 Two of Australia’s icons, Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef, are in the running to be placed among the world’s new seven natural wonders and they need votes!
New7Wonders of Nature is an initiative to compile a new list of natural wonders determined through a global poll (rather than by one person as it was done in ancient times).
In 2007, the preliminary global vote nominated over 440 locations in over 220 countries, before narrowing it the top 77. At this stage, 13 of Oz’s sites were in the running, including Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, the Twelve Apostles, Kakadu National Park, Fraser Island, Pinnacles Desert, the Australian Alps, the Blue Mountains, the Green Cauldron, the Flinders Ranges, Cradle Mountain and the Bungle Bungles.
 In 2009, based on selected criteria, the New7Wonders Panel of Experts narrowed this further to the top 28. Now for Australia, only Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef remain in the running. It is now up to the public around the world to vote for the new wonders of the world. The seven with the most votes will be announced on November 11, 2011.
While extremely beautiful, Australia’s leading sites face stiff competition such as New Zealand’s Milford Sound, the Maldives, Brazil’s Iguazu Falls, America’s Grand Canyon, South Africa’s Table Mountain and Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.
The fierce competition from around the world only makes us more proud to have two of our sites in the final stage! Regardless of the results, one thing is for sure—a visit to Uluru and to the Great Barrier Reef is a must do. Add a tour around Uluru and a reef adventure to your bucket list!
 Book a tour of Ayers Rock or the Reef here!
Fraser Island is among Australia’s most cherished natural wonders. Rightly so, this exceptionally beautiful island is listed as a World Heritage site and is ranked by UNESCO to be as precious as Uluru, Kakadu, and the Great Barrier Reef.
I quickly realized why Fraser Island is so praised when I visited last week. Two friends and I joined a three-day tour operated by Sunset Safaris, which brought us to some of the island’s greatest treasures, including giant sand dunes, Lake Wabby, Lake Birrabean, Eli Creek, the rainforest, Indian Head, and the Maheno shipwreck.
With an area of 184000 hectares, Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and it is still growing;  we got a sense of its immense size as soon as we landed.
Once on the island, the tour began with a drive down 75 Mile Beach to our accommodations. This uninterrupted stretch of sand acts as a highway for vehicles and a runway for small planes.
During our ride in a comfortable 4WD bus, we watched the ocean rush to meet the tires on the right and spotted wildlife on the left; we saw dingoes walking amidst the coloured sand cliffs and saw a giant sunfish and a dugong washed up on the beach.
After checking in to the Eurong Beach Resort, which were our less than luxury but quite comfortable accommodations, we hiked through huge sweeping sand dunes and arrived at a green-coloured lake, Lake Wabby, where the group of us took a refreshing dip with several large fish.
After a late night at the Beach Bar in our resort, we woke up and visited some more spectacular sand dunes, which we climbed up, jumped off, and sprinted down. We then enjoyed a lunch spread prepared by our guide, Barry, before taking a bumpy ride down the inland sand trails to Lake Birrabean.
Lake Birrabean is one of the island’s many perched lakes, created by rainwater collected in a large sand dune. This beach is made of white silica sand, which brightly shines through the lake’s crystal clear waters.
The island’s many lakes are coloured differently and offer different health benefits depending on what sand they are on and what trees they are near.
For example, in the wet, white sand of Lake Birrabean, I was able to shine up all of my very tarnished silver jewellery! Other lakes are coloured a brownish red from the nearby tea tree leaves; this water is excellent for conditioning skin and hair.
After our swim, we hiked through an ancient, tall rainforest, complete with trees with huge trunks (including the Satinay tree which grows naturally only on Fraser Island), strong vines for swinging, and a strong but silent clear creek. Fraser Island is the only place you will find a rainforest growing on sand.
After this fun-filled day, we enjoyed a Mexican buffet dinner at the resort. Having all of our meals taken care of on the island kept things simple for us. In fact, beyond the food, our guide, Barry, made everything very easy for us.
Well-organized, Barry made sure we stayed on schedule and got to see the island’s highlights; further, in addition to being extremely entertaining, he was very informative and taught us about the island’s history and natural wonders—interesting knowledge we would have missed out on had we tried to tackle the island on our own.
On our last day,  Barry first drove us to Indian Head, tall headlands with gorgeous views. Here, we spotted string rays, whales, and even a shark! We then stopped at the Maheno shipwreck on our way to Eli Creek. With a water flow of 80 million litres a day, Eli Creek is a natural lazy river! We walked upstream, jumping from trees into the water at some points, then floated back down to meet the bus.
