Responsible Travel Australia
Australia is positioned as the 6th country in the world. It is also the largest island in the world, but also the smallest continent.
It is a country apart, full of contrasts and discoveries.
The buildings of modern and relaxed cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, etc.) rub shoulders with virgin and endless regions (Great Barrier Reef, Red Center, The Outback and lush forests of the Top End). The Australian continent will offer you a palette of colors and landscapes of disconcerting variety!
Practice responsible tourism in Australia with our local Partners.
Principles:
Recognize the traditional owners of country throughout Australia. Admire their continued stewardship of the land, waters and culture for over 60,000 years.
Pay respect to Aboriginal people, and their elders past and present, as we are privileged to learn from them how to care for and share Australia’s nature and culture.
Wisdom dictates that we strive to walk humbly in the footsteps of those who have walked these paths before us.
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There is strong scientific evidence of human presence around 50,000 years ago. This is a time of enormous ecological upheaval in Australia and is seen as the consequence of human colonization. Mungo Man is an ancient inhabitant of Australia who is said to have lived around 40,000 years ago in the Pleistocene and was discovered on the edge of Lake Mungo, in southern New South Wales.
These early Australians are the distant ancestors of today's Australian Aborigines. They arrived via land bridges that appeared with the Würm glaciation. There are many species of plants and animals common to Australia, Papua New Guinea and a few Indonesian islands, suggesting that there must have been land bridges between these countries. The end of the ice age with rising seas isolated New Guinea and Tasmania from the mainland and the Australian Aborigines began a long period of isolation without outside influence.
For centuries, Europeans presumed the existence of a great southern land.
In 1515 a terrestrial globe represents in the southern hemisphere, a land of imposing dimensions and resuming the contours of Australia.
16th century nautical charts and portulanse century of the School of Cartography of Dieppe represent Australia under the name of La Grande Jave.
It was only in the XVIIe century that the island became the subject of European explorations:
En 1770, l’explorateur James Cook prend possession aux deux tiers de l’île pour le Royaume de Grande-Bretagne.Cook note ses impressions sur les Aborigènes de Nouvelle-Hollande dans son journal : « en réalité ils sont bien plus heureux que nous les Européens. Ils vivent dans la tranquillité qui n’est pas troublée par l’inégalité de la condition. La terre et la mer leur fournissent toutes les choses nécessaires pour vivre. Ils vivent dans un climat agréable et ont un air très sain, ils n’ont aucune abondance ».
The British colonization of New South Wales begins with the founding of a penal camp.
Around 1788, Aboriginal people in Australia numbered between 300,000 and one million.
Governor Arthur Phillip was tasked with building relationships with the Aborigines and living in "friendship and kindness" with them, but European disease, alcohol and colonial expansion soon had a destructive effect on the native populations.
The colonization of Australia is so deadly that it is often considered a genocide.
The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only military overthrow of a government in Australian history. prohibiting the use of spirits as currency for the payment of products. The New South Wales Corps, infantry corps installed in the region.
In 1809, the British government replaced Bligh with Lachlan Macquarie, governor from 1810 to 1821, who played a major role in transforming this penal colony into a new base for civilian settlement.
The New South Wales Parliament is Australia's oldest, having its origins in 1824. Women gained the right to vote in 1902.
In 1803, a colony was established in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). The rest of mainland Australia (now Western Australia) was declared British in 1829.
The Aboriginal population, estimated at 350,000 people at the time of the arrival of the first Europeans, declined in the 150 years following this arrival, mainly through the introduction of new infectious diseases but also as a result of their movements.
The settlement of herders in the interior of the country is often a cause of conflict with Aborigines, but the skills of indigenous herders are the source of significant savings. Religious missions often provide asylum during conflicts while facilitating colonization. During the 19the century, the Europeans took control of most parts of the country.
During the period from 1855 to 1890, the six colonies each became self-governing, one after the other, managing their own affairs. Men, including natives, were allowed to vote in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales in the 1850s and in Tasmania in 1896. Queensland gained autonomy in 1859 and Australia- Western in 1890, but these colonies denied their Aborigines the right to vote. British law was enforced in each colony, as the United Kingdom allowed each of them to have responsible government and granted them more and more autonomy over time. The British government retained control of certain areas such as foreign affairs, defense and international trade.
