The hike to Avila Lighthouse traverses along the Pecho Coast Trail in Avila, south of San Luis Obispo, and the hiking trail is only open during these guided hikes. The hikes are offered at 8:45 a.m. on most Wednesdays and Saturdays, as well as some other days, for avid lighthouse history buffs and those who love nature and the outdoors.

Participants will have the chance to view the old Point San Luis Lighthouse, which was built in 1890, and to marvel at the breathtaking views of the harbor along California’s Central Coast.

Participants must be nine years or older and in good physical condition in order to hike to the Avila Lighthouse because the hike lasts about four hours. Comfortable clothing, sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots and a water bottle are highly recommended. On Saturdays, one fast and one slower hike are offered to accommodate the varied wishes of the participating hikers.

Travelers seeking a more leisurely, contemplative outdoor activity can visit the Piedras Blancas Light Station, which includes a shorter, 1.5-mile hike. Tours are offered on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and participants meet their tour escorts at 9:45 a.m. at the former Piedras Blancas Motel, located 1.5 miles north of the lighthouse.

The Piedras Blancas tours are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-17 and free for children under five years of age.

For more information, call the Avila Lighthouse at (805) 541-8735, the Piedras Blancas Light Station at (805) 927-7361 or the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association at (805) 924-1107.

The forest is located at the north end of 15^th Street off Santa Ysabel in the coastal city of Los Osos, east of San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo County.

Visitors will appreciate the wonders of nature by participating in a walk along the boardwalk and designated trails throughout the forest. The trails are not rigorous and are easy to navigate for both novice and veteran hikers and the trails require nothing more than comfortable clothing, a pair of sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots and a bottle of water for the two-hour walk.

The guided tours are held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month. The guided walks offer different themes, perspectives and rotation of docent guides each time so, even with multiple visits, every guided walk is unique.

For more information about the nature walks, visit http://losososbaywoodpark.org.

The aquarium will undergo a significant renovation beginning in September and it has recently unveiled its Marine Center, which will provide a refuge for Outer Bay animals that include some of the largest animals ever on display at the aquarium. The aquarium will also provide vital support for important research and development activities and will include the $15 million Animal Research and Care Center.

I’ve visited the aquarium numerous times and, with each visit, learn something new and refreshing about the marine environments that are such an integral part of California’s Central Coast. Each visit has brought a new appreciation of an undiscovered aspect of marine life and its importance in the overall ecosystem of which we are a part. Aquariums have always been a favorite destination for me while traveling, whether it includes the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach or the various aquariums and oceanariums encountered during a three-month trip across coastal Australia.

In recent years, the aquarium has become a steadfast advocate of conservation, environmental protection and sustainable living. Chef Alton Brown was among several chefs who have visited the aquarium in order to advocate for greater emphasis on sustainable food choices and appreciation of the environment. The aquarium also distributes pocket-sized guides for consumers that help to ensure environmental-friendly purchases of seafood that support the principles of sustainability.

The renovation will include a major overhaul of the Outer Bay Waters exhibit, which opened in 1995, as well as completion of major repairs of infrastructure. The 15,550-square-foot facility is equipped with sand filtration, ozone generation, and ultraviolet production units to maintain water quality.

The renovation effort was paid for by private donations. The center’s three tanks hold more than 350,000 gallons of water, which is equal to about one third of the Outer Bay exhibit’s capacity. The holding tanks have no sand or plant life in order to simulate the open ocean; the largest tank measures 60 feet by 40 feet, while the smaller tanks are 40 feet and 30 feet in diameter. All three are 10 feet deep.

Hammerhead sharks are the first inhabitants of the newly renovated facility and are accompanied by numerous schools of mackerels on display at the aquarium. The sharks, which came from Hawaii, are being raised to a more robust, adult size in order to be reintroduced to the public when the Outer Bay exhibit reopens. Two giant green sea turtles have been transferred to the Marina Center from the aquarium’s Tuna Research and Conservation Center in Monterey.

By the end of the summer, the Marina Center is expected to be full of tuna, barracuda, bonito, sunfish and Galapagos shark, which are currently housed at the Outer Bay exhibit at the aquarium’s Cannery Row location.

