Western Australia Travel Guide
5/13/2008 at 12:30 PM
Tags: Sharks, Animals, Killer Beaches 2008, Beaches, Dangerous Travel, Killer-Beaches-2008 (all tags)
We love Australia. It's gotta be the only country in the world where a swimmer who gets attacked by a shark laughs off the experience from his hospital bed.
After the 16-foot animal--believed to be a great white--bit swimmer Jason Cull on Saturday, he calmly tried to work himself out of trouble:
It banged straight into me ... I sort of punched it, and it grabbed me by the leg and dragged me under the water. I just remember being dragged backwards underwater. I felt along it, I found its eye and I poked it in the eye, and that's when it let go.
Ah, the old poke-it-in-the-eye trick: Works every time!
As for Middleton Beach, it was closed after the attack, and a couple more sharks were reported in the wake of Cull's encounter. Sounds like a good candidate for our Killer Beaches Map.
Related Stories:
· Australian Pokes Shark in Eye to Survive [AP, via Google]
· Sharks coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: natmeister]
by pbb
4/02/2008 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Australia Travel, Tourist Attractions, Wine Travel, Attractions (all tags)
That odd cluster of old stones in Britain that they call Stonehenge didn't really fascinate us last time we dropped by: With a ticket cost of £6.30 ($12) just to wander past a few rocks, we felt like we lacked the scientific and historical interest to really make it worthwhile.
But we rather like the sound of a fake Stonehenge being planned for the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia. And we like it because of that key word, "wine."
You see, "The Henge" is designed both to attract tourists to this growing vineyard area, and to entice locals to celebrate parties and weddings there. Unlike the real Stonehenge, you'll be able to get right up amongst the stones. They say it'll be ready for the solstice on December 21 this year.
Of course, being in the southwest of Australia makes it a lot further from most of the world than England's Stonehenge. But if you feel the urge to combine a beach and wine vacation with something resembling historically accurate monuments, The Henge at Margaret River is the place.
Related Stories:
· Australia To Build Fake Stonehenge for Wine Tourists [Reuters]
· Western Australia Travel Guide [Jaunted]
· Tourist Attractions coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: moonpie]
by amandak
12/03/2007 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Australia Travel, Prison Museums, Jail Tours (all tags)
Prisons might seem like solemn places, but they're also the kind of tourist attraction just waiting for endless jokes about leaving the annoying tour group member behind, or for threatening your children if they misbehave. In Western Australia, the Fremantle Prison is a historic building yet was being used for high security prisoners right up until 1991.
Hop a tour round the Fremantle Prison and you'll remember why you don't want to rob a bank any time soon. Exercise yards are tiny and the guide might show you some of the spots where the guards couldn't see; that's where the worst of the fighting took place. You can also see the gallows where the worst of the worst were hanged until Australia outlawed capital punishment.
This place still feels as creepy as a prison, but if broad daylight isn't scary enough for you, try the candlelit night tour, or get into the low boats that follow tunnels under the prison. And just remember to do what the guides tell you, or you might be distressed by the consequences. They're still carrying an awful lot of keys around.
Related Stories:
· Fremantle Prison [Official Site]
· Jail Tours Coverage[Jaunted]
· Western Australia Travel coverage [Jaunted]
by amandak
5/02/2007 at 9:27 AM
Tags: Chocolate (all tags)
Chocaholics visiting Western Australia have two great options to add to their waistlines, with the award-winning Margaret River Chocolate Factory having two outlets now. There's their large factory in Margaret River itself (great wine country!) and a café and outlet in Perth's Swan Valley wine region. At both spots you can buy their products or just spend hours haunting the tasting bowls, where you can endlessly scoop up your choice of white, milk or dark chocolate buds for free.
But just skim-reading the list of chocolate products on their website makes us swoon: from Almond Seashells to Cookie Cream Delight and a Strawberry Cream in white chocolate ... the calories are piling on over the net. But if you're actually there and traveling, you'll be so active that you'' be able to afford a few indulgences. Or if you're too worried about putting that chocolate on the inside, snap up some of their chocolate massage oil instead and get the good choc vibes on the outside.
