Has the introduction of Tiger Airways to the domestic market in Australia shaken up the other players in their pricing?
The crazy 5 cent sale from Jetstar held to coincide with the introduction of Tiger to the market would suggest they are a bit worried about what the newcomer might do to their stranglehold on the low-cost carrier market in this country.
We wanted to illustrate the great variation in airfares available if you look around a bit by selecting three different routes: Melbourne to the Gold Coast, Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne to Perth - three routes that all three compete on.
The dates we chose were around the school holidays next year, 21 March to 6 April and the prices below are for 2 adults and 2 children and include all taxes.
Melbourne to the Gold Coast
Jetstar $1672.00
Virgin Blue $1148.00
Tiger Airways $1119.60
Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast
Virgin Blue $2188.00
Tiger Airways $1359.60
Jetstar $1232.00
Melbourne to Perth
Virgin Blue $1948.00
Jetstar $1672.00
Tiger Airways $1639.60
It should be noted that some carriers may already have sold out of their really low cost airfares on this date, but it still certainly shows that it pays to shop around - or, better still, have one of our Independent Travel Brokers do the shopping around for you.
Call us or email us at enquiries@aussieescape.com and tell us where you would like to go, when, how many people will be travelling and what your budget is and we can come up with the perfect school holiday break for you.
Low Cost Easter - 3 Holiday Routes on Jetstar, Virgin Blue and Tiger Airways
Volunteering in the Seychelles
This entry comes from Howard Weir, a Global Vision International volunteer currently on a placement in the beautiful Seychelles.
So what’s it like to live in paradise?
I’ve been asked this question repeatedly by friends and family, all curious about my adventure in the
I tell them truthfully that it has been amazing. Every week has been better than the one before.
The more you put in, the more you'll get out.
I know you hear this phrase all the time but
it is true.
_______________________________________
Since coming here I’ve been trained as an Emergency First Responder, a Rescue Diver, a Coral Reef Research Diver and I’ve met some amazing people. My group is getting on very well which is great because we live in very close quarters.
You get to know the other expedition members quickly, it’s impossible not to. It is also great to meet people from so many different backgrounds who all share an interest in diving and coral reefs.
The more you put in, the more you’ll get out. I know you hear this phrase all the time but it is true.
You can do and learn so much while you are here. It is beautiful here but it is not a vacation, it is much better than that. Vacations blur together and fade in memory, this is a truly memorable experience.
Aussie Escape is proud to have Global Vision International as one of our partners. They specialise in volunteer experiences all over the world and will ensure your travelling experience makes a difference.
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Australia to Europe for $500
Jetstar will not discount the possibility trips from Australia to Europe could be offered for less than $500.
Airline CEO Alan Joyce told BusinessDaily that flights to Rome and Athens could be offered for less than $500 as promotional fares.
We have been talking $800, but you could see sub-$500 air fares to Europe when we do promotions, he said.
Rome and Athens are reportedly among a number of southern European cities Jetstar is considering as destinations after February 2009, when the first of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be delivered to the airline. - Travelpress travel news
Volunteering in Ghana, Africa with Antipodeans Abroad - Part 2
Antipodeans Abroad - Year Out Program
Volunteering in Ghana, Africa
This is the second instalment from Kate Davis, a Year 12 graduate from Pymble Ladies College who spent 3 months during her gap year on an Antipodeans Abroad Year Out Program. Kate lived with a local family in Ghana doing volunteer teaching and speaks candidly about what life is like in Africa from her perspective.
Life in Ghana - Weekends Away
When we first arrived in Ghana I was frozen in a state of anxiety due to the utter chaos around us, but now we seem to slot right in - almost, our white skin does still stick out in a crowd. We bargain and negotiate our way through some full-on situations and it’s a really good feeling when you finally safely reach your accommodation, sort of an accomplishment.
Sometimes we have to scream at men, “Mem Piew” - I don’t like you. This is pretty effective at making marriage suitors and beggars leave. However “Mem Pow” which sounds very similar to “Mem Piew” means “I like you” and I will admit I accidentally said this to a man and was almost whisked away. I will just stick with “Mempe Saa” - I don’t like that, from now on to prevent any other slip ups.
