Australia

BelgianDude · 14-09-09 16:51:38

Just a simple enquiry... I'm thinking about taking a trip to australia next summer (well, in your case, winter). Any sights or places recommended?

blissed · 14-09-09 21:19:11

Well I was In Oz 2 years ago and loved it. In Sydney there's this place called the Sydney opera house and a lovely wooded walk along Cremorne point where you can look across the bay towards it. See Cadman's cottage the oldest building in Sydney and from near there catch a boat trip around the bay it's lovely.

I love downtown Melbourne, there's a sculpture called "the three businessmen who brought their own lunch" thats my favourite piece of public sculpture and there are loads of others to google to make yourself a tour or discover by chance.
There's the view from the top of the Eureka tower, the view from Skyhigh mount Dandendong, a boat ride down the river is nice and it's nice to walk down the pier at St Kilda.

Also after I 1st befriended it and it was stood on my shoulder I got attacked by a pink parrot (a pet Galah) that sits on a perch outside a tobacconist in Bourke street, since then my hatred has been brewing and getting far worse and getting it back is actually the main reason anyone would see me in Melbourne again.

.

aven frey · 15-09-09 01:30:02

What kind of things are you into?

hyperballad · 15-09-09 01:47:01

Hmmm, Aussie winter ey?

Go North perhaps, Northern Territory is always beautiful and there is that massive rock to go have a gander at too. And kings canyon.

Queensland has amazing beaches, I recommend the Gold Coast.

Melbourne is definitely worth a visit, best city in Australia. Food and wine is great there, has an amazing and vibrant restaurant culture. There are several awesome wildlife parks out of the city. Some really beautiful buildings and sites to see too.

Sydney stinks, as does Canberra - I may be biased about this though.

And there is Western and Southern Australia, but as far as I can tell they're quiet places that are very beautiful but nothing ever actually happens there.

Last edited by hyperballad (15-09-09 01:48:03)

richard · 15-09-09 02:08:33

The Gold Coast? Are you taking the piss?

blissed · 15-09-09 02:29:25

I've never been there but I always read the gold coast beeches are amazing.

Though there's a thing I read too thats probably old.

What's the difference between yogurt and the gold coast?

if you leave yogurt out in the sun it develops a culture.

.

VeronicaF · 15-09-09 02:50:40

Go to perth and to rottnest island.....quokkas are so awesome and the beaches are beautiful. Long way from all the awesome Feck peoples though.

hyperballad · 15-09-09 02:52:24

Gold Coast is trashy. but if you take it for what it is you'll have loads of fun there. Beaches are great there.

Different people like different things and can appreicate them in different ways.

If we all liked the same shit it would get pretty boring. I don't believe there is a right and wrong for what people like either.

Last edited by hyperballad (15-09-09 03:17:28)

blissed · 15-09-09 02:59:55

You find that reading the wikki guides on the net about places you've been and then contrast that with your own experience. Even more so if you read about the place you live.

.

Folly · 15-09-09 04:42:58

If you are bothering to come to Australia then yeah Melbourne is an awesome city, but what you really want is to see the different landscape. So driving is the best option. If you are in Melbourne do go to Great ocean road for amazing coastal formations. Do the Uluru thing. And I haven't seen it yet but one thing that is a must see before I die is the Great Barrier Reef. Go snorkelling and all that, but flying over it looks so beautiful. Its a natural world wonder. Plus the weather will be better near there.

Last edited by Folly (15-09-09 06:06:35)

Folly · 15-09-09 04:44:05

oh but be careful of Drop bears. You can also do Kangaroo rides. These are really fun.

VeronicaF · 15-09-09 04:58:01

dont forget the hoop snakes

Folly · 15-09-09 06:39:05

This is the trip I have the fondest memories of doing when I was a child. It will suit you if you like roughing it, camping (Or maybe you could use a campervan) and if you have time. It is probably a bit far away from International airports if you were only intending to spend a couple of weeks in Australia.
http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/gibb-river-road.html
The Mitchell Falls were especially beautiful. This trip would give you a real taste of the Australian outback without simply doing the same trip to Uluru that everyone has done (Though like any tourist attraction they do it for a good reason - it is an amazing sight). The weather would also be warmer there at that time of the year than Sydney or Melbourne.

But Australia has many different experiences to offer. Do you enjoy city life, culture, performance, arts festivals, shopping, galleries, street art, music, sport spectating - maybe a city would be better.
Do you enjoy beaches? Rainforest? North QLD perhaps. Outback? Northern Territory or Western Australia.