Bushrangers are outlaws who manage to survive in the bush by hiding from the authorities. It is believed that over 2,000 bushrangers roamed the Australian wilderness, from early escaped convicts to late bushrangers.
Despite its heavily rural economy, Australia's population remains heavily urban, mostly concentrated in the cities of Melbourne and Sydney. Funded by the prosperity of the gold rush, the National Gallery of Victoria was founded in 1861 and began to collect the work of European masters as well as the new Australian schools of painting. In 1854-1856, using vapor compression, Australian inventor James Harrison produced the world's first practical refrigerator in Victoria.
Australia also gained a reputation for being a worker's paradise and a laboratory for social reform. It is indeed she who organized the first election by secret ballot and knew the first government of an elected Labor Party. The Labor Party has its origins in the labor movements founded in the early 1890s in the colonies that would later form the Australian Federation.
The first organization to obtain the right to vote for women was created in Victoria in 1884. In 1894, women in South Australia would obtain this right.
On the 1st of January 1901, the federation of the colonies is completed after 10 years of gestation and the Commonwealth of Australia is born as a dominion of the British Empire. Between 1901 and 1911, the capital was temporarily located in Melbourne, but it was on territory ceded to the federal government by New South Wales in 1911 that the new federal capital, Canberra, was built. In 1902, women in all states obtained the right to vote as well as to be eligible. In 1901, Australia passed a law prohibiting non-whites from settling.
From the start of the First World War, Australia, which then had 5 million inhabitants, joined the Allies; 416,000 Australians will participate in this conflict where 60,000 will perish.
The Australians play a decisive role at the end of the war. On August 8, 1918, the Battle of Amiens, fought by Australian troops, saw the first major victory of the war for the British army.
In 1919, Prime Minister Billy Hughes signed the Treaty of Versailles on behalf of Australia, making it the first international treaty signed by that country. Hughes succeeded in gaining Australian control of the former German colony of New Guinea and a place in the fledgling League of Nations.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression caused a serious economic crisis in Australia.
The Nazi invasion of Poland led to the declarations of war by Great Britain and Australia in 1939.
Australians fought in the Battle of Greece, the Battle of Crete and the Siege of Tobruk.
The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and Navy Air Service conducted a bombing campaign against civilian and military targets in northern Australia, including the city of Darwin. Imperial Japanese Navy submarines carry out a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle. The Australian population feels the threat of Japanese invasion hanging over the country. The ensuing mobilization campaign will be referred to as the Battle for Australia.
Australian successes in the Battle of Milne Bay and the Kokoda Track campaign came in late 1942 and marked the first victories of Allied ground forces against the Japanese.
After the war, Australia became a founding member of the United Nations. Herbert Vere Evatt was elected President of the General Assembly during its third session from 1948 to 1949 and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Australian delegation is drafting a number of the main articles of the declaration such as the protection of economic rights, social protection, union membership and the protection of minorities.
Since the end of the Second World War, more than 6.5 million people from approximately 200 countries settled in Australia.
In constitutional terms, an important reform was obtained by Prime Minister Harold Holt with the referendums of 1967, during which a large majority of Australians (90%) voted to be able to give the federal power the right to legislate on the Aborigines and their integration in the population. In 1971, Neville Bonner became the first indigenous senator in the federal parliament and Douglas Nicholls the first indigenous governor of an Australian state in 1976.
Australia has no official language, but is effectively largely monolingual with English as the national language. The English present is Australian English, which is distinguished by its accent and vocabulary.
73% of residents speak only English at home; followed by a multitude of other languages, each spoken by less than 3% of the country's population. Of the 250 to 750 languages spoken in Australia and when Europeans arrived, only 8 dialects remained, spoken by at least a thousand people.
There is a variety of religion in australia:
23.1% Protestant (13.3% Anglican, 3.7% United Church of Australia, 2.3% Presbyterian, 1.5% Baptist, 1.1% Pentecostal, 0.7% Lutherans, 0.5% other Protestants), 22.6% Roman Catholics, 4.2% other Christians, 2.6% Muslims, 2.4% Buddhists, 2 .3% Orthodox Christians (2.1% belonging to the Orthodox Church, 0.2% Eastern Orthodox Churches), 1.9% Hindus, 1.3% belonging to another religion, 30.1% not belonging to any religion.
