On Wednesday, we enjoyed a day packed with memorable wildlife encounters, active thrills, cultural experiences and delicious eats at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. A few steps off the Gold Coast Highway, we entered the beautiful, natural escape from the city – one that people of all ages and interests can appreciate.

Arriving just after lunch, we first explored the gorgeous grounds covered in lush rainforest and eucalyptus and discovered some of the hundreds of the weird and wonderful and adorable and fierce Australian animals on display. We visited Maximus and the other snakes, the crocodiles (both small and massive) and the dingoes, among many other creatures; we then hand-fed and pet several kangaroos and wallabies in an open field, before catching the impressive Free Flight Bird Show.

Next, at 3:00pm, we joined the last Green Challenge, an exhilarating high ropes nature adventure course, of the day. As children are allowed on two of the three courses, we expected it to be a simple rope path from tree to tree, but we were pleasantly shocked with the intensity and diversity of the course’s challenges! The Green Challenge includes sixty-five challenges set amongst the sanctuary’s treetops, such as giant, fast flying foxes and a tarzan swing into a net!

While thrilling and challenging, the course is extremely safe. Participants are dressed in full body suits, gloves and a waist harness that has a pulley system and two carabiners. The course is designed so that you are always attached so a safe point; in fact, we saw this in effective use – my friend slipped jumping from step to step on one of the challenges and simply hung there comfortably (laughing her head off) until she was ready to attempt the jump again!

An exciting flying fox returned us to the ground, concluding the adrenaline-pumping Green Challenge. From here, we made our way to Rainforest Bar to enjoy a drink and await the start of Yanguwah, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural show and dinner. The evening show began with an impressive didgeridoo performance, an educational video on the cultures’ histories and a traditional welcome ceremony – during which my partner was appointed the group’s “bala”, meaning strong warrior or leader.

He and the tour guides led us outside to the Kup Murri, where we watched them unearth our dinner that was cooking beneath sand and leaves – a teaser to get our appetites ready for the later meal. Next, we moved to a beautiful outdoor arena set under a big red tent to admire many amazing Aboriginal dance and song performances. Again here, my partner or “bala” was called on to join in the dances – a very entertaining scene.

Next, we explored some of the sanctuary’s grounds and animals by night. We learned about types of present bush tucker and medicine as we walked; watched a Tasmanian Devil feed on a kangaroo tail; hand fed a mob of kangaroos; and held a baby Salt Water Crocodile for a photo!

After these close animal encounters, we indulged in our delicious Kup Murri buffet feast while watching an impressive Torres Strait Islander dance show, which included plenty more fun audience involvement! After the dinner and show, Yanguwah concluded with an opportunity to cuddle a koala for a photo!

Natural, wild, cultural and more – Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary offers a variety of worlds to explore; we highly recommend you discover this oasis from the city by both day and night with a day admission and Yanguwah package deal! 

Consisting of several exhilarating zipline circuits amidst gorgeous forest overlooking stunning alpine vistas, the Ziptrek Ecotour encompasses the essence of Queenstown. My two friends and I were thrilled by Ziptrek’s Kea 6-line Tour, which offered us not only the high-energy, fun-filled activity, but also spectacular views of the picturesque region and informative discussion on present environmental issues.

Launching from Bob’s Peak, 430m above Queenstown, we travelled down to the base of the mountain throughout our 3-hour tour by gliding down a series of six exciting ziplines! Ensuring we were always entertained, each zipline was unique, having different launching and landing platforms, varying degrees of steepness and different lengths; they were also each set in different scenes and offered different views.

Further making each zip unique was the flexibility of our safety harnesses, which allowed us to launch in a variety of ways; for example, we jumped off the platform forwards, leapt off backwards, canonballed off, flew upside-down and more! The world’s steepest tree-to-tree flying fox, one kilometre (or ten rugby fields) in length, the 6^th and final zipline was a definite highlight. On this thrilling run, we zipped down 30 storeys at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour!

You don’t have to be a daredevil to enjoy the rush from ziplining in Queenstown. If you’re interested in this flying-through-the-forest adventure, read Experience Oz’s detailed review of the Ziptrek Kea 6-line Tour!

Book your Ziptrek Ecotour here!

Majestic mountains towering above, cascading waterfalls and rushing rivers beside us and plenty of winding scenic drives. We love New Zealand.  I, Experience Oz’s Travel Writer, and two others have just begun our tour of New Zealand’s South Island – and we began it with a bang aboard a Fox and Franz Joseph Twin Glacier helicopter flight.

