Australie, QLD, Whitsundays, Whitehaven Beach Lookout
The Daintree Rainforest will create a comprehensive picture about the sheer abundance of what nature has to offer. Nowhere else on earth will you find so many different types of plants and animals, which is why UNESCO has placed it on its World Heritage List. On the 1200 km2 you will find 30 percent of all the frog species, marsupials and reptiles; 65 percent of all bat and butterfly species; and 20 percent of all the bird species found in Australia. A trip along Daintree River will enable you see many bats and crocodiles and the sights you see during a walk through the immense rainforest will quite literally stay with you forever.
You can sail by yacht across the Great Barrier Reef, which is the largest ecosystem in the world to be designated a World Heritage Area. Perhaps you would prefer to keep dry and examine the reef in a sort of underwater boat, or slip on your fins and go snorkelling or deep-sea diving. You might even decide to go on an unforgettable diving trip to the world-renowned Cod Hole, high up in the Ribbon Reef. Where else would you be able to swim among so many different types of fish and hundreds of types of coral? And where else would you have the chance to swim with a Giant Potato Cod - a 'potato' the size of a human!
Cape York, which is the most northern tip of Australia, is a sparsely populated, unspoilt area of nature that you can get to between April and December, as the first three months of the year are too wet. Cape York lends itself superbly to walks and 4x4 drives and the nature consists of a wealth of rainforests and swamps, as well as national parks and sacred Aboriginal sites. Thousands of years of Aboriginal culture have been immortalized in yellow pigment and clay in the Quinkan Rock Art reserve and the archaeological sites and paintings, as well as carvings in the rocks, give you an idea of the prehistoric and later inhabitants of this area.
Cooktown is located in beautiful natural surroundings on the far north of Queensland, which makes you feel as though you've accidentally stepped back in time. You can look out from Grassy Hill over the town, the beautiful scenery and the beaches, and follow the footpath that leads to the beach at Cherry Tree Bay. There are forests, lagoons, waterfalls, beaches, secluded gardens, national parks and beautiful viewpoints just a short distance from Cooktown. Bird enthusiasts would be advised not to miss the spectacular swamp areas either, with water-lily covered billabongs, grasslands and rivers. Large areas flood in the rainy season, leaving pools, lakes and lagoons in the dry season that attract various types of water birds.
The Whitsundays are located at the heart of the Great Barrier Reef in clear warm waters. Beautiful coral awaits you just off the coast, as well as a rich underwater world. You can hire a yacht and - following a short training session if necessary - sail from island to island all by yourself. This is the perfect way to relax and take in all that you have seen after your explorations around Australia. Have a lie-in, dive a little, then moor the boat and go for a meal outside somewhere... What more could a person ask for? Whitehaven Beach is reputed to have one of Australia's most stunning beaches: it's located in the middle of a tropical rainforest, and has fine white sand that is lapped by sparkling turquoise waters. The evenings give you the feeling that you've got this uninhabited paradise all to yourself.
Between 1873 and 1906 Queensland exported more gold and other metals than wool, which were found in Charters Towers, Coen, Cloncurry and Bowerbird, as well as in Palmer River and the Mulgrave. The old mines still form part of the heritage now. You'll probably have to ask for directions a few times on your way to the Great Australia Mine in Cloncurry - the most northern and isolated of Queensland's mines - but once you're there you'll feel like you've stepped back in time. Cloncurry is also the place at which John Flynn set up the very first Flying Doctor Service and a visit to John Fylnn Place will give you a good impression of the primitive circumstances in which the fortune-hunters had to live in the Outback.
The picturesque seaside town on Noosa lies along the Sunshine Coast and is an hour and a half's drive north of the capital, Brisbane. Noosa has a beautiful beach and an exquisite lagoon and the town is famed for Hastings Street, among other things, which is a quaint street with many lovely boutiques and outstanding restaurants. There is a famer's market on Sunday in Noosa, in addition to an art market in the harbour. You can also take a stroll through Noosa National Park, which is within walking distance from Hastings Street. Here you will have the opportunity to encounter koalas in their natural habitat. The area around Noosa is also very beautiful. If you have enough time, you could drive to Montville, or further southwards to the Glasshouse Mountains.
