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Surf Camp is Back!

After a winter break, the good people at SurfCamp are opening their doors once again this week to give you the quintessential Australian experience!!

The water may still be a little brisk but it’s got nothing on the water in this clip as these insane surfers travel to the Arctic for a wave!

Yes, the freaking Arctic! They are in water that is just above freezing (not by much) and have to wear some seriously thick gear to survive the cold but the footage they get is awesome!!

The Aussie SurfCamp is a little more tame but still an amazing way to experience the coolest sport in the world.

Leaving from Sydney, you head south on a two hour, air-condition and comfortable coach for a week in the water! The surf lessons are as practical as possible – you spend the majority of your time over the week in the water learning how to get up on a board, ride a wave and do it all over again!

You start on the beach and learn the basics and then it’s time to get wet! You are supplied with a bunch of awesome surf gear including your wetsuit and specially designed beginner boards to make your time in the ocean that little bit easier.

You may think that you can learn the same things on a beach in Sydney or on a day-long course. When was the last time you learned a new skill, a new sport or a new hobby in half a day? Especially one that takes place in the ocean and a skill that isn’t really related to anything you’ve done before?!

Surfing is amazing and the longer you can do it, the better you become and the frustration levels lower. The amazing coaches at SurfCamp give you so much tuition that they’ll have you standing up in no time at all!

If you haven’t got a week to spare (and who are we kidding, you probably have) then there are weekend options too which give you a chance to experience surfing with highly-qualified instructors and be back in Sydney in time for work on Monday morning.

The guys and girls at SurfCamp are serious surfers – they love the sport and they love spreading the joy to new surfers every week! Once you’ve got a taste, you will not want to stop! The feeling of standing up on the board the first time, and then getting more and more confident throughout your lessons is absolutely amazing!

During your time at SurfCamp, you stay minutes from the beach in awesome, comfortable cabins with internet and a pool. The hot showers are amazing after long day in the ocean – even at the height of summer they are a great way to wash the salt off but in the cooler months they are a Godsend!

So you’ve got awesome surf, great gear and a comfortable place to stay. Then you’ve got the food. It’s a sure-fire way to build up a massive appetite, all this ocean fun, and the food at SurfCamp is fit for a king!

The food seems to be never-ending. Plate upon plate rolls out of the kitchen in all its delicious glory. Obviously, give it an hour before you jump back on the board or you’ll get shouted at by your Mum but apart from that – gorge!

The nights at SurfCamp match the days for fun. You’ll be pretty tired when you have the first day in the surf but you’re a backpacker, soldier on! You’ll get to meet your group and your instructors over a few beers across the nights at SurfCamp and you seriously will not want to leave!

The legends at SurfCamp snap photos and videos of you and your new-found surfer buds throughout the whole week and show off the best (and funniest) every night.

Eventually, when you head home from Australia, everyone you know is going to ask you if you know how to surf. UltimateOz SurfCamp is the perfect place to learn or develop your skills, on a gorgeous, almost deserted beach with some awesome people.

This is an experience not to be missed. As the weather and water slowly heat up, you’ll want to spend as much time as possible by the beach and once you’ve been to SurfCamp, you can look as cool as any Aussie with a board under your arm.

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How To Spend Your Tax Refund?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…no, not Christmas – tax refund time!

If you are a backpacker and have been in Australia for more than six months and have paid tax, obviously, it is time to organise your tax refund!

Tax refund you say, what exactly is that?

Well, it is quite simple really. As a backpacker in Australia you are eligible to claim any tax you have paid to the Australian government during the last tax year. The average tax refund for a backpacker in Australia is $2600.

Let that sink in for a minute….$2600……

Imagine what you could do with $2600!!!!

Tax is one of those scary words that makes you feel like you’ve done something wrong even when you haven’t – like ‘airport security’ or when your Mum used to shout at you and say your middle name – but tax doesn’t have to be terrifying!

We at UltimateOz highly recommend (and use ourselves) Taxback.com. As a tax refund service for backpackers they are second-to-none. They deal with thousands of backpacker returns each year and this year are sweetening the pot even more. This year, those wonderful people at Taxback.com are giving three lucky people the chance to win $1500!

