Australia trip report - Singapore, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Uluru
Sep 17th, 2003, 02:16 PM
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Australia trip report - Singapore, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Uluru
This site was so helpful in planning our trip that I feel honour bound to do as good a trip report as possible. Firstly, five of us went:- Pauline, 50's, Marc, Liz and me, 30's and Joshua, 12 but going on 15. Our trip was for the whole of August. Here goes.
Booking flights on the internet rather than using a travel agent saved us so much money. The best deal at the time was Singapore Airlines and so we decided to have 2 nights in Singapore. This was one of our best moves. I can't rate Singapore Airlines highly enough, the service is excellent and the in-flight entertainment, that allows you to choose what you wanted to watch, is superb. Singapore is a great stopover. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton as a treat and it was superb and not that expensive (about £50 per person per night)We were there Saturday and the shopping hours seemed to be 11am to 9pm. Our first stop was Ah Teng's bakery at Raffles - it's ok but not worth a special trip there - the walk round Raffles was better though, a real sense of the history of the place. Then a bumboat ride from Clarke Quay which was excellent. On to Chinatown via the MRT which is a joyful experience in itself for those of us used to London's tube! The Sri Manamman Hindu temple was superb, such a special place and a 'must do'. Another 'must do' is lunch at Maxwell Road Hawker Centre - it's just a big shed but an amazing variety of food and despite it being very busy we were the only tourists/Europeans there. It is completely authentic and delicious, dirt cheap food as well - one of my highlights. Had dinner at Doc Chengs at Raffles. Superb meal...I had a Pupu Plate to start, for it's comedy value as much as anything, but it was the unanimous best choice. Desserts not as good as the rest but overall an excellent meal. Taxi's are so cheap and very easy to get.
SUNDAY. Jetlag hit! Liz and Pauline had had massages in the afternoon and slept perfectly. Top tip then is to have a massage to avoid jetlag. Decided on the zoo today. Bit of an overlong journey via MRT and bus to get there but everyone agreed that it was a highlight of the trip. The zoo is excellent and all the animals except for the scabby ostriches looked very fit and healthy - must be one of the best zoos in the world and better than San Diego which we went to 3 years ago. Did the night safari that evening (got taxi there), after the zoo during the day it did lose a bit of its novelty but still it is an experience that you won't get anywhere else and was well worth it.
MONDAY Our flight was in the evening so it allowed some Orchard Road shopping. Went to Botanic Gardens and the national Orchid Collection. The Gardens were excellent and allowed a quick walk through some rainforest. We were all pleased to find that the Margaret Thatcher orchid was small and brown and rather ugly. Humidity is a bit of a killer here though and way too much for me
Best things about Singapore were:-
* The hotel - huge rooms and bathrroms with great views, excellent and polite staff - a great way to start a holiday
* The cleanliness of the whole city
* The politeness of everyone
* The Zoo
* The shops
Sydney is in the next posting
Booking flights on the internet rather than using a travel agent saved us so much money. The best deal at the time was Singapore Airlines and so we decided to have 2 nights in Singapore. This was one of our best moves. I can't rate Singapore Airlines highly enough, the service is excellent and the in-flight entertainment, that allows you to choose what you wanted to watch, is superb. Singapore is a great stopover. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton as a treat and it was superb and not that expensive (about £50 per person per night)We were there Saturday and the shopping hours seemed to be 11am to 9pm. Our first stop was Ah Teng's bakery at Raffles - it's ok but not worth a special trip there - the walk round Raffles was better though, a real sense of the history of the place. Then a bumboat ride from Clarke Quay which was excellent. On to Chinatown via the MRT which is a joyful experience in itself for those of us used to London's tube! The Sri Manamman Hindu temple was superb, such a special place and a 'must do'. Another 'must do' is lunch at Maxwell Road Hawker Centre - it's just a big shed but an amazing variety of food and despite it being very busy we were the only tourists/Europeans there. It is completely authentic and delicious, dirt cheap food as well - one of my highlights. Had dinner at Doc Chengs at Raffles. Superb meal...I had a Pupu Plate to start, for it's comedy value as much as anything, but it was the unanimous best choice. Desserts not as good as the rest but overall an excellent meal. Taxi's are so cheap and very easy to get.
SUNDAY. Jetlag hit! Liz and Pauline had had massages in the afternoon and slept perfectly. Top tip then is to have a massage to avoid jetlag. Decided on the zoo today. Bit of an overlong journey via MRT and bus to get there but everyone agreed that it was a highlight of the trip. The zoo is excellent and all the animals except for the scabby ostriches looked very fit and healthy - must be one of the best zoos in the world and better than San Diego which we went to 3 years ago. Did the night safari that evening (got taxi there), after the zoo during the day it did lose a bit of its novelty but still it is an experience that you won't get anywhere else and was well worth it.
MONDAY Our flight was in the evening so it allowed some Orchard Road shopping. Went to Botanic Gardens and the national Orchid Collection. The Gardens were excellent and allowed a quick walk through some rainforest. We were all pleased to find that the Margaret Thatcher orchid was small and brown and rather ugly. Humidity is a bit of a killer here though and way too much for me
Best things about Singapore were:-
* The hotel - huge rooms and bathrroms with great views, excellent and polite staff - a great way to start a holiday
* The cleanliness of the whole city
* The politeness of everyone
* The Zoo
* The shops
Sydney is in the next posting
Sep 17th, 2003, 02:52 PM
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Sydney
Arrived at 5.30am Tuesday and as there's 5 of us got a big taxi to our hotel. Getting the taxi couldnt have been easier and was fairly cheap and very easy. In Sydney for 6 nights so chose Savile Park Suites on Oxford St. Excellent location and price ($240 a night) We didnt expect our room to be ready and so were given a small apartment to rest in. We checked a few times though to see if our room was ready and must have looked so grim that we were given an upgrade to the top (15th) floor and a lovely apartment that had views of the harbour bridge (a very tiny corner) and the Opera House. Walking through Hyde Park was lovely and we never thought that our hotel was too far from the City centre, again taxi's are cheap and easy to get and the CityRail station was very close. Lunch at Cockle Bay was so good, sitting in the sun overlooking the water! excellent and so relaxing. The temperature here was superb and not a cloud in the sky for the whole of our stay, apparantly it was unseasonably warm though.
