The Land Down Under!

“G’day mate”, ”Stop bludging around”, “Let’s go and knock in a few cans of amber liquid”, Let’s have a barby on the other side of the woods”, “Hope your pad has a good dunney!” I guess you must be wondering what’s gotten into me and you’re going to give me that ‘one raised eyebrow’ look, but let’s leave the Indian shores and let me take you on a trip to Australia and you will totally know what I’m talking about! As the famed saying goes “When In Rome, Do As The Romans.” Hence, when in Australia, do as the Aussies! Just visit Australia once and I guarantee you an experience of a lifetime. It’s the only country that’s a continent as well as an island all packaged in one! Let me tell you the one thing about Australia apart from the fact that they are a bunch of warm and fun loving people, it is that each state and area has a culture and ambience unique to itself, be it the cosmopolitan and commercial New South Wales, the chic and classy Victoria, the breath of fresh air Tasmania or the beachy, sunny Queensland, you will feel home anywhere here.


You see, Australia is a destination that caters to all walks of life be it a serious businessman, a family, a starry eyed honeymoon couple, a group of adventurous friends, a backpacker or the ‘crème de la crème’ corporate houses and business conglomerates. You name it and Australia has got it. My personal way of seeing this beautiful at the same time mysterious land would be backpacking with a handful of the bare essentials, a map, a Swiss knife, cooking skills, the urge to indulge and be one of the locals and you just can’t go wrong! Yes, Australia does have it’s share of the sterotype Novotels, Radissons, Hyatts, stretch limos, package tours where all is taken care off, but hey, do you want to see a place for the regular boring stuff or do you want to explore the underbelly of what it actually has in store for you?

The best thing to do is to plan your itinerary in such a way that you have a good blend of activity coupled with a few moments of R&R (rest and relaxation). Why don’t you take a shot at staying in a homestead or a farmhouse where you can blend in with the local inhabitants and I don’t mean only the owner and his family, it could also extend to his animals eg. Ducks, chickens, koalas, wombats, kangaroos, etc. Have a typical Aussie breakfast which would mean hashbrowns, eggs, juice, coffee and barramundi steaks. Head off the beaten track and go bush walking among the rainforests listening to the cries and sounds of the lorikeets, kookaburras and the bird of paradise. Why not pet a koala and have a picture taken with it while it lazily nestles around you? Make yourself at home and feel the adrenaline rush of bungee-jumping, battling to save your raft while you white water raft, go on a desert safari and witness layers of differently coloured sand, be the sultan of the sands while you go quad-biking, pet and feed huge but perfectly harmless dolphins, watch fairy penguins swim ashore at the Philip Island, drive like a man possessed on the wide stretch of road known as The Great Ocean Road and marvel at the 12 Apostles that look at you ominously from the sea, play a didgeridoo and throw a boomerang the way the Aborogines do, pan real solid gold, scale the heights of the Harbour Bridge, experience surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef among the colourful corals…..the list is winding and endless. Like the tagline of the movie MATRIX, I can’t explain it to you, you need to be in it to experience it and Australia is just that! An experience that lasts a lifetime!!

Have I whet your appetite enough? Have I already got you imagining yourself doing anything and everything mentioned above, are you thirsty for more?? Then, what are you waiting for???

AUSTRALIA – We are waiting for you!