Australia

Did you know that Australia's nickname is Oz?
On reason might be that so many people think that you must go over the rainbow to get Down Under.  While there is no way of getting around that Oz is very far away, and it does take many hours of flying time to get there, it is one of the greatest bucket list destinations in the world.  I have a fridge magnet that says,  "Australia, it's a bloody long way"  They are not kidding.  Think of Australia as the same size as the United States, but only 7% of the population.

Think of Australia as the same size of the United States, but with 1/13th the population. When you fly over Middle America (what we sometimes refer to as the “flyover states”) and look out the window,you might very well see big cities, many houses, trains, planes and automobiles. In Australia, you will see a huge, empty landscape with the occasional kangaroo hopping around. (This assumes you are flying at low altitude).

The great destination cities of Australia are as varied in travel experiences as they are in the United States. In the east coast, you have Sydney, the crown jewel on Australia’s map. One of my best travel moments was climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge. At first, the very thought of it filled me with fear, but once I got on the bridge with my travel mates, it was exhilarating. I was tethered to the guard rails (so there was no way I or anyone else could decide to do a high dive) and followed the leader, going over traffic below, climbing to the top where you are standing in front of the “peeled orange”, the architectural masterpiece that is the Sydney Opera House. Since you are not allowed to take ANYTHING with you while you climb the bridge, a photograph was taken of me by the tour company with the Opera House in the background. That photo is one of my most prized travel memories. While in Sydney, make sure you visit The Rocks, the original landing port of prisoners from England who were sent to Australia to serve their sentences. The Rocks is an area chock a block with fabulous pubs, restaurants, shopping or just people watching while sitting at the many open plazas lining the harbor.

​Head north to the Three Sisters. Aboriginal legend has it that three sisters were said to have fallen in love with three brothers from the neighboring Nepean tribe. However, marriage to the three brothers was forbidden by local tribal law. Unhappy with this outcome, the three Nepean brothers decided to capture the three sisters and take them back to their tribe for marriage. From this legend we have a breathtaking landscape of rock formation.

​Australia is known for flora and fauna not found anywhere else on earth. While in Sydney, I visited The Koala Park Sanctuary, an Australian wildlife park privately owned and run on 10 acres in West Pennant Hills, a northern suburb of Sydney. The park is known for its collection of koalas and other Australian animals and is set in a rainforest-like area. One of the highlights of my visit was an opportunity to hold one of the most adorable animals in the zoo. Another treasured moment.

After Sydney, we flew to Cairns, the capital of the Gold Coast and the gate to the Great Barrier Reef. A short boat ride away, and we were standing on a platform, putting on the scuba gear (I took a short course in the pool of my hotel). If there is a bucket list destination WITHIN a bucket list destination, it’s a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. I felt like I entered the Finding Nemo set, but in real life. The colors of the reef with dozens of different sea creatures just jump at you from all angles. That alone was worth the long flight.

Also, a noteworthy excursion from Cairns is a train ride to Kuranda. The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a tourist railway service that operates along the heritage-listed Cairns-to-Kuranda railway line. Constructed in 1891, the line runs from Cairns, Queensland, over the Great Dividing Range to the town of Kuranda on the Atherton Tableland.

But a trip to Oz is not for a short getaway vacation. So, on we went to Uluru (Ayers Rock). Uluru is a massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Northern Territory’s arid "Red Centre". The nearest large town is Alice Springs, 450km away. Uluru is sacred to indigenous Australians and is thought to have started forming around 550 million years ago. It’s within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which also includes the 36 red-rock domes of the Kata Tjuta (colloquially “The Olgas”) formation. We were able to fly over the rock in a helicopter to see it “up close and personal.” All I can say it’s BIG. One evening we were treated to a visit to the “outback”, a desert region near Uluru, for a traditional barbie, (not the doll) but a wonderful bar-b-que of local delicacies. The evening consisted of Aboriginal
music (digeridoo) story telling and at one point, lights were complete turned off so we could see in a pitch black sky the most amazing lights of the Southern Cross constellation. When I’m asked to go to my “happy place”, the outback, with those fantastic stars, is where I go. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera that could capture that moment. But it is firmly implanted in my memory bank.

I had the unbelievable opportunity to live in Australia in the 90s. We lived in Perth, a very under-travelled part of Australia. It is capital of Western Australia and if you look at a map of the US, Perth would be the San Diego of Australia. It is city on the Indian Ocean where sunsets are in a class of its own for natural beauty. We would sit on a bench by the ocean every evening, just to see the sun set.

Perth is dominated by sailing enthusiasts and nearby in Freemantle, one can see the America Cup that was won by Australia in 1983. On This Day – September 26, 1983, Australia II won America's Cup in Newport. Australia II came from behind to prevail 4 races to 3 to win the America's Cup, ending the longest winning streak in sporting history and ending U.S. domination of the racing series. Forty years later, and it still dominates the pride and seriousness of Australia sailing history.

My memories of traveling throughout Australia (New Zealand will need its own separate article) fills me with so much gratitude for the opportunity to visit and live in this remarkable island. The Ozzies are so laid back and friendly, ready to help with directions and showing curiosity about America. We spent many evenings in local pubs, drinking local beer, listening to music and answering questions about the USA, a destination that every single Ozzie we met has put on their own destination bucket list. No formal attire necessary and there’s always space for your surfboard.