Report on Melboune,Alice springs and Ayers Rock Tour
Apr 16th, 2006, 11:22 AM
#1
Original Poster
Report on Melboune,Alice springs and Ayers Rock Tour
This is part two..part one was the Tasmania Tour.
We flew from Tasmania to Melbourne ,the flight was uneventful but the Melbourne airport seemed to be in the middle if a little desert..as it sure looked dry from the air.
The drive to our hotel was via the freeway and we did not encounter a single traffic light until we were several blockds from the hotel....great
First let me say this about Australia.
If you super impose the map of Australia over the map of the USA (not counting Alaska) ,then Australia is bigger.
I would not have thought this!!
Melbourne is a nice city.
They have retained a lot of their classic heritage building ,unlike Sydney.
Our hotle was right on the corner of Flinders Street and Williams,which is near everything and just across the street from the Yarra River.
We lucked out and got a room with a great view of the Rivr and the Crown Entertainment Complex right across the river....so you know we had a great view.
Once again I want to add that if you are coming to Melbourne,do your homework and know where all the major places are
.... as most of them are within walking distance, we walked almost everywhere.
The main walking street is Swanston Street.
The main corner is Swanston Street and Flinders Street....and this is where the lovely St. Paul's Cathedral is.
Walk down Swanston street and see allthe lovely old building like:
Flinders Street Station... you cannot miss this.
The Town Hall.. a classic
State Library..nice central dome.
The City baths..on Swanston and Victoria..lovely huge red brick building.
There are many others as you walk along.
You have to walk inside the Regent Theatre on Collins and Swanston...nice isn't it ...like something out of Paris.
Now walk over to the Parliament Ground..just a few blocks from St.Paul's Cathedral.
Here you see:
1. The Treasury Building.
2.St.Patrick's Cahedral..isn't the stained glass priceless!!
3.The Grand windsor Hotel... Igot luck and had a tour of this hotel.
4.See that water fountain across the street from the Windsor Hotel.....This is the Stanford Fountain.
This fountain was sculptured by the prisoner William Stanford , while he was serving out his sentence... amazing.
Now from here cross the street and walk into the lovely Fitzroy Gardens.
See Cook's Cottage.
No this is not Captain Cook's Cottage but rather his parents.
It was brought here from Engalnd in 1933(piece by piece )
Seen enough of this park !!??.... okay walk back to the major intersection of Swanston Street and Flinders ( you are only several blocks away)
Now cross Princess Bridge..it is right in front of you.
You are now in the middle of the beautiful Culture Complex Buildings.
Okay ,now you see that building in front of you with the 375 foot spire that lights up in many colors at night....well that is the
Victoria Arts Building.
Right next to it that round chocolate colored building is the Concert Hall.
Now it may not look as grand as the Sydney Opera House BUT it has better acoustics.
Ooops!!!
I think I will let Melbourne and sydney fight over that one. !!!
Okay keep walking over the riverprt of the bridge now... now, and you are at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
The nice Governemnt House is here.
You could spend hours here seeing thing and yet you are very near downtown.
While here you MUST visit the Shrine of Remembrance.
This Shrine is modeled after the one in Turkey ( Maosoleum of Harlicarassus) and is honor of Australian soldiers who gave their lives in war.
Walk up to the open area on the second and third floor and see this spectacular view of downtown Melborune.
Oh yes, see that tall building to your left...as you are admiring the view ....you CANNOT miss it.
They are building the highest apartment complex in maybe the whole world.... the crane is on top of the 92nd floor... amazing.
We had a private tour guide here also, and he told us to go to the 55th floor of the twin Rialto Towers for great views of all of Melbourne.
Also if you want to see a grand 1868 Mansion with priceless antiques then have your guide ( or bus it ) to Rippon Lea...it is not far away.
On ourlast day we went to Phillips Island for the Penguin Parade
This is where the Penguins come out of the ocean to their burrows on land
You need reservation for here...but you can book it in many places.
Dress warm when you go because you are sitting on outside stands..late in the evening and waiting...those ocean breezes are very chilly when you just sit and wait...
