#18: Because a spectacular Great Barrier Reef view and a hunky Aussie instructor were the right combo to convince me to swing a golf club for the first time.

Nattu & Tony on the 14th hole

Never had an interest in golf.  Never.  I’m a tennis guy, after all.  So when I was scheduled to leave my gorgeous private plunge pool at qualia for a visit to Hamilton Island Golf Club—a ferry ride away on a neighboring island—I was grumpy, to say the least.  But my friend Tony said he’d read that it was supposed to be gorgeous, and he’d lugged along a cute outfit for the occasion, and I wasn’t going to live the rest of my life knowing I’d ruined that special moment. “But don’t expect me to swing any golf clubs,” I warned.

How quickly my attitude changed upon arrival at the island when Nattu, an impossibly cute and athletic Melbourne lad of Italian descent greeted us.  Suddenly I went from “over my dead body” to “Nattu, can you show me exactly how to hold the club the right way?”

But the real star of the course is the eco-friendly design, and the spectacular views around every hole.  With spectacular views all around, even I would consider taking up golf.  Especially if Nattu gave private lessons.

photo by Tourism NT

Like one of my all-time favorite films Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the ultimate destination on my last trip Down Under was Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the country’s “Red Centre.” Granted, I didn’t take a bus or wear a silver lamé dress (damn), but I did sing lots of disco songs and chose a circuitous route. I found the majesty of Uluru spell-binding—one of those places that more than lives up to expectations. No wonder it’s a finalist to be one of the New7Wonders of Nature, an online poll that will announce winners on 11.11.11. Join me in voting for Uluru/Ayers Rock, by visiting www.n7w.com/uluru. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up adding Uluru to my sleeve.

photo by Jamie Beck; tattoo by Friday Jones