Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

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Lecivius
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Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Lecivius »

It's one of the few items left on my bucket list. Anyone have suggestions on places to go, things to see, places to be, and people to meet? I'm wide open to times, dates etc, I'll probably not go until next year.
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RogerJNeilson
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by RogerJNeilson »

Spooky, just been putting finishing touches to a trip down under.... as always the AE Tourist guides are a great help, so please fire away for me too. Two years ago we did trans America on the train with a stopover in Denver, last year it was New England....

This year....

1. Fly to Dubai for a stopover
2. Adelaide for a week - staying with friends
3. Fly to Cairns (GBR)
4. Fly to Bali
5. Home......

Roger
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Jorge_Stanbury »

I was there last year for work; some points:

- Sydney Harbour is beautiful, try to go on the summer, the you can take a ferry to Manly beach. You might also want to visit the Australian National Maritime Museum. There is a cold war era DD and a SS. Also there is a replica of Cook's Endeavour.

- If you go to Melbourne, you should try the ocean road. There is also a pinguins parade in a close by island; a full day tour.

- Go with Quantas... they have the hottest stewardess I have ever seen.. the flight is long, thereby you want to see something beautiful during those long hours.

- Australia is expensive... plan accordingly, food prices is what surprised me the most

- You have to go to a Koala/ Kangaroo sanctuary: nobody will believe you were in Oz unless you have some Koala/ Kangaroo pictures to prove it

Have fun
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Bullwinkle58 »

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

It's one of the few items left on my bucket list. Anyone have suggestions on places to go, things to see, places to be, and people to meet? I'm wide open to times, dates etc, I'll probably not go until next year.

I was there five weeks in 1985. I could give you a phone number, but she's probably a grandmother now. [:)]

I have a lot of great memories, but two things I would do again. See the Great Barrier Reef, even in a glass-bottom boat. And take the train across the Nulaboor Desert to Perth from Adelaide. Make sure you get a sleeper car.

I saw Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth to varying degrees, and the land in-between all of them. I had a 30-day unlimited train pass. Each city had much to recommend, but of all of them I liked Perth the best for cleanliness, proper ratio of size, bustle, gorgeous women, and nightlife, and the chance to see the IO.
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Hermit »

In the south I'd recommend visiting Sovereign Hill (near Ballarat) [a reproduction 1850's era gold-mining town, in the same model as Colonial Williamsburg here in the US] and the Ocean Road as well. On the Ocean Road, make sure you get out and look at Lochard Gorge, walk up Apollo's Hill, and spend some time in the mountain ash cold rainforest. In the north I'd recomment the Daintree rainforest near Cairns [you might see some huge saltwater crocs] and the Kakadu National Park (you might see a Koala in the wild there, I did). There's also some great diving/snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef just south of Daintree.
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Wirraway_Ace »

How much time will you have? Scale is an issue. Australia is the size of the United States and Canada (south or the artic circle).

Unless you live in San Francisco or Manhattan, you will find Oz expensive.

Sydney on a summer day is the most beautiful city on earth.

The beaches of the Gold Coast may be the finest on the planet, but you had better be a strong swimmer...The wave action and rip tides are ferocious.

Melbourne feels like it is in western Europe, but better. It is my wife's favorite city.

Diving the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns is definitely a bucket list item.

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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Bullwinkle58 »

ORIGINAL: Wirraway_Ace

How much time will you have? Scale is an issue. Australia is the size of the United States and Canada (south or the artic circle).

Unless you live in San Francisco or Manhattan, you will find Oz expensive.

Sydney on a summer day is the most beautiful city on earth.

The beaches of the Gold Coast may be the finest on the planet, but you had better be a strong swimmer...The wave action and rip tides are ferocious.

Melbourne feels like it is in western Europe, but better. It is my wife's favorite city.

Diving the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns is definitely a bucket list item.


The US lower-48 is slightly larger than Oz. No need to include Canada. With Alaska the USA is quite a bit larger.

Also, OZ is large, but the cities are few and coastal. Getting between them is the trick, but you can see most of the urban landscape in a month. Not deeply, but sample. There's no equivalent to Chicago, Dallas or Denver. The middle is empty of man-made pretty much.
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Wirraway_Ace »

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58


The US lower-48 is slightly larger than Oz....

I apologize for you are indeed correct. Another sound bite passed on for generations ruined by facts. Well, we can always hope Texas secedes.

