Fun things to do in Australia

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State: Western Australia

I visited in: January 2010

Broome is a place on the coast of Western Australia, and a very special place it is. It is very remote and far from everything, surrounded by deserts and vast mining areas and cattle station, with the spectacular Kimberley to the north.
I arrived there after a ten day guided tour from Perth, very exhausted from days of hiking and exploring, and felt like arriving in paradise!

Broome is dominated by Cable Beach, a 22km long, wonderful beach that was named after the telegraph cable that once connected Australia to Java and led into the sea here. It is even more famous for pearling, though - from the 1880s until World War Two, Broome was the pearling capital of the world. Thousands of people from all over the planet, especially Asia, came here to work for the pearling industry, and the multicultural heritage is still visible, especially in the Asian architecture of the town. Of course there are many pearl shops, and Broome is proud of its history.
I absolutely loved it here and wish to return, to do a tour from Perth to Darwin visiting the Kimberley - this is one of my biggest travel dreams regarding Australia.

I really recommend a visit here, but as I said, Broome is very far from everything, and the climate is also a problem. It was unbelievably hot and humid when I visited, so it is best to avoid it during wet season.

For more information, please visit my Broome page!

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NATIONAL PARKS
When visiting Australia and whatever state you may be in make sure you get to see the local National parks. Some of the most amazing sights in the country are located within a miriad of National Parks. You will find though that most are out of the way but will have some form of access whether it be a tour of some type or accessed even in your own vehicle. All Information on National Parks can be accessed by contacting the local National Parks and Wildlife Service In the Appropriate State or Territory. These I have found to be exceedingly helpful organisations with all sorts of maps and guides for the adventuresome bush walkers and the highly experienced Hikers that have the neccesary equipment.

My experiences in many of our prominent National Parks has been a very positive one. Most of the Do's and Dont's are common sense and respect for the environment. To be seen in the National Parks are a varied range of animals , reptiles, and the birdlife is just outstanding.Visiting these National Parks I have found ALWAYS includes a lot of walking....a lot..so make sure that you have really good and comfortable boots /shoes. As some of the scenery that is on offer is just incredible make sure that your camera batteries are fully charged and I carry a spare memory card also.The photo opportunities are unlimited..
Don't forget your hat and sunscreen.

My favourite National parks have been in N.S.W. Located in western Sydney and NW Sydney are The Blue Mountains National Park this is a huge Park that encompasses about four National Parks togeather ie: Blue Mountains NP, Wollemi NP, Kanagra Boyd NP,and Nattai NP and Yengo NP, Ku-Ring Gai National Park togeather cover thousands of square miles. Also in Sydney are the five Islands in the Harbour that encompass Sydney Harbour National Park
The Royal National Park south of Sydney which was the second NP in the world after Yellowstone in the U.S.A. (which was the first NP in the world.) There are 50 NP's in N.S.W.

Other famous National Parks are KATA TJUTA (the Olgas)and ULURU. (Ayers Rock) (Unesco site) WATARRKA Kings Canyon NP, Nitmaluk NP (Katerine Gorge) Litchfield NP and Kakadu NP(with the biggest proliferation of birdlife in the world) all these six big NP's are in the Northern Territory. and ALL worth visiting.They are magic.
Of course there is the Great Barrier Reef NP (Unesco site) in Queensland along with Fraser Island The big Sandy National Park. Lawn Hill NP along with the amazing Carnarvon NP .In fact every state in Australia has its own wonderful selection of National Parks.
Really there are just hundreds to list..All I can advise is pick out the best in whatever state that you are visiting and go and see for yourself..Some are in out of the way places but well worth the effort to see. You will not be dissapointed.
ALWAYS LOOK WHERE YOU ARE WALKING AND KEEP AN EYE ON THE GROUND

If you like Bird watching, like I do, then Australia is the place to come to see the beautifully coloured Birds.

There are 328 species of Parrot's in Australia.
One of the prettiest, is the beautiful Rainbow Lorikeet that lives mainly over north-eastern Australia and is normally found in flocks or pairs.

