Tourism Australia's top 10 photos

Showing up in the same outfit. Who wore it better? Picture by Jen Rayner Photography/Tourism Australia Source: Supplied

A lazy koala relaxes in a tree. Photo by Glenn Addicott/Tourism Australia Source: Supplied

YOU can't get much more Australian than this.

From a very confused kangaroo to a lazy koala, a jaw-dropping sunset and spectacular beaches, these amazing photos are the essence of our nation.

They are Tourism Australia's 10 most-liked photos posted by its fans onto its Facebook page so far this year.

The stunning snaps have been liked and shared tens (or hundreds!) of thousands of times on the social media website.

And it's easy to see why. With more than four million fans, Tourism Australia was spoiled for choice!

Click here to take a look at the amazing Tourism Australia fan photos

Kangaroo's play footy!!

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Driving alongside one of Australia's treasures

Colourful clownfish on the Reef Source: Supplied

SO, HOW do you "drive" the Great Barrier Reef?

Draw a line from Cairns to Mission Beach, south through Ingham and then down to Townsville and Magnetic Island, and you have arguably one of the most spectacular drives in our country.

My journey begins in the charming beachside town of Mission Beach, which was named for the indigenous mission set up in 1912. As far as natural beauties go, it doesn't get much better than this - 10km of coast, sandwiched between World Heritage-listed rainforest and World Heritage-listed barrier reef.

Filled with happy holidaymakers and laid-back locals, Mission Beach is a resilient town that's survived cyclones and escaped mass development. Fitting with its incredible surroundings, it's a beautiful, sleepy beachside town with a few restaurants, where you can enjoy the warmth of the tropics and the sand beneath your toes as the palm trees sway in the wind.

Staying at Castaways Resort & Spa, I am literally on the beach. Every morning I wake up to the sun rising over the water, and I can see Dunk Island while having my morning coffee. On a boat ride in the resort's amphibious vessel Sea Legs around the Family Group of Islands, you can stop off at one of the many white stretches of sand and have a picnic lunch surrounded by complete tranquillity.

While it could be easy to kick back into resort life by the pool and enjoy the exceptional seared-tuna salad for lunch, it's time to get my scuba gear on and truly explore Mission Beach's backyard.

Andy, who operates the local dive boat Calypso, was a backpacker who came here 15 years ago, fell in love with the place and never left. Today, he's a passionate local who takes great pride in showing off his home. Heading out to the largest coral reef system in the world, there's a feeling of awe and anticipation among fellow passengers when I board. And just a 45-minute boat ride from the shore, it's like entering a completely different landscape. Andy takes me to a little dive spot he found when he first arrived. Incredible visibility shows off an underwater world filled with colourful tropical fish and incredible sea life, and the most magnificent coral for which this protected wonderland is famous.

Back on land and in the car, it's just a half-hour drive down the road and I am trekking in the Tully Valley rainforest. My guide is Caroline, an indigenous guide from Ingan Tours, whose life passion is to share the stories of her ancestors who lived here. The Spirit of the Rainforest walk is a pleasure. Caroline interprets the rainforest environment along the way for an insight into what it would have been like roaming this former indigenous trading route, and our day ends splashing around under the powerful Echo Creek Falls, just as Caroline did as a child.

I continue my drive, following the Reef 100km south to Ingham. It is clear I am driving into sugarcane country, the sides of the road are flanked with tall crops, this region producing more sugar than anywhere else in Australia. Arriving in Ingham, like so many travellers before me, I pull into Lee's Hotel for the night. It's the pub made famous by the Slim Dusty song The Pub with No Beer. But as soon as I walk in, there is a cold one waiting for me, alongside a wall of historic photos that tell the story of a town that was founded by Italian migrants who came here from the 1890s in search of a better life.

The true marvel of this area is brought to life when I board a Hinchinbrook Helicopters scenic flight. With pilot Chris as my guide, we fly over Hinchinbrook Island, Australia's largest island national park. It's separated from the mainland by the deep, narrow, mangrove-fringed Hinchinbrook Channel and we spot dugongs as they seek habitat in the sea grass along the channel floor.

Hinchinbrook Island is a spectacle of sandy beaches, waterfalls, rugged mountains, mangrove forests, coral reefs, sheltered bays and dense rainforests, all surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

We fly back to the mainland and, just when I think I've seen it all, our chopper turns a corner and I am silenced by the power of the Wallaman Falls in Girringun National Park - the highest, permanent, single-drop waterfall in Australia and part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

Back on the road, and 110km further south, I arrive in Townsville where I catch the 20-minute-long SeaLink Queensland cruise over to Magnetic Island, or "Maggie" as it is known to the locals.

