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Josh the cat 
"ice wouldn't melt, you'd think ....."
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 Posted - 10/06/2006 : 13:41:32
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When I was a young lad and first started to look at the world, I had already lived in HongKong various parts of Britian and was then in Germany. I decided that there were three places that really intregued me, America, Switzerland but most of all Australia.
I have wanted to go to Australia for around 30 years, and now a good friend of mine has just moved down there for a 4 year contract. He has a house just off Bondi beach, (inland fortunately) and so My wife and I have decided that next summer we will visit him and try to see some of the rest of the country.
So we are about to book tickets, we are probably going with emerates airline as we have been told they a good carrier. We will spend about a week in Bondi not far from Sydney ao we will visit there, I am aware that it is the Australiian winter but that doesn't really bother either of us.
What I was wondering if there are any of you who have visited and have recommendations, I would love to hear where you think we should visit. I would like to be a real tourist and dive on a part of the great barrier reef, I dived in egypt, and that was awesome so I expect the GBR will be even better.
If you are local and have recommendations that I can start checking places out on the net. We have thought about flying to Perth and spending time there (a friend sent me Roll and I liked the look of the city) but the travelling after spending 23 hours getting there may be a bit much.
I would love to visit and possibly walk up Uluru, but I am aware that this is not appreciated by the aboriginal land owners so there is a charge, and taking a 15 month old up is probably a bad idea.
I fancy (visiting) Alice Springs but what is there to do for a young family? and what is the travelling like?
We are planning to take 3 - 4 weeks which includes travelling there and back with hopefully a stopover of 3 ish days in Dubai on the way out.
Any advice, tips, guidance or websites would be great.
If anybody is gonna be in Sydney from about the 12th july '07 to about 30th july '07 and we could meet up that would be fab.
Cheers in advance
Josh the cat |
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 10/06/2006 : 14:17:12
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| Of course the Australians here will give the best advice, but I really loved Western Australia when I stayed there a long time ago. However, it's probably a bit far for you to go (given that it would mean taking the baby on quite a long extra flight). I really loved Monkey Mia, where we could walk into the sea with dolphins. I believe it's a lot more commercial now (there were barely more than a few shacks there at that time), but on the other hand how many places in the world can a pre-swimming child get up close to wild dolphins? |
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 10/06/2006 : 14:19:04
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| Yup, it is slightly more commercial now! |
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GHcool 
"Forever a curious character."
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Posted - 10/06/2006 : 19:33:30
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| I hope you don't travel in Australia in the same fashion that this guy did! |
Edited by - GHcool on 10/06/2006 19:34:12 |
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MguyXXVI
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 10/06/2006 : 20:28:01
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About 20 years ago I tried to drive from Hollywood to Santa Monica in reverse when the transmission on my old Karmann Ghia blew. (It was around 2:30 a.m., and it was taking a long time, since I was looking around a lot for cops.) Eventually I had a friend tow it. What an idiot I was.  |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 10/07/2006 : 00:06:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Josh the cat
I would like to be a real tourist and dive on a part of the great barrier reef, I dived in egypt, and that was awesome so I expect the GBR will be even better.
The GBR has a reputation outside Australia beyond what it really deserves. Sure, it's got some good diving, but in my view you need to go north to the Ribbon Reefs (that would involve a 3-4 day dive trip from Cairns) to get good diving. The GBR is the biggest reef (or reef system) on the planet, but it is a continental fringing reef, and as a rule oceanic island reefs are better. So in my view most Pacific islands, New Guinea, Maldives are better than the GBR. I can't compare it to Egypt as I haven't been there. I'm not trying to dampen your enthusiasm, but there's no point in overblown expectations. BTW, Cairns is 2500 km from Sydney.quote:
If you are local and have recommendations that I can start checking places out on the net. We have thought about flying to Perth and spending time there (a friend sent me Roll and I liked the look of the city) but the travelling after spending 23 hours getting there may be a bit much.
It's a 4-hour flight from the East Coast. I like Perth and lived there for a few years.  WA has some awesome places, but the distances from one place to the next are HUGE.quote:
We are planning to take 3 - 4 weeks which includes travelling there and back with hopefully a stopover of 3 ish days in Dubai on the way out.
Hmm, that leave 2.5 - 3 weeks for Australia. Going to all the places you mentioned is possible, but be prepared to spend a large chunk of your time travelling. You'll be doing a lot of internal flying or it's not really feasible. Australia is HUGE.
I'd also put Darwin and Kakadu on the list, but you really don't have the time to start adding more places. |
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Josh the cat
"ice wouldn't melt, you'd think ....."
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Posted - 10/07/2006 : 00:51:39
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At the moment the only certainty is Sydney, everything after that is up for debate. My wife is keen to make the most outta the holiday but we don't wanna spend to much time travelling, to be honest, WAC will probably have had enough of the travelling by the time we get there.
The first week we will stay in and around Sydney, then we have time to explore. I am real excited about this, it should be the holiday of a lifetime.
Places that are possible so far
Blue mountains
GBR
Perth
Auatralia zoo - this is a certainty!
When I was younger I used to watch 'The Bush Tuckerman' on TV, his travels were astounding and I raced home from school to see them! As much as I would love to see the kimberleys and trek thru some of the outback I have to be realistic.
Monkey mia sound great but means travelling for 2 days round trip from Perth! maybe not.
Thanx so far though
Josh the cat |
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Conan The Westy
"Father, Faithful Friend, Fwiffer"
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Posted - 10/07/2006 : 08:42:00
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Don't forget Melbourne (thefoxboy) and Ballarat (me). Sure there are other attractions in Australia but we're two of the best. 