The Australian Aborigines developed Dreamtime animist spirituality, and it is in the archaeological traces of their ancestors that some of the earliest evidence of religious practices in human beings has been found.
The visual arts have a long history in Australia with Aboriginal wall paintings and Aboriginal wood paintings. Examples of rock art can be found in public parks even in major cities.
Australian Aboriginal Art
Almost always, traditional Aboriginal art refers to the mythological Dreamtime, which goes back several centuries if not several thousand years, in a kind of historical continuity where the present and the past never cease to combine and to reinvent oneself.
Aboriginal art includes painting, woodcuts, carvings, ceremonial costumes, or decorations found on ancient tools or weapons.
Sculpture
Most often referred to as "Lonka-Lonka", the large mother-of-pearl shells are engraved with figurative or abstract designs. They can suggest in certain cases, the sacred routes of the Tingari men in the heart of the desert, the zigzags of thunder and rain, the Dream of the Min-Nimb whale, the movements of water, the effects of tides, traces left on the sand at low water or the symbolism of the movements of a snake on the ground. 
Contemporary Aboriginal art pays particular attention to the attachment to the territory, to its reading, to the discreet preservation of sacred signs, camouflaged behind dots or pigments. The first "modern" paintings thus had to pass before the circle of elders to obtain approval before being offered on the art market.
Painting
The Aborigines are remarkable painters, on bark in the north of the Northern Territories, on cloth and canvas in the central part of the desert. In terms of age and abundance, rock art in Australia is comparable to that of world-famous European places such as Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain. Australian Indigenous art, currently recognized as fine art, although also utilitarian and decorative, is believed to be the oldest continuous tradition of art in the world. The oldest examples of artistic expression are over 30,000 years old.
More information : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_en_Australie
Music
The Aboriginal peoples of Australia have preserved many ancestral songs and developed very special instruments, such as the didgeridoo.
Literature
Australian literature originated shortly after the colonization of the country by Europeans. Examples of Australian writers who have achieved international recognition: Patrick White, Peter Carey, Thomas Keneally, Colleen McCullough, David Williamson.
More information : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littrature_australienne
Music
British settlers in the 1700s-1800s introduced a tradition of folk music ballads that were adapted to Australian specificities, such as Waltzing Matilda. Australia has produced a wide variety of popular music – including Bee Gees, AC/DC
More information : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_australienne
Painting
Australia has had an important school of painting from the earliest days of European colonization and has painters of international reputation: Sir Sidney Nolan, Russell Drysdale, Arthur Boyd and Brett Whiteley, not to mention many Aboriginal artists with award-winning work.
More information : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_en_Australie#L’Art_en_Australie_depuis_le_XVIIIe_sicle
The australian cuisine contemporary combines indigenous and British origins with Mediterranean and Asian influences. Australians have access to a wide choice of quality meats. Grilling lamb and beef outdoors is an old tradition. With the vast majority of Australians living near the sea, Australian seafood restaurants are ranked among the best in the world.
Here are some examples
Meat Pie
The meat pie is a hand-sized pie containing diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes accompanied by onions, mushrooms or cheese, and often eaten as a take-out food snack.
Chicken parmigiana
It consists of chicken stuffed with ham and served with Neapolitan sauce and melted parmesan.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral system and living structure on the planet. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is theone of the seven natural wonders of the world. It has an immense surface area which makes it visible from space.
Unquestionably one of the wonders of the world's ecological heritage, the Great Barrier Reef is made up of 3,000 different reef systems, 600 tropical islands and some 300 coral reefs. This maze of habitats is home to a superb variety of aquatic plants and animals, from sea turtles and reef fish to 134 species of sharks and rays and multitudes of seaweed.
Turquoise waters, kaleidoscopic corals, and abundant flora and fauna make the Great Barrier Reef one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. the Great Barrier Reef is above all a marine sanctuary whose ecological, historical and symbolic importance is crucial for the whole world.
