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| SPOTLIGHT | | You
can say the land of white sand and cool beaches. Best place for scuba diving.
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Great Keppel Australia, Travel Information
Great Keppel Island is also called Wappaburra which means
'resting place'. There are some fantastic fringing coral on
the island as well as some amazing beaches. You can stay on
the island or visit the island for a day trip.
The best beaches on the island include Fishermans Beach, Long
Beach and Putney Beach, all on the eastern side of the island.
There are plenty of water activities that you can take part
in, including snorkeling, parasailing, water skiing and just
hiring out a boat and exploring the area. There are a number
of places you can hire out the necessary gear. You can also
take part in various dive courses.
If you want to explore the waters on your own then there are
numerous places around the island from where you can see coral.
One great place however, is at Monkey Beach which is 30 minutes
south of the resort. Another option is to join one of the
daily trip to a pontoon at the northern tip of the island.
If you'd prefer heading inland then there are plenty of walking
trails to choose from. Two walks include the rather strenuous
Bald Rock Point Walk, which is worth the effort, and the Mt
Windham Walk which offers great scenery.
The resort itself offers great facilities including a pool,
a small shop, numerous accommodation types and various restaurants.
Contiki Great Keppel Island Resort is the major place to stay
on the island offering a wide range of accommodation. Other
accommodation includes hostel accommodation, a guesthouse,
cabins and tent accommodation.
There are plenty of places to eat at the resort with cafes
and takeaways as well as a number of restaurants. There is
also a lively bar on the island, called the Wreck Bar.
From Great Keppel Island you can also visit several of the
other 18 islands that surround the Great Keppel Island. Islands
include Halfway Island and its fabulous fringing coral, Humpy
Island and Middle Island which hosts an underwater observatory
looking out onto a fishing wreck.
To get to Great Keppel Island you can either take a boat or
fly. Whittacker Air offers flights to the island from Rockhampton
which should be booked through the Great Keppel Island Resort.
Freedom Fast Cats offer boats to the island. You can also
take a water taxi from the Keppel Bay Marina to some of the
smaller islands.
Great Keppel Island is just north of the Tropic of Capricorn
and is the biggest member of the Keppel Island Family. Most
of the island is natural bushland with 28 kilometres of beaches,
wide stretches of sand and small secluded bays.
For snorkelling or diving, apart from Clam Bay Shelving Beach
and Monkey Point, there's nine great diving sites in Keppel
Bay
Topside you can cruise from Great Keppel Island by yacht or
launch to nearby deserted islands or enjoy catamarans, diving,
sailboards, aqua bikes or surfing. You'll love the horse riding,
netball, tennis and bushwalking. Great Keppel Island boasts
one of the most comprehensive array of sports of any island.
The Great Keppel Island Resort is one of Australia's best
known and offers a choice of first class resort accommodation.
There are four budget accommodation options on the island
- Keppel Haven and Keppel Kampout, Keppel Lodge and the Great
Keppel Island YHA.
The Island has 17 marvellous white sandy beaches, all safe
for swimming; numerous with fine coral and loads of colourful
fish just right for snorkelling. Ninety percent of the Island
is bushland, with all businesses situated along Fisherman's
Beach.
Visitors of any age can enjoy a day trip to the island or
you have a choice of various styles of accommodation. Over
40 activities available at the Island resort including golf,
archery, windsurfing, parasailing, yoga and tennis. Take a
tropical plunge and give in to the time of your life!
The ferry companies also offer a variety of cruises, which
include lunch, snorkelling, boom netting and glass bottom
boats.
Great Keppel Island, it's a tropical paradise waiting for
you to explore. From snorkelling, diving and an array of water
sports to bushwalking and camel treks, Great Keppel Island
has something for everyone.
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Bondi Beach Guide |  |
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 Traveller
Information Bondi Beach | Bondi
Beach Australia is located along the shores of Sydney, Australia. One of the more
famous and popular beaches in Australia, Bondi offers an array of fun activities,
suitable for every budget and every age. From the ancient days of Aboriginal fishing,
people have been flocking to Bondi Beach Australia for its warm waters and clean,
sandy beaches. Transportation the beach is convenient and frequent, and tourists
will find this to be an excellent beach in Australia
When dining, Bondi
Beach offers plenty of café and restaurant options throughout the day. Campbell
Parade is a main strip of shops and restaurants in the town, and visitors will
find everything from a quick bite, to sit down dining options. When in Bondi Beach,
and generally throughout most of Australia, tourists will often see "BYO" on the
side of a restaurant, or on the restaurant's menu. This means Bring Your Own Alcohol,
and generally most patrons do. Some restaurants charge a very moderate corkage
fee, but this is not the norm.
Traveling to Bondi Beach is generally
very convenient from any central location in Sydney. Buses travel from Bondi Junction
in Sydney right to Bondi Beach Australia just about every ten minutes, until around
midnight. Since parking at the beach itself is quite crowded and difficult, the
bus is actually the main mode of transport for tourists and locals alike. You
will experience much less hassle if you leave your car behind. There are also
trains running from Bondi Junction to the beach about every ten minutes, so you'll
be sure to have a convenient lift to Bondi.
As an extremely popular
beach in Australia, Bondi Beach is a great place to visit if you plan to spend
any amount of time in Sydney. Be sure to bring plenty of sun block along as the
sun can be quite intense in all temperatures. Bondi Beach Australia offers a fun,
warm way to kick back and enjoy a day at the beach.
Sydney’s most
famous beach, Bondi, is easily reached by taking the city bus from the foot of
Oxford Street. If you’re planning a day at Bondi, I suggest an early start.
