1.The best jumping off point for those looking to snorkel and dive the Great Barrier Reef Nico Siragusa Jersey , Cairns is a favourite destination to catch a day tour to the reef. There are several operators that offer a wide variety of different kinds of charters to the Great Barrier Reef. You can choose between day-tours or liveaboard tours, which vary greatly in quality.If you aren’t yet qualified to dive, but can’t think of a daytrip to the Great Barrier Reef without doing so, you can easily pick up your qualification in a few days at Cairns Dive Centre. They offer a 5-day learn to dive course, which gives you your PADI certification and gives you the opportunity for several open-water scuba dives out on the reef. Virtually all operators have an ecotourism certification Tim Williams Jersey , which means you don’t have to worry about damaging the great barrier reef while you are snorkelling.


2.Held every February, the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras has grown to be the largest of its type in the world. Over a million people line the route to see floats so colourful, and outfits so outlandish that Brazilian carnevalists would be envious. Streets are blocked off, pubs along the way are brimming, and the gay and lesbian community party for days. It’s their New Years. Straight folk are allowed along for the celebratory ride but this is a celebration of gay culture. The event began in 1978 with a parade of 1000 people marking World Gay Solidarity Day. These were much less forgiving days and there were disagreements with authority that led to arrests for ‘lewd behaviour’. These days gay and lesbian police march openly – in uniform – in the parade. The whole thing involves thousands of performers. Religious types are ever resentful of the wanton sexuality but are generally seen as part of the lunatic fringe during this miasma of colour. It’s a huge party and shouldn’t be missed.


3.An hour or so south of Cairns Chris Wormley Jersey , Mission Beach is the closest mainland point to the Great Barrier Reef. The beach is a 15 km long, perfect sandy beach, with awesome views of Bedarra and a handful of other islands just off the beach. There is a quaint township here, where you can learn more about activities like sea kayaking or skydiving, though many would be perfectly happy soaking up the sunlight and taking in the beautiful surrounding scenery.You can stay overnight in Mission Beach Tyus Bowser Jersey , though many will be driving from Cairns. If you did not hire a car or camper van for your trip, there is a company that offers a coach transfer service called Mission Beach Dunk Island Connections, which takes the scenic road between Port Douglas, Cairns, and Mission Beach.


4.Created in 1850 to keep cricketers fit in the off season Marlon Humphrey Jersey , Aussie Rules is a hybrid of rugby, gaelic football and a charming Australian childish activity called stacks on that involves gang-tackling the unfortunate soul who has the ball. The game is played on an oval-shaped, cricket-sized ground between two teams of 18 men each. The idea is to kick the ball through two upright poles and earn six points. Miss and you get one point, or miss so badly the ball misses the smaller of the adjacent goals and you get zero. A free kick is gained when a catch is taken, awarded when a kick is fielded before it touches the ground. This can be the most amazing of sights Lamar Jackson Jersey , players ‘ride’ the backs of their opponents (and team mates) so high they often hurt themselves when they fall back to the ground. The players pass the ball by hitting the ball with their bunched fist and can’t run without bouncing it every 10 metres. That’s about the extent of the rules. The rules are so hypocritical that it’s little wonder no-one on Earth bar Aussies know what’s going on. Crowds sometimes reach 100,000, most of whom are as knowledgeable about the history of their team as a history lecturer from Harvard knows about ancient Rome. That’s why, an Aussie Rules match is definately a must see on a trip to Australia.


5.Try to play Didgeridoo and learn something about Aboriginal Culture. You will find out that blowing into the hollow tree is not as simple as it may seem (but you may have lot of fun, you or the guy selling it). Cultural centres of indigenous art and history are spread all around the land. You will learn stories about the Dreamtime and learn about how people lived in the old days and their culture. It may change your thoughts of the locals you may meet on your travels