The colours on this Bird are so bright! It's feathers are emerald green, orange, blue, dull blue, ruby red, lemon yellow, purple, violet greenish grey.
They like Trees that have flowers laden with nectar, and when feeding, tend to squabble with each other and are very noisy and active.
Look for them on the Native Eucalypts, Banksia'a, Melaleuca, Callistemons and Grevillea's, just to name a few.

They love anything with nectar......quite a few people feed them with bread that has been soaked in Honey, they love this!
Like most Parrot's, they nest in a tree hollow or knot hole high up. Two white oval eggs are normally laid and take about 26 days to hatch, then both parents help to feed the young which fledge in 50 to 55 days.

If you are quiet, they continue on feeding, whilst you can get that much wanted photo!

Road trains are prohibited in many areas and you will stand the best chance of seeing them in the Northern Territories or Western Australia. Nowadays they are up to 3 trailers long and can haul up to 400 tonnes. Be careful if you wish to overtake them as it can take a while

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MOTOR SPORT AND SHOWS
Like many things we have in common with many visitors to Australia are cars.!!. Yes!!"Automobiles" Vintage models, Collectors Nostalgia models, Racing V8's, Dragsters, Formula One , Custom Cars , Hot rods or just wonderful regular show cars. The enjoyment of a day at a car show or racing car meet is an individual exercise in admired colourful mobile metal.

Australians, like a lot of our American and British mates we have a love affair with the motor car and that is apparent when you see the many and varied car shows and Motor races that are held all over Australia in the various States every year. I live in the state of New South Wales and there are always many auto events in the state to keep me happy. Whenever I travel I always like to check out the local automotive museums that are in so many different paces.. Just like"train buffs" there are the "car buffs" and (I am one ) I always like to see what's out there..
My love of course is nostalgia. and having grown up with many pre- war Fords I love the" old "Henrys" having owned many.Especially the very early Fords that were built here in Australia.
Events are usually advertised in the local newspapers and all through the media, or contact relevant car clubs which are many.

CANBERRA January in Canberra has the "Summer Nats" this is a hugely popular event with participants from all over the East coast even further. A great show of custom cars and wonderfully presented muscle cars. yes, this is a great place to see and smell the rubber and the high octane fuel.

Also on Australia Day the National Holiday (26th January) you will see car shows in lots of towns and cities and so many owners taking the opportunity to proudly show off their "wheels". One such place is the show in Sydney city that has hundreds of every make and model parked along Macquarie Street to be looked at , enjoyed and photographed. Melboune also has such a motor vehicle show in the city on Australia Day.This is a great event and one of many put on by city council.

SYDNEY Another regular event is the Eastern Creek Raceway Drags. These are dragsters and funny cars also top fuellers, and drag bikes. This is where you will smell the high octane and need ear plugs as the top fuellers when they "get cranked up" put on a show of speed and power. Not to be outdone local dragster put in unbeleivably fast times clocking in amazing speeds. Quite often when the drags are on they have a "Nostalgia day" this coincides with the drags and is a great show of vintage and custom metal.

BATHURSTEvery Easter in Bathurst ( in western New South Wales) about 200 kilometers from Sydney is the big Easter weekend bike a car races. This is a huge event that draws crowds and participants from not only all over Australia but all over the world.. These Big V8's really get it on for the big race at Mount Panorama Race circuit. Many thousands of people converge on Bathurst for this major race event . For the lovers of the sound of the big V8's this a great place to get early put up your tent and settle in for some great racing activity..

MELBOURNEMarch in Melbourne sees the first of the worlds annual Formula 1 GP races at Albert Park..This is a huge motor racing event on the worlds GP calendar being the first GP of the race year and attracting well over a hundred thousand people for the days of racing.The dedicated GP racing fans come from all over the world for this colourful and exciting event to watch the best Formula 1 GP drivers battle it out.

SYDNEY There is an event that is held every July in Sydney and it is the National "Ford Day" this is held at Warwick Farm in south western Sydney and here,.. if you like "Henrys"!! You will see every model Ford that was built here in Australia from the very early to the present time.. check out the wonderful "utes" and the muscle cars. this is a great day for nostalgic car lovers..

