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kangaroo

48 hours in: Kangaroo Island

The article is written by Taryn Feldmann

Need a getaway from city life – Kangaroo Island, located, 112 km southwest of Adelaide, is the perfect destination. It has beautiful scenery, many exciting activities and iconic Australia wildlife that other places won’t be able to offer.

Go hiking, take historic tours, enjoy coastal activities, and Australia’s iconic wildlife. With so much to do you certainly won’t be bored.

Getting there

There are two options – flight or by ferry. The flight is only 30 minutes from Adelaide, South Australia airport and the ferry is 45 minutes along. You can catch the ferry in Adelaide or Goolwa to Cape Jervis. Or check this link for useful information.

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Things to do

Australia’s wildlife

Love animals? These two tours will be perfect for you – Seal bay and Kangaroo Island hire a guide and nocturnal tours, Kingscote.

Seal Bay

This is an unforgettable must do experience. The tour will lead you into their colony on the beach. It gives you a chance to witness them in their natural habitat. Many Instagram worthy memories of the seals and selfies of you and one in the background. Click for more useful info here.

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Kangaroo Island hire a guide and nocturnal tours, Kingscote

Want a fun wild adventure? This tour is for you. It offers a four-wheel drive. There are a few options but for a better experience, the Flinders chase 4wd tour is the way to go.

It’s a tour where you’ll be able to see Kangaroo’s islands unique rock – Admiral Arch, fur seals, echidna, Koala’s, and Kangaroo’s.

This action-packed tour will leave you breathless and with many worth Instagram pictures.

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Coastal activities

Love the sea? These two tours will satisfy your adventure. They are a part of the Kangaroo Island ocean safari and they offer a 2-hour swim with dolphins/seals and coastal snorkelling.

You’ll be able to experience wild dolphins and seals up close and witness coastal sea life whilst snorkelling. This will be a once in a lifetime so be sure not to miss out.

Want to stay on the boat, the 75-minute ocean safari will perfect. Enjoy the scenery of the ancient coastline and the wildlife. Some animals you’ll be seeing: dolphins, seals, and whales if you’re lucky, as you’ll only be able to see them in season.

No matter what you fancy, these tours will leave you talking about it for days.

Historic tours

Want to learn more about Kangaroo Island’s history, this tour will be ideal – Cape Borda Lightstation Flinders Chase National Park

Learn about travelling with sails in an early era and how light keepers lived. It has a lighthouse, light keeper’s cottages, and a maritime museum.

You can personally read diary entries from early light house keepers and look around at Kangaroo island’s amazing history.

Want an even better experience, stay overnight in one of the cottages.

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Hiking

Love walking? Kangaroo Island offers a wide range of hiking trails for beginners and more experienced.

Want nice scenery and wildlife, the flinders chase national park is the location. There’s several walking trails, take a slow stroll and enjoy the iconic granite boulders, Remarkable Rocks, the Admirals Arch, beaches, wildlife and wilderness.

48 HOURS IN: PERTH

The article is written by Candice Locklee

As one of the most isolated cities in the world, visiting Perth may not be at the top of your list when you first move to Australia. But with its balmy weather, white beaches, amazing food and wine and laid back Aussie lifestyle, the capital of Western Australia is a scenic paradise just waiting to be explored.

If you’ve only got 48 hours to spare in this vibrant city, here are our top picks of things to do in a short amount of time:

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KINGS PARK

Just outside of the central business district is one of the largest city parks you’ll find in the world and it’s a must-see while visiting Perth. Stretching over 400 hectares (that’s bigger than New York’s famous Central Park!), Kings Park is a spectacular mix of bushland, flat grassy parklands and colourful botanical gardens full of native flora and fauna.