And so concluded our time on Fraser Island. While our days were packed full, there is still so much more we could have explored on the island. It is truly a huge natural playground. For this reason, I urge any potential visitors to at least spend a couple nights. As well, I found taking a guided tour, such as Sunset Safaris, to be the most stress-free and efficient option  for enjoying Fraser Island.
In whatever capacity you can manage, make sure you visit the clear and coloured lakes, the giant sand blows, the rainforest, the coloured sand cliffs, and the unique wildlife of Fraser Island.
Book your Fraser Island adventure here!
Combo Passes are a great way to see and do what you want, at a lower than retail price! Combination passes, 2 for 1 deals and packages are certainly not new. Most people would have bought at least one in their lifetime. Here is a list of Experience Oz’s top combo pass picks.
National VIP Pass – gets you unlimited entry to Sea World, Warner Bros Movie World and Wet n Wild from now until 30 June 2012. The price for all of this entertainment? $119.99 per person! It’s normally $79.99 for one entry to Movie World or Sea World and $59.99 for Wet n Wild, this is unbeatable value. BUY NOW
Super Pass – gets you entry to 2 Parks over 14 days (activated from first entry). Visit Sea World, Movie World or Wet n Wild for $149.99 per Adult and $99.99 per Child.
Tip!: Savvy shoppers will notice that while the Super Pass offers less benefits; for a family on holiday to the Gold Coast this actually works out cheaper for the child passes if you only intend to visit 2 parks on your short break. Buy the children Super Passes and a VIP Pas for yourself and you’ve saved even more money! BUY NOW
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary & Wyndham Cruises – Experience the Gold Coast’s most loved wildlife park at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and enjoy over 18 shows daily included in your admission. Then sit back and relax on a 2 hour waterways cruise from Surfers Paradise. Bliss! All this for only $49.95 per person (If you bought both tickets separately it would cost you $99.95!) BUY NOW
Sea World Whale Watch – combine a Sea World Whale Watching cruise and your entry ticket into Sea World and you can save over Save $60 Adults, Save $35 Child & Seniors! OR pay just $325 for a family (normally $602). BUY NOW
Sydney Attraction Combination Passes – it’s your choice with this one, a ‘pick & mix’ of your favourite attractions. Combine entry to 2, 3 or all 4 of Sydney’s best attractions in one low price with these all new passes. Visit Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Tower & Oceanworld Manly. BUY NOW
See Sydney & Beyond Attractions Pass – See Sydney Attractions Pass is available for 2, 3 and 7 days. All packages offer a choice of over 40 top experiences in and around fabulous Sydney! Proces start from $155 per Adult. BUY NOW
See Melbourne & Beyond Attractions Pass – FREE entry to over 40 attractions in Melbourne and surrounds. Unlimited access for 2, 3 or 7 days… It’s your choice! Discover everything Melbourne has to offer, at your own pace. Starting from $145 per Adult. BUY NOW
Tasmania 5 in 1 Pass – 5 tickets valid for single entry to Tasmania’s best attractions. 20 unique attractions to choose from. Valid for 3 months. Starting from $125 per Adult. BUY NOW
Great Sunshine Way Attractions Pass – Over 35 top attractions in Brisbane, Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast. Available in 3 packages (3 tickets, 5 tickets, 3 Day and 5 day unlimited passes). Great value for money and unbeatable convenience. Starting from $89 per Adult. BUY NOW
Get online and book a combination pass today and SAVE yourself some money to spend on a dinner, drink or souvenir when you get there.
We don’t charge anything extra at Experience Oz, so these really area great value deals!
Book your discount and combination passes here!
Renowned for its subtropical climate and pristine beaches, Hervey Bay is just a stones throw away from Fraser Island and is the perfect destination for you and your family’s next holiday! If golden beaches and warm weather aren’t reasons enough to make you want to call the travel agent, however, then we should probably let you in on a little secret… Hervey Bay is commonly referred to as the ‘whale watching capital of the world’ and is home to a breathtaking selection of whales during late July to November! During this time, these marine mammals can be spotted on most days from any of the whale watching vessels as they perform and show off in front of their ocean guests. The sheltered waters of Hervey Bay provide these majestic creatures with the ideal conditions to rest, play and educate their calves before commencing their southern journey home. To ensure your whale watching experience is both magical and memorable, we recommend you book with any of the four operators listed below, all of whom are as great as each other!
