Aussie safari in the land down under
Over the Easter holidays I traveled with Steph and the kids to Australia. With Ollie now eleven years old, and Halina nine, it was the perfect time to bring them back to this beautiful country where I spent an adventurous childhood. During our three weeks on the eastern coast, we experienced much of what I have always loved about Oz, as well as a few new things.
Highlights for the kids included seeing nine wombats on a night drive, a first surfing lesson at Manly Beach in Sydney, sailing through stunning Sydney Harbour, riding horses down Seven Mile Beach, successfully completing the Coffs Harbor Ocean Swims, and of course our week on Haggerstone Island in far north Queensland on the Great Barrier Reef.
Steph and I also enjoyed a special evening out in Sydney for the Handa Opera outdoor performance of West Side Story. The exciting choreography and classic music were made all the better by the backdrop of the iconic Harbor Bridge and Opera House all lit up, and fabulous fireworks during the intermission!
Steph and the kids have been dreaming of a trip to the Great Barrier Reef for years, and I was excited to go back to that part of the world. I teamed up with my Australian travel partners at The Tailor to organize the trip to Haggerstone. The island is a family-owned and hosted destination, castaway-rustic and comparable in many ways to our own style of safaris in Africa. Snorkeling from the island and the boat each day, we saw green sea turtles and great numbers of other marine life, including countless fishes, rays, starfish, and coral. Fishing expeditions were exciting and successful due to the remote location we were in, and always involved cooking our coral trout catch for lunch on the boat – except for the crayfish ceviche and various sushi dishes! There is nothing quite like fresh seafood in such an exquisite location, especially when you have caught it yourself and the only other thing you have to do that afternoon is relax! We also made a special trip to the mainland one day, to climb the monstrous sand dunes that emerge straight out of the sea at the very northernmost tip of Australia. Our Aussie safari was such fun for all of us, but especially the kids. With so much coastline and outback to explore, with interesting wildlife and the most colorful birds, and with the cultural highlights of Sydney as well as the Aboriginal tribes and lands, Australia has so much to offer any traveler.