Checking out a what's on calendar may help you too, basing a trip around an event can be a good way to plan.

richard · 15-09-09 06:56:26

If you're looking for artsy culture, Melbourne is good, but it's pretty miserable in winter and if you're here for a short time you won't be able to explore it in any depth so it just looks like any other cold city really. The street art up the alleys is good. If you find yourself shopping in the city check out the Block Arcade and Royal Arcade, they're old and interesting arcades of specialty shops like milleners and stamp dealers and chocolatiers.

I call it the 'ordinary ocean road' because it's pretty unremarkable by world standards. Australia has a self-esteem issue and the tourism people talk up whatever they can to make it sound worth visiting. It is, but usually not for the reasons they tell you. Uluru is just what it looks like, a big rock, and the opera house is just what it looks like in picutres, a funny shaped building surrounded by tourists. On the Barrier Reef it rains throughout the wet season, October to March, almost every day, and the photos of tropical islands are almost always colourised. In Melbourne they'll take you on a bus for 2 hours each way to see penguins, but it's like a stadium show. You can fly to King Island in 40 minutes and there are more penguins than people, you can sit on the beach at dusk and they'll waddle past you. And an awesome seaweed farm and a really nice lighthouse, and people who'll ask you where you're from.

The desert at dusk is amazing, and there's lots of that except for the east and south coasts. The rainforest in the far north is beautiful but the thing about that is rainforest =forest + rain. And mosquitos. It's warm up north and winter is the dry season so anywhere north of Brisbane on the east coast is sort of tropical. Generally my advice to travellers would be to head out of the cities but don't underestimate how big the place is. The U.K. fits into Victoria, the second smallest state. The more remote the towns you visit, the more interesting the people and sights, but you have to look for them.

If you want to see kangaroos, there's a huge herd just near Melbourne airport that almost nobody knows about. It's funny how far people go to find kangas when they're so close. The big males can be aggressive, there have been 3 attacks near the city this year and they'll put you in hospital, so don't approach them if they're staring you out.

The other thing they don't tell you about australia is the flies. Out in the bush or the desert, especially just after rain, they're almost unbearable, though not so bad in winter. Same with the people really.

As cities go:

Brisbane has good weather and not much else
Sydney is fast and multicultural, but everybody is looking after themselves.
Adelaide is only interesting if you like churches
Perth is clean and dull
Melbourne has the best of Sydney but not the worst, but it's colder
Hobart is small but cute and quite old
Cairns is a dump but there are great beaches and places nearby

artist_kitkat · 15-09-09 09:07:47

richard wrote:

The Gold Coast? Are you taking the piss?

I have to agree - gold coast is like vegas at the beach but with a lot less glamour. This is a very tacky town these days... and who wants yet another maccas and kfc and so on ad nauseum?

BelgianDude · 15-09-09 09:12:42

Waw, thank you all so very much!
I mainly like to travel not for the big tourist attractions but for the hidden places... I like talking to people and sniffing out the local culture, and local nightlife. Australia's been on my wishlist for a while now, I think it will defenitly be worth the wait.

artist_kitkat · 15-09-09 09:45:33

I think if you want to check out something interesting in Australia, do some research. National Geographic did a story on the races at the Birdsville Track (a long while ago, but things don't change fast out there), if you want to see outback culture in action, this could be worth a try. I've heard Broome is quite stunning, and has lots of nice bars, restaurants and so on, plus interesting things nearby like the Kimberleys and so on. As Richard says, don't underestimate the size or how long it takes to drive, if you do do something in the outback. The Oodnadatta Track in Sth Australia has a sculpture park in the middle of nowhere that a friend of mine put together, there are random things all thrown together there, which would be interesting to look at. Lake Eyre, Coober Pedy (an underground opal mining town) and other such places might be worth a peek too. But. Really, this sort of country deserves an expert guide and someone who can tell you it's stories, and this is really blackfella country. If you can take the time to get to know someone, you might really uncover something really special, other wise to an untrained eye it might just appear as so much empty space. It's big and hot, and really cold at night, in winter, and in summer, well... not many people really find it enjoyable then. And the flies as Richard said are not fun. Darwin and Kakadu could be a great thing to do.. lots of drinking goes on in Darwin, and Alice Springs and Uluru is not too far away by plane.. a friend of mine went hiking in Kakadu for a week and had a great time. I have to say Richard's city summation is fairly apt, although Sydney is a very beautiful city geographically, and you can go sailing in the harbour and it really is stunning. Sydney beaches are much better than Melbourne, the water is warmer and there are waves. And they are prettier. You have to go further out of town in Melbourne to get a decent wave beach. If you like wine and country side, you could try the Yarra Valley, Victoria, or the Hunter Valley in NSW, or the Barossa Valley in South Australia. If you like birds, there's a lovely little place called the Koorong, a long peninsula that runs east from the border of South Australia that has a massive population of wading and wetland birds. In fact, Australia has some really great birds, they are noisy, raucous, colourful and plentiful especially compared to Europe.

