Australia Trip

[Moby Vic]

Keep the suggestions coming!

(And I only drink Budweiser if forced—I prefer Guinness Draught. I look forward to trying an Australian beer other than Foster's.)

[AC]

Originally Posted by Moby Vic

Keep the suggestions coming!

(And I only drink Budweiser if forced—I prefer Guinness Draught. I look forward to trying an Australian beer other than Foster's.)

We has plenty to choose from.
Everyone has their tastes in Aussie beer, VB(Victoria Bitter), Tooheys NEW, Hahn and Crownies are the big few worth mentioning.

I'm sure you'll get more suggestions, lol

[Moby Vic]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

watch bathurst at mc phillamy park its the top of the mountain next to the castrol tower you can see most of the track and there is a big screen.dont forget the race museam and if you like history just out of bathurst there is the zig zag railway which is worth a look and do ride on the train any aussie beer is better than bud

I've been invited to camp with some seasoned veterans at Bathurst, so I'm sure they'll show me the ropes!

[davenl5l]

Originally Posted by AC

Steam Hauled Train services have been cancelled until further notice due to the maintenance program, per the website, they only operate the Rail Motor Service. http://www.zigzagrailway.com.au/timetable.php

been on the rail motor they let my stepson drive it was a cool experiance

[AC]

I have too, but nothing like the old choo choo

[mik]

if you end up at ayers rock, you could have a good look at coober pedy, i went through the town ,stopped only for sustinence, did`nt realise a fair bit of the town is under ground, houses, mines, tourist type stuff apparently, good place to buy opals apparently also(get in the good books with the missus ;) ), getting back to the ayers rock , you used to be able to climb up on top and check out the view, for myself this was a big part of the attraction, it`s no longer allowed i believe, mind you it`s still quite a sight. so many things to see so little time :(.

[Moby Vic]

For any of you who have visited Florida, is the Australian sun that much more intense than the Florida sun?

The things I'm reading make it seem as if going out in daylight is fatal.

[AC]

Originally Posted by Moby Vic

For any of you who have visited Florida, is the Australian sun that much more intense than the Florida sun?

The things I'm reading make it seem as if going out in daylight is fatal.

The Australian sun depends where you are, The Gold Coast and north of would be the closest comparison, but bare in mind you'll be here in our spring time in October. With colder mornings warm/hot days, you'll probably still get burnt easily in country Victoria & New South Wales. I generally get up to Bathurst mid winter and early summer time most of the time I go up and generally get burnt each time I go up... I even got burnt last weekend while mowing the lawn for half an hour in yucky over cast weather, but thats just me, I fry easy...

[Moby Vic]

I guess I'll be close to the sun up on Mt. Panorama....

[AC]

Haha, true!

While your in the area, this may interest you

http://www.golden-highway.com.au/capertee_valley.htm
http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations...apertee-valley

It's a pretty nice place to visit and stay while your there

Just like the Grand Canyon in the states, you can do helicopter tours and all that too.

[Moby Vic]

Yes, I've been thinking about a helicopter tour. I was thinking of touring Sydney Harbor that way, also.

[sgt_doofey]

In the peak of summer, you'll get sunburn within 5 - 10 minutes if unprotected. Winter is hit and miss. On overcast days you can usually go a while but if the sun comes out you can still get quite burnt.
My advice is if you're unsure, use sunscreen anyway. Saves getting skin cancer later on in life.

[mik]

we seem to have hit a mild weather pattern across Australia for the last couple of years, speaking as a Melbourne boy, i guess i`m a bit of a weather watcher, but for the last couple of years across all seasons it appears across the country it`s been a tad cooler, most defineatly in Melbourne our last couple of summers have been decidedly cooler(wonderful weather), generally for the previous 10 years i`d say in summer time we would have a spate low mid 40 degree days to rival even the top end, our last 2 summers we have`nt seen a 40 degree day(weird),
dunno about florida, but if we have that north wind and a 40+ degree day it`s pretty nasty.

[Moby Vic]

It rarely gets that hot here—summer days are typically around 92°F (I'm guessing that's in the mid 30s Celsius)—but it is extremely humid.

