robinesrock, Author at The Great Australian Bucket List

Life on the Larapinta Trail

Posted on May 1, 2019 | by robinesrock | Leave a Comment

Australia’s most iconic outback trek was the last tick on my Australian Bucket List, and one of the first things I tell people to add to theirs. The landscape is truly extraordinary, and with World Expeditions taking care of everything including the logistics, meals and accommodation, you don’t have to sweat it either. As with all the other experiences in my book, just a few photos made it to print, but I took so many more. I thought I’d share some of them this month as the outback sun cools down and the Larapinta Trail season kicks into high gear.

Firstly, a shout out to my group. Yes, they happened to be predominately women, which is awesome, and from New South Wales, which we won’t hold against them ; ) Point is, doing the Larapinta in Comfort, as this World Expeditions package is called, will appeal to all shapes and sizes, and anyone who enjoys day hikes. Don’t be put off by the multi-day trekking aspect of it, because we’re not in the Himalayas, there’s no altitude, and the pace is doable for anyone with a modicum of fitness. Two exceptionally able guides are with you all times, and if you want to sit it out, that’s entirely up to you. While I wouldn’t recommend this one for young kids, trekkers well into their 70’s have been “smashing the ‘Pinta” successfully for years.

I took this picture just minutes into the start of our six day adventure. Everyone was fresh and eager and getting to know each other on the trail. It’s also a good opportunity to figure out how your boots, poles and gear is going to hold up in the days ahead.

It doesn’t take long before you crest the plateau of the West MacDonnell Ranges and instantly grasp what all the fuss is about. The gradient is relatively flat, and the views incredible. Before each leg, your guides explain what’s coming up next, and prepare you mentally for the hike ahead. There’s plenty of time to stop and take photographs. Incidentally, I carried a mirrorless Olympus to keep things light. Some hikers brought their DSLRs, others were more content to just use their phones. One of the best shots in my book was taken by a fellow hiker using her Google Pixel phone!

Check out the video!

World Expeditions have their own impressively sustainable camps set up. It’s like camping without the hassle. Delicious meals are cooked for you, there are solar hot showers, cots and sleeping bags in large canvas tents, and couches to stretch out your feet and enjoy a glass of wine. Speaking of which: hikers can pick up their own booze in Alice Springs before the journey, which is driven ahead (along with your bags) to each campsite along the trail. Just to clarify: You’re not doing the full Larapinta trail, but a curated six-day hike that encompasses the very best bits! And compared to sleeping in a small tent, carrying all your food and cooking it on scrappy camp utensils, this is very much what comfort looks like.

Each day’s hike has a destination highlight, bursting with natural beauty and cultural significance. Sacred watering holes and slices in the red escarpment, both of which attract wildlife and wonder. They’re also great spots for snack breaks! Most of these can be accessed by bus from Alice Springs and form part of the tourist attractions in the region. You’ve come in on foot though, so you’ve earned it!

Here’s some hiking shots to give you an idea of the landscape and trail quality. Low shrubs and trees, blue skies, and comfortable trekking. Most of us used a pole or two, some didn’t feel the need for them. We carried only daypacks with snacks and water, bug spray and sunscreen. One guide in the front (with the faster walkers) and one in the back (with the straddlers, like myself).

Lunch consists of sandwiches and wraps, fruits and nuts, carried in and out by our wonderful and superhuman guides. Always a welcome opportunity to top up the energy reserves, stop in your tracks to look for wildlife, and appreciate the surprisingly dense vegetation.

The climax is undoubtedly Day 5, which involves a steep, 8-kilometre long climb up Mount Sondor to catch one of the most epic sunrises in Australia. We woke up at 3am. It’s quite an experience hiking at night under the galaxy of stars that paint the skies in this part of the world. It’s hypnotic watching your headlamp light the way forward. Mount Sondor is officially the end of the Larapinta Trail, and also its highest point. We watched the sunrise, and returned along the same path to witness the spectacular scenery we’d missed in the dark on the way up. It’s a challenging day, but after 4 days trekking, your muscles are warmed up for it, your boots are broken in, and the sheer adventure gets you over the tough part. After that, it’s downhill all the way.