After driving the incredibly scenic and mountainous roads of Arthur’s Pass from Christchurch to the rugged West Coast, we arrived at our first destination, Franz Josef. As a short side note, for anyone who may want to take this path, plan to do the drive during the day – it gets dark early and you do not want to miss the highlights of Arthur’s Pass!

In Franz Josef, we woke early on a very sunny morning, ready for the scenic helicopter flight. Originally from Canada, we have explored mountains before and are used to the snow; but our prior expectations of the glacier flight were so far from what we actually enjoyed – a truly unforgettable, inspirational experience.

We flew over many of the alpine region’s most spectacular highlights and marveled at awe-inspiring views of the iconic and magnificent Mount Cook, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier and Victoria Falls, as well as other waterfalls, creeks, mountains and more. Part way through our in-air exploration came the most exhilarating moment of the journey, landing on a snow field on the Franz Josef Glacier!

There, we jumped out onto the vast snow field dressed in a fresh layer of snow and felt unbelievably alive. Unable to see any sign of civilization, we stood in the midst of the open, bright white field, surrounded by massive snow-capped mountains, strange and stunning ice formations, unique rocks with water rushing down them and unusual neves and crevasses, among many other spectacular sights.

Being surrounded by such unspoiled impressive beauty is an experience like none other – and one I recommend to all. To learn more about this memorable adventure and the unbeatable high it induces, read Experience Oz’s full review of the Fox and Franz Joseph Twin Glacier helicopter flight. Or check back here soon to read about what to do in Queenstown!

Book your glacier flights here!

The vibrant city of Sydney is soon to become even more colourful with Vivid, an 18-day festival of lights, music and ideas! From 25 May to 11 June, Sydney will become illuminated with impressive light displays on the sails of the Sydney Opera House, the heritage buildings in the Rocks, around the Circular Quay and several other scenic and creative spots.

Sydney will also offer a variety of big concerts, such as performances from Florence and the Machine, Sufjan Stevens and more; and will host a range of forums focused on art, film and electronic games, among other themes, at the MCA.

If you’re going to be one of the 500,000 people expected to head to this harbourside precinct for Vivid, take advantage of the other exciting things to do in Sydney, such as harbour cruises, the Sydney zoos and attractions, jet boat rides, hot air balloon flights, scenic flights and other activities. Experience the many colours of Sydney during Vivid!

Book your Sydney experiences here!

Jabbawockeez has officially hit the stage at Jupiters! The popular freestyle dance crew performed the Australian premiere of its newest production, MÜS.I.C, over the weekend in the revamped theatre in the Gold Coast’s Jupiters Hotel & Casino – and it has been a hit!

The Experience Oz crew had the pleasure of recently catching this captivating production and we were all thrilled by the show that offers so much more than a typical dance performance. Of course, the impressive movements blew our minds, but we connected to the characters and the storyline on several other layers.

Jabbawockeez and show directors Tabitha and Napoleon, Emmy-nominated and So You Think You Can Dance choreographers, strategically and creatively designed the production to be deeply enjoyed by people of all ages and interests. To achieve this, they incorporated not only incredible dances, but also comedic and dramatic themes, effective character development, a diverse, popular song list, complex costumes and sets, cross-generational cultural references, audience involvement and more.

For more information on what makes the unique dance crew and its newest hit show so entertaining and so exciting, read Experience Oz’s in-depth review of Jabbawockeez: MÜS.I.C – then see it for yourself!

Buy your Jabbawockeez tickets here!

If visiting Tropical North Queensland, be sure to not miss the spectacular Kuranda world heritage listed Rainforest and Village; here, you can discover magnificent waterfalls, gorges, mountains, impressive lookouts, rainforest boardwalks through massive palms, Tree Ferns and towering Kauri Pine up to 400-years-old, diverse wildlife, Indigenous culture and a village home to a variety of attractions.

One of Experience Oz’s team members, Michelle, recently explored this region in a unique way – on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Tour from Cairns – and loved it! On this day tour, she rode the Skyrail, a 7.5km scenic journey aboard a cableway over the rainforest; during this breathtaking ride, she was able to stop to visit some of the natural highlights along the way, such as the Barron Gorge and Falls.

The Skyrail delivered Michelle to Kuranda, the Village in the Rainforest, where she enjoyed lunch and explored the Heritage Markets; she also joined a Kuranda Riverboat Tour during which she spotted many sorts of wildlife, including a freshwater croc! To complete her day tour, Michelle returned on a 1.5-hour ride on the Kuranda Scenic Rail, thoroughly impressed with this exciting and scenic day out!

