Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cairns-based travel agent that special-
izes in dive holidays on the Great Bar-
rier Reef, as well as in other good dive
spots in Australia. It books day trips
and extended diving excursions on a
choice of live-aboard vessels, as well as
dive courses, island resorts with div-
ing, accommodations, and non-diving
tours. It also sells diving insurance. Its
proprietors are both dive instructors,
and one of them is trained as a Hand-
icapped Diving Instructor for divers
with disabilities.
Peter Stone's Dive Australia
is a 608-
page guidebook to more than 2,000
dive sites all over Australia. It by no
means lists every site, but it does con-
tain many sites off the dive-tourist
trail (many not on the Great Barrier
Reef ), so divers in search of new terri-
tory may find it handy. It also contains
a lot of background such as dive oper-
ators and associations, a chapter on
Australian diving law, the nearest
hyperbaric chambers, and travel tips.
Order from the publisher, Oceans
Enterprises (
&
03/5182 5108;
www.
oceans.com.au). The book costs A$36
(US$23) plus postage.
BUSHWALKING (HIKING)
With so much unique scenery and
many rare animals and plants, it's not
surprising Australia is full of national
parks crisscrossed with hiking trails.
You're never far from a park with a
bushwalk, whether it's an easy stroll,
or a 6-day odyssey on the Cape-to-
Cape trail in Western Australia.
A good Australian bushwalking
Web page is at www.bushwalking.org.
au. However, the best place to get
information about bushwalking is the
National Parks & Wildlife Service, or
its equivalent in each state; sources
include:
•
Environmental Protection
Agency
(QLD Parks & Wildlife
Service;
&
07/3227 7111;
www.
epa.qld.gov.au).
•
NSW National Parks & Wildlife
Service
(
&
02/9585 6444
administration; www.npws.nsw.
gov.au). It has a visitor informa-
tion center at 110 George St., The
Rocks, Sydney (
&
02/9247
5033
).
•
Parks & Wildlife Commission
of the Northern Territory
(
&
08/8999 5511;
www.nt.gov.
au/ipe/pwcnt). The Northern Ter-
ritory Tourist Commission (see
“Exploring the Red Centre,” in
chapter 7) is the official dispenser
of information on parks and
wildlife matters.
•
Parks Victoria
(
&
13 19 63;
www.parkweb.vic.gov.au).
•
South Australian Department
for Environment and Heritage
(
&
08/8204 1910;
www.denr.sa.
gov.au).
•
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife
Service
(
&
1300/135 513;
www.
dpiwe.tas.gov.au).
•
Western Australian Department
of Conservation and Land Man-
agement
(CALM;
&
08/9334
0333;
www.calm.wa.gov.au).
Some parks charge an entry fee,
often ranging from A$6 to A$18
(US$3.90-US$12).
MORE ACTIVE VACATIONS
FROM A TO Z
ABSEILING
Rappelling is another
name for this sport that involves back-
ing down vertical cliff faces on a rope
and harness. The rugged, beautiful
Blue Mountains near Sydney are Aus-
tralia's abseiling capital. In the Mar-
garet River region in Western
Australia, you can do it as mighty
breakers crash on the cliffs below. You
can even do it in the heart of Brisbane
on riverside cliffs.
BIKING
Much of Australia's coun-
tryside is flat and ideal for cycling, as
Aussies call biking, but consider the
heat and vast distances before setting