We have been visiting coastal villages and resorts on our weekends. The white-sanded, palm-fringed beaches seem like tropical oases after being inland in our dusty villages all week. The mornings are spent visiting tourist destinations such as slave castles and national parks on 35m high suspension bridges. Afternoons are spent exploring the fascinating villages, each new and exciting and filled with mostly smiling people thrilled to see westerners wearing Ghanaian clothes, speaking snippets of Twi and with braids. We also chill at the very cheap but amazing beach resorts.
Last night we stayed at this beach called Kokrobite. It’s this mad hippie/rastafarian resort. All the guys have dreadlocks, wear red, yellow and green, and are pretty chilled. Think Jamaica. They are so funny and are actually really nice but it’s still good to be careful. We spent the whole day chilling on the beach. It was surreal. We were lying amongst these traditional boats and fishing nets chatting and playing with some of the village kids. I’m now a pro at their clapping games. As the sun began setting a reggae band set up and we stayed there watching the sun set and well into the night. We then slept in a massive tent on the beach for $2.50.
Apart from Kokrobite I feel really safe travelling in Ghana. The people are amazingly helpful, friendly and hospitable. People will often come up and help you. There are con artists out there so we are always careful but it’s really reassuring that people are always willing to help. We are also very careful with valuables but theft in Ghana is strongly looked down upon. If someone steals they will usually be beaten or stoned to death before the police arrive. Obrunis are pretty respected in Ghana so if someone stole from us hundreds of helpful Ghanaians would run to our aid.
Transport is sometimes hair-raising but we grit our teeth. I’ve been on a tro tro which would not pass rego in Australia, speeding along a bumpy dirt road crammed with 26 people. There was sweat from the lady next to me dripping onto my thigh. Before I knew it one final passenger had boarded and there was a basket with bloody, foul-smelling fish heads in line with my face.
On our way home from Busua - a small coastal fishing village with a strong hippy influence, I was in the back of a tro tro when the seat I was sharing with 3 big African mothers suddenly came to a crash on the floor. I then noticed the boot did not shut properly and feared we would slide to our deaths on the road behind us. When the tro tro pulled over on the side of the road due to rain I informed the driver and we decided that once the rain stopped we would find a new tro tro.
Next weekend we are going to the Volta region to climb a mountain and visit some waterfalls. It will be our second last weekend away as we will soon be leaving our families for our final 3 weeks of travel. The time has flown and I’m feeling pretty sad.
About Antipodeans Abroad:
Antipodeans Abroad as in Australian company that offers a range of global volunteer travel experiences for adults, high-school students, and university students. Participants provide much appreciated work in needy communities across Africa, Asia and South America, and return home with invaluable life experience, increased confidence and lifelong memories.
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Volunteering in Ghana, Africa with Antipodeans Abroad
This is the first instalment from Kate Davis, a Year 12 graduate from Pymble Ladies College who spent 3 months during her gap year on an Antipodeans Abroad Year Out Program. Kate lived with a local family in Ghana doing volunteer teaching and speaks candidly about what life is like in Africa from her perspective.
Life in Ghana – My First 2 Weeks
Our first week was spent in Accra and was a subtle introduction to life in dusty, hot Ghana. We stayed at a hostel - air conditioned which seems like such a luxury now we have left. We were shown around by our guide Charles, who we all became friends with, and our trusty driver Isaac (affectionately known as oh chi chi which means big crocodile).
Our week consisted of markets, traditional drumming and dancing, language lessons, the beach, and clubbing Ghana style. I cannot get sick of my surroundings as there is always something interesting going on.
The landscape is barren and dusty but scattered with coconut trees and brightly coloured houses and shops. The Ghanaians have so little yet their hearts are huge. Everywhere we go we hear “Obruni where are you going?” Obruni is a white person and means from the horizon. We shout back “Obini where are you going?” which means black person. It sounds cruel but they think it’s hilarious. A few times a day someone will tell us they would like to take us as a friend.