WEDNESDAY
Walked to Botanic Gardens - seeing all the huge bats roosting in the trees was amazing. The walk down through the Domain and to Mrs Macquaries Chair was so beautiful - another 'must do' brilliant views. Toured the Opera House which was very interesting and well worth doing. Booked our Bridge Climb - must advise prebooking if you want the much heralded twilight trips. We got a 9.15am and this was fine though. Had drinks at a harbour front bar in the Overseas Passenger Terminal Building, brilliant views of the Opera House, Circular Quay and the city - definately worth doing. Dinner at Sailor's Thai, a brilliant meal and not hugely expensive.
THURSDAY
The Bridge Climb is superb! Joshua's highlight of the whole trip, it's not at all scarey and there were plenty of older people making the trip. Straight on the ferry to Manly and straight off the ferry to a restaurant overlooking the harbour (I forget the name but its to the left as you come off the ferry and stands out as the best place to eat in that little area) Sat outside and we all had fish and chips - perfect. Walked the calories off via the Corso and on to Fairy Beach where the sun was dipping below the horizon and a string quartet played for a wedding party on the beach! absolutely wonderful.
Sydney concludes in next post
Arrived at 5.30am Tuesday and as there's 5 of us got a big taxi to our hotel. Getting the taxi couldnt have been easier and was fairly cheap and very easy. In Sydney for 6 nights so chose Savile Park Suites on Oxford St. Excellent location and price ($240 a night) We didnt expect our room to be ready and so were given a small apartment to rest in. We checked a few times though to see if our room was ready and must have looked so grim that we were given an upgrade to the top (15th) floor and a lovely apartment that had views of the harbour bridge (a very tiny corner) and the Opera House. Walking through Hyde Park was lovely and we never thought that our hotel was too far from the City centre, again taxi's are cheap and easy to get and the CityRail station was very close. Lunch at Cockle Bay was so good, sitting in the sun overlooking the water! excellent and so relaxing. The temperature here was superb and not a cloud in the sky for the whole of our stay, apparantly it was unseasonably warm though.
WEDNESDAY
Walked to Botanic Gardens - seeing all the huge bats roosting in the trees was amazing. The walk down through the Domain and to Mrs Macquaries Chair was so beautiful - another 'must do' brilliant views. Toured the Opera House which was very interesting and well worth doing. Booked our Bridge Climb - must advise prebooking if you want the much heralded twilight trips. We got a 9.15am and this was fine though. Had drinks at a harbour front bar in the Overseas Passenger Terminal Building, brilliant views of the Opera House, Circular Quay and the city - definately worth doing. Dinner at Sailor's Thai, a brilliant meal and not hugely expensive.
THURSDAY
The Bridge Climb is superb! Joshua's highlight of the whole trip, it's not at all scarey and there were plenty of older people making the trip. Straight on the ferry to Manly and straight off the ferry to a restaurant overlooking the harbour (I forget the name but its to the left as you come off the ferry and stands out as the best place to eat in that little area) Sat outside and we all had fish and chips - perfect. Walked the calories off via the Corso and on to Fairy Beach where the sun was dipping below the horizon and a string quartet played for a wedding party on the beach! absolutely wonderful.
Sydney concludes in next post
Sep 17th, 2003, 03:11 PM
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FRIDAY
Picked up our car, an estate car that just about took us and our luggage. Hertz, kinda expensive but worth it. Drove to Blue Mountains. Did the Three Sisters and then walked to the scenic railway and cablecar. Excellent walks that have very interesting interpretive signs along the way giving information about the forest, wished we had had more time here. Did the Observation Deck at the AMP Tower in the evening. This was ok and there was a film show beforehand.
SATURDAY
Shopping. Went to Harry's Cafe de Wheels - this was my highlight of the trip! Gorgeous meat pie topped with mushy peas and tomato sauce...I would definately recommend this. Took taxi to Paddington and shopped our way back to our hotel along Oxford Street which was excellent. Booked Bayswater Brasserie - Joshua had his first oyster. Meal was superb, Pauline's blue cheese souffle was best starter and the poached fillet of beef with beetroot was divine, especially washed down with a bottle of Grant Burge Holy Trinity (which our waitor at Sailor's Thai had said was his favourate wine) Strawberry tarte tatin to finish - completely excellent, expensive yes but very well worth it.
SUNDAY
Woke up with a hangover! Annual City to Surf run today so followed them on a bus to Bondi Beach and did the walk over the cliffs to Tamarama and then Bronte beaches, an excellent walk and very much recommended.
Liz Josh and I did a speedboat tour round the harbour which was excellent -such a laugh and a great way to see the harbour.
Sydney is absolutely wonderful, maybe it was the weather but can definately say it is the most beautiful city in the world.
Canberra in next posting
Picked up our car, an estate car that just about took us and our luggage. Hertz, kinda expensive but worth it. Drove to Blue Mountains. Did the Three Sisters and then walked to the scenic railway and cablecar. Excellent walks that have very interesting interpretive signs along the way giving information about the forest, wished we had had more time here. Did the Observation Deck at the AMP Tower in the evening. This was ok and there was a film show beforehand.
