Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2016 | Page 52

TRAVEL

hundreds of tourists.
The family arranged for us to travel by
car over the famous Sydney and Anzac
Bridges with an extensive drive to Whale
Beach, which on a separate occasion we
also visited by bus. The local buses cover
extensive routes and are reasonably priced,
and it is well worth spending a day on the
upper deck taking in the excellent scenery.
Sydney boasts one of the finest and
most extensive Fish Markets, which is
regularly visited by tourists, offering
the freshest of local fish and seafood to
purchase. If you so desire, this can be
immediately sampled or consumed as
a meal and complimented with potato
fries and salad on a smart jetty outside
and washed down with bottle of wine or
beer. This can all be purchased within the
market where even plastic glasses can be
purchased in case you forget to bring your
own! Somehow it seemed so much more
enjoyable than simply attending a fish
restaurant or café.
We were keen to take in two important
locations before our return home: the
Great Barrier Reef and the famous Blue

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Mountains. A local flight from Sydney
Airport took us to Cairns and from there
a drive to Port Douglas where we stayed
in a Boutique Hotel for a few days to pick
up the famous Quick Silver Catamaran
to the outer Barrier Reef. This is a trip
not to be missed as the two hour fast
and exhilarating trip took us to the Reef
Platform, a masterpiece of engineering in
the middle of the ocean, and comprising
a very spacious activity platform
with eating and drinking facilities,
snorkelling, underwater observatories
and an opportunity to take a trip in
semi-submersibles or helicopters. We
were fortunate to board an eight seated
submersible mini submarine and witness
the most wonderful colourful tropical fish,
coral and rarely, we were reliably advised,
a school of dolphins passing us by on our
way back to the Platform.
Our drive to the Blue Mountains area
was simply stunning and there are
several cable cars to gain the highest
visual advantage. We were fortunate
to be welcomed to the region by the
most brilliant clear blue sky, as often

the range itself is covered in mist. The
mountains really are vividly blue, and not
to be missed is the old mine shaft train
drop from one of the higher to lower
levels - certainly not for the faint hearted!
However, for the less ‘brave’ there is the
opportunity to take a reclined seat.
With family living in the Wollongong
area we were able to visit and stay for a
while and experience the lovely areas of
Port Kembla and Jervis Bay and to take
in the famous Grand Pacific Drive which
hugs the coast line from Sydney.
Finally, on one hot afternoon visiting
a local shop from my son’s house, I
noticed a rooftop party underway in a
neighbouring property and suddenly a
voice called down to me “Hi mate, you
are English aren’t you?... We are having
a Barbie and party, please come and join
us!” This was genuine and the Australians
clearly have a zest for life whilst wanting
always to succeed in whatever they do.
I really wanted to return again - not only
to visit our family, but also to experience
more of what is a truly special country and
with so much to offer.

www.visitilife.com

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