In my experience, a month is enough to do justice to the East Coast of OZ and around to Melbourne.
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Bullwinkle58 »

ORIGINAL: Wirraway_Ace
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58


The US lower-48 is slightly larger than Oz....

I apologize for you are indeed correct. Another sound bite passed on for generations ruined by facts. Well, we can always hope Texas secedes.

In my experience, a month is enough to do justice to the East Coast of OZ and around to Melbourne.

Yeah, my route was five weeks, missed Melbourne (I regret this a lot), had a week in Perth, five days in Sydney, and four in Cairns. I hit most every casino I ran across and was slightly ahead on food and lodging expense (they even add your cards for you playing blackjack--how nice!), although the flight cost was a back-breaker from Honolulu, my home at the time. I had one big frame backpack and did not go to a lot, or really any, "nice" places to eat or drink. I was 26 and that wasn't mandatory.

You could surely spend a month in Sydney if well-funded and not run out of touristy things to do, at least these days I'm told (by Alfred. [:)]) In 1985 they rolled the sidewalks up a lot earlier.
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by 1275psi »

Cairns- do the reef for a day, or 2
Then the daintree
From there, fly to Alice springs, do the rock
Then to Sydney (have a beer with 1275psi), night harbour dinner cruise, the zoo-(simply to have the koala photo and to see a platypus)
Then the blue mountaisn, do the three sisters and the valley walk, vertical railway.

For true Aussie experience, rent a car, drive to bathurst, or the Hunter Valley
For the outback, brocken hill

Then melbourne, and spend two days doing the Great Ocean road.
Finally adelaide, and the barrossa valley.


The perfect Holiday, simply stay at Kangaroo island for a few weeks..........you may never want to leave.

1275psi
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by 1275psi »

Seriously
Anyone who is from overseas and knows of the Little ship that could, is always welcome to doss at this little cottage

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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Alfred »

There are a few things to be determined first before attempting to arrange an itinerary.
 
(a) presumably, like most Europeans and Americans, you are primarily interested in the unique flora and fauna.  However the cultural elements are not to be dismissed lightly.
 
(b) is one limited to only 5-10 days (the time frame of most American tourists, unless they are young backpackers) or is time not an issue.
 
(c) both internal travel and transit time costs are quite high.  It is one thing to theoretically try to pack many experiences in the one trip but in practice deciding on a base of operations is often a better approach.
 
I am of the school of thought that a base of operations is the best approach so I will concentrate on that approach.  However I will also list activities for those of the opposite view.
 
 
 
Base of Operations - Sydney
 
 
Without any doubt, if a single base of operations is chosen, Sydney is the clear winner with a much wider range of options than any other major Australian city.  It is also the main entry point for Americans travelling across the Pacific (by far the most common route) and therefore saves on travelling time.  As it is it will be an entire day to travel from Denver to Sydney (a couple of hours in the air from Denver to Fort Worth or Los Angeles, then at least 2-3 hours terminal connecting time, then 15 hours in the air to cross the Pacific, then an hour to clear customs).  To elect another city as your base of operations would then entail an additional 2-3 hours terminal connecting time plus a 1 hour flight to Melbourne or Brisbane, or 2 hours to Adelaide or 3-4 hours to Perth.
 
Remember that the return trip will take a similar time period so even if travelling only to Sydney, 2 full days (excluding any jet lag time) will eat into the overall holiday time available.
 
Things to do in Sydney itself year round.
 
1.  Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a tour group.
 
This activity has become very popular amongst tourists and needs to be booked in advance.  The reward is an unparalleled view of Sydney Harbour and back to the Blue Mountains on a clear day.  All up it takes about 3 days and should cost less than $AUD200.  The alternative is to simply walk across the bridge, costs nothing with no booking required and whilst the views are still good they are not as good as those available from the much higher and unobstructed bridge climb.  The walk can be done in 30 minutes.
 
2.  Kayak Sydney Harbour.
 
What is commonly referred to as Sydney Harbour is more correctly termed Port Jackson.  Port Jackson refers to the area from Sydney Heads, down the southern arm about 14 kms to Circular Quay which is the preferred disembarkation point for cruise ships and located between the harbour bridge and the Opera House.  Much of it's foreshores are National Park but it is also a busy sea lane.  Kayaking is not done in Port Jackson.  Instead a few kms from the Heads is the opening of Middle Harbour which is traversed only by recreational sailors (due to an early sand bar - about 50 metres long which splits the deep water of Middle harbour).  The kayaking is done here and bush lines most of the foreshore.  Kayaking tours range in time but most are only 3-4 hours long and should cost less than $AUD150.
 
