Australia

Lorie from our Whitby office recently went to Australia, here's what she had to say.


Well I have just returned from a wonderful to downunder to Australia. This is a place I have always wanted to visit and was not disappointed.

I flew with Qantas airways and they were wonderful. Always on time and the service on board was excellent. It was like flying back when the passenger really mattered.

It is a long flight but well worth the time. If it is possible upgrade to at least a exit row, Elite or Business class as the leg room is worth it.

I flew into Cairns via Los Angeles and Brisbane. We spent a couple days in the Cairns area. The weather was great. This area "Queensland" is the tropics for Australia and even though it was winter the temp were in the 20's C and no humidity. We stayed at a lovely hotel on the water the Shangri la. There are no beaches in Cairns but a great boardwalk along the water.

Cairns is a great little city with lots of shopping, restaurants, casino, and access to the Great Barrier Reef via cruises. This area is very popular with Backpackers as well as people of all ages.

We took a wonderful train ride from Freshwater (outside of Cairns) to Kuranda on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. This followed the route that was built in the 1800's for the gold rush up into the Rainforest. It traveled through 15 tunnels, ascending 327 metres and going over 55 bridges and taking 98 turns. The scenery was breathtaking. We upgraded to Gold Class which meant the seats were plush and we were served wine and hors d'oeuvre's,  well worth cost of the upgrade.

At the end of the train ride we arrived at Kurunda station, where we walked thru the village of Kuranda. Here you can visit Birdworld or the Butterfly Sanctuary or Koala Gardens (all for an additional admission), as well as shop with many handcrafted goods. I chose to visit the Koala Gardens since this is the only place in Australia where you can actually hold a Koala. I was able to hold Princess the Koala and have may pic taken with her which was a real treat. These Gardens also house an area were you can feed and pet kangaroos and wallabies. This was something I will always remember.

To descend down from Kuranda to outside of Cairns we took the Skyrail Rainforest Cable Car. This flew high above the rainforest. You looked down into the forest and out over the area which you could see for miles. The sight was indescribable. We stopped twice on the way down to take a guided nature walk and get up close and personal with the forest. It was amazing.

That evening we stayed at the Thala Beach Resort which was near Port Douglas but was situated in the Rainforest overlooking the Coral Sea. The rooms were all throughout the forest so quite a lot of walking but well worth it for the sights alone. The setting was gorgeous and each room was in an individual bungalow with a spectacular view of the forest or the sea. The main lodge was all open air and had a veranda that wrapped around the entire thing. The food was fantastic as well as the service. This resort was very eco friendly and organized many nature walks, star gazing, etc. It also had is own beach area on the Coral Sea.

The next 3 days we spent on the Coral Princess II with Capt. John's Cruises. I would not compare this to a cruise that we are use to instead it was an experience on water. It was a wonderful way to see the Great Barrier Reef and really experience it first hand. The ship only holds 50 passengers. The cabins are only 8 x 10 but you are never in then but to sleep. There are 2 common rooms on board as well as a dining room and an outside area to lounge or enjoy the hot tub. There is an open door policy on board for the capt.s bridge. For the next 3 days we saw sunrises, snorkeled, took rides in the glass bottom boat, fed the fish, saw up close creatures from the bottom of the sea and learned all about them from the marine biologist on board. and if you were lucky enough even took a scuba dive (which I was) The scenery under the water was amazing....you thought you were in an aquarium or a moving. It was a colourful garden under the sea. We would stop each day on land and take a nature walk. Our last day we went to the ship's private island where the capt bbq'd lunch for us. Overall a great Reef experience.

We then spent 2 days in Sydney. This is a beautiful city where old history is nestled amongst modern day city. We stayed at the Sheraton on the Park right downtown and across from Hyde Park which houses a gorgeous Botanical Gardens and many historical buildings. It is a 15min walk to the Harbour where you can catch a ride on the ferry to Manly Beach or Bondi Beach were you can see surfing and visit a great little tourist area for shopping. The ride to and from this area is a great way to see Sydney from the water. You get a great view of the famous Opera House and bridge. The city offers lots of waterfront restaurants and many English pubs. It was the cleanest city I have every seen. There are lots of museums and places to visit in Sydney that no one would be lost for things to do.

This is just a bit of what I experienced downunder, as I could go on and on. Australia is truly a place to visit.

Please call me at 905 668 7955 to discuss a trip to Australia!