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

GETTING AROUND AUSTRALIA 63
Australian coast. Perth and Sydney are
blessed with loads right in the city.
Other popular spots include the Gold
and Sunshine coasts in Queensland,
the legendary Southern Ocean swells
along Victoria’s southern coast, and
magnificent sets off Margaret River in
Western Australia. Don’t take your
board much north of the Sunshine
Coast—the Great Barrier Reef puts a
stop to the swell from there all the way
to the northern tip of Queensland.
Loads of companies rent surf gear.
Beginner’s lessons are offered at many
surf beaches. Remember, surf only at
patrolled beaches and never surf alone.
WHITE-WATER RAFTING The
best rapids are the Grade 5 torrents on
the Nymboida and Gwydir rivers
behind Coffs Harbour in New South
Wales. More Grade 5 rapids await you
on the Johnstone River in north
Queensland, although they must be
accessed by helicopter. Loads of tourists
who have never held a paddle hurtle
down the Grade 3 to 4 Tully River or
the gentler Grade 2 to 3 Barron River
on a day trip from Cairns. The Snowy
River National Park in Victoria and the
Franklin River in the wilds of Tasmania
are other popular spots. See also
“Canoeing & Sea Kayaking” above.
AUSTRALIA-BASED
OUTFITTERS & OPERATORS
Auswalk (& 02/6457 2220; www.
auswalk.com.au) offers self-drive or
escorted walking tours through picturesque
parts of Australia such as the
Great Ocean Road in Victoria, tropical
Magnetic Island in Queensland,
and the Fraser Island wilderness.
Tasmanian Expeditions (& 03/
6334 3477; www.tas-ex.com) conducts
17 Getting Around Australia
Lesson number one: You won’t be able
to see Uluru from your Sydney hotel
room window. It’s 2,841km (1,761
day trips and extended expeditions
featuring hiking, cycling, rafting,
abseiling, canoeing, sea kayaking, and
rock-climbing throughout Tasmania’s
national parks and unspoiled rural
areas.
World Expeditions (& 415/989-
2212 in the U.S., 020/8870-2600 in
the U.K., 09/368-4161 in New
Zealand, or 02/9279 0188 or 1300/
720 000 in Australia; www.world
expeditions.com.au) runs expeditions
in many parts of Australia, including to
places less traveled such as Hinchinbrook
Island in the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park, and the long-distance
Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia’s
Southwest. Some trips incorporate
other pursuits like rafting, sailing,
or biking.
U.S.-BASED OUTFITTERS &
OPERATORS
The Great Outdoor Recreation Pages
(G.O.R.P.) site at www.gorp.com not
only has links to adventure-tour operators
in Australia, but also contains articles,
sells books and maps, and has links
to heaps of Australian sites with an
action slant.
Adventure Express (& 800/443-
0799 or 206/441 3482) sells diving
packages and custom-built itineraries
on the Great Barrier Reef.
Outer Edge Expeditions (& 800/
322-5235 or 517/552 5300; www.
outer-edge.com) and The World Outdoors
(& 800/488-8483 or 303/413-
0938; www.theworldoutdoors.com)
both offer ecologically minded multisport
diving, hiking, mountain-biking,
canoeing, and kayaking packages to the
Great Barrier Reef and North Queensland
rainforest.
miles) away. Possibly the biggest mistake
tourists Down Under make (apart
from getting horribly sunburned) is