This is a great time to travel to the 'land down under' with so many airlines to choose from and an exciting selection of stopover destinations along the way. Escape the depressing grey wet skies of Vancouver with fares as low as $1138 CAD (plus taxes and surcharges) to Sydney.

Stopovers En Route to Australia and New Zealand

HONG KONG: Beneath the towering skyscrapers of Hong Kong's impressive business district, you'll find streets teeming with market stalls and well-stocked shops mixed with Chinese culture and traditions.

SINGAPORE: The garden city of Asia is a bustling and colourful city where the west collides with the east. Deluxe hotels, immaculate gardens, spectacular skylines. It's incredibly clean and safe with amazing opportunities for shopping.

BANGKOK: The fascinating capital of Thailand is a modern metropolis amongst the tradtion of the east with ancient temples, bustling markets, busy waterways, and a vibrant nightlife.

BALI: Perfect, palm fringed beaches, steeply terraced rice fields, and lush tropical vegetation provide a Far East experience only matched by the friendliness of the Balinese people themselves.

MALAYSIA: Ancient temples nestle beside modern skyscrapers and shopping malls in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The beautiful island resorts of Penang and Langkawi offer some of the finest beaches in the Orient.

Wintering in Australia and New Zealand
Even for a trip as short as 2 weeks, you can include a self drive tour or a 24 hour rail experience. If you want to make the most of your time, here are some ideas of things to do and see.

Great Train Rides
To experience a change from flying or driving, consider taking the train. You have the comfort of a hotel and the opportunity to view the changing scenery outside the rail car window. The Ghan train journey of around 900
miles from Alice Springs to Darwin takes about 24 hours. Depending on your budget, you can book a 'gold kangaroo cabin' with facilities and a sitting area, a 'red kangaroo cabin' with washroom only, or just a backpacking
recliner seat. Typically the train is 27 carriages long with bar and dining car facilities.

Other train journeys to experience are:
- the Indian Pacific train from Perth to Adelaide to Sydney;
- the Sunlander train from Brisbane to Cairns;
- the Tilt train from Brisbane to Cairns

Self Drive Routes
If you enjoy driving and want to get away from the other tourists, self driving is a good option. You have the chance to meet the locals and discover places that none of our friends, relatives, and coworkers have
been to. 

Sydney to Melbourne: Most of the heavy traffic uses the inland route via Canberra. However, the Coastal Drive is really a back road which you can putter along at your leisure. The Coastal Drive name is abit misleading as
your are rarely within sight of the ocean. You can take short trips off the highway which open up into small resorts and fishing villages. Sydney and Melbourne are 650 miles apart. The beaches are superb but as this
stretch of the coast is cooler than further north, it's relatively untouched. You can finish the drive by going inland to the ghost town of Walhalla in the mountains, only 2 hours from Melbourne. The gold rush
architecture has been restored for a population of only 10!

Other self drive routes to consider are:
- the Pacific Coach Touring route runs from Sydney to Brisbane to Cairns;
- the Great Ocean Road runs from Melbourne to Adelaide;
- the Southwest Circular route runs from Perth to Albany to MargaretRiver;
- the Northern Territory is a circular route from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon, and from Darwin to Kakadu and Katherine;
- the Tasmania route from Launceston to Hobart (the capital of Tasmania)

The Best 6 Experiences in Australia and New Zealand

WHALES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Why do it? Not very adventurous but this gentle tour of Western Australia takes in wonderfully sedate experiences for the retired generation.

Who Would Enjoy it? The retired, nature lovers, and anyone who hasn't seen the wonders of Western Australia.

What's Available? Snorkeling in Bunbury with bottlenose dolphins or cruising along side them in boats. The ancient mangroves and the magnificent giant Karri trees of Augusta which teem with colourful wildlife. Humpback whale watching at Flinders Bay. In Albany, a tree top walk in the towering Tingle Forest is a breathtaking experience and clients can end the trip in a private plane observing sperm whale spots.

WALKABOUT IN THE OUTBACK
Why do it? Clients who complete this can say they have travelled the length of Australia, from Perth to Sydney.

Who Would Enjoy it? Young travellers who don't mind roughing it.

What's Available? Experience some of the most remote areas of Australia on foot and in four-wheel drives. The trail heads east from Perth to Kalgoolie and through the Red Centre including Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Alice
Springs, on to King's Canyon and Darwin, Kakadu, Litchfield National Park, and Katherine Gorge. Then out to the Cairns coast via Fraser Island and Byron Bay.

TALLSHIPS FROM VANUATA TO NEW ZEALAND

Why do it? You become part of the crew for the journey.

Who Would Enjoy it? Thrill seekers who love Australia and New Zealand but have seen most mainland attractions.

What's Available? The ship was the star of the TV Series, Onedian Line, from my hometown, Liverpool (UK) and imagine what you would tell your jealous friends that you will be sailing through the South Pacific. You will be able to snorkel and windsurf off the side of the ship or just watchthe professional crew.

ANTIPODEAN ADVENTURE

Why do it? To test yourself to the limit on New Zealand's South Island.

Who Would Enjoy it? Extreme sports junkies, people with no fear, James Bond types.

What's Available? Rainforest hiking, quad bike rides, underground rafting or caving, white-water rafting, heli-rafting, a glacier hike, heli-mountain biking, mountain flight, jetboat ride, bungee jumping, canyoning, tandem sky-diving, para-gliding and river surfing. This region covers Queenstown, Wanaka, Fox Glacier, and the rugged west coast.

TASMANIA

Why do it? Travellers to Australia and New Zealand often forget about this beautiful island steeped in history and natural wonders.

Who Would Enjoy it? Those of you who like the wilderness but also the city sophistication - the capital, Hobart, is very civilized.

What's Available? This is the outdoor playground that Australians holiday in. See the stunning Lake St. Clair at Cradle Mountain. Go bushwalking in what is thought to be the cleanest water in the world. Try white-water rafting along Picton River or go kayaking at Freycinet National Park.

WINTER IN NEW ZEALAND
Why do it? To see New Zealand's best natural sights.

Who Would Enjoy it? The young and the mature adventurous clients.

What's Available? Seeing North Island's volcanic landscape where people can kayak in the Coromandel Peninsula. On the South Island, trekking through Hooker Valley in the shadows of Mount Cook, then along the coast in
the Abel Tasman Walkway, then Fox Glacier and at the end whale watching at Kakora.

The Best Time of the Year

The best times to visit Australia and New Zealand are November to February when the average winter temperature is 12 degrees celsius. Outback touring by motorhome or car in winter means pleasant daytime temperatures but the
days are shorter and the nights are cold.

So now you have an idea of what a good travel agent can arrange for you. So put the knowledge of our travel consultants at Rainbow Travel Inc to the test...you'll be impressed with the results.

We are small enough to care and big enough to make it happen!

Nigel, Thant, and Ethyl

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