7 adrenaline rushes found only in Australia
Pump up the adrenaline on your Australian holiday with these exciting adventures.
By Lee Atkinson
Australia is an adventure playground, with more ways to get your heart racing than just about anywhere else. Whether you like your thrills sky high or wet and wild, Australia offers awesome adrenaline-inducing activities to suit every kind of thrillseeker.
Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge
BridgeClimb Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales © Sydney Bridge Climb
Insider secret
Take on BridgeClimb's newest adventure, the Ultimate Climb, to conquer the entire bridge from south to north and back again.
Where: Sydney, New South Wales
It's a long way down from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but the view of the sparkling harbour and glittering city is unbeatable. It's no wonder that climbing the arch of Sydney's iconic bridge is known as a must-do.
Before you go, BridgeClimb will get you kitted out with a climbing suit and a harness that is linked to a secure, static line. It's an easy walk, but has lots of steps. Sunrise, daytime, sunset and night-time climbs are available, as well as climbs that go just halfway if you're nervous about heights.
Climbs can take anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 hours depending on the type of experience you choose, so give yourself plenty of time.
Do the world's highest dam abseil
Gordon Dam, Strathgordon, Tasmania © Tourism Tasmania and Rob Burnett
Where: Gordon Dam, Tasmania
If getting ready to step into the void on the world's highest commercial abseil doesn't get the adrenaline pumping, nothing will. The Gordon Dam in south-west Tasmania, about 2.5 hours from Hobart, is several metres higher than the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and an abseiling adventure will have you descending 140 metres (459 feet) in one continuous drop.
This is an extreme adventure that's not for the faint-hearted, but if you're game, it’s a thrill that you'll find only in Australia. Tours are run from Hobart by Aardvark Adventures.
Swim with whale sharks
Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia © Tourism Australia
Where: Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Nothing is guaranteed to make you feel small like swimming with a 14-metre (46-foot) long, 15-tonne (16.5-ton) whale shark. But don't be put off by the name. These massive fish are truly the gentle giants of the deep. Located in the north-west corner of the country near Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef is the only place in the world where whale sharks are known to visit so close to the coast each year.
The best time to visit is between late April and early July when dozens of whale sharks swim close to the surface. Choose from snorkelling alongside these majestic creatures, or going deeper with a scuba dive adventure. Either way, it's a wildlife encounter you'll never forget.
You can reach Exmouth on an epic road trip along the Coral Coast, or fly to Learmonth Airport.
Dive with great white sharks
Adventure Bay Charters, Port Lincoln, South Australia © Adventure Bay Charters
Fun fact
Adventure Bay Charters use music to attract sharks rather than bait. Tunes by AC/DC seem to be the sharks' favourite.
Where: Port Lincoln, South Australia
Coming face to face with a great white shark is an incomparable adrenaline rush. In the waters off the southern tip of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, you can climb into a cage where nothing stands between you and a great white but steel mesh. You'll be suspended just below the surface, breathing through a 'hookah' as you scan the ocean for the first glimpses of a shark – sometimes almost six metres (19.5 feet) long.
Plan a road trip to Port Lincoln and book a cage diving tour with Adventure Bay Charters or Calypso Star Charters.
Raft through an ancient rainforest
Franklin River Rafting, Franklin River, Tasmania © Franklin River Rafting
Where: Franklin, Tasmania
Rafting the Franklin, one of the world's last untamed rivers, is a magnificent wilderness adventure. Your rafting ride will begin in tranquil gorges and Tasmanian rainforest, but don't let this fool you. Soon you'll be navigating exhilarating rapids and splashing over river drops.
Rafting season runs from November through March, and most trips take between five and ten days. Numerous rafting companies specialise in Franklin River expeditions and depart from Hobart and Launceston.
Walk through the sky
SkyPoint Climb, Gold Coast, Queensland © Tourism and Events Queensland
Where: Gold Coast, Queensland
The Gold Coast is famous for its high rise towers, and you'll get a great view of them from the top of the beachside strip's tallest building. Even better, you won't be on the inside of the building, but the outside.
At 270 metres (886 feet) high, the SkyPoint Climb to the summit of the Q1 Resort building is the ultimate high-altitude adventure. It's the highest external building climb in Australia. Attached to a safety harness, you step outside onto the launch platform on level 77 (240 metres, or 787 feet high) then climb to the top of the spire. If the stairs don’t take your breath away, the view certainly will.
Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk
Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, Nornalup, Western Australia © WA Parks and Wildlife
Where: Denmark, Western Australia
The trees of southern Western Australia are among the tallest in the world, soaring up to 75 metres (246 feet) high. In Denmark, about 4.5 hours from Perth, you can get a view from the very top.
The Tree Top Walk is a 420-metre (459-yard) long steel truss walkway that takes you up into the treetop canopy for views that will take your breath away. Looking down from the walkway's highest point – 40 metres (132 feet) above the ground – you’ll see why they call this place the Valley of the Giants.