The exhibit is expected to reopen in June 2011. The pink flamingo and sea horse exhibits will remain open while the Outer Bay exhibit is closed.

The Marina facility has not been completed, but it has been operational since April 2010. The center enables marine biologists and other scientists to conduct long-term research and development projects that help to support the development of temporary and special exhibitions. The aquarium will also be able to quarantine animals in need of medical care.

The national monument spans nearly 250,000 acres and it is managed jointly by the Bureau of Land Management, the California Department of Fish and Game and The Nature Conservancy. The primary focus of management of the plain has been preserving rare and endangered plants and animals, as well as restoration of native ecosystems. Research and projects designed to better understand species and their habitats are active and ongoing, including efforts to enable native annuals and perennial grasses to grow and thrive in competition with non-indigenous plants.

The Carrizo Plain is an internal drainage basin with all surface water draining to Soda Lake and its overlook, which offers a spectacular vista for visitors to see and appreciate.  Soda Lake evaporates and becomes a white, salt-encrusted basin during the dry season between May and November. Visitors are also encouraged to visit Traver Ranch, which offers information and a self-guided tour of dryland farming equipment.

The Carrizo Plain spans 50 miles from north to south, and it is bordered on the northeast by the Temblor Mountains and on the southwest by the Caliente Mountains.

Caliente Mountain is the highest peak in San Luis Obispo County and it reaches 5,106 feet high, while the Temblor Mountains rises to 4,332 feet at McKittrick Summit.

The San Andreas Fault traverses through the entire area, but it is most clearly visible near Wallace Creek. The Carrizo Plain is one of the sunniest places in California and summer temperatures often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Solar energy companies have been actively seeking to place their solar panels along Carrizo Plain because of its ideal sun location in order to harness the Golden State’s abundance of renewable solar resources. On winter nights, however, temperatures at Carrizo Plain often dip below freezing. Some local residents fear that the entry of solar companies in Carrizo Plain will encroach on the habitats of native wildlife and a valued Native American site and, thus, alter the quality of life for residents and wildlife alike.

The plain has a rich history which includes Chumash, Tokuts and other Native Americans, who hunted and traded in the area. Painted Rock is one of the more significant examples of Native American rock painting in the world and is believed to have served as a sacred site for religious ceremonies among the Native peoples.

Painted Rock may be closed due to rain or muddy road conditions and is closed to public access March 1 through July 15 in order to protect biological and cultural resources. Guided tours are offered from March through May by reservation only. Painted Rock features a half-mile trail from the parking lot to the Native American pictograph site. Picnic tables and toilet facilities are available.

During the late 1800s, dryland grain farming and ranching developed in the area and, in 1912, mechanized agriculture brought large-scale farming to the plain. Today, most people come to Carrizo Plain for rest, relaxation and recreation, including bird watching, hiking, photography, camping and hunting. Hunters are asked to strictly follow hunting regulations.

The Carrizo Plain features a variety of plants including iodine bush, saltbush scrub, valley grasslands and California juniper woodland. Plants artifacts and rock art are protected at Carrizo Plain, and visitors are prohibited from removing or touching them.

The plain is also home to a myriad of sensitive species of wildlife including the San Joaquin kit fox, the giant kangaroo rat, the San Joaquin antelope ground squirrel and the blunt-nose leopard lizard. Tule elk and pronghorn antelope have been reintroduced into the area and can be seen at various locations on the plain. Visitors are asked not to harass wildlife or livestock when touring the plain.

During winter months, hikers and other visitors can see sandhill cranes, ferruginous hawks and other birds that migrate to the Carrizo Plain. Throughout the year, a variety of raptors, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, harriers and owls, can be found traversing the majestic plain. The California condor, which was once placed on the endangered species list, has been reintroduced nearby and wildlife experts hope that the condor will return to its historic foraging grounds on the plain.

When visiting Carrizo Plain, travelers should be aware that gasoline, food and water are not available. Gasoline is available in Taft and Maricopa and coastal communities. There is no off-road use, and dirt roads are impassable or closed when wet and have a potential for fire danger during summer months. Soda Lake Road is only partially paved.

Permits are required for campfires during fire season and can be obtained by contacting the Bureau of Land Management in Bakersfield by calling (661) 391-6000.

