Going Down-Under…
Because so many South Africans have re-located to Australia over the years, it was always on my list of places to visit so that I could see what the attraction was, for myself. Well, as it turns out, Oz is not a bad place to at all. They have magnificent beaches (Cable Beach, Bondi), awesome natural rock formations (Uluru, Bungle Bungles, King’s Canyon, Wave Rock), excellent diving (Ningaloo Reef, Great Barrier Reef), strange wildlife (kangaroos, koala bears, duck-billed platypus), pretty good wine (white and red), not bad cars (Holden SS) and some impressive architecture (Sydney Opera House). It is just a pity their cricket and rugby teams are rubbish!
Spending three months covering about 12000km by Greyhound was a good way to see the country. I started in Perth and travelled up the West Coast, stopping in Geraldton, Carnarvon, Exmouth, Broome, Port Hedland and Darwin. The diving on Ningaloo Reef was good, but really hard work due to the surge and strong currents. From what I could tell, they were still mapping the reef when I was there so perhaps these days they may have found more sheltered reefs which would mean an easier dive. I was hoping to see a whale shark, but it was not my lucky day although we did see humpbacks on the way to the dive site. From Darwin I headed South to Alice Springs to see Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) and then to Adelaide which is a pretty town, complete with a tram. Going East from Adelaide took me to Sydney which reminded me of Johannesburg, only it is more clean and on the coast. A modern city with amazing beaches and lovely views, Sydney is spread over such a large area that it would take a few weeks to see everything it offers. I was happy enough to hear an orchestra play in the Sydney Opera House.
Heading up the East Coast I got to Brisbane and the Gold Coast – very laid back and tropical – probably a nice place to retire to but I had to move on to Airlie Beach for some diving in the Whitsundays. Surprisingly, the water was cooler than I was expecting, at about 22 degrees. The diving was good with good coral formations, white-tipped reef sharks, heaps of goldies, surgeon fish, triggerfish and morays.