SATURDAY
Shopping. Went to Harry's Cafe de Wheels - this was my highlight of the trip! Gorgeous meat pie topped with mushy peas and tomato sauce...I would definately recommend this. Took taxi to Paddington and shopped our way back to our hotel along Oxford Street which was excellent. Booked Bayswater Brasserie - Joshua had his first oyster. Meal was superb, Pauline's blue cheese souffle was best starter and the poached fillet of beef with beetroot was divine, especially washed down with a bottle of Grant Burge Holy Trinity (which our waitor at Sailor's Thai had said was his favourate wine) Strawberry tarte tatin to finish - completely excellent, expensive yes but very well worth it.
SUNDAY
Woke up with a hangover! Annual City to Surf run today so followed them on a bus to Bondi Beach and did the walk over the cliffs to Tamarama and then Bronte beaches, an excellent walk and very much recommended.
Liz Josh and I did a speedboat tour round the harbour which was excellent -such a laugh and a great way to see the harbour.
Sydney is absolutely wonderful, maybe it was the weather but can definately say it is the most beautiful city in the world.
Canberra in next posting
Sep 18th, 2003, 04:06 AM
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Tim, I am looking forward to the next instalment... I'm really glad the weather was kind to you (I so often tell people NOT to come near Sydney in August that it is good to read the opposing viewpoint; I guess Sydney really never gets TOO unpleasant, and if you come from a cold climate, you wouldn't worry about winter in sunny Sydney!)
Glad you liked Harry's Cafe de Wheels! And thank you for your kind words about my home town!
Glad you liked Harry's Cafe de Wheels! And thank you for your kind words about my home town!
Sep 18th, 2003, 11:55 PM
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Thanks Alan, for me the weather really was perfect.
MONDAY
Getting the five of us out of the apartment by 9.45am was a minor miracle. We decided early on that we wanted to drive between Sydney and Adelaide and we were very glad we chose this option and we loved the freedom that having a car gave us. The drive through the Royal National Park was superb. Our first stop was Wattamolla Lagoon, such a special place and with no one around it took on a marvellous atmosphere, we took a short walk along the cliff tops while we were here. Next stop was the Forest Walk, although it was comparatively long given that we aimed to get to Canberra the same day it was another trip highlight and I'd definately recommend it. Had a pretty awful lunch at Wollongong - way too much salt in everything except the gorgeous milkshakes. On the road again and up through the Southern Highlands - such lovely countryside and twisty mountain roads. So twisty in fact that the combination of my driving and the lunch we'd had make Pauline sick, resulting in a temporary driving ban for me. Made it to Fitzroy Falls just in time to be able to see them in the fading light. One of the things that in planning this trip I hadn't taken enough account of was the fact that it begins to get dark so early, obvious in hindsight but it did make the days too short. There were a few things between Sydney and Canberra that we would have liked to do but looking back I dont think we would alter the itinery to include an overnight. Managed to see my first kangaroos from my relegated position on the back seat. Got in to Canberra at about 7.30pm - a long day but excellent. Had booked the Crowne Plaza on Wotif the day before. Fine enough place - nothing special though. Good room service and straight to bed.
MONDAY
Getting the five of us out of the apartment by 9.45am was a minor miracle. We decided early on that we wanted to drive between Sydney and Adelaide and we were very glad we chose this option and we loved the freedom that having a car gave us. The drive through the Royal National Park was superb. Our first stop was Wattamolla Lagoon, such a special place and with no one around it took on a marvellous atmosphere, we took a short walk along the cliff tops while we were here. Next stop was the Forest Walk, although it was comparatively long given that we aimed to get to Canberra the same day it was another trip highlight and I'd definately recommend it. Had a pretty awful lunch at Wollongong - way too much salt in everything except the gorgeous milkshakes. On the road again and up through the Southern Highlands - such lovely countryside and twisty mountain roads. So twisty in fact that the combination of my driving and the lunch we'd had make Pauline sick, resulting in a temporary driving ban for me. Made it to Fitzroy Falls just in time to be able to see them in the fading light. One of the things that in planning this trip I hadn't taken enough account of was the fact that it begins to get dark so early, obvious in hindsight but it did make the days too short. There were a few things between Sydney and Canberra that we would have liked to do but looking back I dont think we would alter the itinery to include an overnight. Managed to see my first kangaroos from my relegated position on the back seat. Got in to Canberra at about 7.30pm - a long day but excellent. Had booked the Crowne Plaza on Wotif the day before. Fine enough place - nothing special though. Good room service and straight to bed.
Sep 19th, 2003, 12:13 AM
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TUESDAY
Did the Australian Institute of Sport, this was for Joshua who is captain of his school soccer team, very good tour though and we all enjoyed it even though the place was very quiet with no athletes training. On to Parliament and got there just in time for Prime Minister's Question Time, this was for Marc who has been a candidate in our elections. This turned out to be another trip highlight and a 'must do', it was so good being able to see politicians being typical politicians, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and I'd definately recommend it and there are so many public gallery seats that we didnt need to book, its accessibility such a contrast to our own Parliament. Then on to the National Museum, a huge modern place that contained a vast array of exhibits that our 2 hours didn't really do justice to. It definately was worth more time. We tried to get to the National War Memorial but arrived just after it had shut.
Went to a restaurant called The Tryst, got there eventually after a taxi driver had dropped us off in the wrong place. Excellent food and service and a definate recommendation.
Canberra is an odd place, so many trees and open spaces but no old buildings at all and so few people anywhere. Having said that I would definately recommend a 2 night stay, maybe 3 if you have the time. We were all very glad we had included it in our itinery.
On to Melbourne in the next posting
Did the Australian Institute of Sport, this was for Joshua who is captain of his school soccer team, very good tour though and we all enjoyed it even though the place was very quiet with no athletes training. On to Parliament and got there just in time for Prime Minister's Question Time, this was for Marc who has been a candidate in our elections. This turned out to be another trip highlight and a 'must do', it was so good being able to see politicians being typical politicians, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and I'd definately recommend it and there are so many public gallery seats that we didnt need to book, its accessibility such a contrast to our own Parliament. Then on to the National Museum, a huge modern place that contained a vast array of exhibits that our 2 hours didn't really do justice to. It definately was worth more time. We tried to get to the National War Memorial but arrived just after it had shut.