Whether you're camping on-track or staying off-track, it's never been easier to experience Australia's premier walking trail, the Great Ocean Walk. The Great Ocean Walk, is a spectacular footpath that stretches for 104 km along the Great Ocean Road hit by the waves. This hiking starts 3 hours by car southwest of Melbourne between Apollo Bay and the Twelve Apostles. Make some hikes over one or more days. There are many private accommodations along and near the trail, from budget accommodations to luxury Great Ocean Road accommodations. There's nothing better than soaking in a spa at the end of a glorious day's walk. However you approach this walk, it is definitely a must!
The Great Ocean Walk will not only allow you to travel through Great Otway National Park and Port Campbell National Park, but also to experience two marine parks, Marengo Reef with a large and permanent population of fur seals, and the 12 Marine Apostles Park with its resident fairy penguins.
Covering nearly 423,000 square kilometers, this ancient region has fewer people per square kilometer than almost any other place on Earth.
Hidden in the heart of the region, remarkable landscapes, dramatic gorges and thundering waterfalls provide the perfect backdrop for a Kimberley holiday adventure in northern Western Australia. And on its coast are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, untouched coral atolls and rugged islands with an incredible variety of marine life.
Visit Kununurra and Derby, the eastern and western gateways to the Kimberley. And stop at the rugged pioneer towns of Wyndham, Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek.
Wilderness adventures can be found in every corner of the region. Your Kimberley holiday could take you to Western Australia's World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park with the famous beehive-shaped Bungle Bungles. Or you could find yourself in the beautiful Mitchell River National Park and the beautiful waterways of Danggu Geike Gorge National Park.
You can follow ancient cave systems at Dimalurru (Tunnel Creek) National Park. Walk through the spectacular Bandilngan (Windjana Gorge). Cruise the vast inland sea of Lake Argyle. Or explore one of the largest meteor craters in the world! On a snorkeling trip to Rowley Shoals Marine Park, you can swim with over 650 species of fish.
Located 240 kilometers east of Darwin in Australia's tropical north, Kakadu is one of Australia's largest national parks. It stretches from the coast and estuaries in the north through floodplains, billabongs and lowlands to rocky ridges and stone country in the south. These landscapes are home to a range of rare and endemic plants and animals, including more than a third of Australia's bird species and a quarter of its freshwater and estuarine fish species.
Kakadu is considered a living cultural landscape. The traditional inhabitants, the Bininj Mungguy, have lived and cared for this land for over 50,000 years! Their deep spiritual connection to the land dates back to creation and has always been an important part of Kakadu's history.
Walk from Bondi to Coogee
This is perhaps Sydney and New South Wales' most famous walking trail which takes walkers from iconic Bondi Beach to trendy Coogee Beach, showcasing the sheer beauty of Sydney's coastline. Sidney.
Visit the Opera House and the Royal Botanical Garden
Considered by many to be one of the most famous and distinctive buildings built in the 20th century, the Opera House should be high on your list of things to do in Sydney. Opened in 1973, the Opera House now functions as a multi-location performing arts center, with several theaters, rehearsal studios, two main halls, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops under its roof.
Visit the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains
One of Greater Sydney's most popular weekend destinations is the Blue Mountains region, just 90 minutes from Sydney's CBD. This natural treasure is home to magnificent viewpoints, dramatic sandstone cliffs, hiking trails exciting bush hikes, deep canyons, beautiful waterfalls and much more.
Spend a day at Taronga Zoo
Against the backdrop of Sydney's central business district skyline, Taronga Zoo in Mosman is a fantastic day out for young and old. There are several ways to get to Taronga Zoo, but the ferry ride is by far the best way! If visiting the zoo isn't exciting enough, it's also the starting point for one of Sydney Harbour's most enjoyable walking trails. The boardwalk from Taronga Zoo to Balmoral Beach is a 6.5km trail that winds past secluded beaches, picturesque bays, impressive lookouts and historic sites.