At 8:30 at night the penguins finally arrived.
It was so interesting to see them come out of the water.
First 5-6 would come out,then thye would pause and look at us...and just look and look.
Then another 5-6 would come oout and bump into the back of those already there.!!
Then another 5-6 , then they would sort og huddle and look at us ,as if to say, "What are you people doig here".
Then they would turn around and scamper back into the water.
Again they would repeat this same manoeuvre and then finally run across the sand to their burrows.!! very comical to see.
Okay ,I could go on but I have to get out of here because the Queen of England is coming to open the Commmonwealth Games in Melbourne ....and this place is not big enough for her and I at the same time.... so I'm gone .!!!
Flying to Alice Springs.
This is the Northern Territory and we are in the Outback now Mate !!
We landed in 97F temperatures....did someone say this was their cool time of the year.!
Stayed at the Alice Sring Resort and toured this little town.
Went up to Anzac hill for nice views of Alice Springs.
There is a nice war Monument here to honor the war dead.
Anzac stands for:
Australian New Zealand Army Corp
Toured the Telepgraph Station, which was established in about 1872... to relay messages from Darwin to Adelaide.
It is the best preserved of the dozen stations along the Overland Telegraph Line.
We also toured the Royal Flying Doctors Base and the School of the Air.
Interesting on how this all developed... I will let you do the reading on it if you are coming here.
This evening we experienced the Real Outback and went to and Aborigines Culture Show and Dinner.
The meal and show was right outside under the stars.
They tried to teach me how to play the Didjerodoos and were showing me how to blow into this instrument.
Yeah , I really did a good job... are you kidding me.!!! I was lucky to just blow !
Took pictures with the Aborigines allpainted up in their face and body colors.
Their dancing was really something to watch.
I was impressed.
The next day we drove all the way to Ayers Rock.( now called Uluru)
The drive is about 285 miles and took about 4 1/2 to 5 hours right through the Outback.
I see now why they call the Aborigines Bushmen...because you can drive for 50 miles and not see a tree....just bushes scattered about.
The soil is red ,like I mean red.
Halfway down our tour guide Norman stopped at a Camel Farm for lunch.
A camel ride is in order... gee I just did one in Egypt a few months ago.
But hey, you cannot pass up a camel ride.!!
Okay ,another thing I have to say..the flies are so bad in the Outback that I had to buy this head net to cover my face and head to keep the flies at bay.
Do you think I would buy and wear this crazy net if I did not have to.!!!
Our tour guide Normal explained everything as we drove along.
He was so comical.
He said to me,"if I have an accent it is because I am from the Northern part."
I thought he meant the Northern Territory of Australia....then he added,
"I'm from Edinburgh Scotland"... like yes way up North !!
He and I got along famously because I was in Edinburgh 18 months ago ,so we had lots to talk about.
But in Australia,they do not say Yes. They say Yheee ( rhymes with me.)
So each time I asked Norman something that required a yes answer, he would say "Yheeee".
It just cracked me up and with his Scottish accent yet.
Okay we went through the Macdonnell Ranges, Kings Canyon (nice place,valleys and gorges) and we finall arrive at Ayers Rock.
We stayed at the Desert Inn Resort.
there is nothing cheap here. There are four resorts here and the same company owns them all, so I was told.
So they have a closed shop and cash cow and can charge what they want....but what the heck we have to see this "Rock"in the middle on nowhere..right !!!
Now Ayers Rock was made a heritage site in 1987.
The Government gave the land back to the Aborigines and they in turn leased it back to the Government.
The Aborigines and Government jointly manage it now.
( I think I have this right ,hopefully Neil_Oz will read this and give me his valueable opinions)
You go to a viewing area at Ayers Rock and watch the sunset over Ayers Rock.
Then the next morning you wake up early and go to watch the sun rise onthe Rock.
The color changes are quite spectacular.
The custom is this:
If you are on a small group tour or if your tour guide calls ahead,then a table is set out for you at the viewing area, with your name on the table.
On the table when you arrive is Champagne and glasses.