Take a picnic and enjoy a day in the park, get some exercise jogging through the bush or grab your camera and snap some Insta-worthy shots of the city skyline at one of the many lookouts available in the area. Not only is Kings Park the perfect spot for city skyline photos, you can also get some gloriously uninterrupted views of the majestic Swan River, the rolling Perth Hills and endless blue skies that make this city beautiful.

For those who love a tour, there are free guided trail tours on offer that depart daily from outside the gallery shop Aspects of Kings Park at 10 am and 12 pm (1^st Sept-30^th June) and 2 pm. There are also self-guided tours available for those who want to explore at their own pace – just head to the Visitor Information Centre on the site for all the helpful brochures you’ll need to get started.

DIRECTIONS

KINGS PARK:

Just 1.5km outside of the CBD, Kings Park is easily accessible by public transport. From Perth’s main street St Georges Terrace, catch the 935 bus route to Fraser Avenue Precinct (stop Number 17501). From here, it’s an approximately short 429m walk to Kings Park.

Note: This bus travels within the Free Transit Zone so you can hop on and off for free.

THE BEACHES

Western Australia’s world famous beaches boast miles of pure white sand and clear blue water that is perfect for swimming, surfing, snorkelling or just lazing around any time of the year.

Perth is within easy reach of some of the best beaches. Cottesloe Beach is a popular tourist beach halfway between Perth and Fremantle that has been a favourite holiday spot for generations. With over a kilometre of white sand, there’s plenty of time to have a swim and a snorkel before finding a spot to watch the sun go down over the Indian Ocean – sunsets are famous in WA and a must-see any time of the year!

Scarborough Beach is another popular spot. Located on the Sunset Coast, Scarborough Beach is a fantastic idea for those who want to soak up the sun and surf before heading off to one of the many cafés along the beachfront for something to eat. Hotels, hostels and shopping are also just a step away.

For something a little more adventurous, take a day trip out to Rottnest Island – a dazzling paradise of bright white sands and crystal waters that’s perfect for whale watching, bird spotting, snorkelling, swimming and surfing. There’s also plenty of hidden beaches if you want something a little more private, such as Strickland Bay, Mary Cove and Catherine Bay which are favourites for surfers.

DIRECTIONS

COTTESLOE BEACH:

There are two main ways to get to Cottesloe from Perth. You can hop on a train by catching the Fremantle line and getting off at Cottesloe. Trains leave every 15 minutes and the ride will take less than 20 minutes. Once there, just follow the signs to the beach just a short walk away.

Alternatively, you can take the bus line 102 from Elizabeth Quay Bus Station to Cottesloe Station. The ride should be about 40 minutes and cost less than $5. Check the link for a detailed timetable of all the stops, click here.

SCARBOROUGH BEACH:

Get to Scarborough Beach by catching one of the bus routes 410, 421, 422 and 990 that run past Scarborough beachfront.

ROTTNEST ISLAND:

Rottnest Island can be reached by ferry. You can book your ticket online through one of the ferry companies that leave from Perth, Fremantle and Hillary’s Boat Harbour in Perth’s North. Click on the company links for deals and tickets – Rottness Express or Rottnest Fast Ferries.

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THE WINERIES

If you want to indulge a little, why not head out to Swan Valley and visit one of the many wineries that make this region so famous? Only 25 minutes from Perth’s CBD, Swan Valley is a sweeping landscape rich in art, history, gourmet food and a thriving viticulture that can all be sampled along the famous Food and Wine Trail – a 32km scenic drive that will take you through the heart of the region for you to experience all that it has to offer.

While you’re there, take some time to visit the Caversham Wildlife Park. With over 2000 animals to see, including koalas, dingoes, reptiles, wombats and the super-cute Quokka, it’s a great way to spend the day with friends and take some memorable photos of your time in WA.

DIRECTIONS

SWAN VALLEY:

There is no regular public transport through this region, so it’s best to pre-arrange your transport. Guided tours are a great way to discover the Swan Valley and can take you from Perth city and along the Food and Wine Trail.

Check the link for details.