[motomk]

Originally Posted by Moby Vic

For any of you who have visited Florida, is the Australian sun that much more intense than the Florida sun?

The things I'm reading make it seem as if going out in daylight is fatal.

Yep I was nearly killed by it at the 2001 Avalon Airshow! Showed up to work and they sent me home as I was scaring everybody, took a week to recover.
Had a blistered head!!! I put Aloe vera spray on my head which happened to be blue in colour. It turned me green! I looked like the Hulk.

Lesson of this is, if you go outside for more than 5 to 10 minutes as mentioned, put the stuff on!
Mind you I can get burnt when it is raining!!!! I am not really built for the sunshine but I have adapted to it. I only come out at night!

[AC]

Originally Posted by motomk

Yep I was nearly killed by it at the 2001 Avalon Airshow! Showed up to work and they sent me home as I was scaring everybody, took a week to recover.
Had a blistered head!!! I put Aloe vera spray on my head which happened to be blue in colour. It turned me green! I looked like the Hulk.

Lesson of this is, if you go outside for more than 5 to 10 minutes as mentioned, put the stuff on!
Mind you I can get burnt when it is raining!!!! I am not really built for the sunshine but I have adapted to it. I only come out at night!

Might explain my susceptibity to the sun, being a permanent night worker.
Will also explain my midnight tan....

[Geez Louise]

Here is a list of what I would see whilst on the east side of Aus:

NSW:
- Bathurst
- Sydney Harbour Bridge climb
- Look around the Opera house
- Ettamogah Pub

QLD
- Gold Coast Theme Parks
- Dick Johnson Racing Raceshop and Museum
- Australian Zoo

ACT
- Parliment House
- National Art Gallery

Vic
- Rod Hadfields Hot Rod Museum
- Soveriegn Hill
- Glenrowan. Get some interesting info about Ned Kelly
- Melbourne Gaol
- Great Ocean Road
- Phillip Island
- Heathcote Park Raceway. Go there and watch a day of drag racing

There is a lot to do in Australia. A month will go quick too but that is some of the things I would do and have done since coming over to this side of Australia from Perth.

Cheers
Col

[GT]

Ettamogah pub is now closed. I dropped in a few weeks ago and it was fenced off with massive building works going in.

[Geez Louise]

Originally Posted by GT

Ettamogah pub is now closed. I dropped in a few weeks ago and it was fenced off with massive building works going in.

Oh bugga...I loved it when we went there. Did it look like it was closed for good or just a remodel??

That is sad if it has shut.

Edit: Just read online that it closed it's doors on the 29th May 2011!! Been awhile since I have been there I must admit!

Cheers
Col

[AC]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Here is a list of what I would see whilst on the east side of Aus:

NSW:
- Bathurst
- Sydney Harbour Bridge climb
- Look around the Opera house
- Ettamogah Pub

QLD
- Gold Coast Theme Parks
- Dick Johnson Racing Raceshop and Museum
- Australian Zoo

ACT
- Parliment House
- National Art Gallery

Vic
- Rod Hadfields Hot Rod Museum
- Soveriegn Hill
- Glenrowan. Get some interesting info about Ned Kelly
- Melbourne Gaol
- Great Ocean Road
- Phillip Island
- Heathcote Park Raceway. Go there and watch a day of drag racing

There is a lot to do in Australia. A month will go quick too but that is some of the things I would do and have done since coming over to this side of Australia from Perth.

Cheers
Col

I'd also add to the ACT the War Memorial, The Mint is good too.
QLD, I'm told if you like rum and anywhere near Bundaburg, hit the Bundaburg Rum Factory, they do tours. Apparently are pretty good, if your that far north.

[Moby Vic]

Hey, now I've heard of Australian Capital Territory! (Had to look that up on a map.) Still learning!

Maybe the Parliament House can take the place of the Ford Discovery Centre....

(Strangely there's a gay bar/resort in Orlando called the Parliament House that has been around for decades. I've never gone there, but I may chuckle if I visit the ACT one.)

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by Moby Vic

I've been invited to camp with some seasoned veterans at Bathurst, so I'm sure they'll show me the ropes!

Oh you'd better believe we will old M8. I feel a crash course on St Hilliers Pear Cider coming on .

