Spence

My wife, son and I just moved back to the states in August after 2+ years living in Sydney. I would be glad to share experiences with anyone traveling/moving to Australia.

Elsa

Hi, <BR>We are thinking about going to AU & NZ in Oct. & Nov. It seems that it would be best to start our trip in the Northern part of AU and then work our way around the continent ending up in SYD, then over to NZ. Does this seem the best route to go? <BR> <BR>Also, is it worth going to Perth? It seems so far out of the way. <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Elsa

Spence

Sounds like a good plan. Perth is in the "slow lane" compared to the east coast. It's a nice town. I only visited on business, however, so I can't tell much about that area. It's a nice little city with a great view of the ocean. You may want to move it toward the bottom of your list of places to see. My wife and I really enjoyed Port Douglas (Great Barrier Reef area). Scuba diving, jet skis, suntan, beach and the warmest water I've ever been in. I wasn't impressed with Carnes. Brisbane/Gold Coast is good for a tan. I took a boat ride up the Brisbane River to a small reserve where I got to pet kangaroos and hold a koala. Melbourne is a great city. Great food, lots of nitelife and culture, shopping, gambling. The drawback to Melbourne is the uncanny changes in the weather during the day. Sydney ... I love that city. Let me know if you want some Sydney stuff. NEW ZEALAND --- Very beautiful. Auckland is not a great city, though. Don't spend too much time there. Christchurch is a quaint town. Probably a 1-2 day trip at most. Queenstown offers everything. Very sports/"outdoorsy" down there. World class snowskiing, hiking, biking, jet boats, and the list goes on. My aunt and her 3 kids (all Americans) live there and love the lifestyle. New Zealand warrents a driving tour because of the scenic views. Let me know if you want more ... I probably went on too long already. Where you want to spend more time depends on what sort of things you like to do ... active lifestyle, hiking, clubbing, lay on the beach, ... there is something for everyone.

Mike Evans

You mentioned that your aunt and 3 kids live in NZ. What is the cost of living like there. I have the opportunity to move from Canada to NZ for work. Any idea about a website that can help determine the wage I should ask for to enable me to have the same lifestyle there as I do now??

Kittie

Spence, <BR> <BR>Thank you for sharing your info... <BR> <BR>We will be going to Australia for 1 month in Sept-Oct 2000. We will be staying for one week at the Lane Cove B&B in Lane Cove for the olympics. <BR> <BR>My boyfriend would like some info on climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge...I read somewhere that there are tours at night... <BR> <BR>Also, we would like info on hiking to the top of Ayer's Rock. We understand that hiking to the top will not be permitted in the near future. <BR> <BR>Thank you for any info... you can email me if you wish.. <BR> <BR>Kittie

Matt

Kittie, <BR>Try www.bridgeclimb.com.au <BR>As far as climbing Ayers Rock goes, they are unlikely to ban climbing it in the near future. The local aborigines apparently prefer people didn't climb, but no one will stop you.

Elsa

Thanks, Spence, for the info. I haven't looked into NZ very much yet, but do you have any suggestions as far as "must sees" or places that aren't worth the time/trouble to visit. Thanks in advance, as we are off to AZ this morning. <BR> <BR>Elsa

Kittie

Matt, <BR> <BR>Thank you for the info! <BR> <BR>Kittie

BJStine

This may seem unimportant in the overall scheme of travel, but do you hve any idea the best way to bring a good local wine back as a gift for my son? Should I just get it at the airport, I don't like the idea of carrying it all over the country as I last did in Italy.

Kathy

Dear Spence, Three of us will be traveling in Melbourne for 10 days in the beginning of March, then up to Sydney for about 4-5 days. Should we spend more time in Sydney, or will 5 days be sufficient to see most of the attractions? Ant reccomendations for Melbourne or Sydney would be appreciated. Should we rent a car? We heard driving in Sydney is difficult. Is a car necessary in either city? We're looking to stay at a B&B in Sydney. Any thoughts?

