TOURS & CRUISES

AUSTRALIA

Travel like a kangaroo: short hops

Say g’day to a kangaroo on a 16-day, 3,100-mile rail tour across Australia.

The tours, which depart monthly beginning July 8, visit many of the scenic high points of the land Down Under, including Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin and Kakadu National Park, near Darwin. The park is managed by both Aborigines and the Australian government.

The tour group travels on a private train fitted with coaches that are unloaded each day for sightseeing in locations between Darwin and Sydney. The train travels along Australia’s new rail link between Alice Springs and Darwin.

“We travel by night on the train and tour during the day,” said tour representative Karen Stotz. “People reach destinations effortlessly, without long hours sitting in a coach or car or having to take multiple flights.”

Tour members can choose from up to three guided tours daily, varying in length and destination.

Cost: $5,325 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $1,690), including transportation, accommodations, meals and excursions. Shorter trips are also available. Round-trip transportation to Australia is not included.

Contact: Ozback Explorer or ATS Tours, Ozback’s U.S. booking agent; (800) 423-2880, www.ozbackexplorer.com.

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CALIFORNIA

Schooner follows a classic race

Set sail with the crew of the historic 73-foot schooner Dirigo II for a yacht race and five-day adventure off the Ventura coast.

The Dirigo II will leave Long Beach on Aug. 5, bound for Ventura and the annual McNish Classic Yacht Race, which draws many classic and historic wooden boats, including schooners, ketches, yawls and sloops. All compete under full sail.

Following the race and festivities in Ventura Harbor, the Dirigo II will sail to Channel Islands National Park and spend two days at Santa Cruz Island, visiting its remote coves and beaches.

Cost: $825 per person (maximum of six people). Includes meals and accommodations in berths aboard the schooner.

Contact: Horizons West Adventures, Long Beach; (562) 799-3880, www.horizonswest adventures.com.

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BRITAIN

Oxford dons share their knowledge

Walk the hallowed halls once trod by Sir Thomas More, John Donne, Lawrence of Arabia and Indira Gandhi on a three-week summer study program at Oxford sponsored by UC Berkeley Extension.

The July 5-24 program offers 14 varied seminars, each taught by an English don. Students live and study at Merton College, established in the 13th century. Seminar groups meet weekday mornings and have afternoons free for independent study.

Program activities include a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon to attend a Shakespearean tragedy and informal evening lectures by British scholars.

Cost: $4,200 per person, including course fee, single room, all meals, lectures and receptions. Travel to and from Oxford is not included.

Contact: Travel with Scholars, UC Berkeley Extension; (510) 642-3824, www.unex.berkeley.edu/travel

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EUROPE

QM2 takes singles to England

SaIL with other singles aboard the world’s newest and largest ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, through the Mediterranean to England.

The 13-day cruise, which departs Aug. 30 from Piraeus, the port for Athens, is offered by Singles Travel International, which has been arranging trips for single travelers for more than 20 years. Special parties are planned for Singles Travel passengers, and a company escort will be on board.

The ship will stop in Rome and Florence, Italy; Marseille, France; Barcelona, Cadiz and Malaga, Spain; Gibraltar; Lisbon and Southampton, England.

Cost: from $3,039 per person, double occupancy, for an inside cabin. Upgrades are available. For single occupancy, $5,486, but the company will arrange a roommate if desired. Airfare is not included.

Contact: Singles Travel International, (877) SOLO-TRIP (765-6874), www.singlestravelintl.com.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or write via e-mail to travel@latimes.com.