This could be a shot sent back to NASA from planet Mars,
except that it's part of a new tour of Utah in America's wild west.
Somebody once said this sort of country is a hell of a place to lose a cow,
and they were right.
This place really has to be seen to be believed.
It's just amazing.
And one of the best ways to see it is to do what I'm going to do
and join a one-day tour of what the locals call the Canyonlands.
Utah is one of the Rocky Mountains states that stretches up America's central west.
The Canyonlands are found close by the town of Moab near the Colorado border.
The day trip I've joined is a combination river and canyon tour
run by a local outfit, Adrift Adventures.
And as their name implies, the first part of the six-hour trip is adrift
on the mighty Colorado River itself.
Our guide for the day is former park ranger and all-around expert
on everything to do with the Canyonlands, Harvey Wickware.
There are other people who would tout other rivers,
but the Colorado has a great variety from the serene water
to these number five rapids that just take your heart right through your feet
when you go through them.
So it does change a lot as we go from place to place.
And we're not going there today, are we?
I hope not in this boat.
Thank goodness for that, because there's enough heart in your throat stuff
in the second half of the trip, the four-wheel drive tour
through the Canyonlands themselves.
The first off-road stretch takes you up the extremely bumpy pucker paths.
This is about as rough as four-wheel driving gets.
But it's worth all the bumps and shakes because this is the sort of scenery
you come to Utah to see.
The towering cliff faces of the Red Rock Canyon walls,
standing stone arches that defy gravity,
rocks precariously balanced on stone pillars.
This is a mythological landscape of countless movies
about cowboys and Indians.
And that's something else you'll find in this part of the world,
evidence that America was lived in for thousands of years
before Europeans arrived.
And you don't need a four-wheel drive to find that evidence.
Right next to this tarred road just outside Moab
is one of the oldest surviving art galleries in the world.
These carvings or petroglyphs are just about the only surviving traces
of the first people to settle this area.
You don't know what these mean for sure.
What they are more than likely is pictures of things
that were important in their lives.
Their family gatherings, their ceremonial dress.
Certainly they did not go around all day
with these 30, 40-pound headdresses on their heads.
So much around here reminds me of parts of central Australia.
It's just beautiful.
And a trip to the Wild West just wouldn't be the same
if you didn't get out with the cowboys on a horse trail.
But you'll need the right clothes.
Fabulous, aren't they?
And if you come out here,
you could try some of their frontier-style ranch house accommodation.
A night on the wild frontier without any of the hardships
is about $110 per person.
The best value way to get to Utah
is on an Explore Holidays 21-day, 19-night package
flying from Australia on Air New Zealand
connecting with American West Airlines.
These packages start from $3,699
and include all airfares, car hire and accommodation.
The package also includes several days in Utah's Red Rock Country.
A combination river and four-wheel drive tour
costs $110 for adults and $85 for under-18s.
And no trip out here would be complete without a cowboy cookout.
At Pack Creek Ranch, the steaks they cook are bigger than Texas,
and the cowpokes know a thing or two about Australia.
A cowboy meal is not complete without beans.
What's in there, James? Cornbread.
It's not cornbread. That's cowboy damper.
Good on you, Monson.
You could win a family holiday to America's Wild West.
It's one of our continental cuppa soup Great Winter Escapes holidays,
so keep watching for details.
Later in the show, a great snowmobile tour.
Next, a resort where they help you face life's challenges.
Hello. Welcome to Optus World.
If you haven't been inside our store before, here's what you'll find.
Mobile phones, of course. No surprises there.
But also business, telephone systems, faxes, everything to do with communications.
And because technology can be confusing,
we'll try to give you straightforward answers to any questions.
What if I, uh... Didn't know the answer.
That'd be a first. I would know the answers.
For all your communication needs, come to Optus World.
Hyundai invites you to their 200,000 sales celebration.
Immediate delivery on the powerful 1.5-litre fuel-injected XL Sprint.
Big on fuel efficiency and space. Still just $13,990 drive away.
And Hyundai's three-year warranty. So celebrate now.
So, Dad, what'd you miss most sailing alone around the world?
Well, to tell you the truth, it was your mother's...
mushroom steak.
I used to lie in my bunk at night and dream about it.