Are you interested in experiencing Kuranda? To get the inside scoop on this day tour, click here to read Experience Oz’s in-depth review of the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Tour from Cairns. 

Buy your Kuranda tour tickets here!

If visiting Tropical North Queensland, be sure to not miss the spectacular Kuranda world heritage listed Rainforest and Village; here, you can discover magnificent waterfalls, gorges, mountains, impressive lookouts, rainforest boardwalks through massive palms, Tree Ferns and towering Kauri Pine up to 400-years-old, diverse wildlife, Indigenous culture and a village home to a variety of attractions.

One of Experience Oz’s team members, Michelle, recently explored this region in a unique way – on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Tour from Cairns – and loved it! On this day tour, she rode the Skyrail, a 7.5km scenic journey aboard a cableway over the rainforest; during this breathtaking ride, she was able to stop to visit some of the natural highlights along the way, such as the Barron Gorge and Falls.

The Skyrail delivered Michelle to Kuranda, the Village in the Rainforest, where she enjoyed lunch and explored the Heritage Markets; she also joined a Kuranda Riverboat Tour during which she spotted many sorts of wildlife, including a freshwater croc! To complete her day tour, Michelle returned on a 1.5-hour ride on the Kuranda Scenic Rail, thoroughly impressed with this exciting and scenic day out!

Are you interested in experiencing Kuranda? To get the inside scoop on this day tour, click here to read Experience Oz’s in-depth review of the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Tour from Cairns. 

Buy your Kuranda tour tickets here!

High-speed action meets scenic tour; massive splashes meet stunning scenery; and loud laughs meet even louder screams on a Paradise Jet Boating jet boat ride! The Experience Oz crew had an absolute blast on the 55-minute adventure that held true to its tagline: “More than just a Thrill Ride.”

We boarded the state-of-the-art turbo-charged jet boat at the Gold Coast‘s Marina Mirage – and were off on our exhilarating ride, travelling at speeds of up to 80kmph through the winding waterways! We zoomed full throttle north toward Couran Cove, wake surfing, narrowly missing tall buoys, slipping, sliding, spinning and skimming all the way there!

In addition to the adrenaline-pumping action, we enjoyed slower breaks during which we soaked in some sun, admired the natural and built highlights and learned about the area from our friendly and knowledgeable guide, Tim. He told us about Wave Brake Island and South Stradbroke Island’s history and gave us the inside scoop on many of the mansions on Sovereign Island.

On our way back, we toured the narrow channels, mangrove forests and wildlife of Moreton Bay Marine Park. Thank you, Tim, Tony, Kate and the rest of the Paradise Jet Boating crew, for an awesome adventure!

With this experienced and skilled company, get your doses of both sightseeing and thrills at once! If you’re interested in taking part and want more information, read Experience Oz’s in-depth review Paradise Jet Boating’s Gold Coast jet boating adventure.

Buy your jet boating tickets here!

Gold Coast Combo Passes is giving away two double passes to the Jabbawockeez show at the revamped Jupiters Theatre! Enter the draw for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the opening show on 24 April 2012!

Jabbawockeez, a creative hip-hop dance crew famed for its YouTube popularity, from its appearance on America’s Got Talent and from its win of America’s Best Dance Crew (click here to watch the crew in action). What also had made this talented crew so successful is its signature outfits of plain white masks and gloves and, of course, its unique and entertaining styles.

Jabbawockeez’s latest production MÜS.I.C (muse-i-see), currently being performed in Las Vegas, is heading down under to the Jupiters Theatre on the Gold Coast for its Australian premiere at the end of April! MÜS.I.C is 90 minutes of amazing freestyle movement, theatre, captivating characters, touching dramatic themes, side-splitting comedy, impressive, detailed sets and a variety of costumes. This high-energy show will be the first to hit the Jupiters Theatre since $20 million worth of upgrades and renovations, including a more than doubling of its capacity!

It is easy for you to enter for your chance to win two tickets to see these talented dancers in an awesomely entertaining live production at the revamped Jupiters Theatre! Simply click here, Like the Gold Coast Combo Passes Facebook page and enter your email. On 17 April 2012, we will draw and contact you if you are one of the two winners! If you don’t end up being one of the lucky winners but still want to catch this exciting show, you can still purchase tickets to see the Jabbawockeez live here. Good luck to all entrants!

Buy your Jabbawockeez tickets here!