My Favorite Places in Australia

March 12, 2023 Lisa Rossmeissl Adventure, Australia, Wildlife No comments

Lisa, what are your favorite places in Australia? This question I get all the time when working with my clients. Where would you go?

It is the most challenging question for me to answer because I love every experience I’ve had over my seven visits. (as of the time of this post) For me, Australia could never disappoint, and she continually outdoes herself whenever I go. Just when I think she can’t deliver more, she does.

For me, it is a destination that has captured my heart and soul. However, I will give you a short list of some of the places that hold some fond memories and that I would certainly return to again and again.

My Favorite Places in Australia:

Whitsundays-A collection of islands off the coast of Queensland located on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Choose any of the islands for a perfect relaxing end to a long trip or a romantic escape. A visit to Whitehaven beach and a helicopter ride out over Heart Reef is necessary.
Rainforest Walk-The lush green vegetation, babbling water, and history of this ancient place are beyond words. Experience the Daintree with a local Aboriginal guide. One of my favorites was a Dreamtime Walk.
Kangaroo Island– Australia’s unique landscape and spotting of notable wild wildlife highlights here. Enjoy authentic eats while dining on a cliff looking out over the ocean or grilling in the bush.
The Outback-I spent two weeks entirely in the lower portion of the Northern Territory hiking and climbing gorges, canyons, and more. Uluru and the surroundings feel like the heart and soul of Australia. Another outstanding experience here was a helicopter over the land at sunrise.
Western Australia– A place I need to explore further, and despite my overwhelming love of koalas and getting a cuddle when I can, two of my best wildlife experiences were here—visiting Rottnest Island to meet Australia’s happiest animal, the quokka. During my encounter, the quokka decided to curl up in the crook of my arm on the cold, wet day we visited. And then the exhilarating swim with whale sharks. Words can’t describe the feeling of seeing these beautiful creatures very up close.

Wow, the memories are flooding in. I could go on and on. I am truly overcome with emotions when I think of all the beautiful things I’ve had the privilege to do in Australia and the people I’ve met. As you can probably tell, I may be a bit biased, but I genuinely believe you should discover Australia.

Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI.

She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds. Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind. She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember. With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.

Walk It Out

March 5, 2023 Lisa Rossmeissl Australia, Fitness No comments

The best way to see a destination is often by setting off on foot. I am that proverbial person that says, “We can walk it.” Don’t know what to do with the day, then start walking. I find you stumble upon some of the most significant discoveries when you take to the pavement or the off-beaten path. It is a fabulous learning experience with discoveries around every bend.

Australia has plenty of walks to discover. Or hikes if you are in for a bit more workout. I’ve climbed an array of gorges, canyons, and more! I’ve had the thrill of experiencing a climb up Peak’s Passage on Hamilton Island, trekking around King’s Canyon Rim, and scurrying down the hillsides in the Blue Mountains to witness cascading falls. No matter your state or territory, you will find somewhere unique to explore on foot.

Australia makes it even easier to Walk it Out.

Australia has what is known as the Great Walks of Australia. For the fitness buff, nature buff, and explorer, these are a variety of walks throughout the regions and in varying degrees of difficulty. Some are multiple days, and some you can do only part of. No matter your choice you need to try one.

Walk it Out in Australia.

Here is a list of the Great Walks:

The Arkaba Walk– Located in South Australia, is a 4-day walk of moderate intensity traversing the Flinders Ranges. It is best done from March to October.
Murray River Walk-Located in South Australia, is a 4-day walk rated easy that takes along one of Australia’s greatest rivers. It is best explored from May to September.
Bay of Fires Lodge Walk-Located in Tasmania, is a 4-day walk of moderate intensity as you explore the northeastern part of Tasmania along Mt. William National Park. It is best done from October to May.
Cradle Mountains Hut Walk-Located in Tasmania, is a 6-day walk rated moderate to hard discovering World Heritage areas along the famous Overland Track. It is best experienced from October to May.
Freycinet Experience Walk-Located in Tasmania, is a 4-day walk of moderate level. This walk will take you through the pink granite Hazard Mountains, and you will see the famed Wine Glass Bay. This walk is best done from October to April.
The Maria Island Walk-Located in Tasmania, is a 4-day walk with an easy to moderate rating. Explore eucalyptus forests and spot amazing wildlife on this trek. Plan this walk for October to April.
Three Capes Lodge Walk-Located in Tasmania, is a 4-day walk of moderate level open year round. It is fully guided and walks along the Tasman Peninsula.
Scenic Rim Trail-Located in Queensland, is a 4-day walk rated moderate to hard. It is accessed from Brisbane and explores South East Queensland’s Main Range Park. It is best done from February to November.
Twelve Apostles Lodge Walk-Located in Victoria, is a 4-day walk of moderate level. It explores the famed Great Ocean Road. It is best experienced from September to May.
Cape to Cape Walk-Located in Western Australia, is a 4-day walk of moderate intensity exploring the landscapes along the Margaret River. Plan this walk from March to June and September to November.
Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort-Located in the Northern Territory, is a 6-day walk listed as moderate to hard. It will take you along the high ridge lines of the MacDonnell Ranges. This walk is best done from April to September.
Seven Peaks Walk-Located in New South Wales, is a 5-day walk. It is rated moderate to hard with options. This walk takes place on Lord Howe Island, a Unesco World Heritage listing. Operational months for this walk are April and May, and September thru November.

