Combine California's best beaches, the rugged beauty of the Oregon coast, add abundant exotic wildlife and some great rock digging: That's Australia's south coast! We'll hunt calcite, selenite, smoky quartz, spectacular fossils, and geodes while camping with kangaroos, koalas, and emus.

We pick you up in Melbourne and travel through the heart of Australia's gold rush country. Their rush was bigger than California's, and produced picturesque towns with beautiful architecture.

We'll explore the "bush", with its abundant wildlife, camp at private mining site, and experience the real Australia. We'll swim, camp, and hike on pristine beaches while learning coastal geology. Dig, hammer, and collect your way across our favorite stretch of Australia!

• $850 per person for 9 days.

Same trip plus opal digging at Andamooka available to adults only.

• $1200 per person for 11 days.

The fine print: Prices are in US dollars and do not include airfare. Current round trip airfare prices between Seattle and Australia start at $900. Our Aussie photo album, specimen samples, and trip itinerary are avaiable for $10, refundable.

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