Went to a restaurant called The Tryst, got there eventually after a taxi driver had dropped us off in the wrong place. Excellent food and service and a definate recommendation.
Canberra is an odd place, so many trees and open spaces but no old buildings at all and so few people anywhere. Having said that I would definately recommend a 2 night stay, maybe 3 if you have the time. We were all very glad we had included it in our itinery.
On to Melbourne in the next posting
Sep 19th, 2003, 12:36 PM
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Just a little history lesson ( tongue in cheek ) about Canberra.
There was this big, big, brown patch of earth in New South Wales where the crown used to fly with their water bottles tied around their necks - usually backwards because of the wind blowing so hard, that some bright person thought that "what a wonderful place to put all our politicians and keep them out of the way of the rest of us". So they bought about 80 million trees, hired park and town designers, dug a wonderfully big pond and set about building what is now Canberra. They made sure that there would be no more than 3 cars on any one street at any one time, & that there would be enough room should the horse and buggy make a come-back.
Now all Australians are happy that the Pollies are away from the rest of us, the Pollies are happy that they don't have to hob nob with the unwashed masses and the crows now have somewhere to rest on their long journey over what was a big bit of brown windswept earth.
There was this big, big, brown patch of earth in New South Wales where the crown used to fly with their water bottles tied around their necks - usually backwards because of the wind blowing so hard, that some bright person thought that "what a wonderful place to put all our politicians and keep them out of the way of the rest of us". So they bought about 80 million trees, hired park and town designers, dug a wonderfully big pond and set about building what is now Canberra. They made sure that there would be no more than 3 cars on any one street at any one time, & that there would be enough room should the horse and buggy make a come-back.
Now all Australians are happy that the Pollies are away from the rest of us, the Pollies are happy that they don't have to hob nob with the unwashed masses and the crows now have somewhere to rest on their long journey over what was a big bit of brown windswept earth.
Sep 21st, 2003, 03:24 AM
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WEDNESDAY
Our first day of rain. Drove to Cooma and found out that the Alpine way was open. Picked up chains at Jindabine and dropped them off at Kholcoban...very good and cheap arrangement. Drove up to Thredbo...so cool to see all that snow and people skiing but it was raining and there is nowhere to park in Thredbo so we drove on...and on....and on. So much roadkill. Got as far as Wadonga and just stopped at first motel we saw. Ate in a deserted restaurant...not just no customers but no staff either...eventually they turned up (from an adult store next door) and then regaled us with their life story! Was certainly a unique experience!
THURSDAY
Drove to Glenrowan and had an excellent breakfast...way too much tourist tatt though and definately only worth visiting if you're close by or driving through. Beautiful countryside on route to Melbourne and managed to glimpse a koala (up a tree rather than roadside. For accommodation in Melbourne we went upmarket and booked a three-bedroom aoartment in South Yarra with The Manor House group. Fabulous apartment and well worth the expense and we did get a cheap rate through booking early. Went up the Rialto tower and ate at Chocolate Buddha at Federation Square next to Flinders St station, excellent place and well worth a visit, specially at night.
FRIDAY
Did the free circle tram, excellent way to see the city centre and a very amusing conductor. First stop was the Queen Victoria Centre...not something you would think would be worth a visit but it has a huge selection of food and is definately worth an hours time. Also had THE best doughnuts EVER. On to Melbourne Jail, which was interesting. Did some shopping and the Captain Cooks Cottage which is well worth a visit as it only takes 20 minutes to see and appreciate.
Our first day of rain. Drove to Cooma and found out that the Alpine way was open. Picked up chains at Jindabine and dropped them off at Kholcoban...very good and cheap arrangement. Drove up to Thredbo...so cool to see all that snow and people skiing but it was raining and there is nowhere to park in Thredbo so we drove on...and on....and on. So much roadkill. Got as far as Wadonga and just stopped at first motel we saw. Ate in a deserted restaurant...not just no customers but no staff either...eventually they turned up (from an adult store next door) and then regaled us with their life story! Was certainly a unique experience!
THURSDAY
Drove to Glenrowan and had an excellent breakfast...way too much tourist tatt though and definately only worth visiting if you're close by or driving through. Beautiful countryside on route to Melbourne and managed to glimpse a koala (up a tree rather than roadside. For accommodation in Melbourne we went upmarket and booked a three-bedroom aoartment in South Yarra with The Manor House group. Fabulous apartment and well worth the expense and we did get a cheap rate through booking early. Went up the Rialto tower and ate at Chocolate Buddha at Federation Square next to Flinders St station, excellent place and well worth a visit, specially at night.
FRIDAY
Did the free circle tram, excellent way to see the city centre and a very amusing conductor. First stop was the Queen Victoria Centre...not something you would think would be worth a visit but it has a huge selection of food and is definately worth an hours time. Also had THE best doughnuts EVER. On to Melbourne Jail, which was interesting. Did some shopping and the Captain Cooks Cottage which is well worth a visit as it only takes 20 minutes to see and appreciate.
Sep 21st, 2003, 03:49 AM
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SATURDAY
Como House first thing which was made superb by having a personal tour from June who was so enthusiastic about the house and its former occupants.. Drove to St Kilda and had lovely fish and chipps overlooking the bay. Did some shopping on Chapel Street, excellent shops.
SUNDAY
Had booked tickets for an Aussie rules football match at the MCG...wonderful experience. Make sure you have a Four and Twenty meat pie at half time.
