Recommendations of things to do in Australia

[MongGrel]

It was called the Norman Hotel. And yes I got a shirt from there with that slogan.

http://www.normanhotel.com.au/index.php

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[MongGrel]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jbalcius/sets/72157652174472530

Great Pics, thanks for sharing.

 

[MixMasterTang]

Rough itinerary would be to visit the East\South Coast including Sydney and Melbourne for a couple of days 1-2 days in Tasmania, 1 day on Kangaroo island (Maybe?), the Barrosa Valley, Brisbane\Gold coast and then Cairns and\or Port Douglas with scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

What order yet I am not sure. A lot depends on when I can get a return flight and if its from MEL, SYD or BNE. Thanks for the insights!

Sounds like you're going to spend a lot of time at the airport and flying and not much time to do any fun stuff unless you double your time there from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.

 

[Exterous]

Ooooh, I almost forgot to mention. You may want to consider booking an emergency row seat. I flew with Qantas and paid about $50 more. It was worth it. I was able to get up and walk around, stretch the legs a bit without people having to move. It made sleeping a bit better too. If you are flying on a 747, just do not take the window seat if you do this. The emergency door bulges out just enough to block half of your leg room.

Well there is a very good chance that we will be flying business class. I am 1st in queue for award space\class upgrade on the outbound flight and will do the same thing for the return when I have 3 hours to spare to sit on the phone and explain to United how to use the booking system in front of them

Sounds like you're going to spend a lot of time at the airport and flying and not much time to do any fun stuff unless you double your time there from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.

There are some ferries involved and some of the airports are smaller so easier to get in and out of but yeah maybe 6 intra-Aussieland flights although some of the flights will take less time than driving. For example I've been advised by some others that there isn't much to see driving between Sydney and Melbourne so it would likely be a better use of our time to fly between to the two locations and save 6-10 hours (if not longer) Its still in flux but we are used to early or late flights to try and get the most time at a destination. we'll see

 

[Imp]

Never been...

But one thing that looked interesting on the TV was some Outback train ride.

Otherwise, apply sunscreen?

 

[KMFJD]

Rough itinerary would be to visit the East\South Coast including Sydney and Melbourne for a couple of days 1-2 days in Tasmania, 1 day on Kangaroo island (Maybe?), the Barrosa Valley, Brisbane\Gold coast and then Cairns and\or Port Douglas with scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

What order yet I am not sure. A lot depends on when I can get a return flight and if its from MEL, SYD or BNE. Thanks for the insights!

I've been to all the places you mention...i'd do the following

2-3 days in Cairns, skip Brisbane/Gold Coast and fly to Uluru (not Alice Springs!) for 2 days, see a sunset/sunrise at Uluru and the Olga's. I would then fly to Adelaide, rent a car and do Barossa Valley for wine tasting, then down to Kangaroo Island for a night (the amount of kangaroos and wallabys's you see at dusk is amazing, then drive the great ocean road to Melbourne staying overnite along the way. I'd fly to Sydney for the last 2 days...go to Taronga zoo, check out the opera house and the beaches....good and relativly cheap place to stay is the Yha hostel at the rocks, grab a private ensuite room, the views from the rooftop overlook the opera house and the bridge

 

[SKORPI0]

Here Are 35 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Visit Australia

 

[zinfamous]

I first read that as "Alabama" and was going to advise you to avoid the locals.

Now, just replace "locals" with "wildlife," I guess.

 

[Imp]

Here Are 35 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Visit Australia

........Never been more glad to live in a place too damn cold for anything but fun furry animals.

P.S. Did that snake eat a freaking gargoyle in the first pic? Cause I can't imagine a bat being that big.

 

[zinfamous]

........Never been more glad to live in a place too damn cold for anything but fun furry animals.

P.S. Did that snake eat a freaking gargoyle in the first pic? Cause I can't imagine a bat being that big.

Fruit Bats are enormous, but I don't think you find them in Australia?

oh here you go. that list did mention the Fox Bat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FK9tWT5pA4

(world's largest bat) and it looks like the fox bat is a type of fruit bat. so there you go.

 

[finglobes]

You could throw some shrimp on the barbecue.

baaaah beeee

Thing is they don't say "shrimp" - they say "prawns". A hottie on YouTube did a whole video about that

 

[StinkyPinky]

Been to Oz twice now, have driven around it once, i've never had a mcmuffin with ketchup....for the love of god skip mcd's and go to a bakery and grab a meat pie....so f'n good

Ugh...meat pie. That's an acquired taste.

 

[KMFJD]

Here's a lesson in Australian slang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-SUhJT3g1c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Red Squirrel]

Fruit Bats are enormous, but I don't think you find them in Australia?

oh here you go. that list did mention the Fox Bat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FK9tWT5pA4

(world's largest bat) and it looks like the fox bat is a type of fruit bat. so there you go.

That is what happens if you cross breed a bat with a pitbull. Has science gone too far?

 

[Hugo Drax]

Visit Bundanyabba, tour the local watering holes, drink plenty of West End Lager with your new friends and go on a nightly Kangaroo hunt.

 

[MongGrel]

Here's a lesson in Australian slang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-SUhJT3g1c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Kinda got a kick out of that.

 

[Imp]

Fruit Bats are enormous, but I don't think you find them in Australia?

oh here you go. that list did mention the Fox Bat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FK9tWT5pA4

(world's largest bat) and it looks like the fox bat is a type of fruit bat. so there you go.

Dafuq?