3.  Picnic on Sydney Harbour
 
There are about 11 islands in the harbour of which about half are accessible to the public either by regularly scheduled ferry or water taxi.  Cockatoo Island is to the west of the bridge, has an open air cocktail bar at the waters edge and over night camping is possible if pre booked.  It is a 30 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay.  An alternative is to visit Fort Denison, which is just to the east of the bridge and eat at the restaurant and "tour" the fortifications built to defend against the Russians during the Crimean War.  The one way ferry rides to either Cockatoo or Fort Denison cost less than $AUD7.  A further alternative is to hire a water taxi (cost varies but expect it to be at least between $AUD60-100), get a picnic hamper made up and go to one of the other harbour islands for a picnic.  You will need to book in advance with the National Parks office.  Still a further alternative is to picnic on the foreshore in one of the many surrounding beaches and park areas.
 
4.  Fauna
 
Do not get sucked in to visiting one of the "koala" parks which are marketed to international visitors.  Their fauna exhibits are quite tired, expensive for what you get and involve travelling time.  Instead, catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Park Zoo.  Catch the funicular at the zoo wharf which takes you to the top of the zoo.  Great views of the harbour ensue as you walk back down to the wharf and the range of Australian fauna is unmatched by any of the commercial "koala" parks.  Cost is less than $AUD7 each way for the ferry and zoo entrance fee is about $AUD40.  Time is up to you but allow at least half a day but if you are not careful you will easily find you have spent an entire day at the zoo.
 
5.  Sydney Opera House
 
There are three different reasons to visit the Opera House.
 
(a) visit the open air bar to drink/eat and take the views in.  A very popular pastime for locals and international visitors.  I can recommend far better alternative sites but as I said very popular.  If you do this try to time the visit so that you do both daylight and early evening.
 
(b) take a tour of the backstage areas.  Tours range from less than an hour to about 3 hours and cost from about $AUD25 to around $AUD125.  If you have any interest in architecture and the arts, even the short tours are a very good option.
 
(c) see a show at the Opera House.  The Australian Opera, the Sydney Symphony orchestra and the Bell Shakespeare Theatre company (which does only Shakespeare and his contemporaries such as Moliere) are based here.  About half of the Sydney Theatre Company (with dual Academy award winner Cate Blanchet) performances are at the Opera House.  Other theatre companies and international musical acts perform here.  Usually on any night of the week there will be about 4 different shows on.  The good seats to the opera will cost $AUD315 but cheaper seats (albeit some with restricted sight lines) can be had for $AUD100-200.  Theatre performances will cost around the $AUD100 mark.
 
6.  Museums and Art Galleries
 
Usually derided by international visitors but usually these people are merely cultural snobs.  Sydney has several, which whilst not the equal of the Louvre/The Hermitage/the Prado/the Guggenheim/the Smithsonian, equal and better the rest.  Plus they often have a focus on aboriginal/Pacific work which is not covered at all overseas.  I list the one's you will not be disappointed in visiting (marked as an "A") and also list others (marked as a "B") which depending on when you visit may have a special exhibition which you will not find elsewhere.
 
(a) National Maritime Museum [A].  This is located just to the west of the bridge in Darling Harbour.  It is in a tourist area (and therefore full of tacky things and expensive venues) and very close to the casino.  Inside it has exhibits on the following sea related areas:
 
  • European voyages of discovery to Terra Australia
  • Aboriginal water craft
  • Royal Australian Navy (and it's colonial predecessors) history
  • immigration to Australia
  • whaling and other sea based industrial enterprises
  • water leisure activities
Outside there is a relocated (from Queensland) 1870s light house which the public can climb.  There are also about 20 small craft of various different uses (racing yachts, pearlers, fishing boats etc) tied up which can be seen plus there is a Daring class destroyer and an Oberon class diesel electric submarine which are open to the public with free guided tours of the DD and SS.  Entry cost is about $AUD25.  The attached museum shop has a good range of books and other items which deal with Australia's maritime history.  All up budget at least half a day but if the subject matter interests you at all, you will spend a full day and want to come back the following day to finish.
 
