Australian Natural AdventuresWildlife, Nature & Soft Adventure ToursCustom
Australia, New Zealand & Pacific tours and travel
CUSTOM ITINERARY PREPARED FOR
LEANN & BILL JOHNK AUSTRALIA October 5 to 29, 2010
Day
1 – Tuesday, October 5: Denver/ Los Angeles / Lost In Space Day
2 – Wednesday, October 6: Lost In Space
Day
3 – Thursday, October 7: LIS / Sydney
Day
4 – Friday, October 8: Sydney/ Southern Highlands/ Sydney
Day
6 – Sunday, October 10: Sydney/Ayers Rock
Day
7 – Monday, October 11: Ayers Rock
Day
9 – Wednesday, October 13: Darwin/Kakadu National Park
Day
12 – Saturday, October 16: Darwin/ Cairns
Day
13 –Sunday, October 17: Great Barrier Reef
|
8.10pm.
Take the Qantas shuttle, which keeps you in the secure area, to the
next door terminal, the Tom Bradley, for your 10.30pm Qantas flight
12 to Sydney. Australia 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 decent food and
in flight service, so sit back and enjoy the hospitality, meals and
a movie or two. The seats have individual video screens, and a range
of entertainment options with the ability to tivo movies. So sit back,
relax, and enjoy a movies and a meal.
(*D) 
a
taxi, which are usually waiting across the road from your hotel. The
gardens offer good views of the harbor, an abundant bird life, and
colony of huge grey fruit-bats, whose wingspans are approximately
three feet. You can easily see a dozen life birds here in a couple
of hours. The Australian Museum, with its impressive collection of
Aboriginal artifacts and art, is also close by. Everything is within
walking distance of your hotel. Sydney is a good place to buy opals,
and both Art of Opal and Altmann & Cherny have a good range of
loose and mounted opals in all price ranges. Both have opal displays,
and information about mining. Lunch can be taken on a cruise on the
harbor, with views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and boats and
ferries 
of
what is often c
alled
the most beautiful city harbor in the world. While there are harbor
tours, usually with lunch or morning tea, the cheapest way to do this
is to Simply buy a return ticket to Manly. The ferries have a snack/meal
bar, and you can just get an easy lunch or snack there, sit back,
and enjoy the ride. The ferry to Manly passes the Entrance, where
the harbor enters the Pacific, can get interestingly rough at times.
This ferry will pass the Opera House and various other landmarks,
and is also a good run, especially if you time it to return as the
sun sets (6.02pm tonight) behind the Opera House and the Bridge as
their lights come on. There is a ferry leaving Manly at 5.15pm that
gets into Circular Quay at 5.45pm (take the 4.30 ferry to Manly),
a little before sunset but still a nice time of evening. You can walk
around to the Opera House to watch the sun set. Alternatively enjoy
the late afternoon in the Domain and Botanic Gardens, and settle in
at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair which has views west towards the Opera
House and Bridge. (*B)
om
Sclerophyll (gum tree) forest to light scrub, with pockets of temperate
rainforest amidst sandston
e
plateaux. It's a great place to become initiated with the Australian
bush, while taking the chance to look and listen for the distinctive
'mimic' calls of the Lyrebird. You may even catch a glimpse of a Platypus
in the river here - though we'll have better chances for that later
in the afternoon. After lunch we hop back in our 4WD and venture on
to the rural community Canyonleigh. This region of the Southern Highlands
is still very undeveloped, with no actual towns to speak of - just
thousands of acres of farms, uncleared bush and natural hills and
canyons. Perfect for experiencing wildlife! Driving along the ridge
of a dirt trail we'll venture by foot into the bush to search amongst
the forest for Koalas. Arguably one of Australia's most iconic animals,
Koalas are elusive and well-hidden from most bushwalkers. With the
help of our experienced Guides however, you have a very good chance
of seeing them on our bushwalks. You'll easily find evidence of koalas,
including their distinctive 2-thumbed scratch marks on towering Grey
Gums (one of their favourite food sources), scats (droppings) and
perhaps the low growling roar of a male koala. We find that we see
koalas on average about half the time - patience and a keen eye are
the key! Descending by 4WD
into the valleys we head off in search of other wildlife. The afternoon
is getting on now, so our chances of seeing the wildlife is getting
better. Here we're likely to come across kangaroos and wallabies feeding
in the paddocks or amongst the lightly wooded clearings. Emus are
a common sight in small groups, and at certain times of the year we'll
find Dad tending for his brood of chicks. Wombats predominantly feed
in the evening and night, but we'll often see them here during the
day, particularly in rainy weather or during leaner times. Other animals
like wild deer and foxes are also around, or hopefully we may chance
upon an echidna burrowing into the ground. On an authentic wildlife
tour we can never guarantee w
hat
we'll see, but you're sure not to be disappointed. Continuing on we
head to the river in search of one of the world's most paradoxical
animals - the platypus. When word first reached London of this strange
creature, it was assumed to be a hoax devised by the explorer/scientists
of the New World. The time just before dusk is the perfect time to
spot this very shy, elusive creature and we know just the spot! We
see platypus most tours on our river walk, and it's a thrill every
time. For dinner, we call in to a typical Australian inn for - a cosy,
fun spot to enjoy a hearty country-style meal in casual surroundings,
a definitely rural Australian experience. The dinner menu includes
a range of hot meals, with vegetarian options available. Dinner is
included in your tour, with drinks of your choice an additional charge.
