Australia’s vast deserts, dense forests, wild rivers and stunning coastline were made for adventure holidays. Will Gray looks at some of the best experiences on offer
From sailing the ocean on a yacht to flying over the Bungle Bungles in a helicopter, there are plenty of reasons for thrill-seekers to make the long-distance journey to Australia.
If you want to make your clients’ trip to Australia unforgettable, try getting one of these ideas into their itinerary.
Dive with whale sharks in Western Australia
Diving or snorkelling with one of these giants of the sea is an unforgettable experience. The whale sharks swim close to the surface, mouth open, sucking up plankton, and you get so close you can almost touch them.
Reaching up to 18 metres, whale sharks head towards the shore to feed in this beautiful unspoilt area from April to June. It is worth timing a trip especially for this, although it is always dependent on conditions whether you will see them.
The rich waters of Ningaloo Reef are also home to dolphins, turtles, rays and dugongs, and the atmosphere is far more relaxed and less touristy than the east coast resorts.
Sample product: Austravel offers this trip for £158. A significant distance from Perth, it should ideally be combined with a trip up the coast. Austravel offers a five-day trip to Ningaloo, which includes a visit to the Pinnacles, from £549 per person excluding flights.
See also: For more mainstream diving, one of the best options is the Great Barrier Reef. There are no whale sharks, but stunning coral and fish. The outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef is where the coral is best. Most companies offer five-day PADI courses and prices start from £290 per person.
Balloon over the Red Centre
The stunning landscape of Australia’s Red Centre comes alive in the morning and there is no better way to experience the dawn of a new day in this region than from a hot air balloon.
Whether you fly over the Olgas or the MacDonnell Ranges, the awesome expanse of Australia’s outback becomes clear as you drift over the desert. The Red Centre also offers the chance to see the famed Uluru, visit cattle stations, view canyons and understand the culture of the Aboriginal communities.
Sample product: Travel 2/4 offers a morning ballooning tour from £93 per person. Its five-day Four-Wheel Drive Red Centre Outback Experience starts from £370 per person and takes in the best of the Red Centre. Camping accommodation, meals, national park entrances, touring and sightseeing are all included.
See also: One near-guaranteed hot air balloon option (flights run on average 340 days per year) can be found in tropical North Queensland, which is known as the ballooning capital of the world.
- Related feature:Six days in the red centre
Sail the East Coast
Situated 563 miles north of Brisbane, the 74 islands that make up the sun-soaked Whitsundays mark the start of the Great Barrier Reef and offer a sailing paradise to more than match those in the Turkish or Greek isles.
Just eight islands are inhabited – including the luxurious Hamilton and Hayman Islands – so the remaining beach-fringed, rainforest-covered islands offer an untouched beauty. Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday Island, with its long, blindingly white sands have been voted one of the best in the world.
Sample product: Qantas Holidays offers Whitsunday Magic trips – deluxe three or six-night voyages around the Whitsundays on a Mediterranean-style, three-masted schooner.
The tours include fine food and wine, air-conditioned cabins and an onboard dive crew offering introductory or certified dives. Prices start from £295 and £555 for three and six nights respectively, excluding flights.
See also: For those who like to sail but want a shorter trip, there are many options heading out of Sydney, either around the famous harbour or the harbour heads, with whale watching tours to see humpbacks beginning in May.
River raft through Tasmania
The frothing water of the Franklin River offers adventure-seekers Australia’s longest and most exciting rafting options, with wild rides beneath towering peaks past lush rainforest, pinewoods and eucalyptus trees.
Travelling from the Collingwood River, to where the Franklin joins the Gordon River and flows into Macquarie Sound on the west coast, the challenging river offers intense rapids such as The Cauldron or Big Fall. Five and 10-day trips are available.
Sample product: Water by Nature offers an 11-night Franklin River white-water rafting adventure, including a day walk to Frenchman’s Cap. The trip costs £1,200 per person, including most meals, but excluding flights.
See also: Northern Queensland is a good rafting location that is closer to the main tourist route. The Barron Gorge National Park offers a picturesque and more leisurely option, while bigger adrenaline rides take place on the Tully River. Both cost about £65.
Helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungles
The extraordinary Bungle Bungle mountains have to be seen to be believed – and even then, taking to the air is the only way to truly appreciate their unusual beauty.
These orange and black-striped rounded rock towers sit in the rugged and remote Kimberly region, close to Western Australia’s border with the Northern Territory.
They must be visited in the dry season from April to October as they are often cut off for the rest of the year, when the spectacular Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm fill with floodwater.
See them at their best in an open-doored helicopter. Not easy to get to, it is best to arrive here on a trip either travelling from Perth to Darwin or on a round-trip from the coastal town of Broome.
Sample product: Gold Medal Holidays offers an eight-day Bungle Bungle Outback Adventure taking in the highlights of Kimberley with an optional helicopter ride over the Bungle Bungles. This costs from £1,500 per person.
Travel 2/4 offers a shorter three-day Four-wheel Drive Bungle Bungles and Geikie Gorge Adventure from £413 per person, with optional helicopter flight.
See also: A flight over the Great Ocean Road, between Melbourne and Australia, opens up a whole new view on this famous coastline, while helicopter and cruise combinations are available over Hamilton Island and the famous Heart Reef on the Great Barrier.
