What Should I Do and See During my Australia Vacation?

One of the hardest aspects of planning a vacation is deciding which tours and attractions to select; especially in Australia where the options are seemingly endless! Australia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, along with one of the most popular destinations for tourists. With everything from world-class wine regions to stunning scenery to vibrant cities, the choices for what to see and do in each individual destination can become overwhelming. Don’t worry, About Australia is here to help!

We have summarized the best tours and attractions in all of Australia’s most popular cities to make planning your Australia vacation as simple as possible. We’ve also summarized all the best wine country experiences, rainforest adventures, and more. Whether you want to plan a luxury vacation to the Great Barrier Reef or a rugged vacation in the Outback – About Australia will help you discover the very best of your chosen destination. Browse our suggestions for What to do in Australia.

Most Popular Places:

Things to do in Sydney
Things to do in the Outback
Things to do on the Great Barrier Reef
Things to do in Melbourne

For even more help planning your Australia vacation, contact us, we’d love to help you!

Barossa Valley, NSW

When are the celebrations?
Throughout the month of May

Calling all wine lovers! If you are a wine connoisseur, then planning your Australia vacation in the month of May is a very smart move! May is Aussie Wine month, the country’s biggest celebration of Australian wine! Australia has more than 60 award winning wine regions that produce dozens of different wine varieties and styles. The Aussie wine month celebrations throughout May highlight the diversity of the Aussie culture and “puts the fun into exploring the country’s finest wine and food.”

Highlights of this incredible month long celebration include: more than 150 wine-related events throughout Australia including festivals, vineyard concerts, blend-your-own-wine classes, bicycle tours of wine regions, degustation dinners, and more. Plus, all month free-pop up tastings are taking place in Sydney’s business district, and many restaurants across the country are exclusively offering Australian wine in honor of the celebration. View the spotlight events below:

To find out more information on the details and times of these events and more visit: https://www.wineaustralia.com/

For help planning your Australia vacation, contact us, we’d love to help you!

Photo Credit: Dalai Lama in Australia

His Holiness, the 14^th Dalai Lama, is making a trip to Australia from June 4^th to June 15^th to share his incredible wisdom and knowledge with the public. The Dalai Lama is universally recognized as a man of peace and is the recipient of over 150 awards including a Nobel Peace Prize. Often referred to as an Ocean of Wisdom, his presence has awed and inspired millions.

Highlights of this incredible visit include: 7 days of exceptional Teachings and Initiations, Highest Yoga Tantra in the Blue Mountains, a visit to the sacred space of Uluru to offer respects to the Anangu people, a unique Multi-Faith Event organized by the Dalai Lama himself, and a very special Long Life Ceremony offered by the Australian Tibetan Community in celebration of his 80^th birthday. View the full schedule below:

To find out more information on the subjects and times of these events visit: https://www.dalailamainaustralia.org/

To find out more information on booking Australia Vacations to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event contact us here or call toll-free at 888-359-2877

Festival Village

Experience one of the most prestigious cultural celebrations in the world! The Sydney Festival, Jan 8 – Jan 26, 2015.

Every January, thousands of artists and entertainers from all over the world gather for the world-famous Sydney Festival. This event features over 400 performances, 140 events, and over 40 venues – each with their own diverse and unforgettable style. Festival-goers can immerse themselves in the culture of the historic city, while discovering both local and international talent.

Since it’s start in 1977, the Sydney Festival has grown into one of the biggest cultural celebrations in Australia. The festival offers a wide array of genres – including theater, dance, public art, and music. While enjoying the incredible performing arts acts, audience members can also sample the wide array of delicious local cuisine inside of Festival Village, conveniently located in the heart of Hyde Park. With many free and ticked events, people of all ages flock to Hyde Park to participate in the fun activities; free events include games, workshops, story telling, and much more; come experience it all!

If this event sounds like something that you can’t miss, we can coordinate all arrangements including flights, transfers, accommodation, event bookings, plus additional touring.

This once in a lifetime event will make your Australian vacation unforgettable!

Getting There

For more info click here

Parkes Elvis Festival

Quick! Come to Australia to celebrate Elvis Presley’s 80^th Birthday at Parkes Elvis Festival, 7-11 January 2015.

The King of Rock and Roll, the one and only Elvis Presley, is turning 80 on January 8th, and the Parkes Elvis Festival will be bigger than ever! Every year thousands of fans gather in Parkes to celebrate the life and music of Elvis Presley and to experience all the fun activities and events dedicated to the King. During the festival, there will be over 150 unique events including a Miss Priscilla look-a-like Competition, Elvis Street Parade, Cars of the Era show, Elvis Presley Look-a-like Contests, Tribute to Elvis competition, a Renewal of Vows Ceremony, and much more!

