Oct 1 2010
An Aussie Ten Best Blog
Because I am hotel reviewer I repeatedly get questioned about good places to visit in Australia.. Here’s some thoughts.
1.The traditional jumping off point for those looking to snorkel and dive the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns is a favoured destination to catch a day tour to the reef. There are various operators that offer a wide variety of different kinds of tours out to the reef. You may choose between day-tours or overnight tours, which range widely in price, anywhere from around $100 to much much more. If you aren’t yet qualified to dive, but can’t imagine a day tour to the Great Barrier Reef without doing so, just about all cruises will give you the opportunity to do a resort dive, with no qualifications needed or you can easily pick up your certification in a few days at any Cairns dive school. They offer a 5-day learn to dive course, which gives you your PADI certification and gives you the opportunity for several solo scuba dives out on the reef. Virtually all operators have an ecotourism certification, which means you don’t have to worry about damaging all the beautiful underwater scenery while you are diving.
2.Happening in February, the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is now the biggest of its kind in the world. A million people line the route streets] to see floats so colourful, and outfits so outlandish that Brazilian carnevalists would be envious. Streets are blocked off, pubs en-route are at capacity, and the gay and lesbian community party for days. It’s their Christmas. Straight folk are allowed along for the celebratory ride but this is a celebration of queer culture. The event began in 1978 with a parade of 800 people marking World Gay Solidarity Day. These were much less open times and there were fights with authority that led to arrests for ‘lewd behaviour’. These days gay and lesbian police march openly – and even in uniform – in the parade. The whole thing involves thousands of performers. Religious types are always resentful of the blatant sexuality but are generally seen as part of the lunatic fringe during this miasma of colour. It’s a huge party and can’t be missed.
3.An hour or so south of Cairns Australia, Mission Beach is the closest mainland point to the Great Barrier Reef. The beach is a 8 mile long, perfect sandy beach, with fantastic views of Dunk and a handful of other islands just within sight. There is a tiny town there, where you can learn more about activities like snorkelling or skydiving, though some would be perfectly content soaking up the sunshine and taking in the beautiful views.You can stay in local accommodation, though many will be coming from Cairns. If you did not rent a car or camper van for your holiday, there is a company that offers a coach transfer service named Mission Beach Dunk Island Coaches, which takes scenic routs between Port Douglas, Cairns, and the Cassowary coast.
4.Tropfest is the world’s largest short film festival and is held one night in February each year in Sydney’s Domain. Tropfest also screens around the country. The aim is to ‘showcase the work of young filmmakers and to give them the opportunity to show their short films for their peers in a festive environment’. For everyone else it’s a chance to watch free films while drinking beer on a hot summer’s evening. Each film has to contain a ‘signature item’, something inanimate the organisers decided months previously to ensure the film was made for Tropfest. The event began in 1993 when a local actor/director John Polson screened one of his own short films at the Tropicana Café in Darlinghurst. 200 people crammed the café. The next year 2000 showed up and chaos reigned on the café strip. Last year it’s estimated 100,000 watched the festival in The Domain, while capacity audiences filled the other venues.
5.The Big Day Out is a summer music festival and Australia’s biggest travelling party. Like a mobile Woodstock the show has featured in recent years bands like Coldplay, and Placebo. In the past top acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Prodigy have made the trip to Australia. From what was once as a one day event in Sydney on Australia day now travels all around Australia and even to New Zealand. It’s a must do activity for anyone under 30, local or tourist.
6.The thing to do at Ayers Rock – climb to the top of it. Located near Alice Springs aka the Outback, Uluru, one of the World’s Heritage Sites, is a large sandstone formation standing over 1100 feet in height and turns different shades of bright red throughout the day, particularly so during sunrise and sunset. More importantly, Uluru is a dreaming site for the Aboriginal people who also believe that a curse is placed on anyone who takes rocks away with them. In the tourist information center, there is a display of rocks that have been posted back from tourists hoping to get rid of the curse. There is a long chain placed along the side of the mountain that acts as a handrail for the hike up and the views from atop this magnificent site are simply breathtaking. The local Aboriginal people do not like travellers climbing Uluru, however this decision is up to you.
7.The largest continuous area of rainforest in the southern hemisphere, the Daintree National Park is a protected area of unbelievable rainforest two hours north of Cairns Australia. The Daintree, which encompasses around 1200 square kilometers, is not only a World Heritage site, but is also home to a large variety of plant and animal life—including marsupials, frogs, birds and the endangered [tree kangaroo|more]. Generally thought to be the oldest rainforest in the world, the Daintree forest is over 150 million years old and has more than 435 different species of bird, including 20 species that are found nowhere else in the world. There are numerous day bushwalks that allow tourists to experience parts of this beautiful rainforest by themselves, as well as guided tours that can help teach you about the local history on your way.
8.Whitehaven Beach is set amongst the 74 Whitsunday Islands along the Central Queensland coast and can be reached by boat or air. I have been to many beaches in my journeys and this is undoubtedly the most amazing, most beautiful stretch of sand I have ever visited. If you can think of the softest, whitest, cleanest sand, the clearest, lightest, bluest water that’s what it looks like. Airlie Beach is most often used as the base point to get to the Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach. A popular way to see Whitehaven is a sailboat liveaboard cruise. There are numerous sailing companies in Airlie Beach that offer this service. There are also day trips to just Whitehave or including a visit to another island such as South Molle Island.
9.Watch the amazing view of the Sydney Opera House with the world famous Harbour bridge in the foreground .The Sydney Opera House is widely considered as the symbol of Australia, as well as being one of the most well known performing arts centres anywhere. The main attraction is off course the unique design. On major celebrations in Sydney history, like New Years Eve and the Sydney Olympic games, the bridge has always been the focal point. For the adventurous, it’s also possible to climb the bridge.
10.Coober Pedy is well known for the unusual homes of a significant portion of it’s local inhabitants who live in converted mines. This practice came about when local resident sought escape from the intense heat before the days of modern air conditioning. Also famous as the the Black Opal Capital of the World, Coober Pedy was first established as an opal mine in the eaerly 20th century. Today tourists can visit the old opal mines, visit underground churches, and stay underground in a motel. The local golf course, with sand instead of grass, is played at night with glow in the dark golf balls. The area served as the backdrop for the post-nuclear apocalypse film titled Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome starring Australian son Mel Gibson. Find a Underground hotel and experience this must see landmark.
I trust these help any prospective holiday makers to Australia.
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