Australia has a variety of experiences to cater to every traveller, even more so if you like the great outdoors. Here are some of the unique things you can do Down Under, so get your itinerary out and pencil in these exciting activities and attractions for your next trip!
1. Take a Dip with Dolphins in Adelaide
Photo credit: Tourism Australia
Dolphins are one of the Earth’s most fascinating and curious creatures, and Adelaide offers you this amazing opportunity to swim with them – a memory that will last with you forever. Encounter wild dolphins in the waters off Adelaide’s favourite beachside town, Glenelg, just 20 minutes from the city centre.
Hop on board and you’ll be supplied with a wetsuit, snorkel, and mask, before they take you into the water where you’ll hang on to a flotation line, and wait for common and bottlenose dolphins to gather around to play. Thousands of dolphins call Adelaide home, so dolphin sightings are virtually guaranteed.
2. Explore nature under the sea in Ningaloo Reef
Photo credit: Tourism Australia
If there’s only one place to spend in the water, then it has to be Ningaloo Reef. Ningaloo Marine Park is a World Heritage-listed site, found halfway up the West Australian coastline. The crystalline water harbours the world’s largest fringing reef, a 260-kilometre long coral reef swarming with turtles and tropical fish. The glass-clear water is shallow and there’s a lovely little current that gently pushes you along the water’s surface, so all you need to do is float and admire the coral scenery beneath you. Between August – November, you will also have the rare opportunity to swim with humpback whales in this region!
You can access the Ningaloo Reef via the Cape Range National Park near Exmouth or via Coral Bay. Visit the Ningaloo Visitor Centre for advice on the best snorkel spots.
3. Experience Whale Watching in the Spring in New South Wales
Photo credit: Thala Beach Nature Reserve
Cruise out of iconic Sydney Harbour and go to where graceful humpbacks make their way up the east coast. From land, Sydney’s best-based vantage point is The Gap at South Head. You’ll also see these wonderfully huge, warm sea creatures at Byron Bay. Look out from Cape Byron lighthouse to see the whales play within a hundred metres of Australia’s most easterly point.
Or listen to the male humpback’s haunting song on the hydrophone of a whale watching boat. South of Sydney, you’re almost guaranteed a whale-sighting in the calm, clear waters of Jervis Bay Marine Park, also home to pods of bottlenose dolphins.
4. Try out Glamping in The Grampians
Photo credit: Tourism Australia
Escape the city and explore the Grampians – a majestic mountain range and forest rising out of flat farmland in Victoria’s west, and try out the popular travel craze: glamping. Glamping, a fusion of glamour and camping, offers outdoor enthusiasts an upgrade from the conventional rest and recreation, and possibly, the best way to experience the great outdoors without sacrificing luxury.
Experience Australia’s beautiful remote landscape, while relaxing in a 5-metre canvas bell tent where you are welcomed with a soft queen bed, fresh linen and towels, and two deck chairs to sit out front to take in the view. The Grampians are only a three-hour drive west of Melbourne when you follow the Western Freeway out through Ballarat. If you don’t fancy driving, there’s also the train or bus to ferry you from Melbourne.
For more Australian holiday ideas, visit www.australia.com