Facilities include two primitive camping sites with primitive toilets and no drinking water. Visitors are encouraged to come fully prepared by bringing what they need because it is a remote area and protect the environment by leaving no trace when hiking and camping.

Goodwin Education Center & Visitor Center provides information, brochures, campfire permits, restrooms facilities but no water. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday from December through May. It is closed on holidays.

For tour reservations or additional information, call Goodwin Education Center at (805) 475-2131 or write to the center at HCR 69 Box 2087, California Valley, Calif., 93453.

Solvang, which means “sunny field” in Danish, has a rich heritage which dates back to 1911 when industrious Danish Americans purchased 9,000 acres of the former Rancho San Carlos de Jonata in order to create the new Danish-style community adjacent to the 1804 Old Mission Santa Ines, a national historical landmark.

Located at 1760 Mission Drive, the mission is the 19^th in a chain of 21 Catholic missions built along the coast of California. Its collection features arrowheads, pottery, pestles and mortars used by the region’s native Chumash.

Solvang is resplendent with authentic Danish-style architecture, windmills, and cobbled streets that evoke the village’s Scandinavian roots. As in Copenhagen, Denmark, visitors are welcomed to Solvang by Denmark’s national symbol, the Little Mermaid bronze sculpture, which is located at Mission Drive and Alisal Road.

Travelers from throughout the United States and abroad are drawn into Scandinavian culture as they walk amid flower-lined streets, visit authentic Danish bakeries and browse among a unique array of specialty shops, art galleries, restaurants and wine tasting rooms. When visiting Solvang, it feels as if a delectable slice of Northern Europe has been visited upon California’s Central Coast.

To learn about Solvang’s history and its founders, travelers can visit the Elverhaj Museum of History and Art, which features photographs, artifacts and Danish arts, crafts and period pieces in a rotation of displays between its traditional and contemporary collections. From time to time, docents at the museum will dress in authentic Danish costumes in order to create a living history of the city’s founding. The museum is located at 1624 Elverhoy Way, two blocks from the downtown area.

Travelers will marvel at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, which honors the multi-talented Danish father of the modern fairy tale. Located at 1680 Mission Drive, the museum features copies of the author’s books, sketches, paper cutouts, silhouettes and collages. The author’s birthday is commemorated with a party every year on April 2.

The streets of Solvang are lined with numerous restaurants, cafes and bakeries that celebrate the village’s Danish heritage with a myriad of culinary delights, along with plenty of hearty American food selections, gourmet wine-country cuisine and a variety of other international food favorites as an alternative.

The local bakeries feature aebleskiver, which are light airy pancake balls dusted with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam; frikadeller, or meatballs; medisterpolse, or Danish sausage; rodkaal, or red cabbage; and the smorgasbord, or buffet. The meatballs and sausage are my particular favorites as they continuingly remind me of the homemade meatballs and sausage my Swedish grandfather used to make.

Solvang upholds its traditions and heritage with authentic Danish baking done by third- and fourth-generation Danish bakers. The bakeries feature sumptuous pastries, kringles, marzipan, almond rings, cakes, cookies, tarts and breads, as well as other culinary creations.

Some of my favorite bakery destinations include Mortensen’s Danish Bakery, located at 1588 Mission Drive; Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery and Coffee Shop, located at 1529 Mission Drive; Danish Mill Bakery, located at 1682 Copenhagen Drive; and Solvang Bakery, 260 Alisal Road.

During my most recent visit to Mortensen’s, I had a lovely conversation with the bakery’s owners, who told of the village’s history and architecture, and I enjoyed a cheese Danish with raspberry jam that was unparalleled in my experience with other bakeries.

Travelers who enjoy browsing and shopping will find their desires fulfilled in the many art galleries, clothing and shoe boutiques and the specialty gift and antique stores.

Wine connoisseurs can visit more than 70 world-class wineries and tasting rooms while traveling through the Santa Ynez Valley, participate in tours of the wineries and taste acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and other grape varietals. There are more than a dozen wine-tasting rooms and gourmet food shops in Solvang alone for those who enjoy a sophisticated culinary experience.

The village features its weekly Farmers Market featuring the freshest fruits, vegetables and flowers every Wednesday on First Street between Mission and Copenhagen drives. Travelers can also venture out and pick apples, walnuts and berries themselves right from the branch in this lush agricultural region of the state.

