A Seafarer's journey through Australia.

It was on the previous Christmas season,we were having a port at Australia for the cargo discharging.Our proposed date of discharge completion got extended due to some lading issues with the terminal.So we planned for a shore leave and we got succeeded.Our initial destination was the Blue mountain,Sydney.It took us almost 1.5 hours from Sydney to reach the place. Since it was Christmas and most of the tour operators were not functioning, we also covered the ‘Featherdale Wildlife Park’ in the Blue Mountains Trip which was otherwise scheduled for another day.The wildlife park was a great experience but its highlight was the Skyway. Traveling in a glass floor trolley up the mountains was an awesome experience and every time we looked down, we were thrilled by the beauty and height. Our downhill descent from the mountains was on a train and that too was an exhilarating experience since we were going down the hill at a steep 82-degree angle.Another good part of this experience was that we could repeat it as many times we wanted. Overall, the Blue Mountains Trip was the scenic adventure we had always hoped for.It was the end of Day 1
On our second day of departure,we were off to the Great Barrier Reef.The cruise was an amazing experience and we could see the reef from the glass boat (glass flooring). There was an underwater semi-submarine tour also where we were submerged in the water in a glass cabin and could see the fishes and marine life around us.We were free by 1:30 PM and the day was free for leisure.We visited the Green Island in Great Barrier Reef which was also a one stop destination for all the water and adventure activities like parasailing, snorkeling etc. My friends did snorkeling and even went to the point where they could touch the reef. We were free by 5:30 PM and the rest of the evening was spent in our own vessel,The Great Manta and not the cruise.

We went to the Kuranda village on the third and final day. The village was a few thousand feet above Cairns and the most amazing part of this place was the ‘Skyrail’ and ‘rainforest walks’. Our journey upwards was done in the Skyrail and after every stop in the 5.5 km stretch, we would do a short rainforest walk reminiscent of the Brazilian Forests that I always wanted to visit. Later in the village, we could do whatever we wanted so we used this time to buy some authentic Australian souvenirs.We took the train while coming back and that too was a scenic and interesting experience. During the journey, we were told about the marvels of railways and how people took so much pain to construct them during the 18th century.That was our last day on Australia.We went back to our vessel with the extremely touched memories of the dream land.Having found the right balance between adventure, fun, and leisure – Australia for us, turned out to be better than expected. I loved its beauty, natural charm, and organization. Everything was perfectly timed and there weren’t any hassles.

Given a chance, we would really want to do this trip again, maybe with an extra day in Sydney and an extra amusement park – Dream World!