The Star Malaysia - Star2

TIME TO CHILL

Seven places to enjoy the great wide outdoors and more in Australia this winter.

- By MING TEOH star2trave­l@thestar.com.my

any season is a good time to visit australia, but if you’re visiting during winter, there are many places to see and stuff to do.

1. Blue Mountains, New South Wales

If you’re headed to new South Wales, visit the Blue Mountains for its crisp, refreshing chill mountain air and clear blue skies. What’s close by are cliffs, waterfalls and lagoons, caves, pine and eucalyptus trees, gardens, and many hiking trails.

There are also trails that you can track in a day such as Jenolan River Walk, Leura Cascades Fern Bower, or national Pass Track. For overnight trails, head to Mount Solitary, and Six Foot Walking Track.

2. Barossa Valley, South Australia

Far from the madding summer crowd, you can take your winery visit at a more relaxing pace this winter at Barossa Valley in South australia. Enjoy the warm fireplace while you sip your wine and sample the local produce at one of the many wine cellars located at Barossa. Even if you don’t drink wine, there a many cosy cafes for you to check out.

Apart from that, there’s the Barossa Farmers Market where you can get a taste of the local fare.

3. Rottnest Island, Western Australia

If you’re looking for some peace and quiet, then you might like visiting Rottnest Island, Western australia. Go on an adventure tour or walking tour to explore the wilder, rockier part of Rottnest. Discover the history of the island when you visit Thomson Bay Settlement, Kingston Barracks and Bickley Point, and Rottnest Island Museum.

Whale watching is another winter activity you can do around Rottnest.

4. Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

It’s dry season up north during winter and a good time to visit Kakadu national Park. Here, you can enjoy bush walking and camping, boating and soak in the beauty of waterfalls such as Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls. Don’t worry if you want to combine some activities closer to civilisati­on while exploring the Great Outback. There are also plenty of stuff to enjoy at Darwin where the closest airport is located.

5. Bunya National Park, Queensland

a tall forest of bunya pines towers over a rainforest along a mountain range. This is what you’ll see at Bunya national Park. The Bunya Mountains were traditiona­lly used by the aborigines as a meeting place for the many tribes throughout the area, where they feasted on the bunya nuts from the trees. The family-friendly national park is great for bird-and-wildlife watching, bush walking, camping, and picnicking. There are over 120 species of birds found here. you might even spot the ringtail possum or red-necked wallabies at night, and hear dingoes howling in the distance too.

6. Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria

Immerse yourself in pristine nature this winter when you visit one of the national parks in Victoria. Wilsons Promontory national Park offers scenic beaches and coastlines, forests, huge granite mountains, and walking trails. you can go on a nature hike, whip up those binoculars to spot birds and wildlife, and go camping. Chance upon kangaroos, emus, wombats, and colourful birds like rosellas on one of your nature walks.

7. Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania

at Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair national Park, which is part of Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage area, you can go on the Enchanted Walk which takes you through crystal frost-tinged rainforest­s, cascading rivers, and wombat burrows. Explore Dove Lake at the foot of Cradle Mountain’s black spires, and walk around Lake St Clair, Tasmania’s deepest freshwater lake. you can also explore the aborigine sites at Cradle Valley on the aborigine Cultural Walk.

If you’re up for it, you can embark on the famous six-day Overland Track. This starts from Weindorfer’s Chalet, and passes by spectacula­r mountains on the way to Lake St Clair. If you’re lucky, you might spot the Tasmanian devil, wombat, wallabies, as well as some bird species.

Getting there

Singapore airlines flies to six destinatio­ns in australia via Singapore; adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, while its regional wing, Silkair, flies to Cairns and Darwin. Both airlines fly more than 100 times weekly to Singapore from Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu).

Maximum inflight comfort is ensured in newly-refurbishe­d Economy Class which offers more space and greater comfort with more legroom and back support, and a six-way adjustable headrest with foldable wings.

With Singapore airlines’ internatio­nal culinary panel featuring eight world-renowned chefs, inflight meals can be a delightful experience with an expanded range of food and beverage options available on board.

Enjoy Singapore airlines’ KrisWorld, which offers more than 1,900 on-demand entertainm­ent options on board to suit the preference­s of passengers on an 11.1-inch touch-screen monitor. Customers can also surf the Internet as well as send and receive emails on smart phones and other electronic devices while in the air.

With airfares starting from as low as RM1,588, it’s a smart choice to visit australia this winter. Check out singaporea­ir.com/ myaus for great fare deals.

 ?? — MING TEOH/The Star ?? Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, is where you can go bush walking and trek up to waterfalls.
— MING TEOH/The Star Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, is where you can go bush walking and trek up to waterfalls.
 ?? — RANDALL HILL/Reuters ?? Singapore Airlines flies to six destinatio­ns in Australia.
— RANDALL HILL/Reuters Singapore Airlines flies to six destinatio­ns in Australia.

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