It is possible to climb to the very summit of the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge as part of a small group adventure. If you look closely, you can see people in clusters climbing up along the top throughout the day. Your guide will take you across catwalks, up several ladders and finally along a walkway to the very top. From there, you have a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the entire harbor at dawn, dusk or any time in between. Night tours are also conducted for a different perspective. On a clear day, with a 360-degree view, it’s like being at the top of the world.

Participants are briefed and dressed in uniform gray jumpsuits before being attached to a safety line that runs the course. This is a functioning bridge with vehicular traffic as well as trains that rumble across below. Therefore, distractions from the climbers are minimized as much as possible. Anything that could dangle or drop such as jewelry or accessories has to be removed and stored in a locker at the base until you return. Personal cameras are not allowed but company photos will be available for purchase.

A few words of advice: I recommend any time other than midday due to the potential heat. You can work up quite a sweat in those jumpsuits! The gradient is not as steep as it appears. However, this activity may NOT be enjoyed by anyone who is seriously afraid of heights or uncomfortable walking and climbing for an extended period of time. There’s only one way up and one way down.

Welcome to the vibrant  and cosmopolitan city of Sydney. The Sydney International is a large modern airport with fast and convenient connections downtown. The Sydney Harbor waterfront is the place to stay to be in the center of all the action. The central business district sits directly behind this area.

There are several fine city hotels to choose from around Circular Quay, a main public transportation hub for ferries, buses and trains. My favorite hotel is the Sydney Inter-Continental with the historic former treasury building as its foundation. This is a stylish boutique-style hotel with contemporary and classic design elements. I’ve enjoyed having morning breakfast or evening cocktails with friends in the rooftop club lounge and deck with a panoramic view of  the Harbor Bridge, Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens all at the same time.

The bustling and energetic harbor waterfront houses all types of businesses from coffee bars to fine seafood restaurants; souvenir shops to elegant boutiques;  plus museums and galleries to keep you entertained.

Tonight, let’s walk around the harbor to The Rocks area. I know a friendly  aussie pub where we can chat with locals and visitors over some “fish and chips and a pint”. Tomorrow, we’ll return for a guided walking tour of this historic neighborhood with its colonial era buildings and learn about the arrival of the first Europeans and their impact on the local aboriginal population.

G’Day, mate. Greetings from the Land Down Under.

The vast and varied island continent of Australia is approximately the size of the United States. It is wider across than the distance from New York to Los Angeles with a population of 20 million people, largely concentrated in coastal areas.

Los Angeles is the main U.S. gateway to the South Pacific with direct flights to Tahiti, Fiji, the Cook Islands, New Zealand and Australia. When I speak about travel time, I am measuring from this departure point.

Many people have the misconception that Australia is at the bottom of the world and a full day’s journey away. Flight time from Los Angeles to Sydney is 14 hours, comparable to the flight times for Europe from our West Coast.

Undara lava tube

Once you arrive, prepare yourself for a kaleidoscope of colors in Australia’s diverse terrain: luscious green rainforests; craggy red deserts, white sandy beaches and rich blue oceans.

Here, I am deep in a lava tube in the Undara region of Northern Queensland. Notice the color striations on the cave walls/ceiling.

Photo note: An additional light source was required to take this shot in the dark cavernous tunnel.

I am literally down under the ground, get it?. It’s just my quirky off-center sense of humor. You’ll get used to it.

This brings the Australia Virtual Tour full circle to Day 1 / March 10 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 August 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 an Australia & New Zealand Cruisetour in December that begins in Sydney and ends in Auckland. This itinerary visits the Australian island of Tasmania plus 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
  

raffle bag

Monthly Raffle Drawing
Each month when virtual tour participants phone, e-mail, comment or refer others to my travel blog, I write their names on small blue index cards, fold them and place them in the raffle bag that sits on the bookshelf next to my desk.

I will roll over all entries from February and March through the next raffle on April 30.

Aussie Gift Pack

Those of you who know me can attest to my love of practical travel gifts. This month’s raffle prize includes a Hunter Valley Wine Country black and tan messenger bag with a lovely claret red lining (wine reference, get it?). It comes with a cap from the Cypress Lakes Golf Resort and a t-shirt with aboriginal dot design in fiery earth tones of yellow, orange and red. And I added a decorated boomerang and koala sporting a bush hat just for fun!
This month’s lucky winner of the Aussie Gift Pack is Shelly Gallegos of Aurora, Colorado.
Tune in tomorrow to see where we travel to next!

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.

The place where the rainforest and reef meet in North Queensland is the expanse of idyllic of coastal beaches.

The Coconut Beach Rainforest Lodge enjoys a unique location. It straddles the single road with one half stretching back into the rainforest and the other half reaching forward to the uncrowded beach. The units are individual bungalows nestled within the rainforest with screened windows (no glass) so that you are barely separated from Nature outside.

Palm Cove is a small, charming, coastal village built along a quiet  beach lined with majestic palms. Offering luxury beachfront resorts and fine dining, it is also fast developing as the spa capital of Australia. And you just have to step across the narrow front lane to laze away the day in warm tropical waters & silky sand.