Picnics are a popular pastime for locals and visitors alike at Solvang Park, located at Mission Drive and First Street, where crowds gather during Danish Days and Winterfest, or at Hans Christian Andersen Park, located on Atterdag Road, where family and friends can enjoy relaxing in the picnic areas, play a game of tennis and the youngsters can enjoy the children’s playground and skate park.

The region offers so many activities for locals and visitors. Active and adventuresome travelers can rent bicycles or four-wheeled surrey cycles to roam the streets of Solvang and enjoy its various attractions. Outdoor enthusiasts can spend their time riding bicycles, playing golf, hiking, fishing or just observing the wonders of nature and the diversity of wildlife in the area.

Anglers can enjoy an afternoon retreat at nearby Cachuma Lake, while cyclists can take in the scenic charms and, at the same time, taking on the challenging terrain. Travelers can relax and rejuvenate at one of the local spas or venture out for a tour of a lavender farm, horse ranch, ostrich farm or alpaca farm. They could also take a horseback ride, go aloft in a glider or hot air balloon, or gather for a picnic lunch with friends and family in a nearby vineyard or along the waters of beautiful Cachuma Lake or Nojoqui Falls.

Upcoming events in Solvang include the Old Mission Santa Ines Fiesta, which is held in August; the annual Danish Days festival, which began in 1936 and has continued to commemorate Solvang’s heritage on the third weekend of September; Winterfest, which is held in December; and the annual Taste of Solvang food and wine event, which is held every March.

From June through September, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts Theaterfest presents its world-class theatrical productions under the stars in the 700-seat Solvang Festival Theater. The PCPA celebrates its 46^th season as the only professional resident theater company on the Central Coast.

I began my odyssey in Cairns on the northeast coast of Australia and traveled by car south through Townsville, Eungella (OON-GA-LA) National Park, Hervey Bay, Mackay (MA-KYE) and Rockhampton.

I then continued on to the Sunshine Coast at Mooloolaba Beach and Brisbane and the Golden Coast at Burleigh Heads Beach, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle and Sydney.

While in Sydney, I visited Rushcutter’s Bay where the Olympic yacht races were held and on to Canberra, Batemans Bay, Merimbula, Bairnsdale, Foster and Melbourne.

In Melbourne, I visited the tony St. Kilda district and continued on to Geelong, Warrnambool, Kingston and Adelaide.

I then took the Indian-Pacific Railroad from Adelaide to Perth, before resuming my sojourn by car north through Mandurah, Bunbury, Margaret River, Pemberton, Walpole, Albany, Yanchep, Geraldton, North Beach and returned to Perth.

Australia is the world’s oldest, flattest and driest continent, and the only continent that is a country.

Australia is the world’s sixth largest country and the largest island and boasts more unique geology, flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the world.

Eighteen million people call Australia home and, because they have so few inhabitants, they have three million miles of sheer emptiness.

Eighty percent of Aussies live in close proximity to the coast.

Experts describe the nation as staggeringly empty yet, it is packed with interesting and ancient artifacts as well as things not readily explained and even more yet to be found.

It is equal to the United States’ lower 48 states in land mass and it was the last inhabited continent to be discovered.

Australia boasts the Great Barrier Reef, which is the world’s largest living organism, and the majestic Ayres Rock, or Uluru. The nation boasts the 10 most poisonous snakes in the world.

Australia is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents. Australia is so inert that the soil is a fossil. Antartica is more hostile to life.

The nation teems with life including more than two hundred species of insects, one-third of which are yet unknown to science. Eighty-percent of the nation’s spider species are unknown to science.

Some of the world most ancient rocks and fossils and the earliest animal tracks come from Australia. Eighty-percent of all that lives in Australia, both plant and animal, exist nowhere else.

The Aboriginals, as the Aussies call their native inhabitants, numbered between 45,000 and 60,000 and were masters at building ocean-going crafts 30,000 years in advance of anyone else worldwide. Captain James Cook landed at Botany Bay in 1770.

Numerous visits have captured the essence of an amazing land. Cairns, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Perth and Darwin and the outback towns including Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie and Mount Isa.