Spence

Kittie: Our COO has been living in Lane Cove for the past few years. It's a convenient location as it is the stop right before you get on the "highway" into the city. Thus, you can grab a bus and be right in or be the first off the bus on the way out of Sydney. It's a cute little suburb. I believe the bridge climb was running about A$120 or so when we left last summer. We didn't get a chance to do it but heard it was a fun time from friends. <BR> <BR>Spence

Spence

Mike, <BR> <BR>I wish I could give you something more concrete about NZ salaries. I know that we were paying our General Manager @ NZ$90K/yr down in Christchurch. That's about $45-50K US? I'm unfamiliar with income taxes there but know that in Australia they're high. I think some of our installation technicians (installing alarm systems in homes) were making around NZ$30/hour. I was paid in US$ while living over there so all I know is that I faired well over the years as the rates fell in favor of the US dollar. My aunt (uncle in process of ugly divorce) is loaded and they live on a golf course in a big place, so I don't if they would understand cost of living questions. They don't worry about $ in the same way you or I would. Know what I mean? <BR> <BR>Spence

Spence

Elsa, <BR> <BR>I never travelled much in NZ except on business. I've been to Christchurch, Gisborne, Wellington and Auckland. I wasn't doing touristy things though. My boss took his family on a road trip around the south island though and loved it. They rented a car and made a big loop. They stopped in Queenstown for jet boats and took a helicopter ride up to some glaciers down south somewhere. Christchurch is pretty and has a quaint English feel to it. You'll find that New Zealand is more aligned with England than Australia in many ways. Great wines in NZ. Cloudy Bay Sav Blanc is a favorite of mine. Very nice whites in NZ. Again, get outside of Auckland to really enjoy the beauty and culture of NZ. Wellington is quiet. The weather there is a bit wacky ... back and forth a lot. Gisborne is a nice, quiet place...not much to do there but the ocean offers some good surfing I've been told. <BR> <BR>Spence

Spence

BJStine, <BR> <BR>Good question. I don't know if I have a good answer. My wife and I brought back 3 bottles of wine each every time we ever made trips to the US. I honestly don't recall what the limit is to carry...I thought it was about 3. I know that when we relocated back to the US, we had problems bringing back our mini-collection because we moved to Tennessee, a "dry state" of sorts. Thus, when we packed our household goods for shipment, we were told we couldn't sent in any alcohol!! We ended up carrying what we could on the plane. One of the guys at work relocated to LA from Sydney with probably about 100+ bottles...he didn't claim them to avoid import taxes/fees. I also know that some wineries will make shipments back to the states, depending on the state. The airport does offer some selection, but the fun part of buying wine is finding the smaller, less known wineries...say up in the Hunter Valley. Give a call to the airport you're flying out of and ask a customs official what the law is on carrying in. <BR> <BR>Sorry I couldn't be of more help on that. <BR> <BR>Spence

