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#61
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The Ghan is scheduled for the third trip (at a stretch, the fourth :-) The second is strictly Northern Australia, going east to west and ending up in Darwin. You do know the Ghan now goes to Darwin, just under a century after it was promised in the first place? Checked out those folks you put me onto, and they have some very interesting tours, definitely worth looking into. One from Cairns across to Darwin, then Darwin down to Alice Springs; fly to Broome, I didn't like Broome at all. Overpriced (lots of pearl money), overhyped, and full of ferals waiting to go down the GRR. However, like your hotel experience in Adelaide, my impressions may have been coloured by a rip-off Toyota dealership and a quarreling backpacker couple who spent the night in a drunken rage while I sweated away the 90% humidity night.... Now find a way to Thursday Island, and fill in a few other places... Adelaide surprises me as your favourite city. I liked Glenelg, at least the beach (the camels tho' looked a bit tired) but found little of Adelaide to rave about. Maybe three days wasn't enough? Hmmm. Not by a long shot. First time around, I would have agreed with you. Adelaide bills itself as the "largest country town in Australia," which to my mind is more appropriate than the "festival" slogan on the license plates. If you're a come-from-away just passing through, you won't pierce the shell and it will come across as the Land of Wowsers. Dig a little deeper and you will find the friendliest people in Australia, where you don't have to work 90 hours a week just to meet the mortgage (although that changed quite a bit in just a year), and there's a genuineness you will see in few other places (and that's saying quite a lot in WYSIWYG-dominant Australia). Of course, the fact that 20 minutes from the centre will put you on the edge of bushland probably makes me a tad biased.... |
#62
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Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in news:BDB9AD1D.283BA%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca: The Ghan is scheduled for the third trip (at a stretch, the fourth :-) The second is strictly Northern Australia, going east to west and ending up in Darwin. You do know the Ghan now goes to Darwin, just under a century after it was promised in the first place? Yes, but pretty much non-stop, right? I'd kinda like to see Tennant Creek and Katherine and other places along the way (which if we take those safaris, we will get a chance to see). Also the Ghan is pretty expensive from what I hear. It's the thing to do I think if you're travelling with a lot of people and just want to go from A to D. Checked out those folks you put me onto, and they have some very interesting tours, definitely worth looking into. One from Cairns across to Darwin, then Darwin down to Alice Springs; fly to Broome, I didn't like Broome at all. Overpriced (lots of pearl money), overhyped, and full of ferals waiting to go down the GRR. However, like your hotel experience in Adelaide, my impressions may have been coloured by a rip-off Toyota dealership and a quarreling backpacker couple who spent the night in a drunken rage while I sweated away the 90% humidity night.... I'm not so much looking forward to Broome as I am starting out on the last leg of the northern over-land trip (Kimberleys etc). Having read the Durack book about the cattle barons (Kings in Grass Castles) it would be nice to see the country itself. Adelaide surprises me as your favourite city. I liked Glenelg, at least the beach (the camels tho' looked a bit tired) but found little of Adelaide to rave about. Maybe three days wasn't enough? Hmmm. Not by a long shot. First time around, I would have agreed with you. Adelaide bills itself as the "largest country town in Australia," which to my mind is more appropriate than the "festival" slogan on the license plates. If you're a come-from-away just passing through, you won't pierce the shell and it will come across as the Land of Wowsers. Dig a little deeper and you will find the friendliest people in Australia, where you don't have to work 90 hours a week just to meet the mortgage (although that changed quite a bit in just a year), and there's a genuineness you will see in few other places (and that's saying quite a lot in WYSIWYG-dominant Australia). Of course, the fact that 20 minutes from the centre will put you on the edge of bushland probably makes me a tad biased.... We liked the pedestrian walk-way (Rundle Mall) a lot; the pig sculptures - totally unexpected - were a riot. The city's architecture was interesting as well. However, I thought their botanical garden was the least impressive in the cities we visited (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide). The water fountain in Victoria Square was 'contemporary' and interesting (you can see how I'm *trying* to be nice :-) It was the weekend of some auto race as well, and the whole area south of the Botanical Gardens was overrun by the black-leather, beer-swilling crowd. Just another reason to pack up and flee for Glenelg for the last 2-3 days. The beach was quite nice, and our motel had a beer store, drive-in beer store in fact (for those who enjoy drink driving?) so we did relax for the last few days. We did hit on a very good store in Adelaide - on King William St. I think - selling Aborigine art work and came away with a little gem. To be honest I'll have to give Adelaide one more chance I suppose... |
#63
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#64