Every state in Australia holds a big motor races of the really popular V8 events. These events have a huge following as the natural attraction for the big noisy V8's are so popular with the "petrol heads" These events are advertised in the media and it pays to book tickets for these events early. So if you like it...join in the events.

As you travel in different states and cities you will find that there are many towns and cities that have Motor Muesums. For the Motoring "Auto-buff" these are of great interest to see what has been made locally over the Years along with many different imported models....most visitors wouldn't realise that we have a car industry that has been growing since before the war. Many vehicles were built here to aid the war effort especially with the Ford Motor co. building different vehicles of all configurations.So when you go into the Information office wherever you may be ...just ask if there is a Motor museum locally...You may be well surprised..

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ALL STATES
The first thing to do when organised at your accomodation and are set after your arrival ....Go to the local Tourist Information Centre to obtain all the information that you will need..They will advise you of anything that you would like to know!! Places to visit, Concerts, Music venues, Restaurants, local pubs,Accomodation, transport enquiries in fact anything that you want to know!!

There are always free maps and brochures on many different interesting palces to visit.
When I'm out driving anywhere in Australia I always .,upon entering a town centre "Look for the yellow I" for the Information centre..These centres are staffed by local people that know the local areas well..

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Visitors to Australia come from the four corners of the world.. So they have many different likes and dislikes when it comes to water sport..Most just watch some participate...So, if you are in the latter category most of all the sports that you may like you can enjoy here.
Some visitors have no previous experience in the surf(ocean) and find themselves in difficulty very quickly . Every year there are tragedies of drownings caused sometimes by ignorance in the water..Australian beaches are mostly patrolled by our legendary life savers that are mostly volunteers.
PLEASE.: TAKE NOTICE OF WARNING SIGNS ON BEACHES. BE WATER CONSCIOUS. DO NOT SWIM WHEN INTOXICATED .. DO NOT SWIM AT NIGHT..SWIM BETWEEN SAFETY FLAGS ALWAYS.
The water sports are the most popular with surfing, in some of the best surfing beaches in the world. Most city beaches have surf board hire. Also there is a daily surf report on the radio.
Maybe your just up for a swim or a day at the beach.This you can do in safety as most city beaches are patrolled and surf life Saving groups in Australia are legendary. (just swim between the safety flags).There are designated areas for surfers on boards or surf skis.
Surfing in many parts of Australia is a real culture. So many surfers enjoy the many wonderful beaches that have varying surfing conditions and are constantly chasing those waves..Many surfers just drive up and down the coastal towns and enjoy their sport to the max...Australia has produced quite a few world men and womens world Surfing champions and is known worldwide for its great surf attracting many visitors to come from far and wide to find and ride those elusive "magic barrells".

Always have the sun "covered"and wear a strong sunscreen (especially when snorkelling) as the sun here is very uncompromising.Take special care if you have little ones with you in the sun..

A lot of foreign visitors choose to get there underwater (scuba) diving licence while here in Australia.This can be acheived in most states especially in Queensland ( Barrier Reef )and Western Australia (Ningaloo Reef).best to check this out depending on what state you will visit.There are numerous dive sites to be enjoyed see local information centres for info.
Some people like me just like to just kick along the surface and snorkel. So many wonderful sites for this activity. This gear is usually for hire and also easy to buy.

Then there are the sailors..there are many sailing clubs in all Australian coastal cities and here in Sydney the harbour is a wonderful example of the many different types of sailing categories there are.Maybe you are a sailboarder this is a very popular sport.check them out. It doesn't matter what form of water sports that you like to participate in ...They are here for your enjoyment.. Aussies really love their water sports and they're good at it!!
Always take notice of safety signs they are there for your safety

A Virtual Tour

You have a chance to come with me from my home town Buderim, Queensland into NSW...all the way to Parkes in NSW. We will travel on five major highways over 2,000k there and back

We will be on the Bruce Highway to Brisbane....then the Cunningham up the Great Dividing Range...join the new England Highway through some beautiful tableland country, branch off on the Oxley Highway
The rules are you may only stop in places that I have brought to life virtually....

So come with me we
Start on Buderim

You will find the info re the tour near the end of each travel page