Feeding the Crimson Rosellas and Lorikeets.

Welcome to Helen’s Home Page

A bit about me …..

I was born in Holland and my parents migrated to Australia when I was 8 years old. I grew up in Australia and whilst I may be biased, I think it is the best country in the world! The boat trip to Australia started my lust for travelling and I’ve been in the travel industry for 27 years and love it. I've travelled to over 80 countries and all 7 continents and am always on the look out for my next destination. In the near future, I want to travel to Eastern Europe and return to Egypt and Israel. My favourite countries include Sri Lanka, Turkey, Greece, Kenya, Peru, Israel and Egypt. I live 3 hours east of Melbourne in Loch Sport, a beautiful, quiet little resort town (pop. 900) which is on a peninsula situated between the Gippsland Lakes & the 90 Mile Beach. The Gippsland Lakes are the largest inland lake system in the Southern Hemisphere. My house overlooks Lake Victoria, the largest of the lakes. From my balcony I watch pods of dolphins playing in the lake and mobs

of kangaroos graze in my backyard and keep the

grass trimmed. Laughing kookaburras and wild parrots come to visit me each day and I hand feed them  This is where I am "Living the Dream”. The photo on the right was taken on the balcony of my house and shows Lake Victoria in the background.

My birthday is February 14th - Valentine's Day.

 

With a friendly koala at Featherdale Park near Sydney.

 Great Wall of China

Sydney Opera House & Bridge  e.

Temple of Heaven, China

Mt Kenya Safari Club, Kenya

Group at Eling Park, China

Join a group of like-minded people travelling to a destination with a knowledgeable and experienced leader to take care of all the details during your tour, leaving you free to relax and enjoy yourself on your vacation!

If you are interested in joining me on a tour, send me an email and I’ll send you    the details of what I have coming up: On the drawing board for 2008 & 2009:

Prague, Vienna & Budapest and cruising the beautiful European Waterways from Budapest to Amsterdam — May 19 to June 14 2008—27 days

Africa— Kenya & South Africa— see Kenya’s incredible wildlife and spectacular South Africa, including Kruger Park & the famous Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town—August 7 to September 2, 2008—27 days

           South America—Peru (including Machu Picchu), Chile, Argentina & Brazil             with extension to the Galapagos Islands  - 2009

           Russia—cruising the waterways of the Czars—2009                    

           China & cruising the Yangtze River— 2009

………….and much, much more !

 

My contact details are:

PO Box 301

Loch Sport VIC 3851

Australia

Ph. (03) 5146 0115

 

     Antarctica

With Masaai children in Kenya 

Moai at Easter Island

                               We met Helen on our tour to Australia and subsequently traveled to Kenya and Tanzania with her and it was a most memorable tour. Apart                                from the obvious highlights – the animals – the whole experience was fabulous. Helen had everything arranged beforehand, the local guides                                and drivers  were very professional and knowledgeable, the lodging was good all over, and the tempo and itinerary was well planned. It is easy                                to see why people travel with Helen again and again, she is efficient and professional and at the same time very friendly and funny! We would                                love to go on another tour with her, and we would recommend her to anyone!

                                                                                                                                                                                           Hanne and Ole Hansen, Winnipeg, Canada

At North Cape, Finland

Scandinaviia         Britain

Russian Waterways

Sedona, Arizona USA

Toronto, Canada

Thrilling Jet-Boat ride in New Zealand 

Keeping warm in Antarctic waters.

Giant Panda in China

Group at Uluru (     Ayers Rock) 

Reunion in California

4WD Safari, New Zealand

Group in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Flying over the New Zealand Alps

Antarctica, here we come!!!! 

Equator, Kenya with Don

Ballooning in Kenya

Canadians in Chinese Hats!

Proudly Australian, but made in Holland !

“When you travel with Helen Van Den Berg you have so very much more than a Tour Manager – you have a truly caring travel companion whose goal is to ensure you have the very best travel experience.  RoseAnn and I, along with our son and his wife and their two teenage sons, took a 3-weeks tour with Helen to Australia and New Zealand. We were somewhat apprehensive about traveling so far away and at considerable expense, but when Helen met us at the Melbourne airport all our concerns vanished. The overall experience was an absolute delight! The attention to every detail, thorough knowledge of the tour history and cultures, advance planning and coordination, and personal touch that Helen gives each traveler will certainly leave you exhilarated and, as well, looking forward to booking another tour with Helen!”  Happy touring!                                                               Chuck and RoseAnn Janda, San Jose, CA, USA.

 

I first met Helen Van Den Berg when I traveled to Australia and New Zealand with Collette Tours. It was the luck of the draw. We had a great time for three weeks on that trip. Helen seemed to know every vendor we met along the way and her plans and logistics were excellent.

            When the trip was over, several of us suggested that we would like to travel with Helen again. After several near misses Helen informed us that she was planning a tour to Africa. I sent in my reservation by return mail. That was my third trip to Africa and I thought I had already seen it all, but I did want to travel with this wonderful lady again. I knew it would be a great time. That trip was even better than I thought. First Tanzania, and then Kenya. It was the best tour I have been on - bar none.  We had great drivers, and saw all of the “big five” animals the hunters used to go after, and the accommodations were wonderful. If she schedules another such trip I will probably sign up.

          Helen is personable, happy. and knows where all the ice cream parlors are.  Her knowledge of the service providers is outstanding, and she is able to make last minute adjustments without getting frustrated.  I have stayed in contact with her even though it has been several years since our last trip together.  I am ready to go on one of her tours again.                     Donald C Healton, Dana Point, CA, USA