Crystal Castle tickets are now available on Experience Oz. Check out this hidden gem that’s just 45 mins from the Gold Coast and only 20 minutes from Byron Bay!
Book your tickets here!
|
|
|
|
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary‘s NEW ‘Experience Annual Pass’ includes in the one entry price, amazing wildlife encounters, entry to Green Challenge Adventure Parc and the Wildlife Hospital precinct for 12 months! ….Green Challenge Adventure Parc, an exhilarating 65 challenge tree-tops ropes course (zip line). ….The new Wildlife Hospital provides the chance to see inside the regions largest veterinary hospital, providing a free community service to care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife as well as vital conservation research. Enjoy all of this for a whole year with the great value Experience Annual Pass! Pay just $122.50 per adult, $100 senior/student and $77.50 for children for a while 12 months! In the cooler mountains above the Gold Coast, lie a number of vineyards growing a variety of reds and whites. The rich soils and splendid climate are well suited to growing increasingly popular quality vintages. The National Year of Fun is here! Get Unlimited entry to Sea World, Movie World and Wet n’ Wild until 30 June 2011…….How much you say? ONLY $99.99!! Why wouldn’t you get one? Get yours here To the north of Sydney lies the Hunter Valley, famous for its wines and home to many of the well-known wine making families of Australia. In the world of wine, the Hunter Valley is famed for its fertile soils, accommodating climate and world class viticulturists. It is world-renowned for its Semillon, while some regional Chardonnays are highly regarded, as are the earthly flavours or some Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignons. Companies operate day tours to the Hunter Valley wine region from Sydney.
Boutique Tours conduct small group tours each day aboard luxury Mercedes Benz 12 seaters. After visiting Iron Gate Estate Winery for tastings and a tour, guests have the option to select from the 80 or so other boutique wineries in the lower Hunter Valley, or leave it to the tour guide. Usually each tour visits 3 to 5 cellar door tastings, depending on the group’s wine fancies and, sometimes, how the ol’ knees are holding up, etc. Have you worked out which tour you would like to go on? Visit our website and BOOK and we won’t even charge you a booking fee! Want to experience Hot Air Ballooning in Cairns, Port Douglas, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Sydney or Melbourne? Hot air ballooning originated in France in the 1780’s. Its popularity quickly spread among the intrepid, enabling them to explore, landing here and there to meet the natives. To ward off thirst, those early balloonists naturally took one or two bottles of drink with them, champagne of course, to enjoy in flight, no doubt with other delectable goodies from the picnic basket. However, in those days, balloon handling was agricultural compared to today’s standards, and landings even more adventurous. Indeed, sometimes landings were quite haphazard affairs, often in farmer’s fields, often entangling or demolishing trees, fences and gates, and disturbing crops and causing disharmony, if not panic and stampedes among the animals. In fact, due to the regularity of haphazard landings in farmer’s paddocks, those bottles quickly became offers of goodwill to pacify the irate land owners; to apologise and, indeed, to even convince them, and the gathered local citizenry and clergy, they were not devils incarnate, arrived from hell above! And so a tradition was born that is practiced with exuberance today. However, these days the intent is not to appease and convince the natives of their origins and goodwills. Instead, today champagne is enjoyed to toast and celebrate the happy occasion with crew and fellow passengers, after a successful flight and hazardless touchdown.
