Where did you go and what do you see, and anything worth talking about?

Gotta admit, given that Australia is as big as the USA, it doesn't have the tourist drawcards that the USA has. Most of Australia is deserted bar the east and south-west coastal regions.

I was in the USA in 2007 and was absolutely awe-stuck by the Grand Canyon (and Bryce Canyon). I suppose we have Ayres Rock, Kakadu and the Daintree but they don't really compare.

My wife and I went to Australian a few years ago and never got very far out of Sydney. We are normally not "city folks", but Sydney was really unique.

Lots to see and do and the harbor area is really nice...if you can afford to eat and drink there.

donsm70

went to Adelaide for most of a month and staid with Aussielad....explored Adelaide and we went into the hills and Murray river bottom outside of town.....i had a blast and want to go back....was the first big city i had ever been in where the majority of people seemed friendly....you hear alot of chit about people overseas not liking Americans but i never had an issue....

My wife and I have spent a total of 10 weeks in Australia over the course of 3 different trips. All trips were around Christmas (the beginning of summer). We always rented an RV and covered lots of miles. Enjoyed every part of it. Really liked Perth, the Rocks area in Sydney, the timbered area of Pemberton. We drove from Darwin through the red center to Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. Sydney to Cooktown on the east coast was another great trip. The beach at Broomshead was great - and very deserted. The nurses and doctors in the old colonial hospital in McClean were very helpful.

Sounds like you have really travelled around and had a good look at the country. Darwin around Christmas, wow, the heat would have been oppressive? That's one hot place in summer!

Coming down for the first time in August/September for three weeks.

We have a couple expat friends in Sydney and Brisbane. Of course I mandated at least a week on the south island of NZ. Hopefully I can coordinate some trigger time while I am there.

We lived in Brisbane for a year and a half and spent a lot of time up and down the coast. We had a great time camping on Frazier Island. We spent two weeks over Christmas in Tasmania which was great too. A short flight to Fiji for a week was equally fine.

Where in Brisbane did you live? I lived in Brisbane back in the early 80's before moving to the Gold Coast.

My wife and I flew into Perth for a wedding and spent about 10 days in the area. We toured the vineyards around the Margaret river and enjoyed the beach. We decided to relax and enjoy the area around Perth rather than burn 2 or 3 days traveling around to other tourist destinations. It was a great trip. Take lots of money.

I pulled into a port somewhere on the eastern coast about 12 years ago, but unfortunately can't quite remember exactly where.

It sure was a neat area, though I didn't get much past the closest bar. I'd like to go back someday and see more of the natural side of Australia.

Yes, the south west region is a real gem - civilised yet sparsely populated and nice countryside. I lived in Perth for 13 years and spent many holidays in that corner. I used to stay in Denmark - only 1/2hr away from Albany.

Many east coasters here have never been to WA - it's very underrated. It's cheaper to holiday in Bali than fly across to Perth.

That sums up my travel in the Corps. Been all over the place don't remember most of it. I try not to drink as much now and take better photos in the daylight.

Loved my time in Australia but man that is a loooong flight!

After a week in Sydney a friend and I rented a car and drove 10K kms to see the sights. We had already been up to the big canyon in the nearby Blue Mountains so we boogied at an angle across country down to Port Augusta, then up the middle to Coober Pedy, climbed Ayers Rock to watch the sunset, through Alice up to Tenant Creek, and changed our minds about going on up to Darwin. East to the coast again, and regret that I did not ask to go marlin fishing with a couple of friendly young blokes we met at a sporting goods store. They were going out the next day.

The weather had been stormy for weeks and the water clarity was zilch so I bagged my intent to dive the Great Barrier. I've dived quite a bit and had no interest unless we could see well. I was surprised that it was not more clear way out on the reef, according to those who had been out each day.

Meandered the coast up and down, then inland to Lightning Creek (?) and more opal mines. Bought two bags of uncut sapphires from a miner in Ruby and had a local gem cutter cut them and send them to me. Moving on south, went through the Snowy Mountains in a spring snow storm, down to Canberra and back to Sydney. I regret that we did not stop and try to call a dingo with a predator call, and would liked to have made Perth but not enough time and we used it well.

Good steaks and lamb, enjoyed the people, the land and the game. Hilarious rudeness. When an Aussie is being polite he comes over as rude to Americans and Canadians.

BTW, I'm having breakfast this morning with the son of Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith.

I see your point and do much the same these days...

I was in a bar in Australia with some others and some random Aussie came up and asked us for a fag...being 1) Drunk 2) Marines and 3) not familiar with the Aussie lingo, in addition to the loud music we couldn't figure out what he was saying. We figured he was calling us a faggot or something.

Long story short 5-6 of us Marines beat the living $hit out of about 10-12 random dudes. We didn't put 2 and 2 together until the next morning that the guy was just asking for a cigarette. We still laugh about that whenever I call my old Marine buddies.


Anyhow sorry to the OP about the derailment.

likely Lightning Ridge......prolly the best source of black opal in the world.....at the museum on the college campus in Adelaide they had a plesiosaur(long neck sea-going "dinosaur") whose fossil was actually replaced with precious opal.....not sure how many millons of dollars worth of opal in it and then throw in the fact its a rare fossil, one of those things that is prolly near literally priceless....

Thanks. I knew something wasn't right in my memory of the name.

We lived in Chelmer, right on the river. I worked in the CBD.

Lived in Melbourne for 6 months. Take the great ocean coast road. Best road trip I have ever been on and I have been LOTS of places.

Back in '89 the wife and I did a 2 week tour. Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Alice, the Rock, Townsville and Cairns.
We'd love to go back.

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!