Exotic Destinations > Travel Tales > Memories of Australia

Memories of Australia

By Chris Fox

"Australia!" To most Canadians, the name of the continent on the other side of our planet conjures up mental pictures of the Sydney Opera House, Ayers Rock (Uluru), kangeroos and the Great Barrier Reef. After 3 months Down Under (August thru October), it also evokes for me the limitless horizons of the Outback, the endless pristine beaches, spectacular and weird scenery, strange animals, stranger plants, gorgeous flowers, symphonic birds and zestful people.

Eight months of intricate planning, with Erika's smiles and warmth cajoling me to "go for it", paid handsome dividends as I was able to see more of Australia than most Aussies. It really is as big as the United States... and just as diverse. Having the luxury of time, I traveled mostly by land, using escorted tours (Goways' Safari run by Australian Scenic Tours are wonderful, exceptional value and exhaustive in the amount of country you experience) and day trips from central points (Adelaide, Melbourne, Cairns and Sydney).

Some Highlights:

• snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef: 3km from the breakers marking the end of the Continental Shelf and the descent into the abyssal depths of the Pacific
• the 6 day 4WD trip north from Cairns to Cape York (the most northerly tip of the continent): Rough roads (strap yourself in or you'll fall out), wilderness, termite mounds, potable water in the rivers, isolation, international fellow travelers.
• A 37 day bus safari across most of Australia: bus pulls a trailer with a full kitchen. Mostly Aussies on this trip (with a few Kiwis), and with everyone pitching in to help, you have an instant family
• Traveling through the Outback: hour after hour of no trees, no houses, no utility poles, no microwave towers, no billboards, no traffic to speak of - only the sun, the sky (clean air), the horizon and the road. Wonderful! Like the Grand Canyon, the emptiness becomes a physical force.
• Roadhouses: every 200km or so. Each is unique (usually with a uniquely mangy dog) and serves as gas station, supermarkets, post office, motel/campground, restaurant, bar (very important), polling station - in other words the "center of the universe" for unimaginable distances in all directions
• King's Canyon: better than Uluru!
• Devil's Marbles: just off the road north of Alice Springs
• Kakadu: crocodiles and birds
• Darwin: Thursday night open air seaside market under a tropical moon
• Bungle Bungle: beehive-shaped rocks with layers like a Black Forest cake (who wouldn't want to go to a place with a name like that?)
• 80 Mile Beach: Heaven on Earth (and in the middle of nowhere!!!)
• Hammersley Gorge: a rainbow of rocks framing an azure pool
• Gum trees: everywhere, always picturesque and all different from each other
• Carpets of springtime wildflowers in Western Australia
• Dolphins swimming by your feet at Monkey Mia
• Whales breaching (jumping) almost below us at the Head of the Bight
• Birds (all the time, everywhere)
• Kangaroo Island: One day I walked among the sleeping sea lions on a beach, saw koalas (with babies), seals, and penguins, ate honey ice cream, and clambered over the Remarkable Rocks (they are)
• Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, camels, crocodiles, platypuses, possums...
• Tasmania: quiet, unspoiled, Port Arthur Penal Settlement (evil!)
• Sydney: bustling, vibrant, cosmopolitan, proud
• Aussies: outgoing, kind, forthright, down to earth, humorous, "matey" (Australia is probably the only country on earth which seriously considered enshrining the idea of being someone's mate in their new Constitution.)
• Barramundi: a truly succulent fish
• Exceptionally clean public toilets (everywhere - I kid you not)

Finally: Don't be put off by the distance. GO! You won't be disappointed, and like me you may become captivated and enthralled by a land where everything is the same... but different.