Fear factor fun!
Never one to take a trip on the wild side surprised by revelling in it in Australia.
By Hema Ramakrishnan, TNN |
Okay, let me clarify a few things first – I neither belong to the hardcore AXN breed or the Discovery Brigade. A holiday for me usually represents a few days of pure sinful leisure. Little wonder then, I was a trifle nervous when first confronted with the itinerary of the Indian media visit to Queensland.
Feeding wild dolphins, taking a cruise to catch crabs, watching tigers stalk their handlers and crocodiles strike from the water's edge, taking a quad bike ride – the activity list read like an action sequence right out of Crocodile Dundee. I wasn't too sure this was gonna be my cup of tea — or rather can of Fosters.
So I lined up alternate plans. I decided to first visit the charming residents of the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort — black and white pelicans with long pale beaks wading in groups to search for fish and crabs. I thought I could spend the remaining seven days just chilling here or may be head out for a little action to the cities later. After a relaxing 75 minute cruise from Brisbane to this private resort and a brief chat with manager Henk, I had changed my mind... Suddenly, I was feeling a lot more adventurous about adventure and decided to take my first plunge with a desert safari.
And guess what? It was fun!! Walking on the fine desert sand, learning how the island was formed and touching different coloured sand brought me back in tune with nature. But all too soon this idyllic state gave way to action. It was time to try out sand tobogganing.
I had to first climb uphill, stretch out on pieces of masonite that serves as the toboggan and just hold on for dear life as I was given a big, hard shove downhill. A smooth, well-waxed underside (the toboggan’s!) and a little technique are all that is required to achieve a fast, clean ride. Well, I am sure my toboggan was waxed right, so it must have been just lack of technique that made the ride bumpy....
Back at the resort, the ace swimmers in our group were keen to snorkel the shimmering blue green waters of the Moreton Bay. Others opted for the quad bike ride. Balancing is no problem, but you need to master control over the bike to zoom through the hills behind the resort.
Feeding wild dolphins, taking a cruise to catch crabs, watching tigers stalk their handlers and crocodiles strike from the water's edge, taking a quad bike ride – the activity list read like an action sequence right out of Crocodile Dundee. I wasn't too sure this was gonna be my cup of tea — or rather can of Fosters.
So I lined up alternate plans. I decided to first visit the charming residents of the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort — black and white pelicans with long pale beaks wading in groups to search for fish and crabs. I thought I could spend the remaining seven days just chilling here or may be head out for a little action to the cities later. After a relaxing 75 minute cruise from Brisbane to this private resort and a brief chat with manager Henk, I had changed my mind... Suddenly, I was feeling a lot more adventurous about adventure and decided to take my first plunge with a desert safari.
And guess what? It was fun!! Walking on the fine desert sand, learning how the island was formed and touching different coloured sand brought me back in tune with nature. But all too soon this idyllic state gave way to action. It was time to try out sand tobogganing.
I had to first climb uphill, stretch out on pieces of masonite that serves as the toboggan and just hold on for dear life as I was given a big, hard shove downhill. A smooth, well-waxed underside (the toboggan’s!) and a little technique are all that is required to achieve a fast, clean ride. Well, I am sure my toboggan was waxed right, so it must have been just lack of technique that made the ride bumpy....
Back at the resort, the ace swimmers in our group were keen to snorkel the shimmering blue green waters of the Moreton Bay. Others opted for the quad bike ride. Balancing is no problem, but you need to master control over the bike to zoom through the hills behind the resort.
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I took some time off for a coffee at the beach cafe and then headed out to the jetty for the mega event of the day — hand-feeding wild dolphins. The jetty was packed with over 200 Indians who were on a sponsored trip, but the organisers had no problems. Also, no one was really complaining about missing a chance to feed them.
The next cruise we took was on the Tweed river to see how crabs are trapped and caught. The tour began with an 'All you wanted to know about crabs but were afraid to ask' session. We were then handed over a simple device to catch crabs. Sweet victory — I actually managed to dig deep into the wet sand and get some small ones. The instructor gave me a decent rating. My day was made when Tracy Farr, our host from Tourism Queensland and an ace photographer, captured the moment. I had proof...!
By now I had morphed into a true-blue adrenaline junkie. I hardly batted an eyelid when it came to the Storey Bridge Adventure climb. So I was up there, snaking my way across the bridge with the best of them all, as soon as we were told it was best way discover Brisbane and its beautiful surroundings.
Unfortunately I was not able to pay much attention to our student guide's commentary on the history of this cantilever bridge connecting Brisbane's eastern and northern city suburbs. My focus was to ensure that I did'nt miss a step as I diligently followed Anne Miller, the enthusiastic project coordinator at Tourism Queensland.
It was Anne's first climb too but she kept nudging me to look down from the summit to catch a glimpse of the buzzling city of over one and a half million people. I am so thankful she did. Six lanes of traffic whizzed below our feet as we moved along the platform. We could spot the city's landmarks too.
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Later we drove down to Dream World, a theme park and one of the most popular interactive wildlife parks. I spent most of my time watching Bengal Tigers stalking at their keepers. We had, incidentally, also patted koalas at the Australian Zoo: the interaction was much closer there as I could hold them and even cuddle them gently. The caretakers brought out snakes as well, but needless to add I couldn’t muster the courage to hold them. But, “hardened” by my adventures by then, I was quite at ease at the crocodile feeding show, watching it from a distance in a jam-packed stadium. I skipped thriller rides though – Giant Drop and Claw. And instead spent some time looking for books that I could pick up for my children who briefed me on wildlife in Australia ahead of my trip.
We were just given half a day at the Australian Zoo. The afternoon slot was reserved for shopping at the direct factory outlet. Gunjan Chanana, our host from Singapore Airlines was busy sounding me out on what I could pick up. I normally shop till I drop. But for once, I wanted to skip shopping and instead spend more time at the home of the crocodile hunters. I guess Australia did make a convert of me after all!
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