In 1989, I headed off on my first visit down under to Australia with my Mum and my sister. I was staying for six months to work for my uncle but first we spent four weeks travelling around as a family.

My uncle’s home was in Coorparoo, a southern suburb a few miles from Brisbane but central to all the sights I just couldn’t wait to see. We had a list of experiences to fit in and tick off, including Dreamworld Theme Park where I rode my biggest rollercoaster; Currumbin Bird Sanctuary where I got to hold my first koala and Surfers Paradise which later became my weekend retreat with my friends.

As well as the Gold Coast, further north is the Sunshine Coast where we used to camp at the weekends and cook sizzling prawns on the barbie. The most memorable experience for me during my Australia holiday was my 21st birthday with all my family, cruising down Brisbane River on the Kookaburru Queen.

This was my first real experience of travel and I was hooked. I later returned to the UK and studied travel and tourism at college. I joined Kuoni in 1992 and have never looked back. Thankfully, I’ve been lucky enough to visit Australia many times since!

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Travel feature added 14 August 2009.

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