“I expected wilderness, but nothing had prepared me for this otherworldly experience,” traveler Steve Rothwell wrote of Australia. “There were no swaying palms here, rather a sunbaked version of the surface of Mars. Blood red sand, rich in iron, spilled everywhere, appearing almost incandescent, hot enough to cook on. The red pindan sand poured from the peninsula heights, dotted here and there with defiant stands of saltbush, to cascade into steep dunes which end abruptly at the talcum- like beach. The line between red and white was only a few centimeters, the transition compelling. Throw into the equation an impossibly blue sea lapping just meters away from this strange sand tussle and it’s easy to see why I was so entranced.” He was talking about the Peron Peninsula in Western Australia near Shark’s Bay, although the Australian habitat encompasses everything from scrub brush prairie, sand dune desert and tropical rainforests to rolling green fields, beach playgrounds and urban metropolises. Visit Australia for some of the most diverse scenery housed on one continent!

Australia is a perfect romantic getaway if you both love the great outdoors! It is one of twelve “megadiverse” countries that accounts for 75% of the world’s biodiversity, says the Department of Environment and Climate Change. The existence of Australian animals on the island fascinates biologists, who attribute the tremendous biodiversity to being allowed to proliferate without human interference for so many years. Remember, Australia was not even officially declared a country until 1901. It’s not every day that you can see 45 species of kangaroo hopping through the brush, an enormous emu running with its gangly ostrich-like legs, or hear a laughing kookaburra in the tree. Some animals can only be found down under. The Tasmanian devil, for instance, is only found in Australia. To Australian guides, it may be nothing to see a playful platypus, 100 varieties of poisonous snakes, 56 species of parrots, a koala or a wild dingo, but travelers are always somewhat bewildered by the sudden emergence of animals they had only previously seen on TV or at the zoo. The bush and the Australian outback are unique experiences, so try to arrange a 4 wheel drive tour to catch the animals in Australia’s great outdoors!

Visit Australia to see natural wonders. The Great Barrier Reef next to the party town of Carins is the best place to dive in the world. Backpackers can take an “introductory dive” with a tour company for $75 AUD per trip. For a more in-depth view that’s off-the-beaten-path, you’ll need your scuba license or a fair amount of cash to get on a private boat. Another amazing natural wonder is Uluru, which is also called “Ayers Rock.” The Anangu Australian aboriginal people believe this 348-meter, color-changing rock holds sacred power and it is situated right in Kata Tjuta National Park, where you can traverse many different hiking trails. Thirdly, at Monkey Mia you’ll have the chance to feed wild dolphins in Shark Bay, a protected World Heritage area. Also, Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest (the oldest in the world) is home to 30% of the nation’s frog, marsupial and reptile species, 65% of the bat and butterfly species, and 20% of the country’s birds. These are just a few of the natural wonders you will be privy to on an Australian vacation. Australia also boasts some of the best hiking, road trips and a “Little Sahara” desert region.

Visit Australia for a good road trip. Don’t miss the Stuart Highway road trip of Australia, as it has virtually no speed limit like Germany’s Autobahn, the landscape is miles and miles of desolate sandy red earth, nostalgic artifacts litter your journey and you may even see flying fox bats squabbling in the trees at the Mataranka Thermal Springs stop-off. Another fantastic adventure is the Great Ocean Road drive from Melbourne to Port Phillip Bay, Bell’s Beach, Torquay, Airey’s Inlet, Apollo Bay, Otway Fly and Loch Ard Gorge. You’ll see surfboard, kangaroos and rainforest gullies along the way to make your trip memorable. A third road trip you may want to take is the remote South Australia quadrant, from Perth to Bunbury and Yallingup through the Margaret River Wine Region. Gothic cathedrals and behemoth trees, organic food and beach towns all meet you on your voyage, and don’t forget the Australian wine tours! While driving isn’t much of a vacation for some, the drives you’ll take around the coastal regions of Australia are transcendental.

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