Adventure Sports in Australia

If you're planning on heading to Sydney, Australia to watch the Olympics this September, be sure to leave some time to participate in some of the wonderful outdoor sports that Sydney has to offer.

Do your homework before you go. There are lots of wonderful Web sites that give you the scoop on adventure sports in the land down under.

SportsNet.com.au gives you sports news and a schedule of events taking place in Sydney, as well as an update on the Olympics.

The Telstra.com Sports site has information about cricket, rubgy, lawn bowling and lots of other sports. They offer a newsletter, a chat room, news updates, video gallery, and sports logos and ringtones for your cell phone.

Yahoo Australia's Sports and Recreation page has links to several adventure sports Web sites that focus on Australia. Here are just a few of the sports listed: auto racing, boating, cycling, netball, surfing, and hockey. Click on the "Outdoors" link and you'll find information about things like mountain biking, climbing, and paddling. In the "Mountain Biking" section there's a link to the Western Sydney Mountain Bike Club ("http://usrwww.mpx.com.au/~frankz/wsmtbindex.html"). This site offers information about cross-country as well as downhill mountain biking. There are racing calendars, maps to venues, bikes for sale, social rides and more.

Another useful site is CitySearch Sydney ("http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/"). Click on the "Health & Leisure" section, then click on the "All Leisure Activities" link in the "Browse" section. This will get you to a long list of adventure sports including: boating, hang gliding, hot air ballooning, ice skating, and paintball. If you click on the "Outdoor Adventure Activities" link, you'll find addresses and phone numbers for lots of fun companies that offer activities such as whitewater kayaking, mountaineering, jet fighter flights, and skydiving.

Whether you enjoy mountain biking, hiking, windsurfing, kayaking or sailing, Sydney has just what you're looking for.

For those of you who enjoy scuba diving, head out of Sydney and go north to the Great Barrier Reef for some sensational diving. Swim with colorful fish, sharks, rays and see several types of breathtaking coral. The underwater experience is truly something you'll always remember. Every year thousands of people flock to the Great Barrier Reef in hopes of seeing the world's best diving spot. Even if you don't scuba dive, you can still see the wondrous life that lives beneath the ocean surface by snorkeling, or taking a submarine ride.