With 23 years of industry experience, Half Day Whale Watch Cruises has earned the right to call itself whale watching experts! The contemporary 30 metre catamaran provides customers with six viewing decks over five levels, giving you plenty of room to move around, and is the newest vessel in the Hervey Bay fleet. Although it has the capacity to seat 200 guests at a time, the crew likes to limit Spirit’s numbers to 150 in order to provide a more personal and intimate experience. Operating seven days a week from the Whale Bay Marina, tours run at 8.30am and 1.30pm and last for four hours.
Whale Watch & Fraser Island Combo also provides a first-class whale watching service! Renowned for offering the ‘most popular whale watching trip in Australia’, this operator has cleverly expanded its services to include a range of tour options to suit every traveler! Whether you are after a half, full, two or three day tour, Whale Watch & Fraser Island Combo can help you. This stylish catamaran shows off three spacious viewing decks, an underwater hydrophone, its own one of a kind whale spotter aircraft, and live feeds from below the water level so passengers can view the action from all angles! The half-day tour departs from 7.00am and 1.00pm daily from the Great Sandy Straits Marina and lasts for approximately four hours.
An equally satisfying and memorable experience, the friendly crew at the Three Quarter Day Whale Watch Cruise provides a three-quarter day whale watch cruise through the Hervey Bay Marine Park. Departing at 9.00am from the Whale Bay Marine and returning at 2.00pm, you are bound to see the most beautiful selection of marine mammals frolicking in their natural habitat. M.V. The Three Quarter Day Whale Watch Cruise is a state of the art 20 metre aluminum catamaran, designed to reach cruising speeds of 20 knots. Sit back and relax in the comfort of an air-conditioned vessel and select from the library of informative sea-life books, or take a stroll with your camera around the two viewing decks and spacious bow.
We also invite you to come aboard the smallest of vessels in the Hervey Bay fleet, Whale Watch Sailing Cruise. Whoever said ‘size is everything’ was sorely mistaken. This beautifully crafted sail vessel is 10.5 metres in length and 7 metres wide and provides voyagers with ample room to experience all the ocean offers! With passengers limited to 24 per tour, you can guarantee this journey will be an intimate and personalised one. This full day adventure departs the Great Sandy Straits Marina at 7.30am and returns at 3.30pm, giving passengers sufficient time to see, hear and be involved in the best of Queensland whale watching.
So round up your family, friends or anyone else for that matter, and come to Hervey Bay, ‘where the whales choose to holiday’! We promise it will be an experience of a lifetime!
In a bid to boost tourism in Queensland after recent poor weather and natural disasters, Queensland’s tourism operators are being encouraged to sign a new pledge. By agreeing to the pledge, operators promise “to give visitors the best holiday experience possible” as part of a new Tourism Queensland campaign.
The pledge encourages tourism operators, individuals and other businesses involving tourists that they will “dial up service levels, surprise visitors with unexpected thrills and smiles, and never underestimate the power of a shining Queensland moment”. With so many awesome reasons to visit Queensland, let us help you plan your next trip. Search for Great Barrier Reef Cruises, Helicopter Flights over the Gold Coast, Visit the Seals at Underwater World, Climb the Story Bridge in Brisbane, Visit the natural wonders of Fraser Island, White Water Rafting in Cairns……..the list goes on! Visit Experience Oz before your next Queensland holiday and save valuable holiday time and MONEY! We do not charge booking fees, or additional charges.
Experience Oz’s pledge:
We, the members if the tourism industry, are united in our determination to show that Nothing Beats Queensland.
Our plan is simple.
* We bill pull out all the stop to thank visitors for their support, by giving them the best holiday experieces possible.
* We will surprise and delight with random acts of joyful appreciation.
* We will turn our service level up to 11.
We will do out utmost to crate unexpected moments that give our vistas a thrill, a smile or even, blow their minds.
* We will not underestimate the power of these moments.
* As individuals, companies and organisations, we are committed to being the best ambassadors for Queensland.
* Together, we will unite to bring visitors back, and give them a reason to keep coming back.
* Our actions will be evidence that Queensland is the place where Australia – and the Australian spirit – shines.
Signed,
Experience Oz.
Go Queensland!
WIN THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE!…..are you up to it?
20 Attractions, 3 Days, 3 Cities
Ever dreamt of being a travel reporter? You and a mate could win the experience of a lifetime. Tour with a film crew through the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast experiencing 20 attractions. Get close to tigers, swim with seals, fly over the Gold Coast – are you up for the challenge? Our film crew will be capturing all your fears, screams, laughs – you’ll star in our experience videos!
