By Rama Gaind.
We are all familiar with these immortal words:
“I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!”
Australian Dorothea Mackellar’s best-known poem My Country is full of patriotic fervour on many levels.
Geoff Law will lead a Franklin River rafting trip with Tasmanian Expeditions in February 2019 – an itinerary described as ‘one of the world’s best river journeys’. Pictures: Glenn Walker
Australia offers an incredible array of nature experiences on our travels. We are home of the largest living thing on earth – the Great Barrier Reef, in Queensland – and of the largest monolith, Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock). With vibrant coral reefs, lush tropical rainforests and its quintessential red sand desert, these are only some of the experiences to include on your next visit.
From the beauty of the remote Kimberley to snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, there are plenty of ways to see Australia’s unique wildlife and diverse landscapes. Every corner of this beautiful country will impress you with its range of opportunities to connect with nature, interact with native animals and discover the benefits of getting out of the city and off the beaten track.
Where to go
The destination list is long. Tasmanian wilderness adventures; top end wetland safari in the Northern Territory, stargazing in the outback or explore Uluru and Kata Tjuta; hike along some of Australia’s most stunning landscapes; venture through the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest; have adventures on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island; you might even find a smiling quokka on Western Australia’s Rottnest Island or traverse the stunning Kimberley. Go to Victoria’s Phillip Island to see the fairy penguins or travel the Great Ocean Road.
Franklin River rafting adventures from World Expeditions provide the opportunity for travellers to experience this river in its natural, pristine state.
By car, helicopter or on foot, there is no wrong way to do the Great Ocean Road. It spans 243 kilometres from the town of Torquay to the small town of Allansford. Along the way you can stop at quaint seaside villages for a surf, head into Great Otway National Park to see thundering waterfalls, or spot whales, dolphins and seals in the water and koalas and kangaroos on shore.
One of the biggest highlights on the route is the 12 Apostles; a set of towering limestone pillars rising out of the Southern Ocean. View them from up high with a scenic helicopter tour, but be sure to head down the 86 stairs of Gibson Steps to the beach where you can walk along the shore to see the enormous stones from a different angle.
If seeing a koala in the wild is high on your wish list, this is your chance. Head to the township of Kennett River where a large number of koalas make their home in the blue gums that line the main road. Keep your eyes peeled and you’re also likely to spot echidnas and many unique bird species.
Wilderness highlights
While wilderness participation observations are aplenty, the focus is also on sustainable eco-tourism principles. The focus of some expert tour operators is to take people into the wilds of our beautiful country, onto the paths less travelled and into the heart of the Australian wilderness.
The Franklin wilderness has remained unchanged for the 40 years that World Expeditions has been operating rafting trips down the river.
There has also been a tremendous effort by the Tasmanian Wilderness Society in its campaign for protection. A book titled Wilderness, Celebrating Australia’s Protected Places celebrates the places the society has campaigned to protect for over four decades. It includes Tasmania’s mighty Franklin River, the Kakadu, the Daintree rainforest and the Kimberley.
This limited edition photographic book is filled with breathtaking photographs of Australia’s majestic, saved landscapes. It begins with the Franklin River campaign and follows with a chapter on the wild places that the Wilderness Society has helped protect in each state.
World Expeditions CEO, Sue Badyari, has described the Wilderness Society’s new Wilderness book as a fitting historic record of the wild places that the organisation has helped to protect around Australia.
With a forward written by Bob Brown and text provided by Geoff Law, the book is jam-packed with inspiring images of protected reserves that would not exist without 40 years of successful conservation campaigning by the Wilderness Society, and the support of dedicated Australians from all walks of life. All profits from the book go to conservation campaigns to save wild places like Tasmania’s Tarkine.
Historic campaign
World Expeditions has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Wilderness Society for more than three decades. In congratulating the society on the book, Badyari acknowledged the many contributions.
“Thanks to the efforts of those involved in the historic campaign to save the Franklin including Geoff Law, Bob Brown, the Wilderness Society, the Greens and the Bob Hawke-led Australian Labor Party, the Franklin River and the surrounding wilderness is now a World Heritage protected-area, known the world over for its unique, rugged beauty,” Sue Badyari said.
Wilderness, Celebrating Australia’s Protected Places is a stunning visual record of Australia’s natural heritage, including the iconic Franklin River.
“The Wilderness book is a stunning visual record of our country’s natural heritage, including the iconic Franklin River.”
The book was launched as Tasmanian Expeditions, a division of the World Expeditions Travel Group, celebrates the 40th anniversary of its first commercial rafting expedition down the Franklin River.
According to Sue, “our Franklin River rafting adventures provide the opportunity for travellers, from all over the world, to experience this river in its natural, pristine state”.
“While it is a source of pride for our company that the Franklin wilderness has remained unchanged for the 40 years we’ve been operating rafting expeditions down the river, we acknowledge and thank the Wilderness Society for its passionate campaign to save the Franklin from being dammed.”
Geoff Law will lead a Franklin River rafting trip with Tasmanian Expeditions in February 2019 – an itinerary described as ‘one of the world’s best river journeys’.
Memorable wilderness experiences take place in spectacular places, especially when people understand the need to take action to preserve the areas they visit for future generations. They abide by, and believe in the philosophy, that when you look after the land, the land looks after you.
DETAILS BOX
World Expeditions
www.tasmanianexpeditions.com.au
Tasmanian Wilderness Society
