WARM UP IN SYDNEY

Get started on your adventures by warming up a little, scaling the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge! You have the choice of three exhilarating tours with Bridge Climb. The original Bridge Climb takes you along catwalks, up ladders, and up to the bridge’s summit. There are panoramic views across the city, the harbour and to the Sydney Opera House. The Discovery Climb takes you inside the Bridge’s structural ironwork on your journey to the summit and the Express Climb is the newest climbing adventure and the fastest way to the top of the Bridge.

If you would rather go a little faster than your two legs will take you try zipping around the beautiful harbour at full throttle, before a sideward slide and a powerbreak stop on a jet-boat with either Ozjetboating, Harbour Jet and Thunder Jet Boating.

Another awesome experience is diving with huge grey nurse sharks, giant stingrays, sea turtles, wobbegong sharks, and moray eels at Oceanworld Manly.

Plus Australia is also one of the best places to learn to surf, and the guys at Manly Surf School in Sydney can help you catch some great waves. All Visa Bureau Platinum Card holders get a free surf lesson when you book three, so pretty soon you should be on your feet on the board.

GO WALKABOUT (OR MOTORBIKEABOUT)

One of the most visited areas on Sydney’s fringe is the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park. There are awe-inspiring canyons, thick rainforest, and plunging waterfalls to be discovered along the tracks. Take some sandwiches and water (and other essentials) and plunge into the wilderness!

If you are keen to learn a bit more about the area, see things differently with Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout. Along the way your Aboriginal guide will show you ancient art and ceremonial sites, and recount dreamtime stories. Then there’s ochre bark and body painting, bush tucker tasting, wildlife spotting, and the chance to bathe in a crystal clear billabong.

There is a bit of an art to rolling down a hill in a big inflatable ball – but zorbing is something you have to try for yourself! Zorb Gold Coast will strap you in and give you a push. The wild ride also comes with a 20 per cent discount for Platinum Card holders, so take a look at the full deets here.

Australia is a big place, and among the most adventurous ways to see it is by hiring a motorbike and taking to the road. Several companies rent bikes, among them Motorcycle Holidays Australia.
Hop aboard a Harley Davidson Softail Heritage, or a BMW, and head off from Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales to explore local rainforests and unspoilt beaches. Or you could take a self-guided tour through the Outback to Uluru, or even head north to the Great Barrier Reef.

TAKE OFF IN MELBOURNE

See things from a different perspective: try running down the side of the building in a forward facing abseiling technique! It’s called ‘rap jumping’ and you can do it at Urban Central.

Or head to Phillip Island, just outside Melbourne, for an adrenaline spin around the Grand Prix Circuit in a high performance rally car. Phillip Island is the home of the World Superbike Grand Prix, but it’s also the best place to see the morning march of the fairy penguins in the wild.

UNTAMED WILDERNESS

Delve into the deep wilderness of the island state of Tasmania from a two-person kayak and see nature as close as possible. Roaring 40°s Ocean Kayaking has a three-day Wilderness on Water experience with a unique journey to Tasmania’s remote south-west tip, at the centre of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. There are no roads, no settlements, and very few tracks but you will explore pristine bays, beaches and headlands in the best possible way: by paddle power!

Rafting the untamed waters of the Franklin River in Tasmania is one of the world’s greatest adventures. This World Heritage-listed waterway carves its way through rugged and inaccessible rainforest wilderness where platypus, wallabies, and marsupial cat-like creatures called quolls are plentiful.

TOURING SAFARI

Experience the open plains and huge blue skies in the South Australian outback, the red dusty landscapes that are iconic of Australia’s interior. You can go touring by yourself in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, or join a tour operator out of Adelaide.

A highlight is Lake Eyre, which was in flood in 2009. When there is water in the lake tens of thousands of waterfowl, including pelicans, arrive to breed and feed before the water evaporates and the lake reverts to a vast saltpan.

In Western Australia you can find the Kimberley region, a massive area of rugged red ranges, cooling water holes, and remote coastline recently immortalised in Baz Luhrmann’s epic movie ‘Australia’. A self-drive adventure along the famous Gibb River Road takes you through breath-taking landscape layered with Aboriginal spirituality.

In the Kimberley you can also explore ancient rock art and cave paintings, including the world-famous Bradshaw paintings. These are believed to be up to 50,000 years old.

Another self-drive adventure option is the Golden Quest Discovery Trail. This takes you through some of West Australia’s outback gold-producing areas. Running from Coolgardie to Laverton, the trail takes in historical mining towns, legendary country pubs, the fascinating Gwalia ghost town, and remote salt lakes.

If you would prefer to the outdoors as more of a blur, then off-road rally driving could be more your thing. You choose to be the driver or a passenger in the world beating Subaru WRX STii rally cars at WRX Experience in Pimpama, Queensland. You can go from 0 to 100kms in 4.5 seconds, so it is one high speed experience. You can also get 10 per cent off any of the activities offered the WRX Experience, so check out the details at the Visa Bureau Platinum Card site here.

FROM THE REEF TO THE OUTBACK

In Queensland, the ‘Reef to Outback Journey’ links two of Australia’s most iconic natural attractions – the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef with the magnificent Queensland outback.

Start off by exploring the coral gardens of Lady Elliot or Heron Islands, or visit Mon Repos Conservation Park to see the largest turtle rockery in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can master the open sea with a proper Barrier Reef sailing adventure and see lush tropical islands, turquoise waters and pristine beaches – but best of all your Visa Bureau Platinum Card will get you a 15 per cent discount with Whitsundays Sailing Adventures in Airlie Beach. They also have racing yachts where you can take the wheel and hoist the sails as part of a team. Take a look at the discount offer at the Platinum Card site here.

Then make your way to Queensland’s outback for a spot of bush camping in one of the region’s 42 National Parks.
Along the way you can expect to see some of the finest Aboriginal rock art in Australia, plenty of kangaroos and koalas, and you can immerse yourself in real ‘Aussie’ outback towns.