For more information, contact your Australia Travel Expert here at Boomerang Escapes. I can guide you to what will work with your travel plans. Until then, happy walking!

Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI.

Swim with Whale Sharks in Western Australia

July 18, 2018 Lisa Rossmeissl Adventure, Australia, Wildlife No comments

Just when I think my experiences can’t get any more amazing, Australia tops herself.! On my most recent visit back to Australia, I had the fantastic opportunity of making it to Western Australia. Given Australia is roughly the size of the United States, Western Australia often gets short changed by American travelers as it is an extra approximate 5 hour flight time to reach. However, I am here to tell you, it is so worth the extra time to visit Western Australia and my day with the Whale Sharks is one of the reasons.
Your swimming whale shark experience actually takes place in Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef. Ningaloo Reef is a World Heritage listed site along the north west coast of Western Australia lying on the East Indian Ocean, about one and half hour flight north of Perth. It is the world’s largest fringing reef and offers a plethora of water and coastal activities for the active adventure traveler to experience.

One of the coolest experiences for you to take part in is a swim with the whale sharks. Spend the day out in the ocean, in snorkel gear, popping on and off of your boat into the water to swim along these beautiful magnificent creatures. Between your spotter and your group guide, you will be sure to have an up close and personal encounter you won’t soon forget.

To give you an idea of how your day with the whale sharks will go, let me share my day with Exmouth Diving Centre with you. I highly recommend using this the company with their expert trained staff. You will even find a marine biologist among them to end your day with all the fascinating facts about the incredible sea creature you just swam with.

First, you will be picked up from your Exmouth hotel accommodations bright and early in the morning and then taken to where the boat is moored. They will then bring a small boat over to take you on board. Swimming with the whale sharks is limited to ten persons in the water at the time, so our boat had two groups of ten on board. Once on board you will head out to the open waters. While making your way out, you will be fitted with your wet suit, flippers and snorkel gear, followed by a briefing as to how the day will work including the safety precautions and rules of swimming with the whale sharks.

The first stop you make is actually a test swim. It’s run just like there might be a whale for the group to see. It all begins with Group One Ready. When you hear that call you slide onto your bottom to the back of the boat and wait for the Go! Go! Go! When you hear the cry, you then quickly get your rear in the water and start swimming. The test run is to ensure several things, including how to enter the water, is your gear fitting, and can you do it. I won’t lie, the activity is a bit more strenuous then you realize with getting in and out of the back of the boat. I was happy I had been preparing with daily workouts to increase my strength and endurance. But, no worries on keeping yourself afloat as the wet suits act as floatation devices and you can request one of those pool noodles as well.

Once the testing is over you get back on board and wait for them to announce a whale shark siting. They use a spotter plane above that finds the whales and then gives the captain the location. Once a whale is sighted the boat is off as fast as it can to the spot. Once there the drill and swim commences with “Group 1 Ready!”, “Spotter in!”, “Group 1 Go! Go! Go!” Let me tell you the thrill and excitement have the adrenaline pumping! I do have a bit of a fear of deep waters, but once in the water and seeing this incredible creature face to face, literally, my fears subsided and all that remained was pure joy for the opportunity.

Once group one has had their swim, they drop back and tread water until the boat circles round to pick them up, while group two repeats the process. The dive companies goal is to get everyone at least three good swims. We were very lucky the day we went out in June to swim with five whale sharks. In addition to the whale sharks we also swam with a manta ray, saw whales breaching, dolphins mating and a rare siting of a dugong with her calf swimming along side our boat. We had the “big five” as they say similar to if you are safari in Africa.

