Australia
In late 2009 we eventually made it to famed "Down Under". For various reasons (bad wheather, the usual excuse, just being one of them) some fine scenery has not been immortalized in a pano but surely should have been, notably on the Sunshine Coast, in the Wet Tropics, around Adelaide, along the SA coast and in the vicinty of Apollo Bay....
Flat Tire between Moon Pt and Lake Allom, Fraser Island
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Viewer. Flat tires and tour bus breakdowns of all kind were a common
feature on our three land-based tours. No tour, however, was so unfortunate
like the tour bus on Fraser Island in front of us, which had a couple of
flat tires in a row and eventually got stuck on the island.
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Eli Creek, Fraser Island
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Viewer. Really everthing on Fraser Island, that is not covered by
vegetation, is pure sand, including river beds.
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Corner Wood & Victoria St, Mackay
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Viewer. Mackay features some nice Art Deco
buildings and was one of the more exciting larger towns in Queensland
of that usually not so exciting variety.
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Araluen Falls, Eungella National Park
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Viewer. Araluen Falls is the destination of one the shorter walks
in the Finch Hatton Gorge section of Eungella National Park. As with
any reasonably sized waterhole in Australia with its thousand ways to
die in the sea, it sees quite some swimming.
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Maureens Cove, Hook Island, Whitsundays
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Viewer.
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Hill Inlet Lookout, Whitsunday Island
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The colors are pretty,
but you get nowhere close to the beauty of the ubiquitous aerial shot
of Hill Inlet with Whitehaven Beach in the background.
South of Hook Island, Whitsundays
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Viewer. We could not resist the tempation
of "everybody sails the Whitsundays" (we took the Whitsunday Magic) because
it's just worth it, and within our loaded program, was very relaxing.
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Cantilever, Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway, Palmerston Hwy
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Viewer. I rarely do 360°/180° full panos,
so for this one you should give the Java Viewer a try.
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Cape Tribulation
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Viewer. It poured the day we made it to Cape Tribulation, our northernmost
destination in Queensland, but what's a rainforest without rain? In any
case, the Cape Tribulation section of Daintree National Park was
undisputably a highlight of our
trip.
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Southwest Face of Uluru
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Viewer. Ulura aka Ayers Rocks is just a big rock, but with an enormous
presence and a different look from each direction and daytime. Walking
around it it 40+ °C in the afternoon is less fun though.
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Close to Karu Lookout, Valley of the Winds Walk, Kata Tjuta
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Viewer. Equally strenuous (that day we got up at 4 a.m.), but also
very rewarding, was the Valley of the Winds Walk in Kata Tjuta aka the
Olgas.
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Karingana Lookout, Valley of the Winds Walk, Kata Tjuta
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Viewer.
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South Rim View Point, Kings Canyon
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Viewer. Kings Canyon is not royal in any way (it was named after
a fellow who was called "King") nor especially big, but a small area
of exceptional beauty.
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South Rim View Point, Kings Canyon (close-up)
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Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell Ranges
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Viewer. Towards the end of our 5-day Camping Safari Tour we tended
to combine physical activity in the heat with a relaxing bath. At Ormiston
Gorge, the waterhole we chose was around the corner to the left.
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Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island
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Viewer. What a name!
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P.S. Marion, Mannum
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The Paddle Steamer Marion is one of the few items at exhibition in the
quiet town of Mannum on Australia's lifeline river Murray. River
navigation started here more than 150 years ago.
McKenzie Falls, Grampians (above Falls)
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Viewer. The McKenzie Falls, one of Victoria's iconic sights are great
from above...
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McKenzie Falls, Grampians
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Viewer. ... and below.
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Pinnacles Lookout, Grampians
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Viewer. The walk to the Pinnacles Lookout from Wonderland car park
is short (about an hour, but seems much longer), but on every stretch you
are rewarded with incredible scenery and even cross the Grampians' Grand
Canyon.
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Bay of Islands, Great Ocean Road
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The first out of many stops along the Great Ocean Road if you drive eastwards.
Towards the end of the day, you will have had a fair share of limestone
cliffs and lookouts.
Loch Ard Gorge, Great Ocean Road
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Viewer. Sadly, Loch Ard Gorge is one of the very few spots along
the limestone cliff section of the Great Ocean Road where you can actually
get onto
the beach.
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Fern Gully, Maits Rest, Great Otway National Park
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Viewer. Amidst a landscape reminiscent of the Swiss Jura in the Great
Otway National Park, you find completely outlandish looking pockets of
rainforest in gullies on
steep
mountains which get enough rain to sustain a fern tree forest.
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Federation Square, Melbourne
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Viewer. Fed square is the undisputed centre of Melbourne: the main
cathedral, the main railway station, the river Yarra and the tourist
office and a lot more are all here. Somewhat more disputed is the centerpiece
architecture. We didn't care and just found it awesome that Melbourne
is the first city we have visited with a very useful FREE hop-on-hop-off
bus.
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Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour, Sydney
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Manly Ferry leaving Circulary Quay, Sydney
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Viewer. Ferries come in handy in Sydney for both transportation and
sightseeing, the Manly Ferry with its attractive terminus being a prime
example.
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View from Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney
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The Blu bar at the Shangri-La proved to be the right place to marvel
at Sydney's nightly beauty.
Off Millers Point, Sydney Harbour
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