In a homage to TV star Charley Boorman’s bid to travel from Ireland to Australia ‘by any means’, Janine Kelso suggests ways you can tour Oz – from camel to coach
Camel
Get into the carnival atmosphere in Alice Springs at its annual Imparja Camel Cup, where 15 riders try to encourage the unpredictable animals to head in the right direction in a bid to reach the finishing line. The brave riders work hard to entertain the crowd. Visitors also get the chance to take a camel ride.
Sample product:Jetset Holidays offers a 14-night tour of Australia for £1,995 per person, departing June 30 2009, including flights, transfers, five nights in Sydney, five nights at Alice Springs where visitors will enjoy a balloon flight with breakfast and the opportunity ride a camel, and four nights in Perth. Guests will be in Alice Springs for the Camel Cup on July 11 (0870 555 747).
Hot-air ballooning
Marvel at the vastness of the outback by viewing it from a hot air balloon as the sun rises. From the air, it’s easy to spot big red kangaroos and appreciate the diversity of the landscape, which ranges from grasses to scrub-land dotted with cattle stations.
Sample product: Kuoni offers a 30-minute outback ballooning flight for £94 per person or a 60-minute flight for £141 per person (01306 741111).
Harley Davidson
Take to the open road with the wind in your hair by riding a Harley Davidson. Beginning in Sydney, explore the mountains, beaches, waterfalls and vibrant cities of New South Wales and Queensland, in a 10-day bike adventure. Alternatively, ride through the Blue Mountains, stopping for some wine tasting in Hunter Valley.
Sample product: H-C Travel offers the 10-day Gold Coast Ride for £1,575 per person, including 10 days’ Harley Davidson hire, nine nights’ three to four-star bed-and-breakfast accommodation for one to two people, helmet, gloves if required, lock, unlimited mileage, roadbook and maps. Satnav is £6 per day on all Sydney rentals (01256 770775).
Boat
Jump aboard a high-speed catamaran as it makes its way through the Great Barrier Reef. Passengers will be taken to the Quiksilver activity platform, moored in protective lagoons, where you can choose how to discover the reef.
Explore the underwater world by diving or snorkelling, or stay dry by viewing the reef from the comfort of a Qucksilver semi-sub, which goes down one metre. Alternatively, watch the fish from the underwater viewing platform and observatory.
Sample product: Attraction World offers the Quicksilver Outer Barrier Reef tour by catamaran for £107 per adult and £55 per child including coach transfer from Cairns north to Port Douglas (0871 700 8888).
Coach
For those who want to see as much of the country as possible from ground level, taking a coach could be the best option. Cosmos Tourama’s best-selling Australia tour includes both the east and west coasts, and can be combined with a New Zealand tour.
Sample product: Cosmos Tourama offers the 21-day Best of Australia tour, including sightseeing in Perth, Melbourne and Canberra, as well as trips to Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Albury and a Great Barrier Reef cruise in Cairns, for £3,165 per person in May 2009, including flights, transfers, 18 nights’ room-only accommodation, plus guides in Alice Springs and Ayers Rock (0871 423 8472).
Train
Stretching from Australia’s east to west coast, the Indian Pacific is the world’s last remaining trans-continental train journey. Taking 65 hours to cover a distance of 2,720 miles, the train leaves Sydney and passes through the Blue Mountains, so-called because of the blue mist that rises up from the eucalyptus trees.
The train passes through the Nullarbor desert along the longest straight stretch of railway track – covering a distance of almost 300 miles. Keep your eyes peeled for wombats, camels and emus. Accommodation is split into two classes, sleeper cabins and airline-style seats.
Sample product:Travel 2 offers a ride on the Indian Pacific train from Sydney to Adelaide (or vice-versa) for £132 per person (0800 0224 302).