We have all picked up bits and pieces of Twi. The phrases “gye saa” which means “stop that” and “mempe saa”, “I don't like that”, come in handy especially when 4 men surround you saying they are going to marry you. I have now however moved into my village. It’s called Gomoa Bezedes and is tiny. It’s situated about 15 minutes out of a small town called Swedru.
My Ghanaian family is amazing and their hospitality is overwhelming. I have been given the African name Adjuia which is based on my day of birth. I have also been given a family name, a church name and a name from school but I cant pronounce them let alone remember them. I have however only just been able to work out my family as everyone that comes over is an aunt, brother or sister.
My mother is Mary. She has lots of children but I have 2 brothers called Kofi and Wofa who are 14 and 12 and I have a sister called Mena who is 11 who live with us. I then have a cousin who is 20 and her 2 children who are 4 and one week old. On Monday we are invited to a traditional naming ceremony for the baby.
Our house is one of the central homes in the village. Ours is a courtyard house which means our main living area is an outside courtyard which all of the other rooms feed off. We have a pit toilet and a bucket shower. Despite what you all might think, these are not to be feared. The bucket shower is actually refreshing in the heat. Our Mum is the best. Even though she can't speak much English, every time we come home she gives us big hugs and has food waiting. Ghanaian food is amazing.
The majority of the cooking is done outside and we also eat outside. Did I mention that we eat with our hands? A bit worried about what my manners will be like when we return. By Ghanaian standards we are too thin and our family is aiming to fatten us up. Our serving sizes are about 4 times something we would be served in Australia. When I finished all my rice yesterday Mary cheered.
She is teaching us how to cook. Yesterday we returned the favour and showed her how to make French toast. The only problem is our family doesn't let us help. They say it makes them happy to be able to help us. Every now and then I manage to convince her to let me help clear and wash plates.
We wake up at 5 every morning. Every third day we hand wash our clothes. It is pretty labour intensive but rewarding. I stand back and look at my clean clothes on the makeshift clothes line with pride. Our mum supervises and often takes over. While we wash some of the villagers come to watch and clap and laugh. Any adoption of their culture we undertake they think is great.
Yesterday at 6am a lady arrived to braid our hair. It took her 2 hours and cost us 20 0000 cedes which is about $2. Swedru, which is the nearest town, is 15km away but takes 5 minutes in a taxi and costs less than 50 cents. The alternative transport is a tro tro which is a van which can squeeze 17 people in. The roads are chaos and each time I enter a vehicle I have to shut my eyes.
Swedru is very overwhelming. The infrastructure is poor and the city is very disorderly. Along the side of the road there are gutters which can be up to 2m deep. Sewage runs freely and they are also used as rubbish bins. The smell is a little off putting to say the least but surprisingly we are getting used to it. Taxis and tro tros block the roads and the sounds of the drivers shouting their destinations adds to the chaos.
There are people everywhere carrying different products on their heads - Africans can carry anything on their heads. Africans don't really go to shops, they buy most of their stuff in markets or on the roadside. You can buy anything from fruit to stationery. Yesterday we bought 6 mangos for about 20 cents. The Ghanaians manage to eat them on the street without peeling them so we thought we would try too. To say the least it was a big mess. Each time we are in Swedru I wish to return to my family and my village.
It’s strange how easily I’ve adapted and Africa is beginning to feel like home. I definitely miss lots from Australia though. School is from 7am to 2pm and some of the local kids wait in my courtyard and we walk to school together. On my first day one girl told me that she would like to be my best friend because she likes me so very much. This week there haven’t been any classes and the students have been "cleaning the compound" which means bringing their blades to school and cutting the grass.
On Monday we will start classes. I’m excited to meet my class and am hoping they will be good.
We are also regularly visiting the local orphanage. There are about 60 kids there ranging from 1 year olds to 16 year olds. The children share two rooms and one shower and one toilet. There isn’t much food and when we are arrive we are swarmed, but all they want is hugs. It’s obvious they crave affection that every child should get from their parents. Each time I leave I have tears in my eyes because they are so happy despite their hardship. We are all scheming to find a way to fundraise for them.