If you do go camping somewhere you will see wildlife! There are so many great national parks in Australia, just do a google and you will come up with lots. We are short on white history but what we lack for in buildings and understood notions of culture, we make up for in landscape. If you like art, and want to see some aboriginal art in context, a lot of good galleries exist in the top end, the central and western desert tribes in particular are well known for their work. You can often get lucky too and see people painting and able to tell you the stories too.

Canberra is boring, and probably the least interesting place in Australia to visit. However, if you want to see the political climate of Australia and the reality of how we institutionally think, it might be worth a visit. The national gallery is telling. And it has Ned Kelly's death mask, who is a national folk hero and historical legend of Australia. Melbourne does overall much better food than Sydney.

It might be worth your while to have a look at some publications on line that are in every day Australian life, such as the Age newspaper or the Australian or the Sydney Morning Herald, to get an idea of things that are not on the tourist radar but will give you a much better experience over all. Avoid: the big banana, the big pineapple, the big prawn, and so on. It is embarrassing but true and they are just disappointing and expensive.

One thing you will find though, is that overall Australians are pretty friendly. If you head along to the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne and have a picnic you will probably also have a conversation with someone. Same in Sydney. There are moonlight cinemas in both cities in the summer, grab a bottle of plonk, a blanket and a picnic and enjoy the atmosphere and lovely weather (mosquito repellant is necessary though), go for a dive somewhere.. there's lots to do! Often there are free concerts in public places. I think travel is really about experiencing something different to what you can get at home, and a little bit of finding out what you might be a little frightened of doing.. and some of enjoying a different version of what you are used too. There's opportunities to do wwoofing (a little bit of work for food and accommodation, in places and with people whom you might not ordinarily visit), or such things as couchsurfing.com.. if you want to meet Australians and spend time making friends, maybe a mix of this and regular accommodation..

just a few suggestions..

I'm very proud of my country and I know you will love it!

Last edited by artist_kitkat (15-09-09 09:46:30)

blissed · 15-09-09 11:32:35

Oh I forgot puffing Billy http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/

BelgianDude wrote:

I like talking to people and sniffing out the local culture,

I stayed with a friend in Melbourne and in Sydney so I got to meet their friends and see the places they love. Those 2 cities are massive so If I'd stayed with 2 different friends in each place I'd have seen a different Melbourne or Sydney.
What I noticed was all that space does make a difference to peoples lives. I met a lady who does chainsaw sculptures, it would be very difficult in England to find a venue for all that constant noise. In England she'd be more likely to say I'd love to do chainsaw sculptures and that example's reflected in other areas of life too. So because realizing more of life's desires seems possible in Oz, more options are considered, that's one big reason why people emigrate there from Europe.

BTW Thought Hyperballad had a bit of a raw deal in this thread, she did talk about other places apart from the gold coast, I'd go there knowing it has nice beaches and there's all kinds of tacky and I might discover something fun or good I wasn't looking for, I kind of know someone who lives around there and I think staying with her would probably be a bit of an experience.

richard wrote:

It's funny how far people go to find kangas when they're so close. The big males can be aggressive, there have been 3 attacks near the city this year and they'll put you in hospital, so don't approach them if they're staring you out.

Thats interesting, I found this (groin slash)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B66gFbN3sg

and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IHYIYBT7wo

.

hyperballad · 16-09-09 01:18:35

artist_kitkat wrote:

richard wrote:
The Gold Coast? Are you taking the piss?
I have to agree - gold coast is like vegas at the beach but with a lot less glamour. This is a very tacky town these days... and who wants yet another maccas and kfc and so on ad nauseum?

