Tourism Australia Offers Life Style Travel

Tourism Australia is promoting a series of programs that allow visitors to experience unusual Australian life styles. Delivering the mail in the Outback, for instance, doesn't sound that exciting, but when the route is a river or follows the world's longest fence, it adds interest.

Just outside Sydney, a participant could join the local Hawkesbury "postie" as he floats down the river delivering mail to the locals. Or travel hundreds of miles through red sand hills and along the Dingo Fence on the Outback Mail Run delivering mail to Australia's largest cattle station, Anna Creek and historic Outback towns like Oodnadatta and Williams Creek for a stop at the Dingo Café or local pub. Mail runs usually happen on Mondays and Thursdays. Visit www.mailruntour.com.

It's also possible to learn the skills of a station hand, a sort of cowboy or "jackaroo" as their known down under. The experience is offered at Goomeri in Queensland www.visitoz.org or Leconfield Jillaroo and Jackaroo School near Tamworth, New South Wales. Clients can also drive cattle at the Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive on one of the seven rides taking place in May or June 2007. Participants join in a drive on horseback along the Oodnadatta track by day and have luxury camping facilities with a swag and campfire catering at night. Visit www.cattledrive.com.au or visit Tourism Australia at www.australia.com.