The final day is an easy 6-kilometre walk into Ormiston Pound, which isn’t technically part of the Larapinta Trail, but you can quickly see why its on the itinerary. Hiking between the spiky spiniflex, we were asked by our guides to enter the gorge in silence, reflecting on the beauty around us, and also the adventure we’d had this past week. It’s a very special place, and impossible not to enjoy a very special moment. From here, the bus picked us up, and returned us to our hotels in Alice Springs. The group met up that night for dinner and drinks, and a well-earned toast to one of the greatest adventures on The Great Australian Bucket List.

Special thanks to the ‘Smashin’ the Pinta’ crew who made my experience so memorable.

If you’re inspired to tick off the Larapinta Trail, click here for more information from World Expeditions.

Balloon over Canberra

Posted on April 1, 2019 | by robinesrock | Leave a Comment

It’s hard to imagine dozens of hot-air balloons taking off each year from the grounds of Westminster or Capitol Hill, floating above the hallowed halls of the nation’s political power. But, while Australia’s politics is a hybrid of both the UK and US political systems, Canberra is definitely not a hybrid of Washington and London. Instead, the nation’s capital is its own distinct place, one that is accessible, fun, and definitely open to playing with balloons. The Canberra Balloon Spectacular is the annual event that brings together over two-dozen balloonists from around the world, departing over nine days each March from the lawns of Old Parliament House. Visitors and locals are invited to hop in the basket for incredible views, and tick off a bucket list experience soaring in the skies. Which is exactly what I intended to, showing up for a 6:15am flight as the sun approached the horizon.

Ballooning already features on The Great Australian Bucket List, with a chapter about ballooning over the Murray River in the Barossa region of South Australia. For those who have never hopped in a basket, it’s a far gentler adventure than one would expect. Ballooning gives one the sensation of quietly floating, free from the noise of engines or the speed of other forms of flight. Hovering over lakes and rivers, you won’t so much ripple the water below. Pilots are at the mercy of wind and thermal currents, able to navigate altitude if not direction. This is why conditions are so crucial for a successful flight, and why early mornings are favoured before the heat of the sun plays havoc with air currents. Seeing the sunrise in a wicker basket hundreds of metres in the sky is also instantly memorable.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a perfectly blue-sky morning when I met my fellow flyers and pilot in the lobby of the Questacon Science Museum at 5:45am. In fact, it was misty and overcast. Still, the winds were calm enough for a greenlight, which is more than I can say for my half dozen other attempts at ballooning around the world. Pilots release a helium balloon and carefully monitor what it does as it rises into the atmosphere, a low-tech but effective means of reading the conditions. My flight is with Balloon Aloft, and we drive to a field to unpack the balloon and basket and get ready for the flight. Passengers assist by holding the balloon envelope while the pilot blasts heated air inside. These gas-powered blasts sound like mini-jet engines, powerful enough to fill the envelope in about 15 minutes. The gas blasts keep the balloon flying, and warm passengers in the basket. There’s a lot of anticipation as the envelopes fill up, pulling the 8-person basket upright. Once critical mass is achieved, there’s little time to dawdle. We scamper into the partitioned sections of the basket, and away we go.

The early morning chill dissipates with each blast from the burners, as slowly we rise to see a stunning view over the capital and surrounding valleys. Surrounded by other balloons gives me a sense of scale and distance, the colours of the envelopes brightening up the skies for balloonists, as well as onlookers and early morning commuters below. The distinct road ring that surrounds Parliament Hill showcases the careful planning that went into the capital, while Parliament Hill itself looks somewhat bunkerish and fortified from above. We drift with the current towards the artificial Lake Burley Griffin that flows in the centre of the city (named after the American architect who won the award to design Canberra). After a 45 minute flight, the pilot signals the perfect spot to land adjacent to the National Rock Garden. We’re instructed to brace for the landing, which can be smooth or bouncy, depending on conditions, and the skills of the pilot. This morning, our Balloon Aloft pilot is on form. He keeps the balloon upright long enough for support teams on the ground to hold it down long enough for us to climb out, and the balloon quickly deflates. We all assist in the folding of the envelope, and are shuttled back to the lawns of Old Parliament Hill for a buffet champagne breakfast awaits. By mid-morning, the balloons have landed, the pilots and passengers are trading stories, and a few more bucket lists have been ticked.

