Australia vacation help needed

Alan wrote in
:

On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 03:44:03 GMT, Raffi Balmanoukian
wrote:


Well, I'd rather beat a dead horse and put it on my pie than put Heinz
on my Freedom Fries 8-)

Mate, you can put cow-dung on your "freedom-fries" if you must, but
out here I'm happy to dip my chips in Heinz. Or, at least I was back
when I was able to eat them. Fond memories.

A Canadian saying "Freedom Fries"? I'm flabbergasted Raffi :-)


Cheers, Alan

I'm with you there, Alan. Sometimes Raffi gets too wrapped up in foreign
affairs...

Richard wrote in message ...
On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 03:44:03 GMT, Raffi Balmanoukian
wrote:


Well, I'd rather beat a dead horse and put it on my pie than put Heinz
on my Freedom Fries 8-)

I'm with you there, Alan. Sometimes Raffi gets too wrapped up in foreign
affairs...

[shakes her head] Seeing you blokes carry on about beating your dead
horses and having foreign affairs, I think the whole lot of you are
long overdue for a very cold shower ;-P .

Nancy

(ncurtis) wrote in
om:

Richard wrote in message
...
On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 03:44:03 GMT, Raffi Balmanoukian
wrote:


Well, I'd rather beat a dead horse and put it on my pie than put
Heinz on my Freedom Fries 8-)

I'm with you there, Alan. Sometimes Raffi gets too wrapped up in
foreign affairs...

[shakes her head] Seeing you blokes carry on about beating your dead
horses and having foreign affairs, I think the whole lot of you are
long overdue for a very cold shower ;-P .

Nancy


hehe, no dead horses 'round here. Can't speak for Raffi tho'.

The only 'foreign affair' I'm having is with Australia, I love the place!
Now planning for the Northern Trip, to be undertaken in a couple of years.

Richard

(ncurtis) wrote in
om:

Richard wrote in message
...
On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 03:44:03 GMT, Raffi Balmanoukian
wrote:


Well, I'd rather beat a dead horse and put it on my pie than put
Heinz on my Freedom Fries 8-)

I'm with you there, Alan. Sometimes Raffi gets too wrapped up in
foreign affairs...

[shakes her head] Seeing you blokes carry on about beating your dead
horses and having foreign affairs, I think the whole lot of you are
long overdue for a very cold shower ;-P .

Nancy


hehe, no dead horses 'round here. Can't speak for Raffi tho'.

The only 'foreign affair' I'm having is with Australia, I love the place!
Now planning for the Northern Trip, to be undertaken in a couple of years.

Richard

in article , Richard at
wrote on 11/9/04 10:22 AM:

Alan wrote in
:

On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 03:44:03 GMT, Raffi Balmanoukian
a wrote:


Well, I'd rather beat a dead horse and put it on my pie than put Heinz
on my Freedom Fries 8-)

Mate, you can put cow-dung on your "freedom-fries" if you must, but
out here I'm happy to dip my chips in Heinz. Or, at least I was back
when I was able to eat them. Fond memories.

A Canadian saying "Freedom Fries"? I'm flabbergasted Raffi :-)


Cheers, Alan

I'm with you there, Alan. Sometimes Raffi gets too wrapped up in foreign
affairs...

Just call me a weapon of mass distraction!

But I have to wonder.....given Kerry's spouse (Heinz-Kerry), what DO you use
on "freedom fries?" Poutine?

Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in
news:BDB6DCD7.2829A%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca:

in article , Richard at
wrote on 11/9/04 10:22 AM:

Alan wrote in
:

On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 03:44:03 GMT, Raffi Balmanoukian
a wrote:


Well, I'd rather beat a dead horse and put it on my pie than put
Heinz on my Freedom Fries 8-)

Mate, you can put cow-dung on your "freedom-fries" if you must, but
out here I'm happy to dip my chips in Heinz. Or, at least I was back
when I was able to eat them. Fond memories.