Take a ferry to Manly
The scenic ferry trip from Circular Quay to Manly is the perfect way to experience the true beauty of Sydney's famous harbour. Once in Manly, enjoy lunch at one of the many cafes and pubs, go swimming and don't forget to browse the scenic walking path to Shelly Beach. If you're feeling active, Manly can also be used as a starting point for two popular Sydney walking trails. The Spit to Manly Walk and the Manly North Head Circuit Walk can be started from the Manly Ferry Dock.
These two walks combined form the Manly Scenic Walkway, a stunning 12 mile coastal walking adventure.
The Rocks and Sydney Harbour Bridge
One of Sydney's oldest areas, The Rocks, was once a notorious convict colony but is now a popular tourist destination with friendly pubs, cobbled lanes, historic buildings and plenty of big events happening throughout. year round.
The Rocks is also the perfect place to see Sydney's second most iconic landmark, the Harbor Bridge, up close. Opened in 1932, the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge not only has the best look, but it's also an incredible piece of superb engineering.
Darling Harbour
Sydney's largest recreational and pedestrian precinct, Darling Harbour, is home to a wide variety of attractions for the whole family. Darling Harbor has something for everyone, from waterfront restaurants and regular fireworks displays to exciting museums and huge playgrounds.
Watsons Bay
Beginning and ending at scenic Watsons Bay, the popular walking tour around South Head offers some of the best panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, the city skyline, the Pacific Ocean, North Head and historic Hornby Lighthouse. Once you arrive in Watsons Bay, it's time to explore this quaint and historic fishing village. Visit the Vaucluse Yacht Club, Robertson Park and The Gap, before having lunch in one of the cafes or restaurants.
Sydney Tower Eye
Si vous voulez voir Sydney et sa banlieue environnante d’en haut, une visite au Sydney Tower Eye est un must absolu.
This is where you can enjoy the best views, from the second tallest observation tower in the southern hemisphere, including a thrilling 4D cinema experience.
Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is a towering monolith rising from the heart of the arid Red Center region, Uluru is a sacred massif for Indigenous Australians, believed to have begun to form 550 million years ago. 'years. It lies within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which also contains the 36 red rock domes of the Kata Tjuta formation.
Kata Tjuta is sometimes referred to as The Olgas and is located about a 45 minute drive west of Uluru. The Aboriginal name means “many heads,” which is fitting given the impressive domed rock formations that make up the structure. Kata Tjuta's tallest dome rises 546 meters above the desert, almost 200 meters higher than Uluru. It is made of conglomerate, a gravel composed of a mixture of pebbles, pebbles and rocks cemented together with sand and mud.
There is an unmistakable sacredness to Kangaroo Island. With its raw and rugged coastline, impeccably clear waters, natural wonders and wildlife, Kangaroo Island is known as nature's playground. Going down to the island, it is impossible not to relax. Follow the road less traveled and discover unique flora and fauna, mouth-watering food and wine, breathtaking scenery and a laid-back lifestyle.
The Stuart Highway is a mythical road that crosses Australia from North to South. If like many people, you have always dreamed of crossing the Outback and following in the footsteps of explorer John McDouall Stuart (1stEuropean to have crossed Australia, from Adelaide to Darwin); Always keep in mind that during this road trip you will sometimes cross hundreds of km without crossing neither infrastructure nor individual!
But even if most of the places you will cross are totally deserted and the travel conditions are not always easy, you will see some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
To succeed in this adventure in the red desert, you must therefore be well prepared and take no risks. Thus, you will find all the precautions to take before leaving and during your trip.
The Whitsunday Islands are one of the unmissable places during your trip to the east coast of Australia. this archipelago of 74 islands off the coast of Queensland is a real paradise on earth, where turquoise waters mingle with white sand. A small tropical paradise where you can sail on an azure sea, camp on beaches of colored sand pearl under the starry sky, or dive into the turquoise waters on the Great Barrier Reef.
There we find the symbol of Australia: Uluru, also called Ayers Rock. Its colors at sunset make it the most famous rock in the world. But there are other treasures in this park, such as the 36 domes of Mount Olga in the Kata Tjuta.
A natural paradise! Waterfalls, imposing reliefs, incredible landscapes and breathtaking sunsets from Ubirr are waiting for you. Many species of animals including the imposing crocodiles. Fauna and flora are in osmosis everywhere. You will meet there 40,000 years of aboriginal history who will present spectacular demonstrations.