The Canberra Balloon Spectacular is part of the city’s annual Enlighten Festival. You can also book your scenic flight and find out more info with Balloon Aloft Canberra.

We Won Tickets on the Ghan!

Posted on March 2, 2019 | by robinesrock | Leave a Comment

When Katie Horn received a surprise email from us that she’d won our Grand Launch Prize, she knew exactly what she’d do with it. Gift it to her parents for a bucket list experience aboard the Ghan. Her parents Andrew and Anthea report back from their holiday of a lifetime.

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Andrew and I wish to thank you, The Great Australian Bucket List competition and Great Southern Rail for making the holiday of a lifetime a reality for us. We recently enjoyed the experience of a train trip on the Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide.

Our accommodation in Darwin was provided by the Oaks group of hotels, and the room provided a stunning night time vista. We had time to do a tour in the afternoon and take in the sights of this beautiful city.

Firstly we wish to mention the outstanding service provided by the staff on the Ghan, they could not do enough to make our trip more memorable, they were warm, friendly and we felt we got to know them through the conversations we had with them over the 3 days and 2 nights of our journey. There were 283 guests on board, 39 carriages, 802 metres of train and all were provided with first class hospitality which made our holiday relaxing and enjoyable. At times the train travelled around long sweeping curves and it was exciting to see the carriages in front and behind as we moved through rolling countryside.

I must also compliment the clever chefs on board for the variety on the menus, we were able to sample buffalo, emu, crocodile and kangaroo dishes. The meals provided were sumptuous, they were an adequate size and were beautifully presented. It was a pleasure to be shown to a different table each night in the Queen Adelaide dining car to enjoy a superb dinner with great conversation and lovely wines. The deserts were absolutely amazing and enjoyed by all.

We found the variety of excursions to have something for everyone and we chose two cruises up the Katherine Gorge which was lots of fun with the local indigenous rangers providing us with colourful stories. We were lucky enough to see a crocodile on the water’s edge before he slid into the murky depths, to be followed by a pungent fishy odour which denoted his presence. As it was a very warm day we appreciated the thoughtfulness of the staff to provide us with cold water and fruit on our cruise.

We also enjoyed a tour of Alice Springs, the Memorial Hill and monuments to past wars, the Old Telegraph Station where the ranger was so passionate and knowledgeable about the facility and the early pioneers who had lived and worked on the station. The highlight for us was a visit to the School of the Air where we were able to watch first hand a lesson between the teacher and students on outlying stations. What a privilege to visit such an iconic educational facility.

Perhaps the highlight on last evening was a bonfire at Manguri station. It was noted that staff had prepared for our arrival as lanterns had been placed all along the railway line to assist guests to disembark and find their way to the bonfire in the distance. Staff had set up a table with nightcaps and chocolates and we were treated to a warm night, under the stars enjoying the company of other guests. The area around the bonfire was well set up with tables and chairs which added to the comfort and ambience of the evening. We climbed back on board and continued on our journey southwards and arrival in Adelaide the next day.

We wish to thank everyone responsible for making the trip available to us. We highly recommend a trip on the Ghan, if you are thinking of taking one, just do it, and you will make wonderful memories to take with you. We met folk from all walks of life, from all over Australia, England and the States.

Click here to tick The Ghan off your own Great Australian Bucket List. Special thanks to Great Southern Rail, Oaks Hotels, Affirm Press, and everyone who entered. Sign up to automatically be entered into future Great Australian Bucket List contests, including the next exciting one, courtesy Skydive Australia.

Sunrise with Roos in Cape Hillsborough

Posted on February 1, 2019 | by robinesrock | Leave a Comment

Getting up in the very early hours of the morning is often difficult, especially when your kids have woken you up four times in the middle of the night. You want to hit snooze on your alarm clock, and you want to hit snooze on life. The best experiences make you bounce out of bed no matter what time it is, because you know it’s going to be special. Such was the case at 5am one morning in Mackay, and despite her late night antics, I was relieved to see my daughter share my enthusiasm. We hopped in the car and drive 40 minutes north on a winding pastoral road to Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park for one of the most special sunrises in the country.