The annual festival is held in Parkes (aka the Elvis capital of Australia), a charming town located approximately 365 kilometers west of Sydney. Festival events are from Wednesday to Sunday and include non-stop entertainment. Over the last 20 years this event has grown from a one-night event for only a few hundred people to a five-day extravaganza with thousands of participants, and this year promises to be the best festival yet.

If this event sounds like something that you can’t miss, we can coordinate all arrangements including flights, transfers, accommodation, event bookings, plus additional touring.

This once in a lifetime event will make your Australian vacation unforgettable!

Getting There.
For more info click here!

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Our Australian Dive Specialists will be attending the DEMA Show in Las Vegas next week (19-22 November, 2014).

DEMA is a trade-only event for qualified professionals, attracting more than 9,000 attendees and features over 500 leading manufacturers, destinations, wholesalers and service providers all dedicated to the diving, action watersports and travel industries.

We’ll be showcasing our Travel Services to Dive Groups & Shops who sell International Dive Trips to their customer-base. Our niche & specialty being travel to Australia and Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef. Land based or Live-aboard diving we can coordinate all arrangements including flights, transfers, accommodation, diving plus additional touring. For group travel we assist with marketing, handle all logistics, create travel documents plus make the planning of a trip a profitable exercise for your business.

DEMA Show 2014
Event Date: November 19-22, 2014
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Company: AboutAustralia.com
Booth: 1545

Drop by our Booth and say G’day!

Located just off the shore of Port Campbell National Park in Victoria, Australia, is this breath-taking limestone stack known as The Twelve Apostles. If you’ve ever heard of the Great Ocean Road in Australia – The Twelve Apostles is one of the monumental moments along the scenic drive.

These magnificent towers keep watch over the Southern Ocean and have become icons of Australia.

Learn More About The Twelve Apostles

“Once upon a time – or up to 20 million years ago – they were connected to the cliffs of the mainland. The waves and wind carved them into caves, then arches, and eventually battered them down into columns that rise up to 45 meters high.” – Australia.com

As the years have come and gone the stacks have withered to the eight that remain strong and triumphant. This destination is one of those “can’t miss” moments because these limestone wonders are literally challenged daily to withstand the high winds and waters that relentlessly beat against them. The most recent stack that fell was in 2005.

When visiting The Twelve Apostles be sure to inquire about the shipwrecks and history that surround these natural wonders. If you’re taking a drive along the Great Ocean Road – be sure to plan extra time to take a romantic stroll at sunset to see the Apostles Stacks up close and personal. It’s a great once-in-a-lifetime photo moment.

A day trip to the Twelve Apostles can take a bit of planning. The best way to take the trip is from Melbourne. We’ll help you plan your stay in Melbourne and your drive on the Great Ocean Road so you don’t miss this spectacular sight.

I Want to See the Twelve Apostles!

You May Also Like:

16 Photos That Will Make You Want to Go to Australia Right Now

Things to Do in Australia: A Melbourne Vacation with All the Australia Highlights

19 Free Things to Do in Melbourne

Kangaroo Kisses

So you’ve decided you want to have your next vacation in the South Pacific.  Maybe Australia, New Zealand or Fiji, possibly even a combo. But you’re not quite sure how to start vacation planning?  No worries! Here’s About Australia‘s low-down on where you should start & what you need to consider.

Step 1: Vacation Destination

Decide which country (or countries) you want to visit. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Papa New Guinea etc. Sounds like a simple decision right?  Well, not always.  If you’re struggling with this big decision, we’d be happy to offer some advice.

Step 2: Style of Travel

Work out what ‘style’ of vacation you want.  The different styles of vacations are typically:

•  Independent: This is the most common style of vacation.  It’s where you and your companions travel following a pre-set itinerary, without a full-time guide.  On some days you rest & relax, on other days you join various day tours and go sightseeing. Accommodation, flights & day tours are pre-planned and pre-booked giving you piece of mind as you travel. Some days of your trip are left ‘open’ for free-time allowing spontaneity.   Meals are generally not included giving you full choice to eat what, when and where you like.  Travel in luxury, on a tight budget or anywhere in between.  Just let us know what you want, and we’ll help you customize your trip to suit your needs.

•  Self-Drive: Is an “Independent” style of vacation that includes at least one road-trip (long or short) in a rental vehicle.  For the road-trip you have a pre-set plan on where you’re going, but your plan can be as open and as flexible as you want, or conversely set-in-stone with all stops pre-planned & pre-booked. Ultimately it’s up to you. Everyone is different, so just let us know what you want and we’ll set-it up for you.

•  Escorted Tours: These are all-inclusive fully guided group tours with the same tour guide & group of people being with you for the entire trip.  It’s a great way to make new friends and travel knowing that everything is taken care of for you.

•  Backpacker: Travel as cheaply as you can with as much flexibility as possible. Generally stay in hostels and fly on ‘standby’.  Allows you to travel for longer periods of time and see a lot on a very limited budget.

