Leaving Darwin. More Outback Adventures

G'day from Darwin. We're on the move today headed out to our next location in the NT.

It's warmed up a little more, on its way to 103 this afternoon.

Our first stop after leaving Darwin took us to the Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River, where they truly aren't kidding about keeping your hands, arms, feet, legs, and heads inside the boat at ALL times! 

As we progressed further into the Outback, hiking and swimming were on our agenda after we arrived at the Maguk Barramundi Gorge. The water was quite refreshing with 104-degree temps...but it was a nice dry heat as the humidity hasn't arrived yet - that comes with the wet season which is their summer. As the wet season arrives, they'll layer on about 85% humidity or higher.

 

 

 

  

Corroboree 2019 - Welcome to Perth

So what exactly is this conference that brought me to Australia you ask, and why Perth?

The conference itself is called Corroboree West 2019 and is designed to provide continuing education and familiarization to travel professionals from assorted Western nations. It takes place every two years and is put on by the country's tourism authority, Tourism Australia, in an effort to help non-Aussies better know and understand what they are recommending to their clients. The reality is that you can't Google experience, and who better to invite to the country than the people working hard to sell the country to tourists? Here's a little bit about the conference itself.

"CW19 is a combined training workshop and familiarization event held exclusively for Aussie Specialist advisors from our Western markets. Here, Aussie Specialists will meet with around 100 Australian tourism operators during the workshop and networking events, followed by a six-day/five-night famil in a different part of Australia." 

And then here's a little bit about "why Perth". 

"Perth is the ideal location to host Corroboree West 2019 as it is regularly ranked in the top 10 most liveable, friendly and attractive cities in the world. The sun shines for an average of nine hours per day and finding ways to enjoy them is easy, with a huge variety of things to do. New attractions, accommodation, restaurant and food & wine offerings, cultural and entertainment precincts are continuing to change the face of Perth."

 

The conference is divided up into a combination of seminars, one-to-one networking opportunities with tourism suppliers and operators, and getting out to explore and see the city. Each day of the three-day conference will feature a little of all three of those things, as each smaller sub-group, named for native land or marine animals found only in Australia (my group is the DINGO group), will gather and do some local exploring of assorted sights in and around the greater Perth area. And then at the end of the actual conference, we'll head out for our familiarization throughout the Northern Territory and the Outback. 

On the first day of CW19, the Dingos enjoyed a tour of King's Park & Botanical Gardens, one of the largest inner-city parks in the world at over 400 hectares filled with towering trees, lakes, views of the city, WWI and WWII memorials, and the gardens feature 3,000 of Australia's 12,000 plant species.

After Kings Park, we ventured into the heart of the city to try our hand at a Segway tour, but first a little practice is required!

 

 

Following our quick training and practice, we set out to explore the city! Our Segway adventure around Perth this morning was such a kick!

 

 

 

Welcome to Australia!

Wow. Getting to Australia was both the longest individual flight, along with the longest connecting flights I've experienced yet.  16+ hours gate to gate trans-Pacific flight time from Los Angeles to Melbourne on the east coast followed 90 minutes of connecting time later by a five-hour cross-continent flight to Perth on the west coast. 21 hours in the air.  We left on Saturday night from LA, crossed the international dateline somewhere past Hawaii, and landed on Monday morning around sunrise in Melbourne, only to then fly into the early afternoon to Perth. The flights were comfortable and enjoyable for how long they were, but a bit exhausting as well.  This afternoon our smaller group (we assembled at LAX) is meeting up with the larger group attending this conference and heading over to check in to our hotel.  Then we've been the afternoon and evening off to explore and/or relax and refresh as we see fit until the conference actually begins tomorrow morning.  With so little free time, I'm not going to just hang out at the pool or bar like some of my groupmates are...I'm off to do some exploring! 

