Introduction

A personal photographic record of a tour of Australia in October/November 2016 to celebrate the 40th Wedding Anniversary of David & Catherine Cooke.

The Tour was organised by Great Railway Journeys, departing fron London Heathrow and flying to Cairns, Queensland, Australia with a stopover and change of Aircraft at Hong Kong. The Carrier used was Cathay Pacific

using Boeing 777 aircraft. Being a special occasion we decided to upgrade to business class for the outward journey which although quite expensive made the longhaul journey much more enjoyable.

Following arrival at Cairns we had some free time to explore as well as travelling on the Karrunda Scenic Railway to visit the RainForeStation and a visit by boat to the Great Barrier Reef. After four days at Cairns we flew diect to Uluru (Ayers Rock) Resort, Northern Territory to visit both Uluru & Kata Tjuta natural rock formations.

The next leg of the tour took us to Alice Sprngs, Northern Territory where after a overnight stay and a brief tour of the town we boarded the legendary 'Ghan' train which wold take us onto Adelaide, South Australia. Whilst here we took to the hills with a tour of the Barossa Valley wine growing region (including the famous Jacobs Creek). After some more free time (we visited Port Adelaide & Glenelg) we departed from Adelaide on 'The Overland' train to Melbourne, Victoria.

Whilst at Melbourne visits were mafe to the Puffing Billy Railway, Phillip Island (Koala Sacntuary) and the Great Ocean Road. The final leg of the tour took us to Sydney, New South Wales where we enjoyed a Harbour Cruise and a visit to the Blue Mountains. Following some more free time we departed from Sydney and returned to London (again with a stopover at Hong Kong).

Link to Section 1 - London Heatrow Airport