It all started over a decade ago, when kangaroos and wallabies showed up on a particularly beautiful beach just prior to the egg-yolk sun breaking on the horizon. The park’s owners started feeding the roos, and about a dozen guests came to share the fun each morning in the glow of a quintessential Australian coastal sunrise. Then word got out. Qantas featured the experience in an in-flight safety video, travel writers like myself showed up, and next thing you know, hundreds of people are gathering on the beach each morning. All well and good, but not everyone has the good sense to let a roo do its thing. As with all wildlife, it’s important to keep a safe distance, and refrain from feeding sugary crap to animals that can become increasingly aggressive because of human interaction. Roos have been known to attack overzealous and idiotic tourists, as well as they should. Shortly after our sunrise in Cape Hillsborough, authorities and the park owners have decided it best to regulate the experience, charging a fee for live commentary from a guide about the region’s history and wildlife conservation.

This morning however, my daughter and I walk along the gorgeous coastline towards a crowd of people gathered up ahead. The animals are already on the beach, and the sun is just about to make its splash. International tourists are obviously more taken with the sight of kangaroos and wallabies, but regardless of your experience with the marsupial, it makes for a very special wildlife encounter, in a very special place, and at a very special time of day. Memory cards are put to work as cameras big and small do their best to capture it. Clear orange light during sunrise makes for epic shots. It’s the so-called golden hour for photography that we rarely take advantage because it’s too damn early. My daughter is captivated, if a little chilly from the ocean breeze. It’s all over in about five to ten minutes, the animals scatter into the bush and the people towards their cars or more conveniently breakfast in their cabin, hut or motorhome inside the Nature Park. Nobody can deny that despite the time of the day, it’s a sunrise well worth getting up for.

Swim with Rays and Sharks

Posted on January 4, 2019 | by robinesrock | Leave a Comment

There’s some pretty slick experiences on The Great Australian Bucket List, and some quirky additions too. I researched activities and destinations online, in libraries, with the help of tourism organizations and local advice, and sometimes, I just followed my nose. We were driving up the Central Coast of New South Wales to Port Stephens when I saw a sign along the highway that read something like the title of this post: Swim with Rays and Sharks. Now I’ve dived with rays and sharks, and I love this big creatures, so when I Googled Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters and discovered this was an activity I could do with my kids, without heading out to sea, my bucket list antennae started pinging.

Sharks and stingrays get a bad wrap. Although horses and kangaroos kill far more people than sharks each year, the ocean’s apex predator gets ravaged in the press, and… then there’s the Steve Irwin thing. The reality is that most animals are harmless if you leave them alone and don’t give them a reason to attack. Although that doesn’t stop rays and especially sharks being slaughtered, according to one report, around 100 million sharks are killed each year, which is having a devastating impact on the marine eco-system. Husband and wife team Ryan and Lia Pereira are working hard to change our perception of these creatures. They took over a hands-on shark and ray aquarium in Port Stephens and have turned it into Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters, devoted to busting harmful myths, and educating visitors about marine conservation. With over 200 animals, we couldn’t wait to slip on a wetsuit and get into a series of pools with curious Southern Eagle Rays rays, friendly Port Jackson sharks, cuddly Blue Spotted Mask Rays, massive Smooth Rays and 3-metre long Tawny Nurse Sharks. The kids were freaked out at first, some of these creatures were bigger than them after all, but after a while my daughter warmed up to the cuddles of a huge curious smooth ray, yes the same species that resulted in the tragic death of Steve Irwin. The indoor facility itself is a little rough around the edges, with the feel of a two young kids doing their best to make a difference despite the operating costs. Given the challenges of operating a tourist attraction with the central draw being creatures that inspire fear and awe, it looks like it would make a great setting for a movie or TV show.

Feeding a 3 metre-long nurse shark: Tick that one off the bucket list!

There are three main pools, including a little pool for the smaller kids to stand and also feed the rays, a larger pool where you can get a birds eye photo of yourself surrounded by swirling rays, and a large pool adjacent with the Nurse Sharks. There’s also touching pools and various displays to educate visitors about the different creatures. Wet suits are provided by the facility, and the utmost care is taken to ensure the animals are healthy and looked after.