(b)  Powerhouse Museum [A].  The local equivalent to the Smithsonian.  Not as good but the focus is on Australian technology so you will not easily find something similar elsewhere.  About 1 km away from the National Maritime Museum, entry cost is similar.  A half day easily spent here.
 
(c)  Sydney Aquarium [A].  Located opposite to the National Maritime Museum, right in the middle of tourist bars/restaurants.  Has massive underwater tanks which are fully stocked with marine creatures found in the Sydney region.  By far the safest way to come up close to many different shark species.  This is the marine fauna equivalent to Taronga Park Zoo (which focuses on mammals).  Entry cost is about $AUD30 and 2-3 hours can easily be spent here.
 
(d)  NSW State Art Gallery .  Quite a few European old masters on display but these are probably not going to be a major seller.  Instead be on the lookout for special exhibitions and their Pacific focus.  Entry is free although for some special exhibitions an entry fee of about $AUD20 is charged.  Location overlooks the main RAN base in Australia, and it is adjacent to the Botanical Gardens (where you can get your flora fix for zero dollars).  One to two hours will usually suffice but double that if you are actually visiting one of the special exhibitions.  The attached gallery shop is good on prints.
 
(e)  Australian Museum .  Dinosaurs, fossilized Australian fauna, Australian geology.  Entry cost is about $AUD15.  Not bad but probably best left for a rainy day and if your hotel accommodation is nearby and you have an hour to kill.
 
(e)  Police Museum .  A history of the Sydney underworld.  Just off Circular Quay.  Probably only an hour and again most likely if it is a rainy day.
 
(f)  Sydney University has a couple of museums which although open to the public are just never visited by the students, let alone international travellers.  One deals with ancient Egyptian artefacts and the other with insects.  Both are located in the old Quadrangle building which dates from 1850.  Entry used to be free.
 
7.   Sport
 
One of the best ways to soak up a country's mores is to attend their popular local sporting contests.  Watching them on cable television is not the same.  Tickets are easily obtainable, at short notice for $AUD50-100  except for a couple of events.  Especially consider attending an international match (womens netball, cricket, rugby league or rugby union) which involves Australia v another country.  To give you an idea of the frequency at the top level you will usually find at least one rugby league match held each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from March to September.  Australian Rules Football is also played in Sydney but you have more options to see live matches in Melbourne.
 
8.  Flora.
 
The Royal Botanic Gardens are next to the Opera House.  Manicured lawns, well identified flora but not all is indigeneous.  Entry is free.  Two huge national parks lie about 25 kms to the north and south of the CBD.  One of them is the second oldest in the world (after Yellowstone) and the other followed not long afterwards.  Public transport to them is "possible" but you are better off either hiring a car or a taxi.  The taxi will cost you about $AUD100.
 
9.  Food.
 
There are some excellent restaurants providing much better value than the typical European Michelin starred restaurants.  Slowly an Australian cuisine is emerging, fusing European and Asian styles into it's own.  However some restaurants are just expensive; be particularly careful eating at places which claim to cook kangaroo and other Australian fauna.  Top line restaurants will set you back $AUD150-200 per person but of course you can end up spending a lot more depending on which wines you select.
 
10.  Beaches.
 
Everyone goes to Bondi.  There are in fact better beaches to go to.  Manly is very popular with tourists and you can catch the ferry from Circular Quay.  The ferry trip takes 30 minutes.  Many fine beaches north of Manly and south of Bondi.  Most have life savers present.
 
 
 
Seasonal things to do in Sydney
 
1.  December 26th is the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.  Many spectator craft are on the harbour to see the start of the race.  Someone like Symon ,who has sailed in a few Sydney-Hobart's, can give you more details of the spectacle and the vibe.  In the preceding week you can easily go down to the Cruising Yacht Club and admire the yachts.  There are usually about 80 contestants and about a half dozen maxi yachts.
 
2.  May - August whales swim up the coast.  A few land positions sometimes allow a glimpse of them or you can take a tour out to see them.
 
3.  January 26th, a ferry race is held on Sydney Harbour.
 
4.  The next cricket world cup will be played in Australia and New Zealand.  I don't have the dates yet but matches will be played in Sydney next March.
 
5.  The next Asian Soccer Championship will be played in Australia next year.  Sydney will host several matches.
 
6.  During the winter you can take early balloon flights on the outskirts of Sydney.  Cost is usually less than $AUD200.  Note however that several regional Australian areas also have balloon flights.
 
