AUSTRALIA..... Really another world!!!

Just this time I do not know even where to start, and I do not know where to end up with my story e. ..... even more difficult is to describe what we have left Australia, a place so far away from us, so different, so majestic with its infinite distance and the nature, so welcoming to all those immigrants who over the years' and have populated so hostile, always with that kind that you sometimes kidnaps with its strong colors and sometimes you leave all'aridità of the desert, the force of the sea and tropical storms to advanced, to say nothing of the animals ..... kangaroos, koalas, womb ...... how much sweetness in their eyes and movements ... .... and then snakes, crocodiles, jellyfish ........ you always remember how much attention must be observed in various habitats.
3000 pictures taken (digital ....) 3 / 4 hours of movies, I was hardly in a position of wanting to stop every moment, to remember with a picture, bring me home a little bit of what I was observing.
Indeed, infinite distances ...... I had the opportunity to use most of the local media, internal flights, car and camper rental, ship, train and coach ..... thousands and thousands of miles passed through town , deserts, tropical forests and sandy coastline. From heaven to earth changes were slow but relentless .... cities and civilizations in the most arid desert and desolate, from the ground .... the slow progress of daily life, the countries so distant from each other, hours driving without ever cross anyone .......
Describe what I have done in a month, touring around Australia, it is very difficult and would require pages and pages of narrative, I briefly summarize my journey and I hope, along with the photos you publish, you can make the idea of Although it has been fantastic for me this latest adventure.
Booked in advance tickets intercontinental, and having available a month, it was necessary to schedule at least part of the route that we wanted to deal with ...... a month of vacation for me is really so much time ... but for 'Australia would be much too little .... maybe we should multiply by three this month to be able to wander from north to south, from east to west .... .... deserts islands ..... well, with one month's see what can be done!
I state that one of my greatest passions is to travel but you .... my journey began months before, reading guides, magazines, surfing the internet looking for any way to reduce the time that separates me from the start.
And in so doing tend to fix the dates, places to visit, some travel, Australia would do all this on the spot, the level of services is such that each town or village more dispersed, there are a thousand details to organize the most classic and unlikely.
My desire was to see in that month as possible and for this I wanted to anticipate a little by the time you book the flights, and some room hostel, so as not to unnecessarily losing time on stage stage.
And now the trip:
Arriving in Sydney on 27/07/06, 3 days, in southern Africa ...... winter sky of a blue and 22/23 degrees during the day, 15 at night. Sydney ...... beautiful for me, perhaps the most beautiful city I have ever seen .... obviously can not offer the culture of Rome or Paris ..... can easily compete with the charm of Hong Kong, but the quality of life, the organization, the bay with sailboats, beaches and employees ...... Sydney Cycling is unique.
From Sydney to the red center; landed in Alice spring and took possession of the mini camper, we covered about 2000 km in 4 days to visit Ayers Rock, Olgas and Kings Mountains Kanion. Already the fact of driving through the desert, amid the red earth and in total solitude gave me invaluable experience, and then arrive at dusk in the Roadhouse for the night.
Who has not been to see Ayers Rock ... and many ne hoi encountered around Australia, is justified by saying that ... "is just a big rock, not worth it "..... but no joke, is or is not the symbol of Australia, there is a reason no? But you know what it means to trovarselo front after 1000 Km road and desert you flat? But you know that turning around its base, 9Km walk in about 2 hours ...., you have a way to see it in every facet and at sunset the red mat becomes a strong impression to do! And then the park also includes Kata Tjuta Olgas ..... the mountains where, in the famous Valley of Wind, I felt transported to the paradise on earth .... nell'eden; here 7 / 8 km of trails I have done thinking more than once ....." but I have never seen a place more beautiful than this .....???"; are still here and I think that there does not seem real that he saw what I saw .
Kings Kanyon then ..... a good start traipsing down to break the wind and to face this big rift in the ground ..... everything here ?.... of course not, the path that will bypass the Kanyon back to square one, it allows you to see how the weather, erosion, the water has changed and shaped the rocks, underground rivers and trees that grow on the stone enrich a landscape that once again leaves you breathless.
Again, Alice Springs and then on, it flies to Darwin from here ..... 3 days devoted to exploring the Kakadu National Park will begin with the sighting of alligators in the swamps drained by the dry period .... Crocodiles on the banks of rivers in the warm sunlight, birds of all kinds over the surrounding expanses. It was only the taste of what we saw in the days to come.
Green expanses as the eye can see, in the Aboriginal rock paintings in caves and hidden by vegetation, the waterfalls .... Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls, reached only through the use of an off-road and walk several kilometers into the forest and the night .... spent in a sleeping bag, having placed the tent in a garden of stars and have eaten around the fire with our comrades in adventure.
Returned to Darwin, the Quantas flight was waiting for us at 4 in the morning with destination Cairns .... Surely the time was not the best but we would on the day we embark on our cruise underwater.
4 days and three nights to reach the great barrier reef in the north to code hole and then go back.
It 'was my first cruise ... .. and it was also cruising underwater so the time for relaxation was not part of the program ... .. in the waters protected by coral reefs the slow progress of our ship was quiet but night ... .. when we moved into the open sea ... ... was the Brazilian samba and Argentine tango ... .. that terrifying experience!
However, from a diving proceedings is somewhat 'contrasting; was still alive in me memories of Malaysia, Borneo and the island of Sipadan in particular .... None of this, a little water' and freddina Above all, the habit of sending Australian divers of all levels in the sea without any instructor to follow, to create what could u po 'fear but ... the end of the games, this experience has left me much more aware and security approach with this activity.
The contour of groupers (really many), moray eels, turtles, squaletti barrier multicolor fish and many beautiful corals really make me give an opinion

 

