The Great Australian Adventure
 

We are a retirement aged (but not retired) couple who started traveling about 10 years ago when all the kids were "off the payroll". Australia was a go-to destination for both of us. I had done a lot of trip planning, but was worried about all the air travel in country, with corresponding transportation from airport to city center. Then a co-worker, who is a travel agent as well, told me she was planning a trip to Australia in October. It wasn't the trip I would have planned: 2-3 days in a location, then flying somewhere else. But we decided to do it; thought it would be pleasant to be with another couple. This was a Monograms tour.

We signed on for some Monogram extra tours, and arranged a couple on our own, using Tripadvisor for recommendations.

The day of travel: OY. From Fort Lauderdale to LAX was all day. We had a few hours in the airport (what a disappointing lack of restaurants!), and flight left at midnight. We all slept about 2-3 hours. Soundly asleep when, at 3AM LA time, they came around with "dinner", turning on all the lights, asking you to raise your seats, etc. Grouchy could describe me at this point.

Arrived feeling a little refreshed after coffee. No problem with customs, except I was sent to the "retarded" line, as my passport was old and didn't have a chip in it. That describes my technical abilities, as well.

The bus was there to greet us and take us to the Menzies Hotel. Nice location, comfortable beds, hot shower. The rooms were ready early, what a nice treat. We freshened up and went for a walk towards Circular Quay. It started raining, and we ducked into the Fortune of War pub, the oldest in Sydney. We had a wonderful lunch of shepherds pie, salad and good beer. After getting back to the hotel, we rested and changed our expansive dinner plans; we ate at the hotel pub. Nice buffet.

Day 2: This is Fodors day!!. While our traveling companions went on a harbour cruise, DH and I walked to the Opera House for a tour. Quite impressive. After, we went to the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Arts for a Fodorite luncheon. I am amazed that people took a train or a plane ride to Sydney to meet with people from across the globe for lunch. We had a wonderful time. So very glad to have been there with you!

After lunch, we took the ferry over to Luna Park, then walked over the Bridge back to Sydney. Who knew someone from the luncheon on the train would spot us walking the Bridge.

Dinner this evening was outside at a place at Kings Wharf. Despite very slow service and only tolerable food, the evening was pleasant. We made friends with a pair of cousins from Ireland in country to work for a year. Delightful.

More to come...

We enjoyed meeting you & Mr RNC too! Now you know why Australians think nothing of a 20+ hour flight - we'll hop on a plane for a lunch date ;)

I'm enjoying your report and looking forward to more. I got to meet Bokhara2, too!!!

Arrived feeling a little refreshed after coffee. No problem with customs, except I was sent to the "retarded" line, as my passport was old and didn't have a chip in it. That describes my technical abilities, as well.>>

lol, cheryl, my DH had a chip in his passport but it was too new, and the machines in OZ couldn't read it, so he had to go into the retarded line too. He even got taken off for a special check by passport control as well, because of that.

Nice to hear about the GTG.

keep it coming!

Up early, breakfast each morning was at the hotel, included in the tour price. I got tired of scrambled eggs, non-crispy bacon, roasted potatoes, but it made an easy start to the day. I did try Vegemite once. Not a fan. A woman at the next table laughed at me, and said "Good on you for trying".

Caught a ferry to Toranga Zoo. I must say that we were all somewhat disappointed. Plastic dinasours? Really? Best sights: Sydney and the harbour below, the silverback gorilla glaring, and elephants playing with toys. Also loved seeing all the school children in their colorful uniforms. All remarkably well behaved. (I have been a chaperone at many school outings, and it was never like this).

We had planned to walk thru the Botanic Gardens after the zoo, but didn't feel up to it. Sorry I missed it. We did some window shopping and took a nap.

Now for the highlight of the trip: we had dinner at the Opera Bar and then were row 8 front and center for The King and I at the Opera House. All of young Sydney must have been at the bar that evening. So many beautiful young folks. The play was just wonderful. It was especially meaningful having taken the tour the previous day, knowing what limited space they have to make those costume changes. We caught a cab home, as it was very cool and we hadn't packed properly (!).

Next morning it was off to Cairns. I easily could have stayed the entire trip in Sydney. The people were so friendly. For example, I had bought an electrical converter at home to use with my curling iron. Well, it didn't work. The hotel checked the internet to see where we might buy one. We checked out a couple of places, but no luck. But at each place, the sales clerk walked us on the sidewalk to show us where to go next. Ended up buying an Australian curling iron! I would say we mostly liked the "vibe" of Sydney. People going somewhere with purpose, ethnic variety, and friendly to tourists.

The Pacific Hotel in Cairns was lovely. We had a high floor room with sweeping balcony overlooking the water. Room was very spacious, and there was a laundry room on the floor, which we used. There was a park right outside our window. The first day, there were several people EARLY in the morning doing yoga. Next day, MANY people doing zumba. Final night, a carnival in full swing. Always something going on!

