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Destin-Nation Australia: Beach Bonza Bummin' Down Under
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A A ANothing like chilling on an Australian beach. The island continent is ringed by a shoreline that is in turns sheltering and forbidding, bordered by both desert and forest. There is something for everyone, but few people around.
The sheer size of Australia, along with its low population density, allows this sunburnt country to be a mecca for beach bums without losing its off the edge of the map appeal. If that wasn't impetus enough, the coldest months always provide Americans with incentive to cross the equator in search of summer sunshine.
Australia is far away, but travelers have numerous options. Flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas all fly into Sydney, the country's biggest travel hub.
Cathay Pacific offers comfortable seats and the sorts of amenities that make the 7,500 mile flight over the Pacific less taxing. Another option is to fly into the north of the country through hubs in Asia, including Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The country's roads are well-maintained and often scenic, making car rentals an attractive (if occasionally harrowing) option.
Nearly all of Australia's population centers are on its coasts, so visitors are rarely far from the shore. What every beach in Australia will have in common: Friendly locals and that feeling of being both far from from home and far from foreign.
Fraser Island
At roughly 710 square miles, Fraser Island may be the largest sandbox in the world—it's status as the world's largest sand island has already led to it being named a World Heritage Site. The island is big enough that it has not only miles and miles of coastal beaches, but stretches of perfect sand along its translucent inland freshwater lakes. Many tour groups, including Fraser Explorer Tours, offer guided wildlife expeditions through the island's forest, which are dense with possums, bandicoots and dingoes.
Non-divers eager to explore a shipwreck can head to the S.S. Maheno, an English passenger liner that sits in the sand on the rather self-explanatory 75 Mile Beach.
Where to Stay: The Kingfisher Bay Resort is a large and much-lauded hotel that offers eco-tours around the island. There are hotels like the Eurong Beach further out on the island, but the rooms can be somewhat spare or charmless. Both hotels offer rooms from roughly $150.
Getting There: Fraser Island is a four hour drive from Brisbane, but flights to the island town of Hervey Bay operate from Sydney.
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Normally I would love to visit Australia, I wouldn't even mind moving there one day, but have decided not to even think about it since they have allowed the UN and people like George Soros come in and steal away all their guns and their rights to own and bear guns for defense and pleasure. Australia used to be one of the free'est and best countries to consider moving to since our own great country has come under attack by liberal anti freedom loving UN creeps like Soros, then they let these people talk them into signing away their rights and allowed them to take away all their weapons of self defence, now you cannot own a gun or rifle there, or buy ammo. they gave up their duty to protect themsleves to their police and military, or to be tossed into a concentration camp at the governments whims if need be? no thanks for me, I prefer to stay here in the USA and fight to retain our freedoms we still have here, before Obama and his communist freinds take them away!!
June 11 2011 at 2:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOK Jay Love--just stay at home and be paranoid
June 11 2011 at 2:25 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhat every beach in Austrailia has is deadly stinging jelly fish and giant great white sharks and giant salt water crockodilles. and poisonus sea snakes and deadly blue ring octopus and deadly funnel web spiders I'll stick to the lovely beaches here in southern California.
June 11 2011 at 12:16 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply
Michelle
Which makes me want to go there even more! Dangerously exciting!
June 11 2011 at 3:31 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply
Mark Benson
It sure is dangerously exciting but the fun and adrenaline pumping adventure amuses you! Visit Australia for an adventure packed holiday.
http://www.travelhouseuk.co.uk/flights/australia_newzealand/australia.htm
I would love to dive the reef, but won't because of sharks.....More shark attacks in Australia than anywhere else.
June 11 2011 at 11:27 AM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down ReplyI would hope that Americans would want to visit American Beaches, National Monuments and Parks and support our tourist industries than some foreign country that doesnt give a rats patoot about our economy. Real Americans buy American.
June 11 2011 at 10:57 AM Report abuse Permalink +6 rate up rate down ReplyWell said Tony. I have been preaching "buy American" for thirty years and spending your hard earned money in America WILL help this country.
June 11 2011 at 12:58 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyAustralia is DEFINATELY NOT a destination for wussies..(unless you stay in Sydney and limit your water activities to the hotel pool)
June 11 2011 at 10:51 AM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down ReplyAustralia has the most shorline of any country and the most shark cages to keep swimmers safe. Australia also has the largest variety of poisionous snakes and insects of any country. Want to travel? Book a cruise to Hawaii or the Southe Seas. Why travel 13 hours on Quantas. Traveling around the world is dangerous. Rmember Bali? Most of the dead were Australians.
June 11 2011 at 10:27 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyWhat every Australian beach has: TOPLESS SUNBATHERS!
June 11 2011 at 10:06 AM Report abuse Permalink +6 rate up rate down ReplyAustralia has an appealing mystic allure. Let's make sure Obama doesn't say or do anything to destroy our relationship with this country...the way he did England.
June 11 2011 at 9:36 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySometimes Australia seems to have escaped the march of time to me. It seems content to let the rest of the world over populate & develop itself into a frenzy. It has a beckoning call of "this is the way I've always been". Untamed & far reaching,, "come visit me"..
June 11 2011 at 9:25 AM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down ReplyI hate the way aol does it's news now.
June 11 2011 at 8:57 AM Report abuse Permalink +9 rate up rate down ReplyThe way they do aol tv is even worse.
June 11 2011 at 11:41 AM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down ReplyHot 5 Deals
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