Spence

Kathy, <BR> <BR>(my wife's name is Kathy) <BR> <BR>MELBOURNE <BR> <BR>I spent all my time in Melbourne on business so I'm not in the know about Melbourne sight seeing. I do know they are a very artsy, culture kind of city. I've heard that shopping is great there. I know there are some bus tours in the area that take you to see penguins and turtles on the beaches depending on the city. It's the sports mecca of Australia so depending on the season go to a sports event like a footy game. Melbourne is the birth place of Aussie-rules football but they love rugby and cricket too. I don't remember when the Melbourne Cup (I think that's what its called) is ... it's like the Kentucky Derby of Australia with a lot of tradition and celebration. <BR> <BR>SYDNEY <BR> <BR>Sydney has tons to do ... museums of all kinds whether you prefer modern art or history museums or industrial museums. Do a tour of the Olympic stadium if you can. Pretty nice facilities. Go to Watson's Bay and enjoy a nice Sunday brunch/beer at Doyles. Dine for Italian at Beppis on the corner of Yurong and Stanley Streets, East Sydney (02) 9360 4558. I believe that John is the head waiter there. Ask for a table in the back in the cellar if possible. If you must do Hard Rock to get your tee-shirt, give a hello to Jonas Olander (the General Manager), I lived with he and his wife the first 8 months I was over there. Mention that you spoke with Spencer Rogers and maybe get some free food off him. (don't tell him I told you to do that) He's a good guy...Swedish actually. Let's see....what else? If you scuba dive ... the diving in Sydney isn't great but you can always find a dive. Balmain is a great area (I lived there for 2 years). Its in the near west side of Sydney...a quick bus/ferry/cab ride. Great pubs ... The Exchange Hotel is my favorite on Mullens Street. Great Mexican food at Pepe's (our favorite place because of the chile con queso...best in the world). <BR> <BR>Remember that at a lot of restaraunts, it's BYO so don't forget to stop at a wine shop and pick up a nice bottle of wine before dinner. <BR> <BR>I'll write more as I think of it. <BR> <BR>Spence

Spence

Forgot to mention...Melbourne and Sydney...don't bother with a car unless you're planning on driving out of the metro area (e.g. Sydney - driving 1.5 hours north to Hunter Valley). Bus/train/ferry/cab is plenty in the cities. There is little parking and traffic is terrible. Buy an "unlimited" bus/ferry/train pass. For example, I could have paid A$2.50 each way to/from downtown Sydney where I worked from Balmain 5 days a week OR I bought a week pass for about A$27 that let me use the bus/trains/ferries unlimited for 7 days. That allowed us to do stuff on the weekend. They also have 5-day passes, etc. just ask about them. <BR> <BR>Spence

BJStine

Thanks for the e-mail and the message. <BR>I know there is not a problem bringing a few (2-3) bottles back in, either to Houston, Tx airport or to the small airport where we live, as I have done it and declared it. Neither is a dry county. The problem is like you said, reading about the different vineyards, finding while on the trip, which is the fun part, and then getting it home without having to hand carry it. We did this in Florence at a really nice wine cellar, written up in one of the travel guides. We thought sure we would be able to get it shipped, but they did not speak English. And there is not always time to look for a shipping company. So we hand carried it the rest of the trip in Italy and back to Rome and home on the airplane. This time I will have to look for other options. I have tried the Internet, searching the vineyards in the country I am visiting. There are a lot of ads but nothing on having a few bottles shipped. Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated.

angela

DEAR SPENCE, GOING TO AUS IN EARLY DEC 2000 WANT TO GO FROM SYDNEY UP TO GBR (OR VICE VERSA) BUT ON A BUDGET - WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE IN BOTH - ANY SUGGESTIONS? ALSO ARE THERE DIVING CRASH COURSES, ANY GOOD FISHING, CHEAP EATS OR AIRFARE? ANY TRAVEL AGENT SUGGESTIONS? I DON'T WANT TO DO A GUIDED TOUR. I REALLY APPRECIATE ANY INFO. THANKS

Jen

Spence: <BR> <BR>Thanks for posting! My husband and I will be spending a week in Sydney (Ritz Carlton Sydney) and a week in Port Douglas (Sheraton Mirage) in May - June this year. I have a couple of questions: <BR> <BR>Syndey restaurants - can you name some non-touristy places that locals go for good AU food? Also, where would you go for an anniversary dinner that had great food and great views? <BR> <BR>Port Douglas - we'll be doing the GBR probably from the hotel for a day. Any other activities/sites that we shouldn't miss? We're going to be there during the Port Douglas carnivale and will have a rental car. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your time and help!

Adam

Hello everyone. This is a great communication forum. <BR> <BR>I work as a Travel Consultant and I live IN Australia, so if anyone requires any specific information I would be more than happy to help you out. <BR> <BR>Please email me. Thanks. Adam.