Destination - Austraila! About This Page:

[AKLRULZ]

Okay, who is a seasoned international traveller who can give us some great places to visit on the continent of Austraila (we'll include New Zealand, too!)! What are great places to stay and visit and places to eat at for a first time visitor to the Outback? Give us your knowledge!

[ 05-19-2002, 03:15 PM: Message edited by: Dadtojbj ]

[stretch2864]

I have a friend who lives a couple of hours north of Sydney. If anyone has specific questions about Australia, I could probably e-mail her and then pass the information back along to you here on the message boards.

[Boiler Joanne & Tim]

I have had the good fortune to travel to Melbourne and Sydney a number of times for business. I love the Melbourne area. The food is very good. If you like Italian food, Lygon Street is excellent. If you want to be more adventurous, the Ghost Gum and Emu at the Melbourne Centre has Crocodile, Emu and Kangaroo. Crocodile and Kangaroo were very good. The best beers are the Tasmanian beers -- particularly Boags Premium. For touring the Great Ocean Road is gorgeous. You can do it in one day or several (stopping in small fishing like villages). It is like the Pacific Coast Highway except you drive on the other side of the road. It ends at the 12 Apostles -- amazing limestone carvings in the ocean. There are hiking trails, waterfalls and lighthouses. If you continue past the apostles you can see whales in Waarnabol. It's also possible to see wildlife like Kookaburras and Kanagaroos.
Going the other way out of Melbourne is the Yarra Valley (excellent wines) and Healesville Animal Sanctuary. This is a good chance to see (and touch) a Wombat, see a Platypus, walk among Kangaroos, get close to Koalas, and come face to face with Dingos (they walk they through the sanctuary). You can also go out to Philip Island and watch the penguins come ashore each night.
If you like sports you have to attend an Australian Rules Football game. It is a real treat.
As far as hotel, I would recommend the Sheraton Towers right on the Yarra River.

Sydney is completely different. The most incredible attraction is the Harbor Bridge climb. You actually climb the top of the bridge. The view of the harbor is breathtaking (My wife is afraid of heights and was fine until a helicopter flew by lower than us). Taronga Zoo was neat and you could actually enter the Koala pen. You have to take the ferry to Manly Beach -- we walked the beach and ate at a sidewalk cafe. The fish and chips were great. I wouldn't recommend going out to the olympic facilities, they have converted many of them and they are not the same as they were for the olympics. The harbor cruises are a nice way to go out and see the whole area. The Captain Cook afternoon tea cruise was nice. I would recommend the Renaissance Hotel here. It has a great view of the bridge and the opera house as well as being close to the main ferry terminal.