What to do with all this hard earned cash – well, you came to the right place for inspiration!

1) Ultimate Thailand

How about a little plug…I mean, an awesome trip to Thailand!?

Seriously though, Ultimate Thailand is an amazing experience in one of the best, most hospitable countries for travellers.

Now that the military situation has calmed down, you have nothing to worry about on a trip to Thailand and our Ultimate Thailand trip gives you a ‘best of’ tour of one of the most fun countries anywhere in the world!

Fancy a few days in Bangkok? Done. How about a trip to the jungle? Got it. Some of the most amazing beaches in the world? Check. Full Moon Party? Of course!

For $849 for the tour, with flights on top, you could have an amazing, 10-day tour of Thailand and still have over $1000 to spend while you are there or when you get back!

2) Fiji

How does a trip to paradise sound?

No seriously, Google ‘Fiji’ right now and have a flick through some pictures. I’ll give you a couple of minutes….

Ready?

For flights to Fiji, keep your eyes on the usual sites and find the cheapest fare you can. Once you’re over there, you can choose from a few tours you can book directly with us at Ultimate Travel.

Awesome Adventures offer an amazing experience and we at Ultimate Travel get some great rates on one of the best tours Fiji has to offer. Spend nearly two weeks travelling to six, gorgeous islands, meeting locals and travellers alike and snorkel and scuba-dive to your hearts content.

If you head there from May to October, you have a great chance of swimming with manta rays too which is an unbelievable experience. The rays are huge, graceful and like nothing you’ll ever see gliding through the water.

3) Nullarbor Traveller

This one is certainly off the radar a little. Australia has its highlights – the East Coast, Uluru, The Great Barrier Reef etc – but it also has its unsung heroes, and this journey from Adelaide to Perth (or vice versa) is about as unsung as it gets.

Very, very few people travel the south west of the country, around the Great Australian Bight and along the longest straight road in Australia across the Nullarbor Plain – which literally translates to treeless land.

It might sound a bit boring but this tour is an unbelievable experience. Swim with dolphins, tuna, seals and great white sharks, take a trip across a coastline as beautiful as the Great Ocean Road with a fraction of the tourists, see some of the most remarkable beaches and natural landmarks in Australia and see somewhere that 90% of backpackers wouldn’t even dream of visiting.

Nullarbor Traveller have various options for exploring this amazing area. If you are looking for the trip of a lifetime that is a little more off the beaten track then this is definitely the best thing you can spend your tax refund on.

4) Skiing…With a Difference

We could rave about how awesome a weekend ski trip from Sydney is, but we’ve already done that so we’ll show you something a little different.

This one is a a little further afield than the snowfields of New South Wales and Victoria as it takes in the South Island of New Zealand. On the Haka Tours Snow Safari, you’ll take in six mountains over seven days in an ultimate skiing adventure.

If just hitting the slopes is not a big enough thrill for you, how does heli-skiing sound?! Haka Tours offer a great rate for heli-skiing which ticks the adrenalin and awesome boxes. You can also do the usual/unusual New Zealand stuff – bungee jumping, canyon swinging, paragliding etc – and the guides hunt out the best powder on each mountain.

The views are incredible, the slopes are incredible – the whole damn thing is incredible!!

5) Northern Aboriginal Experience

When travellers come to Australia, it is rare that they get to experience a true, Australian way of life. I’m not talking about doing some farm work in the Outback, spending time at a cattle station or in a small town, I’m talking about an indigenous experience with an Aboriginal tribe.

G Adventures offer an amazing experience north of Cairns where you get to see the history and culture of Australia’s first people. You spend your three day tour learning about the Aboriginal way of life, their history and culture and the skills they have utilised to survive in Australia for thousands of years.

The highlight of the first day of the tour is a spear-fishing experience with your Aboriginal guides as you eat what you catch before bedding down under the stars. Other amazing, truly once-in-a-lifetime experiences on the tour include a meeting with an Aboriginal elder who will detail the history of his tribe and explain the creation story of the Aboriginal people – known as ‘Dreamtime.’