A Canadian saying "Freedom Fries"? I'm flabbergasted Raffi :-)


Cheers, Alan

I'm with you there, Alan. Sometimes Raffi gets too wrapped up in
foreign affairs...

Just call me a weapon of mass distraction!

But I have to wonder.....given Kerry's spouse (Heinz-Kerry), what DO
you use on "freedom fries?" Poutine?

Maybe we'll find out when Dubbya comes to Ottawa, supposedly in the near
future.

While I've got your attention (?) have you ever gotten north of Alice,
Raffi? Know anything about the Cape York Peninsula? Normanton and the
Gulf area? Kimberley country (specifically Gibb River Road)?

We're planning our next trip to include lots of the outback from North
Queensland to the Kimberleys so your input would be welcome... just lay
off the fries :-)

Richard

Maybe we'll find out when Dubbya comes to Ottawa, supposedly in the near
future.

Maybe he'll make a comparable mistake to when Gough Whitlam got off the
plane in Ottawa to behold an array of bunting displaying southern cross
flags.

New Zealand flags.



While I've got your attention (?) have you ever gotten north of Alice,
Raffi? Know anything about the Cape York Peninsula? Normanton and the
Gulf area? Kimberley country (specifically Gibb River Road)?


Be sure to check out the Purple Pub in Normanton. Just don't do as I did
and hit a cow - it can make a mess even of a full size roo bar!

The GRR is well worth a trip but as you know climate is a factor. In the
dry you are best off to check out when the tours are leaving Broome (it
seems to me they are predominantly, although not exclusively, at a certain
time of week) and stagger accordingly. At the height of the season, they
might as well open a Mickey D's at the halfway point.

On Cape Yorke, I've only got as far up as Cooktown / Hope(less) Vale. If
you can get into one of the communities (I had a contact in the medical
profession so tagged along) it's an eye-opener. Sunday to Wednesday are
best for safety, the opposite for an insight.

Don't chuck a U-ey in a cane field. Great way to stake a tyre.



We're planning our next trip to include lots of the outback from North
Queensland to the Kimberleys so your input would be welcome... just lay
off the fries :-

The beef roads are worth a squiz, as is the Isa. The road trains will NOT
move from the half-strip of bitumen which is more a hazard than normal -
since the half strip is in the middle of the road with only half a lane on
either side. Basically, you're run off the road. Boula and the environs
are among my favourites.

I guess what I should have mentioned is that we won't be driving. It'll
be tours all the way.

We had exceptional tours on the southern trip, one along the Great Ocean
Road, and then another across the Nullarbor, and we figure that it's the
best way to really enjoy the trip. I'm a photographer, and I can't
bother to worry about changing a flat, or where's the next petrol
station or whatever, when I'd rather be shooting.

So we're looking into the tours available, from Cairns all the way up to
Thursday Island, the Gulf of Carpentaria including Normanton, around
Alice, the Kimberley region, Kakadu, and everything in between.

Richard

Frank Slootweg wrote in
:

Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote: [deleted]
The GRR is well worth a trip but as you know climate is a factor. In
the dry you are best off to check out when the tours are leaving
Broome (it seems to me they are predominantly, although not
exclusively, at a certain time of week) and stagger accordingly. At
the height of the season, they might as well open a Mickey D's at the
halfway point.

In 2000, we were on the GRR in early October (8 through 11), i.e.
somewhat before the wet season. It was very quiet and beautiful, with
nice weather. The people of Jack's waterhole were still there, but
were about to leave. We had some rain during the night while at the
Silent Grove campground near the Bell Gorge. They closed the
access-road for traffic to the campround/gorge, i.e. we could still
get out (slowly as not to needlessly damage the road), but no-one
could get in anymore (at least for the moment).

