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If you are planning a trip to Australia and

Sydney, I would suggest that you allow for an  extra 2 days and do something out of the ordinary, a walk. A coastal walk !

 An exhilarating 2 days of breathtaking scenery and invigorating challenges the

Royal

Coast Walk offers it all.  Located only 32 km south of

Sydney you meet up at Cronulla where you cross by scenic ferry to Bundeena and the start of your 2 day adventure. There are plenty of stops during the day to refresh, relax and take photos.  You swim at protected beaches and camp by the secluded beach and lagoon at the gorgeous Wattamolla.  Now, if you can only spend one day this is what you do; Walk from Bundeena to Little Marley via the Aboriginal carvings at Jibbon Point and return. Highlights include the Devil’s Dice ,White Cliffs and Marley Headland. For those with 2 days to spare see the entire Coast Track including  a night camping under the stars by the ocean and lagoon at Wattamolla. Highlights on Day 2 of the walk include Eagle Rock,

Garie

Beach, shack communities at Era and Burning Palms, Palm Jungle and Werrong Lookout.        Walking distances: (Day 1 – 14 km, 7 hrs; Day 2 – 16km, 8hr) The organiser,

Royal

Coast Walks supply, prepare and transport all your good and camping equipment leaving you free to experience the Coast Track in all it’s beauty.  The cost is AUD 239.00 and includes;  •

Royal

National Park entry and camping fees.• All camping equipment, transported and erected for youat our idyllic campsite• Expert Guide• All meals for the duration of the trip.  Scenic ferry ride from Cronulla to Bundeena.  • Specialty evening meal is BBQ’d marinated butterfly leg oflamb, grilled vegetable skewers, gourmet salad and traditionalAustralian damper. Beer and wine.• Lunches consist of freshly prepared ham/chicken and salad rolls.• Breakfast is bacon, eggs, fruit, cereal, juice, tea and coffee.• Daytime snacks are fresh fruit, nuts and dried fruits.* Alternative menu available on request** Breakfast and evening meals are for overnight packages only. 

Check out Royal Coast Walks on http://www.theaustraliacard.com.au

Not only will you get a 10% discount with RCW but similar discounts on a variety of services all over Australia

The Australian Gourmet Traveller’s 2009 Traveller Awards has recently been published and you’ll find some outstanding attractions. The panel of travel experts comes up with a shortlist of nominations in each category then voting is open to Gourmet Traveller’s readers. An enthusiastic 33000 readers voted this year. We can offer you the best deals so please feel free to contact us : info@australiantravel.us

 

 

Here are the Winners and Runners-up;

 

Readers Choice Awards:

Best Eco-tourism experience:

Winner: Wilson Island in Queensland.

 

Runners up: Freycinet Experience Walk and Maria Island Walk in Tasmania.

Best Family Experience:

Winner: Sea World Resort and Water

Park, Gold Coast

Runners-up: Sovereign Hill, (Melbourne) and Australia Zoo ( Brisbane)

Best Small Luxury Hotel:

Winner: Emporium Hotel, Brisbane

Runners-up: Islington, Hobart and Lake

House, Daylesford.

Best Adventure Tourism:

Winner: Orion Expedition Cruises

Runners-up: Cradle

Mountain Walk in Tasmania and

Aurora Expeditions.

Best hosted accommodation ( B & B )

Winner: Hunter Valley Cooperage (

Sydney)

Runners-up: Cotterville, Victoria  and Ooraminna Station Homestead.

Best indigenous tourism experience:

Winner: Anangu Waai, Northern Territory

Runners-up: Kooljaman at Cape Leveque, Western Australia and Guurbi Tours in Queensland.

Best Lodge:

Winner: Cradle Mountain Lodge,

Tasmania

Runners-up: Silky Oaks Lodge ( Cairns) and Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Isl.

Best Resort Accommodation:

Winner: Qualia, Hamilton

Island

Runners-up: Emma Gorge Resort and El Questro  in Western Australia.

