Get Away with Dre: Autumn Activities Around Australia
Don’t fall into depression because it’s getting colder and darker earlier. Let’s rekindle the love of Autumn and fall in love with Fall all over again with some Autumn activities around the country. Activities that you can only enjoy during this time of year.
Watch the baby turtles hatch in Queensland
Image credit: Jeremy Sommerville
You’ll basically be escaping autumn because it’s still warm in this part of Oz, even the water is still warm in autumn!
In Autumn in the Southern Great Barrier Reef, you can watch the turtles hatch and watch them make their way out of their nests and into the sea. Super cute!
Turtle Season begins in late October till April/ May. The eggs get laid and 7-8 weeks later they’ll hatch at night. The drop in temperature lets them know it’s their time to make their great escape to sea.
To catch this adorable phenomenon, head to Lady Elliot Island (home of the manta ray) located at the most southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. Female Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) naturally make their way onto Lady Elliott beach to deposit their eggs. In 2020 – 2021 Lady Elliot Beach had 33,000 hatchlings!
You can do a Day Trip to the island, however it’s advised that you attend their on-island “Turtle Update” meeting (quite possibly the only meeting I would be excited to attend). They inform you the most ideal locations to watch the turtles and most importantly, how to interact with the turtles safetly.
Do’s & Don’ts:
- Flash photography is not be be used. It can cause confusion to the baby turtles
- Dull yellow or red torches are best, but turn off all lights once you locate a turtle nesting
- If you have a bright torch, shine it through fabric or your clothing to reduce its intensity
Stay for a few days at The Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort. It’s a family-run and operated eco-tourism business. Or you can also watch the baby turtles hatch at Heron Island and Mon Repos Beach
Visit the Grampians in Victoria
Autumn is the best season to do one of the most popular past-times known to man – eating.
Autumn is a good time to head down to Victoria in a place called The Grampians National Park located just 3 hours west of Melbourne.
Firstly, for the Grampians Grape Escape. This wine, food and music festival will be held from the 2nd – 4th May, with local bands, food trucks with local businesses that prep paddock to plate, and local drops at the festival bar. There’ll be over 90 stalls offering everything from fine wine to boutique whisky, to handcrafted candles. They will also have masterclasses and guest chefs for your culinary adventure.
Secondly, for an outdoor adventure – a Grampians Great Escape – if you will. The Grampians National Park has you covered. You can walk off everything you’ve eaten on a few walks
An easy one that’s accessible for people that don’t have the time or the mobility, is Boroka Lookout. From the carpark it’s just a 5 minute walk to 2 different viewing platforms. The lookout will give you panoramic views over Halls Gap and the east of the Grampians. The sunrise is sublime there.
If you want to work off more of the food you’ve eaten, you can hike to Boroka Lookout from the Wonderland carpark. Its an 8.8km return walk that’s harder because of its steep incline to the top.
Watch the ‘Turning of the Fagus’ in Tasmania
Image credit: Chris Crerar
The fagus is a deciduous tree in Australia that loses its leaves in the colder season. Also known as tanglefoot because its twisted branches grow in thickets that can trip you when you’re hiking by and not paying attention. It’s crinkle-cut leaves change colour from green, to vibrant reds, oranges and golds – sometimes, all colours at the same time on one tree.
It’s one of the most unique experiences and it happens in autumn within a short time frame from late April – May.
You can see them at the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair national park on an easy 6km, 2-hour loop walk which will take you around Dove Lake passing through some patches of fagus.
If you want something easier, opt for the Weindorfers Forest Walk on a 20 minute, 750m circuit. Or catch the fagus turn at Mount Field national park on The Tarn Shelf in a 3-hour return walk via a track from the ski fields. You’ll see a series of small glacial lakes with this autumn confetti like beech trees.