As soon as I arrive, I join local operator Adam from Aquascene Charters for a boat ride around the island to get the lie of the land.

More than half of the island's 5184ha is national park. It's a haven for wildlife such as koalas and rock wallabies and I even find myself feeding sea eagles by holding fish out in my hand.

There are 24km of walking tracks through the national park that lead to spectacular lookouts over the island.

The following morning, after a hearty breakfast at Bungalow Bay on the northern side of the island, Ranger Tony takes me for a walk along one of them, Forts Walk, where World War II fortifications dot the landscape and koalas can be seen all along the track.

I am staying at the Grand Mercure Apartments in Nelly Bay, and each morning I sit on my balcony overlooking the sea and watch the sunrise with a rock wallaby as my companion. It's the perfect place to reflect on a drive that has afforded me a taste of Mother Nature at her finest, and introduced me to proud locals who enjoy some of the best backyards in the country.

Watch this story, and more, on Places We Go at 4pm on Network 10 today.

Go2 - BARRIER REEF

Getting there: Virgin Australia has regular flights to Cairns.

Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach

SeaLink Queensland

More information: placeswego.com
 

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Follow @Escape_team on Twitter

View the original article here

Driving alongside one of Australia's treasures

Colourful clownfish on the Reef Source: Supplied

SO, HOW do you "drive" the Great Barrier Reef?

Draw a line from Cairns to Mission Beach, south through Ingham and then down to Townsville and Magnetic Island, and you have arguably one of the most spectacular drives in our country.

My journey begins in the charming beachside town of Mission Beach, which was named for the indigenous mission set up in 1912. As far as natural beauties go, it doesn't get much better than this - 10km of coast, sandwiched between World Heritage-listed rainforest and World Heritage-listed barrier reef.

Filled with happy holidaymakers and laid-back locals, Mission Beach is a resilient town that's survived cyclones and escaped mass development. Fitting with its incredible surroundings, it's a beautiful, sleepy beachside town with a few restaurants, where you can enjoy the warmth of the tropics and the sand beneath your toes as the palm trees sway in the wind.

Staying at Castaways Resort & Spa, I am literally on the beach. Every morning I wake up to the sun rising over the water, and I can see Dunk Island while having my morning coffee. On a boat ride in the resort's amphibious vessel Sea Legs around the Family Group of Islands, you can stop off at one of the many white stretches of sand and have a picnic lunch surrounded by complete tranquillity.

While it could be easy to kick back into resort life by the pool and enjoy the exceptional seared-tuna salad for lunch, it's time to get my scuba gear on and truly explore Mission Beach's backyard.

Andy, who operates the local dive boat Calypso, was a backpacker who came here 15 years ago, fell in love with the place and never left. Today, he's a passionate local who takes great pride in showing off his home. Heading out to the largest coral reef system in the world, there's a feeling of awe and anticipation among fellow passengers when I board. And just a 45-minute boat ride from the shore, it's like entering a completely different landscape. Andy takes me to a little dive spot he found when he first arrived. Incredible visibility shows off an underwater world filled with colourful tropical fish and incredible sea life, and the most magnificent coral for which this protected wonderland is famous.

Back on land and in the car, it's just a half-hour drive down the road and I am trekking in the Tully Valley rainforest. My guide is Caroline, an indigenous guide from Ingan Tours, whose life passion is to share the stories of her ancestors who lived here. The Spirit of the Rainforest walk is a pleasure. Caroline interprets the rainforest environment along the way for an insight into what it would have been like roaming this former indigenous trading route, and our day ends splashing around under the powerful Echo Creek Falls, just as Caroline did as a child.

I continue my drive, following the Reef 100km south to Ingham. It is clear I am driving into sugarcane country, the sides of the road are flanked with tall crops, this region producing more sugar than anywhere else in Australia. Arriving in Ingham, like so many travellers before me, I pull into Lee's Hotel for the night. It's the pub made famous by the Slim Dusty song The Pub with No Beer. But as soon as I walk in, there is a cold one waiting for me, alongside a wall of historic photos that tell the story of a town that was founded by Italian migrants who came here from the 1890s in search of a better life.

The true marvel of this area is brought to life when I board a Hinchinbrook Helicopters scenic flight. With pilot Chris as my guide, we fly over Hinchinbrook Island, Australia's largest island national park. It's separated from the mainland by the deep, narrow, mangrove-fringed Hinchinbrook Channel and we spot dugongs as they seek habitat in the sea grass along the channel floor.

