The purpose of this report is to give some information to those who are interested in how I prepared for my trip to Australia and to also provide some personal insights on the interesting things to do (places to eat, etc.) while in Australia.
Please note, I do not speak for any of the companies that are stated within this report. All opinions stated are of my own.
This report was originally posted in the spring of 1992 on rec.travel in five pieces. All of the pieces have been condensed into one file (some of the language may sound pecular because of this).
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This report covers my first vacation in Australia. I say first because most likely, I'll return...how soon though is anyone's guess.
My trip spans between Sept. 9 thru Sept. 27, 1991. To give a good idea on my travel itenerary, here's a list of stops:
Sept 9 -- Flew from Cincinnati to LA; Venice Beach, CA; Depart for Sydney
Sept 10 -- Over Pacific Ocean somewhere
Sept 11, 12, 13 -- Sydney
Sept 13 -- Ayers Rock
Sept 14 -- Ayers Rock, Mt. Ebenezer, Alice Springs
Sept 15, 16 -- Alice Springs
Sept 16 -- Cairns
Sept 17, 18, 19 -- Great Barrier Reef (60km away from Cairns in a boat)
Sept 19, 20 -- Cairns
Sept 20 -- Brisbane, Pacific Coast Highway, Oxley Highway, New England Hwy., Scone (Hunter Valley)
Sept 21, 22, 23 -- Scone
Sept 24, 25, 26, 27 -- Sydney
Sept 27 -- Flew from Sydney to Honolulu, LA, Cincinnati
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As far as preparations go, I had several sources. For those who read the 'news', I scanned 'rec.travel', 'rec.food.restaurants', 'rec.scuba', 'alt.rock.and.roll' and 'soc.culture.australian'. Of course, these groups in turn spun off several email replies.
I also used the LEXIS/NEXIS service provided by Mead Data Central in order to get more in depth information from publications and other informative sources. Through NEXIS, I was able to find information (and phone numbers) of the following:
'Destination Australia guide' - great book for general info (provided by the Australian Tourist Commission). Phone 1-800-777-3688. 'Adventure Express' - company that specializes in organizing dive trips in Australia, the Caribbean and Fiji. Please note, I did not book anything through them. I only used the pamplets to get a general idea of cost and to gauge which would be a good company dive with. (I later sent inquiries to 'rec.scuba' and 'rec.travel' about info for some of the dive companies). Phone 1-800-443-0799.
The 'Destination Australia guide' also have ads for more info in Queensland (1-800-333-6050) and the Northern Territory (1-800-468-8222) which I also sent off for more info.
In my honest opinion though, the BEST guide is the Lonely Planet's guide to Australia. The Lonely Planet company is based in Australia so I guess they probably know Australia best. If you're into saving money on your trip, this is the book!
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Obviously, not everyone has the same interests as I did on this trip. In many ways I'm a typical tourist in a sense that I'd like to see the typical things (the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Darling Harbor, Sydney Tower -- all in Sydney, plus Ayers Rock and the Olgas, and so on). However, I also like to see things in a different light and to at least get to know about the culture as well.
Thus, I utilized 'alt.rock.and.roll' to find out what concerts are going on and to find out some of the best pubs to hang out for music.
'soc.culture.australian' provided some of the interesting tidbits of Australia (be that language, animals, music, whatever...) and plus, I got the national news (through some kind soul in the group) to learn about the politics, etc.
'rec.travel' provided generic info from others who have been there before or at least donated information they have gathered for their prospective trips.
'rec.food.restaurants' provided info about (interesting, good) restaurants. I don't recall seeing much in the way of Australia. However, I did see some mention about Venice Beach, CA.
'rec.scuba' obviously gave me info on the Great Barrier Reef and dive companies.
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THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I BROUGHT ON MY TRIP
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I tried to give as much info without being overly boring (which I'm probably too late for that!). If you want more information on a particular 'subject' send me e-mail and I'll try to answer as quick as possible.
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WHAT TO DO DURING A 8 1/2 HOUR LAYOVER IN LA
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I lucked out. My original flight to Sydney through Honolulu was extremely full and I was offered the option to go directly to Sydney. By going direct, I increased my layover from 6 1/2 hrs to 8 1/2 hrs.
What did I do with my time? Well, since I was going to be on a plane for 14 hours or so, I figured I'd want to stretch out and get some exercise. I hired a cab (you might take an airport shuttle bus, they may be cheaper) and went to Venice Beach and rented some bikes. For those who aren't familiar with the area, there is a looonnnggg bikepath in which you can pedal over a long distance to other towns (Santa Monica, Malibu, etc.)
After the pedaling, I ate at the 'Sidewalk Cafe' (in Venice) and ordered Mexican. Simply delicious!
Obviously, with such a long time, I'm sure there were other things that one could do.
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Sydney in many ways is another city that could have existed in the US. My friend and I kept remarking during the first days there that 'this reminds me of New Orleans' or 'this reminds me of San Francisco'. Of course, there's much more to a city than just a group of buildings. Once you see the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge, there's no mistaking you're in Sydney.
What's there to see in Sydney? Well...
The Opera House - The Opera House gives guided tours and obviously has performances there as well. I passed on a tour but I did see a play call 'Sleuth' in the Playhouse there. The Sydney Symphony was also playing as well but the seats were rotten (and since music is very much a part of my life, I wasn't going to blow money on poor acoustics).
The Harbor Bridge - Another symbol of Sydney. You can walk across and also climb inside one of the stone pylons (closed on Wednesday which of course would be the time I tried). If you're driving a car, you might accidently get a tour. We somehow managed to cross it 3 times (twice unintentionly).
The Rocks - Many 'things' were here in the past and now it contains an interesting collection of shops and pubs. It is worth your time to browse some of the shops or at least have a cool brew at one of the local pubs. Make sure you check out the Lord Nelson Pub and try the 'Old Admiral'.
The Royal Botanical Gardens - Located on the north side of the Opera House. Not only do you get to look at a nice 'garden', you'll get a terrific view of the harbor with the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge at Mrs. Macquarie's Point.
George and Pitt Streets - If your into shopping, these are the streets for you.
Queen Victoria Building - Converted into a 'shopping mall', this has many interesting shops. However, compare the prices! The place is really is worth at least sneeking a peek in at least. I didn't buy anything here so don't blame me if you get ripped off.
The Sydney Tower - Looks much like the 'needles' you would see in Seattle or Toronto or whereever. Great place to get an overview shot at least.
Hyde Park - An nice little park where many people in Sydney hang out for lunch. By the way, it's also a great place to grab a nap after lack of sleep the night before (hmm, I wonder why I know that...).
King's Cross - At night, it looks a lot like Times Square. Once you see the large Coca-Cola sign, there's no mistaking where you are.
Darling Harbor - In this area there are many things to see close by. Over here you'll find the Sydney Aquarium, Harborside, the Powerhouse Museum, the Maritime Museum (which was closed when I was there but should open up later this year), and the Chinese Garden.
Other things that you might check into (but for some reason, I didn't get to them): Art Gallery of NSW, Natural History Museum, and the Old Government House. You can even go sailing for around A$14 in the harbor!
Just outside of Sydney, you can also check out the Blue Mountains, Bondi Beach and Manly.
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| -- Once you get into Sydney, you need to stop by the NRMA (if you're a AAA member). From here, you can get maps and such and one of the best things of all (if you're on a budget) is to get the backpacker's guide. The backpacker's guide is where I found my best deal on a hotel. |
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