Breathtaking Australia

Famous for koalas, cowboys and wide open spaces, Australia is rugged beauty at its best. Beneath its blue waters is the largest reef on the planet, attracting divers from every corner of the world. Mesmerizing colors and otherworldly plants and creatures inhabit the famous Great Barrier Reef, home of the great white shark and colorful butterfly fish. On land, the beauty continues, with volcanoes, gorges, forests, deserts, waterfalls and the amazing outback. Clearly, there is far too much to cover with one blog entry, so for starters, let’s look at a few great places to visit on the western side of this amazing continent.

Australia has six states—New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania (an island off the southern coast of Victoria). There are also two major mainland territories—the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

The Gibb River Road winds through parts of The Kimberly, a wild, remote and dramatically stunning region in the northern part of Western Australia. Taking a trip along this road will prove to be an adventure you’ll never forget. With scenery that inspired the “Australia” movie, this road will take you on a journey through cascading waterfalls, plateaus, lush forests. You’ll also see open woodlands of gum trees and rivers lined with palms and paperbark trees. Stop and take a scenic flight to experience the true majesty of The Kimberly landscape.

Stop again to hike through Mitchell Plataeu, where the thundering Mitchell Falls will take your breath away! As you follow the road, you’ll come to Mitchell River National Park, home to other beautiful terrain including Merton Falls, Surveyors Pool, the Mitchell and King Edward Rivers. You’ll be amazed by the many ancient rock art sites, most of which have remained untouched for thousands of years.

In The Kimberly’s King Leopold Range Conservation Park, beautiful Bell Gorge is the place for a refreshing swim among scenic water cascades and folded rock formations created over thousands of years. Your camera will get plenty of action here, as Bell Gorge is one of the picturesque gorges in The Kimberly. You can even go camping very close to the gorge. Bell Gorge is about an hour’s drive off the Gibb River Road four wheel drive track, east of Derby.

In my next post, I’ll take you on a virtual underwater trip through Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and share an Aussie recipe as well.