The other day, I helped my school friend Nandini with an article she had to present to her college. It was on her recent trip to Australia. She sent across to me pointers via email and I rolled out an article. Blobs have been put up at places since I was unaware of the relevant information. Here's how it eventually turned out to be:
Having end semesters and
preparing for the same by burning the midnight oil has been a routine for me since
the past four years. I was done with my exams by the end of [•] and it was time
to get those bags out of the attic, pack and run away somewhere to break the
monotony of life and giving a fresh start to the last year of my Architecture
studies. An Australian jaunt was something that gave me ample reasons to stay
happy and endure the post exam fatigue. A dive in the blue waters of the Great
Barrier Reef, a hot air balloon ride to see the sun rise, experiencing the
Sydney Opera House; these thoughts were on repeat and hovering on my mind like
little birdies. Australia is a place I’ve extensively read and
studied about for it has always given me an adrenaline rush. The [•] day trip to the continent held a lot
of significance for me. The unusually
mystique view of this place from the aircraft gave me jitters thereby
increasing my excitement levels manifold.
The journey was tad excruciating with an
unfortunate delay of two connecting flights. . But then, no journey seems like
one if you don’t come across such standstills and stagnancy of commutes. It took us more than a day’s time to reach
Melbourne, the then Capital of Australia. Melbourne is the second largest city
of Australia, after Sydney of course and is the capital of Victoria.
Day one of my fun and frolic around
Australia constituted a visit to the Old parliament house, the beautiful St.
Patrick’s cathedral which took around a good hundred years to be built; Captain Cook’s house, a
small house with a huge picturesque garden surrounding it. Captain James Cook was
a major contributor in the mapping of the eastern coast of Australia in the
year 1770. A rendezvous with the largely
cute tiny Penguins on the Phillip Island helped me end my day on a sweet note. My
photography skills weren’t of much help here since it was prohibited.
The next journey was through the
Great Ocean Road, a 243 km stretch along the south eastern coast of Australia. The coastline is enchanting having a rocky one
side and the other side consisted of a rocky, mountain terrain. The journey concluded
at the twelve apostles, a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of
the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.
The apostles were formed as a result of erosion: the harsh and extreme weather
conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone to form
caves in the cliffs, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed; leaving
rock stacks up to 45 meters high. The uniqueness lies in
the fact of their proximity to one another. Hence, this has made for a pretty
tourist spot. Apparently, there are only eight out of twelve apostles left but
the name remains unchanged for the obvious reasons of tourism. A helicopter
ride over the same was next on the radar and by golly it was the most
unspeakable moment, really! To add to
it, the excitement was twice as much since it was my first ever ride on a helicopter!
We were later headed to Gold
Coast. I think I find it correct to put it this way; as Las Vegas is to the
USA, Gold Coast is to Australia. The
city boasts clearly of sky scrapers, clubs, theme parks, zoos and a great
coastline. Adventure rides in the Warner Brothers Movie world, pictures with a
baby koala, kangaroos, watching a dolphin show were like earning brownie points
on the visit there.
Australia is one of the wealthiest
countries in the world. Along with being
economically well off, the continent takes pride in being ecologically sound.
Although it is semi-arid, one finds a wide range of habitats, from alpine heaths
to tropical rainforests to coral reefs. One such place which has diverse
natural habitats is Cairns. The air journey from Brisbane to Cairns is only
full of resplendent views. Look out of the window and you see the Great Barrier
Reef and the small islands in it. At the Kuranda rainforest, cable cars take
you to a height above the tropical trees. It was a sight for the sore eyes! Here, there is a performing arts centre for
the aborigines; the original inhabitants of Australia and they exhibit their
life and art forms in order to attract tourists. This also helps them churn in
sufficient finances. Next on the list was an early morning Hot Air
Balloon ride to see the sunrise! An ineffable feeling on seeing the mountains,
farmlands, covered up in a blanket of fog, dew drops kangaroos frolicking
around freely in the farmlands and just like a kindergarten drawing of scenery,
the sun rising from behind the mountains stole my mind. I hadn’t encountered nature
as closely before.
At the Great Barrier Reef, a lot of
islands await you for the simple reason of taking your breath away and sending
you into a trance. The reef can be
experienced in various forms. Glass bottom boats, semi-submarines, snorkelling,
and scuba diving are some of the ways in which the tourists unwind themselves,
bask in the atmosphere and live every moment with the nature. The flora and
fauna around is terrific.
I went snorkelling at the green islands
to see the world’s biggest aquarium, the Great Barrier Reef. Tiny, colourful sea
creatures, colonies of corals and blue waters looked to me like a dream which I
was living out loud. . This Barrier Reef is visible even from the face of the moon
and I found myself blessed that day for having the opportunity to be there and
feel the place. Rising high into the sky
and then going down into the sea on the very same day. Who’d have thought of
that anyway?
The last two places we had been
to were Sydney and Canberra. Sydney is the most densely populated city in
Australia. An evening visit to the Sydney Tower, which is the tallest free
standing structure in Sydney, to see the glittering city was a thing in itself.
It is about 300 m high. Next day was the one I had been waiting for since long.
A visit to the Sydney Opera House! Designed by Danish architect, Jorn Utzon,
and completed in the year 1973, it is one of the distinctive buildings of the twentieth
century, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an architectural master
piece. My interests lie in exploring such things since I’m studying
Architecture. The first hand experience, the feel of the place, touch of it,
observing it was even more awe inspiring.
Canberra has been the capital city of
Australia since the year 1908. It is a
mere two hour drive from Sydney but very different in all aspects. To promote
Australian tourism as much as possible, the parliament house of Australia is
open for international tourists! It is an elegantly designed modern building.
Canberra houses all the government buildings of Australia since it is the
capital. A visit to the Australian War Memorial followed.
The journey back home was painful since I was
bidding adieu to the place which housed and protected me for [•] days/week(s)
just like my motherland. Nonetheless, all the memories of a wonderful plethora
of adventures and indescribable good times kept me going. I guess i was
returning home only to visit this joyful country yet again to recreate my
nostalgic moments.
Airports on this continent are
some of the massive ones with opulent architecture and clever detailing. The
major cities in Australia are shuttled between by air since they are remotely
situated from each other. I travelled on
and explored just about every mode of transport during my visit here, right
from commuting by cars to enjoying a hot air balloons. I label at least one
visit to Australia as a mandate.
I am happy to strike off one
country from my bucket list though another visit seems likely. Since my trip was time constrained, I’d visit
the places I missed out on the same And yes, my travelogue is too difficult to
manage now. Hope it becomes a lot more huge with bountiful of escapes like this.
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