Best Health/Spa Retreat

Winner: Salus Spa,Lake House, Daylesford

Runners-up: Qualia on Hamilton Island and Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa, VIC.

Best Large Luxury Hotel:

Winner: Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast

Runners-up: The Langham, Melbourne and Park Hyatt, Sydney.

Best new Hotel/Resort/Lodge

Winner: Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island.

Runners-up: A tie for second place between Qualia on Hamilton Island and Emporium Hotel in

Brisbane.

Best Eco Tourism:

Winner: Wild Bush Luxury

Runners-up: Maria Island Walk in Tasmania and

Montague

Island in NSW.

 

Experience the beauty and solitude of the Kosciuszko National Park with one and two day guided treks featuring fully catered, in-field, star-covered, overnight campsites.

This means walkers are able to experience the beauty and wilds of the

Kosciuszko

National Park in comfort, with the luxury of local guides sharing intimate knowledge and the hassle and hardship of carrying equipment being tended to by the KOSCIUSZKO ALPINE GUIDED WALKS staff.THE EXPERIENCE
Envisage the sky turning into a palette of evening colour after spending a day ascending Australia’s highest peak and discovering pristine glacial lakes in remote areas of the Kosciuszko National Park.

FULLY CATERED
Your guide will lead you through outlying alpine terrain to a prepared campsite with creature comforts including personal tents, rolled out bedding ready for your weary body and a change of dry, warm, clothing. Don’t lift a finger, a hearty meal will be prepared while you relax, soak up the sunset and easy conversation around a star-covered campsite.

KOSCIUSZKO

NATIONAL PARK

The magnificence of the

Kosciuszko

National Park, located in the

Australian Alps, is unique to the world’s geographic alpine terrain and is internationally recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.Covering almost 675,000 hectares (1,485,000 acres) the Park contains the highest mountains and glacial lakes in

Australia. It also has plant species found nowhere else on earth highlighted by vivid fields of colourful alpine flora, nine wilderness areas, rare and indigenous Australian mountain fauna, tremendous vistas, historic huts, sensational walking tracks and is the source of the Snowy, Murray and

Murrimbidgee

Rivers

NOVOTEL

LAKE CRACKENBACK RESORT.Lake Crackenback Resort is your premier alpine experience, superbly located in the magnificent

Snowy

Mountains high country on the tranquil shores of

Lake

Crackenback. The Resort is a perfect home base for exploration of all the treasures the Snowy Region has to offer. The Resort also boasts such a variety of high quality facilities and activities you may wish to stay on site for your entire holiday or conference.

Lake Crackenback Resort allows you to relax in style, concentrate on business or indulge your taste for adventure, all year round For further information and bookings contact us on http://www,australiantravel.us

“The sheer pleasure of being alive…experience it on a sensational, gentle adventure that take you into island nature, the hidden world of wildlife and a history rich with human stories.  Join us on the Maria Island walk.Through our 4-day guided walk we aim to provide a rich experience of history and nature, gentle achievable adventure , comfortable elegant accommodation and dining, and wildlife viewing – all supported by knowledgeable, educational interpretationThat’s the introduction to this wonderful walk on Maria Island operated by Ian and Bronwyn Johnstone.Maria Island is conveniently accessed via Hobart.  The entire island is a National Park, with unspoiled beaches and tall Tasmanian Blue Gum forests, and this relaxed, guided walk is a great way to explore it.  The four day trip includes two nights at comfortable beachfront wilderness camps and the final night is accommodated at historic Bernacchi House at the Darlington settlement. Maria Island’s wildlife viewing is exceptional with a variety of rare kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidna and fur seals.  Maria is also a renowned destination for bird watching with 10 of the 11 endemic Tasmanian species being found here. Casuarina Camp and White Gums Camp each provide twin share accommodation in environmentally sensitive standing camps built on wooden platforms with canvas walls.  Foam mattresses and pillows are provided, as well as camp showers and composting toilets.  Guests stay in restored Bernacchi House on the final night.
The four-day trips leave Hobart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from October - May.  Participants meet at 8.00 am at Hobart’s Salamanca Arts Centre, with a return to the same venue by 5 pm on Day 4 of the trip - airport drop off is optional.Group size is limited to eight persons, accompanied by two guides, and light packs of 5-8 kilos are carried along firm sandy beaches or gentle forest trails.  The walk is graded easy/gentle

