The Side Bar in the basement of Wake Up! is another major backpackers’ bar with pool tables, drinking games and food specials.
Side Bar
Silverton Gaol Museum
This museum in Silverton’s former four-cell prison features exhibits on Silverton and Broken Hill.
Silverton Visitor Information Centre
Skydiving
Cairns is a popular skydiving destination and Skydive Cairns offer tandem jumps from up to 14,000ft that give you a unique view of the Great Barrier Reef.
Skydiving (Caloundra)
Caloundra is a great spot for skydiving and it is one of the very few places where you can have a beach landing. Sunshine Coast Skydivers claim that their 15,000ft (4572m) skydive, which gives you 65–70 seconds of freefall, is Australia’s highest legal tandem skydive. There is also a budget 6,000ft (1829m) jump with only 13 seconds freefall.
Skydiving (Mission Beach)
The beach landing on either Dunk Island or Mission Beach makes the Mission Beach area a popular spot for skydiving.
Jump the Beach operates tandem skydiving over Mission Beach and the 14,000ft (4267m) jump gives you 60 seconds of freefall before your parachute opens at 5,000ft (1524m) with views over Mission Beach and Dunk Island.
SkyPoint observation deck
The 322.5m-tall Q1 Tower is the world’s 57th tallest building. Upon construction in 2005 it was the world’s tallest residential building when measured to the top of its spire (but only the second tallest to Melbourne’s Eureka Tower when measured to its top floor), but lost this title to the Marina Torch in Dubai in 2011.
The tower features the world’s only beachside observation deck on the 77th and 78th floors, which offer breathtaking 360 degree views that allow you to see from Brisbane to Byron Bay.
For the more adventurous, the SkyPoint climb allows you to get outside and climb up the roof of the Q1 Tower to the base of the spire.
Skyrail cable car
If you’ve slept in and missed the train, you can always take the Skyrail cable car – the world’s longest gondola cableway that runs to Kuranda above the rainforest for 7½km from Smithfield, north of Cairns. It is possible to get off at points along the way to explore the rainforest.
The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway operates 8.15am–5.15pm daily. As you would expect, this is an expensive transport option at $49 for a one-way, $73 return or $107.50 returning by train.
Snakes Down Under
This 1½ hour presentation lets you get up close to a variety of snakes. The show gives you a unique opportunity to handle snakes as well as learn more about these potentially dangerous animals.
Snorkelling with manta rays in Coral Bay
Manta rays live in the waters off Coral Bay year round and Ningaloo Reef Dive & Snorkel run half-day boat trips where you can snorkel with manta rays. These trips also give you the opportunity to see dolphins, dugongs and turtles.
Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre
One of Australia’s biggest engineering feats involves 16 large dams on the Snowy River that produce huge amounts of electricity and irrigate large areas of farmland. The scheme’s headquarters is located about 3km from the centre of Cooma and includes a visitor centre with information on touring the facilities.
Snowy Region Visitor Information Centre
South Australian Maritime Museum
Adelaide’s South Australian Maritime Museum features several old ships and a lighthouse as well as the usual nautical exhibits.
South Australian Museum
The South Australian Museum on North Terrace is Adelaide’s big museum. It features all the usual exhibits – rocks, Aboriginal artefacts, an Egyptian mummy and a whale skeleton.
South Australian Whale Centre
The South Australian Whale Centre is the place to come to find out all about marine mammals and get further information on whale watching.
Southbank Beach
Australia’s only artificial inland city beach holds three mega litres of water or approximately three Olympic size swimming pools and is surrounded by 4000m3 of sand from Rous Channel in Moreton Bay. It’s a great place to chill out on a hot summer day.
Southern Cross Station Coach Terminal
Greyhound has coaches to Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney and Firefly Express coaches go to Adelaide and Sydney. Destinations in regional Victoria are served by V/line coaches.
Firefly, Greyhound and V/line coaches terminate at Southern Cross Coach Terminal on Spencer Street next to Southern Cross train station.
Southern Cross Train Station
All long-distance train services terminate at Southern Cross Station on Spencer Street at the western edge of the city centre.
V/line operates trains within Victoria with services to Albury, Ararat, Echuca, Shepparton, Swan Hill, Traralgon and Warrnambool. Interstate train services are operated by NSW TrainLink to Sydney and Great Southern Railway’s the Overland service goes to Adelaide.
Sovereign Hill
This 1850s gold mining township is Ballarat’s main attraction. It is an excellent living history exhibit featuring staff in period costume, and is the best attraction of its kind in Australia. The Sovereign Hill complex incorporates an excellent Gold Museum, which covers Ballarat’s history with an emphasis on the impact of the gold rush.