So you drink Champagne and watch the sun set over Ayers Rock.....oh its a tough life !!!
Did I have Champagne ....you bet.!!
There is a little cave in Ayers Rock...more like a gouged out segment of the Rock.
I went inside leaned against the wall and had my picture take........
well !! what do you expect...I'm a typical tourist.
You can(and should of you are able) to walk around Ayers Rock.
You will see a nice waterhole behind a waterfall...pretty neat.
Okay now ,about 25 miles away from ayers Rock are the Olgas ( this means "Many Heads."
.
It is a collection of 36 large rocks.
The highest is about 1800 feet.
You can see them from Ayers Rock.
It is a nice drive to the Olgas ...so don't miss going there.
One Final Thing:
You can climb Ayers Rock.
There is a holding handrail and path going up.
However:
The Aborigines ( The Anangu) ask that you do NOT climb the Rock out of respect of their wishes.
Fewer people are climbing each year. I was told that each year someone dies either from dehydration and/or heart attack.
The decision to climb or not is totally yours.
Okay,the next report willbe Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef
Percy
We flew from Tasmania to Melbourne ,the flight was uneventful but the Melbourne airport seemed to be in the middle if a little desert..as it sure looked dry from the air.
The drive to our hotel was via the freeway and we did not encounter a single traffic light until we were several blockds from the hotel....great
First let me say this about Australia.
If you super impose the map of Australia over the map of the USA (not counting Alaska) ,then Australia is bigger.
I would not have thought this!!
Melbourne is a nice city.
They have retained a lot of their classic heritage building ,unlike Sydney.
Our hotle was right on the corner of Flinders Street and Williams,which is near everything and just across the street from the Yarra River.
We lucked out and got a room with a great view of the Rivr and the Crown Entertainment Complex right across the river....so you know we had a great view.
Once again I want to add that if you are coming to Melbourne,do your homework and know where all the major places are
.... as most of them are within walking distance, we walked almost everywhere.
The main walking street is Swanston Street.
The main corner is Swanston Street and Flinders Street....and this is where the lovely St. Paul's Cathedral is.
Walk down Swanston street and see allthe lovely old building like:
Flinders Street Station... you cannot miss this.
The Town Hall.. a classic
State Library..nice central dome.
The City baths..on Swanston and Victoria..lovely huge red brick building.
There are many others as you walk along.
You have to walk inside the Regent Theatre on Collins and Swanston...nice isn't it ...like something out of Paris.
Now walk over to the Parliament Ground..just a few blocks from St.Paul's Cathedral.
Here you see:
1. The Treasury Building.
2.St.Patrick's Cahedral..isn't the stained glass priceless!!
3.The Grand windsor Hotel... Igot luck and had a tour of this hotel.
4.See that water fountain across the street from the Windsor Hotel.....This is the Stanford Fountain.
This fountain was sculptured by the prisoner William Stanford , while he was serving out his sentence... amazing.
Now from here cross the street and walk into the lovely Fitzroy Gardens.
See Cook's Cottage.
No this is not Captain Cook's Cottage but rather his parents.
It was brought here from Engalnd in 1933(piece by piece )
Seen enough of this park !!??.... okay walk back to the major intersection of Swanston Street and Flinders ( you are only several blocks away)
Now cross Princess Bridge..it is right in front of you.
You are now in the middle of the beautiful Culture Complex Buildings.
Okay ,now you see that building in front of you with the 375 foot spire that lights up in many colors at night....well that is the
Victoria Arts Building.
Right next to it that round chocolate colored building is the Concert Hall.
Now it may not look as grand as the Sydney Opera House BUT it has better acoustics.
Ooops!!!
I think I will let Melbourne and sydney fight over that one. !!!
Okay keep walking over the riverprt of the bridge now... now, and you are at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
The nice Governemnt House is here.
You could spend hours here seeing thing and yet you are very near downtown.
While here you MUST visit the Shrine of Remembrance.
This Shrine is modeled after the one in Turkey ( Maosoleum of Harlicarassus) and is honor of Australian soldiers who gave their lives in war.
