Australia

I had my entire trip planned, and I was leaving in a week in November 2008… Unfortunately, my doctor discovered a tumor, and I had to have emergency surgery a few days before I was supposed to leave. Because of the nature of the surgery and the timing, I had to cancel my trip to Australia.

It’s really too bad, but hopefully I’ll make it back one day.

obviously there is lots more to see, but I just spent the week with a good friend I hadn’t seen for several years. We visited the aquarium, featherdale wildlife park, went whale watching, and went to the greyhound races at wentworth park.

I went to Sydney to visit with family and friends… had a blast!

an exchange student is here at my university from the Melbourne area. she said that there are big bugs.. and i’m terrified of certain bugs.

is it possible for me to go and be alright? i’m worried now that i won’t ever be able to go…

It has the great barrier reef and i am excited by places near the sea. Going underwater should be fun! Morover my brother lives in Sydney – we should ot have to spend on food and stay – but the moneys to travel??? Want to do it by May 2009

It has the great barrier reef and i am excited by places near the sea. Going underwater should be fun! Morover my brother lives in Sydney – we should ot have to spend on food and stay – but the moneys to travel??? Want to do it by May 2009

Gave up Sydney on my list and added Australia, as I have decided to include more of Australia in my trip in November. My trip planning is finally coming together. I have decided to visit Sydney, Brisbane, and Cairns.

Sydney
-seeing Australian Ballet at Opera House
-seeing Sydney Symphony at Opera House
-day trip to the Blue Mountains
-day trip to the Hunter Valley
-Sydney Aquarium
-Harbour Bridge Pylon
-The Rocks Market
... more sight seeing!

Brisbane
-Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
-day trip to Australia/Steve Irwin Zoo

Cairns
-Day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef
-Day trip to rainforest
-Butterfly preserve?

I have my hotels and flights lined up, so it’s just filling in the blanks and booking the tours. I am looking forward to it… if I could just wrap my mind around the 14 hour flight!

Taking any and all suggestions from seasoned travelers and locals.

- Great Ocean Road (near Melbourne)
- Little Penguins and Koala Sanctuary at Phillip Island (near Melbourne)
- Melbourne – Great place for food, bars, and coffee shops
- Great Barrier Reef – We went with Wavelength to learn to snorkel on the outer reef. They only had a small number of people in the boat so we got some undivided attention to help us get comfortable with snorkelling and the water.
4. Port Douglas – if you go to see the reef, I recommend you fly to Cairns, but go to Port Douglas for your accommodations. Cairns is very touristy. Port Douglas isn’t. It’s a comfortable, warm place to stay.
5. Ayres Rock and King’s Canyon

I just got back from a 3.5 week visit. My expectations were really surpassed.

The wildlife here is really amazing, and there was lots I did not expect. The bird life was incredible – an abundance of parrots, cockatoos, lorikeets, and all sorts of other beautiful birds in the wild. There are so many of them that people there took no more notice of them than we take of pigeons. The huge numbers of flying foxes in Cairns and Sydney (flocks of them flying overhead, and thousands roosting in the trees) was also a surprise.

I really enjoyed the food and drink, as well. As far as beers go, I really liked Coopers, Toohey’s, and Carlton Draught. (Cascade and VB were pretty good, as well. I didn’t care for XXXX - tasted like cheap American beer to me. Sorry Queensland.) Pie in Australia means meat pie, which were everywhere, and about the only cheap eats around, which suited me just fine, as they were usually pretty good.

The US dollar does not go far there, at all. A beer usually runs around $6-$7 a bottle, and a “cheap meal” is considered to be $20.

My favorite cities, overall, were Adelaide and Melbourne. My favorite places we visited were the Adelaide Botanic Gardens (best I’ve ever been to), Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary, Melbourne Story exhibit @ Museum Victoria, Aldgate Pump Hotel (pub outside Adelaide with amazing food.. try the venison pie), Observatory Hill in Sydney (for amazing night-time view of the city, and lots of giant bats), Telstra Dome (for Aussie Rules Football), Cooper’s Ale House in Adelaide, Federation Square, the Wildlife Dome in Cairns, and the Rocks area of Sydney.

Not sure what the calling is but it is there.
Maybe the architecture of Sydney.
Maybe I just want to see a kangaroo in the wild.
Maybe I just want to sit on the beach and experience the waves.
Maybe to take in a new culture, the food, the drinks, the music, ands the arts.
Maybe jus to learn how to throw a boomarang!
Thougth about catching a blues concert in Melborne and have to research the taste ofustralian beers.
Mybe to taste the wine in the wine country.
Maybe I can find time to go fishing.
Maybe to see the natural beauty of the land.
Maybe I just need to go and find out why it calls me.