[Photo: Rob & Jules]
Related Stories:
· Hotels in Margaret River [HotelChatter]
· Londoners Are Pigs (When Chocolate's Around) [Jaunted]
by amandak
4/20/2007 at 9:35 AM
Tags: Museums, Boats, Sailing (all tags)
Knowing that most Aussies live near the water, it should come as no surprise that a museum related to watery things is a big attraction there. And that's why a visit to the Maritime Museum in Western Australia should place near the top of your sightseeing list in Perth.
As well as exhibits on naval defense, fishing and cargo carrying to Australia, the museum is very proud to have created a building especially to house the Australia II yacht, an important boat for Aussies since they won the 1983 America's Cup with it, taking the trophy out of the US for the first time in history. Just outside you can take a tour of a decommissioned submarine and try to imagine just how anyone can motor around inside a submerged tin can for any length of time without going batty. Fortunately, that tour only lasts about an hour.
[Photo: hangdog]
Related Stories:
· Australian for Museum [Jaunted]
by amandak
4/16/2007 at 10:24 AM
Tags: Animals, Events, Cars (all tags)
Little country towns will do anything to attract attention. Corrigin in Western Australia has already put itself on the map with its dog cemetery, but apparently that's not enough. That's why for the last decade, Corrigin has been the proud host to several Dog in a Ute world record attempts.
To clarify that a bit, a "ute" in Australia is what others would call a pickup truck, and the Dog in a Ute record refers to how many vehicles with a dog on the back can form a queue in a field. Of course. But Dog in a Ute is a serious business and the rules are very strict, too:
Every ute entered must have a live real dog in or on the ute in the queue to be counted. No stuffed dogs or fake ones permitted. This is absolutely unchangeable. If you come without a dog we will endeavour to provide a pooch for you if we can but no promises are made. There are no size restrictions on a dog large or small.
While the world record stands at 1527 (set in Corrigin back in 2002), the last attempt to break the record in 2005 turned up only 1325 dogs on the backs of pickups. Definitely room for improvement so get your truck and pooch ready for next time.
[Photo: RaeA]
Related Stories:
· Burying Man's Best Friend [Jaunted]
· Before You Head Down Under [Jaunted]
by amandak
4/11/2007 at 9:20 AM
Tags: Cemeteries, Tourist Attractions, Animals, Death (all tags)
When you're a town of just 1200 people, kind of in the middle of nowhere and not on the route to anywhere, really, you have to dig deep to find a way to attract tourists. Or, you have to dig holes for dogs.
And, we're a bit sorry to say, not the same holes that dogs love to dig for themselves. At Corrigin's Dog Cemetery in south-west Australia, over 80 dogs who've given up the mortal life are buried. Each has its own headstone, many with touching messages about their loyalty and friendliness. A few Snoopys and more than enough Busters lie in the cemetery, and the care that still goes on around the gravesites makes it worth a visit for pure amazement value.
The good news? You can bury your own dog here if you want, and it doesn't even cost a cent.
[Photo: Photo-matt]
Related Stories:
· Disney's Dogs No Longer [Jaunted]
· Highgate Cemetery [Jaunted]
by amandak
11/21/2006 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Australia, Nature, National Parks, Tourist Attractions (all tags)
Ever wondered what flying birds really see in the middle of a forest? You can get a genuine bird's-eye view in southwest Australia at the aptly-named
Tree Top Walk. Easily found on the road between the towns of Denmark and Walpole, the series of bridges make a loop around and over some spectacular old forest in the
Walpole-Nornalup National Park.
But don't start climbing around on top of the forest if you have any kind of fear of heights. Although promoters make a big deal out of the fact that this structure is built to be especially stable and secure--and even wheelchair accessible--it still does its fair share of wobbling. Signs at each platform warn that they can hold only 20 people, and that each span between a platform is only safe for 10. The view is definitely spectacular, but life as a bird would be a lot easier. Or watch their
Virtual Tree Top Walk to get half the fun with half the fear.
[Photo:
sarcasticmac]
by amandak
