For years, Melbourne in Victoria, Australia has claimed to be the best sporting nation and many locals already knew that no other city in the world puts on major sporting events quite like Melbourne. Well now it’s confirmed as true. In a recent SportBusiness industry analysis of global sporting cities, the state capital of Victoria went on to win the title of “Ultimate Sports City” for the third time in a row. Melbourne won the prestigious award ahead of other competing cities including Berlin-who hosted the IAAF Athletics World Championships and Singapore who hosted the first night Formula One Grand Prix.

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If you are a major sports fan then Melbourne is definitely the place to visit. The city offers a year round calendar of major events, excellent facilities, great weather (normally!), strong event attendances and an amazing sporting atmosphere with crowds that have a genuine passion for sport.

Why do Australians love sport so much?

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Sport is sometimes jokingly called “Australia’s national religion” and the devotion to organised activities is probably down to the fabulous weather and the clean air which provides ideal conditions to participate in and watch sports. There is a culture of looking after your health in Australia and sports and activities are often ingrained in everyday life. The Australian government is also very supportive. Each state in Australia has agencies responsible for sport and recreation policy and every area operates their own institutes and academies of sport.

What sports can I expect to see in Melbourne and Australia?

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Throughout Australia there is a very wide variety of sports to chose from Taekwondo to Iron Man events and everything inbetween. The most popular sports in terms of attendance (according to 2006/7 government statistics) are Australian rules football, horse racing, rugby league, motorsport, cricket, rugby union and soccer. Other popular sports are of course surfing and kite surfing, but also swimming, roller skating, cycling, golf and softball.

What are the major international sporting events held in Melbourne?

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• The International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships is due to take place in Melbourne running over 5 days from 29th September to 3rd October 2010. This event is second only to the legendary Tour de France in terms of importance and prestige in international cycling and brings the best riders in the world to Australia.

• The famous golfing event ‘The Presidents Cup‘ is to be held at the Royal Melbourne in November 2011, making Melbourne the first city outside of the United States to host the Cup for a second time.

• The Australian Open Tennis Tournament hailed as ‘The Grand Slam of the Asia/Pacific’ will be in Melbourne Park on the 17-30 January 2011. All the big international tennis stars will be there.

• The Spring Racing Carnival is Melbourne’s thoroughbred horse racing festival and launches at the end of September 2010

• The Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix is part of the exciting annual FIA Formula One World Championship. The next one will be held in 2011.

• The Australian Football League is the highest level of professional and competitive football in Australia and the most popular sports competition. The final is traditionally held on the final Saturday in September every year.

• The famous Boxing Day Test Match Cricket is hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and involves the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team touring Australia that summer.

Any other reasons to visit Melbourne?

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Melbourne is lively and cosmopolitan city set around the shores of Port Phillip Bay with the city itself sitting on the northern banks of the Yarra River. Melbourne prides itself on it’s friendliness and welcomes its visitors with character, personality and enthusiasm.

There are some great neighbourhoods (Fitzroy, St Kilda and Carlton) which have strong art, music, cuisine and design scenes and several other areas such as the century-old Queen Victoria Market which are great for shopping. Melbourne also has some interesting museums, tranquil landscaped gardens, some great offbeat festivals and of course the incredible Great Ocean Road is not too far away. For accommodation and more visitor information the Visit Melbourne site is very useful.

Camille Brandon
Director of Results
Milestone Personal Training

Camille Brandon is GlobalGrasshopper’s Travel Health and Fitness Expert. Camille is a Master Trainer and Functional Movement Screen Specialist with in-depth expertise of weight management, strength and sports conditioning, and rehabilitation and exercise referral joins. She also is very well travelled!

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Australia is an incredible country; there is something for everyone. If you are a party animal you can head up the East Coast, if you prefer scenery then the West Coast is the way forward. Australia has some excellent cities; my favourites included Melbourne, Perth and Sydney whilst one place I would recommend avoiding is Canberra – a random city in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do or see. If possible try to buy a car, whilst it’s more expensive it allows you to see so much more and gives the flexibility a country like Australia needs.

I have listed my ten favourite places, they aren’t in any particular order just places that I would recommend visiting.

