Relax - Way up Down Under

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It was the trip of a lifetime.

For 91.3FM deejay Charmaine Yee, 25, her two-week visit to Australia towards the end of April was the best she has had yet.

A tie-up between the radio station and Tourism Australia gave her the chance to experience the picks of the continent.

She went along with five others - which included a production crew, a representative from the Tourism Board and a "travel buddy", the winner of Tourism Australia's caption contest.

Their experience was broadcast live on 91.3FM on weekdays from 2pm to 4pm, during her show's Commercial Free 100.

"We were producing a live show at the same time," Yee told The New Paper.

"So it was like, we'll do this thing, and then interview the people who run it."

The trip covered four cities: Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sydney.

Yee also visited Tangalooma Island, a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane, which she called "a real surprise".

She got to enjoy dolphin-feeding, quad biking, sand tobogganing and snorkelling.

Another place which amazed her was Melbourne.

Having studied media and communication and international relations at the University of Melbourne from 2004 to 2007, Yee was certain she knew the city inside out.

But when she saw the itinerary planned by Tourism Australia, she was pleasantly shocked.

"I went, 'wow'," she said. "There was still so much left to discover in this iconic city."

From chill to thrill

Yee enjoyed the laid-back and "indie" vibe Melbourne is known for and also discovered hidden cafes and secluded bars in the city's nooks and crannies.

She said: "It was very refreshing for me."

For the deejay, the trip was also about taking chances and crossing things off her bucket list - which she got to do in Sydney.

She said: "It started very 'chill' in Melbourne, and then the energy just picked up as we went along. We ended on a high in Sydney."

Despite her fear of heights, Yee climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

As if that wasn't harrowing enough, the deejay was also game for skydiving - a memorable experience where the first 55 seconds of freefall were the scariest but the best thing she had ever experienced.

"Once you realise that you're still alive, steering the parachute is one of the best moments of your life," she said.

Another thing she loved about Sydney was its food.

The group was taken to Tetsuya's, one of the finest restaurants there.

Yee tried its signature dish, Tasmanian ocean trout, which was paired with wine.

"We had multiple courses and the service was top-notch. It wasa real treat," she said.

She also visited the Waterfront Restaurant, which faces the Harbour Bridge.

"We had great seafood and an awesome view. It was an excellent way to end the trip."

What Yee loved most about the jaunt was that it wasn't a run-of-the-mill tour of Australia.

"We had guides in every city, but we did stuff that was off the beaten track," she said, citing the Sydney Opera House as an example.

She said: "We didn't just visit it, we also took a backstage tour.

"We were treated like royalty and were put up in the best places everywhere we went.