Australia 2000 Travel

Australia 2000 Travel

Thank you from Vivian, Danny & Eric Chan

My family of 3 has spent one week in Port Douglas and one week in Fiji last month. My son has never been to Great Barrier Reef. We went out to different reefs at two separate tours. We saw many different kinds of reefs, fish and a few giant clams, so colorful! It’s remarkable and breathtaking. Karen has arranged a private cultural tour to Daintree for us. The guide Aaron was a native there. He was very familiar with all the plants and where to spot crocodiles. He showed us different plants to heal sinus and mosquito bites, very fascinating as we are all big city people. He took us to the beach spearfishing, which my son had so much fun playing with the spear. We didn’t catch anything but again, it’s something that we don’t get to do in the big cities.

We’ve stayed at Savasi Island in Fiji. The resort was beautiful and private. They have a very good activity center there. We kayaked in the channel and did line fishing by the shore. We also snorkeled at Split Rock and Turtle Alley. Our guide Thomas brought food to feed the fish and we were surrounded by tons of stripped sergeant, it’s amazing. We didn’t see any turtles at Turtle Alley but we saw couple sharks there. The weather was perfect that day, the sea was calm, the giant rocks with coral reefs and fish was spectacular. Maybe because we were the only people there, it’s so peaceful and relaxed. We love the ocean!!!

Photo Credit to Vivian, Danny & Eric Chan

Orpheus Island ~ An Award Winning Luxury Private Island Accommodation in the Great Barrier Reef Hand Selected by the Owner of Australia 2000 Travel

Welcome to the kindness, the beauty and the innate healing power of Orpheus Island…

Orpheus Island Photo Credit to Tourism Australia

At Orpheus Island the accommodation is sophisticated, inviting and a stone’s throw from the water’s edge. During my recent travels to an invitation only Tourism Australia event I had the utmost privilege to off a stopover at tropical secluded Orpheus Island. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated being embraced by the bliss, the beauty, the magic, the comfort, the taste sensations of beautiful Orpheus. Every member of the team exuded a sense of joy through each welcoming smile. I was unobtrusively cared for in unpretentious comfort with minimal fuss and maximum care.

Orpheus Island South Suite Photo Credit to Simon Shiff

Oh how I savored the beauty of my suite, the chaise lounge by the beach, the garden, the exquisite cuisine. I snorkeled, read, drank champagne, luxuriated in the garden bath under the Milky Way at midnight and saluted the Southern Cross! For a passionate Aussie life could not have been better.

 

Orpheus Island Snorkeling Photo Credit to James Vodicka

Fringed by sheltered bays and seven unspoiled sandy beaches, wreathed in spectacular coral gardens and invigorated with native flora and fauna, Orpheus is a kaleidoscope of the senses. While snorkeling or diving in the underwater gardens surrounding the island guests glimpse giant clams in their natural environment, observe over a thousand species of tropical fish and more than three hundred varieties of multicolored reef coral that have been spared the bleaching that has occurred in other areas of the Great Barrier Reef.

For over twenty years I have shared the wonder of this breathtaking destination with hundreds of travelers and now it’s time to introduce it to you. Contact us to include Orpheus Island awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence in your Bespoke Down Under Adventure.

 

Thank you from 2 Happy Germans, Peter and Meggie and Their Family

Welcome Back to Fiji – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

It is exactly 15 years ago that I asked Karen to apply some of her magic and work out a trip to the Southern hemisphere for my wife’s and my 30th wedding anniversary.

I thought it is about time to have the honeymoon trip we never had since, at that time, I was still attending university and we didn’t have the money.

And what a trip Karen proposed!

It started on Fiji’s Nukubati Island, a small private island off the Northern coast of Vanua Levu, an hours drive from Labasa. It is a paradise for those who like a quiet and peaceful time to relax and recharge batteries. Luxurious service, pristine waters, outstanding scuba diving, fishing and so many more things to do and last but not least, being pampered by the wonderful Fijian people.

We spent Christmas on the island and then went on to Sydney for the New Year celebrations.

Harley-Davidson Tour – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

Not surprisingly, Karen found what we believe- is the best location to experience this event: The Quay Grand Sydney Harbour hotel at Circular Quay, with a direct look at the Harbour Bridge and in walking distance from the Opera House and the center of the city. Sydney is a great place to visit, a truly wonderful city.