1 The Red Centre

Photo: nielsvk

The Red Centre is a made up of a trilogy of sites; Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon. When visiting the incredible Uluru you have are two options; you can walk around it or up it, many tourists tend to attempt to climb it but Aboriginals prefer people to avoid climbing it as it is one of their spiritual monuments. During the walk around you will have the opportunity to see aboriginal drawings dating back 10,000 years, it‘s a fantastic but tiring walk. Whilst Uluru is incredible, I felt its’ neighbour Kata Tjuta was more impressive. Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) is 25km from Uluru, it has 36 sandstone domes and covers almost 22km². You can go on an 8km walk across the boulders; there is a wonderful feeling of peace as you walk around, there is often a gentle breeze blowing which helps you take your time.

The final part of the trilogy is Kings Canyon which 300 metres high and overlooks Kings Creek. Like the other two it’s another incredible site; there are two walks to choose from. The first is a 2km which takes you along the bottom of the gorge but if you have travelled all the way to Kings Canyon you might as well do the full walk so you can appreciate the total experience.

2 Great Barrier Reef

Photo: Vandelizer

No trip to Australia would be complete without visiting the Great Barrier Reef. It is located in Queensland, and is the world’s largest coral reef which is spread over 2,600 km and has approximately 900 islands. The most famous area is the Whitsundays. If you know someone who has visited The East Coast it’s highly likely you have received a postcard with a picture of The Whitsundays. I would recommend going out on a boat tour, ideally for a few days so that you can take in the sights and go scuba diving as well as enjoying incredible cuisine that is often served on the boats. There are all types of deals on offer. The Great Barrier Reef has all kinds of incredible fish including clownfish (remember Nemo), manta rays, red bass, red-throat emperor, snapper, tiger sharks and yellow-faced angelfishes, then there’s also beautiful coloured coral, beware of the fire coral-it will hurt!

3 Fraser Island

Photo: name

Fraser Island is an incredible location; it’s actually believed to be the largest sand island in the world and spreads across 1840 km². Sadly some people find themselves having to choose between Fraser Island and a trip out to Whitsundays but if possible try to do both – You won‘t be disappointed. Most tours start at Hervey Bay on the mainland where you collect your four wheel drive vehicle, do your food and alcohol shopping before getting the ferry to Fraser Island. Once on the Island you will have two or three days driving around on the sand, trying to avoid crashing whilst checking out various interesting spots such as the famous Champagne Pool which is great to lie in or the Wreck of the Maheno which provides a perfect photo opportunity. A tip-beware of the Dingos! They sometimes come into the camp grounds at night looking for food but don’t approach people. It’s a fun experience, plus you get to chose to where to camp each night.

4 Purnululu National Park

Photo: Mgjefferies

Purnululu National Park is located in Western Australia. Unfortunately, due to its’ location this part of the country is often bypassed but on a positive it means that it remains quite untouched. Western Australia was my favourite part of the country, it’s very beautiful and you rarely see other travellers so you get a feeling there you‘re the only ones there. When you visit Purnululu National Park Bungle Bungle is the area to be seen. It was often used as an excuse for Helen Daniels (TV show ‘Neighbours’ character) when she needed a break from the show, she was always said to be heading to the Bungle Bungles to paint. The Bungle Bungles are tiger-striped sandstone rocks which are an incredible sight. At the Bungle Bungles you can go for various walks at ground level which gives you one view, alternatively go can go up in a helicopter and get a birdseye view. I chose to go up in a helicopter, whilst it wasn’t cheap it was well worth it, the view was incredible.

5 Barossa Valley

Photo: Michael Dawes

In Barossa Valley I fell in love with wine, in particular red wine. Barossa Valley is Australia’s most famous wine region with brands such as Penfolds, Orlando Wines, Wolf Blass and Yalumba. It well worth going on a tour around the Valley which will allow you to visit different wineries, it’s best to avoid driving so you can enjoy the wineries without worrying about driving home. I went with Prime Mini Tours and had the pleasure of five winery visits, The Barossa Distillery, Keg Factory and a three course dinner where I enjoyed barramundi, crocodile and kangaroo.

6 Kangaroo Island

Photo: Augustusoz

Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third biggest Island, it’s only smaller than Tasmania and Melville Island. To get to the Island you need to get a ferry from Adelaide. A lot of people hold off visiting Kangaroo Island and opt to visit Philip Island, each to their own but Kangaroo Island has some wonderful wildlife including an Albino Wallaby which I was lucky enough to witness, Sea Lions and lots of little blue penguins which come on land at sunset for feeding, plus the Island is less touristy. I would recommend using Daniel’s Tours, a tour run by one of the locals on the Island.

