With the dawning of a new year, we’re all looking at positive changes that we can make going forward and rethinking our bucket list. For the adventurous at heart there’s nowhere quite like Australia for a variety of water oriented activities. Australia is the world’s largest island. Most of us are promising to be kinder to ourselves by cleaning up our diets, drinking more water and getting more exercise.
Yet more of us are promising to make more time for the people we love. And then there are those of us who start the year by adding some items to their bucket lists. If you’ve been bitten by the travel bug you’re likely to spend the start of the year wondering where in the world your adventures may take you next.
The combination of wonderfully friendly locals, stunning scenery, charming metropolitan cities and eclectic approach to art and culture make it a paradise for thrillseekers and culture vultures alike. Indeed, head to Brisbane and you can catch an opera in an underground theatre, cuddle koalas and go skydiving all in the same day!
Yet, as much as the country has to offer by land, there’s so much more to discover when approaching via its azure blue oceans. As vast and mysterious as the outback may be, the water’s definitely where it’s at. Here’s why…
1. Barbies on the boat
It’s the ultimate party experience! Get a bunch of your friends together on a rented catamaran, click here for options, and get ready to spend a day partying nautically! The beauty of this is that the boat hire companies offer bespoke tours to suit your needs so whether you want to party and play, snorkel and swim or gather together for a barbecue on deck, the choice is yours!
2. The Great Barrier Reef
You may have been snorkelling before, you may have been diving before, you may even have seen a coral reef before… But nothing compares to the natural majesty that is The Great Barrier Reef. Through the gateway of Cairns (which is itself a wonderful and vastly underrated city) tourists come from around the world to see the enormous reef which stretches out over 2,000 km and contains over 600 different types of hard and soft coral. There are numerous tours to suit all tastes but whether you explore this incredible phenomenon and UNESCO world heritage site by boat, snorkelling or diving you will have the experience of a lifetime.
3. Cage Diving With Great White Sharks
The ocean is home to some of the most mysterious and beautiful life forms on the planet, but Australia’s marine life is so beautifully outlandish it wouldn’t look out of place in a science fiction film. If you yearn for adventure then cage diving with the enormous and majestic Great White is definitely one for the bucket list. As well as being awed by these giants of the sea you’ll likely encounter friendly dolphins, seals and seabirds on the way.
4. Swim with dolphins
Who doesn’t love dolphins? That’s right, absolutely nobody. These friendly and intelligent sea mammals have captured our imaginations for millennia and in the pristine waters of Port Stephens you can have a once in a lifetime encounter with these gentle creatures in their natural habitat that will change your life.
