ayers rock (northen territory, australia)

ayers rock - changing colors...

when i saw some of the typical australian tourist postcards, showing ayers rock in 10 different colors, i always thougt that this is not natural - and it's made by photoshop. but then i took some pictures myself - during the day, at suset and sunrise.

when standing there you don't realise that ayers rock alia uluru is changing the color so much. but after i developed the slides at home and looking at them - i couldn't believe how many different colors ayers rock can have.

i hope you can get an impression when watching the pictures.....


more information on ayers rock:

• ayers rock
• outback
• adelaide to alice springs
• australia car rental
• alice springs tours
  

the whitsundays (queensland, australia)

well, i know that australia has uncountable amzing places - but still, a few are really a must. so, here is something again you really have to do when you visit the eastcoast of australia!!! ;-)

it is a trip to the amazing whitsunday islands!!!

it's really unbelievable how white the beaches of theses islands are. the most popular beach is for sure the whitehaven beach and on the right end of this beach is the famous hill inlet. to see whitsunday islands you have different possibilities - there are offered hundreds of tours and trips.

there are trips offered with a sailing ship - something for people who have a little bit more time, and trips with motorboats. all trips and tours actually are stopping at the same places actually - so it just depends on you!

the two pictures above show the amzing hill inlet!! - it said to be on of the 10 most beautifull beaches in the world! - well, i believe it ;-)

in the first picture you even can see our boat.

the best place to book and start your tour to the whitsundays is airlie beach. airlie beach offers a lot of hotels and hostels - it's really a meetingpoint for backpackers!

some links for further information:

• great barrier reef holidays

• sailing whitsundays

• whitsundays holiday accommodation

• the whitsundays
  

• great barrier reef islands
  

fraser island (queensland)

Fraser Island!!

....if you are in australia - and travelling up (or down) the eastcoast, be sure to have 3 or even 5 days time for fraser island!!! its situated between brisbane and cairns.
this island has really everything you can imagine!


driving with 60mph on the beach!!!

it's said to be the largest island made of sand in the world. best thing to do is to take the barge to the island an drive there with your 4wd (if you dont have one - u can rent them in harvey bay). barges leave from rainbow beach and harvey bay. it's an island that provides everything - lakes, rainforest, dunes, shipwrecks, .... i stayed there for 4 days. it's a good place and chance to get your 4wd to know. ;-)

if you don't want to hire or buy a car, there are also a lot of tours offered to explore the island.
only 4wd are allowed to access the island - but if you dont have your own, you can rent them in hervey bay or rainbow beach.


as whole fraser island is a national park (and a world heritage area), you have to get a permission to drive there. permits are sold in harvey bay and rainbow beach. - and bring all your food with you, as shopping in the small stores on the island is very expensive and not everything you might need is sold there.


if you are afraid of driving on your own, there are a lot of tours (eg. 3 day fraser island safaris )offered also!

• fraser island tour
• hervey bay accommodation
• 4wd australia
• australia car rental
  

buying/selling a car in australia

..this was my car for two years. it was just a few years younger than me - but it did a very good job. it was a toyota hilux with a diesel engine. if you really want to see australia you actually have to buy (or rent) a 4WD. as soon as you spend more than approximatly 12 weeks in down under it's cheaper to buy a car (and re-sell it again) than to rent one. many people are afraid of buying a car in a foreign country, but for australia, i can say it is even easier to buy and register a car there than it's here in austria!!! but, if you plan to buy a car - u should at least plan one week for buying and another week for selling the car. it took me just about 45 minutes to get an insurance and the registration. to be sure that you can easily resell you car - sell in the state where it is registrated. the same thing is if you have to extend your registration - it's much easier to do it in the state where the car is registrated!!!

...."the first footprint".

Again one of my absolute favorite pictures. it was taken on a sanddune near rainbow beach (queensland, australia). offcourse this is a sunset picture again - the best time for shooting really nice holiday pictures. from rainbow beach a smal barge can carry to fraser island (it leaves from the beach and brings you to the beach).

related links and topics:

• cheap flight to australia
• low cost flights
• holidays offers
  

Devils Marbles - Northern Teritory - Australia

devils marbles (just between alice springs and darwin ;-) ). it's really worth a stop because there isn't really something else to take pictures of on this bloody long way. best time to be there - sunrise or sunset - then you have the best light to take really amazing pictures. some more photos of the devils marbles will follow soon.

Fraser Island - Queensland - Australia

another one of my favourite pictures - lake makenzie on fraser island (queensland, australia). a freshwater lake with a white sandy beach. thats really close to paradise - no sharks, no stingers, no crocodiles, no stingrays!!!

Eucla Dunes - Australia

...thats me at the eucla-dunes just in the middle of the long long nullabor road (so actually thats what you really can call "in the middle of nowhere!"). but it was really worth to ride all the long way on the nullabor with my car. i really wouldn't have missed it. Offcourse it is quite tough for the car as well as for the driver, but still it's something you have to do when you visit australia! but, be sure to have a good car and a good insurance ;-)

first post!!

just started here with my blog. maybe you are wondering about the name "down under" - it's just because i'm a real big fan of australia!

Till now i have made 3 journeys to australia and spend more than 8 months in that fantastic country. This is also what my bloy will be about - travelling, backpacking, outdoor, outback and wilderness.

so far - i just have to get used to the features of this blog.

yours, daniel!