Walk up to the open area on the second and third floor and see this spectacular view of downtown Melborune.
Oh yes, see that tall building to your left...as you are admiring the view ....you CANNOT miss it.
They are building the highest apartment complex in maybe the whole world.... the crane is on top of the 92nd floor... amazing.
We had a private tour guide here also, and he told us to go to the 55th floor of the twin Rialto Towers for great views of all of Melbourne.
Also if you want to see a grand 1868 Mansion with priceless antiques then have your guide ( or bus it ) to Rippon Lea...it is not far away.
On ourlast day we went to Phillips Island for the Penguin Parade
This is where the Penguins come out of the ocean to their burrows on land
You need reservation for here...but you can book it in many places.
Dress warm when you go because you are sitting on outside stands..late in the evening and waiting...those ocean breezes are very chilly when you just sit and wait...
At 8:30 at night the penguins finally arrived.
It was so interesting to see them come out of the water.
First 5-6 would come out,then thye would pause and look at us...and just look and look.
Then another 5-6 would come oout and bump into the back of those already there.!!
Then another 5-6 , then they would sort og huddle and look at us ,as if to say, "What are you people doig here".
Then they would turn around and scamper back into the water.
Again they would repeat this same manoeuvre and then finally run across the sand to their burrows.!! very comical to see.
Okay ,I could go on but I have to get out of here because the Queen of England is coming to open the Commmonwealth Games in Melbourne ....and this place is not big enough for her and I at the same time.... so I'm gone .!!!
Flying to Alice Springs.
This is the Northern Territory and we are in the Outback now Mate !!
We landed in 97F temperatures....did someone say this was their cool time of the year.!
Stayed at the Alice Sring Resort and toured this little town.
Went up to Anzac hill for nice views of Alice Springs.
There is a nice war Monument here to honor the war dead.
Anzac stands for:
Australian New Zealand Army Corp
Toured the Telepgraph Station, which was established in about 1872... to relay messages from Darwin to Adelaide.
It is the best preserved of the dozen stations along the Overland Telegraph Line.
We also toured the Royal Flying Doctors Base and the School of the Air.
Interesting on how this all developed... I will let you do the reading on it if you are coming here.
This evening we experienced the Real Outback and went to and Aborigines Culture Show and Dinner.
The meal and show was right outside under the stars.
They tried to teach me how to play the Didjerodoos and were showing me how to blow into this instrument.
Yeah , I really did a good job... are you kidding me.!!! I was lucky to just blow !
Took pictures with the Aborigines allpainted up in their face and body colors.
Their dancing was really something to watch.
I was impressed.
The next day we drove all the way to Ayers Rock.( now called Uluru)
The drive is about 285 miles and took about 4 1/2 to 5 hours right through the Outback.
I see now why they call the Aborigines Bushmen...because you can drive for 50 miles and not see a tree....just bushes scattered about.
The soil is red ,like I mean red.
Halfway down our tour guide Norman stopped at a Camel Farm for lunch.
A camel ride is in order... gee I just did one in Egypt a few months ago.
But hey, you cannot pass up a camel ride.!!
Okay ,another thing I have to say..the flies are so bad in the Outback that I had to buy this head net to cover my face and head to keep the flies at bay.
Do you think I would buy and wear this crazy net if I did not have to.!!!
Our tour guide Normal explained everything as we drove along.
He was so comical.
He said to me,"if I have an accent it is because I am from the Northern part."
I thought he meant the Northern Territory of Australia....then he added,
"I'm from Edinburgh Scotland"... like yes way up North !!
He and I got along famously because I was in Edinburgh 18 months ago ,so we had lots to talk about.
But in Australia,they do not say Yes. They say Yheee ( rhymes with me.)
So each time I asked Norman something that required a yes answer, he would say "Yheeee".
It just cracked me up and with his Scottish accent yet.
Okay we went through the Macdonnell Ranges, Kings Canyon (nice place,valleys and gorges) and we finall arrive at Ayers Rock.
We stayed at the Desert Inn Resort.
there is nothing cheap here. There are four resorts here and the same company owns them all, so I was told.
