Relax and unwind by getting back to nature in Oz

1 February, 2007

Relax and unwind by getting back to nature in Australia

For many Kiwis, their New Year resolutions included making more time to get away from it all and relax. Australia’s nature experiences are the perfect way to do just that.

Australia is an immense country stretching more than 7.5 million square kilometres. On this great continent one-third of the land mass is desert and four per cent of the country is world heritage sites or national parks, which makes for remarkable nature experiences.
More and more kiwis are keen to swap New Zealand’s version of summer weather for Australia’s typically fantastic sunny and clear skies.

Tourism Australia’s Regional Manager, Vito Anzelmi, believes Australia’s varied and vast coast, landscape and wildlife provides an easily accessible nature experience for New Zealanders wanting to get away from the hecticness of their everyday lives at the same time enjoying fabulously warm temperatures.

“Australia boasts 16 unique World Heritage areas and 547 national parks which provides an abundance of amazing nature experiences for all Kiwis. After the stress of the holiday period and the variable summer weather here in New Zealand, it is nice to be able to escape the hustle and bustle and really get back to nature,” he said.

Furthermore, Mr Anzelmi said these nature experiences cater to all tastes, with the option of roughing it in a tent or keeping the home comforts with a touch of luxury in an environmentally friendly bed and breakfast.

“Many of Australia’s eco-retreats allow visitors to enjoy complete luxury while still getting back to nature and enjoying the quiet rural surrounds. Alternatively, you can take a back-pack and a tent and enjoy nature in this style,” he said.

Moreover, you don’t need to travel for days to find all these remarkable landscapes. The amazing nature walks through the Blue Mountains World Heritage Parks in New South Wales for example, are only a couple of hours by train from Sydney,” he said.

“Kiwis just have to jump on a plane across the Tasman and a world heritage park can be right at their hotel doorstep,” he added.

Australia’s indigenous wildlife proves popular with New Zealand tourists. Many of the animals are not found anywhere else in the world such as kangaroos, koalas, wombats, platypuses and more. 80 per cent of Australian flowering plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia. This wildlife can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, whether you are snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef or walking through the mudflats on the shores of Western Australia’s Roebuck Bay near Broome, a habitat for 800,000 migratory birds.

Experiencing the vibrant sounds and smells of a rain forest is the perfect way to unwind and indulge in nature. Unlike New Zealand, Australia is abundant with rainforests, including the Daintree, which is the oldest rainforest in the world (135 million years). Walk through this magnificent forest and see more than 3,000 plant species and 13 mammal species only found in Australia.

Kiwis love to de-stress by going to the beach so why not explore something unique and different on Australia’s immense coastline. With the virtual guarantee of hot summer days, coastal experiences in Australia are not to be missed at this time of year. Considered the most magnificent of all, the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, is the world’s largest coral reef. This makes for unmatched snorkelling, diving, fishing, or boating all great ways of relaxing and unwinding.

Another coastal nature experience which is truly unique to Australia is swimming with the biggest species of fish in the world, the whale shark, at Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef.

Nature seekers often move inland after exploring the coast and travel to the great Australian desert, which is easily accessible from all the major centres. An expansive desert is the perfect escape from city-life, with silence often surrounding the arid areas. Unwind amongst the sand, red rock, ancient eroded slopes and rocky gullies that are truly breathtaking, and completely different to any landscape found in New Zealand.

The various unusual nature attractions have always been a big draw-card for tourists to Australia. The Bungle Bungle range, in Australia’s North West, for example is an amazing natural encounter. The 20 million year-old ringed beehive-like domes stretch 250 metres high into the skyline.

Australian nature experiences are incredibly versatile and suit all levels of relaxation. With all these options so easily accessible to New Zealand tourists, a soothing Australian eco-getaway in the sunshine is just we all need to start the New Year.

Ends

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