The best time of year to see the whale sharks in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef is March to July. Despite that being fall and winter there, you will find the temperatures in the north west of this region to be quite nice. Temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s meaning you will get plenty of sun exposure and quite possibly return with a tan.

For more information on booking your swimming with the whale sharks and other coastal experiences in the region, please contact me at 1-844-386-3600 or click here to schedule a planning session.

Photos are from my experience and courtesy of Exmouth Diving Centre.
#amazingaussieadventure #justanotherdayinwa #boomerangescapes

Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI.

Follow my #AmazingAussieAdventure to WA and SA

May 27, 2018 Lisa Rossmeissl Adventure, Australia No comments

I’m off again. Memorial day, I take off on my fourth Amazing Aussie Adventure with Travel2. You will be able to follow my adventures on my social media accounts. (@BoomerangEscapes @AustraliaTravelExpert) You can also search the following hashtags: #amazingaussieadventure, #myhappyplace, #Australia, #BoomerangEscapes, #AustraliaTravelExpert, and #returntoyourhappyplace. Similar to past trips, about 40 top agents from across the U.S. have been chosen to head Down Under to meet suppliers and experience the wonders the country has to offer. I am headed to Western Australia and South Australia this year.

My adventure begins on Monday, May 28th, as I make my way from Newark to LA to catch my overnight flight on Air New Zealand. We will arrive in Perth on Wednesday, May 30th and be off and running. Wednesday begins day one, yikes!

Day 1-No time to lose as we begin exploring Perth the afternoon we arrive. Once we have luggage in hand we will board our afternoon city driving tour. We will go through Perth City and past some key locations, including Elizabeth Quay, the Bell Tower, Yagan Square, Kings Park and Perth Mint. After seeing the highlights we will arrive at our hotel the Crown Towers to freshen up before a dinner with some of Perth’s hoteliers.

Day 2-We will rise early for a trip to Rottnest Island. I’m truly so excited for this and the opportunity to see the quokka up close. This is the only placed you will find these guys in the wild. Our morning will also include biking, swimming and snorkeling. In the afternoon, we head to Fremantle for some free time to explore. Fremantle is renowned for its seafood and cosmopolitan live. The day concludes with a 3 course hosted dinner in the award winning Chairman’s Villa.

Day 3-June 1st. With breakfast in a box in hand we head to the airport departing Perth for Exmouth. Once luggage dropped in Exmouth at Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort we head out with Ningaloo Safari Tours for touring activities in Cape Range National Park. We will be visiting Vlaming Head Lighthouse, Yardie Creek, Turquoise Bay and Sal Salis. We will have a picnic lunch at the creek and at the bay get in some swim and snorkel time. Arriving back at our hotel late in the afternoon we enjoy dinner at and an evening at leisure.

Day 4-Another early day. And another amazing experience. Today we meet Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo and head out on the waters for an incredible opportunity to swim with the whale sharks. The ride will include morning tea, refreshments and lunch. After our exciting day on the water the evening concludes with site inspection of Exmouth Escape Resort and dinner at Whalers Restaurant.

Day 5-This morning we will be joining Exmouth Adventure Co for a private kayaking tour. I’ll have the opportunity for a morning snorkel. After lunch we are headed to the airport to make our way to Adelaide. Once in Adelaide we will have some time to explore and dine on our own.

Day 6-Training Day. Today we have one on one appointments with 40 preferred suppliers. After a day of education and relationship building we celebrate the evening with an Evening Gala Dinner at Adelaide Botanical Gardens. Networking ensues until we decide to retire for the evening.

Day 7-Time to explore Adelaide with a contemporary wine tour in Adelaide Hills/McLaren Vale: The Cube, Wirra Wirra, The Lane, and perhaps Mt Lofty Vineyards or Red Poles. After a full day of tastings the night concludes with a closing event at the Playford Hotel Adelaide hosted by Tourism Tasmania (next on my list)

Day 8-There will be many sad faces as our adventure will come to an end, and it will be time to catch our flight back to the U.S. I will look forward to making another trip to my happy place, but until next time Australia.

*We will be trying a new app on this trip that is supposed to help with jet lag. I will be writing up a blog on my return to let you know how well it worked.

**Any or all activities that I participate in on my travels can be worked into your own itinerary. Call for a complimentary planning session to begin customizing your own #amazingaussieadventure.**

Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI.

