Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Australia Who's been to Australia for a holiday?

Been to Australia many times on both business and vacation. Been north and south and east and west. Favorite city is Perth with Brisbane second.

Were I to go back for vacation, I would land in Cairns and do the FNQ trip, then to Darwin/Kakadu. Then to Ayers Rock and then on to Perth.

Ayers Rock was surprisingly magnificent. Saw it in the afternoon sun and it was spectacular.

Liked the reef off Cairns. Stingers there in FNQ are a bummer. Have heard but don't know it for a fact that some like the West Coast of Australia simply because there are fewer stingers. IDK about that.

Been to Alice Springs and spent some time west of there at an Aboriginal town. Saw the guys there doing their artwork. Might be worth the trek if one was into that sort of thing.

Might also be worth renting a car and driving a portion of the outback. Most folks do not have good idea of how big, remote and quiet it is.

Great place. I even like Australians!

TF

Went there for 3 weeks back in 2010. Few days in Sydney, out to Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, few more days back in Sydney, then a 10 day cruise up the east coast.

We had a great time, loved the country and the people. We had more stuff we wanted to see but not enough time.

Spent time there in 2007 while working. Brisbane, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Sydney. Loved it. I could live in Queensland.

It took awhile to sort out that what seemed to be rudeness was just the way they talked. Guides who were old friends sometimes looked like they were about to start swinging fists when talking amongst themselves, then would switch to Sunday school tones when my wife was around. Same thing in town.

Another was humor. The Aussie sense of humor is sort of different, varying from very subtle and dry to sarcastic to trying to be just as shocking or jarring out of the blue as possible. On trips I took by myself or guy trips I found that acting like a rig-hand with a couple too many whiskies in him was a good match.

I really like Australia and Australians. Outside of Canada its the only other country I'd want to live in. Expensive though.

I like Dundee, bought an OutBack because of some old Paul Hogan ads on Youtube, think the owners of the country are on to something with the other world thing, and I think this guy, and the real guy, are funny...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkIVvjZc9Y

Does this count as having been to Oz?

i prefer this one

Been to Australia twice.
First visit 1969 was spent almost exclusively in Sydney. Saw the opera house being built, visited Taronga Zoo, dined with some lovely ladies at a revolving restaurant that had a great view of the city at night, boat ride around the harbor. Had a good time but lots of the details were fuzzy then and are still fuzzy.
Did take a train ride to a small town of Gosford (found out later that we were not supposed to leave the Sydney area). Got referred to as "yanks".
Went back in 1980. Opera house was finished. Visited zoo again and toured the harbor and beaches. Sydney is a great place to wander around. People were wonderful (they were the first time too).
After Sydney, traveled to Adelaide. Another beautiful city with wonderful people. Toured the Barossa Valley wine country which I would highly recommend. On a two day trip flew out to Kangaroo Island, rented a car and saw incredible wildlife (another highly recommend).
Realize this information is at best 35 years old but still might be useful.
Maybe get to see a Tommy Emannual concert!

Spent about 3 weeks over the 4th of July a few years ago, Flew in to Sidney then to Cains,Frazier, Alice Spring, Ayers Rock & back to Sidney. Rented Apartments for 5/7 days at a time cheaper than a motel, worth wile trip but flight over is murder.

In 1986 I spent 6 months hitch hiking up the east coast from Sydney. I ended up boat bumming up the Barrier reef with a couple of different boats. I made some life long friends on that trip and had a great experience. My wife and I went back about 8 years ago and visited my buddy in Yandina. He's making an old motorcycle go real fast on salt. 184 MPH with a single cylinder is pretty good. We love the Australians, especially Queenslanders.

http://www.worldsfastestvelocette.com/lake-gairdner-2015.php

I'm in Adelaide right now. This is my third trip to OZ but unfortunately it's always been for work. I haven't ever had much chance to get out of the cities other than a day off snorkeling around an artificial reef 20 or so miles off shore.

We were in Perth a few days ago, which is nice but isolated and involves another long(ish) flight. If I were paying the bill I would save the money and spend more time between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for city life.

For a more outdoor/nature based adventure I would fly to Darwin or Hobart. I spent a few days in Hobart a couple of years back and would really like to see more of Tasmania. Obviously the Great Barrier Reef also falls into this category.

My favorite restaurant in the world is in Brisbane, an aboriginal place called "Tukka". It's a bit fancy and pricey for my taste but the food and wine is amazing. My waitress during my first time there has become one of my favorite "ladies of the road" as I affectionately call the women I fall slightly in love with on my travels. I'll see Emily in two days.

The Aussie's are mostly a very friendly bunch. They do like to have a few drinks and can be a little loud and intense but I fall into that category myself.

Enjoy your trip!