[deleted]

The beef roads are worth a squiz, as is the Isa. The road trains
will NOT move from the half-strip of bitumen which is more a hazard
than normal - since the half strip is in the middle of the road with
only half a lane on either side. Basically, you're run off the road.
Boula and the environs are among my favourites.

Yes, that can be a problem, especially if the road is somewhat
twisted
and between trees. It is a somewhat strange experience that under
these conditions, you have to pay more attention on a sealed road than
on an unsealed one. On an unsealed one, you can normally see the dust
of an upcoming roadtrain and have ample time to pull over. On a sealed
one, you come around the corner and there is this wall at a few tens
of meters and coming at you at 'high' speed! :-)

in article , Richard at
wrote on 11/11/04 9:54 AM:

I guess what I should have mentioned is that we won't be driving. It'll
be tours all the way.

We had exceptional tours on the southern trip, one along the Great Ocean
Road, and then another across the Nullarbor, and we figure that it's the
best way to really enjoy the trip. I'm a photographer, and I can't
bother to worry about changing a flat, or where's the next petrol
station or whatever, when I'd rather be shooting.

So we're looking into the tours available, from Cairns all the way up to
Thursday Island, the Gulf of Carpentaria including Normanton, around
Alice, the Kimberley region, Kakadu, and everything in between.

Richard


It's not so difficult to walk and chew gum, Richard....they even do it in
Toronto (although not in Singapore). In fact, I'd suggest it adds to the
experience since you can spend as long as you want at a good subject rather
than have a bunch of cotravelers whinge because "there goes Richard shooting
again. C'mon, let's get going." At least that's been my experience having
tried both...

That said - the routes around Alice are well served by three/five/seven+ day
tours, pricing and services are very competitive, and many guides are very
knowledgeable. Trip #1 (1998) included a 5-day with Northern Territory
Adventure Tours and I can't say enough good things about 'em.

Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in
news:BDB90EF0.28374%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca:

in article , Richard at
wrote on 11/11/04 9:54 AM:

I guess what I should have mentioned is that we won't be driving.
It'll be tours all the way.

We had exceptional tours on the southern trip, one along the Great
Ocean Road, and then another across the Nullarbor, and we figure that
it's the best way to really enjoy the trip. I'm a photographer, and I
can't bother to worry about changing a flat, or where's the next
petrol station or whatever, when I'd rather be shooting.

So we're looking into the tours available, from Cairns all the way up
to Thursday Island, the Gulf of Carpentaria including Normanton,
around Alice, the Kimberley region, Kakadu, and everything in
between.

Richard


It's not so difficult to walk and chew gum, Richard....they even do it
in Toronto (although not in Singapore). In fact, I'd suggest it adds
to the experience since you can spend as long as you want at a good
subject rather than have a bunch of cotravelers whinge because "there
goes Richard shooting again. C'mon, let's get going." At least
that's been my experience having tried both...

First of all, I never chew gum - even when it's officially allowed :-)
Secondo, I have been known to leave the bunch waiting a bit while I get
just one more photo... particularly in the Otways Ranges rainforest,
gorgeous stuff.

In fact, our living room now has a large centrepiece featuring that very
forest, blown to poster size. Looks pretty nice. Indeed, our two drivers
generally made some slight exceptions to the rule when they discovered I
wasn't just a week-end amateur.

That said - the routes around Alice are well served by
three/five/seven+ day tours, pricing and services are very
competitive, and many guides are very knowledgeable. Trip #1 (1998)
included a 5-day with Northern Territory Adventure Tours and I can't
say enough good things about 'em.

Did a google and found that this company is now known as Adventure Tours
Australia. Thanks for the lead, I'll look them over.

Anybody else with tour suggestions - Northeast, Central, Northwest, and
extreme North - is more than welcome to offer them as well. We're going to
travel a lot 'rougher' this time around, not seeing the cities so much as
what's in between. Having said that,I'm dying to get back to Melbourne,
love the place. Guess that means I'll have to make a *third* trip ...