AUSTRALASIA AUSSIE ISLANDS DESTINATIONS


While Australia’s great cities, fabulous coastline and rugged outback tend to garner most of the attention, the country is blessed with some phenomenal islands too. Whether used as a base


for hanging out on the Great Barrier Reef, providing top- drawer wilderness hiking trails or allowing for 4x4 adventures along the beach, these islands can easily be tagged on to a wider Australian holiday. For some of the most interesting options, here’s a guide to some of the best Aussie islands.


1


TASMANIA Australia’s largest island is a state in its own right, and it tends to appeal


to those looking for lush green, natural wilderness – Tasmania is Australia at its most New Zealand-y, if you will. That said, main city Hobart is


buzzy, and has become an art hotspot since the opening of the arrestingly daring Mona museum, while nearby Port Arthur covers the often dark colonial, convict history. Elsewhere, there are some


marvellous scenic cruises to be had on the Gordon and Tamar rivers, world-class hiking trails in the Cradle Mountain National Park and wildlife sanctuaries such as the Devils@Cradle facility, where Tasmanian devils are looked after in an attempt to fend off the extinction of the species. discovertasmania.com.au Book it: Cox & Kings sells a


14-day Tasmania self-drive holiday, including boutique lodges and cottage-style accommodation and car hire, from £1,645. coxandkingsagents.com


2


PHILLIP ISLAND, VICTORIA The boardwalks at the Koala Conservation


Centre offer an excellent opportunity to see sleepy koalas at eye level, while boat tours around the coastline are great for spotting seals, and the Nobbies Centre is home to a surprisingly good exhibition on Antarctica. But the main reason people


come to Phillip Island is to see the penguins. At dusk every evening, a colony of ultra-cute little penguins emerges from the sea, then waddles up the beach towards home. The Underground Viewing option lets you into a bunker with windows at path level, so the penguins shuffle past right in front of your eyes. visitphillipisland.com Book it: AAT Kings runs an evening trip from Melbourne to Phillip Island to see the penguins, costing from £95 per person. aatkings.com


3


MORETON ISLAND, QUEENSLAND Moreton offers plenty of tropical scenery – all sand dunes, lagoons and untouched beaches – with the added bonus of safe snorkelling around 15 shipwrecks just off


the shore. A short ferry hop from Brisbane, Moreton Island is a popular day-trip destination, with sandboarding down the massive dunes almost as popular as the snorkelling or the dolphin- feeding at Tangalooma Island Resort. Here, a pod of friendly bottlenose dolphins comes up to the beach at sunset, and the supervised feeding sessions involve them taking herring from the hands of giddily happy members of the public. visitmoretonisland.com Book it: Premier Holidays offers a full-day Moreton Island trip from Brisbane, including dolphin feeding at Tangalooma, starting at £172. premierholidays.co.uk


4


HAMILTON ISLAND, QUEENSLAND Of the 74 Whitsunday Islands off the coast from


Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island is the most developed base. Accommodation ranges from the comfortably mid-range to the truly exclusive, and while there’s a family-friendly air to the island, its strong point is the vast array of facilities and activities on offer. Obviously, there are plenty of reef trip options, but there are also windsurfers, jet skis, golf courses, art classes, tennis courts, all-terrain vehicle tours and koala cuddles in the extensive Things To Do list. Visitors definitely won’t be bored. hamiltonisland.com.au Book it: The four-star Reef View Hotel offers a 35m heated pool


and free non-motorised water sports equipment, with prices from £638 for three nights during the dry season. APT spends two nights at the resort on its 17-day East Coast Adventure, which travels from Sydney to Cairns via the Gold Coast, Noosa, Fraser Island, Rockhampton and Mission Beach. Prices start at £5,095 based on a January 18 departure, including international and domestic flights, transport, most meals, local guides and the services of a tour director. aptouring.co.uk


5


LORD HOWE ISLAND, NEW SOUTH WALES Possibly Australia’s best- kept secret, Lord Howe


Island sits alone in the Tasman Sea at the point where warm and cold waters meet, creating an enormous marine diversity. This is fabulous for glass-bottomed boat and snorkelling trips, but there’s also plenty to see and do on land. The two looming mountains at the end of the island are great spots for hiking, and birdwatchers can keep an eye out for extremely rare birds that are found only on Lord Howe on the way. The key to the island’s specialness, however, is that only about 400 visitors are allowed on it at any one time. This keeps it extremely exclusive, yet beautifully serene and relaxed. lordhoweisland.info Book it: Austravel offers a four-night escape staying at the magnificent Capella


12 July 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 53


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