We took a walking tour of town, and met our friends for a great Italian dinner on the Esplanade. So many fun shops, restaurants, bars. The following day we took a boat to the outer GBR. Kind of a large pontoon deal with lots of seating, buffet, etc. We went on a semi-submersible, a glass bottom boat and a helicopter ride. That was an amazing sight. Miles and miles of underwater coral visible. The most surprising thing to me was the variety of types of coral. Interesting to learn that the GBR is visible from space. Dinner that evening was a pub, not remarkable.

Next day was our adventure into the Daintree. Started with a cruise down the Daintree river. We pulled over several times to see huge crocks on the banks. They must be very predictable, as the captain knew just where to find them. Next we went for a guided walk in the Daintree Rain Forest. Some amazing scenery, especially where the River empties into the Coral Sea. We had a stop at an animal sanctuary, where I fed a kangaroo! Lunch was--wait for it--shrimp on the barbee. We stopped at an icecream shop where I had a strange flavour, sorry cant remember what it was, and bought some Daintree tea to bring home. On the way back to town, we stopped to see some hang-gliders soaring.

Absolutely a lovely day. Dinner that night was at a German restaurant, and might have been one of our favorites. Interesting observation, we found several restaurants where you place your order at the bar and food is either brought to you or you are summoned to get it. Must be economically based, as we were told minimum wage in Australia is $18/hr.

I was one of those who planed into Sydney for the GTG. Any excuse to get out of the house !

Enjoying your report on our country, and looking forward to more.

Thanks for posting RNCheryl.

I was here - but I only travelled 2 stops on the train.

Waiting to hear more...

Haha, that was me on the train who saw you at the beginning of your bridge walk. I was really pleased you had gone with the recommendation. The Opera Bar is always buzzing, no matter the weather.

<<we found several restaurants where you place your order at the bar and food is either brought to you or you are summoned to get it.>>

Welcome to relaxed dining.

I love this about Australia...place your order and pay up front or just pay when you're ready to leave (or not). I so do not miss being held hostage and/or being rushed the way it's done in the US.

Mel/cheryl - that's the way it's done at most pubs in the UK, [though in some places you can run a tab and then pay at the bar when you're ready to leave].

I know what you mean about getting frustrated when you can't pay - why on earth is that?

Dunno annhig, although I prefer that to being rushed or constantly interrupted by overzealous, tip hungry wait staff.

There are places in the US where you order at the counter and your food is brought to you or you're called to collect it, but unfortunately they're the exception, not the rule.

Mel - the worst place I've found for having to hang around waiting to pay is Germany - in the end we would ask for the bill when they brought the food, and just leave the money on the table.

OTOH, you are unlikely to be importuned by overzealous, tip-hungry waitstaff there, as the norm is not to tip!

On to Uluru and Alice Springs. Mixed feelings. Of course, we were planning on the picture perfect views of Uluru at sunset and sunrise, but that didn't happen.

When we arrived at Uluru, it was 38 degrees and climbing. High 40-41. Room at the Sails of the Desert were not ready. We took the shuttle bus all around the complex, stopping and browsing in the shopping center. Not too much to see.

Rooms ready, rested till Sounds of Silence dinner. They picked us up at 4 something, bussed to a viewing area. Canapes and drinks, a didgeridoo player. Then walked a while to the serving area. We were at a table for 10. Delightful folks, including a Japanese couple who ran a bar in Melbourne and an English couple who were retired from the British diplomatic corp. What stories they had to tell!

Dinner was buffet, and just OK. But considering no electricity or running water, good. The beverages flowed. Bugs were a real problem. The promised star gazing was quelled by cloudy skies.

Next morning, met with the tour group at 4:30 (WTF) for a sunrise viewing. I stepped onto the balcony to check conditions and it seemed moderate. I dressed accordingly. However, on the viewing site, it was FREEZING. A lovely gentleman from Holland lent me his jacket.

After a quick breakfast in the same venue as William and Kate ate recently, went on a guided walk around the ROCK. It is certainly impressive in person. Our Aboriginal guide told us the old stories.

BUT, the bugs, Flies to be specific. Being a drought, they dove for your eyes and other mucus membranes. It was more than distracting, it was a deal breaker.

We were scheduled for further walking in the afternoon, we elected to take a nap, do laundry (FREE), and ate a nice dinner at the hotel.

Alice Springs was a nice day, but not sure re: cost/benefit. We visited the School of the Air (absolutely marvelous), Royal Flying Doctors service (interesting from my RN status), and a reptile center.

We stayed at Lasseters hotel/casino. Nothing remarkable, nothing to complain about. Dinner in casino, lost a few dollars in the casino.

Overall, glad we saw Uluru, too bad about the lighting conditions. If we had to do it over again, (and didn't take a tour), would have spent this time divided between Sydney and Melbourne.

<<<in the end we would ask for the bill when they brought the food, and just leave the money on the table. >>>

From what I understand it's considered rude to leave money on the table in Germany. They won't bring the bill until you ask for it, and then the norm is to pay the wait staff at the table.