The equally quaint but more sophisticated and slightly more crowded town of Port Douglas has become a hotspot with its famous Four Mile Beach, al fresco restaurants , chic boutiques and international clientele. You can enjoy a day of sunbathing, take a day trip into Mossman Gorge or the Coral Sea, and then return in the evening to dine under star-filled velvet skies.

The one drawback to these shores is the seasonal prevalence of the venonous box jellyfish during the months of November to March. Also called marine stingers or sea wasps, they are transparent with a cube shaped body and up to 15 tentacles each up to 3 yards in length housing thousands of stinging cells. However, lifeguards post daily signs regarding the water conditions and their recommendations. It’s important to heed them.

Yesterday, I talked about animal life in the region. Before we leave Cape Tribulation, I want to also discuss some unusual plant life. Notice that I’m standing in the photo to give a sense of relative size. The roots on this long-time local resident are even taller than I am. The Blue Quandon towers up to 35 yards high with a prominently buttressed base and distinctive blue fruit like large suspended figs.

Meanwhile the Stinging Tree is strictly a look-but-don’t-touch type of flora. The heart-shaped leaves have jagged edges but the real danger is the thousands of microscopic needles that embed themselves in the skin if touched. Heaven help the person who uses these leaves as a substitute for toilet paper. Unfortunately, it has been known to happen in rare instances and requires treatment at a hospital. My advise: wait and use the facilities at the next rest stop.

Speaking of which, at a rest area, I came upon  a rather large lizard, sunning himself, on the sidewalk. I didn’t approach and attempt to stand next to him for a size comparison. He was well over 3 feet long from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. I didn’t want him to scurry off but he seemed completely unperturbed by the presence of people. I believe he owned the place and apparently, so did he.

Cairns Botanic Gardens

Also, when walking through the rainforest,  be wary of the wait-a-while vines hanging down from trees to the ground or gathered in clumps around the base of  a tree. These are covered with small spikes that grab at clothing and can tear skin. It’s best to stay with your guide or use areas that have boardwalks built into the area for visitors.

If you are an avid gardener, the Cairns Botanical Gardens may be just the kind of relaxed, cultivated and safe place to visit at your leisure after you return from this wildnerness. But it might all seem quite tame after our recent adventures.

Traveling farther north of Cairns, you approach the Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world, containing the most species of plants and animals in Australia. This is a lush, tropical but wild world best experienced with an expert guide. This is an unpredictable environment, not a petting zoo or a place to wander off and explore alone.

The indigenous cassowary, somewhat resembling an ostrich in size and appearance, is listed as an endangered species and is quite rare and elusive. Standing between 5 and 6 feet in height, it has a black body and bright blue head with 2 swinging wattles at the front of its neck and an orange patch at the back. This flightless bird has one very long, sharp spike on each foot.  If it feels threatened, it has been known to charge straight ahead, lashing out violently with those claws and slashing  the target to ribbons.

If you take a cruise on the Daintree River, you may spy an estuarine crocodile lazing on the riverbank. It’s the ones you don’t see lurking underneath the water that are truly dangerous. In one rapid movement, they will pounce with sudden fury on unsuspecting prey, wrestling with them before dragging them below the water line. This is as close as you want to get. Definitely no swimming here.

We will return to our 4WD vehicle and take the cable ferry across the Daintree River to continue our journey through the Cape Tribulation wilderness area. Later, we will visit the coast for an invigorating walk on Coconut Beach and some afternoon tea before heading back to “civilization”.

Australia is one of the most eco-diverse  countries on the planet with species of flora and fauna unique to this continent.

Just north of Cairns is the Palm Cove, home to the unique Cairns Tropical Zoo. Their Night Zoo nocturnal interactive tour begins with an aussie BBQ as the sun goes down and continues with a guided walk through the grounds by flashlight, meeting the creatures of the night.

See crocodile eyes glow in the darkness. Pat a koala, touch a possum. Be kissed by  a wombat – squarely on the lips. That’s right, this one performs this amazing little surprize as you’re holding it, unsuspecting, standing still for the photo. Hand feed kangaroos as you sit around the campfire having billy tea and damper made by the resident Swaggie.

There’s even some good old-fashioned singalong and dancing with audience participation encouraged. If you’re shy, just exit stage left for the restroom at this time. By the time you come back, they’ll have moved on to another activity. Or just relax, play along and have some fun. Aussie beer is provided.

On a clear night, your guide will even do a little star gazing. Remember, this is the Southern Hemisphere. There are different constellations visible from Down under. No North Star, but certainly the Southern Cross.

Reminder: I will be giving away an Aussie Gift Pack on 3/31 at the end of the month. I add the names of all virtual tour participants who have called, e-mailed or posted comments to the raffle drawing each month.
New tour members, if you would like to particpate and be added to my private mailing list, just e-mail me:
Jacintha@IslandGetawaysTravel.com

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.