Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 2 . PLANNING AN AFFORDABLE TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
around Tasmania, and Byron Bay,
where you can take a 3-hour “dolphin
kayaking” trip to see wild dolphins
(and whales June–Oct) and “kayaksurf”
the waves.
Rivergods (& 08/9259 0749;
www.rivergods.com.au) conducts multiday
sea kayaking, canoeing, and
white-water rafting adventures throughout
Western Australia’s pristine ocean
and rivers, in which whales, sharks,
dugongs (manatees), sea snakes, turtles,
and dolphins abound. They also run a
“sea kayak with wild seals” day outing
from Perth. Gecko Canoeing (& 08/
8972 2224; www.geckocanoeing.com.
au) leads canoeing trips of 1 to 21 days
from Katherine along remote Top End
rivers between April and September.
CAVING Australia doesn’t have a lot
of caves, but the ones it has are spectacular.
The best spots are the Blue Mountains
west of Sydney, and the Margaret
River region in southwest Western Australia.
For tourists who want to see
caves and stay clean and safe (as
opposed to spelunkers), the best caves
are the spectacular Jenolan Caves in the
Blue Mountains, a honeycomb of caverns
bursting with intricate stalactites
and stalagmites; and the 350 limestone
caves in Margaret River, of which 5 are
open to the public. Two are “adventure
caves,” which any novice caver (as
opposed to an experienced spelunker)
can explore on a 2- or 3-hour tour. You
can also go caving at the Capricorn
Caves in Central Queensland.
FISHING Reef, game, deep sea,
beach, estuary, and river fishing—
Australia’s massive coastline lets you
do it all. Drop a line for coral trout on
the Great Barrier Reef; go for the
world record black marlin off Cairns;
hook a fighting “barra” (barramundi)
in the Northern Territory or the Kimberley;
or cast for trout in Tasmania’s
highland lakes. Charter boats will take
you out for the day from most coastal
towns.
GOLF Australians are almost as passionate
about golf as they are about
football and cricket—after all, Greg
Norman started life as an Aussie!
Queensland has the lion’s share of the
most stunning resort courses, such as
the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas,
Laguna Quays Resort near the Whitsundays,
and the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary
Cove Resort on the Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast has more than 40
courses. Joondaloop Country Club in
Western Australia was voted Number
One Resort Course in Australia by
Golf Australia magazine for 2003. One
of the world’s best desert courses is at
Alice Springs.
Most courses rent clubs for around
A$30 (US$20). Greens fees start at
around A$20 (US$13) for 18 holes
but average A$65 (US$42) or more on
a championship course.
HORSE-RIDING Horse-riding
operators are everywhere in Australia.
A particularly pleasant vacation is a
multiday riding and camping trek in
The Man from Snowy River country in
the Snowy Mountains in New South
Wales.
SAILING The 74 islands of the
Whitsundays in Queensland are an
out-of-this-world backdrop for sailing.
And you don’t have to be an
expert sailor—the Whitsunday region
is Australia’s “bareboating” capital.
Bareboating means you can charter an
unskippered yacht and sail yourself.
Even those without a scrap of experience
can do it, although it’s best to
have someone on board who knows
aft from fore. Perth and Sydney are
mad about sailing; head to the nearest
yacht club and see what on-board
places are going, especially during
summer twilight races. The clubs are
often short of sailors and most will
welcome out-of-towners.
SURFING You’ll have no trouble
finding a good surf beach along the