Discover Australia I

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Driving through the deserted lush Mt.Wilson rain forest, just 120 km northwest of Sydneyof Route 40, I fall madly in love with this land. Mt. Wilson is a mountain range that spans for five kilometers north of the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Park. The rich volcanic basalt soil makes this region a perfect location for many natural-appearing large scale English gardens. Many not only feature symmetrical shrubberies with graveled walks, tree-lined plantations, and vibrant and contrast perennial blooms but also grottoes, temples, tea-houses, belvederes, pavilions, sham ruins, bridges, and statues. The Australia's unique tall eucalyptus trees create continuous canopy over the stringing zigzags, sweeping bends, and straights. It is summer time and the temperature is mild and perfect for Cabrio driving.

There are not much of drastic elevation changes or hairpins. Instead, Mt. Wilson road steadily climbs and zigzags. This road has many tentacles reaching out to the most remote area.Exploring this region my visual cortex is filled with the images from the Garden of Eden. The voices of Australian wildlife and birds provide the soundtrack of this beautiful scenery.Passing the Kangaroo and Koala crossing road sign and coming into a blind chicane, I downshift the S-tronic to third and second, and my Audi Cabrio burbles exotically. On accelerations, the blow off valve sound reverberates through my spine and bounces of the trees. To top this exhilarating acoustic experience, the 200 HP and 207 lbs-ft engine produces a face-bending acceleration that pushes my organs to the back seat. Loose leaves on the road are sucked spirally up by the vacuum trail this car generates. Heading back towards Sydney at night, I pass the jagged rocky Mt. Tomah on route 40, Bells Line of Road. With the top and windows down, the pristine mountain air brushes my hair. This serene ambiance must be soaked in. The sun has set many minutes ago. The southern sky stars are appearing quickly. Cocooned in a magma red leather sport seat, I recline and enjoy the open sky and the galactic light show that’s about to begin. The white and red glow of the dashboard instruments produces the sense of space flight. No planetarium in the world can match this celestial experience...

[e-mail] Vacation Complete Story, Pictures, and map, visit: www.driving-vacation.com/Australia

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