That thing in the original list had bigger biceps than me. Six foot wingspan? Too bad guns aren't as easy to get in Australia compared to the US of A.

 

[Annisman*]

Watch out for huntsman spiders, buy a lot of meat pies, everything is more expensive (especially the food). I would like to add though that I've had my best meals ever in Australia, even their fast food joints are high quality.

Have a McDonalds burger (they use Australian beef yum!) Check to see which way the water swirls when you flush the toilet, if you are driving, driving on the left side of the road can be quite unusual it was for me. If you're near Sydney take a trip over to the blue mountains it's worth it, unless you are all afraid of heights. Everyone is super polite.

Oh and if you're a smoker prepare to pay like 30$ for a pack of cigarettes which will also have really nasty pictures on them. Think that's about it.

 

[SlickSnake]

And, this is a breaking new addition, because this site literally just posted this, lucky you!
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/05/the-mysterious-lost-gold-of-the-australian-outback/

The Aboriginal tribe who live near Ayers Rock have appealed for visitors not to take anything from the sacred site.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...rists-return-stones-to-cursed-Ayers-Rock.html


Haunted Places In Australia
http://hauntedplacesinaustralia.blogspot.com/


THE TOP TEN MOST HAUNTED SCARIEST PLACES IN AUSTRALIA
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/ghosthunting/AUSTRALIA.php


Australian Ghost Tours
http://www.ghosttours.com.au/


And no matter what you do, don't go near the Black Trevethan Range or the Black Mountains, if you ever want to make it back home ALIVE!

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/12/the-mysterious-black-mountain-of-queensland/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mountain_(Kalkajaka)_National_Park

 

[Exterous]

I've been to all the places you mention...i'd do the following

2-3 days in Cairns, skip Brisbane/Gold Coast and fly to Uluru (not Alice Springs!) for 2 days, see a sunset/sunrise at Uluru and the Olga's. I would then fly to Adelaide, rent a car and do Barossa Valley for wine tasting, then down to Kangaroo Island for a night (the amount of kangaroos and wallabys's you see at dusk is amazing, then drive the great ocean road to Melbourne staying overnite along the way. I'd fly to Sydney for the last 2 days...go to Taronga zoo, check out the opera house and the beaches....good and relativly cheap place to stay is the Yha hostel at the rocks, grab a private ensuite room, the views from the rooftop overlook the opera house and the bridge

Thanks - why no Brisbane?

Here Are 35 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Visit Australia

Well if I stop posting after March 2016 you'll know why

Watch out for huntsman spiders, buy a lot of meat pies, everything is more expensive (especially the food). I would like to add though that I've had my best meals ever in Australia, even their fast food joints are high quality.

Have a McDonalds burger (they use Australian beef yum!) Check to see which way the water swirls when you flush the toilet, if you are driving, driving on the left side of the road can be quite unusual it was for me. If you're near Sydney take a trip over to the blue mountains it's worth it, unless you are all afraid of heights. Everyone is super polite.

Oh and if you're a smoker prepare to pay like 30$ for a pack of cigarettes which will also have really nasty pictures on them. Think that's about it.

I've driving on the left side before but I do look forward to hanging off the bottom of the earth and watching the water swirl in a different direction

 

[glenn1]

Forgot, Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail) is pretty interesting. Ned Kelly is an interesting figure and was basically the original Iron Man.

 

[Riverhound777]

My favorite place when I visited was Melbourne. Really nice city, and I don't care for big cities. Also really enjoyed the Great Ocean Road. Similar to CA Central Coast around Big Sur, and was actually modeled after it, but I think there's is better. The 12 Apostles was amazing.

 

[KMFJD]

Thanks - why no Brisbane?



Well if I stop posting after March 2016 you'll know why



I've driving on the left side before but I do look forward to hanging off the bottom of the earth and watching the water swirl in a different direction

Mainly because of your time constraints , nothing really to see unless you want to go to the amusement parks on the Gold Coast (which pale in comparison to anything in Florida)

I stopped by the black mountain, it was ok....

 

[SlickSnake]

Mainly because of your time constraints , nothing really to see unless you want to go to the amusement parks on the Gold Coast (which pale in comparison to anything in Florida)

I stopped by the black mountain, it was ok....

No way! Did you upload any pics of it somewhere? I spent several hours researching that one night. That's a pretty interesting area. If I went to Australia, I would be trekking out across the desert somewhere making my own adventures. Looking for fossils or something. While hunting for that 7 mile long gold vein.

 

[KMFJD]

No way! Did you upload any pics of it somewhere? I spent several hours researching that one night. That's a pretty interesting area. If I went to Australia, I would be trekking out across the desert somewhere making my own adventures. Looking for fossils or something. While hunting for that 7 mile long gold vein.

It was on the way from Port Douglas to Cooktown, nothing that spectacular to be honest, i did take some pictures....my favorite part of Oz definitely was the Kimberly area between Broome and Darwin, amazing scenery, really wish i would have gone to the Bungle Bungles but the tour was extremely expensive even for Australia. The Undura lava tubes west of Cairns is a waste of money and time, Australia Zoo wasn't bad but a bit expensive, i thought Taronga Zoo in Sydney was better. Fraser island was very cool, biggest sand island, lotsa dingo's , did not sail the Whitsundays but they look spectacular and Arlie Beach wasn't bad, avoid Alice Springs if you can, fly directly to Uluru (it's about 450km drive to get there from Alice). Avoid XXXX unless you like very watery beer, i didn't mind VB or Tohey's , favourites where Little Creatures Pale Ale and Coopers...the great barrier reef was amazing...