MONDAY
Healesville Santuary is a definate 'must do' such a wonderful setting and a great way to see wildlife close up. Drove on to Chateau Yering for excellent lunch and some wine tasting...the hotel looked to be a wonderful place to stay if you have the money. Beautiful contryside on the drive home.
TUESDAY
Belgrave and the Puffing Billy. Great fun and well worth doing. On to William Ricketts Sanctuary, tiny place but very special and I would definately recommend spending time here. Drove on up to Mount Dandenong for some amazing views of Melbourne and Port Philip Bay beyond. Had booked the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant as sson as we arrived in Melbourne. This is absolutely brilliant and a definate 'must do' such an unexpected treat, superb food and so unique. Our waitress took a shine to Joshua and kept our alchohol flowing and took us off to find a possum in Albert Park. Brilliant evening and home very drunk!
WEDNESDAY
Drove to Ballarat which was nicer than I expected and a good stop for some lunch, then on to Sovereign Hill, its a bit cheesy but I think a definate must do as you won't see anything like it anywhere else and it is done well. Do go down the mine to see the 2nd biggest gold nugget ever found. Went to the Crowne Casino complex in the evening, absolutely huge place and well worth an evening.
Melbourne is not as obviously attractive as Sydney but it is very easy to see how it is a more liveable city there is such a huge range of attractions, none of which stand out in themselves but which combine to make this a wonderful city. Impossible to choose between Sydney and Melbourne, both are superb.
Great Ocean Road next
Como House first thing which was made superb by having a personal tour from June who was so enthusiastic about the house and its former occupants.. Drove to St Kilda and had lovely fish and chipps overlooking the bay. Did some shopping on Chapel Street, excellent shops.
SUNDAY
Had booked tickets for an Aussie rules football match at the MCG...wonderful experience. Make sure you have a Four and Twenty meat pie at half time.
MONDAY
Healesville Santuary is a definate 'must do' such a wonderful setting and a great way to see wildlife close up. Drove on to Chateau Yering for excellent lunch and some wine tasting...the hotel looked to be a wonderful place to stay if you have the money. Beautiful contryside on the drive home.
TUESDAY
Belgrave and the Puffing Billy. Great fun and well worth doing. On to William Ricketts Sanctuary, tiny place but very special and I would definately recommend spending time here. Drove on up to Mount Dandenong for some amazing views of Melbourne and Port Philip Bay beyond. Had booked the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant as sson as we arrived in Melbourne. This is absolutely brilliant and a definate 'must do' such an unexpected treat, superb food and so unique. Our waitress took a shine to Joshua and kept our alchohol flowing and took us off to find a possum in Albert Park. Brilliant evening and home very drunk!
WEDNESDAY
Drove to Ballarat which was nicer than I expected and a good stop for some lunch, then on to Sovereign Hill, its a bit cheesy but I think a definate must do as you won't see anything like it anywhere else and it is done well. Do go down the mine to see the 2nd biggest gold nugget ever found. Went to the Crowne Casino complex in the evening, absolutely huge place and well worth an evening.
Melbourne is not as obviously attractive as Sydney but it is very easy to see how it is a more liveable city there is such a huge range of attractions, none of which stand out in themselves but which combine to make this a wonderful city. Impossible to choose between Sydney and Melbourne, both are superb.
Great Ocean Road next
Sep 21st, 2003, 01:46 PM
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I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Melbourne. We're going to Australia in March, our second trip. My husband's mother lives in a suburb of Sydney, so we ended up spending most of our first trip in that area (she had health problems). This time I'm wanting to see more! We've got 2 days planned in Melbourne before we got to Tasmania - I was debating whether to make it only 1 day, but I think I'll keep it at 2. Thanks for the reports.
Sep 24th, 2003, 01:08 PM
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Thanks for the comments, excellent history lesson Janese and at least 2 days Alise.
THURSDAY
This would be one of the parts of the trip that with hindsight I would change, instead of one night between Melbourne and Adelaide I'd make it 2. We got up fairly early and drove down the Mornington Peninsula, nice drive and some lovely places to stop for a few minutes. The ferrys over to Queenscliffe were running on the hour every hour and we turned up at 10 to midday with just 5 cars ahead of us. Ferry was another opportunity for a meat pie! and was a good way to start the Great Ocean Road. Stopped in Lorne for lunch but what none of the guide books had warned was that it being August Lorne was shut. I guess the advantage we had though was no cars on the road. We had no time to stop at any of my planned sights along the GOR, (Erskine Falls, Maits Rest and Gibson Steps). We did though get to the Twelve Apostles at THE most perfect time, just as the sun was setting, the photos we took were just as good as any we had seen in any guide book or brochure and it lives up to its reputation. An added treat though was Loch Ard Gorge, absolutely stunning, by now though dusk had set in so the photos didn't come out so good but it is a wonderful place made better I suspect by being almost deserted, the million footprints in the sand only took the edge off slightly, definately a 'must do'. It was dark by the time we left and we almost stopped at Warnambool but I gently suggested that we should push on to Port Fairy, and we were so, so glad we did. The Lonely Planet guide (sorry Fodor) suggested the Seacombe motel and it turned out to be great, the lovely woman who greeted us booked Port Fairy's only August restaurant and we just dropped off bags and went to eat. Well!..the Dublin House restaurant (its a hotel too) turned out to be one of the best meals we had, maybe because it was so unexpected and everyone had very, very fine meals. This was one of our very best days and the combination of things is one that I would urge anyone to do and to give more time to.