Part Two of Kate's story from Ghana will appear in the next post.
About Antipodeans Abroad:
Antipodeans Abroad as in Australian company that offers a range of global volunteer travel experiences for adults, high-school students, and university students. Participants provide much appreciated work in needy communities across Africa, Asia and South America, and return home with invaluable life experience, increased confidence and lifelong memories.
www.antipodeans.com.au
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Travel that moves you: Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland
by Nicholas Bowditch
Daylight broke on an appropriately dismal day in Krakow, Poland. Against the backdrop of baroque style churches, vast plazas littered with an equal mix of cafes and pigeons, soft cool rain fell impossibly from an overcast yet cloudless sky.
It was as if the sun didn't want to get up today either. Today I was visiting Auschwitz.
"I just don't know if i should be going out there", I had explained to the pretty Polish girl at the reception of my hostel, "I'm not Jewish and I don't even really know anyone who is."
She looked up and silently urged me to protest further. "I'm worried I might seem a bit ghoulish or like I'm trivialising all that suffering by wandering around taking photos like some war tourist."
She shook her head deliberately. "You are the type of person that we want to go out there", she said slowly and in carefully selected English. "People from Australia or New Zealand or Asia - you cannot properly understand what happened in Europe all that time ago because you are too removed from it."
I had to agree with that. When I had visited Pearl Harbor, the whole experience was a lot more profound to me because it was the Japanese and not the Nazis who had presented such a threat to my country in World War II.
"Besides", she said,"the holocaust is too big to brush away or to just try to forget. We want the whole world to never forget what happened there."
"The air around the entrance to the camp
was thick with both dew and an almost
palpable sense of sadness."
________________________________________
So I went. With a strange mix of curiosity and impending sadness I got on the local bus and headed slowly out of the city and into the fertile Polish countryside.
If it wasn't the site of a concentration camp where up to 4,000,000 people had been killed in less than four years, it would be a pretty spot. Very green and very quiet. The air around the entrance to the camp was thick with both dew and an almost palpable sense of sadness.
I was hit with a real foreboding as I passed through the gates and I again wondered if the girl was wrong and I had no place being there.
Once inside, I was surprised how small the camp seemed. Even when the second camp, Birkenau (just down the rail tracks) is added to it, the sheer numbers of those who were killed here is unfathomable.
Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, transients were all transported here in box trains from all over Europe. In the beginning, they were processed, deloused, photographed and interned here for in some cases years, but at the height of the ethnic cleansing its believed that thousands were simply shipped in and exterminated.
Many of the buildings previously used as dormitories and infirmaries now house displays that attempt to give visitors a real insight into just how brutal this place was.
There are rooms literally filled to the ceiling with spectacles, shoes, even human hair that was unceremoniously taken from the corpses of the prisoners.
Rows and rows and rows of prisoners' photos, taken when they first arrived at the camp, all look desperately back at you as you walk solemnly through the corridors. There are hundreds of them - old women and men, young adults and most sadly small children, all having posed for the last photo of their short and tragic lives.
This was the venue of Dr. Josef Mengele's sadistic "medical and scientific experiments" on many of the prisoners including sets of twins as young as five years old. The twins were usually murdered after the experiment, if they survived it and their bodies were dissected.
I walked back into the compound and follow a large group of people shuffling through the rain towards the northern part of the camp where the shower blocks are, much like the prisoners would have naively done, I think to myself.
Standing outside the first of the rudimentary gas chambers I was frozen and suddenly sure I was not going inside. An old lady with a kind face and grand-motherly manner put her hand gently on my back.
"Is O.K." she says in English, which judging by her inflection was not her first language. I just nodded to her and, somehow reassured from the empathy of this stranger, I walked inside.
There were about forty people in a room that is about the size of a small motel room. There are six pipes in the roof that the prisoners believed were going to deliver them cleansing hot water as the guards had promised them.
