The tour headquarters was the Shearton Towers on the Riverwalk
Yarra River runs through Melbourne and provides a great view of the city from the modern riverwalk paths.
Melbourne features both modern and traditional English architecture. Victoria Station (above) is center piece of old England along with many streetcars, shown below.
Second night of tour featured the a unique dining experience on a Melbourne street car (above). The street car moved about Melbourne's tracks, providing a great view of the city, while the enjoying a great dining experience.(below)
Photo from Jacobs family
Cities in Australia had beautiful gardens, parks and musuems. Melbourne Museum provided history and a functioning rain forest.
Next day the group flew to Sydney and started the day with a trip to Bondi Beach. Then on to tour quarters in the Inter-Continental Hotel.
Inter-Continental Hotel is the old Treasury Building and provides a full view of the Opera House and the Sydney Bridge.
The tour spent the afternoon on a boat tour of Sydney harbor, or as James Cook aptly named it, 'Botany Bay'. View from boat (below) provided stunning views of the Bridge and Opera House.
Photo from Jacobs family
After the harbor tour, the group was treated to a full tour of the inside of the Opera House.
The next day the tour was off in search of Australia's animals!!! After a drive through the northern subburbs to the Pennant Hill Koala Sanctuary, many animals were found and members were allowed to get up close and personal!
Koala were every bit as cuddly as imagined
Kangroos were very friendly and the tour group enjoyed them!
The Wombat was a curious character
Austrailian Dingo dog is a descendent of the wild dog of the Australian outback, and remains wild, like the North American wolf.
Next it was back in the air to Queensland and the town of Carins. The tour spent the afternoon at the Tjapukai Center of Aborigine culture.
Their culture goes back thousands of years. The demonstrations included dancing, fire making, boomarang throwing and cooking.
Next stop was the Kewarra Beach Resort north of Cairns. The tour was treated to tour of the jungle by the local ranger. Weather was very 'sticky' and tropical rain and sun alternated every few minutes.
Next morning early we boarded the Quicksilver all aluminum boat for the Great Barrier Reef and a day of snorkeling and viewing underwater life, including massive coral growth.
Photo from Jacobs familyThis was the mid point of the tour and it was goodbye Australia and off to New Zealand!!!
Continue photo tour to New Zealand
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