FRIDAY
Unfortunately Joshua broke his brace so we had to stop in Portland while he got it fixed, it allowed some of us to have a long breakfast overlooking the lovely beach and the less lovely aluminium smelting plant. Luckily by now I was back on the driving rota so some fast driving made our time up. Stopped at a garage overlooking the mighty Murray river and had another excellent meat pie and Liz and Pauline had some of the best soup they said they had ever had, not bad for a garage! Coast road took us through the Coorong National Park, am sure it is worth a little more time than we could give it. Did see lots of birdlife though, including wild emus I think. Arrived at our caravan park! in Adelaide before dark. The caravan park was part of the deal for the luxury 3bed apartment in Melbourne, I would definately recommend it. We stayed at Adelaide Caravan Park. Only disadvantage was that it was our turn for the worst room so it meant bunk beds for 4 nights.
Adelaide in next post
THURSDAY
This would be one of the parts of the trip that with hindsight I would change, instead of one night between Melbourne and Adelaide I'd make it 2. We got up fairly early and drove down the Mornington Peninsula, nice drive and some lovely places to stop for a few minutes. The ferrys over to Queenscliffe were running on the hour every hour and we turned up at 10 to midday with just 5 cars ahead of us. Ferry was another opportunity for a meat pie! and was a good way to start the Great Ocean Road. Stopped in Lorne for lunch but what none of the guide books had warned was that it being August Lorne was shut. I guess the advantage we had though was no cars on the road. We had no time to stop at any of my planned sights along the GOR, (Erskine Falls, Maits Rest and Gibson Steps). We did though get to the Twelve Apostles at THE most perfect time, just as the sun was setting, the photos we took were just as good as any we had seen in any guide book or brochure and it lives up to its reputation. An added treat though was Loch Ard Gorge, absolutely stunning, by now though dusk had set in so the photos didn't come out so good but it is a wonderful place made better I suspect by being almost deserted, the million footprints in the sand only took the edge off slightly, definately a 'must do'. It was dark by the time we left and we almost stopped at Warnambool but I gently suggested that we should push on to Port Fairy, and we were so, so glad we did. The Lonely Planet guide (sorry Fodor) suggested the Seacombe motel and it turned out to be great, the lovely woman who greeted us booked Port Fairy's only August restaurant and we just dropped off bags and went to eat. Well!..the Dublin House restaurant (its a hotel too) turned out to be one of the best meals we had, maybe because it was so unexpected and everyone had very, very fine meals. This was one of our very best days and the combination of things is one that I would urge anyone to do and to give more time to.
FRIDAY
Unfortunately Joshua broke his brace so we had to stop in Portland while he got it fixed, it allowed some of us to have a long breakfast overlooking the lovely beach and the less lovely aluminium smelting plant. Luckily by now I was back on the driving rota so some fast driving made our time up. Stopped at a garage overlooking the mighty Murray river and had another excellent meat pie and Liz and Pauline had some of the best soup they said they had ever had, not bad for a garage! Coast road took us through the Coorong National Park, am sure it is worth a little more time than we could give it. Did see lots of birdlife though, including wild emus I think. Arrived at our caravan park! in Adelaide before dark. The caravan park was part of the deal for the luxury 3bed apartment in Melbourne, I would definately recommend it. We stayed at Adelaide Caravan Park. Only disadvantage was that it was our turn for the worst room so it meant bunk beds for 4 nights.
Adelaide in next post
Sep 24th, 2003, 02:28 PM
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Ate in an excellent Greek place...have to say that a bit of a theme has been how long it takes to get food in restaurants here.
SATURDAY
Worst weather day so did museums. Excellent Aboriginal information at Adelaide's main museum that looked fairly new and was very well done. Best thing was the map that showed how Australia was almost completed populated when Europeans first visited. An excellent treat was the Immigration Museum and I would definately recommend this to everyone. Marc's parents had left the UK to live in Australia in the 60s (they returned when he was 14) and there was so much that he remembered. There were some excellent little notes that visitors had written that showed how some people hold such racist views still - very thought provoking and a 'must do'. Had a barbeque tonight!...great fun
SUNDAY
Excellent breakfast at the Convention Centre overlooking the river then on to our destination for the day - Granite Island. Stopped at Hahndorf first...didnt like it much though, way too touristy. Drove through Strathalbyn which didn't warrant stopping the car. Got to the coast and went up the Bluff near Victor Harbour to see if we could spy some whales...none though. Took the horse-drawn tram to Granite Island and walked round it...a lovely walk...no one wanted to stay though and see the penguins. Had more donuts (not as good as at QVM in Melbourne) but we had fun at Liz's expense reinacting a scene from The Birds with Liz doing an excellent Tippi Hedren with the help of some hungry seagulls and scraps of donut(she hates birds).
Got home and very disappointed to find that there was no decent restaurant open in Adelaide on a Sunday or Monday night! Distraught!
MONDAY
Did the wine museum first thing which was great fun and well worth doing and then drove to the Barossa Valley. Lovely but long lunch at Saltrams and did the wine tasting, resisted doing the winetasting scene from Absolutely Fabulous. Drove on to Grant Burge and did more wine tasting and bought yet more wine. Excellent day
Uluru in next posting
SATURDAY
Worst weather day so did museums. Excellent Aboriginal information at Adelaide's main museum that looked fairly new and was very well done. Best thing was the map that showed how Australia was almost completed populated when Europeans first visited. An excellent treat was the Immigration Museum and I would definately recommend this to everyone. Marc's parents had left the UK to live in Australia in the 60s (they returned when he was 14) and there was so much that he remembered. There were some excellent little notes that visitors had written that showed how some people hold such racist views still - very thought provoking and a 'must do'. Had a barbeque tonight!...great fun
SUNDAY
Excellent breakfast at the Convention Centre overlooking the river then on to our destination for the day - Granite Island. Stopped at Hahndorf first...didnt like it much though, way too touristy. Drove through Strathalbyn which didn't warrant stopping the car. Got to the coast and went up the Bluff near Victor Harbour to see if we could spy some whales...none though. Took the horse-drawn tram to Granite Island and walked round it...a lovely walk...no one wanted to stay though and see the penguins. Had more donuts (not as good as at QVM in Melbourne) but we had fun at Liz's expense reinacting a scene from The Birds with Liz doing an excellent Tippi Hedren with the help of some hungry seagulls and scraps of donut(she hates birds).
