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Australia Expat Travel News – August 2007Thinking of visiting Australia some time soon? Why not as it is only an 11-hour overnight flight… Come to vibrant Australia for that holiday experience you will never forget. No jetlag (only +2 hours from China), fresh air, delicious fresh food, relaxed & friendly people, huge variety of destinations. If you plan to holiday in the peak times (CNY/May/October/Christmas) please try and allow at least 2 months (up to 6 months for Christmas as it is peak season in Australia) to ensure availability of international flights and the first choice for accommodation. So if it is October/December Holidays you are thinking of, get on to it now!Airfare Specials:National Day Promotion with Air China Land Specials:Fraser Island: Kingfisher Bay Resort – Winter Package from RMB 2,768/AUD 426 per person! Australia’s premier ecotourism resort, a four times Australian Tourism Award winner is located on the beach on World Heritage Fraser Island. Rangers guide four-wheel drive tours to discover the crystal clear, freshwater lakes ringed by white sandy beaches, creeks flowing through ancient rainforests with rare plants and animals and beaches stretching beyond the horizon. Enjoy a daily nature walk as well as cruises to see dolphins play in calm island waters and humpback whales from August to October. There is a resort hotel, self-contained villas, shops, kids clubs, 4 swimming pools, 3 restaurants with a focus on the best of Australian food and wine, bars, a nightclub, massage and beauty therapy, tennis, fishing and watersports. www.kingfisherbay.com From RMB 2,768 (AUD$426)* per person twin share * Valid for travel now to 31 October 07 A Family’s travels Down Underby Amy Mellinger: One of my lifelong dreams has been to visit Australia. Its distance from my home country (the U.S.), its natural beauty and those fabulous accents have long captured my imagination. Last December we took our dream vacation. My husband, three children (ages 8, 10 and 14) and I boarded the 10-hour overnight flight and awoke in Sydney to begin our Australian adventure. Sydney Our favorite exhibit was the area dedicated to Australia’s native wildlife – specifically the koalas and kangaroos. However, the zoo’s biggest highlight isn’t zoological at all – it’s the awe-inspiring vistas. The Sydney Zoo sits on a prime piece of real estate and the views from the summit are stunning. The next day my husband and two older children woke up early for the wildly popular Bridge Climb. They were so excited they couldn’t get out the door fast enough. The Bridge Climb is a three and a half hour guided climb along catwalks and ladders all the way to the summit of the Harbour Bridge, 134 meters above the water. It’s so popular that my husband booked the climb a month before our trip (the minimum age is 10). When they returned they reported the experience was “awesome” and not too difficult. Even our 10 year old, who was a little nervous, returned all smiles. Later that afternoon we sought out more adventure on the jet boats. The boats take you on a roller coaster-like ride around the harbor at speeds up to 80 kilometers/hour. Tour operators abound at each harbor. We loved ride but be warned it does get rough and you’ll get wet … very wet if you sit in the back row as we did (children must be at least 1.3 meters to ride). We spent our last day at Manly Beach, seven miles northeast of Sydney and just a ferry ride from Sydney Harbour. We chose Manly as surf shops on the beach offer surfing lessons (try the Manly Surf School which offers lessons for all ages). A two-hour lesson is 55 AUD for adults and 45 AUD for children. My husband and the kids took a lesson while I relaxed on the beach. Afterwards, my youngest, who was wary at first, proclaimed, “I want to surf everyday for the rest of my life!” Port Douglas The all-day trip to the Great Barrier Reef made three stops along the reef with time at each for snorkeling and diving. It was spectacular! We saw corals in vivid blues and pinks and fish in every color of the rainbow. From a parent’s point of view, the guides were great, providing a program including snorkeling tours and a bit of reef education between stops. They pointed out various sea creatures that otherwise could be easily missed and also put the kids at ease in the water, showing them pictures of sea creatures they may see and assuring them that they were harmless. At 160 AUD for adults and 110 AUD for children (12 and under) it’s expensive but still well worth it. Another Port Douglas highlight is Mossman Gorge, part of the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest. Twenty minutes from Port Douglas, the Mossman River tumbles through a steep-sided valley lined with huge granite boulders that create freshwater swimming holes. You can take a full-day tour of the area but it’s not necessary. We had a tour bus pick us up at the hotel (10 AUD/person) and drop us at the top of the trail. From there you can walk along a 2.7 kilometer loop trail or hike across the suspension bridge crossing the river. We stopped along the way for a picnic lunch and a swim – the river water is cold but feels good after a hike. After 11 days, our dream trip ended. But now I have a new dream – to return. What we saw of Australia was spectacular and the people themselves were wonderful (as were their accents). A special thanks to Vicki Baensch of Australia Expat Travel. She planned a fantastic trip for us, she really knows her stuff!
More feedback from recently returned Asia-based Expats:We had a magnificent time in Australia and it made it very difficult to come back to Shanghai ... it was just lovely. Benbellen Farmstay - AMAZING!!! My daughter cried, in the car, for an hour after leaving. We had a wonderful time. The cottage was perfect, 2 bedrooms, lovely kitchen, huge verandah, right on the farm .... magnificent! Tangalooma Dolphin Resort - FANTASTIC! If the food were better, we would have loved to stay there longer. Tons of activities in and out of the water. Just an absolutely gorgeous place. The staff were friendly and helpful and the wild dolphin feeding was amazing. We couldn't believe that we could go into the ocean with the wild dolphins and they would take fish right out of our hands! Incredible. An absolutely memorable experience. Thank you for all of your help with every piece of this trip. Thanks again for all of your hard work! Cheers! Wendy Bernard, Shanghai
Hello Vicki, Thanks a lot. We had a really nice trip in Australia; you have a really enjoyable country with an unbeatable life style. The houseboat was really nice we could have stayed a week on the boat. The site was wonderful. So close from Sydney but at the same time so close to the nature.
Dear Vicki! - The holiday in Australia was really good!! Thank you for your advice to visit just a small part of it: we had time to enjoy and relax a lot!
Did you know?There are many international airlines that fly into various cities in Australia, both direct or with a stopover enroute. If you are planning to travel to a number of states/destinations in Australia, consider very carefully the international airline you choose. It would be to your advantage to select an international airline that flies in or out of the capital city of the state you choose to travel. Top of Page Home
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