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 transferred
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
transferred
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
art,
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
you
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
After
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 t
he
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,
the
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
wonders
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. The
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 y
ou
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. Lunch
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
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 many
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.
After
arriving at Caravonica, you will enjoy dinner and the spectacular
Aboriginal-based show, which illustrates the ancient
connection
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
T
his
morning say goodbye to your tropical paradise and fly so
uth
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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