Lovely, tender steak. Jack?
Ah, well, of course, the thing I missed most was your mother.
And then her mushroom steak.
Fresh sliced mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce.
Dad, what about us?
Well, no, I mean, your mother first and then you and Billy and...
then her mushroom steak with creamy mashed potatoes.
Wait a minute. After eight months of lying at sea,
the first thing you wanted is one of Mum's mushroom steaks.
Second thing, darling. Oh.
Mum.
I want clean, fresh, healthy-looking skin. Look at this.
Skincare with nothing to hide. The Neutrogena Cleansing Bar.
It's so gentle, so effective and rinses so completely,
leaving no harmful residue to irritate and dry your skin.
There's just clean, fresh, healthy-looking skin.
And healthy skin is beautiful skin.
No wonder Neutrogena's recommended by dermatologists around the world.
Neutrogena, the brand recommended by dermatologists around the world.
The king asked the queen and the queen asked the dairymaid,
could we have some butter for the royal slice of bread?
The dairymaid said certainly, but cold from the fridge,
pure butter's hard to spread.
Nonsense, the king said, and went to his private fridge.
Fern butter stops the butter for the royal slice of bread.
It's pure butter, not a blend, and cold from the fridge.
Fern butter soft is very easily spread.
The queen tried butter soft and could not fault it.
Pure butter taste normal or low-salted.
Ah!
This is my old house.
The touching tale of a pioneer's personal battle with the bush.
And Neil discovers the quirky way to fish.
On the Bush Telegraph.
7.30 Friday on 7.
This program proudly brought to you by another Optus business solution,
Optus Contact.
What do you think this leap into space has got to do with holidays,
reducing stress and relaxation?
Quite a lot, really, when it comes to this place.
It's an exclusive health retreat with a difference.
Here they focus on executive stress management
by getting the right combination of diet, exercise and relaxation.
So I'm going to try a bit of that out myself
and hopefully get a bit of pampering as well.
I'm at the Golden Door Health Retreat on Queensland's Gold Coast,
just a 30-minute drive from Surfers Paradise.
The Golden Door offers a range of activities,
including Tai Chi and aqua aerobics.
They hold lifestyle workshops,
there's an acupuncturist and a naturopath
and an iridologist who can diagnose just about any health problem.
And they don't forget the beauty treatments.
Oh, I feel fantastic.
An important part of the stress management program is the food.
It's gourmet vegetarian.
But it's the activities here that provide the fun and challenges.
And the highlight of all this activity is the ropes course.
Looks pretty hard, but I think I'm ready to meet the challenge.
The idea is to make your way around the whole course
using balance, patience and your partner's encouragement.
I'll certainly need a lot of that.
By the way, none of the activities on the course are compulsory.
After completing the ropes course, this is the ultimate challenge,
the leap of faith.
You have to climb to a platform on top of a 15-metre pole,
and then it's a 3-metre leap to the trapeze.
Well, maybe I'll have to wait this one out.
A five-day stress management program at the Golden Door
ranges from a hilltop cottage sharing with three people
costing $1,390 per person
to a rainforest chalet single accommodation
costing $1,990 for those five days.
Now, I know you all thought I'd chickened out,
but after seeing how high the pole was and people missing the trapeze,
I just thought I couldn't do it.
But now I've plucked up enough courage, so here goes nothing.
Here I go, next one, and...
Ahh! But I got it!
OK, you got me?
Oh, my God.
Oh, my heart is pounding a million miles an hour.
I didn't think I was gonna get it, but I got it! Ahh!
The Great Barrier Reef off Bar North Queensland.
And this is a different way to see it.
And as you're about to discover,
this story has a fair bit of magic to it as well.
We're taking off from Cairns Airport on an air tour of a lifetime
over the reef and the tropical coastline
with a mob called ReefWatch AirTools.
And these fantastic pictures come from cameras
mounted all over the aeroplane.
Incredible.
I tell you what, I've never seen a view like it.
It's absolutely fantastic.
The colours.
On today's flight, we're going north from Cairns over the Daintree,
then right out over the reef, then back over Cairns and home.
A few years back, the ReefWatch people
were the official government coastwatchers.