Got home and very disappointed to find that there was no decent restaurant open in Adelaide on a Sunday or Monday night! Distraught!
MONDAY
Did the wine museum first thing which was great fun and well worth doing and then drove to the Barossa Valley. Lovely but long lunch at Saltrams and did the wine tasting, resisted doing the winetasting scene from Absolutely Fabulous. Drove on to Grant Burge and did more wine tasting and bought yet more wine. Excellent day
Uluru in next posting
Sep 24th, 2003, 03:10 PM
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Forgot to my little review of Adelaide...another odd place that probably takes more time to appreciate. I'm a town planner so I appreciate the circle of parkland around the city centre but it didn't seem to make the most of the river. I guess that not every city should have an instant and obvious appeal to visitors, I grew up near Bath and I know how fed up some local people would get in summer when Bath just filled with tourists. Would I recommend Adelaide? - yes definately but given our overall stay I wouldnt have added more days to the 4 nights we had there.
TUESDAY
9am flight to Uluru, very sorry to say goodbye to our car which had been excellent, driving has been an excellent choice. Arrived at Uluru at lunchtime. We stayed at Emu Walk apartments which were very good and so close to the shopping square. Unfortunately we hadn't booked anything beforehand and so we were unable to fit in the Sounds of Silence dinner, luckily we heard from other people that it was really windy the night they went. Other than that though it was a blur of credit cards and our tours were booked. Did the sunset at Uluru first which was excellent. Ate at the best restaurant at Sails in the Desert...being at Emu Walk means you can walk anywhere...this made up for our disappointments in Adelaide and was worth every dollar, fabulous food, specially dessert.
WEDNESDAY
Up very early to do the sunrise walk round Uluru with Discovery Ecotours. This was excellent and well worth paying extra for the guide. Caught some rays by the pool in the afternoon and then did the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta with AAT Kings...excellent walk and a 'must do' Mr AAT liked the sound of his own voice a bit too much though. he did make everyone be silent for a few minutes though at the end of our walk which did illustrate very well just how completely silent the place is. Did the Kata Tjuta sunset with AAT and then on to a barbeque...not great food and a bit too much enforced jollity but we were there on the night that Mars was closest to earth and it was a cloudless sky so even though we were'n't at the Sounds of Silence dinner we did have a great time.
THURSDAY
Up even earlier to do Kings Canyon...again with AAT but luckily a different guide. Kings Canyon is absolutely stunning and definately our favourate day here, I can't recommend it highly enough...definately a 'must-do'
FRIDAY
Had time before our afternoon flight to do a helicopter trip over Kata Tjuta and Uluru, Joshua got to sit up front. Liz saw her first wildlife...camels...and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.
Uluru is so, so special...others had been a bit sceptical about spending a precious 3 nights here and none north of Sydney at all but we all agreed that 3 nights was perfect and any less just simply wouldn't do the place justice. Of all the things we did on this trip spending 3 nights here and going to Kings Canyon was our wisest choice and something I really would recommend to everyone.
Last night in Sydney next
TUESDAY
9am flight to Uluru, very sorry to say goodbye to our car which had been excellent, driving has been an excellent choice. Arrived at Uluru at lunchtime. We stayed at Emu Walk apartments which were very good and so close to the shopping square. Unfortunately we hadn't booked anything beforehand and so we were unable to fit in the Sounds of Silence dinner, luckily we heard from other people that it was really windy the night they went. Other than that though it was a blur of credit cards and our tours were booked. Did the sunset at Uluru first which was excellent. Ate at the best restaurant at Sails in the Desert...being at Emu Walk means you can walk anywhere...this made up for our disappointments in Adelaide and was worth every dollar, fabulous food, specially dessert.
WEDNESDAY
Up very early to do the sunrise walk round Uluru with Discovery Ecotours. This was excellent and well worth paying extra for the guide. Caught some rays by the pool in the afternoon and then did the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta with AAT Kings...excellent walk and a 'must do' Mr AAT liked the sound of his own voice a bit too much though. he did make everyone be silent for a few minutes though at the end of our walk which did illustrate very well just how completely silent the place is. Did the Kata Tjuta sunset with AAT and then on to a barbeque...not great food and a bit too much enforced jollity but we were there on the night that Mars was closest to earth and it was a cloudless sky so even though we were'n't at the Sounds of Silence dinner we did have a great time.
THURSDAY
Up even earlier to do Kings Canyon...again with AAT but luckily a different guide. Kings Canyon is absolutely stunning and definately our favourate day here, I can't recommend it highly enough...definately a 'must-do'
FRIDAY
Had time before our afternoon flight to do a helicopter trip over Kata Tjuta and Uluru, Joshua got to sit up front. Liz saw her first wildlife...camels...and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.
Uluru is so, so special...others had been a bit sceptical about spending a precious 3 nights here and none north of Sydney at all but we all agreed that 3 nights was perfect and any less just simply wouldn't do the place justice. Of all the things we did on this trip spending 3 nights here and going to Kings Canyon was our wisest choice and something I really would recommend to everyone.
Last night in Sydney next
Sep 24th, 2003, 03:49 PM
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FRIDAY
Didn't know where to spend our last night so just turned up at the hotel desk at the airport and they booked the Rydges Jamieson for us. Turned out to be an excellent place in an ideal location close to Circular Quay for a last night experience. Decided that Quay would be the place to eat and luckily they had a table. We were able to walk there and the view of the Opera House and the Bridge was perfect for our last night...spent way too much on some really good wine and had a wonderful meal.