Hinchinbrook Island is a spectacle of sandy beaches, waterfalls, rugged mountains, mangrove forests, coral reefs, sheltered bays and dense rainforests, all surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

We fly back to the mainland and, just when I think I've seen it all, our chopper turns a corner and I am silenced by the power of the Wallaman Falls in Girringun National Park - the highest, permanent, single-drop waterfall in Australia and part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

Back on the road, and 110km further south, I arrive in Townsville where I catch the 20-minute-long SeaLink Queensland cruise over to Magnetic Island, or "Maggie" as it is known to the locals.

As soon as I arrive, I join local operator Adam from Aquascene Charters for a boat ride around the island to get the lie of the land.

More than half of the island's 5184ha is national park. It's a haven for wildlife such as koalas and rock wallabies and I even find myself feeding sea eagles by holding fish out in my hand.

There are 24km of walking tracks through the national park that lead to spectacular lookouts over the island.

The following morning, after a hearty breakfast at Bungalow Bay on the northern side of the island, Ranger Tony takes me for a walk along one of them, Forts Walk, where World War II fortifications dot the landscape and koalas can be seen all along the track.

I am staying at the Grand Mercure Apartments in Nelly Bay, and each morning I sit on my balcony overlooking the sea and watch the sunrise with a rock wallaby as my companion. It's the perfect place to reflect on a drive that has afforded me a taste of Mother Nature at her finest, and introduced me to proud locals who enjoy some of the best backyards in the country.

Watch this story, and more, on Places We Go at 4pm on Network 10 today.

Go2 - BARRIER REEF

Getting there: Virgin Australia has regular flights to Cairns.

Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach

SeaLink Queensland

More information: placeswego.com
 

"Like" Escape.com.au on Facebook

Follow @Escape_team on Twitter

View the original article here

Australia's most amazing beaches

Australia's most amazing beaches: The 194-kilometre long World Heritage-listed Coorong in SA is Australia's second-longest continuous beach and one of its wildest. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com Source: Supplied

FEATURING 35,876 km of magnificent mainland coastline, Australia has more beaches than any nation on Earth. Here are the best as viewed on Google Maps.

Australia's mainland has a total coastline length of 35,876 km with an additional 23,859 km of island coastlines.

Australia's most amazing beaches: Silica Beach is an enigma. Located on uninhabited Hidden Island in the remote western Kimberley, it is a pure white beach composed of silica, on a coast dominated by beaches composed of carbonate material shell and coral fragments. The source of the silica remains a mystery, but there is no doubt of its purity and clarity. Like most Kimberley beaches this beach is short, just 150 m long and occupies a the mouth of a small valley with ragged tree covered sandstone bluffs rising to 20m on either side, and two ragged mangrove-fringed headlands extending 500 m seaward forming a sheltered north-facing bay. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

Text from 101 Best Australian Beaches by Andy Short and Brad Farmer 101bestbeaches.com

Australia's most amazing beaches: Wineglass Bay in the magnificent Freycinet National Park is Tasmanias most photographed beach. The beach forms the eastern side of a 1.5 km wide low vegetated isthmus that connects Freycinet Peninsula to the mainland. All this is part of Tasmanias first national park, established in 1916. The areas fascinating history is also reflected in the names given by the early Dutch (Schouten and Maria islands) and French explorers (Freycinet, Cape Tourville and Point Geographe) and early Welsh settlers (Swansea and Glamorgan). The beach curves symmetrically for 1.7 km with low waves washing up against the steep beach face, and deep clear water filling the bay. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

 

Australia's most amazing beaches: Frangipani Beach is located at the very northern tip of Australia at the end of a torturous two to three day, 750 km trek. The Cooktown to Cape York road terminates amongst the trees at the eastern end of the beach, where most trekkers park then either cross the beach at low tide, or walk along the rocky cape at high tide to reach the tip, where they have their photo taken besides the sign proclaiming that you are at Australias northernmost point. The cape forms the eastern boundary of this beautiful cream coloured sand beach backed by a fringe of casuarina trees, which overhang the high tide sand. As the tide retreats it reveals a 250 m wide stretch of clean sand capped by several subdued sand ridges. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