Cairns- Great Barrier Reef-Port Douglas-Cape Trib-Withsunday Is.-Airline Beach-Fraser Is.-Brisbane

Back in Cairns, car rental and then on, to the north and towards Cape Tribulation.
Here the rainforest reaches the coast and dive into the sea .... In place, the sea ... .. unfortunately an idyllic coastal landscape, the lush green forest, endless beaches, isolated, lonely, not in addition to a tropical sea ' height of his name, has been the season and the climate .... it is often raining and the sky for long stretches it was gray .... but the sea reflected perfectly the colors of the sky, however, remain long walks, silence and the feeling of total isolation. Then these mountains behind me and those palms that were off between the thick vegetation .... Mancavano only those colors that the sea sometimes you can give .... It would have been perfect, but perhaps it would have been too good.
Back in Cairns many beaches along the coast and some very interesting town, Port Douglas at all.
Was time to spend a few days of relaxation ... .. and then with all this reef should also find some 'insulation on some deserted island!
The choice really is not lacking, however, had an idea fixed in the head, reaching WhiteHeaven Beach, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, the islands Withsunday.
Reached by a flight Hamilton Island, we opted for the cheapest option that could provide Withsunday a dormitory all'Hook Island resort.
Enchanting island and in a strategic position for the sighting of whales, we have accepted for two nights but ... .. what will be one we will remember forever ... .. in the company of a group of Irish people (drunk ....), Which until ' alba have "harassed ..." with their crowds and noises of hell ... what torture!
Goodbye ... and then relax. Escape to the coast where, after spending a night at Airline Beach, nice but ... mooooooolto chaotic, we have organized a day excursion to Witheaven Beach ... ...
And open the sky ... .. ... ...! Already, towards Withheaven Island was amazing, taking the first encounter with the whales (seeing only the back while in the evening .... To go home .... We have seen the jump in the distance as if they wanted to greet us ...), the first stage was devoted to the climb up to lock out, boys, MERAVIGLIA THAT! The view from this idyllic beach really leaves you breathless, and a multitude of colors blue, turquoise and white are mixed to form a rainbow of colors ... almost did not seem real, I can guarantee, after seeing so many and so many beaches around for the world, that here we reach the top!
Then returned to the boat and landed on the beach, Beach Witheaven, has accepted a fine coral sand like flour and water so blue that they can not resist ... it was bath time ... .. pity that the sea in August was always a little '... .. but freddino mattered little, I was in a true paradise on earth, I hope that the photos may make the idea.
My journey was to end in Australia but lacked a little 'days, and even if time is short, I wanted to exploit it to the end, receiving in return very great satisfaction.
On 19/08 I was on the train with destination Hervey Bay, nice location directly overlooking Fraser Island, spent 14 hours on the train, the Tilt Train mythical (and here I open a parenthesis ... ... trains in Australia are really hyper-efficient, punctual, clean and safe ... .. but because they are slow! From my window I saw the cars and trucks wind at double speed compared to our .... we will cross 2 and no other trains along the route and made about 10 stops in 1000 Km; used 14 hours ... .. you do your accounts!) and arrived at their destination, were 2GG before Brsisbane per share and then return home, then, do ...? Devote your time to explore Fraser Island, or leave a little 'space for the Whale Watching?
Fortunately, the choice fell on the second opportunity, certainly explore Fraser Island with a 4x4 for at least a couple of days would have been very adventurous and fun, joining a group of 30 people was certainly less exciting but has allowed us to have a overview of the island, its long beaches, its interior forest, its trees and infinitely high and the lakes and cold ...
What to say about the Whale Watching, and when we start the morning by the Port of Harvey Bay, for someone like me to experience first sighting of whales, we do not know really what to expect.
There were few tourists 6, the captain and the sailor ... .. ... .. after 1 hour and a half of nothing (and the general discomfort on board ...) you start to glimpse the horizon, I was going to attend one of the shows most beautiful of my life and, perhaps, the most beautiful day of the entire vacation (if that was not the last ... ..).
So from there on, we spent two wonderful hours, screaming like crazy (the whales are very curious and attracted a lot of the noise), we have seen in various groups at the end ... .. I shall be counted 20 ... maybe 30 ....
Initially, they started to turn around the boat, came out with only the spine, then the fin surface and disappeared into the depths .... And yet the snout and fins ... .... It seemed they were playing with us ... ... .. but it was not all! !
All of a sudden, about 50m from the boat, started to jump completely out of the water showing in all their splendor and majesty.
The most difficult thing for me, as I was taken in a state of emotion / disbelief among the waves and sketches, was to take decent photos that might forever remember this show.
Fortunately something nice I could take it home and still remain open-mouthed in front of this spectacle of nature.
In the afternoon there waiting for the bus to Brisbane.
5 hours of road to reach the capital of Queensland and just a day to look around, but nothing special ....
It was now time to start afresh, destination Bangkok where we spent a few days before returning to Italy (but that's another story ....).
Almost a month on the Australian territory, day after day an adventure and a 'new experience, left me little time to reflect on what I had just seen and to imagine all that I should explore. Thousands of miles to reach some corners that still remain remote, unspoilt nature, exotic animals, experiences and places that I would have never imagined to deal with and see ... .. a trip that it seemed at times a long documentary and I ... .. National Geographic photographer ... ... (which ..!!!). laugh ...
It 'was a journey that has left little room to relax and rest, man is not me I am certainly repented, if I had had at their disposal another month ... I would be going in the west to plunge into new adventures and discoveries, we kidnap by these modern cities, from the relaxed life, the infinite space, the deep black of the night and a certain sense of loneliness ... ...

Recount in detail what it was for me it would be impossible, of course, remain available to anyone who wants practical advice or different addresses and I hope that the photos are at least partly what I wanted to express!