SATURDAY
Flight home wasn't until mid afternoon so it allowed some last minute shopping and some of us went to Harry's for a final meat pie (with mash, mushy peas and tomato sauce)...SO good.
Decided on a short stopover in Singapore and this worked out fine. Got home 7am Sunday....no jetlag and work on Monday for all of us.
Absolutely brilliant holiday and all my planning was so worthwhile and this site has been so very helpful. Got a few places to go before we come back but come back we most definately will.
Final thoughts:- the one thing that has really stood out is just how genuinely lovely people have been. In a whole month there was just one encounter that was less than friendly, we have all been so impressed with how effortlessly friendly, funny, helpful and cheerful virtually everyone we encountered has been; secondly how beautiful Sydney is and how liveable Melbourne is; thirdly how many dead trees there are everywhere - here you just don't see dead trees; four, how wonderful the weather was; five, how good and comparatively cheap good restaurant food is; six, how good the chocolate (Cadbury's Snack Bar)biscuits (TimTams) and meat pies (Harry's Cafe de Wheels and many other places) have been; seven, how dark your clubs and bars are; and finally, how much we are looking forward to coming back.
If anyone has any questions to ask about anything at all please feel free to ask here or at [email protected].
Thanks to all of you who helped me plan our trip and I hope this has been of use.
Didn't know where to spend our last night so just turned up at the hotel desk at the airport and they booked the Rydges Jamieson for us. Turned out to be an excellent place in an ideal location close to Circular Quay for a last night experience. Decided that Quay would be the place to eat and luckily they had a table. We were able to walk there and the view of the Opera House and the Bridge was perfect for our last night...spent way too much on some really good wine and had a wonderful meal.
SATURDAY
Flight home wasn't until mid afternoon so it allowed some last minute shopping and some of us went to Harry's for a final meat pie (with mash, mushy peas and tomato sauce)...SO good.
Decided on a short stopover in Singapore and this worked out fine. Got home 7am Sunday....no jetlag and work on Monday for all of us.
Absolutely brilliant holiday and all my planning was so worthwhile and this site has been so very helpful. Got a few places to go before we come back but come back we most definately will.
Final thoughts:- the one thing that has really stood out is just how genuinely lovely people have been. In a whole month there was just one encounter that was less than friendly, we have all been so impressed with how effortlessly friendly, funny, helpful and cheerful virtually everyone we encountered has been; secondly how beautiful Sydney is and how liveable Melbourne is; thirdly how many dead trees there are everywhere - here you just don't see dead trees; four, how wonderful the weather was; five, how good and comparatively cheap good restaurant food is; six, how good the chocolate (Cadbury's Snack Bar)biscuits (TimTams) and meat pies (Harry's Cafe de Wheels and many other places) have been; seven, how dark your clubs and bars are; and finally, how much we are looking forward to coming back.
If anyone has any questions to ask about anything at all please feel free to ask here or at [email protected].
Thanks to all of you who helped me plan our trip and I hope this has been of use.
Sep 24th, 2003, 11:26 PM
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Tim, thanks for your kind words about Australia and for what I think will be a very useful guide for others (including some Australians!) I'm glad you enjoyed your time here.
I should advise other intending visitors to ignore your Australian interlocutor "Janese", whose silly comments on our national capital were probably meant to be witty but fell embarrassingly short of that goal. They were also uninformed. Far from being located in a dusty plain, Canberra is surrounded by beautiful, undulating pastoral country and eucalyptus forests (classic Australian bushland), with the brilliantly blue Brindabella Ranges as a backdrop. Canberra is certainly worth a couple of days, with the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum and the National Gallery as "must sees" in my view. A tip, though: if you're looking for life and good food after 6 pm, don't make Bill Bryson's mistake and hang around the city centre - go to Manuka and, for plenty of good Asian food options, Dickson, both about 4 km from the city.
(Although it matters not a rat's fundament to foreign visitors, I'll add that "Janese" wrongly associates the city with politicians. She (or he) is strangely ignorant of the fact that our Federal politicians, for obvious reasons, spend much more time in their electorates (constituencies/districts) than in Canberra. For which we Canberrans are duly grateful.
I should advise other intending visitors to ignore your Australian interlocutor "Janese", whose silly comments on our national capital were probably meant to be witty but fell embarrassingly short of that goal. They were also uninformed. Far from being located in a dusty plain, Canberra is surrounded by beautiful, undulating pastoral country and eucalyptus forests (classic Australian bushland), with the brilliantly blue Brindabella Ranges as a backdrop. Canberra is certainly worth a couple of days, with the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum and the National Gallery as "must sees" in my view. A tip, though: if you're looking for life and good food after 6 pm, don't make Bill Bryson's mistake and hang around the city centre - go to Manuka and, for plenty of good Asian food options, Dickson, both about 4 km from the city.
(Although it matters not a rat's fundament to foreign visitors, I'll add that "Janese" wrongly associates the city with politicians. She (or he) is strangely ignorant of the fact that our Federal politicians, for obvious reasons, spend much more time in their electorates (constituencies/districts) than in Canberra. For which we Canberrans are duly grateful.
Sep 25th, 2003, 01:06 PM
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Neil_oz - thank you for your nit picking comments. For what its worth Canberra is located in what used to look like ( in summer ) what the area around Las Vegas was like before the developers took over.
You are probably a cross-dresser as you seem to want to wear rose coloured glasses at all times!
Lighten up! you are obviously from Canberra and have that Federal Government worker mentality. I am fully aware of where the politicians spend most of their time and isn't it significant that they do not spend it in Canberra!
You are probably a cross-dresser as you seem to want to wear rose coloured glasses at all times!
Lighten up! you are obviously from Canberra and have that Federal Government worker mentality. I am fully aware of where the politicians spend most of their time and isn't it significant that they do not spend it in Canberra!