Ryan and Lia’s devotion and passion for their animals is inspiring, and the lessons they impart on visitors of all ages is vital. In the words of David Attenborough: ““No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.”

Learn more about Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters

Directions to Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters: When leaving from Newcastle follow the signs to Nelson Bay, at Salt Ash you will precede through 2 Roundabouts. About 5 minutes later you will find a Caltex on your left, directly after it turn left onto Marsh Rd. Follow Marsh Rd for about 4 minutes then at 686 turn right into Irukandji. All in it’s about a two and half hour drive from Sydney.

Melbourne Zoo’s Roar n Snore

Posted on December 2, 2018 | by robinesrock | Leave a Comment

Several zoos offer an overnight experience. Parents and kids get to:

Learn all about animals

Experience a zoo at night when there’s no crowds and many animals are active

Camp in the city with access to flush toilets

Stay up late and do something fun at night when they really should be sleeping

Melbourne Zoo gets some 10,000 visitors a day, and all of them have gone home when my daughter and I pull into the parking lot at 6pm. The gates are still shut, and knowing the assortment of wild animals that reside within, it feels like we’re in the opening credits of a Hollywood movie, the kind where things go awry and lions escape their cages and start picking off overnight tourists one-by-one. To be fair, young kids will be less concerned with the animals and more freaked out about the dark, since they rarely spend much time in it, much less roaming around an empty zoo to a soundtrack of grunts, hisses and squeaks of animals. The service gates open, and our group of just over a dozen Roar n Snorers are greeted by Jacky and Katheryn, our two friendly hosts for the evening. They’re fun and enthusiastic and superb female role models for Raquel. We drive our vehicles into the service area – backstage at the zoo – and are shown to our safari style canvas tents on raised wooden platforms. Shaded by palm trees and within earshot of various animal calls, our tents – named after former and current zoo elephants – are surprisingly roomy, with sleeping bags, pillows and air mattresses. We’re advised to keep the tents zipped unless we want to cuddle a possum, which I have to remind my daughter, is not something we actually want. Having dropped off our bags, we’re led on a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo, learning about the animal diets (did you know the animals are fed veggies provided by grocery stores?) and the old heritage-listed buildings that now function as storage facilities. All this entrances the older kids in the group, but my kid just wants to see the animals. Fortunately, the red panda is up and about and eager to say hello to us as we use the public bathrooms a short walk from our tents. With fruit bats flying overhead, we’re free to wander about as our hosts prepare BBQ’d burgers and chicken, served with salads and corn in a former elephant enclosure.

I wonder if the smell of grilled meat drives the carnivores crazy. Satiated, any sign of my daughter getting tired quickly dissipates as we grab our headlamps and head out for a nocturnal walk in the zoo. Animals are always more lively at night, especially in summer. We hurl apples and pears to the elephants, greet the hyperactive Bolivian, squirrel monkeys, and learn that it’s best to keep your distance from the one-eyed tapir. We pet a tortoise and a python. Along the way, our hosts tell us great stories about the animals and reveal the inner workings of the zoo. Melbourne Zoo uses a category system where animals are rated between 1 and 5 to determine how dangerous they are. A tiger is a 1, but so is a peccary. At the lion enclosure, a juvenile male is particularly active and jumps up suddenly against the thick glass viewing area. As the smallest and therefore most vulnerable member of our group, my daughter clings to my neck for the remainder of the walk. It’s dark, it’s late, it’s a little spooky, and it’s time to go to bed.

Milk and cookies are the reward back at our camp. Parents with kids who run on a tight schedule might struggle with the late bedtime, but since my daughter rarely sleeps anyway, we’re up at 11pm as she thrashes about in the sleeping bag we’re inevitably sharing. Older kids are having a much easier go of it, and personally I enjoy hearing the sounds of the animals at night, presuming they’re not the sounds of the young couple enjoying a romantic weekend adventure in their adjacent tent. We wake up, pack up, enjoy breakfast, and take a pre-opening excursion to hand feed the giraffe, and watch the zookeeper feed the penguins. Our ticket includes admission to the zoo the following day, and so we retrace our steps in the early morning sun, before the zoo opens for business.

Click here to learn more about Melbourne Zoo’s Roar n Snore Overnight Camp.

Author: robinesrock