Australia Cruise - from Sydney - 122484

Cairns, the capital of the "Far North" region is full of that tropical lust for life. As the secret "backpacker capital" of Australia, it has an almost magical pull on young travellers thanks to the seemingly limitless recreational activities it has to offer. It is far easier to reach the Great Barrier Reef from here than from central Queensland. The crystal-clear waters, palm-lined islands and sandbanks attract divers and snorkellers in particular, making the two offshore islands, Green Island and Fitzroy Island, hugely popular holiday destinations. The outer reef loved by divers is around 50 km away. In the near vicinity are untouched sections of coast and a mysterious wilderness of rainforest backed by a high mountain range.

Cairns, the capital of the "Far North" region is full of that tropical lust for life. As the secret "backpacker capital" of Australia, it has an almost magical pull on young travellers thanks to the seemingly limitless recreational activities it has to offer. It is far easier to reach the Great Barrier Reef from here than from central Queensland. The crystal-clear waters, palm-lined islands and sandbanks attract divers and snorkellers in particular, making the two offshore islands, Green Island and Fitzroy Island, hugely popular holiday destinations. The outer reef loved by divers is around 50 km away. In the near vicinity are untouched sections of coast and a mysterious wilderness of rainforest backed by a high mountain range.

The relaxed atmosphere of the outback dominates in Darwin too. The nearby wilderness of Cockatoo National Park boasts cave paintings and aboriginal art, rock formations that are more than 20,000 years old, and the dense lush Australian rainforest with many many waterfalls.

Komodo is one of the Lesser Sunda lslands, a part of Indonesia as yet almost untouched by tourism. It could have been the set for the film "Jurassic Park", with its prehistoric animals the Komodo dragons and its unique landscape of craggy mountains, grasslands and forests with dried-up riverbeds. There are no roads and only a single village. Not far from Komodo are some of the most beautiful islands with a huge diversity of plant and animal life and fantastic areas for snorkelling in untouched coral colonies.

Benoa is a traditional fishing village in the South of Bali. At the entrance to the port is the Pura Sakenan temple . It is linked with the pilgrimage of the Buddhist saint Dang Hyang Nirartha and is particularly important during the Galungan Festival celebrated every second year.

Benoa is a traditional fishing village in the South of Bali. At the entrance to the port is the Pura Sakenan temple . It is linked with the pilgrimage of the Buddhist saint Dang Hyang Nirartha and is particularly important during the Galungan Festival celebrated every second year.

Singapore is a city state at the lower end of the Malay Peninsula, only around 100 km North of the equator. Today the city is one of the most important ports and trading centres in South East Asia. Singapore has a population of over 3 million, including first and foremost Chinese, Malaysians and Indians. Europeans and other ethnic groups round off the city of many nationalities and four official languages. Visitors will notice the spotlessly clean and well-kept roads and squares; Singapore is also one of the safest cities in the world. Some interesting buildings dating from the colonial era have been placed under preservation order, including several former British administrative buildings and Raffles Hotel, whose guests included many authors. From the southern shore of the Singapore River visitors can take a boat trip around the river and Marina Bay. Sights include: the shopping street Orchard Road, Chinatown, Little India, Singapore River, the Botanic Gardens, the zoo and Fort Canning.