Captain Cook’s Rediscovered Australia:
From Sydney to Rain Forest to Reef.

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solation does strange things to a continent. It breeds wildlife that’s just a little bit wilder: wallabies, wombats, koalas, numbats, platypuses, kangaroos, even a cat that looks like a mongoose. It has an odd effect on the other inhabitants, too. Fills people’s heads with strange notions about diversity and egalitarianism. Perverts their priorities. Imagine — a leisure ethic promoting play (even at the expense of work). Not a serious place at all. Better go there, quick.

Across the Pacific to Sydney. We put you up in the Observatory Hotel — or the Four Seasons — your choice. Either one is plusher than a pasha’s palace. We’ve reached for the stars and come up with a handful.

Cruise Sydney’s magnificent harbor, voted tops in the world by mariners and landlubbers alike. Spectacular from every vantage: the Rocks, Macquarie Street, flashy Sydney Harbour Bridge and darling Darling Harbour. Roam through city neighborhoods in search of history, shopping, and pub fare. (Grog. Aussies have a taste for beer.) Consider a seaplane tour for a bird's-eye view or visit Sydney’s premier Aboriginal art gallery. The possibilities are endless here.

Venture into the outskirts: the Blue Mountains, last century’s edgy hangout (maybe still). They’re not really blue; the color’s an optical illusion caused by oils that evaporate from the gum trees. Not really mountains, for that matter. They’re elevated remains of a vast sandstone plateau.

Australia is the oldest continent. And the most eroded.

Need proof? We take you to Uluru (the rock formerly known as Ayers). Aborigines have long revered this place. To be here is to understand why. We hike the big marble to its rounded summit at 1,100 feet. Spectacular at dawn, Uluru positively stuns at sunset. We return for a final toast and to pay homage in the transforming colors of dusk.

Then to Uluru’s monolithic neighbors, Katatjuta (formerly the Olgas). Thirty-six bald rock domes play a sacred role in the Anangu Aborigines’ spirituality, and they can only be approached by initiated tribesmen.

From the Outback, examine the southern sky for constellations you're not used to seeing. An expert stargazer explains it all. Feel small, discover enchantment.

Northeast to Cairns and further north still to Daintree to find the earth’s oldest living rain forest. Flowering plants appeared here first. Explore by four-wheel safari vehicle, then cruise the Daintree River in search of bashful crocs.

One more natural phenom to go: the Great Barrier Reef. A coral causeway of 2,000 islands, fewer than 20 of them inhabited. We visit one of two that are the most luxurious we know — Hayman Island or Lizard Island. No worries mate, luxuriate. White sand beaches above, anemones hosting clown fish below. Take the plunge into a pristine bay. Surface long enough to consult with the sommelier. Shiraz or Cab Sav?

Captain Cook's Rediscovered Australia: From Sydney to Rain Forest to Reef. 13 Days.

Why not extend your journey with a trip to New Zealand? Click here.