Australia's Oldest Holiday - Australian Traveller

In a victory for the history buffs, David Whitley indulges in a spot of armchair time travelling to track down the most ancient wonders of modern Australia.

The British have a standard joke designed to get right under the skin of all Australians, one that gets wheeled out in times of need and dire cricketing capitulations. It goes a little like this: “What’s the difference between Australia and a tub of yoghurt?"

The answer, of course, is that if you leave yoghurt alone long enough, it will eventually develop a culture. It’s a none-too-subtle dig at Australia’s lack of history, and, as with many none-too-subtle digs, it’s not entirely fair. The country is brimming with historic sites, some a lot older than you’d think . . .

Oldest city

Sydney may be still regarded as a young whippersnapper, but it actually predates the likes of Washington DC, Singapore, Toronto and Johannesburg. Founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Philip’s First Fleet of convicts, the original settlement was in the area on the harbour now known as The Rocks. Many of the historic sites in what is now the tourist heart of the city are covered and explained by The Rocks Walking Tour. (02) 9247 6678, www.rockswalkingtours.com.au

Oldest tourist attraction

The Jenolan Caves in NSW’s Blue Mountains region have been attracting tourists in large numbers since the 1880s, although things were a little hairier back then. While nowadays people walk around safely in jeans and T-shirts, in the Victorian era visitors would dress up in their finest clothes and risk life and limb clambering through the caves with ropes and candles. Recent testing has revealed Jenolan’s cave system to be far more significant than previously thought, however. Using scientific techniques, the caves have been shown to be around 340 million years old, making them the oldest open caves in the world.

Oldest hotel

It seems every establishment opened before the turn of the 21st Century would like to claim this for use as a marketing gimmick, but the two with the most likely claims are both in Tasmania. First up is The Hope and Anchor (03 6236 9982, www.hopeandanchor.com.au ) in Macquarie St, Hobart. It claims to have been running since 1807, and thus to be the oldest pub continually running on the same site. Others had sprung up in Sydney beforehand, but are no longer there. However, the Hope and Anchor was originally called The Whale Fishery, which leads to a rival claim from The Bush Inn (03 6261 2256) in New Norfolk. It has been continually licensed since 1825, although it was built in 1815. To keep everybody happy, why not have a thoroughly historic drink in both while the publicans solve the dispute via the time-honoured medium of arm-wrestling?

Playing the Ratho course at Bothwell is a challenge to say the least, mainly because of the herds of sheep roaming the fairways.

Oldest golf course

On a private property in Tasmania’s Central Highlands lies the oldest course in the southern hemisphere. Playing the Ratho course at Bothwell is a challenge to say the least, mainly because of its square greens and herds of sheep roaming the fairways. These mobile mowers are used to keep the links nicely trimmed, and golfers have been playing around them since the 1830s. The site is also home to the Australasian Golf Museum (03 6259 4033).

Oldest National Park

Only Yellowstone in the US has been designated as a National Park for longer than the Royal National Park, just south of Sydney. It was founded in 1879 with the far-sighted ideal of providing a much-needed environmental “lung" for the burgeoning NSW capital. Though regularly scarred by bushfires over the years, it’s still a beautifully tranquil spot, as anyone who has taken the ferry across to Bundeena will happily testify. Variety is the spice of life here, with rugged coastal cliff-top walks mixing in with deep valleys, strange rock formations such as Eagle Rock, and trails through the heathlands for hikers and mountain bikers.

Oldest building

As it’s impossible to accurately date Indigenous structures, this category has to be limited to the post-European discovery era. The Old Government House in Parramatta, NSW, is certainly the oldest public building in the country, going back to 1799 – but the most ancient of all pre-dates Captain Cook. On West Wallabi Island in WA’s Houtman-Abrolhos islands are the remains of two huts and a fort. These were built by the survivors of the Batavia shipwreck, which met its unfortunate end in 1629 on the way to modern-day Jakarta. Batavia Coast Air Charter (08 9921 5168, www.abrolhosbat.com.au) runs tours of the islands from Geraldton on the mainland, and flies over the huts.

