By Ann Duwe

Photo Courtesy of Ann Duwe This year’s Town Crier Train tour visits the Sydney Opera House.

What are the best things about Australia? Whether you’ve been there or not, the answers are surprisingly similar and always upbeat.

Town Crier Train Tours heads for Australia Sept. 3-14 with an itinerary guaranteed to include all the things would-be travelers dream of seeing, as well as sights recommended by people who have examined the country’s varied features.

“It’s like a warm version of Canada,” said David Smith of Los Altos Hills, who has visited Australia twice. He still remembers the beaches around Sydney from a visit years ago. “Australia is such a big country,” he added. “The best way to see it would be by train. Distances are too great to drive; by air you would miss a great deal. The train puts you on the ground.”

“I remember the scenery,” said Sally Slavin of Los Altos. “Sydney is quiet, it has lovely gardens and everything has a waterfront view.”

Barbara Mordo of Los Altos Hills longs to visit the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef. “Those are the things that interest me most,” she said. “Plus, I want to see a koala, a kangaroo and maybe even a platypus.”

Mark Jensen of Los Altos Hills is also curious about the Great Barrier Reef. His imagination seeks a clearer idea of Australia’s coasts in contrast to its expanses of flat red desert.

For Ginny and Bill Dolan of Los Altos, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef were highlights of their trip. The Dolans like to begin exploring a new city by taking a city bus tour, choosing guided day trips to areas nearby, and then setting off on their own.

“Since English is the first and second language,” Ginny Dolan said, “Australia is a good choice for people who want to travel within their comfort zone. The people are wonderful, and the shopping is good for unusual things like opals.”

“Sydney is magnificent,” Bill Dolan added. “It is a lot like San Francisco: friendly, beautiful. You can walk through the parks, walk the (Harbour) Bridge or take boat trips to nearby communities, much like you would go to Sausalito.”

The Dolans visited the Great Barrier Reef by way of Cairns and a catamaran trip to Dunk Island. Of special interest was the day trip from Cairns to the rain forest, where they were able to visit an aboriginal community and learn about their way of life.

The itinerary for Town Crier Train Tours will make a large loop around Australia, taking in Sydney, Adelaide and Darwin. The train portion of the trip, aboard the legendary Ghan railroad, will include a two-night stay in the red desert heart of the country near Ayers Rock.

While in Sydney, the Town Crier group will tour the Opera House during a city tour and return the following evening for a production of “Turandot,” an opera by Giacomo Puccini. Bringing the exotic tale to the stage is Graeme Murphy, one of Australia’s boldest interpreters of opera. The evening will also feature the Opera Australia Chorus and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

When the Town Crier Train tour reaches Darwin, participants can return to Sydney or continue to Cairns for an optional extension to the Great Barrier Reef. Dates for the optional extension are September 13 to 19. In Cairns the group will take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Australia’s World Heritage Rainforest. The unique park offers visitors a bird’s-eye view of the forest canopy.

From Cairns travelers will board the Coral Princess to explore the corals, cays and islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The 35-passenger vessel is outfitted with a special metal tailgate that can be lowered to provide easy water access for swimming, snorkeling or diving. On-board naturalists and dive masters guide all activities, including trips in a glass-bottom boat. Like mainland beaches, the reef experiences high and low tides; at low tide miles of coral gardens are briefly exposed to the sun, allowing even non-swimmers to catch a glimpse of their color and variety.

For reservation information about Town Crier Train Tours trips to Ashland, Ore., June 28-July 5, or across Australia on the Ghan, Sept. 3-14, call program planner Ann Duwe at 941-6381 or e-mail ann.duwe@sbcglobal.net.