Fed up of the freezing cold? Fancy an alternative to tiresome turkey? For a Christmas in paradise, book flights to Australia! The only white you’ll see this Christmas is the sand on the beaches!

1. Throw a Shrimp on the Barbie
Nothing says Christmas Down Under more than a good old Aussie barbeque. Rather than a roast, tradition in Australian households is prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels, scallops…really anything from the sea. Be a part of the Great Prawn Rush; hit the fantastic fish markets to bag your catch. Throw them onto the Barbie and wash down with some chilled Australian white wine or a few cold tinnies. On Boxing Day, relight the Barbie down on the beach this time, with more friends and prawns.

2. Champagne at the Rock
Experience the magic of Ayers Rock, or Uluru to use its Aboriginal name; a most sacred part of Aboriginal mythology. Nothing could be more dreamlike than watching the sun set on Christmas Eve with dinner in Palm Cove, Uluru, at the desert resort of Kata Tjuta. A champagne breakfast as you watch the sun rise over the Rock on Christmas Day is just the start of the magic. A tour of the rock is followed by an outdoor dinner under a blanket of stars, accompanied by didgeridoo and an astronomer to guide your stargazing. Beat that Santa!

3. Burn the Candle at Both Ends
Head to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in beautiful Melbourne, for Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve. Top performers and a mix of the season’s contemporaries gather at the stadium to perform the nation’s favourite Christmas Carols – singling along is optional! The evening is turned into a magical visual masterpiece when thousands of candles light up the night sky. Tickets sell out fast for this gig so don’t miss out!

4. Blue Mountains and Wine Valleys
For a salubrious start to the festive season, take a trip into the Blue Mountains for horse riding, mountain biking, guided bushwalks, climbing and abseiling! After all that action you’ll be more than ready for a tour of Hunter Valley; Australia’s spectacular wine region where you can get down to some serious wine tasting, a three course lunch and a night at the Hunter Resort Country Estate. Christmas in style!

5. New Year Sydney Harbour Fireworks
Don’t miss the New Year spectacular that a billion eyes watch every year! The natural amphitheatre that is Sydney Harbour and its stunning showpiece, the steel bowed Sydney Harbour Bridge, is lit up on the stroke of midnight by a fireworks display like no other in the world; ringing in the New Year. To see the old year out in style, why not view the fireworks from a showboat, dinner party or ballroom cruise out on the water. Burn that midnight oil!

After all the excesses of Christmas, burn off some of those seafood induced calories and head out for a spot of Boxing Day sale shopping. The perfect end to the perfect Aussie Christmas! make my trip tour packages