After a few days in Sydney we continued to the Whitsundays further North. Seaplane trips to Whitehaven Beach and out to the reef for some snorkeling are a must.

After four weeks, which were filled with lasting impressions and just flew by, we returned home and for weeks, we couldn’t stop talking about this miraculous trip, praising Karen’s magical work. As a result, we got our kids all wound up so that we promised to take them also on the same trip, which we did a few years later.

New Zealand – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

Since then Karen has organized 12, four to five-week trips to Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand.

Every trip was top notch and even in the places where we returned to, like Sydney, Karen made sure that there was always something new to see or experience. Not one boring minute in now nearly one full and exciting year of accumulated travelling time.

Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, their wonderful people, lifestyle and breathtaking nature are worth to sit 20+ hours on airplanes to get there and every dime spent, was worth spending thanks to Karen!

We have seen many wonderful places and met great people among them some very memorable:

Tasmania Australia – Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

Cities: Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.

Nature: The Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, Nukubati’s Great See Reef, Flinders Range and Tasmania, North and South Island of New Zealand.

Locations: Nukubati with wonderful Jenny and the Nukubati family and The Manse in Hawkes Bay with the equally wonderful hosts Dietske and Gary.

Karen will never cease to amaze me with the magic she does. We cannot thank her enough and I hope that she will continue with this wonderful work for at least as long as we are fit for travelling those distances so that we can continue to put our travel plans in her expert hands.

Photo Credit to Peter Schmitz

Thank you from Dr. Rachel Polando

This latest trip with students, my third with a class, could not have been more perfect!? Every detail was taken care of and we could just enjoy the beauty and wonder of Australia.? The students could not get enough snorkeling at Michaelmas Cay, I had to chase them back to the boat.? ?They could not believe all the wonders of the Aboriginal culture of the Kuku Yalanji, our guide, Juan Walker was one of a kind.? We learned more that day than we could in a week of lecture.? Our magnificent trip ended in Sydney with a fabulous tour of Sydney Opera House and ?a walking tour of the city.? We were also lucky enough to enjoy the beauty of the bush in the Blue Mountains.? All of our guides and transportation was excellent, it was almost like we were family.? This trip would not be possible without the knowledge and dedication of Karen and her staff, they put all of their effort into making a once in a lifetime trip possible!

Dr. Rachel Polando

Associate Professor of Biology Manchester College Indiana

 

Australia 2000 Travel ~ Dreams Become Reality

BOI-private yacht-Whatever your dream, Australia 2000 Travel makes it happen for you. Perhaps you envision discovering majestic destinations such as the Bay of Islands in New Zealand aboard a privately chartered yacht. No worries mate! Our local booking agents organize every element of your exhilarating adventure from start to finish.

A chauffeur driven car will transfer you from your luxury accommodation to the marina where your captain who will be waiting to welcome you on board.? As you set sail doors open to spectacular scenery and numerous entertaining activities.? Explore largely sheltered waters amid a variety of scenic islands teeming with wildlife is just one of them. Dolphins, blue penguins, North Island robins, snapper, kingfish, and other marine and land animals abound. Some locations are premier sites for scuba diving on rocky bottoms, in caves, and around shipwrecks. Snorkeling and swimming are excellent. Pristine white-sand beaches, walking trails to admire stunning sea views or explore historic sites, the delights of laid-back resorts, and browsing in the shops and dining in the restaurants of small harbor towns are just a few of the pleasures a Bay of Islands yacht charter has to offer.? Contact us your personalized sailing adventure is waiting for you!

Thank you from The Robinet Family

Dear Karen,

We can?t thank you enough for putting together such a wonderful itinerary for us. Our trip to Australia and New Zealand was the trip of a lifetime and one that none of us will forget.

From Green Island to Ayers Rock to Sydney to Queenstown, we have memories of the most beautiful places we?ve ever seen. The adventures you chose for us were terrific.? From snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef to the Sounds of Silence dinner and camel ride at sunrise in Ayer?s Rock from Bridgeclimb, New Year?s Eve festivities and sailing on Sydney Harbour in Sydney to ziplining and bungy jumping in Queenstown, New Zealand, etc., everything was fantastic!