They carried out thousands of hours for the federal government,
and along the way, they picked up some pretty spooky spots
for us air tourists.
And if you've got your wits about you,
you might even spot someone doing the wrong thing,
like polluting along the reef.
And as you can see, the viewing bubble makes the tropical north
nice and accessible.
But back to our mission.
Here we're tracking the coast near the Daintree.
G'day, mate. How are you?
And then over the magnificent Daintree River itself.
That's a lot of water and mangrove.
Sites like this make you appreciate the fact
that this has been protected by a World Heritage listing.
And then we make a turn,
give a couple of prawn fishermen a scare.
We're pretty low, you know.
And then we're out to the ribbon reef to the east.
Just cop that aquamarine sea.
People occasionally get out this far.
In fact, there's some of them down there now.
But most of the organised trips from Cairns
don't venture this far east.
And now we're back over Cairns.
The strange picture comes because we're using a fish-eye lens.
It curves like a magic eye
and it certainly gives you a different view.
Ah, back on solid ground.
Now, if you reckon that was top-shelf material,
that's not all.
Let me show you what else they got in Cairns.
This is a conservatory in the Reef Hotel Casino,
a $200 million complex here in Cairns.
It's one of the newest places in Cairns to camp.
And as well as the usual five-star luxury,
there are restaurants, an extremely-flashed pool area
and this casino.
Lots of fun to be had in here.
And at night, this conservatory turns into a magic theatre
where Taylor and Pearson amaze everyone
every night with their show.
Even when you're less than a metre away,
it's impossible to work out how they do this stuff.
A three-hour experience with ReefWatch costs $250 per person.
Departures are flexible,
but they require a minimum of two passengers.
A room at the premier five-star Reef Hotel Casino
will cost from $280.
Taylor and Pearson's Firefly Magic Show
will cost you $75 for dinner and the show.
And you don't have to take my word for all this magic.
You can come here yourself.
The ReefWatch Air Tour and a six-night stay
at the Reef Hotel Casino
is tonight's continental couple soup couple's holiday,
and it includes $1,000 spending money.
Stick around and I'll tell you how to enter
at the end of the show.
Next, Thailand, where birds nest,
are used for soup making.
At Optusville, we get all kinds of questions.
Voicemail? Not a problem.
We've got toil staff.
What's the best phone system for us?
First, let's talk about your business.
Can I pay my Optusville here?
Of course you can.
Where's the nearest bus stop?
Just round the corner. Thanks.
Whatever you want to know about communications...
Or bus stops. We're here to help.
Does this suit me? Yes.
For all your communication needs,
come to Optus World.
World exclusive.
Personal trainer reveals my six years with Diana.
How's the world?
The wedding's off.
Jilted brides and grooms share their heartbreak.
Join Weight Watchers free with new ideas.
Fantastic offer.
Oprah and Elvis related.
We reveal their startling family connections.
Intimate pictures of the starry-eyed stars.
And join Weight Watchers free.
What's new?
New news, new ideas, new idea.
Out now.
If you want a powerful bathroom cleaner
without the overpowering smell,
then use Ajax bathroom gel.
It kills germs and effectively cuts through mould.
Ajax bathroom gel.
No overpowering smell.
Millions of Australians suffer from a serious dandruff problem.
They've been using shampoos that don't treat the cause of dandruff.
Introducing new Nizoral,
the treatment that actually controls dandruff
because it deals with the cause, not just the symptoms.
Tomorrow.
The ultimate whale-watching experience is now in our own backyard.
Marine skipper Kerry McTaggart keeps you up to date on the whales
as they frolic around Moreton Bay.
Plus, People's Day at the Echa,
seven nightly news tomorrow.
On today tonight, the landlord from hell.
Fists fly when a mum and five children try to get back into their home.
Plus the arthritis pill, before and after.
The breakthrough.
Pain-free results today tonight.
This is a very exotic place for a holiday.
It's a place where the local deity is a fertility goddess.
And where birds' nests are harvested from massive caves
because they're worth more than gold.
The place is called Krabi, and the resort is the Dusit Wayawadi.
When the owner first built this resort,
there were three main environmental criteria.
Firstly, that the resort be almost invisible from the surrounding beaches,
which it is, that all waste be removed from the island,
and that almost no trees were to be harmed during the construction.
