Travelogue from Australia: The magical and contrasting country Down Under

Our Australia expert, Winnie, has 25 years’ experience creating tours to Australia. Here you can read about one of her recent trips there and why Australia is so close to her heart.

It hits me already in the airport. The smell of eucalyptus. No matter where in the world I am, the smell of eucalyptus or “gum trees” as the Australians call it, sends me right back Down Under, where I once spent so much of my time.

Finally, I am back and the excitement of once again, standing under Sydney Harbour Bridge with the view to the beautiful Opera house is bubbling inside me.

Sydney is, in my opinion, one of the world’s most beautifully located cities. It is built around a large harbour, which is dotted with beautiful bays and beaches. Here you are never far from a peaceful little spot where you can sit and enjoy the sun and light breeze. A few kilometres from the city centre is the Royal National Park, which is full of good hiking trails and picturesque views of the harbour. And then Sydney is a big cosmopolitan city in every sense of the word. Good restaurants, wine bars, shopping and loads of museums, so there is lots to do for history-fanatics like myself. The locals here are happy, smiley, and welcoming – it makes me think that the many hours of sunshine every day must help give you a positive mindset.

From Sydney, I travel on to Australia’s red centre. It is probably one of the things, I love the most about Australia. The contrasts. I love flying from a bustling large city by the water to the centre, where everything is red, and the earth is as dry as sandpaper. There is still blue here – now from the sky, which is larger here than anywhere else in the world. The endless expanses of nothing both excite and frighten me, and I am constantly fascinated by how people have survived here for thousands of years before the first Europeans came.

Seeing a sunset and a sunrise over Uluru are an absolute must when I am here. The feeling of standing in the middle of nothing and seeing the sun go down or over a big red rock is almost mythical in many ways. The place is very sacred to the indigenous people and during sunset, when Uluru is lit up in shades of red and orange, I can understand why.

The tour ends in Cairns. Again, another contrasting destination. From dry, red bush to the tropical north, where palm trees stand tall and act as homes for the most colourful birds I have ever seen. Here in Cairns, there is access to the Great Barrier Reef – the world’s largest coral reef. This is an entirely different world, with corals every colour of the rainbow and fish, I’ve only even seen in cartoons.

Back at my hotel, I end the day with a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the country’s oldest wine district, the Hunter Valley and I know why it is that I will forever love Australia.

Winnie, TourCompass