|
|
|
|
 Rediscover Down Under
Australia has plenty to offer — friendly people, diverse landscapes, unusual experiences By Philip Lee Australia is unique. It is an island and a continent. It has many different faces — from its gleaming metropolitan cities and pristine shorelines to its rolling vineyards and crackle-dry deserts. In fact, Australia is so big that one can never see enough of it. You will realise how true this is if you consider that Australia has 7.6 million sq km of land, a coastline of 25,760km and a variety of climates — from tropical in the north, temperate in the east and south to arid or semi-arid in most parts of the west. Despite many visits to this country of such diverse landscapes and weather, I know I had but glimpses of its multi-faceted and abundant beauty. How true are the words in its national anthem Advance Australia Fair, which go: “Our land abounds in nature’s gifts/Of beauty rich and rare.” There are friendly people everywhere. I believe Aussie affability is also a tourism attraction.
A highlight of my visit to South Australia was an al fresco lunch I had with a native Australian. He set up a table near the Botanic Gardens in Adelaide and gave me a meal comprising fruits, seeds, leaves and roots harvested from the outback as well as smoked kangaroo meat, all of which I enjoyed. He explained each dish as I tucked into quongdong peach, bush tomato and kutjena (desert raisin). In this state, I will also always remember being taken by a stretch limousine to the Barossa Valley where I toured a winery and made my own blend of red wine which was bottled and presented to me as a gift. My Sydney visit saw me going on a tour of the Blue Mountains which included a cable car ride with spectacular views. There, I also spent a night in a charming farmhouse in Old Leura Dairy. The unit I stayed in had the interior trimmings of a five-star hotel... Melbourne was the city I enjoyed strolling around the most from late evening to night. One never knows what one can come across — from a very interesting street show to a charming pub or interesting restaurant. In Perth, Western Australia, I was awestruck by the outback which I found out supported more life than its arid and inhospitable appearance would suggest. “It was definitely an experience of a lifetime.” Ms Joan Teo, 23, an events coordinator, who was in Melbourne, says of this city: “The food is yummy, the people are gorgeous and friendly and weather is amazing! Life here is filled with excitement as unexpected surprises pop out at every corner. It is totally different from my lifestyle back home.” Another winner was senior systems engineer Dean Lee, 26, who picked Western Australia and South Australia as his destinations and travelled with his girlfriend Hazel Lin. He says: “The wine tasting at many wineries and the rough-and-tumble of the outback at Kangaluna Camp in South Australia showed us that Australia can be naturally beautiful and peaceful and yet exciting and adventurous.” In Perth’s Margaret River region, Dean proposed to Hazel, she said yes and they posed for bridal photographs for their wedding album. |
 |
|||
|
Student Nadia Mohd Saud, 24, who was accompanied by SPH UnionWorks DJs from Radio 91.3 over nine days, says of her Sydney experience: “We did surfing at Bondi Beach, went for the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, rode on a Harley Davidson bike, went sailing and toured the backstage of the Sydney Opera House!