Step 3: Sightseeing

Make a wish-list of things you’d like to ‘See’: wildlife, waterfalls, The Great Barrier Reef, volcanoes, glaciers, museums, art galleries, etc.  We’ll use this list in step 5.

Step 4: Activities

Make a wish-list of things you’d like to ‘Do’: shopping, sight-see, wine-tasting, bird-watching, diving, rest/relax, cycle, walk, ski, etc.  We’ll use this list in step 5.

Step 5: Set Vacation Travel Dates

Depending on your wish-lists (from Steps 3 & 4) you may be restricted to travel certain times of the year, especially if you want to partake in seasonal activities like snow skiing & fishing.  Things to consider when selecting dates are:

•  Climate & Seasons: make sure the climate, seasons, rainfall & water temperatures will be suitable for the places you want to visit and the activities you want to do.  We’ve consolidated a lot of useful information for you on Australia here: Weather, Seasons and Climates in Australia

•  Public & School Holidays: Check to see if your travel dates include public or school holidays.  Some tours don’t operate on public holidays and if they do they may be crowded or even sold-out.  Holiday periods are also typically more expensive due to higher demands (especially accommodation).
  Checkout our tips on the Best Time to travel to Australia

•  Airfare Pricing:  Airlines typically price their fares based on ‘peak, shoulder or low’ seasons for travel.  If you are budget conscious, try to avoid traveling during ‘peak’ periods of travel where pricing is typically more expense.  Airfare Pricing Tips

Step 6:  Places to Visit

Once you have a good feel for the types of things you want to ‘see & do’ on your vacation it makes it very easy for us to give you recommendations on cities, towns & places you should visit during your vacation.  This is where we can help you a lot. With your unique wish-lists in mind, we’ll help you decide between different places by working through the pros & cons of each.  Generally it’s quicker & easier for us to help you through this step via a phone call. Contact Us when you’re ready to chat.

Step 7: Accommodation

Next is selecting your vacation accommodation at each place that is best suited to you.  We’re Experts at this and we’d love to help you make the right decision for your group.  There are so many factors to consider when choosing the right place to stay, all the way down to the fine print in a Hotel’s Policy & Service Manual.  By selecting a hotel with Policies & Services that work in your favor can sometimes save you a lot of money.  (In one of my next blogs I’ll explain this in more detail, specifically what you should look for in their Policies & Services and how they can benefit you).

Step 8: Logistics & Routing

Now we need to work through the logistics & routing options to figure out the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to piece all the places in your itinerary together.  At this point we need to plan ‘smart’ to maximize your time having fun, minimize time in-transit and get you the most ‘bang-for-your-buck’.  For example, swapping two places around might help reduce your time-in-transit due to flight schedules.  It may also save you money because it’s cheaper to pick-up a rental car in one location and drop-off in the other.  We know the tricks!

Step 9: Vacation Design & Price

With all this information on hand, we can design your customized vacation with a no-obligation quote.  This typically takes us 1 business day.  After you’ve received the first draft we can easily ‘tweak it’ until we get it ‘just right’.

Step 10: Booking

Once your happy with your itinerary & the price, then you’re ready to Book Your Vacation

Happy Travels!

Request a Tailored Itinerary & Quote

Our in-house Dive Specialists from “About Australia” will be at The Tacoma Dive Show & Travel Expo this weekend (21-22 April, 2012).  We’ll be flying the Aussie flag for Vacation Packages tailored specifically for scuba divers to Dive Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. Although our travel packages will have a dive focus at the show, we can tailor any package to suit your needs.  So stop by our booth and say G’day!

The Tacoma Dive Show & Travel Expo
Event Date: April 21-22, 2012
Location: Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, Tacoma, Washington, USA
Company: About Australia

DIVE SHOW SPECIAL: BUDDY DEAL, UP TO 50% OFF 2ND PERSON

Liveaboard Dive Boat:  Spirit of Freedom

7 Day Cod Hole & Coral Sea Tours (Monday departures)
For every booking of 2 people, the 2nd person receives a 50% discount off the Liveaboard (boat only).

3 Day Cod Hole and 4 Day Coral Sea Tours
For every booking of 2 people, the 2nd person receives a 25% discount off the Liveaboard (boat only). Liveaboard

Travel window: 06 August – 03 September 2012
Deposit by 31 May 12

Conditions: The discount is on the Spirit of Freedom Liveaboat boat trip fees only, (not applicable to gear hire, courses, nitrox fills or levies). The second person must travel on the same date, same tour, and same cabin type for the discount to apply. The offer is not valid with any other specials. Subject to Availability. Subject to Change Without Notice.

View Sample Liveaboard Dive Trips or Spirit of Freedom’s Liveaboard Specifications

Contact us to check availability for your preferred travel dates and to make a booking.

We are excited to add a new blog to our website.  This area will have all sorts of fun facts about planning your vacation to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, as well as wonderful Travel Tips and stories.

Please check back soon.