Things to do in Australia

Sydney Opera House from the Harbour Bridge, © Randall Shirley/Kevin Spragg

So many people are fascinated by the idea of a trip to Australia; I’ve never been one of them. However, it was a dream trip for my former spouse, so I went along for a month. It was enjoyable, but a helluva long way (and a lot of money) to experience a place that didn’t seem terribly different from the U.S. or Canada (ah, difference…one of travel’s greatest lures). There were, of course, some very magical and worthwhile experiences. While I haven’t done everything or been everywhere on the “Red Continent” here are my top five things to do on a trip to Australia:

1. Experience the Great Barrier Reef. If there is one thing worth flying to the other side of the world to see, this is it. Best ways for the average traveler (meaning non-scuba) to see it
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     The Great Barrier Reef from the air. We are about to land at that sandy cay (island), and snorkel around the reef (dark spots). The amount of stunningly beautiful marine life in these waters is unbelievable. © Randall Shirley

     

     Cairns Seaplane at the secluded sandy cay, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Worth every penny. © Randall Shirley

     Fly to the “outer reef” in a seaplane from Cairns harbour; splash down at a secluded sandy cay, and wow. Just off the cay we were snorkeling amongst the widest, most colorful variety of marine life I’ve ever seen. A zillion kinds of fish, gorgeous coral, and those monstrous clams with the pearly blue “lips” (do not stick your hand or foot in them, they apparently close quickly and people do drown).

   • Take the reef’s only guaranteed sailing boat. The Ocean Free gets you from Cairns to the inner reef near Green Island under engine power, but at the end of the day they promise (weather permitting) to sail all the way back using wind power. Magnificent. And their lunch-time feeding of the sharks is amazing.
2. 

   Melbourne's tiny alleys are great for shopping and dining and loaded with surprises. © Randall Shirley

   Melbourne’s tiny alley’s. While they’re not unique to Melbourne (Cardiff, Wales, comes to mind–then again Australia was mostly created by Brits), the tiny, historic alleys in central Melbourne crammed with unique shopping and dining options do have their charms.

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     Shot Tower, Melbourne Central Mall, © Randall Shirley

     Also cool: the massive glass dome which covers the historic Shot Tower (now part of Mebourne Central Mall) is an eye-dazzler.

3. Drive the Great Ocean Road. There are a lot of gorgeous seaside drives in the world, this is one of them. Going southwest from Melbourne the coastline eventually becomes quite magnificent–largely due to offshore rock formations. The most-famous are a collection of monoliths called The Twelve Apostles. When you’re there, look out to sea and reflect on the fact that if you set sail southbound, the next land you hit would be Antarctica.
   

   Your writer at the Twelve Apostles, Australia's Great Ocean Road. Photo: Kevin Spragg

   • Highlight: an aerobatics flight in a WWI-era biplane at Tiger Moth World. Strap in for the ride of your life including loop-the-loops high above the Great Ocean Road. This was not only a highlight of my Australia trip, but a lifetime travel highlight.
4. Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In Sydney, I found myself standing 134 metres above the gentle currents of Sydney Harbour, tethered atop the arch of the iconic, 75-year-old Harbour Bridge. Directly below my feet, six lanes of rushing, vertigo-inducing traffic crossed between downtown and the North Shore. The Aussie’s have hit on quite a unique adventure experience with BridgeClimb.
   

   Climbers on Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia. © Randall Shirley/Kevin Spragg

   Who but the Aussies would come up with a scheme allowing average people to plunk down upwards of $150 and scale one of their national treasures? I was surprised to learn that a 98-year-old grandmother had done it. So have Prince Harry, Sarah Ferguson, Nicole Kidman, and Matt Damon. If Granny can do it, royalty finds it worthy of their time, and the Hollywood set climbed it without stunt doubles, I could too.

   

   Silhouetted climbers on Sydney Harbour Bridge Australia, © Randall Shirley/Kevin Spragg

   You sign an obligatory legal waiver; suit up in protective gray coveralls; cinched into a safety belt/tether system with an innovative cable-latch; and practice a series of exercises using an exact replica of the safety system installed on the bridge. (Participants remain attached to the bridge throughout the climb.) After ascending a bunch of stairs and ladders, you pop out on the upper side of the bridge’s arch beam, and then hike up that curved beam to the summit. The view is stunning: the Sydney Opera House below, the Pacific Ocean in the distance, and perhaps a cruise ship sailing under your feet.

5. 

   Your writer with a kangaroo at Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Photo: Kevin Spragg

   Hold a koala and frolic with kangaroos. Everywhere has its cliches, and these are Australia’s. We particularly enjoyed an afternoon at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary just outside Brisbane. Holding a koala isn’t really as cool as seeing the photo of yourself holding the koala. But frollicking in fields-full of friendly kangaroos is very cool.