SURF’S UP DOWN UNDER
Australia is famed for its beach-loving lifestyle and reefs, and you could see them up close on The Ultimate Aussie Adventure, thanks to Qantas and Tourism Australia
There are few feelings to top the first time you stand on a surf board and manage to ride the wave for a few seconds. This tends to happen towards the end of a complete beginner’s first lesson – and it’s probably the moment when Australia’s near-obsessive surf culture starts to make sense. There are world-class surf beaches
across Australia – and plenty of gentler ones where beginners can take lessons. But catching a break is just one of many Aussie aquatic experiences. You can just as easily plump for kayaking down the languorous waterways of Noosa in Queensland, white-water rafting down Tasmania’s wilderness rivers, cage diving with sharks off South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula or paddleboarding in a quiet bay off Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. While Qantas flights connect the big cities to the country’s key coastal hotspots, you don’t have to venture too
far from the gateways to take to the water. From Adelaide’s seaside suburb, Glenelg, boat cruises meet the local dolphin pod and let passengers go swimming with them. A short ferry hop from Brisbane brings the opportunity of snorkelling around Moreton Island’s shipwrecks. Kayak tours delve into the lesser-explored reaches of Sydney Harbour. And Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay is home to colourful weedy seadragons – go say hi near the pier at Portsea. A huge part of Australia’s coastal
appeal comes from the islands. Phillip Island near Melbourne is home to penguins that scuttle up the beach in the evening, Fraser Island is great for 4x4 adventures along the beach, while Queensland’s Whitsundays are one of the world’s great sailing destinations. Multi-night liveaboard yacht tours, with daytime visits to the island beaches or snorkelling dips on
the fringing reef – are available on all budgets, from scrimping backpacker to splash-out luxury. And this is before we even get to the
Great Barrier Reef. At more than 1,400 miles long, and made up of thousands of individual reefs, it provides a mind- blowing underwater wonderland. Just floating with a mask below the water’s surface unveils an incredible ecosystem of waving coral and hundreds of species of brightly-coloured fish. Reef trips suited to everyone from
novice snorkellers to experienced divers are available, with other options including semi-submersible boats, helicopter flights to take it in from above and island resort stays at a wide range of price points. But the key thing for agents is
that Australia’s top-drawer coastal experiences aren’t just about the Great Barrier Reef – it’s one major ingredient in a recipe of thousands.
Watch
crocodile wrangler Matt Wright reveal his top coastal spots in a video, via the digital edition at travelweekly.
co.uk
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