Why do sane people want to jump out of an aircraft at 14000ft and freefall 10000ft towards earth? Why do they risk their lives on the hope a small piece of silk will then open to arrest their plummet to a gentle descent and land-on-feet touchdown? Why do they then want to change their undies, and go and do it again? It does not make sense, does it? Or does it? Each year tens of thousands of newbies dare themselves to a tandem skydive. Perhaps they do it to prove something – either to themselves or friends. Perhaps they do it to conquer a fear or intimidation, or battle issues of self-worthiness. Perhaps they just blindly follow a mate, with the ethos, “if she can do it, so can I”. Perhaps it’s simply to win a dare or a bet, with a “here goes, wish me well” attitude. Perhaps, however, it’s to feed an ego, a self-scoring satisfaction of attaining another notch in the battle with sensory stimulation. To some, it’s probably the satisfaction of conquering another Everest, another challenge that drives them, that pushes them to the limits – to the extreme. By world standards, skydiving is not a large sport yet a substantial industry has developed that introduces newbies to the thrill, dare or “what the hell am I doing here” complexes of skydiving. After viewing YouTube clips and reading their comments, it seems 99% of newbies experienced the latter feeling before hurtling into space attached to their instructor. By the time they were captured on video, soon after vacating the aircraft, their faces reflected different feelings, many described as freedom, the highest high and incomparable. The usual picture-postcard scenery of popular tourist regions makes ideal skydive locations, enticing visitors to try the adventure while enjoying the benefit of seeing the beauty of the region from a bird’s eye perspective. Maybe, as well, those intrepid birdmen and women are entranced by the chance to fill another line on their skite sheet of extreme activities, to cut another notch on their belt, or maybe to satisfy a hunger that becomes a longer-lived activity. If you would like to try a tandem jump, we can introduce you to a large number of skydiving operators from Port Douglas, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Sydney. Peruse our listings or contact us to discuss your requirements. We don’t charge booking fees and will advise your pick-up time when booking. Visit all of Sydney’s best attractions including Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Tower & Ocean World Manly once, from $29.99. Buy now!
Includes unlimited entry till June 30, 2011 to Sydneys best attractions, Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Tower & Oceanworld Manly….all from $39.99
Nestled under the high lighthouse, on Australia’s eastern most headland, lies one of the coast’s most popular destinations, Byron Bay. Captain Cook discovered and named the cape. However, nearly 200 years later, in the 1960’s, roving, adventure-seeking surfers ‘re-discovered’ the town, and placed it on the surfer’s, and eventually, the holidaymaker’s highway. Since then, Byron Bay has flourished, attracting visitors to its balmy, sub tropical climate, its beautiful, safe, wide, white sand beaches, warm clear waters, and great surf breaks. However, the town has also boomed, due in part to the cultural influences of its neighbouring town, Nimbin, which happens to be the hippy and alternative lifestyle capital of Australia.
Cape Byron’s lighthouse is the sentinel to east coast shipping, serving to warn of rocks in the area, which have become popular snorkelling and Scuba diving spots. Its high lookout areas provide panoramic coastal views. Additionally they are one of the best places along the entire east coast to observe the annual migrations of humpback whales. From June, the whales pass on their journey to their warm birthing waters in north Queensland, later returning with their calves to Antarctic waters up to November. At this turning point in their journeys, whales are close to the coast, easily allowing watchers to spot the blow-spouts, curving backs, breaches and frolics of the marine visitors.
As the area developed, so too did the variety of accommodation. Today all types and budgets are available. However, in peak periods and during main events, such as the Easter Blues & Roots Festival, accommodation can book out, due, in part, to development restrictions imposed by the town’s council. Nearby are World Heritage listed rainforests and nature reserves, offering the walker views of serene, fern draped, mossy creeks, waterfalls, wildlife, and scenic splendours. Driving along the Rainforest Way is a worthwhile experience. Vision Walks offers a unique experience, watching forest wildlife at night through military standard night vision equipment. As well, Green Triangle and Byron Bay Day Tours provide superb guided coach trips through the region’s hinterlands and coastal attractions. Naturally, fresh seafood is a favourite base to the many cuisines offered in town. A weekly culinary highlight is the Farmers Market, offering a bounty of fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables and tasty temptations of the region, and an opportunity to meet some of its characters. However, would you believe that only 35 minutes drive north is an orchard growing the world’s largest variety of tropical fruits? With its playground of activities and delicious temptations, Tropical Fruit World is definitely worth visiting. Another 30 minutes drive north is the spectacular Gold Coast, with its huge variety of renowned attractions, activities, theme parks, tours, shopping venues and dazzling nightlife. Regular coach services operate to major destinations, and to Brisbane. Alternatively, hire cars are readily available. If you are interested in a day or overnight stay, view our Gold Coast section, let us know your requirements and we’ll handle your bookings and travel arrangements. |
|
|
Copyright © 2012 Destinations guide for Australia and NZ | Experience Oz Travel Blog - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
|