I know what you mean about having to wait awhile though. We were in Freiburg last week and had a similar issue in one particular establishment. We asked for the bill and she left it at the table then wouldn't come back, so we just waited for her. We noticed we were the only people she left a bill tray with, so we assumed she was trying to do what she thought we (English speaking tourists) expected, yet we were trying to do it the German way. It was a bit of a Mexican standoff, but we just waited and she finally came back.

We got the hang of motioning for the bill when we were ready to leave or pulling out our wallets - both were effective.

Apologies for the hijack mcheryl.

From what I understand it's considered rude to leave money on the table in Germany. They won't bring the bill until you ask for it, and then the norm is to pay the wait staff at the table. >>

i know the theory, Mel, but in the end, my desire to get on with the day overcomes my British desire to fit in and be polite. So if it's rude to leave the money on the table, so be it. So far, no-one has declined to take it because I've not given it to them direct.

Mel, I can see your conflict. I didn't mind the ordering setup in Cairns. It's just that it would be called Casual Dining here in the USA, and the prices would reflect that. They didn't.

No worries, we had a good meal and watching the world go by in Cairns is a blast.

Merry Christmas to all you Aussies!

<<and the prices would reflect that. They didn't.>>

I totally get that mcheryl. Six years of living in Australia and we still routinely go into sticker shock. You know you're living in an expensive place when Switzerland feels like good value.

Happy Holidays.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hi rncheryl - loving your report - and it was wonderful to meet you in Sydney.
Merry Christmas to all my Fodor Friends.

Let's finish this up with Melbourne. Enchanted. Loved walking around, looking at the architecture, again friendly folks, more casual/less uptight than Sydney.

We stayed at the Hotel Mercure Treasury Gardens. Nice location to walk to sights, right across from the gardens. Made for nice lingering in the lounge/restaurant. The decor was decidedly modern. The bathroom was a designer's wet dream: no place to store anything, but it sure looked good! We went walking on arrival, window shopping, some real shopping. Dinner this evening was at Young and Jackson Hotel in Chloe's. Delightful server, really spoiled us. The food was quite good. On the way back to our hotel, we were staring at what looked to be bats or birds or UFOs circling one of the skyscrapers. True to form, as I can't walk and chew gum at the same time, took a fall. No harm, no foul.

Next morning we were picked up for a city tour. Main streets, Fitzroy gardens and the conservatory, Cook cottage. Some lovely pictures. The bus broke down, and we were rescued by another to take us back to the hotel for our pickup for Philip Island Penguin.

I thought originally that this was hokey, but our travel partners really wanted to do it. Long drive, scenic but long. We had dinner in a little Italian restaurant, which was pleasant (not sure if there is a town name here?)

As the sun sets, you are on bleacher seats facing the ocean. Soon, a few little penguin heads pop up, scouting for enemies. As they signal all clear, up come a group of 30 or so, scuttling across the beach into the dunes. This happens over and over in various sized groups. The best viewing now is from the elevated boardwalk paralleling their trek to their nests. We learned that these penguins make hundreds of dives daily on their hunting trips. Felt sorry for the long walk home on those tiny legs. All in all a lovely experience to have had.

After a long ride home and fitful sleep, our final day in OZ was with Outback Billy tour of the Great Ocean Road. One of the big drawbacks to a tour: we were picked up before 8 am, and spent the next 90 minutes traveling around picking up at other hotels/private residences. This day was long but memorable.

We walked in the rainforest, stopped to see koalas in the wild and feed exotic birds. We drove to a secluded creek, where many swam. The tour hosts provided a buffet of native Australian fruits. Exotic. Finally the 12 Apostles, and traveling down many steps to a quiet beach. But oh, that walk thru the sand and back up those steps. Wowsa!

Home the next morning after a noneventful check in at the airport, and back to LAX before we started! DH took a good 10 days to get back on a sleep/wake cycle once we got home. Just a day or 2 for me.

A true adventure, and one I am glad we were up for. Highlights for both of us were the Fodors GTG. Next for me, The King and I, and for DH the Penguin Parade.

As I have said many times before: in all our travels, we encounter Aussie tourists and know they are all engaging and energetic. Even more true now that we have seen them on their home turf.

Good on ya for reading, and hope to see you all in Florida soon!

(Now if we could figure a way to see NZ without all that flight time...)

Very enjoyable read mchryl, thanks so much for taking us along on your OZ adventure. You'll recover from that long flight in no time and will be thinking about returning to see NZ.

Sorry rncheryl - I have to correct you there - a little error - should read-

Goodonya - no gaps!

Just like - "didya'aveagoodweekend"
Just kidding :)

Stormbird, always learning.

Like how to pronounce Cairns (Carenns) and Melbourne (Melbune)

Happy New Year to all my Aussie friends. There is NO other sight to match Bridge/Opera House with fireworks in the background!

Same to you & yours, Cheryl.

If you think our place names are tricky, wait 'till you get to New Zealand!

Whakatane, Whangarei,Ngauruhoe had my Wellington based in-laws in paroxysms of laughter at my mangling many moons ago.