Oz Travel-Bytes #4

Welcome to the latest edition of the global Travellers Club newsletter, sent to you from Chilly Perth where it may be cold but our Travel Packages just keep getting hotter. OK, OK so it sounded cheesy but if you have checked out rest of the website lately, you will see that it is true.

"Cranked- Up" in the Kimberley
With the cyclones that peppered the West Australian shores two months ago we have had a delayed start to our Kimberley season, as there has been a lot of water on the ground and in some places the rivers are still 2 metres over the road. However, all that said and done the weather in the north is amazing now and the season has gone into full swing. The Gibb River road, which joins Derby with Kununurra, is the main road (more like a track) through the Kimberley's and really, if you are not on this road you are not visiting the area. With some of the most amazingly scenic areas in Australia, not to mention the ancient artwork that symbolises Aboriginal presence over 60,000 years ago, this area promises to be the highlight of your tour through WA if not Australia. The area was named after the Earl of Kimberley in Jolly Old England by the very loyal Australian Government before Federation in 1901. Tours to the Kimberley region start from $960.00 for 8 Days including all meals and accommodation, fully guided and travelling in a stinkin' 4WD. The main season runs from now until the end of September and with the tours being so busy you should be booked at least a month ahead to avoid disappointment. Find your Kimberley Tour Here.

Kakadu National Park - Crocodile Country
Here is the opportunity for those of you coming out to Australia to win a few things. If you can tell me how many Australian World Heritage areas there are and name at least five (5) I will send you a FREE Day trip to Litchfield National Park after you book your tour to Kakadu National Park or Uluru-Kata Juta National Park in the Northern Territory (only 5 available, so don't wait if you know the answers). Both of these areas have gone into full swing at the moment with the weather cooling down and the 4WD tracks to Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls opening up. Jim Jim Falls is found in Kakadu and is Australia's highest waterfall at over 209m. It offers some great treks to the summit to take a birds-eye view of this 20,000 square km wonder. Kakadu is also famous for its diversity of Flora & Fauna and its very detailed history of the Gagadju people, the traditional owners of the region. Interesting to note that it was an Anthropologist by the name of Baldwin Spencer who, in 1914 was the first white man to visit these people and document their fascinating ways. Of course he did not speak their language and in the process of trying to document the name of the language he wrote down "Kakadu" as his written translation of Gagadju. It was his work that gave our society the first insight to these people and their precious culture before the area became protected in the early 70's, and it was called Kakadu National Park in tribute to his ground breaking endeavours. Combine all this with the opportunity to see the world's largest reptile, "Crocodylus Porosus" or the salt water Croc. And I am sure you can see why it attracts 100's of thousands of visitors a year. 4WD Tours start from around $120.00 per day and minimum time in the park should be 3 to 5 Days. Click on these links to see our adventure tours.asp?Attractions=Kakadu+NP+(NT)">Kakadu and/or Uluru (Ayers Rock)

Uluru/Ayers Rock
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is found in the Central Desert region of Australia and is one of the most recognisable icons of Australia. At 2.5 km's long, 1.6 km's wide, 348metres above ground level and 8.9 km's in circumference it is the largest free standing Monolith in the world. It's also a very special place for the "Anangu" people of the region and Uluru means "meeting place" in their language. W.C. Gosse gave the "white fellah's" name to Uluru when he became the first white man to see this magnificent feature in 1873. He named it after the Governor General of South Australia at the time, Sir Henry Ayers. It was formed 550,000 million years ago as a result of the erosion of an even older mountain range, the Petermann ranges and the alluvial fans that were formed and deposited as a result of this erosion. Have a look at a picture of Uluru and see if you can notice the way the seams run at 90 Degrees and that will tell you a little more about what has happened to it since its formation...I don't want to give away all of the tour guides info after all! Click here for more info.

"Wrap Em Up" - Packaged Adventures
You can do a package tour of the entire northern Territory with all these great activities included and much, much more. Tour Packages are $995.00 inc GST for nine days. Have a look at our package deals on the website and you will see more detail on this and many more great packages. Check 'em out here.

Cross Country - Perth to Alice Springs Trek
Another great trip to Alice Springs via Uluru etc, is the six (6) day mission from Perth. Day 1 to Day 3 is spent travelling across the Great Victoria Desert. While the time in the vehicle can be a bit rough it is worth it to see this very unique part of Australia. I think camping out in the middle of nowhere in the Swag (Aussie bedroll) under the stars with a nice group of people and a few cold beers is priceless in itself. We then do all the main sights of Central Australia including Uluru, Olgas and Kings Canyon (I'll have to tell you about this area another time) before arriving in Alice Springs in the evening of the 6th day. I really do think this is the best way to travel from Perth to Alice. The tour is $699.00 (inc GST) with a VIP/YHA Card…all meals and accommodation included. For more info, click here.

Short Term Private Accommodation
If you are travelling to Perth for the beginning of your trip around Australia and are going to stop and do some work for a while we can offer you short term accommodation in one of our fully furnished apartments. It's a lot cheaper than a hostel and a little more private. You can let us know when you are arriving and we will tell you availability. Prices are about $80.00 per week. We can even help you with finding work as long as you are on a work visa. Email us for more info.

Don't forget that it is cheaper to fly from Europe to Perth than any other city in Oz, and it's a great place to start your journey. With the low value of the Aussie Dollar at the moment, it is a lot better to use those great value European and American currencies on these tours than the hard earned Aussie Dollars.

Hope you enjoyed this yarn, if you have any questions concerning your travels anywhere in the country let us know over the website and we will get straight back to you with the best of advice.

Cheers

Pete