Australian
Natural Adventures
A
specialist travel agency for Australia travel, Australia tours, and
all things Australian.
Tourism
Australia accredited Premier Aussie Specialist.
Custom
Itinerary Prepared for
Kirsten
& Rob Kromann
Australia,
New Zealand & Fiji
October
17 to November 24 2007
Day 1: Wednesday, October 17: Seattle / Lost
In Space
Begin y
our
South Pacific journey by flying from Seattle to Los Angeles. In Los
Angeles you will arrive into the Alaska terminal. Exit and turn to
the left, then walk to the Tom
Bradley Terminal, the ne
xt
one to yourleft (LAX
terminals). Check in early for your Qantas to Melbourne, Australia,
which begins the moment you step aboard your Qantas
plane. The Australian style is apparent—easy going, casually
efficient and very friendly. Qantas is known for its excellent food
and in flight service, so sit back and enjoy the hospitality, meal
and a movie. I would, however, recommend having dinner at the airport
– there are a wide range of options upstairs, at the end of
the ticket counters – then just relaxing on the plane. (*D)
Day 2: Thursday, October 18: Lost
In Space
Today is lost to the International Date Line, but you regain it on
the return journey.
Day
3: Friday, October 19: Lost In Space / Melbourne
Arrive in Melbourne,
Australia early morning. Pass through customs and immigration and
transfer to your apartment, conveniently
located behind the Arts
Centre. It's a sho
rt
walk to Southbank, with many shops and restaurants,
and across the Yarra River to downtown. It's also an short walk to
St Kilda Rd, across from which are many parks, including the excellent
Botanic Gardens.
The rest of the day is free to explore Melbourne. Melbourne is quite
different to Sydney, with less rush and bustle, with a more sedate
and less brash population which considers itself to be more interested
in the finer things of life, rather than the more hedonistic. It has
a lot of excellent Victorian architecture, and the wonderful trams
- some Melbourne trams run in San Francisco - which also give it an
old-time air. The Yarra River runs through the center of the city
and is a popular place to wander the banks, and watch the rowers.
(*B)
Day 4– Saturday,
October 20: Melbourne
A free day to look around Melbourne. The National
Gallery of Victoria has probably the world’s bes
t
collection of Australian art, and a notable collection of European
masterpiece works (a part of which toured selected US galleries in
2003). The new downtown gallery building at Federation
Square, with its partial collection, has aroused considerable
controversy for its unique design and decoration. For the history
buff the Fitzroy
Gardens, at the top of Collins St, has C
aptain
Cook’s Cottage, his actual home that was packed up and shipped
to Melbourne for re-erection. It’s interesting to see just how
small an English middle-class home was back then. Recommended today
is a visit to the Victoria Markets, a short tram ride away, which
will give you a taste of typical Melbourne li
fe.
At the 120 year-old Queen
Victoria Market there's not much from clothing to the weekly meat
supply that can't be bought, and everything in between, and a lot
of characters to serve and entertain you. The market is open from
6am until about noon. The wine bars, restaurants
and small shops of Carlton, adjacent to Melbourne University and known
as Little Italy, or the bookstores of Prahran, including some specializing
in Australiana, may also be of interest, and are to discover the real
Melbourne, away from the usual tourist areas. Melbourne
Zoo in nearby Royal Park has a fine collection of both exotic
and native animals, in mostly naturalistic settings. Everywhere is
just a few minutes away by the ubiquitous Melbourne trams.
Day 5– Sunday, October 21: Brisbane
Ranges
This morning you are picked up at 9.15am by Roger or Janine of Echidna
Walkabout for a full day outing to the hills and plains west of
Melbourne to see wild kangaroos and koalas, abundant bir
dlife
and discover a rich Aboriginal heritage. You’ll learn about
native animals and plants both in the open-range grasslands of Serendip
Sanctuary on the Western Plains and in the
bush lands of Brisbane
Ranges National Park. Within easy reach from the centre of the
city of Melbourne, these environments provide the perfect introduction
to Australia's unique wildlife and indigenous culture. You’ll
see and walk amongst Grey Kangaroos in large free ranging groups,
and find emus, wallabies, koalas and other unique Australian wildlife.
A delicious bush lunch is provided. The Brisbane Ranges are home
to a large and healthy population of wild koalas and we rarely miss
out on multiple sightings of these delightful creatures. In additional
to the wildlife of the region during your journey your guide will
share with you the great significance of the Western Plains to Aboriginal
people. (L)
Days
6 – Monday, October 22: Melbourne / Great Ocean Road / Peterborough
Over the nest two days you travel along the Great Ocean Road and
on through southern Sou
th
Australia to Adelaide. Along the way visit Geelong, beachside towns
famous for their surf, the Otway Ranges and many other interesting
places. Your journey starts as you head west out of Melbourne and
through the coastal city of Geelong down to Torquay. A short while
later, at Anglesea, you begin the GOR proper as it winds its way
around the c
liffs
overlooking the Southern Ocean. However, make a detour at Anglesea
to the golf course, where Grey Kangaroos laze about on the fairways.
At the end of the road, or at least your journey today, are the
offshore sandstone stacks know at London Bridge – fallen down
now, just like in the nursery rhyme – and the Twelve Apostles,
again due to erosion and possibly original poor arithmetic, just
the seven apostles. Overnight in Peterborough
or nearby Warrnambool,
depending on the weather and the time you make along the way.
Day
7 – Tuesday, October 23: Peterborough / Adelaide
Continue this morning towards Adelaide. This can be routed either
north or south roads, but the south
road goes via Coonawarra
and Padthaway,
two prime
wine regions. The northern route will take you up through the
scenic Grampians, then on to the faster highway route. Although
the southern route takes a little longer as a direct drive, the
northern route is still a full day as there is much to see in the
first section.
Day
8 – Wednesday, October 24: Adelaide
Explore the city, and any of the nearby wine regions - Clare Valley,
McLarenvale and Adelaide
Hills over these two days. Within thirty
miles of Adelaide are numerous well-known wineries, cafes and restaurants,
and an interesting small native wildlife sanctuary. In Adelaide
itself is Tandanya,
home to South Australian Aboriginal arts and crafts, where you can
often see paintings and other crafts being made, as well as come
to understand the history and meaning of much of the work. There
are interesting restaurants and boutiques shops in the beachside
suburb of Glenelg, which can be reached by tram.
Day
9: Thursday, October 25: Adelaide
Continue to discover the Adelaide
region. The city is well known for its s
ensible
lay-out, surrounded by parks and green spaces. The city itself is
easy to walk about in, and the nearby wineries welcome visitors.
At 6.50pm afternoon fly to Sydney, arriving at 9.10, where you are
met and transferred to your hotel in The
Rocks. (*D)
your
Australian journey continues >>>>>