So they have a closed shop and cash cow and can charge what they want....but what the heck we have to see this "Rock"in the middle on nowhere..right !!!
Now Ayers Rock was made a heritage site in 1987.
The Government gave the land back to the Aborigines and they in turn leased it back to the Government.
The Aborigines and Government jointly manage it now.
( I think I have this right ,hopefully Neil_Oz will read this and give me his valueable opinions)
You go to a viewing area at Ayers Rock and watch the sunset over Ayers Rock.
Then the next morning you wake up early and go to watch the sun rise onthe Rock.
The color changes are quite spectacular.
The custom is this:
If you are on a small group tour or if your tour guide calls ahead,then a table is set out for you at the viewing area, with your name on the table.
On the table when you arrive is Champagne and glasses.
So you drink Champagne and watch the sun set over Ayers Rock.....oh its a tough life !!!
Did I have Champagne ....you bet.!!
There is a little cave in Ayers Rock...more like a gouged out segment of the Rock.
I went inside leaned against the wall and had my picture take........
well !! what do you expect...I'm a typical tourist.
You can(and should of you are able) to walk around Ayers Rock.
You will see a nice waterhole behind a waterfall...pretty neat.
Okay now ,about 25 miles away from ayers Rock are the Olgas ( this means "Many Heads."
.It is a collection of 36 large rocks.
The highest is about 1800 feet.
You can see them from Ayers Rock.
It is a nice drive to the Olgas ...so don't miss going there.
One Final Thing:
You can climb Ayers Rock.
There is a holding handrail and path going up.
However:
The Aborigines ( The Anangu) ask that you do NOT climb the Rock out of respect of their wishes.
Fewer people are climbing each year. I was told that each year someone dies either from dehydration and/or heart attack.
The decision to climb or not is totally yours.
Okay,the next report willbe Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef
Percy
Apr 17th, 2006, 07:05 PM
#2
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Again Percy, thank you for your report
It quickly outlines many areas in which one could pinpoint while researching this area, I certainly will take note while doing my research.
You were in Austrailia during the time the cyclone hit, were you close by at that time. Again thank you for your
interesting report
It quickly outlines many areas in which one could pinpoint while researching this area, I certainly will take note while doing my research.
You were in Austrailia during the time the cyclone hit, were you close by at that time. Again thank you for your
interesting report
Apr 17th, 2006, 08:38 PM
#3
Original Poster
Hi jmvp
No, I was not in any danger from the Cyclone , although I saw the damage that it cause in some areas on TV.
I perhaps got a bit of a "tail end" of a terrific rain storm on the way to Cairns from Ayers Rock.
This is why the pilot decided to land in Alice Springs( unscheduled stop) to pick up extra fuel.
He said there was a bad storm and strong headwind going to Cairns.
When I saw how black the clouds were I was a little concerned for a while.
I did not need a Patsy Cline rain storm.
However by the time we got to Cairns ,the storm moved on and subsided somewhat, but it sure was wet and damp and fresh as we deplaned.
Hopefully ,someone from Australia who is reading this can fill me in on just where this cyclone was and the amount of damage it did.
Percy
No, I was not in any danger from the Cyclone , although I saw the damage that it cause in some areas on TV.
I perhaps got a bit of a "tail end" of a terrific rain storm on the way to Cairns from Ayers Rock.
This is why the pilot decided to land in Alice Springs( unscheduled stop) to pick up extra fuel.
He said there was a bad storm and strong headwind going to Cairns.
When I saw how black the clouds were I was a little concerned for a while.
I did not need a Patsy Cline rain storm.
However by the time we got to Cairns ,the storm moved on and subsided somewhat, but it sure was wet and damp and fresh as we deplaned.
Hopefully ,someone from Australia who is reading this can fill me in on just where this cyclone was and the amount of damage it did.