My Lunch with True Blue Aussie-Bushy and his Wife

May 8, 2016 Lisa Rossmeissl Australia, For Fun No comments

I had a real treat this week when my past client, Jean Lakey, replied to my weekly e-zine to ask if I had any time during the week to meet up with her brother and his wife from Western Australia. Here was her email:

“My brother is here from Perth Australia for 4 weeks. He enjoyed reading your email post this morning.
He said to tell you he is a tru- blu dinky di Aussie
Bushy. He is sitting at my table in Eads, Tn.
He says they spell “bushy” with a y . 😊😃
He would love to drop by and meet the lady who is promoting his wonderful Australia.
I told him you had helped us several years ago when we made our trip to Perth.”

Given my passion for this country and her people, I jumped on the opportunity to spend some time speaking with true Aussies. I immediately responded with a lunch invite. Jean’s email response was:

“Thank you so much for the lunch invitation.
Ken would love it, as would we. I must warn you,
his nickname is “Bushy” and he is a bit of a rounder.
He loves His Western Australia and is a volunteer at the
Round House in Perth. He is a history buff and loves
Sharing Australian facts and history so meeting someone
who is promoting his Country would be a treat.”

Of course, I told her the treat was all mine and we sent a date for lunch.

You see, Jean and her husband Bryan were my first Australia booking in 2011. That same year, shortly after booking their trip to visit their relatives, I was invited to my first FAM (familiarization trip) to Australia to complete my Australia Specialist Certification. It was a booking and a trip that soon changed the path of my life.

Thrilled to have the opportunity to get down and dirty with Australians, we met at O’Charley’s for a leisurely lunch. Ken, a.k.a. “Bushy”, was a wealth of information and a true historian. He and his wife, Madeline, shared all the great spots that you, my clients, should see in Western Australia. What most Americans don’t realize is the size of Australia. Western Australia is the largest state at nearly 3 times the size of Texas. Depending on how long you can escape will determine what you can choose to fit into your itinerary.

Bushy grew up around the aboriginals and currently volunteers and teaches at the Round House. The Round House is outside of Perth in Freemantle and is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is the oldest building in Western Australia and was first a prison in 1829. It didn’t actually house any convicts until 1850. In 1900, a dropping time ball and signal were erected. It was used each day at 1p to signal the correct time to navigators on ships entering Fremantle Harbour. While the procedure was discontinued in 1937, the Fremantle Volunteer Heritage Guides now re-enact the ceremony, and a member of the public may be invited to be the Honorary Gunnery Officer to fire the sound signal. The chance to fire is free, but a nominal donation is nice. It is the only place in the world remaining where you can have the opportunity to fire the sound signal. The person receives a free certificate as well. Upon her visit in 2011, Jean said this was an absolute highlight of her trip.

Lunch continued, and I must say I could have spent the whole afternoon listening to Ken, “Bushy”, and Madeline. It got a bit fun when “Bushy” decided he was going to test a bit of my Australian slang. I told him if he slowed down I might make out a bit, but if he spoke at full speed I wouldn’t be able to get enough of the context to decipher. Once he slowed down, I was somewhat fair. The Aussies like to do a lot of rhyming things and often shorten words. Truly, learning their slang is like learning another language. Just like here in the states, the different regions have different ways of saying and pronouncing things. Apparently, I speak more Eastern Australian, but no surprise since most of my friends and colleagues are from Sydney. Here is one he said in reference to our day at lunch:

“Bloody wind would blow a brown dog off a rusty chain”, meaning the wind had picked up quite a bit since we had entered the restaurant.

My favorite from Madeline was the Fremantle Doctor, aka “the sea breeze”. I think we could all use treatment from this doctor.

I compiled a list of must do’s from our conversation. To learn more about them or how to include Western Australia in your vacation plans contact us!

Western Australia Top “To Do” Items from an Aussie Perspective:

In Perth, Kings Park and the beaches (some the of the best beaches Australia has to deliver)
Go North to see the Lancelin Sand Dunes
A 2 hour run outside of Perth is the Pinnacles
Rottnest Island– take a ferry over and see the famous Quokkas
Freemantle War Memorial
4-5 hours visit the Natural Bridge
Go North to Broome to see the Stairway to the Stars
For wineries, stop by Margaret River or Swan River
See championship surging at Margaret River
Visit wildlife at Kahuna Wildlife Park
Visit the Living Rocks
Go to the Lighthouse where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet

I’ve certainly got Western Australia on my radar and with an open invitation to visit my new friends, I can’t wait to make it a reality.

Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI.