a
360 degree video to imagine you’re flying overhead & exploring in a helicopter.”
#travel #SouthPacific #Australia #Victoria #GreatOceanRoad #IslandGetaways

For more information on travel to Australia,
contact: Jacintha Perera, ACC, MCC
Aussie Specialist & Master Cruise Counsellor
JP@IslandGetawaysTravel.com
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597 M-F 9am – 5pm PST

https://youtu.be/Q9Eastf6SeU

“It’s easy to see why Melbourne is regularly voted one of the world’s most livable cities.
Experience all of what Melbourne and its surrounding regions have to offer.”

#travel #SouthPacific #Australia #Victoria #Melbourne #IslandGetaways

For more information on travel to Australia,
contact: Jacintha Perera, ACC, MCC
Aussie Specialist & Master Cruise Counsellor
JP@IslandGetawaysTravel.com
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597 M-F 9am – 5pm PST

 #travel #SouthPacific #Australia #Victoria #Melbourne #IslandGetaways

For more information on travel to Australia,
contact: Jacintha Perera, ACC, MCC
Aussie Specialist & Master Cruise Counsellor
JP@IslandGetawaysTravel.com
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com
916.897.9597 M-F 9am – 5pm PST

This an excerpt from the Australia Virtual Tour.
See Archives September 2009 for the entire tour.

Day 14: The Bat Cave

Traveling in the opposite direction, south and inland from Cairns, we cross the Atherton Tablelands, past extinct volcanic craters and vast plains where you can see agricultural plains with cattle stations and tropical savannah woodlands with abundant wildlife. These highlands contain national parks, rainforests, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. You can enjoy bush walking, bird watching, fishing and even hot air ballooning over the area.

Once you arrive in Undara, you are in the Outback region of Queensland. Overnight stays can be arranged at the unusual Undara Lava Lodge where converted turn-of-the-century railway cars serve as your accommodations and dining cars.

A wildlife tour at sunset with an experienced  savannah guide reveals local native animals: kangaroos, wallabies, lizards, birds and  . . . bats. Later in the evening , our guide walks visitors over to the mouth of  Barker’s Cave to await the nightly exodus of thousands of tiny, furry, microbats into the night sky. Also lying in wait are the brown tree snakes or “night tigers” who strike out and try to capture their small prey as they fly past. It’s quite the nightly drama during the summer months.

We return the next morning, this time in broad daylight, to descend down into the fascinating geological phenomenon of the Undara lava tubes for a closer inspection. This requires a moderate level of fitness due to the uneven terrain and the climbing down and up over rocks at either end. And the bats have returned to their home on the cave ceiling after feeding on insects last night. Don’t worry, they’re not the least bit interested in you.

For more information, go to:
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com

This an excerpt from the Australia Virtual Tour.
See Archives September 2009 for the entire tour.

Day 9: Finding Nemo

Australia is the world’s largest island encircled by thousands of kilometers of shoreline and beautiful beaches. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, lies off the coast of Tropical North Queensland with the 74 Whitsunday Islands sprinkled inside the Coral Sea.

The capital city of Cairns is a convenient access point for everything from resort island stays to day sails on sail boats to multi day cruises on small cruise ship or live-aboard dive boats.

If your time is limited, I suggest a day trip out to the Barrier Reef. There are several options to choose from.  One is a sleek wave-piercing catamaran which can whisk you out to an activities platform at the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef while you enjoy morning tea.

Of course, there is swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving for those who like the water. For those who prefer not to get wet, you can watch others take the plunge from the deck or through the underwater observation window. You may also go out in a semi-submersible vessel which, unlike a submarine, floats on the surface and does not descend below the surface. You may even join a marine biologist for an informative discussion. The last option is to get the bird’s eye view as you glide over the reef in a helicopter.

There’s something for everyone  and more than one way to experience this famous offshore playround – the largest structure on the planet built by living organisms. and you’ll be sure to see Nemo and his clown fish friends as you discover thousands of species of brightly colored fish and molluscs and hundreds of  types of coral.

Photography note: these grainy photos were taken with a disposable waterproof camera on a dive I did myself. All of the colors get muted as the light diffuses down through the water. You really need to see it for yourself.

For more information, go to:
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com

This an excerpt from the Australia Virtual Tour.
See Archives September 2009 for the entire tour.

Day 4: A Night at the Opera

The city of Sydney wraps itself around the harbor. One of the best ways to travel around it is to take a relaxing lunch harbor cruise. This photo is part of a series of progressive shots I took from the water side as we cruised past the world famous Opera House. This unique architectural structure is an amazing photo op from any angle and quite impressive to see in person.

I recommend the 1 hour guided tour for a fascinating look inside at the several performance halls beneath those lofty sail-shaped domes. In addition to opera, there are also live ballet, jazz, theater and classical music performances.

There is also a more intimate and more extensive 2 hour backstage tour for visitors interested in actually walking on stage and through the orchestra pit, scenery docks, dressing rooms and fly towers.

An elegant and sophisticated afternoon High Tea is served once a week. Guests are welcomed with a glass of Australia sparkling wine and then offered a selection of teas, pastries and cakes before a private musical performance.

To make an evening of it, you feast on a fine dining experience in the Bennelong Restaurant contained in the front two shells of the Opera House with spectacular views of Sydney’s skyline followed by an evening show just steps away in the Concert Hall or Opera Theater.

So, it’s actually a day and a night at the Opera House.

For more information, go to:
www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com

This brings the Australia Virtual Tour full circle to Day 1 / September 1 of the tour when I first greeted you from deep “Down Under” in one of those lava tubes. In future tours, we will visit other territories within this vast continent.

“Walkabout” is the aussie aboriginal term for ‘”travel”.  Join me on a walkabout through parts of this fascinating country. My Aussie Adventure Getaway to Sydney and Cairns scheduled for February incorporates city, reef and rainforest activities and experiences discussed throughout the month. Individual extensions are available to other regions such as the Outback, Melbourne or Adelaide.

I will also be offering a New Zealand Discovery Cruisetour in March that begins and ends in Sydney. This itinerary visis both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Pre-cruise land extensions are available for Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef and Kuranda Rainforest areas or to Ayers Rock and Alice Springs in the heart of the Outback’s Red Center.

View details on my web site: www.IslandGetawaysTravel.com

Traveling in the opposite direction, south and inland from Cairns, we cross the Atherton Tablelands, past extinct volcanic craters and vast plains where you can see agricultural plains with cattle stations and tropical savannah woodlands with abundant wildlife. These highlands contain national parks, rainforests, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. You can enjoy bush walking, bird watching, fishing and even hot air ballooning over the area.

Once you arrive in Undara, you are in the Outback region of Queensland. Overnight stays can be arranged at the unusual Undara Lava Lodge where converted turn-of-the-century railway cars serve as your accommodations and dining cars.

A wildlife tour at sunset with an experienced  savannah guide reveals local native animals: kangaroos, wallabies, lizards, birds and  . . . bats. Later in the evening , our guide walks visitors over to the mouth of  Barker’s Cave to await the nightly exodus of thousands of tiny, furry, microbats into the night sky. Also lying in wait are the brown tree snakes or “night tigers” who strike out and try to capture their small prey as they fly past. It’s quite the nightly drama during the summer months.

We return the next morning, this time in broad daylight, to descend down into the fascinating geological phenomenon of the Undara lava tubes for a closer inspection. This requires a moderate level of fitness due to the uneven terrain and the climbing down and up over rocks at either end. And the bats have returned to their home on the cave ceiling after feeding on insects last night. Don’t worry, they’re not the least bit interested in you.