Most of them believed this to be nothing more sinister than a communal shower block. When one group entered, the next group waited behind a row of idling trucks which the guards revved to drown out the noise of the group inside, screaming and dying.
The guide explained that there would have been at least twice as many people crammed into the room just before the Zyklon B gas fell from the roof, mixed with the ambient oxygen and surely killed them all.
Standing there, on the spot where so many people had died in such a gruesome fashion, I felt many emotions without being able to isolate just one. Fear, sadness, hopelessness, all mixed with nausea in a way that upset me like I don't think I had ever been upset before.
When I looked around the room, the mix of faces all said the same thing back to me, "How could they had done this?"
After leaving the gas chambers, the tour that I was on then moved on down the tracks to Birkenau where many more were killed. Our guide warned us that it became more graphic and more sad down there and suggested anyone who didn't want to go on should wait here in the pretty green parklands outside for the rest of the group to return.
I took him up on his invitation.
When they returned, the group recounted to me stories of even more horror with a sense of growing disbelief. One young German backpacker said to me, "How could they have done this?"
I am glad that I went. I am equally sure that I will never go back, nor will I ever go to another of the many camps spread all over eastern Europe.
Auschwitz is a solemn, reverent place. It is also a gruesome, disgusting place, but a place that I hope will always be visited by people like me, so that its unspeakable legacy will never be forgotten.
to find the world's most deserted beach, best dive site and cheapest
beer. He is still on the lookout. He is an Independent Travel
Broker and editor of independent travel news resource,
Aussie Escape and has his own blog Where Is Bowdo?
How to see the best of Sydney without spending a cent
Sydney can be a very expensive city. You can easily spend $100 a day or more as a visitor. But it doesn't have to be that way.
I am about to give you loads of great things to do in this vibrant city that will fill your days but not empty your pockets. I have put together a list of Sydney's top 15 attractions that won't cost you anything to experience them.
15. Wander around The Rocks
The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney and also the most visited. This is where the 10 square rigged sailing ships of the First Fleet landed in 1788 with their cargo of 1400 men, women and children - more than half of them convicts.
The Rocks is an easy, 10 minute stroll from the CBD. The main entry point is George St., which was also the first street in Australia.
This part of Sydney features the oldest remaining European structure in Sydney (Dawes Point Battery built in 1791, as well as great little pubs, open air markets on weekends and some of the best restaurants and cafes in Sydney.
14. Walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge
While a private company charges a small fortune to walk over the top of the arch of this iconic bridge, you can still get breath-taking and beautiful views from the road level while walking across the pedestrian walkway on the eastern side.
With views of Circular Quay, The Opera House, Fort Denison, Middle Harbour and North Sydney everywhere you look, this stroll should take about 30 minutes depending on how many times you stop to take that fantastic photo.
You can access the pedestrian walkway on the bridge from Milsons Point in the north or from The Rocks on the southern side.
Open from 10am to 5pm every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day (and until 9pm on Wednesdays) this is the premier museum and collection of art in Sydney. With over 40 formal exhibitions every year, artworks started to be purchased for this gallery back in 1874.
The gallery is situated in The Domain which is adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens, an easy 5 minute walk from Macquarie St. or Hyde Park.
12. Wander around Darling Harbour
One of the newer precincts in the inner city, Darling Harbour really came into its own during the Olympics that were held in Sydney in 2000.
Now one of the major tourist attractions on its own, Darling Harbour features hundreds of shops, bars, restaurants, cafes and Tumbalong Park with its ampitheatre and free music and events held most weekends.
11. Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rocks
This museum is the sole gatherer of contemporary art from across the country and also from around the world in the whole of Australia. While some pieces might have you scratching your head, others are beautiful, powerful and creative.
The Museum is situated at Circular Quay West in The Rocks and offers guided tours Monday to Friday at 11am and 1pm and on the weekends at 12 noon and 130pm.
10. Parliament House
Members of the public can sit and watch the leaders of the state squabble, bicker, scream at and berate each other during sitting sessions of the parliament.
There are conducted tours (booking essential) which run for 60-90 minutes and give a very details history of the building and the different governments over the years.