You will also learn about Aboriginal art and survival techniques and have a four-wheel drive experience through the rainforests of Far North Queensland. This is really more of an experience than a tour and is a phenomenal way to see a side of Australia that seems to be slowly disappearing.

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How about it then? Fancy an adventure courtesy of the Australian tax man? Of course you could be really sensible and save the cash, pay off the inevitable travelling debts…but who wants to be sensible?!

What will you do with your tax back? Got any trips planned or doing something a little more responsible? Let us know in the comments below and on Facebook!

P.S. Let the Ultimate Travel crew know if you are one of those lucky three winners!

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Make The Most Of The Great Ocean Road

Make the most of the Great Ocean Road!

If you’re heading to Victoria, you might be thinking of doing our UltimateOz Great Ocean Road package! The Great Ocean Road is a must for those travelling Australia, it’s one of the most popular activities amongst travellers who make their way to Victoria. With 250km of road to travel, from Torquay to Warrnambool, you’ll see some of our famous landmarks (the Twelve Apostles/ the London Arch), you travel through some awesome surf towns, equally awesome National Parks and much more! Be sure to make the most of your trip with the following tips:

Don’t Rush!

A lot of people rush through to get to the Twelve Apostles and they don’t take anything in along the way! Take your time and admire the amazing views. As soon as you start your drive, the coast is in sight, and each corner you turn is a new view to admire. The driving can be quite intense at the start, you are driving down a single lane road with the cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other and lots of twists and turns along the way. But it’s all worth it when you get to Devil’s Elbow, which is just before Lorne and where the hardest part of the drive finishes.

Don’t try and get it all done in one day either!  Stop at everything that catches your eye, explore every town, take part in activities that you wouldn’t normally do. Stay overnight somewhere – do it all properly … who knows when you’ll get the chance again!

Check out the towns along the way!

Each new town you come to has something different to offer. Satisfy your inner surfer by visiting Bells Beach in Torquay, the venue for the annual Ripcurl Pro held over Easter … Lorne will give you the some of the freshest seafood in Australia, straight from the boat and on to your plate … if it’s that chilled out, hippy vibe that you’re after, Anglesea is the town for you! These towns will give you the chance to stretch your legs and take a break from driving so you don’t get too tired!

Go off the beaten track!

We’re big believers here in not just sticking to the tourist spots that everyone goes to see. There’s a reason why those spots are so popular, so they should definitely be on the list but if you’re prepared to deviate away from the crowd, who knows what hidden gems you’ll uncover! Does anyone remember the TV programme called Around the Twist? Fans might want to head towards the Split Point Lighthouse, made famous by the show. You can climb the lighthouse and there’s an adorable tea house you can relax in for a bit too. Or, if you want to zip-line through the trees, there’s The Otway Fly Tree Top Adventure, another not-to-be-missed Great Ocean Road treat!

Be smart, stay safe!

The Great Ocean Road is narrow and windy, with lots of blind corners  and sharp drops. Considering the nature of the road, the speed limit is quite high and if you take one of those corners too fast, you could find yourself in a spot of bother. Only drive as fast as you are comfortable with (the speed limit is there for guidance … if it says 70kmph, and you’re more comfortable at 60kmph then so be it!). Take care when driving conditions are less than favourable … if it has been raining, slow down, leave extra room between you and any car in front and be aware that your stopping distance is longer. If you don’t feel comfortable driving down the road, take the freeway instead. The views don’t differ dramatically so you won’t be missing out as such! It’s all boring and sensible, we know, but it’s important. Use your common sense and finish your journey safely!

Take the ‘silly’ pictures!

It’s a long drive so when you finally get to see what you have driven all this way for, don’t be too cool to goof around and take the silly pictures … you know, you holding one of the rocks up at the Twelve Apostle or surfing the wooden beams that overlook the beach … these pictures are the ones you’ll look back on and remember all the giggles you had, they are your memories, take as many as you can!

Want help planning your trip? Give us a shout and we’ll be happy to help!

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