Considered the most beautiful national park in Australia, it has many unique red gorges including Hancok Gorges. Dive into the many natural pools called " billabong » and cool off under the waterfalls like in Fortescue Fall.
The spectacular Bungle Bungle are 300 meter black, brown and orange striped domes and tower over the " Bush » . One can easily walk between the domes, a must is to observe them from the sky by taking a small plane. Immerse yourself in 40,000 years of Aboriginal history present here and the rock art that attests to it.
Kalbarri National Park surrounds the lower reaches of the Murchison River. The river has carved a magnificent 80km gorge through the red and white banded sandstone. Perched on top of the cliff, the two platforms of the Kalbarri Skywalk overlook the gorge. The views from the Skywalk are incredible.
Explore one of the hiking trails that lead you into the gorge and experience the color and splendor of the natural area.
On the coast, wind and wave erosion has created impressive cliffs that plunge 100m into the ocean and the views up there are incredible.
Wildflowers are exceptional in spring and early summer. At the mouth of the Murchison River is the town of Kalbarri, a thriving center of fishing and tourism. It is a good base for exploring the park.
The park is ideal for sightseeing, picnicking, abseiling, rafting and canoeing. There is so much to see and do, give yourself time to discover it all!
Just under 3 hours from Perth, you absolutely have to admire the Pinnacles Desert: " Pinnacles Desert » .
The Pinnacles Desert of Nambung National Park is one of the main natural attractions in the region. The park provides natural habitat for a wide range of native animals and birds.
The Pinnacles are amazing natural limestone structures, formed around 25,000 to 30,000 years ago after the sea retreated and left deposits of shells. Over time, coastal winds removed the surrounding sand, leaving the pillars exposed to the elements. Pinnacles vary in height and size; some are up to 3.5m tall!
The rugged limestone range and arid coastal plain of the Cape Range adjoin the crystal clear waters of Ningaloo Marine Park with dramatic contrasting scenery. Cape Range is rich and diverse in wildlife including kangaroos, emus, echidnas, birds and black-sided rock wallabies.
Cape Range offers attractions and activities for all abilities, universal access walking trails, wildlife viewing, camping, beach walks, swimming, snorkeling, fishing on the beach and more.
Stroll one of the walking paths and take in the earthy tones of the arid landscape against the blue waters of the Ningaloo Marine Park. A visit to Yardie Creek is a must, explore on foot or join a boat tour as it winds through the gorge between steep cliffs. Sit for a while and watch the birds flock to Mangrove Bay, admire the outer reef of Ningaloo from the Bloodwood Creek lookout, and watch the passage of humpback whales on their annual migration (May to October).
Ancient and rugged mountain scenery, peaceful tree-lined gorges and a seasonal wealth of wildlife. The semi-arid zone's unique sense of space combine to make Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park one of South Australia's iconic destinations.
The park comprises approximately 95,000 hectares. It includes the Heysen Range, the Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorges and the vast amphitheater of mountains that is Ikara Wilpena Pound. Discover native wildlife, rich cultural heritage, impressive geological features, camping opportunities and a range of activities such as bush walking, 4×4 driving, bird watching, photography and hiking. MTB.
Explore the natural beauty of the Grampians from its world famous walking trails. Discover majestic waterfalls, displays of dazzling spring wildflowers and awe-inspiring mountain vistas. Come across kangaroos, wallabies, emus and native birds. Heritage-listed for its Aboriginal heritage, animal and plant life and stunning natural beauty, Grampians National Park is one of Australia's most recognizable places. The best way to appreciate it is on one of its many world-class walks or hikes or by taking a scenic drive.
Traditionally known as the Gariwerd, this area is home to the largest number of significant and ancient Aboriginal rock paintings and shelters in South Australia. A visit to Brambuk – National Park and Cultural Center will help you get the most out of your trip to these rock shelters.
