Travel Destination Tips - Tropical North Queensland Australia

Regional Overview:

The Cassowary Coast is centred in North Queensland's Great Green Way. The Bruce Highway motorway and Queensland Rail service the Cassowary Coast. The Historic Town of Cardwell is the southern gateway to the Cassowary Coast. To the south of Cardwell, Townsville is 2.0 hours by road transport. Cairns in far North Queensland is 2.5 hours by vehicle from Cardwell. Cairns and Townsville host domestic and international airports. With air connections to east coast Australian capital cities Brisbane, Sydney and international air carriers.

Cassowary Coast physiography embraces the Coral Sea, Great Barrier Reef, islands, estuaries and isolated beaches. The tropical coastal plain hosts perennial rivers, rainforest, escarpment range gorges and waterfalls. The scenic Kirrama Range Road and Palmerston Highway road routes access the Atherton Tablelands and Savannah outback.

The Cassowary Coast is renowned for outdoor leisure, recreation and sporting activities. Circumvented by Forestry Plantations, Queensland Forestry Reserves, Queensland National Parks and Queensland Wet Tropics World Heritage Areas e.g. Cardwell Range Girringun National Park. Key nature based activity interests include:

• Sighting Natural Attractions, Features, Flora & Fauna.


• Landscape & Nature Photography.


• Boat Cruising, Sailing, Island Camping & Trail Walking.


• Reef Snorkelling, Spear Fishing and Scuba Diving.


• Fresh & Saltwater Fishing e.g. Luring, Trolling & Sport Fishing.


• Rainforest Trail Walking and Waterfall Viewing.


• Swimming, Kayaking & Whitewater Rafting.


• Rural Cross Country Road Cycling.


• Road, Track, Trail & Downhill Mountain Biking.


• Motorcycle Touring and Trail Bike Riding.


• Picnics, BBQ's and extended stays Camping.

Review multi day hiking and camping adventure options e.g.

• Hinchinbrook Island - Thorsborne Trail.


• Hinchinbrook Island - Sea Kayaking.


• Girringun National Park - Herbert River Gorge Juwun Walk.


• Tully Gorge National Park - Misty Mountains Trail Networks.

Cardwell - Local places to visit on holidays: Port Hinchinbrook, Hinchinbrook Island, Hinchinbrook Channel, Goold Island, Garden Island, Brook Islands Group, Rockingham Bay, Cardwell Lookout, Cardwell Scenic Forestry Drive, Attie Creek Waterfall, Dead Horse Creek, Cardwell Forestry Spa Pool, Five Mile Swimming Hole, Dalrymple Gap Walking Track, Kennedy Valley, Cardwell Range Kirrama National Park, Kirrama Range Road, Society Flats and Blencoe Falls.

For an extended Cardwell vacation, multiple road trips and tours. These destinations are within a day trip drive, return to Cardwell:-

• North Coast - West Inland

Cardwell Forestry Drive, Edmund Kennedy National Park, Jumbun - Murray Falls, Echo Creek, Tully, Mt. Tyson, Alligators Nest, Tully River Gorge, Tully Heads, Hull Heads, South Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach, Mission Beach, Bingil Bay, Djiru National Park, Licuala Walking Track, Lacey Creek, Clump Mountain National Park, Bicton Hill Lookout, El Arish, Silkwood, Japoonvale, Mena Creek, South Johnstone, Henrietta Creek, Nandroya Falls, Kurrimine Beach, Cowley Beach, Mourilyan, Mourilyan Harbour, Etty Bay, Innisfail, Flying Fish Point, Ella Bay and Wooroonooran National Park.

• South Coast - West Inland

Lucinda, Ingham, Broadwater Creek, Herbert River Gorge, Wallaman Falls, Mt. Fox Volcano, Crystal Creek, Paluma Range, Mt. Spec, Paluma, Paluma Lake and Hidden Valley.

Explore Australia's Great Green Way tropical Cassowary Coast with Family & Friends.

SWIT Guide - Nature Sightseeing and Multi Sport Adventures. Sharing small group special interest travel activity experiences since 2003.

Mount Etna - A Thrilling Sicily Destination!

When you hear of active volcanoes, one cannot help but think of Mount Etna, one of the world's most famous volcanoes. Located on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in the world. It is known as a stratovolcano, which means that it is conical and was built by the eruption of lava, ashes and pyroclastic flows. Currently it stands about 3,329 meters (10,922 ft.) high, but this is constantly changing due to summit eruptions.

In ancient times, the Greeks believed it to be the home of the god of fire, Vulcan. They also thought that when the mountain was erupting it meant that Vulcan was forging weapons for Mars, the god of war. Mount Etna is reported to have had erupted approximately 200 times since 1500 BC, with the most recent major eruption occurring in 2001.