DAY 1: Hobart to Casuarina Beach Camp

Departing from the  Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart, start with a drive through lush east coast farmland and peaceful seaside town of Orford to arrive at Triabunna.  Board a boat to wet your appetite for adventure, exploring Mercury Passage en route to Chinaman’s Bay on
Maria Island.  The walk begins with a visit to old homesteads and former pastures reclaimed by kangaroos and wombats. Ramble along Crooked McGiness Lagoon, to be surprised by abundant wildlife and birds.  Then enjoy stunning views along the sweeping curve of
Riedle Bay beach before walking in the footsteps of French Explorer, Nicholas Baudin, who visited the island in 1802. Find out why the nearby point is called Cape des Tombeaux.
Overnight at the delightful Casuarina Beach Camp with the option of a refreshing dip in a sheltered bay.
Distance: 8km - 4hrs

DAY 2: Five great beaches - White Gums Camp.  

Easy does it - this is ‘five beaches day

  Walk across to
Shoal Bay, where a string of five superb beaches unfolds before you.  Add a dash of spice at the convict cells at Point Lesueur, where you will hear tales of intrigue from the early days of this outpost.  Birds and mammals abound in the vicinity of five natural freshwater lagoons. Inspect an ochre pit at Bloodstone Point, a rare source of ochre used by Tasmanian aborigines, then continue past Gull Nest Point to Soldiers Beach and Return Point.
Put your feet up tonight at White Gums Camp and enjoy a glass of wine on the deck. Banksias and white gums around the camp are full of native birds.

Distance:  13km – 6hrs

DAY 3:  Gondwana Rainforest - White Gums to Bernacchi House

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast then head inland, leaving behind the pristine white beach for the rich green of grand forests.  This is prime habitat for the endangered Forty-spotted Pardalotes and your guide knows just where to look for them.
Take a gentle inland track to Hopgrounds beach and the Painted Cliffs or if you are feeling energetic, continue to the 711 metre summit of Mount Maria to stand in awe of breathtaking 360 degree views.  Greet trees and ferns that are relics of the supercontinent of Gondwana – giant Tasmanian rainforest specimens of blue gums, celery-top pines, sassafras and manferns.
Arrive at the restored convict settlement of Darlington to explore the Coffee Palace and the daily life of prisoners and workers in the doomed silkmaking, winemaking and cement manufacturing industries.  Be touched by the tragedies of Italian entrepreneur, Diego Bernacchi, then enjoy the same sunset view that helped inspire his vision. Join new friends for a sumptuous banquet in Bernacchi’s former home, where you will stay the night.

Distance:  9km or 17km walk – 4 or 8 hours (depending on Mt Maria Climb)

DAY 4: Fur Seals onIle des Phoques and Fossil Bay caves and cliffs - Return to Hobart

The final day begins with a sunrise boat trip to Ile des Phoques, 18km north of
Darlington, to see a playful colony of Australian Fur Seals - mammals once on the brink of extinction.  Back on Maria, inspect the dramatic sea caves and cliffs around
Fossil Bay before lunching at Bernacchi House.
Refreshed and ready for the outside world, depart Darlington for Triabunna and return drive to
Hobart. It’s a great chance to swap addresses and say an easy goodbye before returning to Salamanca Arts Centre around 5pm, or an airport drop-off can be provided.

Distance:  4km walk - 2 hours

The current price is AUD 1745.00 per person.

Included in the Maria Island Guided Walk;

All transport: Hobart – Maria Island – Hobart 3 night twin share accommodation and excellent meals.

p>Two guides per trip with maximum 8 guests.

National Park entrance fees.

Raincoat and pack supplied, together with sleeping bag.