7.  Sydney is the base for many cruise ships.  Short 3 day cruises along the Australian coastline, or longer 7-12 day cruises visiting Noumea and several other nearby dot bases which JFBs often like to capture before the amphibious bonus expires.  It is also possible to circumnavigate Australia on a cruise ship if one has the requisite 34-36 days and $AUD4-5000 available.
 
 
 
Day trips from Sydney
 
1.  Blue Mountains
 
Visiting Katoomba and the Three Sisters is very popular.  Personally I find them somewhat underwhelming.  There are however many bushwalks in the area.  The Blue Mountains are between 3500 and 4000 feet high.  In winter temperatures can even drop to just below 0 Celsius and it does snow occasionally.  It is about a 2 hour train trip from Sydney to Katoomba.  Unfortunately the Zig Zag railway was burned down recently.
 
2.  Hunter Valley
 
About 200 kms to the north of Sydney lies the Hunter Valley which is a premium wine growing (in particular whites) region.  Many tour companies will pick you up from your hotel at 7am, travel the 2 hours to the area and take you to several vineyards where you can sample (and buy if you are impressed) the product at the cellar door.  Most tours will return you to your hotel about 7pm.  Cost varies but consider about $AUD200 (which includes lunch usually) plus any individual purchases you make.
 
3.  River Postman
 
This tour may or may not still be offered.  About 40 kms to the north of Sydney, lies the Hawkesbury River.  Along its banks lies many small communities whose only transport link to the world is via the river.  The River Postman is the boat which goes along the river delivering the mail, groceries etc and it takes along tourists.  The cost was about $AUD50 and it set off from Brooklyn railway station (about 9.30am) and return to the station about 4 hours later.  The train trip cost less than $AUD15.
 
4.  Canberra
 
It is a 3 hour by road, 4 hour by rail, day trip, although you might prefer to stay overnight in Canberra.  Both the National Library and the National Gallery are worth visiting in their own right but the stand out for an AE player is visiting the Australian War Memorial.  The War Memorial will easily consume a day especially if you are travelling by train as the train arrives in Canberra about 11.30am and the last one which departs does so at about 5.20pm.
 
 
 
OK, that is enough of an overview of Sydney.  Greater detail can be provided upon request.
 
 
 
 
No base of Operations
 
If you choose this approach, here are a few thoughts.  Remember that time and cost will be bigger factors.
 
1.  Railway journeys.
 
If you like railways, there are three train rides to consider.
 
(a)  the Indian-Pacific travels between Sydney and Perth.  It takes 3 days, is mainly populated by pensioners with a smattering of international train buffs and last time I checked cost upwards of $AUD800.
 
(b) the Ghan travels between Adelaide and Darwin.  Takes the better part of 3 days, more expensive than the Indian-Pacific and consequently fewer pensioners.
 
(c) there is a train that travels between Brisbane and Cairns.  Not in the same league as the preceding two but more varied scenery.  It also takes 2-3 days.
 
2.  Wine regions
 
Several exist close to capital cities.
 
Adelaide - the Barossa Valley, very strong on Australian reds
Melbourne - Yarra Valley is the closest major region
Perth - about 200 kms south is Margaret River, strong on whites
Hobart/Launceston - well Tasmania is a small state therefore everthing is close to either city.  Major developing region, particularly in Australian sparkling wines and surprisingly in Australian whiskey which is quickly developing a good international reputation
New South Wales has several - Orange/Mudgee, near Canberra, Griffith (although this is mainly for bulk wines)
 
3.  Barrier Reef
 
This includes bareback yachting in the Whitsundays.  Several jumping off points exist between Mackay and Cairns.  The further north you go the greater opportunities available to do white water rafting.  However please note that there are coral reefs off the West Australian coast too and if you go there you get the opportunity to interact with dolphins.
 
4.  Northern Territory
 
Besides coming up via the Ghan (see above) the two biggest attractions are visiting Kakadu National Park (only do it in the dry season otherwise you will be soaked every day) and Uluru/Ayres Rock.  If you visit the Rock consider not climbing it (as the local Aborigines prefer) but instead walking around it.  it will take you 90-120 minutes to walk around it and very few people do it so will get plenty of rare photos if you take this option.  Take into account that Uluru is 450 kms from Alice Springs which in turn is about 2.5 hours by plane from Sydney.
 