Parliament House is on Macquarie St. and is open from 9am to 5pm every weekday.
9. Sydney's Beaches
With more than 30 world class beaches to choose from, beachlovers are spoilt for choice in Sydney - and they are all cost absolutely nothing!
The beaches are basically split into three geographic sections: the Northern Beaches including Manly and Avalon where the soap opera Home and Away is filmed, the Eastern Suburbs Beaches including the famous Bondi Beach, and the Southern Beaches like Wanda and Cronulla.
8. Government House
Built between 1837 and 1845, the Gothic Revival architecture of Government House makes the building appear even more stately than it already is. Built to house the Governor of NSW and also used for visiting royalty and heads of state, the mansion is filled with beautiful furnishings from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Sometimes the house is closed when the Governor hosts Vice-Regal functions but otherwise it is open Friday to Sunday from 1030am to 3pm for guided tours only. The spectacular grounds (perhaps the best part of the site) are open daily from 10am to 4pm.
7. Queen Victoria Building
It started its life as a concert hall and has since had many different incarnations: warehouses, display rooms, offices and most recently it has been remodelled to house many boutique retail stores. It is worth a look inside for the elegant vibe and beautiful ornate interior.
6. Centennial Park
This huge park very close to the centre of Sydney was opened in 1888 and was the site where the Federation of Australia was first declared in 1901. Once inside the vast and peaceful parklands, it is easy to see why it attracts more than five million visits every year.
Regularly the venue for concerts and other large displays, the original traffic of horse and carriages has been replaced by the legion of joggers, cyclists, horse riders and wanderers that visit the park each day.
5. St. Mary's Cathedral
The largest Catholic Cathedral in the country is also one of the most spectacular and peaceful. The foundation stone was laid by Governor Macquarie in 1821, and construction of the present-day building was completed in 1928.
The cathedral is open every day and guided tours are conducted for free every Sunday after 1030am.
4. Australian National Maritime Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum is located in Darling Harbour.
The Museum Ticket costs nothing and includes access to all the galleries and the special exhibitions, the Maritime Heritage Centre and Wharf 7, the North Whard and Marina where the small fleet of historic vessels are moored and the relocated Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse. The Museum is open from 930 to 5pm every day except Christmas Day.
3. Sydney Opera House
Probably the most recognisable landmark in Sydney for the last 30 years, the Opera House contains several concert and opera halls and has daily performances by some of the most acclaimed performers in the world.
Guided tours have a small fee but you can wander around most of the interior and all of the exterior for nothing any day of the week.
2. Bondi to Coogee Walk
This popular walk is probably the best way to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the beach life as well as take in spectacular views and get some sun at the some time!
The walk begins at Bondi Beach and head south around the headland to Tamarama Beach, then Bronte Beach, past Waverley Cemetery with its dramatic cliff-side location, Clovelly Beach and then to Coogee.
The walk isn't physically difficult and there are plenty of places along the way to have a swim and cool off.
1. The Royal Botanic Gardens
In my opinion, the single most underrated tourist attraction in Sydney also has no charge.
The Royal Botanic Gardens are open every day of the year. They have a strange serenity and silence about them despite being literally in the middle of this bustling city.
Guided walks with no cost take place at 1030am every day and go for about 90 minutes.
The Gardens encourage visitors to "Please walk on the grass! We also invite you to smell the roses, hug the trees, talk to the birds and picnic on the lawns" and I would encourage you to also. Every time I wander through the Gardens I am amazed at how beautiful (and empty of visitors) the place is. Check them out - you won't be disappointed.
So there you go. You CAN have fun and see lots of great things in Sydney without paying huge admission fees everywhere. So but your walking shoes on, take your camera and get amongst it!
to find the world's most deserted beach, best dive site and cheapest
beer. He is still on the lookout. He is an Independent Travel
Broker and editor of independent travel news resource,
Aussie Escape and has his own blog Where Is Bowdo?
Global Vision International Volunteers in Patagonia, South America
This is the latest update from the Global Vision International volunteers in Patagonia, South America.