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Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in news:BDBACC58.283DE%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca: .... All good points but I'd suggest taking it anyway - it's an experience and gives you a bit of a Kellogg's-variety-pack of the whole bisection in aircon comfort. Then you can go south from Darwin to do the things you want. C'mon, I thought Trains were a Canadian genetic thing!! Trains a Canadian thing? Mebbe once, but damn if I'd sit for a trip out to the west coast, or even your end of the world, on a train if there's other transport. I even resisted taking any trains in Australia, except local (Freo, Subiaco etc). But I've heard a bit about the Ghan and am tempted, although the price is very high. I like the fact that ADL is easy to navigate ( you don't get much more basic than North, South, East, and West Terraces with radials off of them); as a Maritimer, I can relate entirely to the "there's a shield if you're just passing through, or we're the nicest blokes in the world if you're interested in getting to know us" motif that I took away from the region. The bits like trams, buskers, Port Adelaide, probably the best (legitimate) opal buys in the country, accessibility to local plonk, and good cheap eats that don't make a big show of it are also right up there. Then again, I was also looking with a different eye (one more Quebec referendum and I'm outa here) and what you could get for $200K in ADL would easily be $500 in Melbourne and $700 in Sydney. Things were definitely cheaper there, and the restaurants weren't all that bad, but were difficult to find. Past six pm on a weekend, think we could find anything open? Wound up eating in an *authentic* Chinese restaurant (only clientel were Asian) and had a great meal. Only place open in mid-town. It was the weekend of some auto race as well, and the whole area south of the Botanical Gardens was overrun by the black-leather, beer-swilling crowd. This quite likely has something to do with your verdict. Any massive blowout will skew the sample of a place - whether its a grand prix or the Henley-on-Todd. Agreed, although the grand prix in Melbourne - which happened to coincide with our arrival first week in March - didn't turn us off that city. Truth is, I could move there tomorrow and not skip a 'cultural beat', really felt fine staying two weeks there. We did hit on a very good store in Adelaide - on King William St. I think - selling Aborigine art work and came away with a little gem. I'm partial to BHQ and the galleries at Mt. Ebenezer and on the Tanami for that. AYQ is ripoff city in that regard. I've made notes, in case it ever happens a second time. To be honest I'll have to give Adelaide one more chance I suppose... Seriously - the longer the better. Short term and you will probably come away the same as I have after whirlwind passthroughs of Toronto. Point taken? Ah ha, so you finally admit you don't know squat about Hog Town... Worst thing you can do is just 'pass through', it's quite superficial and glizzy, like the impression given by most large cities. I live here but damn if I know the best restaurants, etc, because I don't need to know. But your point isn't always true. The time we spent in Australia's largest cities has nothing to do with my reactions: four days in Sydney, two weeks in Melbourne, a week in Perth, a week in Adelaide. Loved both Perth and Melbourne - Perth as much for the weather as anything else, although it's a pretty cool town. Melbourne is the town Toronto would like to think it is - ethnic and exciting and extremely livable. |
#65
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Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in news:BDBACC58.283DE%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca: .... All good points but I'd suggest taking it anyway - it's an experience and gives you a bit of a Kellogg's-variety-pack of the whole bisection in aircon comfort. Then you can go south from Darwin to do the things you want. C'mon, I thought Trains were a Canadian genetic thing!! Trains a Canadian thing? Mebbe once, but damn if I'd sit for a trip out to the west coast, or even your end of the world, on a train if there's other transport. I even resisted taking any trains in Australia, except local (Freo, Subiaco etc). But I've heard a bit about the Ghan and am tempted, although the price is very high. I like the fact that ADL is easy to navigate ( you don't get much more basic than North, South, East, and West Terraces with radials off of them); as a Maritimer, I can relate entirely to the "there's a shield if you're just passing through, or we're the nicest blokes in the world if you're interested in getting to know us" motif that I took away from the region. The bits like trams, buskers, Port Adelaide, probably the best (legitimate) opal buys in the country, accessibility to local plonk, and good cheap eats that don't make a big show of it are also right up there. Then again, I was also looking with a different eye (one more Quebec referendum and I'm outa here) and what you could get for $200K in ADL would easily be $500 in Melbourne and $700 in Sydney. Things were definitely cheaper there, and the restaurants weren't all that bad, but were difficult to find. Past six pm on a weekend, think we could find anything open? Wound up eating in an *authentic* Chinese restaurant (only clientel were Asian) and had a great meal. Only place open in mid-town. It was the weekend of some auto race as well, and the whole area south of the Botanical Gardens was overrun by the black-leather, beer-swilling crowd. This quite likely has something to do with your verdict. Any massive blowout will skew the sample of a place - whether its a grand prix or the Henley-on-Todd. Agreed, although the grand prix in Melbourne - which happened to coincide with our arrival first week in March - didn't turn us off that city. Truth is, I could move there tomorrow and not skip a 'cultural beat', really felt fine staying two weeks there. We did hit on a very good store in Adelaide - on King William St. I think - selling Aborigine art work and came away with a little