Australia’s Best Adventure Destinations for Thrill-Seekers
Hooked on adrenaline? Welcome to Australia – land of the bucket list, free fall exhilaration and more white-knuckle experiences than you can shake a stick at…
Whether you’re an Aussie virgin, seasoned visitor or – indeed – a ‘Straya local, there’s probably not a better country on the planet where you can tick off more than your fair share of thrills.
Of course, Oz is a big place. If you’re looking for adventure destinations, then one way to max out the buzz is to group your options into easily accessible chunks. So, with that in mind, here are some of the not-to-be-missed options handily listed by state. But remember that even inter-state distances can still be vast. If time is limited, consider taking advantage of the many affordable internal flights to dramatically increase how much ground you can cover.
(Although, of course, the Great Australian Road Trip is, in itself, a pretty adventurous undertaking, but that’s another story entirely…)
Queensland
Dive with sharks at Osprey Reef
Not far from its more famous cousin, The Great Barrier Reef, Osprey is a little lower key – and a whole lot toothier… This is where the weird, wild and wonderful of the ocean rock up to say g’day to the small groups of adrenaline-seeking tourists brave enough to dive this amazing submerged atoll in the Coral Sea. Regular visitors include hammerheads, silvertips, grey reef sharks, tiger sharks, barracuda and more.
Hit the surf on the Gold Coast
You can’t say you’ve done Oz until you’ve tried to stay upright on a surfboard. From Coolum Beach to Noosa, Caloundra to Currumbin, the Gold Coast waters are welcoming, the sand is golden and there are dozens of surf schools to choose from.
NSW
Abseil in the Blue Mountains
Only an hour from the hustle and bustle of Sydney, the Blue Mountains is an oasis of calm, punctuated with the sound of laughing kookaburras, the soft footsteps of lyrebirds and – if you’re really lucky – the gentle chomp of a koala munching on eucalyptus leaves… Oh, and the shrieks of those brave enough to abseil down some of the vertigo-inducing sandstone cliffs of this enormous UNESCO World Heritage site.
Kayak Australia’s longest whitewater trail
Three crazy river systems make up 195 kms of white-water thrills (and spills) between Nymboi-Binderay National Park and Copmanhurst. For the truly adventurous, sign up to traverse the entire distance by kayak or canoe, with overnight stops in remote campgrounds surrounded by native wildlife. Hardcore adventurers only need apply…
Northern Territory
Hiking King’s Canyon
The hardest option, which is the Rim Walk, might not sound that tough – it’s only 6km, after all. But with the hike starting at Heartbreak Hill – over 500 steps of ascent and summertime temperatures often in the mid-40s – this is not a walk for the faint-hearted. Start early – while it’s still dark is ideal – to get the best of the ever-changing landscape as the early morning sun creeps up the red rocks, causing them to glow in an amazing rainbow of different red and orange-based hues.
Hook a barramundi
Darwin is ‘the’ place to go for the ultimate ocean fishing experience – and barramundi are notoriously difficult to catch. Strong, wily and prized for their succulent flesh, these monsters can grow up to 1.8 metres in length. In anyone’s book, that’s one big fish to land…
Western Australia
Go flyboarding in Geraldton
An incredible experience that uses powerful jets of water to fling you and your board into the air before swooping down to dive beneath the waves. It takes a bit to master, but wow – is it an experience. Geraldton is just one of the locations in WA where you can sign up and give it a go.
Skydiving over Rottnest Island
There’s no better place in the world to throw yourself out of a perfectly good aircraft and experience the magic of freefall. Tandem skydiving is highly accessible – and it offers probably one of the biggest and best adrenaline rushes of everything on this list. Skydive Geronimo is the only provider licensed to provide tandem skydives over this world-famous destination.
Climb to 15,000ft before you (safely strapped to your instructor) take the no-return jump, experiencing the weightlessness of freefall before the chute deploys and you float down to the enticing white sands that fringe this tiny island in the Indian Ocean.
Find out how to skydive Rottnest, as well as discover more about this little piece of Western Australian paradise only 19 kms off the coast of Fremantle.
Feel free to contact us today for more information.
Glenn is a successful Skydive Instructor who’s successfully turned his lifelong passion into an award-winning adventure tourism business. His love for the thrill of the jump began over three decades ago in Matamata, New Zealand. 20,000+ jumps later and with the highest Australian Chief Instructor / Instructor A ratings under his belt, he and his wife, Amy, dedicate their lives to running the Western Australian-based Skydive Geronimo, the only company licensed to provide tandem jumps over one of the pearls of the Indian Ocean, Rottnest Island.
Glenn works tirelessly in all aspects of the business – from student and instructor training through to equipment safety, PR, Australian Parachute Federation (APF) and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) compliance and everything in between. He also delivers education sessions to local pilots about skydiving operations in Perth and the surrounding area.