Percy
Apr 18th, 2006, 02:10 AM
#4
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Hi Percy, as you experienced, Cairns was barely affected by Cyclone Larry. Neither was Port Douglas or Daintree. The damage that has apparently been shown world-wide was south of Cairns, mistaken I believe, for "downtown Cairns". The town of Innisfail, some 90kms south, was pretty well devastated when that cyclone came in as a Category 5 (think Katrina velocity at least) and there's been much damage on Atherton Tableland. Because of adequate warnings which were heeded, there was no loss of life but nowhere near the population of New Orleans. Huge devastation to crops and livelihoods, though.
But now we have another one, Monica, due to make landfall tomorrow morning -if it continues on track it will make landfall tomorrow near Lockhart River, an Aboriginal community, on Cape York Peninsula, way north of Cairns/Port Douglas/Daintree, although Lizard Island will most likely be affected. Since Cyclone Larry a month ago,there's been heavy rain over Far North Queensland, including the already battered Innisfail and Tablelands, where some are still living under tarpaulins. Most reef trips out of Cairns and PD are cancelled tomorrow, both Kuranda trains are stuck on the range behind a landslide. April is now well on track to being the wettest month in Far North Queensland, since records began.
But now we have another one, Monica, due to make landfall tomorrow morning -if it continues on track it will make landfall tomorrow near Lockhart River, an Aboriginal community, on Cape York Peninsula, way north of Cairns/Port Douglas/Daintree, although Lizard Island will most likely be affected. Since Cyclone Larry a month ago,there's been heavy rain over Far North Queensland, including the already battered Innisfail and Tablelands, where some are still living under tarpaulins. Most reef trips out of Cairns and PD are cancelled tomorrow, both Kuranda trains are stuck on the range behind a landslide. April is now well on track to being the wettest month in Far North Queensland, since records began.
Apr 18th, 2006, 06:57 AM
#5
Original Poster
pat_woolford
Thank You very much for all the terrific information.
When I got back home ,everyone was asking if I was in the path of any cyclone.
My goodness, I am glad I was there during the month of March and not April.
Keep is posted as to what happens.
Bless you heart and once again Thank You
Percy
Thank You very much for all the terrific information.
When I got back home ,everyone was asking if I was in the path of any cyclone.
My goodness, I am glad I was there during the month of March and not April.
Keep is posted as to what happens.
Bless you heart and once again Thank You
Percy
Apr 19th, 2006, 01:24 PM
#7
Original Poster
okkuriwin
Glad I could help.
Hope you enjoy Melbourne as much as I did.
Percy
Glad I could help.
Hope you enjoy Melbourne as much as I did.
Percy
Apr 19th, 2006, 06:52 PM
#8
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I am a Melbournian Percy and am so glad you liked my city .Always nice to get a strangers views and persepctive . Lots of others things to see and do and I hope you will come back .Looking forward to the rest of your report .
Apr 19th, 2006, 07:37 PM
#9
Original Poster
Hi John
Yes I really like Melbourne.
I did a lot of walk and also had a great tour guide to take me to the more distant places in your lovely city.
Being on Flinders Street and Williams helped because I could walk to so many places.
Your lucky to be in Melbourne.
Percy
Yes I really like Melbourne.
I did a lot of walk and also had a great tour guide to take me to the more distant places in your lovely city.
Being on Flinders Street and Williams helped because I could walk to so many places.
Your lucky to be in Melbourne.
Percy
Apr 19th, 2006, 07:53 PM
#10
Original Poster
John lives in Melbourne...so I will only add that you are better to be in the downtown centre .
This way you can walk to all the places that I mentioned ...there is lots to see.
Percy
This way you can walk to all the places that I mentioned ...there is lots to see.
Percy
Apr 20th, 2006, 06:52 PM
#12
Original Poster
Hi shillmac
Nice to see you visting this post.
You are the Costa Rica expert and I read your terrific post on the Latin American forum.
Percy
Nice to see you visting this post.
You are the Costa Rica expert and I read your terrific post on the Latin American forum.
Percy
Jun 9th, 2006, 12:23 PM
#13
Original Poster
ttt for lechar
Also lechar I am bringing to the top (ttt)the Cairns report.
Percy
Also lechar I am bringing to the top (ttt)the Cairns report.
Percy
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