7 Broome

Photo: Yaruman5

Broome is unlikely to find its way onto many lists, like Purnululu National Park it is located in Western Australia and gets missed. Broome is the place to get your pearls, but realistically visitors go to Broome to relax and for Cable Beach – Broome’s famous beach is one of Australia‘s top ten beaches. Broome is possibly the most relaxing place I have ever been, time just seems to disappear. I had planned to stay for a couple of days and ended up staying a week, I recommended to my sister to go for a week and she stayed two and half months. It really is a special place which is perfect for relaxing, you should also visit the open air cinema which makes for a good night before hitting the pub. If you are going to stay in a hostel then The Kimberley Klub is the way forward, it is a very friendly hostel with its own bar and swimming pool should you not fancy heading to the beach.

8 Byron Bay

Photo: baddogwhiskas

Byron Bay is a beachside town in New South Wales. After spending time in Sydney and Brisbane, Byron Bay provides a perfect escape from city life. Byron Bay is a is very relaxing location, the local community is full of artists which gives it a creative feel. Byron Bay is perfect to have a break as well as picking up some lovely gifts for family and friends. Whilst you’re near the beach it is always nice having a swimming pool, the YHA hostel offers both cheap and clean accommodation as well as a good sized pool.

9 Kakadu National Park

Photo: Trevor Page

Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory, it makes for a special stop. The national park is very large, it covers an area of 4,894,000 acres. The park is nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres from east to west. You will find Alligator Rivers running through Kakadu. You can drive in yourself but it’s best to take a tour, often the tours will allow you to meet local Aborignals who have opted to stay in their ancestral homes rather than moving to cities. The tour guides can take you to the best parts plus they won‘t get lost, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at Twin Falls. At the time I was there you had a 200m swim to get there but I’ve heard that has all changed and there is now a walkway… Remember to avoid the wet season as large parts of the park are closed and the crocs come out to play!

10 Great Ocean Road

Photo: Rob Michalski

The Great Ocean Road stretches along the south-eastern coast of Australia between Torquay and Warrnambool and lasts for 243km. The journey is one to be savoured, there are various look-out points to stop at and look at the scenery. The views consist of different rocks jutting out of the ocean; the most renowned is the “Twelve Apostles”, which provide for fantastic photographs especially at sunset and sunrise. I would allow yourself a full day to take in the sights, again it’s highly recommended to drive yourself. There are various options for day trips but it’s better to stop where you want rather than have a guide dictate where you stop.

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So, when I tell people I spent part of my summer this year travelling to a remote part (on a peninsula) of a remote state (Western Australia) in one of the furthest countries it’s possible to go to from London, in order to snorkel face to face with a 5 metre whale shark, the look on people’s faces falls somewhere between shock and intrigue. Is it a whale, or is it a shark?

In truth, these enormous creatures are the gentle giants of the sea – big enough that they have no natural predators, yet feeding on nothing larger than tiny plankton, and certainly not concerned with trying to eat a ginger-bearded English backpacker. After months of research and preparation, I pre-booked a trip with King’s Ningaloo Reef Tours, and the research proved invaluable – for a true once-in-a-lifetime experience like this you want to make sure you’re going out with a professional crew, and King’s were fantastic.

I chose to go from Exmouth, though other companies also go from Coral Bay on the same peninsula, an even sleepier town than Exmouth. Although Australia’s west coast isn’t as developed or as visited as it’s east coast, for natural beauty it has many trump cards. I was also happy for the hordes to remain on the east while I enjoyed arguably the country’s greatest asset, Ningaloo Reef.

A morning “practice” snorkel on the reef shows it to be the wonder it truly is. Warm turquoise waters, abundant fish, healthy coral and the stunning whale sharks themselves – there is little to compare to snorkelling with such a massive but peaceful mammal, making me feel like an insignificant blot on the face of evolution. Our boat carried a maximum of 20 people, and only 10 of us were allowed in the water at any one time, 5 each side of the Dive Master – the theory being she would spot it and the whale shark would swim between us.

At the cry of “whale shark!” though, 10 of us jump in and there is a commotion of flippers and bubbles, while I try to look for the Dive Master, the whale shark and the boat all at the same time. Out of the blue, it appears (how something this big appears to sneak up on me is a great unsolved mystery), and bizarrely I felt calm, not panicked, and utterly in awe. It swims fast, and I try to keep up – even though the total time I spend with the whale shark is barely a few minutes, and I’ve travelled thousands of miles to do so, it feels genuinely like a highlight of my entire life. Now, how often does anyone get to say that?

See Lee’s underwater video footage on YouTube

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