Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rainforests, swim its clear lakes,
and fish off the beach. See “Fraser
Island: Ecoadventures & Four-
Wheel-Drive Fun” in chapter 6.
•
Game Fishing:
Battle a black
marlin off Cairns and you might
snare the world record; that's how
big they get down there. Marlin
and other game catches run
around much of the Australian
coastline—Exmouth on the
Northwest Cape in Western Aus-
tralia (see chapter 9), and Broome
and Darwin in the Top End (see
chapter 8) are two other hot spots.
•
Canoeing the Top End
(NT):
Paddling between the sun-
drenched ocher walls of Katherine
Gorge sharpens the senses, espe-
cially when a (harmless) freshwa-
ter crocodile pops up!
Gecko
Canoeing
(
&
1800/634 319
in
Australia, or 08/8972 2224; www.
geckocanoeing.com.au) will take
you downriver to the rarely
explored Flora and Daly River sys-
tems to meet Aboriginal commu-
nities, shower under waterfalls,
hike virgin bushland, and camp in
swags on the banks. See “Kather-
ine” in chapter 8.
•
Surfing in Margaret River
(WA):
A 90-minute surf lesson with
four-time Western Australia surf
champ Josh Palmateer is a great
introduction to the sport—if only
to hear Josh's Aussie accent! In July
and August, Josh shifts his classes
to Cable Beach in Broome. See
chapter 9.
•
Skiing in the Victorian Alps
(VIC): Skiing in Australia? Sure.
When you've had enough coral
and sand, you can hit the slopes in
Victoria. Where else can you swish
down the mountain between gum
trees? See “The High Country” in
chapter 12.
3 The Best Places to View Wildlife
•
Pebbly Beach
(NSW): The east-
ern gray kangaroos, which inhabit
Murramarang National Park, 20
minutes south of Ulladulla on the
south coast of New South Wales,
tend to congregate along this
ocean beach and the adjoining
dunes. See “South of Sydney
Along the Princes Highway” in
chapter 4.
•
Montague Island
(Narooma,
NSW): This little island just off-
shore from the seaside town of
Narooma, on the south coast, is a
haven for nesting seabirds, but it's
the water around it that's home to
the main attractions. Dolphins are
common, fairy penguins, too; in
whale-watching season, you're
sure to spot southern right and
humpback whales. See “South of
Sydney Along the Princes High-
way” in chapter 4.
•
Jervis Bay
(NSW): This is proba-
bly the closest place to Sydney
where you're certain to see kanga-
roos in the wild and where you can
pet them, too. The national park
here is home to hundreds of bird
species, including black cockatoos,
as well as plenty of possums. See
“South of Sydney Along the
Princes Highway” in chapter 4.
•
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
(Brisbane, QLD): Cuddle a koala
(and have your photo taken doing
it) at this park, the world's first
and largest koala sanctuary. Apart
from some 130 koalas, lots of
other Aussie wildlife—including
wombats, Tasmanian devils, 'roos
(which you can hand-feed), and
colorful parakeets—are on show.
See p. 246.
•
Hervey Bay
(QLD): The warm
waters off Hervey Bay, and in par-
ticular the lovely Platypus Bay, on
the Queensland coast, are where
the humpback whales come each
year between June and October in
