W H A T
B E Y O N D
M E A N S
T O
Y O U
Eight writers share their favourite Journey Beyond experiences, from flying over Lake Eyre, to sleeping under the stars on the Great Barrier Reef. These adventures encapsulate some of Australia’s most captivating and remote escapes.
ON BOARD
There’s always a moment on any long-distance rail journey when I feel my heartbeat fall into sync with the rhythm of the train. That’s when I know I’m in full ‘slow down’ mode. The countryside across Australia is not always dramatic, in the traditional travel-book definition at least – often it’s pancake flat and barren and stretches to the horizon in ochre soil without relent. But that’s part of the hypnotic allure. Without constant distractions, the finer details (and finer thoughts) come into full focus. Even at speed, I notice the dragonflies humming around a rare waterhole; the canary-yellow blossoms of mulga; the lone wallaby hopping between scrub. And while I appreciate the Off Train Experiences that take me on a deep dive of the destinations we chug through, my favourite place to be is always right here: beside my window, gazing at the great unknown, lulled by the click-clack of the rails. Preferably with a glass of something delicious in hand, of course. Experience Australia by train with one of Journey Beyond’s epic rail journeys.
WORDS Natasha Dragun
ROTTNEST ISLAND
Rottnest Island (Wadjemup), to me, is a feeling. It’s the dropping of shoulders the second the Rottnest Express ferry surges past Fremantle (Walyalup) Harbour’s outer edges, leaving the city behind. It’s the joy of pulling into Thomson Bay beside bobbing yachts, seagrass-patterned shallows and a yawning strip of pale sand. Everyone on board can feel it – a sense written across people’s beaming faces as they bounce into the sunshine, wheeling hired bikes along the jetty road and into the Class A nature reserve. Rotto is a place of simple pleasures. My first stop is always the bakery, where light is dappled by Moreton Bay figs and quokkas hop between legs. On two wheels, I pedal to The Basin, a circular-shaped hollow in the seafloor. Snapping on a snorkel mask, I observe fish swimming along vertical edges; in calm conditions, I follow a soft reef shelf to see filigree seagrasses and larger fish. I ride on to Geordie Bay’s sugar-white sands and wave at two resident stingrays before reluctantly returning to the ferry. Escape on an island getaway with Rottnest Express.
WORDS Fleur Bainger
HORZONTAL FALLS
You might expect this memory to start with the water: a shade of blue made more startling by its contrast against the bronzed gorges of Talbot Bay’s McLarty Range. Yet when I think of the Kimberley’s Horizontal Falls (Garaanngaddim), it’s the aerial views that first come to mind. Those views start before the sea plane from Broome (Yawuru) or Derby splashes down at the falls. From the latter outpost, I soar above King Sound’s mesmerising patterns. Ink-black channels resemble tree roots or a strange lichen. At the falls I witness the water gushing between the two gaps in the gorges – it’s a display of nature’s unstoppable force. Once the sky’s finished blazing, the stars take over. From a houseboat tucked into a secret creek, I spy constellations that connect me to this land. Before sunrise, I’m back on deck – beckoned by songbirds ushering in a new day.
WORDS Katrina Lobley
SEVEN SPIRIT BAY
It seems the marine life of Seven Spirit Bay got the memo on our first spin around the azure waters as dolphins, dugongs, turtles, crocodiles and a pilot whale come out to play. Amid the pristine marine sanctuary of the isolated Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, on the northwestern tip of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, it’s home to 250 species of fish and six of the seven species of marine turtles. It’s a place that simply takes your breath away amid many pinch-me moments such as brilliant cerise-coloured sunrises and sunsets that streak the sky around the striking Seven Spirit Bay lodge, with its pretty perfumed gardens and 24 comfortable Habitats. This iconic wilderness lodge is one of the very first luxury lodges in the outback and is only accessible by boat or aircraft. The lodge and its incredible location instantly steals your heart. From the moment you land on the ruby-red dirt runway, cleared of banteng cattle, water buffalo and Timor ponies, you know you are set for an adventure of a lifetime. Experience the magic of the Northern Territory from Outback Spirit’s exclusive luxury lodge.
WORDS Sue Wallace
REEFSLEEP
Reefsleep is one of the most unique stays I have ever experienced. Sleeping under a blanket of millions of stars on a part of the Great Barrier Reef while listening to the sound of the lapping waves is a stay you can brag about. Not many people in the world have experienced it. I found solace in the remoteness of this incredible location, but beyond the actual sleeping at night and basking in the warmth of the sun, there was so much to see below the surface. Crystal-clear waters stretched as far as the eye could see, and diving in revealed a kaleidoscope of marine life and vibrant coral gardens. Time just seemed to disappear exploring this underwater world, diving and snorkelling until I feared I too would turn into some aquatic animal. Sleep under the stars and wake up on the Great Barrier Reef.
WORDS Kate Webster
CAPE YORK PENINSULA
It takes ten days to reach Cape York. And nine full days before it’s safe to go in the water. By the time we make it as far as Fruit Bat Falls, we’ve driven around 1,400 kilometres north from Cairns (Gimuy). Along the way, we’ve skirted palm-fringed beaches and cruised along jungled rivers. This entire peninsula is crocodile country, whether it’s coastal or riverine. The one exception is at Fruit Bat Falls, a place where everyone who’s travelling to or from The Tip, 130 kilometres north, stops to wash off the dust and sweat in the safest body of water on the peninsula. As for me, I’ve been looking forward to massaging my shoulders beneath the spring-fed cascades of Eliot Creek, while others prefer to soak in hollowed-out rock pools above the falls. You could hardly go wrong either way. Explore the Cape York Peninsula on the 13-day and all-inclusive Cape York Wilderness Adventure with Outback Spirit.
WORDS Mark Daffey
LAKE EYRE
It’s easy to plan a trip around things that are always there. Lake Eyre (Kati Thanda) isn’t like that. Its dry salt pans fill infrequently with monsoonal waters carried south via the rivers and creeks of Queensland’s channel country. To see it, I needed to wait. Outback Spirit Tours know all about waiting. For months they watched as the Diamantina and Warburton rivers and creeks relentlessly filled. The Diamantina was seven-metres deep as it passed Birdsville. The waters were coming. Time to go. From the air I saw it in all its gargantuan splendor and soft ephemeral colours. The pink of the pigments in its algae, the pale blues in its shallows, the endless off-whites and greys of its vast salt crust. The two hours I spent flying above Australia’s mirage-like inland sea are forever in my memory. To see Lake Eyre in flood, join an Outback Spirit tour.
WORDS Barry Stone
SAL SALIS
Cresting the sand dune, as white as a ski run, we see them. Turtles. One, two… 10. I lose count. The turtles, a combination of green and loggerhead, have come ashore at a remote beach on the Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) Coast known as Graveyards. There’s no signpost or anything to indicate this is one of the region’s most prolific turtle rookeries, save for a dusty car park off Yardie Creek Road. But the turtles are exactly where Andy, our affable Sal Salis host, said they would be. These are the kinds of surprises I’ve come to expect during my stay at Sal Salis – right from the moment we arrive at this hidden oasis of eco-tents, hugging a lagoon kissed by the world’s largest fringing coral reef. Soon the deck will be ablaze as nature turns on a private sunset for our intimate huddle of guests. Canapes and cocktails circulate, and travelling tales are shared over dinner. Our hosts enthral with details of tomorrow’s adventures. For now, my bed by the ocean awaits. Experience Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef from the luxurious embrace of Sal Salis.
WORDS Catherine Best