The Grampians attract walkers from all over the world. Hike to the highest peak in the Grampians, Mount William, or explore the plethora of walks around Halls Gap and the Wonderland Range. The views from the Pinnacle are famous, but the steep walk should only be attempted by fit. If you're an experienced walker, you'll enjoy the unique challenge of the park's night hikes. Choose from the iconic Grampians Peaks Trail, Major Mitchell Plateau or the Fortress and Mount Thackeray Night Hike.
There are also more relaxing activities to do in the Grampians. Go fishing, canoeing or kayaking at Lake Wartook, Lake Bellfield and Moora Moora Reservoir or one of the many other creeks and creeks in the park.
Port Campbell National Park is world famous for its extraordinary collection of wave-carved rock formations and the Twelve Apostles.
Loch Ard Gorge, site of a 19th century ‘Loch Ard’ shipwreck, as well as the Island Archway and London Bridge are other highlights. The island arch collapsed in 2009, highlighting the fragility and
changing nature of Victoria's coastline.
Discover the heritage of the Shipwreck Coast on short walks such as the Port Campbell Discovery Walk. Take a scenic drive along the Great Ocean Road, stopping at points of interest.
Explore the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, home to the famous Three Sisters of Katoomba. Discover iconic lookouts and waterfalls, historic hiking trails, mountain biking, Aboriginal culture, adventure sports and camping – right on Sydney's doorstep.
The Blue Mountains Heritage Center is a good introduction to this popular park and World Heritage property in the Greater Blue Mountains region.
Pack a picnic and enjoy a day trip to marvel at the Three Sisters rock formation from Echo Point, Katoomba. Admire sweeping views of steep sandstone cliffs and the misty blue Grose Valley declared a wilderness area from Govetts Leap in Blackheath. At Wentworth Falls you are spoiled for choice with world class lookouts, boardwalks and waterfalls.
This ecotourism destination certified is a hiker's paradise, with over 140 km of tracks and trails. Why not walk a section of the historic Prince Henry Cliff Walk, between Katoomba and Leura. Climb to the top of Mount Banks or descend into the Grand Canyon. Combine a short walk with Aboriginal rock art or a swim in a natural pool near Glenbrook.
Mountain bikers can tackle the famous Woodford-Oaks Trail, the scenic Narrow Neck Trail or the Faulconbridge Ridge Trail. There are also excellent opportunities for adventure sports excursions, including abseiling, rock climbing and canyoning.
Daintree National Park (CYPAL) is the traditional homeland of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aborigines. The national park (CYPAL) is made up of two sections: Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation.
1- Mossman Gorge
Much of the Mossman Gorge section of Daintree National Park (CYPAL) consists of the rugged and largely inaccessible slopes of the Main Coast Range and the Windsor and Carbine Tablelands. It is these rugged mountain ranges that trap moisture blown in from the ocean and ensure frequent rainfall, maintaining the rainforest and ultimately feeding the Mossman and Daintree rivers.
Tall, dense rainforests cover the lowlands, and stunted, windswept montane rainforests occupy the mountain peaks. West of the Main Coast Range, open forests and woodlands grow on the drier western slopes. The park is home to a wonderful variety of rainforest animals, including tree kangaroos, muskrat-kangaroos, Australian turkeys and Boyd's forest dragons.
Over millions of years, the Mossman River carved a steep-sided valley from the headwaters to the coastal lowlands. Through this valley, crystal clear water cascades among large granite boulders that were washed down the hills during times of heavy flooding.
2 – Cape Tribulation
Cape Tribulation, Daintree National Park (CYPAL) features long sandy beaches, rocky headlands and rugged mountain ranges crossed by numerous creeks and rivers. One of the last extensive stands of lowland rainforest in Australia is found here. Impenetrable ranges, rising steeply from the coast, are covered in dense highland rainforests that are home to many ancient plants and animals.
These hilly islands formed with rising sea levels, when the polar ice caps melted 19,000 to 6,000 years ago. “Drowned” is an old continental coastal mountain range. Today, these mountain peaks and the surrounding turquoise waters offer visitors many features.
Un délice de marche avec de nombreuses options de sentiers de randonnée et souvent avec des vues spectaculaires. A voir:
Explore the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, home to the famous Three Sisters of Katoomba. Discover iconic lookouts and waterfalls, historic hiking trails, mountain biking, Aboriginal culture, adventure sports and camping – right on Sydney's doorstep.