Mount Etna creates a majestic dominant feature against the Sicilian skyline. It is Sicily's greatest natural attraction and much of the tourism of Sicily is due to this awe-inspiring volcano. In fact, the volcano forms part one of Italy's greatest and most beautiful national parks, Parco Regionale dell' Etna.

The mountain's surface is covered with solidified lava but much of its slope is also covered in forests where various species of oak, stone pine, birch and beech grow over its sloped surface. The changing tree colors in autumn make it a truly spectacular sight.

Mount Etna's forests are home to an abundance of wildlife. Fox, squirrels, weasels, hedgehogs, porcupine and possible a few wild cats live in the forests, and owls, falcons, partridges and even golden eagles can be viewed circulating above. There are also herons, ducks and other migratory birds in the nearby Gurrida Lake area. Apart from the awesome hikes in the woods and up the mountain in the summer, Mount Etna also offers skiing in the winter months. All of this adds to the tourist's pleasure of enjoying this natural wildlife area even more.

Of course, the major attraction for most tourists would be the thrilling hike up the mountain. The majority of tourists visit the south side of the mountain and hike only a short distance up the mountain. This trail is free for all to use.

There is, however, another hike which adventurous visitors may take where they can traverse to the summit for a breathtaking view into the eye of the volcano. For this a guide is needed, but the hike is well worth the effort because it allows the tourist to experience the full impact of the smells and views and even feel like they are a part of the volcano's turbulent history. The hike to the top is not an easy one because it becomes quite steep when the summit is approached and the cinders and ash make it rough going. It is a dark, inhospitable landscape and because of this it is often used by scientists to test robots before sending them to Mars. The atmospheric and geological conditions are deemed to be much the same.

A visit to Mount Etna would make an exciting and thrilling destination for any tourist. The thrill of climbing an active volcano, the wonder of hiking through various nature trails along the way, and experiencing the fantastic Sicilian culture all make Mount Etna worth adding to any tourist's next travel itinerary.

I have loved Sicily for as far back as I can remember and I return to this island paradise every chance I get. My grandparents came to America from this beautiful land in the early 1900's, bringing with them all the tradition and passion that is Sicily. From the beautiful beaches and Roman architecture, to the heavenly food and romantic charm, I hope you will come to love Sicily as much as I do! Stop by for a visit at http://www.beauty-and-romance-of-sicily.com

Destination Bali

Land of Extremes

Mother Nature is full of notable extremities. There are places on this planet Earth like El Azizia in Northern Africa, where temperature soars upto 66°C and it is in this very planet lies Antarctica, where temperature freezes to -89°C!!

Talking about extremes, there is an island in the Asian continent which is quite notable for the extreme creation of Mother Nature. Yes, we are indeed talking about Bali! Located as an island within Indonesia, Bali is known worldwide for its volcanic eruptions. It is also one of those places in the world frequently prone to earthquakes. Bali was in the news in the beginning of the 21st century because of the Bomb blast incident in one of the famous tourist place.

A look at the other extreme of this earthquake prone island would certainly make anyone forget nature's mischievous acts and rather start appreciating the natural scenery, cultural heritage of Bali. Renowned for its largest tourist attraction from around the world, Bali is famous for its sculpture, painting, dance and other art related works.

Holiday Destination

Bali has all it takes to be one of the world's exotic tourist attractions. One might wonder about the reason for this island being a centre of attraction. It is not a mysterious myth. It is rather a simple math! Statistics and survey reveals that a foreign tourist spends approximately 50% less than he/she would spend in other exotic locations. This doesn't mean that the services offered by the Hotels and resorts are any lesser than countries elsewhere. The cost of living in this part of this world is so less.

"Who practices Hospitality entertains God himself"- Balinese are among the most visitor-friendly people. The hospitality offered by the locals to the foreigners is one rare gift that these local people possess. And for this particular reason, there are quite a few regular foreign visitors to Bali.

A vacation means to relax your mind and body. Beaches in Bali unlike other busy beaches in the world are a quiet place without much of the commercial complexes nearby. It is a spectacular sight to watch the Rice terrace throughout Bali! Rice being their staple diet, 20% of their land is being used for growing Rice.

Anybody who is a nature lover must make a trip to Bali. There are some dead volcanoes in this island which are a major source of attraction for the tourists. It is also converted as a trekking spot among the misty craters.

If you are looking for a holiday destination with a serene environment and less of commercialized and crowded atmosphere, go ahead and book your tickets to Bali. It is a place one can visit at an affordable budget!

The author of this article has great knowledge about the Bali villas. He has helped many people out there to get the best Bali villa deal at affordable prices. He well knows the fact that there are several things to be considered while choosing the Bali villa. He has written many articles on choosing the Bali holiday villa.