gem. I'm partial to BHQ and the galleries at Mt. Ebenezer and on the Tanami for that. AYQ is ripoff city in that regard. I've made notes, in case it ever happens a second time. To be honest I'll have to give Adelaide one more chance I suppose... Seriously - the longer the better. Short term and you will probably come away the same as I have after whirlwind passthroughs of Toronto. Point taken? Ah ha, so you finally admit you don't know squat about Hog Town... Worst thing you can do is just 'pass through', it's quite superficial and glizzy, like the impression given by most large cities. I live here but damn if I know the best restaurants, etc, because I don't need to know. But your point isn't always true. The time we spent in Australia's largest cities has nothing to do with my reactions: four days in Sydney, two weeks in Melbourne, a week in Perth, a week in Adelaide. Loved both Perth and Melbourne - Perth as much for the weather as anything else, although it's a pretty cool town. Melbourne is the town Toronto would like to think it is - ethnic and exciting and extremely livable. |
#66
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#67
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#68
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Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in news:BDBAF247.28414%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca: I don't disagree about Perth, although its being "a hell of a long way from anywhere" is a bit of a factor. I also don't disagree about Melbourne including your comment about ethnicity, but like Sydney it almost tries too hard (not unlike that whole Toronto-Montreal thingie). Maybe therein lies the rub: action-reaction. I've heard nothing but negatives from passers-through about Port Augusta, for example: and having spent more time there than any other singular place in Australia, have nothing but good to say about it (aside perhaps from a couple plastered park patrons which you might find just about anywhere in the world). You know, 'being a hell of a long way from anywhere' didn't seem very relevant when I was there. It was just a very enjoyable place to be, with every amenity you could want, including a terrific footy match that the locals managed to lose by three points, although Sampi had a terrific game. Port Augusta I only remember from the shopping centre where we filled the petrol tanks and stocked up on booze and such for our travels across the Nullarbor. Just like most small places - from Albury to Echuca and then across the desert to Perth, every place had the essentials of what Australia was/is - locals that not only give you the time of day, but stay and chat as long as you like. That was the greatest impact of the country, people who seemed to enjoy being with strangers and not feeling like they had to prove anything. One chap stood on the sidewalk for over half an hour and gave a history of the region to us, fascinating actually, and others - on buses or on the street - anywhere, were just as accommodating. You won't find that in TO, more's the pity. |
#69
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Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in news:BDBAF247.28414%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca: I don't disagree about Perth, although its being "a hell of a long way from anywhere" is a bit of a factor. I also don't disagree about Melbourne including your comment about ethnicity, but like Sydney it almost tries too hard (not unlike that whole Toronto-Montreal thingie). Maybe therein lies the rub: action-reaction. I've heard nothing but negatives from passers-through about Port Augusta, for example: and having spent more time there than any other singular place in Australia, have nothing but good to say about it (aside perhaps from a couple plastered park patrons which you might find just about anywhere in the world). You know, 'being a hell of a long way from anywhere' didn't seem very relevant when I was there. It was just a very enjoyable place to be, with every amenity you could want, including a terrific footy match that the locals managed to lose by three points, although Sampi had a terrific game. Port Augusta I only remember from the shopping centre where we filled the petrol tanks and stocked up on booze and such for our travels across the Nullarbor. Just like most small places - from Albury to Echuca and then across the desert to Perth, every place had the essentials of what Australia was/is - locals that not only give you the time of day, but stay and chat as long as you like. That was the greatest impact of the country, people who seemed to enjoy being with strangers and not feeling like they had to prove anything. One chap stood on the sidewalk for over half an hour and gave a history of the region to us, fascinating actually, and others - on buses or on the street - anywhere, were just as accommodating. You won't find that in TO, more's the pity. |
#70
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I have read through most of the responses you recieved, and I'm not sure
you recieved the answers you were looking for. I am a Travel Agent. I would suggest that you find a local agent and tell him/her exactly what you wrote in your post. I think most first timers should take a tour. You get alot more out of your vacation that way. The tour guides are excellent, and have a wealth of information. And in the end, they are a much better value. I would suggest the following tour companies-Globus, Brendan and ATS South Pacific. All three of those companies are very reputable and your travel agent would be able to book them for you. I am currently booking a 3 week package to the South Pacific for my clients, and We chose Brendan. It is a very comprehensive tour that highlights all of the MAIN attractions, and it is within your spending range. |
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