Australian Natural Adventures

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Your Australia itinerary continues...

 

Day 7– Thursday, June 23: Sydney / Ayers Rock
This morning taxi to the airport for your 9.15am Qantas flight to Ayers Rock, arriving at 11.35am. This flight gives you a wonderful look at the desert landscape from the air. Here you are transferredUluru Ayers Rock Australia to your accommodation, Yulara Resort, a few miles from the base of Uluru, as Ayers Rock is known to the local Aboriginal people (although there is a little controversy as to what Uluru really is referring to, and by which group.) Your accommodation is at the 4.5 star Desert Gardens. You will have a couple of hours to relax, perhaps visiting the nearby cultural and display center, then about one hour before sunset you will be picked up and Sounds of Silence dinner Ayers Rock Uluru Australiatransferred to a sand dune a little way from Uluru. Hear a didgeridoo’s sounds greet you, and you watch the sun set on Uluru, one of the most inspiring sights possible. As the colors change, you will be sipping on canapés and champagne. Afterwards sit down, under the southern stars, for a truly memorable dinner. Once dinner is over you have the opportunity to observe the constellations and stars through a telescope, while your guide explains which is which. Don’t forget to ask how to find south, and tell the time, by the stars.             Overnight Desert Gardens Hotel, Yulara Resort Ayers Rock     D           

Day 8 – Friday, June 24: Ayers Rock
This morning you are picked up at 7am to explore Uluru itself. After witnessing sunrise on Uluru, and event not to be missed, and a picnic breakfast, you will combine a drive, with short walks, around the base, about 6 miles. The walks will bring you to this wonderful and powerful place, viewing rock exploring Ayers Rock Uluru Australiaart, waterholes and appreciating the unique flora and fauna of Uluru. A special feature is the appreciation of the exquisite as well as the dramatic sculpturing of Uluru. There is time to amble, to absorb images and to gain an insight into Uluru's remarkable presence, while your guide will introduce you to the geology of Uluru and describe how plants and wildlife have adapted and survived in such a forbidding environment. The fascinating relationship of the Anangu people to Uluru is also described. After lunch Kata Tjuta the Olgas Ayers Rock Australiayou will explore another fascination and significant formation, Kata Tjuta, or The Olgas. Kata Tjuta is a series of huge rounded rocks hills, and once again an important Aboriginal area. Your guide will show you the area, and describe stories of the Dreamtime relevant to Kata Tjuta (not in full as the stories are only fully available to tribal members), as well as geology and history. The day ends with a sunset some say equal to that on Uluru itself. You return to the resort in time for dinner.    Overnight Desert Gardens Hotel, Yulara Resort Ayers Rock        B

Day 9 - Saturday, June 25: Ayers Rock / Cairns / Palm Cove
Outrigger Resort Palm Cove Queensland AustraliaAfter perhaps taking a short walk to a viewing area in the dunes near the resort to once again view sunrise on Uluru, then enjoying a relaxing morning or visiting the nearby Cultural Centre return to the airport for your flight to Cairns, arriving at 3.30pm, where you are met and transferred to your tPalm Cove Esplanade Queensland Australiahe Outrigger Resort Palm Cove. The rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy the delights of Palm Cove; you can relax, and enjoy the beach and the tropics. Although restaurants range from upscale to simple cafes, Apres Restaurant Palm Cove Queenslandthe traditional Aussie fast food is a pie and sauce - a small meat pie with ketchup. These are now available in a range of fillings, and you must try at least one at some stge during your trip. Be warned – they can’t be eaten elegantly; the normal way is just to hold them like a burger, eat away, and clean up if necessary afterwards. Another prized aussie food is the fish Barramundi, considered one of the best in the world.       Overnight Outrigger Resort 2-bedroom apartment      *M