Amateur naturalists have explored the Cape Avid Peninsula in Western Australia and discovered pale yellow, ant-like specimen that date back one hundred million years and ants that evolve from wasps.

I arrived in Paris at Charles De Gault Airport and traveled to my accommodations at L’Hotel Des Grandes Ecoles on Rue Du Cardinal Lemoine in the Latin Quarter, where I met two friends for a week in Paris.

Our hotel was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway so, as a writer, it piqued my interest that someone so notable and prolific has also stayed there.

During the trip, I explored the City of Light on a hiking adventure across the city by day and, later, joined up with friends for a river cruise and minivan tours by day and a tour by night of famous landmarks throughout Paris, and other adventures in between.

I went on a day hike alone from the Latin Quarter through the lush and serene Jardin de Luxembourg, or Luxembourg Garden, past Les Invalides Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb and on to the city’s most famous modern landmark, the Eiffel Tower.

The construction of the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 and it took two years to build.

While waiting in line for the Eiffel Tour, I discovered that the French language skills I learned more than a decade before came back to me as I spoke with Parisians about their bustling and vibrant city.

I was told that I was fortunate to have visited the tower on the clearest day they’d had in three months, which further heightened the anticipation of my visit to the famous landmark.

When I climbed the Eiffel Tower, I circled each level from the top of the tower to the bottom twice, first soaking in the breathtaking view in all directions and second, taking photographs in all directions. The view from the tower was awe-inspiring.

During my stay in Paris, I visited the Musee D’Orsay, on the Rue De Lille, to see perhaps the world’s most impressive collection of French Impressionist paintings. The museum’s collection covers the years from 1848 to 1914.

The museum features the works of Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Manet. Renior, Money and Pissarro. It also incudes in its collection the works of Delacroix, Chausseriau, Daumier, Millet, Rousseau, Sisley and Gauguin.

I also toured the Grand-Louvre, the largest of all Paris architecture. It was a small fort in the 14^th century but, since 1793, it has been the Louvre Museum. Every regime in France has added to the museum. The most recent addition is the Pyramide, a glass structure by American architect I.M. Pei, which makes the Louvre the largest museum in the world.

The museum features an impressive collection of paintings and sculptures by French, German, Flemish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Belgian, Russian, Venetian, English, Swiss and Scandinavian artists. The paintings cover the mid-13^th century to the mid-19^th century.

Among the works of art are the “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo di Vinci and “Dying Slave” by Michelangelo.

The collection also includes Oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Mesopotamia and Roman antiquities, as well as an impressive array of Islamic art and arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

For example, the famous Greek sculpture of Aphrodite, also known as the Venus de Milo, is on display at the Louvre.

My travel companion and I explored the city aboard a three-hour cruise down the Seine River. We sojourned past the Opera, Place de la Concorde, the Ile de la Cite, Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tour, Military College, Les Invalides, the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame Cathedral, Law Courts, Pont-Neuf, the Grand-Louvre and Palais Royal.

We also took a self-guided walking tour of the Pantheon, the last resting place of distinguished people including Victor Hugo, Zola, Voltaire, Rousseau and Jaures.

Author Alexander Dumas was being honored at an event at the Pantheon, led by then-President Jacques Chirac. Dumas is famous for his books, “The Three Musketeers” and “The Man in the Iron Mask.”

At night, we went on a two-hour “Illuminations” tour by minibus of the top attractions of the city set aglow by lights. Nearly everything we had seen on the cruise by day was resplendent in spectacular lights at night. The Eiffel Tour, the Champs Elysee and the Arc de Triomphe were the most impressive illuminations.

Our trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the world-famous Moulin Rouge for a rousing floor show and a glass of Champagne.

My tour of Paris also included the enraptured delight of world-famous French cuisine—salmon with lime, white fish with white wine and chocolate mousse, café crème and croissants, ham and cheese omelette and, later, coffee and dessert, duck and bean casserole and salmon with dill.

But the piece de resistance was the crepes with chocolate and coconut or warm apricot that we bought from a street vendor.

Any traveler with a sense of adventure will also want to explore Australia’s inter-continental railway system.

The Indian-Pacific Railroad began traveling the route from Sydney to Perth in 1906, departing from Sydney’s Central Station. The station has 29 platforms and Platform Number One was reserved for the Indian-Pacific Railroad destined for Perth on Australia’s southwestern coast.

