A liquid escapade … or two

City News

Dominic Dietrich
May 24, 2012

Water Adventure

Jet skiing in NSW

Ask anyone who has gone jet skiing and they all paint a picture of unimpeachable fun. “It’s like riding a motorcycle, except when you come off there’s no damage,” my brother once told me. Fast, nimble motorbikes of the ocean, jet skis provide a perfect antidote to those requiring an adrenaline hit.

They also provide one of the best ways to enjoy the winter waters of New South Wales. You’re rarely in the water.

Due to their status as noisy, pesky little things (by those not actually on the jet-ski, it should be said), it can be hard to find places to go riding within New South Wales. Yet they do exist.

Nelson Bay Jet ski hire, in Port Stephens, provides single and double seater jet skis. On the south coast Southern Water Sports in Batehaven also hires out the craft. Neither of these businesses require a license to ride.

Nelson Bay Jet ski hire: 0417 538 754

Southern Water Sports in Batehaven: 0410 526 594

Free-diving the Great Barrier Reef

One of the wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef is a must. To view it you have the standard option of SCUBA diving and snorkelling. Then there is the more unique technique of free-diving.

The sport involves dipping beneath the waves with nothing more than a pair of flippers (if that). The diver skirts the ocean’s bed, happening upon idle shoals and looking under cliffs and into reef beds, before returning to the surface. It is like SCUBA diving with none of the restricting impediments of the breathing apparatus.

Both meditative and mesmerising, it feels like flying. Of course, do your homework before you set out. Free diving, like any good adventure, is not risk free. Never go out alone.

Free-dive operators are rare, but Wavelength, located in Port Douglas, provides tours tailored to snorkelers and free divers.

The more traditional options remain. Reef Trip, Diving Cairns, Dive Australia, and DiveTheReef provide several choices for those simply wanting to snorkel or SCUBA dive.

Wavelength: www.wavelength.com.au (07) 4099 5031

Reef Trip: www.reeftrip.com/cairns/index.htm, (07) 4051 5777

Diving Cairns: www.divingcairns.com.au (07) 4041 7536

Dive Australia: www.scubacentre.com.au, 7 4946 1067

DiveTheReef: www.divethereef.com 1-800-101-319

Hobie Catting in Bali

There is nothing quite so fine as escaping the winter months to arrive in warm, tropical seas. An exquisite way to spice an already satiating meal is to include a simple vessel in your plans: the Hobie Cat.

Hobie cats are small, twin hulled sailing boats with a mesh for a deck. They generally support a crew of one to two people, and are not too difficult to sail, though beginners will likely enjoy the assistance of an experienced skipper.

Few experiences are quite so exhilarating as leaning over the edge of a Hobie Cat, a rigging of ropes holding you in place, the sea skimming just beneath you, and the islands of an archipelago fleeting by as the wind rips you across the ocean’s surface.

Known more for its nightlife and less for its water sports, Bali is a choice destination to take your first or fiftieth step aboard a Hobie Cat. Resorts offering lessons, boat hire and optional skipper include Blue Oasis Beach Club on Sanur Beach and Amankila Resort overlooking the Lombok Strait. A word of advice: life jackets are a must. Don’t accept excuses to the contrary.

Blue Oasis Beach Club: www.blueoasisbeachclub.com

Amankila Resort: www.amanresorts.com/amankila/home.aspx

Rest and Relaxation

A wine tour of Mudgee

Wine and relaxation have been connected since times yore. The end of a hard day’s work is lightened by a glass or two. It should come as little surprise, then, that the grape beverage provides the perfect fodder for a relaxing getaway.

The plan is simple: explore the rich cropping of vineyards in the Mudgee region just west of the Blue Mountains.

It is an excuse to sip wine, while lazily drifting amongst rolling, golden hills. Develop a grasp for merlot versus shiraz, sauvignon blanc versus riesling, and why rose can – in some very rare circumstances – be considered an acceptable beverage.

Try your hand at smaller vineyards such as the Bunnamagoo Estate and De Beaurepaire Wines. Or perhaps look into Louee Wines, Robert Stein Wines or Elliote Rock Estate.

Bunnamagoo Estate: bunnamagoowines.com.au, 02 6373 3046

Louee Wines, www.lowewine.com.au, 02 6372 0800

De Beaurepaire Wines: debeaurepairewines.com, 0429 787 705

Robert Stein Wines: www.robertstein.com.au 02 6373 3991

Elliote Rock Estate: elliotrockeestate.com, 02 6372 7722

The Billabongs of Kakadu

The wetlands and billabongs of the Northern Territory – brilliant gifts of geography and wildlife – provide a prime location to rest and recharge.

The Kakadu National Park offers a rich selection of wetlands including Yellow Water, with one-and-a-half to two hour cruises on offer, including a sunset and a night time option. Bird watchers may find much to their liking. Meanwhile, those who like fishing can embark on a tour in pursuit of the billabong’s barramundi.

Then there is the Mamukala Wetlands – considered most striking during the late dry season period between September and October. It is during this time that thousands of magpie geese congregate to feed. Water lilies also bedeck the water.

Finally, if you’re still not relaxed, there is always Gunlom. Swim in a plunge pool, or walk to the top of a nearby waterfall to view a sweep of the southern-most parts of Kakadu National Park.

For more information, including destinations, accommodation and equipment check out ww.kakadunationalparkaustralia.com. Meanwhile, www.gagudju-dreaming.com has information on a selection of Yellow Water Cruises.

The calming beauty of Halong Bay and Sapa

Some call it stunning, others magnificent, some – lost for the traditional adjectives – simply describe it as “absurd”. The northern reaches of Vietnam provide more than a few opportunities to be at once calm and in awe. Halong Bay, east of the country’s capital Hanoi, could be considered top of that list.

The bay, a UNESCO world heritage site, features thousands of limestone islets and peaks bursting out of the sea and provides an unreasonably simple pathway to tranquillity: a cruise through the dramatic formations on a traditional junk boat.

Then consider venturing north to the beautiful terraced paddies of Sapa. The more adventurous may look to hike the nearby peaks; the more sedate may pursue the calmer option of sipping a beer while taking in a view of the valleys.

Those tired of the calm can then head south to the bustle of Hanoi, or even Saigon. Those still intent on serenity might consider a journey into neighbouring Laos, notably the quiet, calming streets and monasteries of Luang Prabang.

Intrepid Travel (www.intrepidtravel.com) organises a cruise in Halong Bay. Look for the Halong Bay Junk Cruise.