Beautiful in Oz

Jan 21 2009 Kim Pilling Discovers The Wildlife - And The Wild Life - In Queensland, Surrey Herald

Beautiful One Day - Perfect the Next' may not be quite as forthright an advertising blurb as the 'So Where The Bl**dy Hell Are You?' slogan famously chosen by Tourism Australia, but it's still a confident statement.

Aussies are not normally prone to hyperbole but they do like to shout to the rooftops when they have something to be proud of.

Our journey, billed as a tour of Eccentric Queensland, took in bush walking, rainforest trekking, pumpabiking (a sort of human-powered hydrofoil), reef snorkelling, wining, dining and stand-up paddle surfing, among other activities.

We began in Cairns, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in the far north of the state.

A short walk from our hotel led us to the town's reef fleet terminal and a full-day catamaran cruise to Michaelmas Cay.

We enjoyed an afternoon snorkelling in the turquoise sea, surrounding the tiny coral island and then took a seat on a semi-submersible vessel, which provided stunning views of the reef, and of the giant sea turtles. Throw in a tasty buffet lunch on board and at a total cost of £48, that's great value.

A 'swaggie' - an original Aussie bushman - awaited us later that evening at Cairns Night Zoo, and he led the way for a nocturnal view of some native critters.

We got to pat the koalas, feed hungry kangaroos around a campfire and got up close - but not too close - and personal with venomous spiders, snakes and crocodiles.

Our light-hearted fun evening had begun with a traditional barbecue and culminated with a practical lesson in bush dances like the Heel and Toe Polka. Even my two left feet could cope with the moves.

The torches were out again shortly after our arrival at our outback lodge accommodation. They were handy for avoiding snakes when making your way to the loos in thedark.

After 'slumming it' in the outback we headed back into the rainforest for a luxury night's stay at Voyages Silky Oaks Lodge at the foot of the Mossman River Gorge, popular with honeymooning couples.

It's a beautiful resort but I fell into a panic when it dawned on me there was no telly in the room. However, I grudgingly conceded that catching Neighbours might not be top of the activity list for newlyweds.

All too soon it was goodbye Mossman River Gorge and 'g'day' to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world.

We landed on the spectacular 75-mile beach of the World Heritage site. Fraser Island is a truly wondrous place, home to a sprawling rainforest, more than 100 beautiful freshwater lakes and even a shipwreck.

We spent the night at the island's four-star Kingfisher Bay resort, where we got into I'm A Celebrity mode with a bushtucker 'taste trial' in the restaurant. Several glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and the stunning sunset view sweetened my palate.

Last stop was Brisbane, the state capital, Brisbane has its own bridge climb to rival Sydney Harbour and the recently opened Gallery of Modern Art has already attracted exclusive exhibitions of Warhol and Picasso to the city.

You can even explore the city by pumpabiking down the Brisbane River. Basically, it's an aquatic pogo with the promise of a free ride 'if your pants stay dry'.

Is Queensland really 'Beautiful One Day -Perfect the Next'? Mate, it's a cracker.

* Kim Pilling flew to Queensland as a guest of Tourism Queensland and Austravel with JAL. Austravel offers two weeks discovering the best of Queensland - with a two-night stopover in Tokyo - starting at £2,620 per person, (based on two sharing) including return flights from London and room-only accommodation. See www.austravel.com  or call 0844 412 4620. Valid until 30 June 2009.