Australia's most amazing beaches: Emily Bay on historic Norfolk Island lies adjacent to be more sinister named Slaughter Bay, which is backed by the ruins of the old gaol. Emily however is a delight, a curving beach tied to two low points and sheltered by a reef which blocks all waves at low tide forming a quiet lagoon. So placid is the bay a swimming pontoon is anchored off the beach. A row of the ubiquitous Norfolk Island pines rings the low dune at rear of the beach behind which lies then the stunning golf course. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

Australia's most amazing beaches: Gibsons Steps is a cliff-hanging walkway on a heart pounding sweep of coast, set in the spectacular Port Campbell National Park. The steps lead from a small car park just off the Great Ocean Road, down to a beach set between the base of the sheer cliffs and those the relentless rock shaping seas of the Southern Ocean. This is one of the best spots to pull up on your drive around the coast to experience close up the high surf, and its impact it has on the beach and backing sheer eroding cliffs. This is not a swimming beach, even in apparent calm conditions rip currents remain. Do however walk along the beach and see the eroding cliffs, the flotsam washed ashore, the wild surf, and admire the two sea stacks close to shore locally known as Gog and Magog. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

Australia's most amazing beaches: The shoreline here is composed entirely of shells millions of them, several metres deep. It is the only beach of this type in Australia and one of only two shell beaches like it in the world. Shell Beach is an example of the amazing environments that have evolved in the arid, high salinity environment of Shark Bay. The beach is located deep in the bay at the base of Lharidon Bight, so far from the entrance and fresh seawater that the high evaporation results in salinity reaching twice that of sea water (70 parts of salt per 1000 parts of sea water). Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

Australia's most amazing beaches: Agnes Water boasts the northernmost surf in Queensland, although it's usually on the gentle side. Explore the superb estuary, neighbouring national parks or head offshore to the southern outposts of the Great Barrier Reef. Until the 1970s, this isolated outpost was a well-guarded secret: a few lonely beach shacks stood at the end of the rough 50-kilometre-long track cut by creek crossings. It's a bit easier to get to today, but this stretch of coast still feels remarkably isolated and pristine. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

Australia's most amazing beaches: Cape Peron lies at the very tip of the central Peron Peninsula, located in Sharks Bays Francis Peron National Park. Its worth the 50 km long drive from Denham, much on dusty red tracks, to explore both the peninsula and the beaches at its apex. The track ends at the cape, with the 200 m long white cape beach located at the base of the bright red pindan bluffs. Longer beaches are located to either side of the cape, with the kilometer long eastern beach the more accessible. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

Australia's most amazing beaches: Fraser Island is the worlds largest sand island, site of Queenslands longest beach and home to ancient coloured sand dunes. It has bubbling freshwater springs, pure-bred dingoes, rainforest-covered dunes and pristine freshwater lakes high in the dunes, including the world's largest. Its also a national park and World Heritage Area. Aboriginal people call this place Kgari paradise. It was named Fraser Island after Eliza Fraser, the sole survivor of an 1836 shipwreck who lived with local Aboriginal people before being rescued. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com

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The reality behind Australia's 'best job'

Tourism Australia is hiring again with their marketing campaign to give winning contestants the six 'Best jobs in the world'.

Tourism Australia is launching its "Six Best Jobs in the World" campaign.

• Tourism Australia new dream jobs announced
• They don't all involve relaxing on an island paradise
• Read more about the "best jobs" on offer here

IT'S one of Australia's newest dream jobs, but be warned, if you're expecting to relax on an island paradise sipping cocktails and watching dolphins glide through the water, you're in for a surprise.

Tourism Australia has just announced its newest mega-campaign, the Six Best Jobs in the World. It aims to showcase the best tourism attributes of (almost) each state and territory - minus Tasmania and the ACT, who chose not to participate.

Most of the positions on offer echo the role that started it all - the famous island caretaker "dream job" in the Whitsundays scored by Englishman Ben Southall in 2009.

There's swimming with sea lions in South Australia, sleeping under the stars in a Northern Territory bush camp or eating your way around Western Australia. Our you could patrol Queensland's stunning beaches or capture Melbourne's hip café and restaurant scene in photographs.

They're all pretty enticing job offers, right? Oh and don't forget, they all carry six-month salary packages worth $100,000.

Wait, there's also this one: "Chief Funster".

Exciting title! But what exactly does the role involve? Well, I'll tell you what it doesn't involve - relaxing on a beach.

The role is essentially a social media commentator who'll attend tourism launches, PR events and industry functions.

Yep that's right, you'll get to travel NSW and attend some of its most famous events and festivals. But then there are the meetings, the blog posts, the functions... the actual work mixed in with the fun.

