Australian Country-Wide Travel Agent Adventure

Sydney Opera House

"Welcome to Australia, the Land Down Under!" is a sign I first read as I landed in Sydney for a year of graduate studies. I had the extreme pleasure of living in Sydney, studying at the University of Sydney, known by Aussies as 'Sydney Uni.' My home was the unique International House, home-away-from-home for many international students as well as Aussies from all over the country. I loved experiencing Sydney with its "postcard" locations of Bondi Beach, Darling Harbour, the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the nearby Blue Mountains National Park - just to begin my explorations, all accessible by their rail and bus systems. I always enjoyed the diversity of local communities with their own personalities under the umbrella of Sydney, as well.

When taking breaks from studies I explored many locations in this welcoming country including the cities of Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, and Brisbane in the Southeast. Friends and I visited Central Australia with its unique personality of wide open flat plains, varied desert landscapes and amazing rocky red landscape in its portion of the Outback. We saw the native wildlife and small towns that took care of locals and the range of visitors rolling through. I had the pleasure of hiking around Uluru and the beautiful Kings Canyon, camping with friends throughout Central Australia and filling the van with petrol at any available location.

As I traveled North to Queensland I snorkeled, kayaked a quiet bay, swam in their crystal blue waters and visited more welcoming Aussie towns. Many unique reefs including the Great Barrier Reef and communities up to Darwin are ready to be explored. After visiting Queensland I did a u-turn and headed to Tasmania, located just off the Southeast coast of the mainland. I met locals, hiked, biked, and checked out the Bass Strait coastline. My travels in Western Australia began in Perth and then continued with a fun exploration of the full Southwest corner from dry, open spaces to unique uplands to the vibrant blue coast of the Indian Ocean.

My Aussie experience included seeing unique native wildlife including kangaroos, wallabees, wombats, emus, platypus, koalas, crocodiles, goannas, and more. The diversity I saw was just a glimpse of Australia's very diverse range of flora and fauna.

In exploring museums and enjoying local events I learned more of the Aboriginal culture and history, the growth and evolution of the greater country's population and a variety of current and past cultural events. Australia is a country and culture of many layers and welcoming true smiles that I loved and began to experience.

Let's design your visit Down Under!