#9 best destination in the world

Cairns Esplanade Lagoon

2880px-Australia,_Queensland,_Cairns,_The_Lagoon

  • The Lagoon on the Cairns Esplanade is separated by a boardwalk from the ocean

Paronella Park

60216769_8269dcf455_z

  • Park opened in 1935 that offers tours

Great Barrier Reef

E011_rt-featured.jpg

  • World’s largest coral reef
  • World’s biggest single structure made by living organisms
  • Composed of 900 islands stretching for 1,400 miles
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven_Beach,_Whitsunday_Island,_Queensland.jpg

  • Beach known for its crystal white silica sands and turquoise colored waters
  • #22 of the top 25 beaches in the world

Fraser Island

1920px-Indian_Head_view_on_Fraser_Island_(May_2016).jpg

  • Largest sand island in the world
  • Made up of sand that has been accumulating for 750,000 years on volcanic bedroom
  • Inhabited by humans for as much as 5,000 years
  • Named after stories of a shipwreck survivor named Eliza Fraser
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

Newnes Glowworm Tunnel

glow-worm-tunnel-walk-02

  • Disused railway tunnel between Lithgow, New South Wales and Newnes, New South Wales, Australia
  • It is notable for its resident glow-worms, the bioluminescent larvae of Arachnocampa richardsae, a type of fungus gnat

SS Ayrfield

lZXbVS9KKMtQPCVtsCX8_1082122033

  • Former cargo freighter and current floating forest, the SS Ayrfield is a shipwreck, locked in Homebush Bay
  • Homebush Bay was once a center of industry, unfortunately contaminated with toxic waste and is now a commercial and residential suburb of Sydney after having been refurbished by the economic boom brought on by the 2000 Olympic games
  • Four freighters once used to transport coal, oil, and war supplies, the ships were eventually decommissioned and simply left where they floated.
  • Inside the SS Ayrfield, is a forest of mangrove trees
  • Built in 1911

Sydney Opera House

Sydney_Opera_House_01.jpg

  • Multi-venue performing arts center in Sydney
  • #20 of the top 25 landmarks in the world
  • Opened in 1973
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

Blue Mountains (New South Wales)

Jamison_Valley,_Blue_Mountains,_Australia_-_Nov_2008

  • The Blue Mountains Range comprises a range of mountains, and plateau escarpments extending off the Great Dividing Range
  • Since the early 2010s, the region’s biodiversity and infrastructure has been severely affected by massive bushfires of unprecedented size and impact
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

Gippsland Lakes Bioluminescence

cccd8aa227089b5c063d909b27722b27

  • Due to flooding in 2011, Gippsland Lakes experienced blooms of bioluminescent Noctiluca scintillans

William Ricketts Sanctuary

5017421675_967d34ecea_b

  • The artist, William Ricketts, is remembered by his works at this forest sanctuary for contemplation

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

1920px-RBGV_MG_Ornamental_Lake2017

  • Founded in 1846
  • 897 acres that slope to the river with trees, garden beds, lakes and lawns
  • Dedicated to Australian plants
  • A generally wild site which is significant for biodiversity conservation
  • Visitors can explore native bushland, heathlands, wetlands and woodlands

The Twelve Apostles (Victoria)

The_Twelve_Apostles_2011.jpg

  • Group of limestone stacks off the store of Victoria
  • Formed by erosion in the harsh and extreme weather conditions of the Southern Ocean
  • Of the original 12, only 8 Apostles are left
  • The 9th Apostle dramatically collapsed in 2005

Adelaide Central Market

1920px-Adelaide_Central_Market

  • Offers a huge range of fresh food including fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, cheeses, bakery, smallgoods and health foods, along with cafes and eateries
  • Adelaide Central Market remains the food mecca for multicultural cuisine and fresh produce
  • Oldest food retail market in its original location in Australia

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

1920px-Uluru_(Helicopter_view)-crop.jpg

  • Park with a large sandstone rock formation sacred to the Pitjantjatjara Anangu Aboriginal people of the area
  • Around the formation is an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site

Wave Rock

Wave_rock_(2005).jpg

  • Natural rock formation shaped like a breaking ocean wave

Kings Park and Botanic Garden

Kings-Park-TWA-Kings-Park-and-Botanic-Garden.jpg

  • 44 acre botanic garden with 2,000 species of Western Australian flora on display
  • Home to over half of Australia’s 25,000 plant species

The Pinnacles (Western Australia)

Pinnacles_pano_2005-08-26.jpg

  • Limestone formations which came from seashells in an earlier era that was rich with marine life
  • Shells were broken down into sands that were blown inland to form high mobile dunes
  • The way in which the Pinnacles were formed is subject to debate

Bungle Bungle Range

Purnululu2 (1).jpg

  • Beehive-shaped towers made up of sandstones and rocks such as pebbles and boulders cemented together by finer material
  • Emerged 375-350 million years ago when active faults were altering the landscape
  • Wind and rainfall over millions of years shaped the domes

Costs

Number of Days: 33 days

Best Time To Fly: Sept-Oct

Airline tickets: $4,564

Seattle -> Cairns (one way) = $1,276
Cairns -> Hamilton Island (one way) = $316
Hamilton Island -> Brisbane (one way) = $245
Brisbane -> Sydney (one way) = $72
Sydney -> Melbourne (one way) = $70
Melbourne -> Adelaide (one way) = $95
Adelaide -> Alice Springs (one way) = $169
Alice Springs -> Perth (one way) = $289
Perth -> Kununurra (round trip) = $757
Kununurra -> Purnululu National Park (round trip) = $480
Perth -> Seattle (one way) = $795

Food: $44/day x 33 days = $1,452

Rental car: $1,638

$63/day x 26 days = $1,638

Gas: $206

Entertainment: $1,039

Airbnb: $108/day x 32 days = $3,456

TOTAL: $12,355