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I was hugely excited to be returning to Australia, especially as my itinerary included some remote areas that many people never get to see. Where did I go? Well perhaps it is easier to say which states of Australia I didn’t go to rather than those I did – I didn’t reach Southern Australia or Tasmania but set foot everywhere else! This makes it difficult to choose highlights from the trip but if I had to they would be the following:

A twenty minute flight by light aircraft took me to the new luxury lodge Bamurru Plains, located on the edge of the Mary River floodplains just a short distance from the coast and the western boundary of Kakadu National Park. The flight alone is a wonderful experience as we flew over the winding rivers & wetlands which border North Australia’s coastline.

The lodge has been designed with the concept of ‘Wild Bush Luxury’ and built using traditional materials giving the luxury an understated feel. It’s a fantastic way to experience the beautiful wilderness of Australia – we went bird and croc spotting in airboats, drank cold beers on the magical lily covered floodplains and ate sumptuous food including freshly caught mud crab & emu, buffalo and kangaroo pie! I had the best night’s sleep here and awoke to the sounds of kookaburras and cockatoos with the buffalo and kangaroos grazing metres from my terrace – a truly unforgettable and Australian experience.

From Darwin I embarked on a cruise around the northwest coast to Broome – a wonderful way to experience the Kimberley, an area famed for its rivers, waterfalls, ancient rock formations, aboriginal rock paintings and wildlife, but that is difficult to access by road.

I have never been a fan of cruising but I have to say that this was like a floating 5* hotel with all the comforts one could want and amazing access into this remote area. Each day the ship docked off shore and a fleet of well organised zodiacs ferried us onto land to view some of the stunning sites in the area.

The most incredible experience of the cruise, was a helicopter flight from a small sandy beach, flying up over the Hunter River to the beautiful Mitchell Falls. The view from the air was awesome – the sun beating down on the mangroves, tributaries and turquoise water, deep green foliage and pink/red rocks – and I don’t think there can be a better way to view this sort of scenery. At the falls the chance for a first swim was bliss – it’s impossible to swim in the sea due to the salt water crocodiles, which though difficult to spot are there! Our helicopter had no doors and with our charming but slightly crazy pilot having some fun on the way back, I landed back on the beach completely blown away and wanting to learn to fly a helicopter – just amazing.

Melbourne was a lovely surprise and somewhere I could certainly have spent longer. Completely different to the fast pace and dynamic feel of Sydney, Melbourne has less iconic sites but is the city for culture, arts and a much more laid back vibe.

I was lucky enough to end my trip in the Whitsundays on the island of Hayman, one of Australia’s flagship private island destinations. Again we arrived by helicopter, flying in over the famous Whitehaven beach and proceeded to spend the next 2 days snorkelling, swimming & sailing in the turquoise waters of the Barrier Reef National Park.

About the Author:

Steppes Travel specialise in luxury holidays, and tailor made holidays

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – On Location August 2007 – Australia

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