There's absolutely no doubt this job is incredible, but it stood out like a sore thumb amongst the other more laid-back, outdoorsy Aussie offerings.

Here's the full job description:

NSW Job name: Chief Funster

Duties: Review festivals and events, Tweet, #tag and post your thoughts, be a Sydney VIP

Job description: If you're the life of the party, always in search of the best events and coolest festivals, then why not do it for a living? We're searching for someone to do just that, as the Chief Funster for NSW. The lucky applicant will be based in Sydney, travelling the state as the social media commentator for NSW, appearing at all the major tourism launches, PR events and industry functions. You will assist to promote events all over the state including food festivals, lifestyle, sports, cultural, entertainment and arts events. Work behind the scenes of Sydney Festival, Mardi Gras and Vivid Festival, all leading up to the spectacular New Years Eve fireworks on Sydney Harbour.

Read more about the "best jobs" on offer here

The successful applicant will be English-speaking and ideally have experience in media/communications, social media or be from an agency.

They will attend pre-events but will also get to watch the event and go behind the scenes. It's expected roughly 50 per cent of their time will be spent in Sydney and 50 per cent travelling around other areas of NSW.

Tourism Australia is launching its "Six Best Jobs in the World" campaign. How about being a park ranger in Queensland? Source: Supplied

Key events they will attend  include the Mardi Gras, open-air opera, New Year's Eve, the ARIAs and country events such as the Tamworth Country Blues Festival.

They'll need to spend some time in Sydney catching up on their blog posts and working with the digital team at Destination NSW on how best to leverage the Facebook network as well as meeting with industry stakeholders.

"They'll definitely be part of the Destination NSW team, they'll be one of us."

So there you go, don't say you weren't prepared - unlike Ben Southall who found out the island caretaker role involved a lot more work than he'd anticipated.

"It should have been called 'the busiest job in the world'," he told the BBC.

The UK'S Telegraph has already had a dig at the new dream jobs, calling the Chief Funster role "dubious" and offering up a list of other jobs they believe are better than those put forward by Tourism Australia.

They include being a pool attendant in Las Vegas, a superyacht driver, hotel reviewer and a dog surfing coach.

YOUR SAY: What would you have picked as a dream job? Are these the best jobs in the world?
 

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Underemployment: Australia's working poor

NO BYLINE... 21/10/2011 FEATURES: NO BYLINE... 21/10/2011 FEATURES: Stressed Businessman Sitting in a Chair Source: Supplied

AUSTRALIA is in the grip of an underemployment epidemic, as new research reveals that 784,000 people are struggling to find more hours to earn more pay.

And the wage gulf between the sexes is growing, with pay for men rising by 5.3 per cent in the past year, and only 3.9 per cent for women.

The average male worker earns $1323 a week, or $1576 if only full-time workers are counted, compared to $839 and $1243 respectively for women.

The pay rise gulf lessens when only full-time workers are considered.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures come as am ABS survey gives an indepth glimpse into a legion of underemployed workers who want more hours but can't get them.

It suggests the average time spent in that position is 69 weeks, with around half of people aged over 45 most likely to suffer for longer than a year.

But while younger people were less likely to spend so long underemployed, a quarter of all young people in part-time work now want more hours.

Of those underemployed, 730,900 held part-time jobs in September, and 53,000 were full-timers who were doing less than 35-hours a week because there was not enough work.

The problem was worse for female part-time workers, although men needed more hours than the 14 extra people generally sought.

Seventy per cent of of men and about half of women wanted a full-time job.

About 345,000 people were actively seeking more work, and had asked their company for more hours, searched job sites or contacted new employers in the past month.

Those who met brick walls were most commonly told there was no vacancies or too many applicants for jobs.

One third of men said they would move to another part of their state if they were offered a suitable job, while one in five women would be willing.

Over a quarter of those men would move interstate and 14 per cent of women would be prepared to make that jump.

Meanwhile, miners recorded the highest average weekly earnings, at $2381, and hotel and restaurant workers had the lowest, at $530.

People in the ACT and WA earned the highest wages because of the numbers of public servants and mine workers.

ACTU president Ged Kearney said the statistics showed how hard it was to break out of the cycle of insecure work.

"There are almost half a million Australians who are unable to earn what they need to survive or advance because they can't get enough," she said.

"Yet we also have an epidemic of overwork and unpaid overtime caused by employers seeking more and more out of already overstretched workers."

She said employers were often the only ones were benefited from casual jobs, allowing them to change shifts at will, and affording workers no holiday or sick pay, leaving them vulnerable.

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