When Angie and Ryan Ballinger were planning their honeymoon, they wanted to go somewhere memorable. The couple had three specific criteria for their vacation: diving, beaches, and the rainforest. Plans for the perfect honeymoon began to take shape when Pete Johnson at Interlachen Travel heard they also were interested in seeing Australia.

Australia is on the other side of the globe from Minnesota. In addition to lots of beautiful beaches and lush rainforests, Australia has some of the best diving in the world at the Great Barrier Reef. Angie and Ryan flew into Cairns, Australia, and were driven to Port Douglas where they began their trip near Four Mile Beach. Their hotel overlooked the ocean and was only three blocks from downtown Port Douglas. It was a gorgeous place to relax, enjoy the beach, and take in the historical aspects of this northern Australia seaside city.

After two days of relaxing on the beach, the Ballingers headed for a five-day, four-night diving adventure. A private car picked them up at their hotel and drove them to their boat, the Taka II. On board this small vessel—it had 13 different cabins—Angie and Ryan were fortunate to get one of the three cabins with a private bath. The crew included a master diver, captain, engineer, and two cooks.

The Ballingers were in their element. The group of 26 took a total of 14 dives over four days. All of it was breathtaking. Angie saw two starfish, one was bright blue and the other was deep red—both colors she never associated with starfish. But she learned that these were living starfish! The water was incredibly clear too. In fact, at one point Angie noticed that she was 70 feet down and when looking up she could still see the surface of the water.

They did see sharks. The first shark was spotted on a night dive but the highlight was the Shark Feed. For this, the divers sat on the reef and once all were stable, the master diver signaled for the fish to drop from the surface. The sharks, mostly gray and white tipped reef sharks, were not much interested in the people and it was thrilling to be so close as they attacked the fish.

Perhaps the most memorable dive was the Cod Hole Dive. Here Angie and Ryan saw potato cods that were about five feet long and four feet tall. These huge and docile fish were exquisite and the divers were able to feed them.

With the diving behind them the Ballingers headed back to Port Douglas and onto the rainforest. They were driven by private car to the Silky Oaks Lodge-Treehouse, located on the edge of the Daintree National Park on the banks of the Mossman River. Here Angie and Ryan relaxed in their tree house accommodations from which they could hear the birds and animals as well as the rain dropping on the palm leaves at night.

One day the Ballingers hiked to a “billabong,” a natural watering hole deep in the rainforest. Here the water was clear and cold and perfect for swimming. The temperatures were in the low to mid 80s even though it was springtime in Australia (the Ballingers traveled in September and October). On another day Angie and Ryan took a boat up the Mossman River at dusk. Their goal was to see crocodiles and snakes and other river animals. However perhaps the most spectacular animals were the fruit bats thousands of them as large as eagles!

Next for the Ballingers was Sydney, home to one of the most beautiful harbours in the world and the second busiest harbour next to Hong Kong’s. To get their bearings, Angie and Ryan first went to the ANA Hotel, which has a round bar on its top floor and they could see a full 360 degrees of Sydney. They also took in The Rocks, the site of Australia’s first European settlement and now a wonderful area filled with restaurants, shops, and entertainment. Each Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of people head to The Rocks for market. On a Harbour Cruise they learned about the Sydney Opera House, Shark Island, and other Sydney historical sites.

While Sydney was interesting, the Ballingers preferred the quiet and charm of Port Douglas. According to Angie, “Sydney seemed like just another big city.”

“Thanks to Pete at Interlachen Travel, everything was perfect. The itinerary spelled out every detail. We didn’t want to drive in Australia and the private car that she arranged was always on time and was able to accommodate us even when we wanted to change our schedule.”

Will they go back? “Most definitely! We may return in one or two years to see the islands off the coast and to do more diving,” said Angie.

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