Australia, the country that’s a continent, has enough things to do and see to satisfy even the most discriminating tourist. The only problem is that there is so much to see you must either take a month’s vacation or more, or make several trips Down Under. Fortunately, there’s help.
A.S.I. Tours is offering three comprehensive 31-day tours of Australia Sept. 17-Oct. 17 and, in 1995, March 4-April 3 and Sept. 16-Oct. 16, which will visit all its states and territories. The itinerary includes Sydney, Canberra, Snowy Mountains, Melbourne, Adelaide, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Darwin, Kakadu National Park, Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. In addition, the tour will make rare group-tour stops in Tasmania, Western Australia and the opal mining area of Coober Pedy. The tour, which has run since 1982, costs $5,995 per person, double occupancy (single supplement, $895), and includes transportation from Los Angeles, all accommodations, travel and 41 meals. Call 800-775-0274.
– The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is sponsoring a 21-day study tour, “The Ultimate Australia Museum, Cultural and Wildlife Tour,” on Oct. 6-26. The tour will visit major museums and important cultural attractions of the continent, while at the same time provide expert interpretation of the natural history of the area. The tour leader is the Desert Museum’s curator of geology, Dave Thayer, who has studied firsthand the wildlife, botany and geology of southern Australia and has more than 20 years of experience leading natural history and cultural tours.
The tour will make stops in Tasmania, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Port Arthur. It also includes such isolated destinations as the eucalyptus forests of Kangaroo Island off the southern coast of Australia. The tour costs $4,595 per person, double occupancy (single supplement, $695), and includes transportation from Tucson, Ariz., a fully guided itinerary, ground transportation and 30 meals. Call Pattie Fowler at 602-883-3018.
– For the sports-minded visitor to Australia, Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours is offering enthusiasts the chance to see the semifinals and finals of the 1995 Australia Open. The Jan. 17-30 tour stops in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Sydney before proceeding to Melbourne for the first event on the Grand Slam Tennis Circuit. Sightseeing highlights include a cruise on the vintage steamship T.S.S. Earnslaw to a famous sheep and cattle station for a high-country dinner, a day trip to the Milford Sound and a social tennis exchange in Christchurch.
The tour cost is $4,395 per person for Mid-Level Seats at the tournament, and $4,695 for Box Seats, both based on double occupancy (single supplement, $70 per night). A Melbourne-only package Jan. 22-30 also is available starting at $3,295 per person. The cost includes round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, reserved center-court seating for the men’s and women’s semifinals and finals, airport transfers, city tours and a full-time professional tour escort. Call Anne O’Neill at 800-258-3664.
– If you are interested in traveling to Australia and New Zealand and have a bit of time on your hands, why not consider using the Blue Star Line’s passenger-carrying freighter service from East and Gulf Coast ports? Each of the line’s four 25,000-ton container ships provide accommodations for up to 10 passengers from Jacksonville, Fla., for the trip via Houston and the Panama Canal to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and then Wellington, Auckland and Port Chalmers, New Zealand.
Each vessel features comfortable double and single-occupancy outside cabins complete with air conditioning, private facilities and lower beds. Blue Star vessels also offer TV and VCR, a dining room shared with the ships British and Filipino officers, a small swimming pool and ample deck space.
Round-trip passage takes about 70 days. Passage also may be booked one-way, with layovers available. Regular per-person high-season rates start at $6,800 double occupancy ($7,600 single occupancy), but are reduced to $4,760 for double ($5,320 single) for sailings through September. TravLtips Cruise & Freighter Travel Association acts as general passenger agent for Blue Star. Call 800-872-8584.
Napoleon conference
Was Napoleon really poisoned during his exile on St. Helena? Find out at the 10th annual conference and banquet of The Napoleonic Society of America Sept. 9-11 at the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. The weekend will include guest speakers and discussions on topics covering aspects of Napoleon’s career and private life. The cost is $295 for members and $285 for guests and includes cocktail reception and informal dinner on Friday, a luncheon, discussion sessions, cocktail reception, and evening banquet on Saturday, and a champaigne brunch on the Spirit of Chicago and the debate on Napoleon’s “murder” on Sunday. Day rates of $115 on Friday, $125 on Saturday and $75 on Sunday are available for members. Guests subtract $10 for daily rates. Rooms are available at the Union League Club for $75 per night, double and single occupancy. Call the society at its Clearwater, Fla., headquarters: 813-586-1779.
World’s roof
You might say that Himalayan climbing and trekking pioneer Al Read will be back in the high life again as he leads a group of travelers around the long off-limits Manaslu massif Oct. 22-Nov. 21. The government of Nepal recently opened the region around Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world, to trekking for the first time.
Read will lead the tour, operated by InnerAsia Expeditions of San Francisco.
The expedition is limited to 15 people and land costs from Kathmandu start at $2,890 per person, double occupancy (single supplement, $510), and includes four nights in Kathmandu’s Yak and Yeti Hotel. Call 800-777-8183.