[Moby Vic]

I get the impression "crash" is the most important word in that sentence.

[XDV800]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Here is a list of what I would see whilst on the east side of Aus:

NSW:
- Bathurst
- Sydney Harbour Bridge climb
- Look around the Opera house
- Ettamogah Pub

QLD
- Gold Coast Theme Parks
- Dick Johnson Racing Raceshop and Museum
- Australian Zoo
- Ettamogah Pub

Ettamogah pub at Palmview, QLD. On the way to Australia Zoo

[XR6TCraig]

And it is very much open. While there try a pie or three from beefies bakery. Very nice!

[MercurySilver]

if you do australia zoo try and organize a tiger walk
have to pre book in advance but holy crap...nothing like walking behind a tiger patting it, unreal experience

[Moby Vic]

To help prepare for my trip, I'm reading In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson. Bryson is an American travel author. The book is informative and often hilarious.

I found this bit about the Ned Kelly's Last Stand tourist attraction particularly amusing. Can anyone verify if it is accurate?

Today Glenrowan is a one-street town with a couple of pubs, a scattering of houses, and a short strip of enterprises dedicated to extracting a little cash from the Kelly legend. On this hot summer's day there were perhaps a dozen visitors in town, including Alan, Carmel, and me. The biggest of the commercial establishments, a place called Ned Kelly's Last Stand, was covered in painted signs of a semiprofessional quality. "This is not the place for Whimps [sic]," said one promisingly. Another added, "It is absolutely absurd that after allowing yourself 10 to 20 minutes to take photos, walk up and down the street and buy some souvenirs [you] then have the audacity to tell your friends—'Don't go to Glenrowan, for there is nothing to see.' To be quite honest most visitors to Glenrowan wouldn't know if the country shithouse fell on them...."

The impression one derived from further study was that it contained some kind of animatronic show. Alan, Carmel, and I exchanged happy looks and knew that this was a place for us. Inside, a friendly man presided over a cash register. We were mildly staggered to see that they wanted A$15 a head for admission.

"It's good, is it?" said Howe.

"Mister," said the man with the greatest sincerity, "it's like Disneyland in there."

We bought tickets and shuffled through a door into a dim room where the spectacle was to begin. The space was designed to look like an old saloon. In the middle were benches for the audience. Before us, in a deep gloom, we could just make out the shapes of furniture and seated dummies. After a few minutes, the lights dimmed altogether, there was a sudden very loud bang of gunfire, and the performance began.

Well, call me a Whimp, drop a brick shithouse on me, but I can honestly say that I have never seen anything so wonderfully, so delightfully, so monumentally bad as Ned Kelly's Last Stand. It was so bad it was worth every penny. Actually it was so bad it was worth more than we paid. For the next thirty-five minutes we proceeded through a series of rooms where we watched homemade dummies, each with a frozen smile and a mop of hair that brought to mind windblown pubis, reenacting various scenes from the famous Kelly shoot-out in a random and deliriously incoherent way. Occasionally one of them would turn a stiff head or jerk up a forearm to fire a pistol, though not necessarily in synch with the narrative. Meanwhile, around each room lots of other mechanical events were taking place—empty chairs rocked, cupboard doors mysteriously opened and shut, player pianos played, a figure of a boy on a trapeze (and why not?) swung back and forth amid the rafters. Do you know those fairground stalls where you fire a rifle at assorted targets to make an outhouse door swing open or a stuffed chicken fall over? Well, this reminded me of that, only much worse. The narrative, insofar as it could be heard above the competing noises, made no sense at all.

When at last we were liberated into the sunshine, we were so delighted that we considered going in again—but A$45 is a lot of money, after all, and we feared that with repeated exposure it might begin to make some sense.

[AC]

Never been there myself.

But this could possibly be worse, but funny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktzcYUt6f14

The movie could have been better, Its got a great cast. Including the late Heath Ledger.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBSn7h1BQBk

Once again, never watched it. The Kelly Story was part of school lessons so we has been learned in our out laws past, Must like you would have with the Old West.

[Moby Vic]

Mick Jagger also played him in a movie! That was probably worse than the animatronics.

[AC]