Victoria is the smallest mainland state and there are many terrific day trips from Melbourne that can be done, including the Goldfields and the Great Ocean Road. |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/07/2006 : 11:45:31
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I can't help you but can I hide in your lugguage?
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thefoxboy 
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 10/09/2006 : 03:21:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Josh the cat
Monkey mia sound great but means travelling for 2 days round trip from Perth! maybe not.
Thanx so far though
Josh the cat
Yep, Monkey Mia is too far away, only one dolphin when I was there. 
Wild Dolphins now come in at Rockingham, which is about 40 mins south of Fremantle. They also appear at Bunbury, which is aobut 2 hours south of Fremantle.
If you are going to Perth, Fremantle is a must. One of the best tours in Freo is the old Prison. There are many different tours within the prison but the one to do is the tunnels tour. The tunnels tour was in an episode of The Amazing Race, the one that the Hippies one.
The Maritime Museum in Freo is excellent, that's the one in the movie Roll where the Submarine is. You can even see my name on the Welcome Walls.
I agree with Sean, you have not got enough time to do all the great thing Australia has to offer.
I have driven rite round Australia and there is sooooo much to see.
Broome is fantastic, but again, too far from anywhere.
I have snorkeled Ribbon Reef #5, looking over the edge of that continental shelf was fringing scary.
As Conan has said, The Great Ocean Rd is stunning and Melbourne has heaps to see. I can give you a tour of the Dandenongs, it's only 5 mins drive from my place.
The climb to the top of the Rock is great, don't worry about the aboriginals trying to talk you out of it.
I couldn't see anything to do in Alice Springs except for a 4 hour drive to Ayers Rock.
Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.
Btw...must have been a nice person that sent you Roll.
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duh 
"catpurrs"
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Posted - 10/09/2006 : 15:26:34
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
I have snorkeled Ribbon Reef #5, looking over the edge of that continental shelf was fringing scary.
Even though you know that you won't 'fall' does that experience make you feel like hanging on for dear life? I noticed your phrasing, "Looking over the edge..." |
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 10/09/2006 : 17:55:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Josh the cat
Monkey mia sound great but means travelling for 2 days round trip from Perth!
Try travelling back from there (not all the way to Perth) overnight in a sleeping bag in the back of a ute with a dead kangaroo in there and the joey in your dad's sleeping back, underneath the most brilliant stars ever. At the age of eleven, it was absolutely amazing. |
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Sal[Au]pian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 10/09/2006 : 17:58:53
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quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
Yep, Monkey Mia is too far away, only one dolphin when I was there.
You must have scared them off - they were all over the place when I was there. I've still got the little poster identifying all of them by their fins. |
Edited by - Sal[Au]pian on 10/09/2006 17:59:04 |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 10/10/2006 : 00:39:30
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quote:
Originally posted by duh
quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
I have snorkeled Ribbon Reef #5, looking over the edge of that continental shelf was fringing scary.
Even though you know that you won't 'fall' does that experience make you feel like hanging on for dear life? I noticed your phrasing, "Looking over the edge..."
I think it's more a sense of vulnerability. There could be a monster the size of the Titanic coming up from the depths. When SCUBA diving the greatest sense of vulnerability is when you're on the surface or in mid water where you can't see the bottom. Once you're on the bottom you feel as safe as standing in the middle of a field on land.
When you're diving on most reefs on the continental shelf, you can see the reef starting to flatten out lower down, and you know the bottom isn't too far away. But on the edge of the shelf it just goes down... down.... down.... to the pitch black abyssal plain miles below.  |
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 10/10/2006 : 00:53:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Se�n
quote:
Originally posted by duh
quote:
Originally posted by thefoxboy
I have snorkeled Ribbon Reef #5, looking over the edge of that continental shelf was fringing scary.
Even though you know that you won't 'fall' does that experience make you feel like hanging on for dear life? I noticed your phrasing, "Looking over the edge..."
I think it's more a sense of vulnerability. There could be a monster the size of the Titanic coming up from the depths. When SCUBA diving the greatest sense of vulnerability is when you're on the surface or in mid water where you can't see the bottom. Once you're on the bottom you feel as safe as standing in the middle of a field on land.
When you're diving on most reefs on the continental shelf, you can see the reef starting to flatten out lower down, and you know the bottom isn't too far away. But on the edge of the shelf it just goes down... down.... down.... to the pitch black abyssal plain miles below.
Yep, thoughts of a monster where on my mind. |
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Josh the cat
"ice wouldn't melt, you'd think ....."
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Posted - 10/10/2006 : 09:08:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Se�n
When you're diving on most reefs on the continental shelf, you can see the reef starting to flatten out lower down, and you know the bottom isn't too far away. But on the edge of the shelf it just goes down... down.... down.... to the pitch black abyssal plain miles below.
I dived at stalion rock in Scotland and thats a wall that goes vertically down 40 metres then trails off, the vis is a max of 15 metres on a good day with no rain (to wash sediment in to the water). The first few times it was scary as hell, after that I knew that I could do it and that my buddies where ther for me if I needed them .
It was there that we saw a dogfish asleep, so I go over have a look with the torch get a bit close and the blasted thing went for me. It was only 18inch long but I took fright and waved my arms about a bit whilst my buddy pi**ed himself laughing. It was funny ... afterwards in the pub!!
Thanks for all the great ideas and stuff so far I am looking forwad to this trip sssoooo much!!
Josh the cat |
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Visiting Australia