We?re already talking of going back! We booked this trip because we wanted to do a big family trip before our oldest son goes away to college. Thank you for exceeding our expectations. Australia and New Zealand truly are spectacular places to visit. The Aussie?s & Kiwi?s are wonderful too! They really know how to enjoy life and they made sure that we enjoyed it too. Thank you to you and your staff.

Sincerely,

The Robinet Family

Thank you from the Berminghams and Elders

Karen, Hillary, Shelly and Wendy,

Our Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania trip was spectacular. Everything was perfectly planned and we experienced a new adventure every day. We loved Sydney – the bridge climb, sailing the harbor and great shopping. A highlight has to be the Blue Mountains with such spectacular views, the opportunity to see kangaroos jumping about it the bush and lunch on the Wollondilly River.

We were very brave and drove on the opposite side of the road for our tour of Tasmania. We experienced Bruny Island with all the massive cliffs and just incredible views on our drive on the coast to Freycinet National Park. The Park has beautiful beaches with clear water and a nice secluded feel. It seemed there was one beautiful sight of beaches, waterfalls and rainforest after another as we drove to Launceston.

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Thank You from the Luginbills

Karen and Hillary,

Our second trip from Australia 2000 was as sensational as the first. In January, we visited Fiji and New Zealand; and as was the case for our trip to Australia in 2007, it was expertly planned and went off without a hitch. The diversity of the vacation was ideal. There were so many highlights that one cannot be singled out. Each day was an adventure.

On the island of Nukubati, the lap of luxury awaited us. We toasted sundown with campaign at sunset, viewed the undersea world snorkeling on the pristine reefs, ate gourmet food at every meal cooked from fresh island ingredients, and had every whim taken care of by an excellent staff.

After a totally relaxing week, New Zealand beckoned from top to bottom, north to south. We arrived to our own limo in Auckland and after a grand couple of day?s visit, we were off to Waitomo to do Black water rafting. Since hiking is our thing, Karen had us walk the Tongaririo Crossing, an amazing 7 hour trek across a volcano with some of the most amazing scenery to be seen.

The South island proved to be as dramatic and varied as the North island of New Zealand. A three day 28 mile hike along the Abel Tasman coastal trail was followed by sipping wine in Marlborough. Next we had a spectacular drive to Kaikoura where whale watching was no fluke. Christchurch was a bustling city between earthquakes (no big ones when we were there) and off to Queenstown, a must see vacation wonderland, where we just might have seen Gandalf and Frodo. Finally but definitely worth waiting for was a two day trip to Fiordland National Park where the scenery was so awe inspiring that it could have only been created by our Lord.

Every aspect of our trip was taken care of. All we had to do was follow the customized, fully complete itinerary and have FUN doing it.

Ron and Barb Luginbill

Traveled to Fiji and New Zealand January 2011

Thank You from the Kunzmans

Thank you so much for an awesome honeymoon! We dreamed of spending ten days in paradise, relaxing under the Fijian sun. What we found here was soooo much more! The relaxation and paradise was a given every day, and beyond that we found ourselves wanting to spend all of our time with each and every one of you. From a medicine walk with Salote, to octopus hunting and hand line fishing with Eta, Loata (his laughing scared the octopus to death) & Lara (we can?t wait to see your all natural day spa here soon!).

We reef walked, visited the pearl farm, enjoyed a Fiji BBQ and even our own island sand picnic lunch. The sunsets were to die for, and can only be described as (in Karen Hardy from Australia 2000 Travel?s words) ?the nightly news?. Snorkeling, trolling for G.T. (catching a Spanish mackerel), and enjoying 2 dinners under the stars; sharing the Kara and enjoying the Meke, it was all surreal.

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Thank you from Barry and David

Hi Karen,

As you know, we just returned from our amazing trip to Australia. It was good to talk with you yesterday.

Some more about our experiences:

The harbor views from the Grand Quay Suites were wonderful. We had a picnic dinner on the terrace one night, enjoying the views of the city and the Harbour Bridge at dusk. Sailer’s Thai was great, as was Hugo’s Pizza in Kings Cross. The service was wonderful at the GQS: one morning our breakfast was particularly slow to arrive, so they comp’ed our meal. Our guide on the Rocks Tour pointed out that another advantage of staying at the GQS is that when you are in your room, you don’t have to SEE the GQS (and the other towers that have been allowed to be built along the eastside of Circular Quay), which are an over-development eyesore on the harbor. There are also a large number of great restaurants strung along the quay.

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