In the 1970s, the Sydney-to-Perth Line was standardized and the mix of broad, standard and narrow gauge train track was eliminated.

On its journey westward, the Indian Pacific stops at Adelaide Train Station, before continuing on its sojourn through the rugged Australian outback.

The train also stops in Cook to service the railway, get fuel and passengers can obtain food and water. The town, which once boasted a population of 90 people, now has just three residents. Fifty-three trains pass through the town each week but only on Wednesdays and Sundays.

The train also stops in the town of Kalgoorlie. In 1892, gold was discovered in Kalgoorlie and Herbert Hoover served as a mine manager in Kalgoorlie, before becoming President of the United States.

The transcontinental railway link from Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie required 3,000 workers to construct in 1917. The prospects of an intercontinental system had become a reality. The railway was built spanning 370 miles from Kalgoorlie to Perth.

The massive effort to bring about an intercontinental railway system in Australia began in Queensland on Australia’s northeastern coast.

There was 6,000 miles of track traveling vast distances in all directions, but most of the track was cheap, three-foot, six-inch narrow gauges.

In Mossman in the northeast, sugar is routinely transported by train during the harvest from June to September.

In Kuranda, visitors ride the tourist rail that runs from Cairns to the fertile Atherton Tablelands. Today, more than a half million people catch the train each year at Freshwater station for a 90-minute ride that traverses through 15 tunnels, across 12 bridges and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and natural waterfalls.

Constructing the railway system was not without peril. Boggs Monument commemorates the three stages of rail construction along 21 miles in tropical climate.

The second stage was perilous, resulting in 23 deaths by landslide and fever while foraging a tunnel in 1891.

The Sunlander is a steam train that runs from Gympie to Imbul. The train first ran in the Mary Valley in 1914 and was restored more recently to its former luster by volunteers from the local Steam Heritage Society. A Brisbane Line also runs from Brisbane to the Gold Coast.

The North Coast Railway Line runs 110 miles from Brisbane to Byron Bay, where passengers can enjoy a brief stop at a famous local pub.

The railway was originally used to transport timber and beef and, after 1954, transported supplies for the whaling industry. A petrol locomotive called the “Green Frog” transported goods, beginning in 1923 and continued for 60 years.

In Australia’s oldest industrial center in Newcastle, the banana harvest was transported by train along the scenic coast. The city had been the site of a penal colony in 1797 but has since become the hub for coal exportation and surf beaches.

A coal train at Fort Scratchley transports goods from Mudgee in Central New South Wales and now is a site for railway memorabilia.

The Cowra Line offered a means of transport for the notorious Ben Gilbert Gang and others by train and by hand trike in 1888. The Cowra also transported prisoners of war in 1941, first Italian and German prisoners and later, Korean, Japanese and Formosan prisoners.

In Bathurst and Lithgow, the Zigzag Railway offered the cheapest option for transport from 1866 to 1869.

A Tourist Line in Clarence offered a flashy, vibrant and exciting sojourn, culminating at Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed in 1932.

Another train from Minidi Lakes to Sydney and Peterborough has its maiden voyage in 1856.

Since 1991, the Bluebird Railway Car has offered daytrip tours through Plover and Australia’s lush Barosa Valley.  German Lutheran immigrants have cultivated the land which is world renowned for its sumptuous wines.

The Ghan Railway will take passengers from Adelaide to Alice Springs—the unofficial capital of Australia’s “Red Center”—to see Uluru, also known as Ayres Rock, along with Port Augusta and the Nullharbor Plain.

An additional railway line runs from Alice Springs to Katherine and continues on to Darwin in Australia’s northwest.

The Old Ghan Preservation Society has discovered that the portion of railway line from Ewaniga to Quorn was flood-prone and, therefore, costly to keep open. On that railway route is Lake Eyre—the lowest part of Australia in elevation.

Since 1980, the Great Southern Railways has offered a “hotel on rails” and an inland tour of the Australian outback. Afghan cameliers moved the Inland Tour Line, but efforts are underway to trace the Old Railway Line. Another railway travels from Farina to the Quorn.

