Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for australia
The Pinnacles
By Linda Tancs
Take a three hours’ drive north of Perth (the capital of Western Australia) and you’ll encounter the otherworldly Pinnacles in Nambung National Park. The Pinnacles comprise limestone shells cast as pillars in the desert landscape of the park, their sheer numbers (and oddball shapes and sizes) creating an alien-like environment. They date back millions of years to an epoch when the sand was beneath the sea. The ride down Indian Ocean Drive is well worth it for the views of coastline fringed by white beaches and colorful native bushland, but you can also get there via coach or a 4WD tour from Perth.
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In the Heart of the Reef
By Linda Tancs
In the heart of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is Hayman Island, a private island open to the public and the nearest of the Whitsunday Islands to the Outer Reef, including the famous Heart Reef. It’s home to One&Only Hayman Island, a premier resort where guests can enjoy their arrival by luxury yacht. With direct access to the reef, visitors flock to Blue Pearl Bay, located on the northwestern side of the island. A must for snorkelers and divers, its charms include the resident Maori Wrasse, defending the reef by eating its arch enemies. Best coral cover is in the shallow waters off the southern beach.
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A Devil of a Place
By Linda Tancs
Tasmania, an isolated island state off Australia’s south coast, is widely known as the home of the Tasmanian Devil. Reputation aside, this shy creature is the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial since the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger in 1936. But there’s so much more to this island nation than its protected inhabitant. Consider Hobart, Tasmania’s historic waterfront capital. It comes alive each Saturday at Salamanca Market, an outdoor market set between plane trees and sandstone facades of historic warehouses that draws hordes of tourists and locals. More sandstone is on display at Battery Point, the city’s oldest suburb, accessible via the 175-year-old Kelly’s Steps from Salamanca. In addition to beautiful sandstone mansions, you’ll see colonial cottages and delight in impressive river views.
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A Hotbed of Activity in Australia
By Linda Tancs
Though it may be like little more than a trickle in a rain bucket, a tiny speck of southern ocean in Australia’s remote southwest is a hotbed of activity every February and March. For reasons yet unknown, Bremer Canyon is one of the only places on earth this time of year where killer whales can be consistently observed in a mass congregation (even more than 100 at the same time). Daily tours capture all the action as pods of killer whales (along with sperm whales, sharks, giant squid, sunfish and schools of tuna) participate in an unparalleled feeding frenzy. This is one annual phenomenon you won’t want to miss.
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Cagey in Neptune
By Linda Tancs
South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is shaped like a shark tooth, an apt construction given that the Neptune Islands off its coast boast the biggest great white sharks on the planet. Eager to draw on shark tourism, the Neptunes offer visitors an up-close-and-personal experience with this apex predator courtesy of underwater cages. Go ahead and take the plunge.
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Block 42
By Linda Tancs
Ever wonder what $168,000 tastes like? Apparently, it’s very fruity, with an intense aroma of blackcurrant, dark chocolate and licorice. That’s what you can expect from a bottle of 2004 Kalimna Block 42 cabernet sauvignon, one of the most expensive bottles of wine ever at time of release. Offered by Australian wine producer Penfolds, this limited edition hails from the 10-acre Block 42, planted only 30 years after the great 1855 Bordeaux Classification and comprising the oldest plantings of cabernet sauvignon continuously produced in the world. A wine this special comes with an equally rare casing, a glass vessel based on an ancient jar used to store wine.
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A Nut in Tasmania
By Linda Tancs
Stanley is a quaint historical fishing village in northwest Tasmania. It’s located at the base of an extinct volcanic plug called The Nut. Standing 470 feet tall, the ancient plug’s spectacular overlooks can be reached by hiking or by chair lift. Not far away at the southern head of the Arthur River is the fabled “edge of the world,” a great place to watch the unruly seas crashing in from the Indian Ocean.
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Straddie’s Natural Wonders
By Linda Tancs
Starting around May and ending in July, thousands of humpback whales migrate north past Australia’s North Stradbroke Island (popularly known as “Straddie”), a favored destination for Brisbanites just off the coast. You’ll find the best land-based viewing at Point Lookout. Forget your watch; here you’re on nature’s time. Besides whale watching season, there’s plenty of hiking, fishing, swimming (five beaches to choose from) and surfing to keep you occupied. Or just relax at one of the peaceful inland lakes with names like Blue Lake and Brown Lake. It’s that simple.
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Longitude 131°
By Linda Tancs
Longitude 131° is more than just a coordinate. It’s an experience in Australia’s Outback that puts the glam in glamping. Located near Ayers Rock Resort with complimentary transfers from the area airport, the luxury resort sports only 15 “tents,” each comprising a white dome roof and fabric draped from the center to create the illusion of camping’s more rustic nature. But that doesn’t make the experience any less adventurous–the World Heritage listed Uluru-Kata Tjutaof National Park beckons just minutes from your door.
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Australia’s Twelve Apostles
By Linda Tancs
It might seem like just a stack of large rocks to some, but the limestone monoliths jutting out from the Southern Ocean coastline near Melbourne, Australia known as the 12 Apostles have their followers. Although their naming has no biblical connection, it’s quite evocative and certainly an improvement over the original moniker–the Sow and Piglets. Part of Port Campbell National Park, the formations are located on the corner of Booringa Road and Great Ocean Road in Princetown 3269, just a four-hour drive or so from Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road. Sunrise and sunset are great viewing times to view the rocks’ dramatic color changes.
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