"Down Under Roundtrip" Australia by filipdebont

This 29 days roundtrip was organised by the Dutch Travel agency Djoser (www.djoser.nl - in Dutch only).

Day 1 & 2, we did fly from Amsterdam to Sydney, via Hong Kong, with Cathay Pacific.

Day 3 & 4, we visited Sydney, well know for its Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

Day 5, time to discover the Blue Mountains.

Day 6, via the Abercrombie Caves we arrived in Canberra, Capital of Australia.

Day 7, we visited the Parliament House and the War Memorial in Canberra, and we continued our journey towards Beechworth, a small Gold rush village where time stood still.

Day 8, we travelled from Beechworth to Melbourne

Day 9, a full day to visit Melbourne, a city with great architecture and a beautiful Botanic garden.

Day10, 11 & 12, we travelled from Melbourne towards Adelaide, along the Great Ocean Road. Nature along this road is just great; we had a lot of photo stops along this road. A must see were the twelve Apostles, a number of rocks just in front of the shore, we also stopped at the Tower Hill State Game reserve for a short hike, here we did see kangaroos, Koalas and Emus.

Ayers Rock (Uluru) at Sunset

Day 13, we visited Adelaide, in the afternoon I took the historical tram towards Glenelg, a small place near the Indian Sea.

Day 14 & 15, we travelled from Adelaide to Flinders Range, in this magnificent park we made a tough hike upon a hill (Mount Ohllsen Bagge), some parts of this trail were really steep, but at the top we were rewarded with a splendid view.

Day 16, we continued travelling along the Oodnadatta track, around noon we arrived at William Creek, where we made a flight with a small plane over the Painted Dessert, a real hidden gem in the middle of the Outback. In the evening we arrived in Coober Pedy, well known for its Opal mining.

Day 17 & 18, we travelled towards Kings Canyon, and the next day we made a great hike in between the magnificent scenery of Kings Canyon.

Day 19, we visited Australia's Touristy Highlight Nr 1, Ayers Rock (Uluru) -
We did see sunset and sunrise at the Rock, and we also followed the trails
around it. In the afternoon we also visited Kata Tjuta (the Olga's).

Day 20, from Alice Springs we took the famous Gan train towards Katherine, a 16 hour journey)

Jumping Crocodiles (near Darwin)

Day 21 & 22, we visited Kakadu N.P., this must be one of the most beautiful National Parks of the country, with a boat we visited the wetlands and its birdlife, the next day we hiked in between Aboriginal Rock Art.

Day 23, we stayed at Darwin, where I visited a Crocodile park.

Day 24, early morning flight from Darwin to Cairns, rest of day strolling in the city centre.

Day 25, excursion to Cape Tribulation, with a boat trip on the Daintree River (bird watching) and a stop at the Discovery centre where you could climb a tower in order to look over the canopy.

Day 26, with the historical train towards Kuranda, at Kuranda a visit at Bird world and the return via the Sky rail.

Day 27, we booked a snorkelling trip to the Great Barrier Reef. What a fascinating experience, all those colourful fishes and corals.

Day 28, flights from Cairns to Sydney, and from Sydney to Hong Kong, where I stayed for another 4 days.

Day 29, for the rest of the group - flight Hong Kong to Amsterdam.

Now that I returned from Down Under, people ask me what is your best memory on Australia . . . . . well that is a very difficult question, as it is such a fascinating country with great cities and even greater nature, a fantastic diversity on sights and experiences.

But if someone says Australia to me, memories come back like: Sydney's Opera house and the Harbour Bridge, Melbourne and Adelaide, the red sand of the Outback, the sunrise at Ayers Rock, the (many) Cooper Pale Ale near the campfire, Kangaroos and Koalas, Waltzing Mathilda, magnificent scenery over Painted Dessert, snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef, the - Hi Mate, How you're doing - greet, and so much more.

• Pros:fantastic atmosphere, the "Let others rush" mentality
• Cons:Too big to visit in 4 weeks
• In a nutshell:A magnificent country with great cities, nature and people.