3 other jewels of Australia besides the usual suspects

When people think of holidays to Australia and tourist attractions or they tend to think of the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour bridge, Ayers rock (Uluru) and the Great Barrier Reef. However there are many more stunning jewels in the land down under which are equally as impressive as the above mentioned landmarks. The Great Ocean Road, Victoria This winding road makes for a very scenic drive and covers popular destinations along the way such as Bell’s beach one of the top surfing beaches in Australia and in the world, the scenic Apollo Bay which is a popular accommodation point, a number of golf courses which are popular kangaroo roaming areas, the impressive twelve apostles rock stacks and the London bridge rock formation which all have their own historic stories attached to them. These destinations along the way make for a stunning day out with numerous scenic walks along the beach and through rainforests. The Whitsunday Islands These islands off the coast of north east Australia are a set of visual jewels in the south area of the barrier reef. They boast some of the whitest sand shores in the world with sand grains so fine it almost like feels like flour in your hands. It is known that if a camera is dropped in this sand it will be instantly broken due to the fine granules that make their way into the lens. These islands also feature some of the best snorkelling spots in the country while surrounded by some of the clearest waters off the coast. These all add up to produce magnificent photographs and certainly emphasise the tropical essence of Australia. Barossa Wine valley Adelaide The valley on the outskirts of Adelaide in South Australia is Australia’s most famous wine region. As the country is known for its quality wine a lot of this is owed to the climate and work of the people involved. There are a range of activities in the valley which include food tasting experiences, hot air ballooning and the famous wine tasting experiences that come standard. The valleys themselves roll over picturesque hills for miles and cover 1,970 square kilometres which is an impressive, vast size. These are just a few of the jewels outside the usual bunch but the list can technically go on forever due to the vast size of the country which covers a number of different climates at the same time of year. The main attractions are usually around the coastal areas of the country but these areas cover a vast amount of land anyway. There are always Australian tours and escorted holidays available to book that will involve many other impressive sights and these are usually very informative which is why there is a strong surge in enquiries around ‘Australia holidays 2012’ already this year. Karen Gee is Managing Director of Journeys of Distinction. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.