After dinner we head a short distance north in search of nocturnal
life. At night, the Australian Bush is alive with activity. Wombats
roam the grasslands, kangaroos and wallabies feed amongst the trees,
and in the treetops possums, gliders and bats are foraging for food.
With the aid of vehicle-mounted spotlights, as well as hand-held spotlights
we'll drive and walk the bush tracks looking for the night creatures.
A glowing pair of eyes are easily spotted in the spotlight's shine
- an exciting find in the tree canopy. Following our night-spotting
adventure we return to our vehicle for the 60 minute drive back to
Sydney, where you return to your hotel approximately 10pm (varies
depending on season). (B,L,D)
Outback
Pioneer. The flight gives you a wonderful look at the desert landscape
from the air. This afternoon see Uluru an
d
surrounding desert in a most spectacular way, by helicopter. About
one hour before sunset you are picked up and transferred to a sand
dune a little way from Uluru. Here 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. You are transferred
back to your hotel at about 9.30p.
(B,*M,D)
An added feature of 
walking
is that have more time and opportunity to appreciate 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 stories of Uluru and the
medicines and foods the desert provides. You are returned to the hotel
at about 11.30am. At 4pm you are picked up to explore a fascinating
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 at about 7.30pm, in time for dinner.
(B) 
Day
8 – Tuesday, October 12: Ayers Rock/ Darwin 
Fogg
Dam, w
here
although it will be lunchtime can provide excellent birding if the
trees are in flower. It’s a wetland area running to flood plains
beyond, but with a small forest of Melaleucas and other trees that
attract honeyeaters and other smaller birds. Numerous species of egrets
and herons are common here, as well as magpie geese and other waterfowl.
Rails can also often be seen. Denise has written two wildlife and
birding books on Kakadu and the Top End, and no-one has more knowledge
of the area. In Kakadu National Park, with your itinerary decided
on by Denise’s knowledge of current bird activity. During your
time in Kakadu you’ll visit several Aboriginal art sites, such
as Nourlangie Rock and Ubirr ; Denise has very close ties with the
local Aboriginal people and can give you insight that few others can;
you may meet some of here extended family while there (our last guests
did). (B)
Days
10 & 11 –Thursday & Friday, October 14 & 15: Kakadu
National Park/ Darwin
ight
on Cairns Esplanade, with sweeping views across Trinity Harbour and
the Coral Sea. Immediately 
out
of the hotel is the part of the Esplanade that first sees the dropping
tide, and so the shorebirds for which the Esplanade is famous (it’s
one of Australia’s prime shorebirding areas) first gather here,
often just a few feet from your position – there’s even
benches to sit on. Unfortunately low tide is about 12.30pm today,
meaning there will be an expansive mud flat and so most of the birds
will be a little distant. However, there should be Australasian Pelicans,
egrets and some others nearby, and there are always some friendly
birders with scopes willing to share. You can spend a pleasant hour
or two picking out the many varieties present, including such US rarities
as Curlew Sandpiper and a variety of dotterels. Also look for the
large mudskippers, highly adapted fish that wal.k about on the mud,
in this same area. Rainbow lorikeets should also make their presence
noisily obvious. The rest of the day is free to catch up on laundry
and look around this pleasant small city. The excellent Botanic Gardens
are a short taxi ride away, and in addition to the tropical plants
is excellent for birds. (*B)
the
coast of Queensland, nearly to Papua New Guinea. On our trip today
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 four primary species are Crested, Lesser-crested
and Sooty Terns, and Common Noddy. Lesser Frigatebirds are usually
present, occasionally Greater, as are Silver Gulls, Brown Boobies
and Ruddy Turnstones. The cay, most of which is off limits, is a National
Park within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. However, the birds
are very tolerant of visitors and stand thickly along the beach, allowing
us to approach them within a few yards and less. Immediately offshore
in waist-deep water, the first of the corals can be seen. For those
not
used to snorkeling, 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 you 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 glass-bottomed boat, dry and with your ordinary
camera, while a marine biologist describes the species seen and some
of the processes at work. There are guided snorkel tours. On your
trip out, one of the marine biologists explains the development of
this and other reef systems and gives us an 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. (L)