THIS COULD BE YOU!
* 4 Nights Accommodation
* Return Flights from your nearest Australian Capital City
* $1000 (that’s $500 for you and a mate)
* All Meals
* Prize Pack with a Camera
* Loads of Money-can’t-buy experiences!
If you think you and your mate are up for the challenge, head to www.facebook.com/ExperienceOz to enter. Send us a pic and 100 words, or a 60 video to convince us that we should pick you!
For more details go to http://www.facebook.com/ExperienceOz. Entries close 29th March 2011 so get in quick!
That’s right….we’re giving away a digital camera! After such a busy silly season, we’re sure you have plenty of funny, weird and crazy holiday photos lying around! Share it with us on our ExperienceOz Facebook wall for your chance to win a Digital Camera. Simply go to our facebook page and upload it to our wall – make sure you ‘Like’ us first.
As a BONUS, you’ll also get 5% off your next purchase. Enter Now
As you may be aware, the Great Barrier Reef has been greatly affected due to Cyclone Yasi, with moderate to sever damage to the Coral Reef and many communities around Cairns and the Whitsunday’s.
However….
The Southern Great Barrier Reef south of Gladstone (Lady Musgrave Island area) has been totally untouched and unaffected by these conditions. Those tourists who have had their plans disrupted due to the problems faced up north can still visit the SOUTHERN – Great Barrier Reef. Tourists who wish to visit the Great Barrier Reef can do so and enjoy the full benefits of the Great Barrier Reef with the following companies:
* Australian Sunset Safaris – departing from Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
* Lady Musgrave Cruises – Departing the Town of 1770.
FRASER ISLAND
Fraser Island has also been untouched by the cyclone, and is business as usual. Conditions on Fraser Island are described as “Beautiful.”
Australia – it’s a big country! In fact it is the 6th largest continent in the world. However it has a relatively small population of 21 million and most reside along the eastern seaboard.
So, how do you decide where to go and what to do? How do you get the most out of your Australian visit? What do you want to get out of your visit?
Are you a nature lover? The Great Barrier Reef is the worlds largest coral reef containing marine life and over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays dotted with breathtaking tropical islands. Or why not travel south to the cooler most southern state of Australia – Tasmania, where there are so many ways to experience the island’s natural and unique wonders! Try an evening to remember spotlighting Tasmanian devils, quolls, wombats and wallabies; a highland bushwalk alongside ice-carved crags; or an offshore cruise to spot whales, dolphins and seabirds. More info…..
From about May/June to November each year visitors can marvel at the amazing whales that pass along the east and western coasts of Australia. During summer they spend their time feeding in the chilled waters of Antarctica before migrating their way north for breeding. Visitors can usually see the whales on bard one of the many whale watching vessels as the whales make their way north and then south again towards the end of October/November. Experience Oz recommends the following destinations for whales watching in Australia. Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay, Sydney.
Adventurous? Australia has so much to offer! Cairns & Port Douglas in North Queensland are sub-tropical paradises in close proximity to rainforests and natural wonders.
Why not have a go at White Water Rafting in the Russel River or Barron River? If you have ever wanted to Skydive,
 Cairns offers the best views of the coastline, and reefs.
Try something uniquely Australian, such as a cuddle of a Koala (QLD is the only state in Australia where this is possible). In Queensland visitors can do this at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Paradise Country Aussie Farm Tours and of course Australia Zoo made famous by the self confessed wildlife warrior Steve Irwin. Aboriginal culture is one of the most ancient in the world, one place that you can experience this is at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park in Cairns – they offer both day and nighttime experiences. Cheese and Wine Tours in Mudgee near Sydney or travel to the world famous Barossa Valley in Adelaide to sample some of the world best and well known wines! Take a day trip out to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory where you can take a trip to view the world famous Ayers Rock, now commonly known by its traditional name Uluru. Try an adventure or a relaxed day trip. It’s YOUR choice!
We hope this gives you some idea of what Australia has to offer you. “There’s nothing like Australia”.
Experience Oz is a one-stop shop for things to do in Australia! No booking fees, No credit card fees or hidden charges. What you see is what you pay!
What would you do with an Experience Oz $200 voucher? That’s right, we’re giving away $200 worth of experiences to one lucky entrant. Send us your best holiday pic of you snorkelling, on a roller coaster, skydiving or any other great Aussie experience to be in the running. Quick, competition closes soon.
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