Travel guide for Horse riding

 If you’ve ever watched the classic Aussie movie The Man From Snowy River, you may have found yourself longing to grab a horse and head out on an equine adventure.  When we dig deeper into Australia’s great movie vault, we discover many films featuring horse riding throughout the country. While for many films, this is logical given they are period pieces, the reality of our vast, ever-changing landscapes simply make horse riding a fun thing to do in this country. This is why, whether you are a complete novice or ride horses on a regular basis, you might want to consider including a ride into the sunset on your next holiday break.  New to horse riding? Before you book yourself on a week-long horse riding excursion in the Snowy Mountains, it’s importan... Read more

Ride a ferry to a beautiful natural landscape populated by fairy penguins, koalas, echidnas, kangaroos, and wallabies. Penneshaw, known as the 'gateway to Kangaroo Island', is the place where you first disembark a ferry from the mainland and open your eyes to see a wonderland of beauty. Kangaroo Island is a magical place to holiday, offering stunning vistas, tranquil waters, friendly locals and a place to truly appreciate the uniqueness of Australia’s animals.    Things to do: Fairy Penguin tour: This is certainly a highlight of Penneshaw. The fairy penguin tour leaves from Penneshaw Penguin Centre, and allows visitors to see these adorable creatures waddle up to their burrows from the beach after sunset. Tours last around 45 minutes and include entry into the interpreti... Read more

Holiday journalling for kids: It can be exciting for a child to develop their own scrapbook, and with the many family-friendly accommodation options on takeabreak.com.au, you’ll have endless choices to explore with your children. Each evening, have them write, type, or illustrate their experiences. It may be as simple as asking a preschooler to draw their favourite memory of the day, or asking a toddler to paste ticket stubs, pamphlets and photos into a book alongside their photos. Older children can use the computer to write out their journal entries, or if doing it the old-fashioned way, can neatly write onto the pages and then attach their favourite photos and travel memorabilia.   Including the family pet: If you’ve travelled to one of the many pet-frie... Read more

Sometimes, the name of a place does not do it justice. For example, when a person hears ‘Green Head’ do they immediately conjure up images of wildflowers, beaches, and sea lions? Are they likely to imagine surfing, bush walking and snorkelling? Probably not. But one small area of Green Head that does have a worthy name is ‘Dynamite Bay’. Perhaps this would be a better name for this gorgeous town on the Coral Coast of Western Australia because Green Head really is a dynamite place to visit.   Only a short drive from such wonders as The Pinnacles, and with local reefs perfect for snorkelling and diving, as well as an abundance of delicious fresh seafood like rock lobsters waiting in the ocean, Green Head truly is paradise. There is so much for water enthusiasts... Read more

Best Aussie Adventures Where do you think is the best adventure holiday destination in Australia? The 2009 votes are still being counted to find the best place to take yourself and your friends, partner or family on an adventure holiday. Where are the best places to go, things to do and things to see? TakeABreak.com.au, Australia’s only independent holiday rental website, has initiated a first time ‘Best Places to Stay’ award for Australian destinations, which recognises towns and cities that have outstanding facilities in specialist segment categories. Winners will be voted on by the public with 8 categories presenting finalists across each state. Just some of the TakeABreak Adventure Destination finalists… Freycinet P... Read more

The bronzed Aussie with a nose covered in zinc cream, a surfboard, and big happy grin is a stereotype held by many people throughout the world. The bronzed part is easy enough – even with sunblock, t-shirts, and hats, lovely tans are hard to avoid given our abundance of sunshine. The zinc cream is our way of saying, “Hey – it’s cool to be sun-safe – protect yourself!” The surfboard (or fishing rods, scuba gear etc) is because there are so many adventures to be had at each of our beaches. And the big happy grin? Hey – when you have thousands of kilometres of coastline, you just can’t stop smiling. For this reason, Australia welcomes millions of visitors to our shores, all hoping to catch a taste of the Aussie life, even if only for a week. ... Read more

Those of us who live in Australia grow up understanding the joys, dangers and safety rules that make it such a great place.  However, many visitors to our country find Australia an alien, but starkly beautiful country, and they have little or no understanding of the best way to stay safe and enjoy their time here. A few very simple rules can help to make a visit to Australia a safe and pleasurable experience, and Tourism Australia has a brochure available for download that lists safety tips in a variety of languages. Driving tips One of the first things to remember is that speed limits are strictly enforced in Australia, more so than in many countries overseas.  Generally, when driving in urban and suburban areas, the speed limit is between 50 and 60 kilometres per hour. When ... Read more

We know that our teenage children can be delightful, exasperating, funny, sullen, adventurous, shy, talkative, slothful and manic – and sometimes that is just in the space of an hour!  All these moods are magnified when it comes to travelling, be it in Australia or overseas, as teens and parents are forced into one another’s company without a ‘get out of jail free’ card, such as time with friends. Travelling overseas with teenagers tends to be a better experience for a number of reasons, such as the brilliant entertainment systems now available on most flights, menus that let them eat things they like, resorts that have activities that cater for most age groups and the “wow” factor.  So let’s concentrate on surviving travelling in Austra... Read more

Whenever you drive along The Great Ocean Road, you could be forgiven for having illusions of grandeur. You might picture yourself as James Bond zipping along in a shiny Aston Martin. Or perhaps you'll wonder if you're actually part of a luxury car advertisement. The scenery is so incredible; your mind will transport you into a world of extravagance - even if you are puttering along in a broken-down heap. The stretch of road between Torquay and Allansford in southwest Victoria was predominantly built by World War I returned soldiers. Commencing work with picks and shovels back in 1919, the men laboured hard, and few would have lived to see the whole expanse of road complete. Various sections opened over decades, with the first 75km between Anglesea and Apollo Bay completed in 1932. More t... Read more

When Lieutenant James Cook discovered the Whitsundays in 1770, he probably wished he could sneak off the ship and spend the rest of his days basking on the white sandy beaches among their swaying palm trees. He could have spent a lifetime swimming among brightly coloured fish, dining on tropical fruits, watching beautiful birds, and trekking the many different landscapes of the islands. Surely if he could have just turned back the clock, history would have been very different. Fortunately for us, word spread about the beauty of the Whitsundays and today they are a paradise which is easily enjoyed by all.   Top 10 things to do If you don’t have enough time or money to do all of these activities during your trip, you’ll just have to return to the islands and keep ... Read more