The building went around the existing trees, not over them.
Krabi is in southern Thailand, about 800 kilometres south of Bangkok.
The Dusit is surrounded by National Park
and is reached by a 10-minute boat ride.
This place was built in an old coconut plantation,
and the 100 pavilions, or runes, are set amongst the trees and gardens.
The beaches here are beautiful, and on this one you'll find Princess Cave.
It's a local temple dedicated to the princess.
This area was on the sailing trade route from southeast Asia to India.
The princess was a passenger on a ship that sank near here.
Now the fishermen believe if they make an offering to her spirit,
they will have a good harvest of fish.
If they do have a good harvest, they have to make a second offering,
which consists of a rather phallic symbol which they have to carve themselves.
Well, it is a harvest symbol.
You know, plenty, fertility, stuff like that.
Every full moon, the locals come to this cave to appease the princess's spirit.
Away from the resort, a popular day trip will take you to the Pee Pee Islands.
And on this trip, you'll visit another cave known as the Viking Cave.
It's named after the paintings of ships on the cave wall.
This one resembles a Viking boat complete with oars.
This cave is also home to thousands of swallows, and their nests are harvested.
It's dangerous work climbing the bamboo scaffolding 50 to 60 metres up to the cave roof
where the nests are found.
This is the bird's nest, the swallow's nest.
It's made from the bird's saliva, and when it's put into the soup,
the famous bird's nest soup, into the liquid, it looks a little bit like a glass noodle.
And it's very expensive. This one's worth about $2,500.
The other island at Pee Pee is a holiday destination
and has accommodation, restaurants and markets.
It's easily reached from either Krabi or Phuket.
There's plenty of accommodation here, but there are also plenty of activities for a day trip.
Such as snorkelling. The water is crystal clear and the fish will swamp you,
especially if you feed them some bread.
In the forest just near Krabi, you'll find the Tiger Cave Temple.
It's a place of worship and teaching, but this is pretty unusual.
It's not the tiger's last meal, but the bones of a monk who donated his organs for medical research
and asked that his bones be brought here.
This is the actual Tiger Cave which gave the temple its name.
20 years ago, a real tiger lived here.
And funnily enough, when the monks moved in, the tiger decided to move out.
Buddhists from all over come here to learn meditation.
And these are the tiny places they stay in while they learn.
Not quite the doozit, is it?
In the forest you might find a meditating monk.
How calm. The only sound the chorus of forest insects.
A good way to visit Thailand is with an 11-day Royal Orchid Holiday Package
taking in Bangkok and Phuket, costing from $1,388.
You can extend this package and spend three days and two nights at the Deluxe Doozit Rayawadi in Krabi
for an extra $419 per person.
Now, I've shown you around this area and I've shown you the accommodation here,
but there's one more option. You can simply relax around the pool.
And with a pool like this, it's a pretty tough option.
Next up, Tony will show you a great winter wonderland.
So I got you going out with Lucky last time.
On Seven's Home It Away...
Actually, we had quite a nice evening.
...its true feelings reveal...
I want you to come with me.
...but she's back.
And looks as though we're about to become a family of seven again.
Someone we know.
Home It Away, tomorrow at seven.
Fisher Price knows a place where every door leads to a dream.
Now our dreams can come true with the Fisher Price Dream Door House.
Fisher Price knows.
Can't lose my face!
You've just 101 days to own 101 thrills, 101 spills, and 101 ways to have fun.
It's Disney's 101 Dalmatians on video for a limited time.
Which car performs so well on the road, it's gone on to perform even better off the road.
Which car is so well balanced and reliable to drive around town, it's being driven to extremes around the world.
What rally-based production car is available from 17990 Drive Away?
If you're looking for an answer, you're looking for a Lancer.
Hey, hi, how are ya?
I'm green and yellow, so you'll think I'm a Scotch-Brite Scrub Sponge, but...
Uh-oh.
What's the difference?
I look just like a Scotch-Brite!
Everyone wants to be a Scotch-Brite Scrub Sponge, but only Scotch-Brite has this innovative system of scrubbing fibres that helps Scotch-Brite scour the toughest baked-on mess.
