For now, I added Cairns for the second Aussie leg after Melbourne that has a spectacular wildlife in the tropical Far North. Bourkie will be proud that Melbourne won't get another (2nd) leg there.
Cut and paste from my now-removed but edited post at TAR 31 pre-race speculation thread:
Could the route now be LA-Fiji-Australia-Papua New Guinea?
This could mean we might have a Brisbane or Gold Coast leg this year! This part of Australia is BEATUIFUL!
Fiji is definitely more impossible as of now, as in which Survivor is taking place. As well as the rumored Papua New Guinea. Definitely the route could be LA-Australia (Melbourne-Cairns)-Japan (Osaka)-Taiwan (Taipei)-Malaysia (Penang)-South Africa (Johannesburg-Pretoria).
UPDATED LIST for The Amazing Race 31Show content
STARTING LINE: Oxnard State Beach Park, Oxnard, United States
Teams ride on a bus to the starting line and will get the first task to go to Channel Islands Harbour to find a marked sailboat contains a clue attached upside down and lower down the mast to pick the clue up to reveal the first destination.
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Leg 1: United States - AustraliaMelbourne, Australia >> flight to Melbourne via a stop in Sydney or Brisbane
* Old Melbourne Gaol - RI
* Hosier Lane - RI for a graffiti route marker
* Tasks including Aussie favorite sports in Melbourne area (Cricket/Australian Rules Football) - DT (Bourkie would be proud for this and thanks)
* Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre - Pit Stop
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Leg 2: AustraliaCairns, Australia >> flight to Cairns, then self-driving throughout the leg
* Kuranda Scenic Railway (board a train to give a scenic tour of Cairns that can spot one location) - RI
* Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park (Eat Witchetty Grub/Throw a Boomerang on air) - DT
* AJ Hackett Cairns Bungy - RB
* Munro Martin Parklands - Pit Stop
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Leg 3: Australia - JapanOsaka, Japan >> flight to Osaka
* Sumiyoshi Shrine - RI (give a Shinto blessing)
Travel by train to Nara from Osaka Station
* Nara Deer Park - Detour Decision Point
* Heijo Palace (Samurai) / Toshodaiji Temple (Ninja) - DT
Travel by train back to Osaka
* Dotonbori (entertain a host) - RB
* Tower of the Sun - Pit Stop
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Leg 4: Japan - TaiwanTaipei, Taiwan >> flight to Taipei, self-driving throughout the leg
* Jiufen Old Town - RI
* Taiwan Coal Mine Museum - RB
* Miniatures Museum of Taiwan - Detour Decision Point
* Grand Hotel - Pit Stop
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Leg 5: Taiwan - MalaysiaGeorge Town, Penang, Malaysia >> flight to Penang
* Waterfall Hill Temple - RI
* Batu Ferringhi - DT
* Hean Boo Thean Kuan Yin Temple - Pit Stop
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Leg 6: Malaysia - South AfricaJohannesburg, South Africa (rural tasks) >> flight to Johannesburg, self-driving throughout the leg
* Sterkfontein Caves (rappel down the cave) - RB
* Unknown location (find a gemstone to match an exact gem) - DT
* Nelson Mandela Square - Pit Stop
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Leg 7: South AfricaPretoria, South Africa >> train to Pretoria
Apartheid-era tasks
* Fort Klapperkop - Pit Stop
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Leg 8: South Africa - SwedenStockholm, Sweden >> flight to Stockholm
Viking tasks
* Waldemarsudde - Pit Stop
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Leg 9: Sweden - LatviaRiga, Latvia >> ferry to Riga overnight
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Leg 10: Latvia - SpainBarcelona, Spain >> flight to Barcelona
* Casa Batllo - RI
* Parc Guell (Tomato Fight) - RB
* Columbus Monument - Detour Decision Point
* Montjuic Castle - Pit Stop
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Leg 11: Spain - ColombiaBogota, Colombia >> flight to Bogota
* Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira - RI
* Monseratte - Detour Decision Point
* Quinta de Bolivar - Pit Stop
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Leg 12: Colombia - United StatesMiami, United States >> flight to Miami, one team member may have advantage to upgrade a business class on a flight home
* Freedom Tower (rappelling/Australian angel dive) - RB
* Clevelander Hotel (find a lead showgirl and direct to search a clue inside the hotel) - RI
* Calle Ocho (find a restaurant to eat a dish from the country of the last Pit Stop) - RI
* Hard Rock Stadium (find an object or place encountered in first 11 legs during the race) - RI
FINISH LINE: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Fort Lauderdale, United States
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The race would travel around 6 inhabited continents, 10 countries and 39,000 miles.
After the last four seasons which had a consecutive eastward routes, it is time for a westward race route with return to LA start, then a penultimate leg in South America.