Day 10 - Sunday, June 26: Palm Cove / Cairns / Great Barrier Reef / Cairns / Palm Cove
This morning you will be picked up at 7.45am for a full day outing to Michaelmas Cay and the Great Barrier Reef. Here you are introduced to one of the natural diver and fan coral Great Barrier Reef Australiawonders of the world—Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a series of reefs extending for about 1,250 miles along the coast of Queensland, nearly to Papua New Guinea. During the day you experience two important features—a coral inner-shelf reef, and the sandy vegetated cay formed on one end. Michaelmas Reef lies about 22 miles off the coast just north of Cairns, with Michaelmas Cay on its southern tip. It is an important seabird rookery, which becomes apparent as you approach the mass of birds swirling constantly above the cay. Thecay on Great Barrier Reef Australia cay, most of which is off limits, is a National Park within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Immediately offshore in waist-deep water, the first of the corals can be seen. For those not used to snorkelling, there is no easier introduction—just walk up to your waist, and bend over. Brilliantly colored fish, giant clams, beche de mer and coral outcrops can all be seen. Easy swimming in shallow water brings ylong-nosed butterfly fish Great Barrier Reef Australiaou over coral “bombies,” heads of coral with their assortment of fishes, and hard and soft corals. Parrot fish glean algae from the coral, and small and medium predators search for food. Schools of fish twist and flash between the outcrops. An occasional sea turtle may be seen. You can also glide around the coral in a semi-submersible submarine, dry and with your ordinary cameras, while a marine biologist describes the species seen and some of the processes at work. There are also guided snorkel tours led by a marine biologist. On your way out one of the marine biologists explains the development of this and other reef systems and gives an illustrated introduction to many of the animal species that you see. Lunchbush tucker Red Ochre Grill Cairns Australia is a tropical smorgasbord. In the afternoon you return to Cairns, under sail if the winds are right, as your transport to the reef is Ocean Spirit, a 105 foot luxury, motor-sailing catamaran. You will be returned to your hotel about 5.15pm; alternatively, you may wish to stay in Cairns to look around, shop and eat, and then taxi back to Palm Cove. The Red Ochre Grill restaurant is especially recommended. Featured are meals prepared from exclusively Australian ingredients, often "bush tucker", meaning native ingredients from the Australian bush.       Overnight Outrigger Resort 2-bedroom apartment        L

Day 11 - Monday, June 27: Palm Cove
Angsana Spa massage
A free day to explore and relax at Palm Cove. The beach is just across the road, and it is safe to swim. There are manyPalm Cove Queensland beach scene boutique shops offering a range of goods, including clothing, accessories, art galleries and typically Australian souvenirs. You might try one of the area's spas, such as Angsana or Espa, for total relaxation and toning using local ingredients. Angsana's tropical fruit inspired scrubs and Espa's ancient Aboriginal medicines and massage techniques, which are combined with aromatherapy and herbalist principles, are superb. At 6.45pm you will be picked up at the resort for your evening outing to Tjapukai By Night. spa ingredients Queensland AustraliaAfter arriving at Caravonica, you will enjoy dinner and the spectacular Aboriginal-based show, which illustrates the ancient Tjapukai By Night Cairns Queensland Australiaconnection between the Aboriginal performers and this very place, their traditional land for thousands of years, as well as a light-hearted look at the reality of Aboriginal bush life. The buffet style dinner is features a modern Australian fare including indigenous foods, local produce and quality wines. You are returned to your resort about 10.15pm.       Overnight Outrigger Resort 2-bedroom apartment        D

Day 12 - Tuesday, June 28: Palm Cove / Brisbane / Australia Zoo / Brisbane
TCrocodile Hunter Steve Irwin with crocodile Australia Zoohis morning say goodbye to your tropical paradise and fly soCrocodile Hunter Steve Irwin at Australia Zoouth to Brisbane, where you will be met for a private drive north to Beerwah, and Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. Here you spend a few hours enjoying the shows and the animals before returning to Brisbane and your hotel for your last night in Australia, the Sheraton Brisbane. Brisbane is a medium tropical city, and there are many good restaurants within walking distance of your hotel.        Overnight Sheraton Brisbane      *M

Day 13 -Wednesday, June 29: Brisbane
Free day to explore Brisbane                              Overnight Sheraton Brisbane

Day 14 - Thursday, June 30: Brisbane / Los Angeles / Birmingham
This morning taxi to the airport for your 12.10pm flight back to Los Angeles and eventually Brimingham and Tuscaloosa. Due to the International Dateline, you arrive in Los Angeles at 7.30am today, making up the day lost at the beginning of the journey, and in plenty of time for your final flight to Birmingham.          *D,*M,*B

 

 

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