You can enjoy breakfast at any of the cafes that line the street across from the
beach. (There all seemed fairly comparable in price, quality and menu offerings,
so just pick one that has open tables outdoors and admire the scenery going by.)
These cafes are a good choice for lunch, too. On Bondi’s long, crescent
of white sand, certain areas are cordoned off for surfers, other for swimmers.
Families, youths and gays seemed to each have their own areas, as well. Wherever
your spot is, you’ll get to see the famous Aussie lifesavers at work. If
you get tired of Bondi, take a walk over the hill at the south end to the prettier,
more cloistered (and gayer) Tamarama Beach. The walkway, which takes you over
cliffs and past some stunning rock formations, continues beyond Tamarama to Bronte
and Coogee Beaches. | | |
| How
to Reach Bondi Beach? | | Bondi Beach
can be reached from the centre of Sydney on bus numbers 380, 382 and 389 (you
must change buses at Bondi Junction). You can also get the train to Bondi Junction,
and then either walk or catch a bus onto Bondi Beach. | |
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Life Savers at Bondi Beach | Surf
lifesavers are what made Bondi famous and there's a bronze sculpture of one outside
the Bondi Pavilion. The surf lifesaving movement began in 1906 with the founding
of the Bondi Surf Life Bathers' Lifesaving Club in response to the drownings that
accompanied the increasing popularity of swimming. From the beginning of the colony,
swimming was harshly discouraged as an unsuitable bare-fleshed activity. However,
by the 1890s swimming in the ocean had become the latest fad, and a Pacific Islander
introduced the concept of catching waves or bodysurfing that was to become an
enduring national craze. Although "wowsers" (teetotal puritanical types)
attempted to put a stop to it, by 1903 all-day swimming was every Sydneysider's
natural right.
The bronzed and muscled surf lifesavers - of both sexes
- in their distinctive red and yellow caps are a highly photographed, world-famous
Australian image. Surf lifesavers (members of what are now called Surf Life Saving
Clubs, abbreviated to SLSC) are volunteers working the beach at weekends, so come
then to watch their exploits such as whizzing out in the rescue boats for some
practise manoeuvres - or look out for a surf carnival; lifeguards, on the other
hand, are employed by the council and work all week during swimming season (year-round
at Bondi). | | |
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Bondi Beach | Surfing
is part of the Bondi legend, the big waves ensuring that there's always a pack
of damp young things hanging around, bristling with surfboards. However, the beach
is carefully delineated, with surfers using the southern end. There are two sets
of flags for swimmers and boogie-boarders, with families congregating at the northern
end near the sheltered saltwater pool (free), and everybody else using the middle
flags. The beach is netted and there hasn't been a shark attack for over forty
years. If the sea is too rough, or if you want to swim laps, a seawater swimming
pool at the southern end of the beach under the Bondi Icebergs Club building on
Notts Avenue costs $1.
Topless bathing is allowed at Bondi - a long
way from conditions right up to the late 1960s when stern beach inspectors were
constantly on the lookout for indecent exposure. In fact, so blasé are
the attitudes now that every January an irreverent sunset nude surfing competition
is held, watched by TV cameras and a huge crowd offering a wry commentary. |
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Australia Beach Guide |
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| Lady Elliot Island |
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Lady Elliot Island is the most southerly island within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Bird watchers also flock here to observe 57 species of birds. A fully equipped dive centre on the island caters for all interests and abilities - offering resort dives for the beginner through to advanced dives for the qualified. Dive courses are also offered. |
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| Holloways Beach |
Holloways Beach is growing in stature with the establishment of a resort on the waterfront. A very nice restaurant and café make Holloways a pleasant beach in all circumstances.
To access Holloways Beach, follow the Captain Cook Highway north until you reach the roundabout with the sign HOLLOWAYS BEACH. |
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| Tamarama Beach |
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Take extreme caution when swimming at Tamarama Beach. While only 80m long, Tamarama has a great wave climate. Tamarama is considered the most dangerous patrolled beach in New South Wales, with more rescues per thousand bathers than any other of Sydney's beaches. |
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| Whitehaven beach |
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Whitehaven beach is a pristine stretch of pure white sand, situated on the eastern side of the uninhabited Whitsunday Island. Fringed by crystal clear water and lush tropical rainforests, the 99% pure silica (quartz) beach extends for over 7 kms. A sawmill to process this timber once operated on Sawmill Beach in Cid Harbour. |
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| Chinaman's Beach |
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Chinaman's Beach, in Sydney Harbour's Lower North Shore region, is a gorgeous, peaceful beach, close to busy Balmoral. Popular with families and children of all ages, Sydney's Chinaman's Beach has excellent facilities for water sports. |
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| Dunk Island |
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Mission Beach Dunk Island Connections is an owner operated coach transfer service for the North Queensland region. Taking scenic routes between Port Douglas, Cairns, Mission Beach, Dunk Island and Bedarra Island, our air conditioned coaches operate 7 days per week, 364 days per year. |
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| Bronte Beach |
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Bronte Beach: This Beach is just walk away distance from the Famous Bondi Beach. Bronte Beach has Considerable Less Traffic than its native beach. Bronte Beach is Bit Smaller in size considering other Beaches here. The Sydney shoreline encompasses over 200 miles of white sandy beaches, exhibiting a variety of atmospheres from cosmopolitan Bondi Beach to majestic Cronulla. |
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| Coogee Beach |
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Coogee Beach is one of the smaller, more intimate beaches in Sydney, yet in the summer it can get as crowded as any. Maybe not as famous as Bondi Beach, but a large number of eastern suburbs beach lovers prefer it to the more popular, high-profile Bondi. |
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