Weather has been crazy a few days this last week, with snow, high winds and a lot of rain, but apart from that, spring is coming, and the weather is getting nicer (sometimes).
Having finished the Guanaco project in the north, the group has arrived in
Due to the exceptionally cold winter, some of the transects are in areas that are still covered by about 1.5 meters of snow, making work very hard at the moment. Quite a lot of wild boar signs were found on the transects we completed, topped by a relatively fresh wild boar which was most likely killed by a puma, just about 500m away from the camp.
The kayak phase started with heavy winds and rain/snow storms. Everybody survived the rescue drills having to go for an intentional swim after capsizing the boat in the icy glacier water of the lake.
After sitting out the stormy second day at the camp, the group was finally able to go on an overnight trip along the amazing shores of the many islands in the lake.
Three days ago they transferred to the base of Cerro Tronador and made their way up to Refugio Meiling where they were introduced to self arrest with an ice ax and glacier travel techniques. They are planning to attempt the argentine summit in the next 48 hours, depending on wind and snow conditions.
Volunteer with Global Vision International
With over 100 personnel in 30 countries GVI supports many of the most critical conservation and humanitarian projects around the globe. Join challenging expeditions as diverse as marine conservation in Mexico and the Seychelles, wildlife conservation in the Amazon, Costa Rica, South Africa and Kenya, community development in Mexico and high altitude exploration in Patagonia.
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The Ten Best Beaches in Australia
by Nicholas Bowditch
If you asked one hundred different Australians what the ten best beaches in their country was, you could potentially get 1000 different answers.
Australia has a coastline of almost 40,000kms (about 25,000 miles) – that’s a lot of beaches.
Sure there are famous beaches that everyone knows about including Sydney’s Bondi Beach and Bells Beach in Victoria, but frankly most Australians couldn’t tell you why they ARE so famous.
Bondi is ridiculously over-crowded and just a little too close to an ocean sewage outlet, and a warm day at Bells sees the temperature of the water get up to a still pretty chilly 18 or 19 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).
Neither of them have made my list. I have tried to strike a balance between well known areas of the coastline and more remote beaches – without enraging surfers, fishermen and other beach-goers by revealing to the world their ‘Spot X’.
For the record, my ‘Spot X’ didn’t make the list either. I don’t have any delusions of grandeur about the size of my readership but just the same, I don’t want it over-run with blogging enthusiasts a year from now.
There is one sure fire way to get an Aussie annoyed and that is to either say his or her beach (and we do see it as our property) is rubbish, or even worse, leave it off a list this!
So bravely I declare - here it is, the undisputed, definitive list of the ten best beaches in Australia.
10. Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia
Cottesloe, or ‘Cotts’, is one of Perth’s best kept secrets. Just fifteen minutes drive from the centre of the city, Cottesloe maintains a funky, cruisy vibe while still boasting a regular swell for surfers and even some nice snorkelling at the rocky outcrops. The esplanade is packed with great places to eat and drink, as well as some very good accommodation ranging from backpackers to five star. My pick for accommodation here is the Ocean Beach Backpackers, with beds starting at just $22 (€13, $US19) per night.
9. Wooyung Beach, near Brunswick Heads, New South Wales
Despite being only twenty minutes from both the glitzy Gold Coast and iconic Byron Bay, when you are sitting on the beach at Wooyung you could believe you were in the middle of nowhere. Boasting about 10km (6 miles) of usually deserted beach, this place is a fishermen’s and bird watcher’s dream. Home to the Wooyung Beach Motel and Caravan Park and not much else, Wooyung is the first of the ‘off the beaten track’ entries on the list.
8. Cape Leveque, Kimberley Region, Western Australia
Speaking of off the beaten track, Cape Leveque, at the tip of the Dampier Peninsula, is accessed only by a 4WD drive from Broome, or by air. This amazingly beautiful and remote area of the country is one of the final non-touristy frontiers. The Kooljaman at Cape Leveque is an award-winning wilderness camp on Aboriginal-owned land and has safari tents which start at $45 (€26, $US38) per person per night.
