b'THE LAND DOWN UNDER Part 2Fairy Penguins at Phillip Island. THE EAST SIDEalso the home of bungee jumping, atralian outback and world-famous Ayers sport I have not yet participated in. Rock, located deep in the centre of the The aboriginal name for this regionvast Australian desert.is Tjapukai, a tribal word for rainforest,The colour of the landscape is red-and is also the language spoken by thedish-brown, with Ayers Rock springing Tjapukai people. Their traditions includeup some 500 metres or 300 feet in its the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo. centre.It is considered a very sacred JONATHAN VAN BILSEN From Cairns, I journeyed along aplace to the aboriginal tribes of Australia picturesque route to the small coastaland I was very careful to adhere to all InmypreviousphotosNtravel town of Port Douglas, for an adventurethe rules, while I made my way to the article(June2022),wevisitedtheon the Great Barrier Reef. On board arock for a detailed exploration. south eastern part of Australia. Todaycatamaran, we travelled at speeds inAs I mentioned earlier, Ayers Rock, wearecontinuingourtrekbyhead- excess of 80 km an hour. Once I arrivedforthosewhoareinterestedinan ingnorthtoQueenslandandtheat the reef, I transferred to ain-depthoverview,isfeaturedintheoating coastal city of Cairns.Situated on Trinitypontoon to enjoy a day of snorkelling,February2022editionofthismaga-Bay, the city of Cairns is set againstand underwater viewing of the eighthzine. It is the tip of a giant monolith, the the magni cent background of jungle- wonder of the world. worlds largest, and was formed about coveredmountains,withsugarcaneThe Great Barrier Reef is the Earths500 million years ago.largestlivingthingandisvisiblebyIn the true style of Australian adven- elds everywhere.I took the seaside tour to the smallastronauts from the moon.It stretchesturers I set forth at 6 a.m. to challenge village of Kuranda, passing along steep2,000kmor1,200milesalongtheAyers Rock in a daring two-hour climb cliffs, which overlook Trinity Bay. Thenorth- eastern coastline of Australia.to its peak. My timing was good, as village is known for its native arts andAfter a long day on the reef, I left the crafts, and many colourful shops. It isarea for my next destination: the Aus- Please turn to page 55FOCUS - JULY 202253'