Well I like it, so there.

ngaio · 16-09-09 01:19:29

When I was ten years old, we had the most beautiful holiday during Australia's winter season on the Sunshine Coast. Rainforest walks, crystal clear swimming holes, multi coloured butterflies and beetles as well as two snorkelling adventures at the absolutely amazing, absolutely beautiful Great Barrier Reef. We had a couple of rainy days but most days were so warm that we were able to swim in the ocean at nighttime, even. Best holiday I've had so far.

Melbourne is awesome for nightlife, art, culture, festivals etc. Stinking hot in the middle of summer, though. Contrary to what Richard said, I find Melbourne pretty mild in the winter - but keep in mind that I'm from New Zealand... land of the long white (well, grey, really) cloud.

aven frey · 16-09-09 02:11:40

I like the hinterlands of Byron Bay in New South Wales and Surfer's Paradise in Queensland. Really is a very beautiful part of Australia and the beaches of Lennox Head and Byron (not Byrons main beach that's pretty crowded and awful) are wonderful.

I have to disagree with Richard about the Great Ocean Road, I love that part of Victoria, one however should drive past Lorne and get out of the car every now and then. It's the Otways that make it really lovely for me, in some parts you are driving with forest on the right and ocean and cliffs on the left. I may associate a whole bunch of romantic connotations about isolation and the unknown because of the geographic location of the GOR but there are places there that I find to be just magic. However you really need to get out of the car.

For me another place imbued with such romantic connotations (this time it's about belonging and homelessness) is the outback. It's so riddled with cliches but it's still breathtakingly beautiful. It's a bit heavy but a really fabulous book about the collision of white Australian history and Indiginous peoples is Ian McCleans 'White Aboriginies'. I cannot recomment it enough when one is travelling to the Australian 'outback'. Slightly lighter and less theoretical is Tim Flannery's 'The future eaters'. Reading one of these will make this landscape so much more culturally and politically loaded.

BelgianDude · 16-09-09 09:52:09

I'm gonna start taking notes and doing research and planning etc... I bought a huge map and twenty or so dozen thumbnails to plan a route Thank you all so much... If the people I meet are half as wonderful as you guys, I just might end up staying

ngaio wrote:

I find Melbourne pretty mild in the winter - but keep in mind that I'm from New Zealand... land of the long white (well, grey, really) cloud.

Héhé. In belgium, it's cold and wet ALL year long... So don't worry about that

blissed · 16-09-09 13:39:11

Bear in mind I'm not the biggest expert around here, but I think the best time to go is either Oct / Nov or Feb / March.

.

miss_a · 17-09-09 02:43:03

If you're used to the cold and wet anyway I highly recommend Tasmania. It's a really beautiful place and there are so many wonderful little towns, and wilderness areas along the west, north west and east coasts. Richard mentioned Hobart, which is the capital city, and that's great too, but there is so much more to Tasmania than that. Bay of Fires, for example, is just beautiful.

Last edited by miss_a (17-09-09 02:44:12)

VeronicaF · 17-09-09 03:24:02

Oh and wine glass bay and freycinet national park. I would love to do the Bay of Fires and climb Cradle Mountain.

#1 14-09-09 16:51:38

Australia

#2 14-09-09 21:19:11

Re: Australia

#3 15-09-09 01:30:02

Re: Australia

#4 15-09-09 01:47:01

Re: Australia

#5 15-09-09 02:08:33

Re: Australia

#6 15-09-09 02:29:25

Re: Australia

#7 15-09-09 02:50:40

Re: Australia

#8 15-09-09 02:52:24

Re: Australia

#9 15-09-09 02:59:55

Re: Australia

#10 15-09-09 04:42:58

Re: Australia

#11 15-09-09 04:44:05

Re: Australia

#12 15-09-09 04:58:01

Re: Australia

#13 15-09-09 06:39:05

Re: Australia

#14 15-09-09 06:56:26

Re: Australia

#15 15-09-09 09:07:47

Re: Australia

#16 15-09-09 09:12:42

Re: Australia

#17 15-09-09 09:45:33

Re: Australia

#18 15-09-09 11:32:35

Re: Australia

#19 16-09-09 01:18:35

Re: Australia

#20 16-09-09 01:19:29

Re: Australia

#21 16-09-09 02:11:40

Re: Australia

#22 16-09-09 09:52:09

Re: Australia

#23 16-09-09 13:39:11

Re: Australia

#24 17-09-09 02:43:03

Re: Australia

#25 17-09-09 03:24:02

Re: Australia

Board footer