 

 

 

 

 

My visit to Rottnest Island wasn't as long as I may have wanted due to our arrival in Perth and ferry schedules, but it was worth it to visit! It's a great day-destination when visiting Western Australia, and Perth. There's so much to do to stay active or relax, from tons of water activities, tours, hiking, biking, birding, and more! Plus it's home to the world's friendliest mammal, the Quokka.

After Rottnest, I went to Cottlesloe Beach and joined many dozens of locals gathered to simply enjoy the sunset. Picnics and lawn chairs and blankets were spread out everywhere on the surrounding hills, as families and small children played in the water or on the sand building sandcastles. It was a great first-day introduction to this beautiful side of the country!

 

 

I'm Heading Down Under!

I have wanted to be able to go visit Australia since 1984 when Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie - along with Mrs. Garrett, all went there during the "Facts of Life Down Under" episodes of The Facts of Life. It has always been a far-off, magical kind of place. Shortly after that "Crocodile Dundee" hit theatres, and the mystique only grew. 

 

  

When I got into the travel business, I knew that selling far-off lands was part of the gig, but also something that I needed to be better versed in.  Last year at GTM West, I met with the Australia Tourism Board and another vendor specializing in Down Under vacations, and the desire grew once again. When I was invited to attend Corroboree 2019 I became ecstatic.  And now here I am... about to depart on my flight to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time!  I'm so excited to able to attend this Conference, as well as experience for myself some of the wonders of two of the territories within that amazing country/continent.  I'll be in Western Australia for the first part of the conference, and then my smaller group from the conference will be heading north to the Northern Territory for our familiarization trek. I'm sure there will be a number of posts and things shared over the coming week and a half, but for now, the next 16+ hours are the journey there, and thanks to crossing the international dateline as we head west, we'll jump ahead a day. I'm excited about all that lies ahead and hope to be able to share some really cool stuff along the way. 

 

Tuesday Trivia - Walt Disney World Horticulture

A big part of the "living backdrop" for the stories being told throughout each of the Disney Parks around the globe - horticulture, or landscaping - plays a tremendous role in the various stories that come to life in such places as Adventureland, Fantasyland and Frontierland.  When Walt Disney World was in the planning stages, one of the first things to be done was to establish a "tree farm."  Disney horticulturalists set aside a 145-acre farm beginning in 1967, where seeds and unrooted cuttings were brought in from destinations around the world, including such far-off locales as Australia and Africa.  Young trees were relocated from California, Texas and other states, as well as surrounding communities.  In doing so quickly, the horticultural team was able to assess which trees and plants not typically grown in Central Florida would or would not adapt to their new home, thereby aiding in the development of suitable "living backdrops" for such highly themed attractions as the "Jungle Cruise", "Tom Sawyer Island" and more.

Tips on Thursday - Riding the Wave

Welcome to wave season - the best time to book your next cruise vacation. It happens every year. Between January through the end of March, all the cruise lines offer their very best deals of the year on cruises to just about every corner of the globe. There are some outstanding early booking incentives and extras that can vary from cruise line to cruise line. Some of the most common of the incentives include:

• Special Pricing
• Extra Value Offers
• On-Board Credits
• Cabin Upgrades (usually within the same category)
• Reduced Deposits
• On-Board Coupon Booklets

Family summer vacation to the Caribbean on Royal Caribbean, sure why not? River cruise through Paris and Normandy, no problem. Cruise through the Mediterranean on the coolest ship ever, Norwegian Epic we’ve got it! Anniversary trip to a long dreamed about trek down under to Australia or New Zealand on Princess Cruises? OK! Taking a trek to the great northern wonderland of Alaska with Disney? No problem. 

If you haven't already received the January issue of the Cruise Planner Magazine, visit my website today to be sure and sign up for the next issue coming out in July. It's packed full of Wave Season specials that will get you thinking about your next vacation. And until then, why not sign-up for my weekly ePostcard, using the special "Travel Deals" green box here, which will provide 4-6 exclusive offers and discounts directly to your email's inbox each week. You never know when inspiration will strike and the sea calls you. Why not be ready to answer the call and this question:

Where would you like to go?