There are no passenger trains in Tasmania, but train enthusiasts say the transport trains emit the taste, smell and sound of steam as they carry their wares to market. There are a number of small, privately owned railways as well.

The Mansfield Line transported timber and cattle to Melbourne from 1891 to 1977, and the ABT Railway transported mineral from Queenstown to Strahan.

During my stay in Western Australia, I visited the city of Perth and traveled north to Hillary’s Boat Harbour and visited the Aquarium of Western Australia. One day I spent on a boat on the beautiful Swan River, cruising north to Tranby House and Guilford.

After one week in Perth, I headed south to Mandurah and then on to Bunbury, which boasted spectacular vistas along the Indian Ocean. One morning, I walked about 15 miles on the paved walk paths along the emerald waters of the Indian Ocean.

Along with the beautiful ocean views, Bunbury featured the Big Swamp Wildlife Park, a must-see excursion if you have the time and $5 Australian.

When I travel, I often encounter what I call moments of “serendipity” when special events of the day arise seemingly by chance and cross paths with all the enthusiasm and curiosity I can muster. One such moment came when I discovered my ancestors who had immigrated to Western Australia about the same time as my other ancestors immigrated to the United States from Great Britain, circa the early 16^th century.

Among my most fascinating discoveries during my trip to Western Australia was that it turns out that I might be related to a famous, native-born Australian explorer and former Premier of Western Australia (or governor) and that he was the first Aussie to be knighted by Queen Victoria. He was born in Bunbury.  His brother was the mayor of Perth. The premier’s statue stands in Kings Park, overlooking the city of Perth, along with a statue of Queen Victoria.

From Bunbury, I traveled about 60 miles south to Margaret River and another 85 miles to Pemberton and, in both places, I enjoyed the nation’s unparalleled gourmet cuisine and wine selections that are such a part of the Australian experience, right in the heart of wine country.

From Pemberton, I made my way approximately 75 miles southeast to Walpole, where I literally took a walk through the tree tops of ancient tingle trees in the Valley of the Giants. The 600-meter metal catwalk takes you almost 130 feet above ground through spectacular trees that climb over 140-feet high. It was such an incredible experience that I did it twice.

While in Walpole, I stayed at the Tree Top Walk Motel, which boasted cable TV and free in-room movies. The cable turned out to be two stations, one of which was usually out, and the in-room movies came on only when you called the desk to remind them about it, but the tree top walk was well worth the effort.

My last stop in the southwest peninsula below Perth was Albany, located at the

southern tip of the peninsula along the Indian Ocean and the King George Sound,

about 75 miles east of Walpole. After driving along its pristine coastline with its fabulous views around every turn, I got out and walked the Middleton Bay Scenic Path out to Emu Point. What an unbelievable experience that was.

After 10 days on this scenic peninsula, I drove 275 miles through the peninsula

northwest to Yanchep, just north of Perth. With summer just beginning, this little town on the Indian Ocean had more flies than Calcutta and people wore wide-brimmed hats with wine corks hanging from strings to deter the flies from flying in your eyes, nose and mouth, seeking moisture. But the kangaroos that visited my backyard golf course as the sun began to set made my visit and the flies all worthwhile.

The next day on my way out of Yanchep, I stopped to refuel at a gas station. “They’re early this year,” the gas station owner remarked when I mentioned the flies. “And you never get used to them.”

I spent the morning driving about 240 miles north on the Brand Highway to the coastal city of Geraldton on the Batavia Coast, the last city of any real size for hundreds of miles. On my way traveling north, a five-foot kangaroo stood along the side of the Brand Highway and waited for my vehicle to pass before hopping gracefully across the road, no doubt saving both of our lives.

Following a weekend in Geraldton, I got back on the Bruce Highway and headed south about 270 miles to North Beach, just above Perth near Hillary’s Boat Harbour. I spent the rest of the time exploring the beautiful beaches just north of Perth: North Beach, Scarborough Beach, Swanborne Beach and Trigg Beach. Then it was time to drive to Perth Airport for the long airplane flight home.

In the previous three months, I had stayed in 35 different places and covered 7,000 miles on the ground, including 5,300 miles by automobile and 1,700 miles by train. Although I didn’t see all of Australia, I did see more of Australia than most Aussies see and I did it all during my three-month trip of a lifetime Down Under.