Amazing Down Under
Sydney was our first port of call – with its spectacular natural harbour. Seeing the iconic sails of the Opera House and taking a tour inside was inspiring especially as we got a preview of the ballet that was on the same day. Walking through the Royal Botanical Gardens was one of the most magical spots away from the vibrant throb of the city. With 30 hectares of rainforest walks, wishing trees, Orchard butterflies as big as your hand and the sound of kookaburras calling to each other – this really was a beautiful park and judging by the amount of people and weddings throughout its setting – it looks as if the rest of Sydney was enjoying it as well.
On the second day we visited the picturesque Blue Mountains which was my sort of place – full of fresh air, awesome canyons and valley floors covered in lush eucalyptus trees. Our guide was wonderful – informative but in a laid-back way. We had our first encounters with Australian wildlife at Featherdale Wildlife Park where we were the first visitors so able to feed kangaroos, wallabies and see a group of koalas who were cute. We then climbed the Great Dividing Range and viewed the Three Sisters rock formation in amongst the vast canyons as well as a cable car down to the rainforest and a ride on the world’s steepest railway back up the canyon – not for the fainthearted!
Up at 5am as our body clocks had not quite adjusted yet – just in time for an early flight to Cairns. Queensland is the only place on earth where two World Heritage listed sites meet – the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Indeed, the rainforest here is assessed to be older than the Amazon! Our hosted dinner was at the splendid Rydges hotel where the accommodation and food were great.
The highlight of our trip was a Quicksilver tour to the Barrier Reef. Top tip – the best location for setting out for the Barrier Reef would be Port Douglas, Palm Cove or Cape Tribulation. We departed early from Cairns by coach, so we could get to the high-speed catamaran for a full day cruise. The trip was really calm for those of us who were worried about sailing and there were plenty of natural remedies available on board if it was still a problem. This was what we had all been waiting for. We travelled in comfort to the renowned Agincourt Reef on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Quicksilver has facilities to enable both swimmers and non-swimmers to experience this stunning reef world. If you don’t fancy getting your toes wet there is a semi-submersible, an underwater observatory or a scenic helicopter ride or just sitting having lunch and taking in the view from the platform is a treat in itself.
For the adventurous minded – snorkelling, diving or walking down a platform for an Oceanwalker helmet dive was on offer. Marine biologists were resident on board the platform so if you wanted in depth guidance on what you were seeing underwater – they would accompany you which was brilliant. Some of the divers spotted a turtle and dolphin and we saw a very large fish lurking on the bottom of the reef – but it was not a shark! What a fabulous day we all had – with the added bonus of a short trip in the helicopter to give us all huge grins when we made our way back onboard our trusty catamaran. The day ended with a few drinks out on deck to catch the last of the sun and watch the wide sweeping panoramas whizz by whilst recounting our adventures. What an incredible day!
Our last day was again one of my favourites as we ventured deeper into the Daintree rainforest to an area called Mossman Gorge. This was an authentic aboriginal experience as the group met a couple of indigenous people who performed a ritual fire lighting which we had to circle to make friends with the spirits before we entered the forest. Our guide was brilliant, and he demonstrated traditional plant use e.g. making soap in one of the cool streams, how to identify bush tucker sources, and provided us with an enchanting narrative of the rainforest and his special relationship within this tropical environment. After our walk along easy graded tracks, he made tea and gave us damper bread with some of the locally gathered honey. What a treat. We then stopped off for lunch at Silky Oaks Lodge which is one of the best spas in Australia. The gorgeous setting in the rainforest with all the houses on stilts and the restaurant overlooking the river. This was one of the best barramundi we were lucky enough to sample and it really was a special location for anyone thinking of a honeymoon.
But it got better – as we moved to our next overnight stay at Thala Lodge near Port Douglas – overlooking the Coral sea again in the rainforest setting. Empty beaches and turquoise water – as well as stilted hideaways in the rainforest made this night really magical. Thala had its own resident naturalist where you could enjoy complimentary nature tours to explore and understand all the colourful birds, butterflies, reptiles and astonishing vegetation. What a great trip!