CAVERSHAM WILDLIFE PARK:

Caversham Wildlife Park is located in Whiteman Park and is open 9am-5:30 pm every day of the year (minus Xmas) – entry is $28 for one adult. From the Bassendean Station in Perth, catch bus number 955 or 956 to Ellenbrook and get off at the Whiteman Park stop on Lord St.

FREMANTLE

No trip to Perth is complete without a visit to the nearby port city of Fremantle – a place that is pretty as a picture and rich with Western Australia history. Once there, check out one of the many popular things to do in town. Visit the foreboding Fremantle Prison that stands as Australia’s largest convict prison still intact, explore the Western Australian Maritime Museum to get an understanding of Fremantle’s interesting history (including its history of surf boards and marine creatures), head down to South Terrace where you’ll find an abundance of tasty cafés, restaurants and craft breweries and visit the popular Fremantle Markets open every Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday for an eclectic mix of great food, drink, Indigenous art and local music.

If you need to burn some extra calories, why not hire a bike for free from the Fremantle Visitor Centre and cycle to all of the places you want to see? Fremantle is very bicycle-friendly and there are bike lanes all over the city that can easily take you to all of the popular tourist destinations within the area.

DIRECTIONS

FREMANTLE:

Transperth, Perth’s public transport system, makes it easy to reach Fremantle. Catch the train on the Fremantle line from Perth Station and get off at the final stop, Fremantle Station. If paying for a cash ticket, it should cost you around $7.40 for a return, or $6.00 if using a SmartRider card. Buses are also available outside of train stations in order to easily meet up with train times and get you between Perth and Fremantle as well as anywhere you need to go in the city.

For details and to plan your journey click here.

NOTE:

Similar to Perth’s CBD, Fremantle offers a free shuttle service called CAT (Central Area Transit) meaning that you don’t have to pay anything to travel around the city. Watch out for the blue CAT that runs every 10 minutes and the red CAT that runs every 15 minutes. Check this link for bus stops and timetables.

The cutest Australian animals you’ll ever see

The article is written by Loren Howarth

Australia has a bad reputation for dangerous and scary animals, but our country is also home to some of the cutest critters you’ve ever seen. And don’t worry, they won’t bite!

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Kangaroo

Although Kangaroos are the largest marsupial in the world, they are one of the cutest Australian animals with their big brown eyes and soft and cuddly coat. This animal is also on the Australian coat of arms, symbolising our country’s progress as they are always moving forward and struggles to move backward due to the unusual shape of their legs and bulky tail. You can meet kangaroos in many zoos around Australia, as well as feed one! So don’t be frightened and make friends with this native.

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Koala

You might have heard of drop bears, which is a hoax revolving around an imaginary animal designed to scare tourists. But have no fear, in the bushland or zoo, you will encounter the cute and cuddly koala! Although they are a bit smelly, it’s impossible to pass up a photo opportunity and a pat with these friendly tree hugging herbivores.

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Rainbow Lorikeet

This friendly parrot is one of the most colorful and beautiful birds in the world, and are native to Australia. Although they spend most of the time in trees eating pollen, nectar, fruit seeds and insects, if you visit a wildlife park and have some bird seed in your hand, you might be lucky enough to have a visitor appear on your hand!

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Dingo

Dingoes are wild canines found in Australia, and unlike dogs, they cannot bark but can only howl. This cute canine has unique paws like hands, meaning they could even turn door knobs. These animals can also be domesticated, although they are harder to train than other dogs due to their independence. But in popular tourist destinations like Fraser Island, these friendly creatures aren’t shy to come up and say hello!

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Quokka

The quokka may just have to be the cutest animal you have ever seen! This cuddly creature is about the size of a cat, with a long skinny tail. Although they are commonly mistaken for rats, there’s no missing their adorable trademark smile. Quokkas are only found in the southwestern part of Australia on the island of Rottnest near Perth.