Adventure: Australia

The first of a series of 20 Australian Travel Guides, courtesy of The Pirate

Australia is huge. Huge, and spread out. It is possible to drive all day in Western Australia at 100 kph (62 mph) on sealed roads and only travel between two towns. Twenty million people populate a continent–country that is slightly smaller that all of the United States. ( including Alaska )

The middle of the country-slash-continent is a largely low lying area of semi-desert and bushland. Unusual geographical features abound. There are salt lakes that are below sea level, rugged mountain ranges, and gibber plains that are flat earth with hundreds of square miles of hand sized rocks covering the ground. Scenic views are few and far between on the gibber plans. Infrequent and unpredictable rainfall makes life difficult for farmers to survive, so in the “Outback” miners and tourists are the main occupants.

Inhabitants may be sparse and living conditions challenging in the Outback, but life is fine all round the edges. In our first installment, that is where we will start.

People

Australians are “Australians” first and usually only mention their state or territory of origin at election time, in sports and when on holidays. Regional pride, often a common characteristic of state residents in the USA, takes on a much more reduced role in Australia. There are some noticeable regional differences in accent, use of words, and climate, but for the most part Australia is a unified country.

Since World War Two, immigration has made changes to the racial, ethnic, and cultural mix, resulting in pockets of ethnic concentration to be found in Lakemba where Muslims retain their own way of life, Cabramatta where Vietnamese abound, Chinatown, and in Melbourne's inner Northern suburbs where you will find a lot of Greeks.

Outside these isolated deviations, the country is a mixture of people from most parts of the world.

Entry to Australia

Most travelers arrive in a capital city at an international airport. There are other options for the adventurous seeking to get away from the mainstream tourism cities and enjoy a non-commercialized experience. Let the Pirate introduce you to one such destination—the city of Cairns.

Cairns

Cairns is set near the tropics. At any given time there are 1000's of visitors from overseas, whether visiting during the dry winters or wet summers. Most stay for around three weeks while they explore some of the attractions and destinations. Some of the magnificent destinations available in and around Cairns include:

• Daintree Rain forest

• Cape Tribulation

• Cooktown

• Lizard Island

• Great Barrier Reef

• Cape York

• Kuranda Rain forest

• Port Douglas

• Coral Cays & islands

You could do something different every days for weeks in Cairns and never run out of something new to experience. Many of these activities can only be found in Far North Queensland in an around Cairns, making it an ideal destination.

Many businesses run backpacker and mini-bus tours through the region so you do not have to be very innovative or city-savvy... just pick and pay.

From Cairns to the airport to head home is usually South along the Bruce Highway which runs parallel to the coast to Brisbane. The first stops are Townsville, Mission Beach, Dunk Island, Innisfail and further down to Bowen, The Whitsundays and Mackay.

On the way, you could easily spend a month exploring everything. Magnetic Island... an island suburb of Townsville, Hinchinbrook Island and the fabulous Etty bay where about 100 “locals” enjoy a small cove where tropical blue Coral Sea water laps against pure sand and granite boulders layered with rain forest trees rising to headlands. The caravan park at Etty bay is a wonderful destination but not well-known to travelers.

Further down from Mackay is Rockhampton near numerous island resorts, Hervey Bay (famous for whale watching), Bundaberg, Noosa Heads, The Sunshine Coast and The Gold Coast.

The Whitsundays are special in their own way. The region was named by Captain Cook who discovered the many islands that occupy a large bay between the mainland and the Great Barrier Reef. Miles out to sea is Hamilton Island with high rise buildings, a go cart track, sophisticated entertainment and a jet airport. Dozens of cruises leave every morning from Shute Harbour.

Safety

Like any destination, travelers to Australia need to be informed to protect themselves in an unfamiliar country. Here is what we suggest to better ensure a safe visit:

• Travel with someone if you can

• Do not hitchhike – if you must do so go company with a friend.

• Lock up and hide valuables

• Have a reserve credit card

• Protect your passport, put it in a hotel/hostel safe when possible

• Have a list of people to contact if something goes wrong.

Emergency calls are not 911 – Use 000 for police, fire & rescue and ambulance service.

To book a trip to Australia, or to learn more about what is available, please use the resources available to you at www.HostelPirate.com.

Please contact us with comments, questions, or suggestions at HostelPirate@gmail.com.