7. Jan Juc, Victoria
When people tell you about their trip to the rugged and beautiful coastline of Victoria, they will tell you about the Great Ocean Road, Torquay and probably Bells Beach. What they should have checked out, but probably didn’t, was Jan Juc. The beach is surrounded on all sides by high, inhospitable cliffs and the frigid surf pounds in direct from Tasmania and before that, Antarctica. It all contributes to Jan Juc having an impressive, end-of-the-earth kind of feel to it. At nearby Aireys Overboard Seaside Cottage, set back in the bushland, the sea-breeze and sound of the waves nearby are almost drowned out by the trickling stream that passes by the timber verandahs.
6. Scotts Head, NSW
Scotts might register as a few people’s ‘Spot X’, and my apologies if it does, but this place deserves to get more credit than it’s relatively close neighbours, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. Part of a stretch of national park beaches that would be envied in any other country, Scotts is understated, peaceful and cheap. The Scotts Head Caravan Park, like a lot of government owned caravan parks in Australia has the best bit of real estate for miles and is nestled right on the sand of this beautiful beach. It has accommodation from just $20 (€11, $US17) per night.
5. Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, Queensland
It took until number 5 for a beach from the ‘Sunshine State’ to make an appearance and this one is one of the most spectacular in the country. Port Douglas started its life as a modest fishing village but its proximity to the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest and just 70km (40 miles) from Cairns saw it become one of the most exclusive, and expensive, parts of the Queensland coastline. Five star accommodation dominates in this part of the world but the Port Douglas Retreat is a value for money oasis among them, with studio apartments starting at $92 (€52, $US78) per night.
4. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia
Broome used to be one of the busiest and most prolific pearling ports in the world. It hasn’t been until recently that the rest of the country has discovered this gem for more than just its precious bounty. Pushed against the sea by the rugged Kimberley Ranges, Broome and its most famous beach, Cable Beach are now forging a reputation for classy accommodation, great restaurants, and serene sunsets. For a bit of an indulgent splurge, The Cable Beach Club Resort has everything from bungalows up to suites that go for $1388 (€787, $US1180) per night.
3. Green’s Pool, Denmark, Western Australia
The coastline around Denmark, in the state’s south west, consists of seemingly one beautiful beach after another. Just when you think there couldn’t be a prettier spot, you round the headland and there it is – that is, until you reach Green’s Pool. The fifth Western Australian beach (the Queenslanders won’t be happy) is also the state’s best. It is more like the sheltered rock pool like beaches of Krabi and southern Thailand – beautiful emerald water, perfect for snorkelling, diving, or just lazing on the golden sand. Green’s Pool Retreat is a secluded cottage for one person or a couple and is the ideal compliment to the beautiful surroundings and starts at $120 (€68, $US102) per night.
2. The Basin, Rottnest Island, Western Australia
Rottnest Island is 19km (12 miles) off the coast of Western Australia, accessed by a short ferry ride from Fremantle. Rottnest is famous for the unique ‘quokkas’, furry little marsupials which scurry around the place, and for bicycles being the only mode of transport on the white sandy island. The Basin is probably the most popular snorkelling spots on the island and with almost the entire coastline looking like a postcard, that is saying something! Formerly the stately mansion that was the summer home of the Governors of Western Australia, the Quokka Arms Hotel has rooms starting at just $120 (€68, $US102).
1. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Queensland
If you’ve ever seen a QANTAS commercial, or if anyone has ever brought you home a postcard from Australia that featured an expansive white silica sand beach with impossibly blue water, it was probably taken at Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays chain of islands. 7km (4 miles) long and situated on the northern tip of Whitsunday Island, the breathtaking beauty of this place is something most people will never forget. It is accessed by many sailing vessels, ferries and helicopters that set out from Airlie Beach. There is no accommodation on Whitsunday Island and let’s hope it stays that way for a long time to come.
in a quest to find the world's most deserted beach, best
dive site and cheapest beer. He is still on the lookout. He
is an Independent Travel Broker and editor of independent
travel news resource, Aussie Escape.