Over 50% faster than any impersonator.
Hi, uh, sorry, thank you!
Everyone wants to clean like Scotch-Brite. Get the scour power of Scotch-Brite. Another 3M innovation.
Ever wonder why I-X-L conserves and marmalades have a fresh, natural fruit taste?
It's because, for almost 100 years, I-X-L has packed in every last bit of fresh, natural fruit taste, no matter what it takes.
I-X-L. Jam-packed with fresh fruit taste.
Is the game over?
I suspect it's only just started.
The game is dangerously out of control, and it won't end until they solve it. Blue Healers after Ozlotto.
The winner of our Continental Cup of Soup Great Winter Escapes Family Holiday to Uluru is Maryanne Spargo of Montmorency, Victoria.
And the winner of a Couples' Holiday to Tahiti Club Med II is Erika Bonanno of Home Hill, Queensland. Congratulations to you both.
Falls Creek in Victoria, one of Australia's classic ski resorts.
Falls Creek caters to just about everyone, from beginners through to some of Australia's hairiest expert slopes.
And even if you can't stay upright on a set of flanks, there's still heaps to do.
Falls Creek is located here in northeastern Victoria, about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Melbourne.
You'll find over four dozen ski runs easily accessible from the Falls Creek Alpine Village.
This is one of the most popular Main Street towers.
One of the things about Falls Creek is that it lies deeper in the alps than the other resorts, and most of the slopes face south, exposing it to more snowfall.
So you're bound to get a decent cover even early in the season like this.
But once I finish skiing down the slopes, I'm heading up to the high country for this, a snowmobile safari.
Our tour operator, Olympic skiing champ Stephen Lee, gives us some instruction before we head off.
Steering wise, they roll like a car, so you want to lean into the turns a little bit.
We're on a 30-kilometre ride from a spot called Hellman's Gap to pretty Valley End back.
Steve's Arctic Cat snowmobiles are very easy to handle, even for first-timers, and surprisingly comfortable.
Wearing a helmet is optional, but I'd recommend that you do,
because as well as cruising past gorgeous alpine scenery like this, you'll encounter more than a few humps and bumps.
You know, these things make you feel like something from James Bond, and they actually have this great James Bond-style gadget, the thumb warmer, can you believe it?
Or if you like, you can keep your hand and your thumb warm together because it heats up the handlebars.
And what I get next is an alpine nature ramble.
These three-hour treks are held just off the ski fields by Falls Creek local Jill Dawson.
To trudge through the snow, we're all fitted out with a pair of these things, yowies.
And how's this for a sunset?
This is the view from the Otunga Alpine Lodge and apartments where I've been staying.
After fitting all that activity into a day on the slopes, you'll need to do some pretty serious half-way skiing to unwind and relax,
and this is the place to do it.
Prices at the Otunga Alpine Lodge and apartments start from $950 per person per week during peak season, or $140 a day.
This includes dinner, bed and breakfast.
A one-hour snow safari with Steve's sled rides costs $75 for a doubled ride.
Alpine nature rambles cost $30.
If you're there to ski, a one-week lift ticket at Falls Creek costs $340 for adults and $173 for children.
Lift tickets for Falls Creek are also valid on the Mount Hotham slopes, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive in that direction.
Now, you might think the distance poses a bit of a problem.
Well, it doesn't have to.
You see, for $49 return, you can take a flight between the two resorts with the Falls Creek Helicopter Service.
And, of course, the bonus is great views like this.
Well, that's all we've got for you this week. I hope you enjoyed the program.
Now, don't forget, if there's anything you want to know more about, drop us a line to this address.
Next week, Tony will show you a very luxurious steam train in South Africa, and Brigid visits Crafty Nelson in New Zealand.
Both are prizes in our Continental Cup of Soup competition.
And now for tonight's two prizes.
There's a holiday for a couple to Cairns, staying at the Reef Hotel, and an aerial tour on the Great Barrier Reef.
And a family of two adults and two children will win a week in America's Wild West.
There's also $1,000 spending money for each holiday.
To enter, get a packet of Continental Cup of Soup, cut out the barcode, and send it to this address with your holiday preference.
And we'll see you next week somewhere in the great outdoors.
Tropical North Queensland.