I travelled to Australia in April of 2013 with Collette Vacations. Our journey began in Vancouver where we spent the first night of our trip at the Westin Bayshore Hotel. A lovely hotel in downtown Vancouver with great views of the harbor, and within walking distance to great restaurants. From Vancouver we boarded our flight to Sydney, Australia where we transferred to Cairns and stayed 3 nights at the Pacific International Cairns hotel. Cairns is a regional city in the far north of Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It is a popular travel destination for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate. It serves as a starting point for people wanting to visit the Great Barrier Reef and Far North Queensland. Once in Cairns, We visited Green Island, a beautiful coral cay located in the Great Barrier Marine Park. A remarkable day swimming and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef a once in a life time experience. While in Cairns we also visited the Tjapukai Aboriginal Park. Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park enables guests to immerse themselves in traditional Tjapukai culture with authentic music, dance and storytelling by the Tjapukai people. The world’s oldest living culture is brought to life by Aboriginal performers who engage guests with interactive activities such as didgeridoo playing, face painting and boomerang throwing and educate them about Cairns & the Great Barrier Reef’s traditional rainforest people. There’s exciting things to do here at the park, for travelling families, locals or even if your looking to host your next event here.Founded more than 25 years ago, Tjapukai is Australia’s largest Indigenous cultural park and is in the Guinness Book of Records as Australia’s longest running stage show. The Cultural Park has been built on traditional Tjapukai land in a beautiful rainforest setting to highlight the environment enjoyed by the Indigenous people of the Cairns Wet Tropics rainforest. From Cairns we travelled back to Sydney where we stayed at the Menzies Hotel in downtown Sydney. Great hotel with a great location close to the Rocks, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanical Gardens and Wynyard Park. From this location we visited the Opera house and took a tour of the amazing building, and learned a great deal about how it came to be such and icon of the city. The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the facility is adjacent to the Sydney central business district and the Royal Botanic Gardens, between Sydney and Farm Coves.Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the facility formally opened on 20 October 1973[3] after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. We were also fortunate enough to be able to partake in a Captain Cook Dinner Cruise. Sydney Harbour by night....it doesn't get any better than this. Offering million dollar views, expansive viewing decks, dining rooms and a range of menu and entertainment options for every event and budget. An experience not to be missed .. We also had free time to explore Sydney on our own and took public transit along with water taxis to make our way to the famous Bondi Beach, where we watched the surfers tackle the waves. A great city to explore very friendly and easy to get around. From Sydney we boarded another flight to Ayers Rock the outback for a 2 night stay at the Emu walk Apartments, which we used as a base to experience the famous Ayers Rock (Uluru and Kata Tjuta) as our stunning backdrop. If you are looking for the ultimate way to experience this beautiful desert region that no one else can offer come and visit us when you’re in the Red Centre. We also had the pleasure of attending the Sounds of Silence Dinner, Sip champagne from atop a red desert dune as the setting sun lights up the surface of Uluru, before dining under a million-star sky and hearing the stories of the constellations from an indigenous perspective. A member of the Australian Tourism Hall of Fame, Sounds of Silence offers some of the best experiences of the Red Centre distilled into four magical hours. As the sun sets, you will feast on a gourmet BBQ buffet of authentic Australian delicacies including barramundi, kangaroo and crocodile, bush salads, complemented by Australian wines. Then turn your attention to some of the world's best stargazing, as a ‘star-talker’ takes you on a tour of the spectacular southern night sky. A truly amazing dinner, a must if visiting Ayers Rock.