Oldest art gallery

Despite much of the collection recently moving to Melbourne’s Federation Square, the original home of the National Gallery of Victoria (03 8620 2222, www.ngv.vic.gov.au ) has been standing since 1861. The building on St Kilda Road is now home to the gallery’s international works of art and exhibitions. However, it would be fair to say that Australia’s oldest and most impressive art galleries are not in a building at all. Injalak Hill and Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu are home to ancient Aboriginal rock art that is thought to be many tens of thousands of years old. There are several sites, linked by a walking track, and you can roughly date some of the pictures yourself due to the appearances of sailing ships, white men and guns.

Oldest museum

Tucked in right next to Hyde Park in Sydney is The Australian Museum (02 9320 6000 or www.amonline.net.au), which was founded back in 1827. Whilst it’s not got as much of the button-pressing whiz-bang interactivity of some of its more recent rivals, it still covers a broad range of topics in fascinating detail. The stars of the show are always the temporary exhibitions, but the permanent collections have had all that time to grow into something special. Among these are displays on Indigenous culture and the Chapman Collection, an astounding treasure trove of precious minerals from around the world.

Oldest restaurant

While the fighting to become the oldest pub is frenetic, no-one seems to want to come forward and claim the restaurant prize. As both the Hope and Anchor and Bush Inn serve food, then they’ve got a fair shout, but neither was primarily set up for dining. The Grossi Florentino (03 9662 1811, www.grossiflorentino.com ) on Bourke St, Melbourne, therefore has a very good claim. It was set up as a wine café in 1900, becoming the Café Florentino in 1926. It has changed hands and guises many times since then, but it is now firmly established as one of Melbourne’s classiest joints and produces authentic Italian recipes.

Oldest theme park

While it may have been usurped by the Gold Coast’s colossal fun factories, Melbourne’s Luna Park (03 9525 5033, www.lunapark.com.au ) has become a true Australian icon since opening in 1912. The huge clown smile entrance scares as many people as it enthrals, and going inside is a little like stepping back in time to a more innocent era, where rides didn’t have to be utterly terrifying to keep people amused. But while the park is the country’s oldest, the Scenic Railway ride has a more widespread claim to fame – it’s the oldest continually operating rollercoaster in the entire world.

Oldest shops

No holiday would be complete without shelling out some cash on a shopping binge, and there are few better places to do that than the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. It’s both the oldest and largest market in the southern hemisphere. Trading started here in 1858, although it wasn’t officially opened until 20 years later. With hundreds of stalls, the range of what you can get here in the bracing Melbourne air is astonishing, while foodie tours are available for $28 for those who want to get more than just a taste of things (03 9320 5835 or go to www.qvm.com.au ). Meanwhile, the David Jones store on George St, Sydney, is Australia’s oldest department store. What’s more, with the company dating back to 1838, it is the oldest department store in the world that still trades under its original name.

Oldest winery

The beginning stages of the Australian wine boom stretch back a little further than many would imagine. The first attempt to produce wine in the new colony came shortly after the arrival of the First Fleet, with vines being planted in Parramatta, NSW, back in 1791. The spot is still known as Vineyard Creek, although winemaking operations moved elsewhere long ago. In 1830 George Wyndham pioneered Australian Shiraz when he planted Australia’s first commercial Shiraz vineyard at Dalwood Estate in the NSW Hunter Valley, where a cellar door operates to this day (02 4938 3444, www.wyndhamestate.com ). To honour George’s memorable achievements, Dalwood was renamed Wyndham Estate in 1970, a century after Wyndham’s death. But the official title of oldest winery goes to Olive Farm in WA’s Swan Valley, which has operated continuously as a winery and commercial vineyard since being established in 1829 by English botanist Thomas Waters. Today the winery is owned and run by descendents of Ivan Yurisich, a Yugoslavian immigrant who bought Olive Farm in 1933, and features an extremely modern, award-winning building set on eight acres in the heart of the Valley. (08) 9296 4539, www.olivefarmwines.com

This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs. — Adventure starts where the road ends.

1. Discover Broome, and beyond

Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea. — Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters. — Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs. — Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance. — See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia — Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .

Australia’s Oldest Holiday