 
Anyway, again enough of an overview.  Greater details available upon request.
 
Alfred
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by aspqrz02 »

Depending on where you go, try not to miss ...

* Australian War Memorial Museum, Canberra - really a must see, if you're interested in military history. Wreckage of the minisub(s) that attacked Sydney in WW2. G-for-George (Lancaster) and Me-262 (amongst many other aircraft) in the new, large (well, not compared to Duxford or the Smithsonian Air & Space, but largish). Galleries covering every conflict Australia has been in since colonial times, right through to the present.

Plan on spending around a half a day, if not more, depending on how you handle museums.

Unfortunately, for a non-Australian, that's probably the only reason to go to Canberra, the other major sites are, frankly, second rate at best in world terms, though the Museum of Australia on the shores of Lake Burleigh Griffin often has some good special exhibits. The National Archives supposedly have a good, but very small, rotating exhibit, but most of what is regularly on display is of interest only to Aussies (or those interested in obscure Aussie political history).

In Sydney, the Australian Army Artillery Museum at North Fort (North Head) is a) small b) interesting and c) obscure(ish) ... and opening hours are variable and intermittent for no reason that I can actual discern. *IF* its open it offers self-guided tours of the North Fort, a coastal defence facility that defended Sydney Harbour ... but the whole thing is not very big compared to similar US and UK museums.

South of Sydney, at Nowra (hire car probably necessary) is the RAN Fleet Air Arm museum ... never been myself, but its supposedly OK ... just far away from civilisation and probably not a good enough reason *by itself* to go there.

Outside of Melbourne (you'd have to hire a car) is the RAAF Museum at Point Cook which is actually quite good though, again, small compared to places like Duxford or the Smithsonian Air & Space. I think its worthwhile, but if time is limited, it may not be.

All of the above, except, possibly, for North Fort, are free ... or ask for donations ...

The AWMM is the pick, even if Canberra is a hole (even for Aussies!)

Phil
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by LargeSlowTarget »

Also at Sydney - the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway http://www.kokodawalkway.com.au/
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by mikkey »

great advice, I hope, that I will use them sometimes too[;)]
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Symon »

Just a suggestion for something a bit out of the ordinary, if you are in the area.

Bruno Torf’s enchanted forest in Marysville, about 50km NE of Melbourne. Very nearly destroyed in the 2009 Black Saturday fires, but he has since renovated over 100 of his carvings/statues. The trees will take a while to recover, but the ferns and the lush undergrowth are as lovingly attended to as always (perhaps more so).

Stunning, eerily beautiful, haunting, uplifting, unique. A wonderland of beauty. Ciao. JWE
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by RogerJNeilson »

Having enquired I am told the Sunlander (proper sleeper) from Brisbane to Cairns is being 'retired' late October, and the other train that runs is airline style seats etc.

Have modified my plans accordingly to avoid that.

Roger
An unplanned dynasty: Roger Neilson, Roger Neilson 11, Roger Neilson 3 previous posts 898+1515 + 1126 = 3539.....Finally completed my game which started the day WITP:AE was released
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Bullwinkle58
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Bullwinkle58 »

ORIGINAL: Roger Neilson 3

Having enquired I am told the Sunlander (proper sleeper) from Brisbane to cairns is being 'retired' late October, and the other train that runs is airline style seats etc.

Have modified my plans accordingly to avoid that.

Roger

In 1985 I went south direct Cairns to Brisbane in the "upright" seats. I was young, but it was still a very uncomfortable trip, overnight, etc. Arrived in Brisbane really needing a shower and sleep. On the Adelaide-Perth run I got a sleeper and it made all the difference.
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tk208
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by tk208 »

Excellent summary Alfred, very well thought out.
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Lecivius
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RE: Totally O/T--Planning a trip to Oz

Post by Lecivius »

Sweet Jeebzus, Alfred! [X(]  Even SWMBO is impressed [;)]
 
Gonna have 2 weeks.  While not a snob, I like to get out & see country.  Not just look at it.  Sydney for a few days for sure.  But as is said, it's a big place.  No way to see it all [:(]  Gonna go through all of this information & try to plan a few spots.  If I miss a zoo, ah well.  IDC if anyone believes we were there or not.  Heck, folks believe me so far about past doings, this will just be another One Of Those Things [8D]
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
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