Outdoor activities in Australia
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A
Manly Scenic Walkway
This epic 10km, four-hour walk tracks west from Manly through rugged Sydney Harbour National Park – wear sturdy shoes. It’s easy to forget you’re right in the middle of Sydney! Check the surf at Manly Beach then cruise down The Corso to Oceanworld on West Esplanade. Scan the view through The Heads from Fairlight Beach, and the yachts tugging on their moorings near Forty Baskets Beach. Kookaburras cackle as you enter the National Park and approach Reef Beach. The track becomes steep, sandy and rocky further into the park – keep an eye out for wildflowers, spiders in bottlebrush trees and fat goannas sunning themselves. The views from Dobroyd Head are unforgettable.…
reviewed
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B
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
At 7.5km long, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is one of the world’s longest gondola cableways and provides a bird’s-eye view over the tropical rainforest. The journey takes about 90 minutes. It includes two stops along the way and features boardwalks that have interpretive panels and passes Barron Falls (which is reduced to a small stream in the Dry). The last departure from Cairns and Kuranda is at 3.45pm; transfers to and from the terminal (15 minutes’ drive north of Cairns) and combination deals (Scenic Railway and Skyrail) are available. As space is limited, only day packs are allowed on board.
reviewed
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Werribee Trail Rides
Unless you walk in or take Katoomba’s Scenic Railway, the only way you’ll see a Blue Mountains gorge from the inside is in the Megalong Valley. A well-surfaced 9km road snakes down from Blackheath through pockets of rainforest. En route, the 600m Coachwood Glen Nature Trail features dripping fern dells, stands of mountain ash and sun-stained sandstone cliffs. A couple of kilometres further on, Werribee Trail Rides offers horse-riding packages to suit everyone. See the area pioneer-style and consider a two-day/one-night ‘Pub Crawl’ ride!
reviewed
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C
Sidney Myer Music Bowl
This beautiful amphitheatre in the park is used for a variety of outdoor events, from the Tropfest film festival to Opera in the Bowl to the New Year’s Day rave Summerdayze.
reviewed
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D
Hardrock@Verve
Not the bar franchise but an indoor climbing centre with naturalistic surfaces to 16m and city views. With a few storeys of glass frontage, the city gets to view you too.
reviewed