Headed to Australia!

australia
(What The Fast?!) #1

Hi all - this isn’t exactly keto-related, but I know there are a lot of Australians here, so I figure this is my best chance to find an answer.

I’m headed to Australia this November for a dive vacation and I wanted to see if anyone here is a travel agent or travel planner, or knows someone who is. We’ll be going for a few weeks and I’m trying to figure out where to go (it’s a big country!) and what to do, aside from just diving.

Would love any info you can share - or contact info for someone who can help.

Re: keto, I’m very excited about all the food down under!

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #2

Yep. Dianne and her own agency GoWalkabout Travel https://gowalkabouttravel.com

She’s a personal friend of mine and used to live here in Edmonton. We met through an Aussie ex-pat social club. She’s originally from Perth (Western Australia) and is now living back there again at the moment. Di specializes in Canadian and American travellers heading down under.

BTW…if you’re able to get up to the Solomon Islands, you’ll find some of the most glass-like clear water in the world there.

(What The Fast?!) #3

Awesome, thank you so much!!

(Richard Morris) #4

Cairns is pretty nice, you have the Daintree rainforest, reef dive boats, Rafting in Barron gorge and the funicular railway up to Kuranda.

But the red center is also a trip. I would definitely put seeing the stars while camping out near Uluru on my bucket list

(Katha) #5

Depending on your budget, go to Hamilton Island, which is surrounded by the most stunning beaches, balmy weather and of course right at the Great Barrier reef. There are no cars on the island, people just get around in golf carts. It’s just a very nice relaxing place!

(Paula Green) #6

My family have travelled the world extensively but my kids (now 20 and 22) still talk about the golf carts on Hamilton Island :slight_smile: - it’s a special place.

#7

I would recommend the North Queensland/Great Barrier Reef area for snorkeling, Sydney if you want to visit a city, or (my personal favourite) Tasmania
for hiking, wilderness and natural beauty. I hope you have a great time!! I am actually visiting Vegas from Aus in a few months, where I see you’re from :smile:

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #8

Seconding Richard’s suggestions. Uluru is a world unto itself. We did a walkabout with a tribal elder, one of the highlights of any trip we have ever done. Sept/Nov. is perfect there, not as hot and you will not have the huge crowds that Au summer brings.

Kuranda, is as close to the Garden of Eden you will ever see. It is magical up there. And the GB reef should be on everyone’s bucket list. Diving just doesn’t get any better, except maybe north shore of Bali.

Sydney area has beautiful beaches, Long Reef, a world heritage underwater park, and the Blue Mountains are just a short distance inland.

Hamilton is very high end, but it too is awesome. Basically you can’t go wrong going to Australia. I lived there for almost 5 years and still have places I want to visit or revisit again. So jealous of your upcoming trip.

Oh word of warning, USA travel agents tend to book you into King’s Cross hotels in Sydney, if you go there. DO NOT book a hotel there. It is tourist hell and that area is bars and strip joints cental for the city.

(Boudewijn) #9

We visited Australia about 15 years back for diving on the great barrier reef. We mainly stayed in Cairns but also from Port Douglas. I don’t know your travel history, but in general diving was… okay. Coral gardens were less beautiful than in the red sea. But we saw plenty of nudy branches (sea slugs), turtles, rays and a few reaf sharks. We loved diving on osprey reef that we visited with undersea explorer http://www.divethereef.com/DiveTrips/-1289427005.asp if you have the time (and money) they also do some research and teaching on marine life.

Now on diving and keto…
I’m currently in Jordan and had 6 of my 7 days of diving. It is my 1st holiday on LCHF and I noticed some improvements:
Reduction in air consumption (15 - 20%)
Less tired afer a day of diving with air (even better than Nitrox on a high carb diet)
Far less cold than I expected to be and compared with my high carb wife and our friends (water is 24°C/ 75°F but we dive between 65 and 90 minutes )

Do you or any diver have simular experience?

I know from the research from dr. Dominic D’Agostino that keto protects the lungs from oxygen damage. But couldn’t find any reference regarding Nitrogen desaturation. I expect no negative impact but does someone know the science?

I hope you have a great holiday