The Blue Mountains Heritage Center is a good introduction to this popular park and World Heritage property in the Greater Blue Mountains region.
Pack a picnic and enjoy a day trip to marvel at the Three Sisters rock formation from Echo Point, Katoomba. Admire sweeping views of steep sandstone cliffs and the misty blue Grose Valley declared a wilderness area from Govetts Leap in Blackheath. At Wentworth Falls you are spoiled for choice with world class lookouts, boardwalks and waterfalls.
This ecotourism destination certified is a hiker's paradise, with over 140 km of tracks and trails. Why not walk a section of the historic Prince Henry Cliff Walk, between Katoomba and Leura. Climb to the top of Mount Banks or descend into the Grand Canyon. Combine a short walk with Aboriginal rock art or a swim in a natural pool near Glenbrook.
Mountain bikers can tackle the famous Woodford-Oaks Trail, the scenic Narrow Neck Trail or the Faulconbridge Ridge Trail. There are also excellent opportunities for adventure sports excursions, including abseiling, rock climbing and canyoning.
Australia has approximately 41,000 km of railways including two of the longest lines in the world, the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin and theIndian Pacific from Sydney to Perth.
The train turns out to be a superb experience, both in terms of the atmosphere and the picturesqueness of the journeys, providing a memorable experience.
Considered one of the greatest train journeys in the world, The Ghan offers much more than a long train ride. It promises access to parts of Australia no other vacation can come close to, the perfect balance of comfort and adventure, culminating in an experience that will thrill you in every way.
Over 2,979 unforgettable kilometers between Adelaide and Darwin, The Ghan glides through some of the world's most remote, beautiful and fascinating landscapes, giving you access, in luxury comfort, to parts of the world. Australia that no other vacation can offer.
You will follow the path of ancient indigenous tribes, camel convoys and the bravest explorers of the interior. And what captivated them will no doubt fascinate you too. For this 150 million year old landscape, time has not diminished its incredible beauty.
The Ghan Voyage lasts three unforgettable days and two nights, while the all-new Ghan Expedition gives you more time to enjoy Australia, four days and three nights, traveling by night so you make more discoveries of first hand.
Featuring the striking Wedge-Tailed Eagle motif that symbolizes the scope, the significance of this epic 4,352 km transcontinental crossing, the Indian Pacific is truly a journey of contrasts.
The journey is punctuated by a range of wonderful off-train experiences that allow guests to immerse themselves in each of the unique environments the train passes through.
Rediscover the luxury of time with a rail journey along the Queensland coast aboard the Spirit of Queensland.
With regular services each week, it's a great way to visit friends and family or stop off en route to see some of Queensland's spectacular destinations including the Whitsundays, Townsville, Cairns or south to Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, with connections to travel further afield to the Gold Coast. Whether you're traveling to see the natural wonders of the north or to take in the twinkling city lights of Brisbane, the Spirit of Queensland is a way to simple and durable to travel between Brisbane and Cairns.
The distances between parks and reserves in South Africa are very large. This is why travelers often multiply the means of transport to travel the country: plane and car rental in particular.
Exceptionally, it may be considered to make certain domestic journeys by plane, but we do not recommend this environmentally unfriendly means of transport.
To give you an idea, it will take nearly 20 hours by car to connect the country from East to West and more than 15 hours from North to South.
Here are some indications on travel times between the main parks and reserves.
It takes around 15 hours by car to reach Addo Elephant Park or Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park from Kruger National Park.
Entre la Réserve de Madikwe et la Réserve de Shamwari, c’est près de 13 heures de trajet.
Finally, the distance between Pilanesberg Park and Table Mountain Park is covered in 17 hours.
What is WWOOFing?
Traveling to Australia, volunteering for 4-6 hours a day while living and learning in an organic homestay.
WWOOF farms are essential businesses and WWOOFers are essential volunteer workers, helping to secure Australia's vital food chain, for example during COVID-19.
WWOOF is a global movement connecting volunteers with organic farmers and producers to promote trust-based cultural and educational experiences and non-monetary exchanges, helping to build a sustainable global community.
