Aussie Rules...ok?
As promised/threatened, a sum up of the highlights and lowlights of my time in oz...As per my kiwi sumup, the opinions are mine alone! In tribute to Australia's game, I've picked a team of 18 (that's how many play Aussie Rules per team) but I've also picked a team of nasties too (all banned for violent conduct!)
My First 18
Sydney Harbour
A nice obvious one this, but then the view of the bridge and opera house is magnificent. If you cross the bridge (the normal way, not the climbing option) you get beautiful views back. It's quite nice on the other side, and there's a decent spit roast sandwich shop there too!
Sydney walks
The Manly to Spit point walk is on Sydney's doorstep, and is really interesting. Further out, the Blue Mountains have many fine trails. Wentworth Falls is quieter than Katoomba, with fewer tour buses, so you feel more of an explorer! It is worth mentioning that Aussie walk definitions are quite sporty...a 'medium' graded walk can be pretty difficult! I mention this, as several times I saw people who's bitten off more than they could chew, and were trying to drag understandably tired young children along inappropriate trails.
Melbourne sports events
Melbourne may not have that many sights, but it is a nice place, and a great place to see sport, with it's various top class venues. Cricket at the MCG, Aussie Open Tennis, Rugby League, Aussie Rules, Australian GP, there's plenty to choose from!
Great Ocean Road
A great trip along the coast from Melbourne to Adelaide, the 12 Apostles are the highlight (especially if you take the helicopter ride over them) but there's plenty else to see too!
Aussie Wine
Tasty and good value, need I saw more? I found the Rosé went down rather well in the warm weather over there...And to those Kiwis who say that much Aussie wine is mass produced rubbish, to be honest if it tastes good, I don't care!
Aussie Rules Footie
I rather enjoyed the game I went to, it was fast and furious. Besides, watching a local game of sport is a key part of understanding a country's psyche!
Cute Wildlife
Koala bears...need I say more? How cute can an animal be, and seeing them sleeping in the trees is a magical sight. Kangaroos aren't bad either, and seeing the baby's head sticking out of it's mother's pouch is a lovely sight.
Scary Wildlife
Australia has so many natural ways to kill you, it's amazing I survived at all. It certainly added a extra edge...For example :-
In the sea are sharks (the risk of a shark attack is overrated) and jellyfish, who are much more of a threat - one beach on Fraser island was covered with them, the sting can be agony and even fatal. There's stinging fish too!
In the water on land are crocodiles, the numbers of which have been increasing. I was in Darwin during the floods below, and no I didn't visit Katherine!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4887182.stm
Snakes are generally not a threat, as they normally run off. Spiders are much more dangerous, as they are small and easily missed (the deadly ones are tiny). They also like hanging around in bathrooms and toilets, seeing a redback as you brush your teeth is quite distracting, seeing one in the toilet stops you lingering too long.
Even the plants are at it. The most nasty is the Giant Stinging Tree a relative of our stinging nettle, but far, far worse. The sharp pain has been known to last for months, with certain species people have had heart attacks due to the agony. I saw these in Queensland.
Swagging
Sleeping under the stars is romantic and gives a great view of the night sky. Wrap up well in the outback though!
The Olgas/Kata Tjuta
This was my favourite part of the Uluru/Ayers Rock trip, The Valley of the Winds walk is stunning, and well worth the effort
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=8248&.dnm=e7d4.jpg&.src=ph
Crocodile Farm and the Jumping Crocs
Good fun to see these brutes close up, and seeing them jump out of the water to grab meat off the end of a line is fascinating, especially when you're holding the pole yourself!
Litchfield
I didn't make it to Kakadu, but Litchfield is a decent substitute. Giant termite mounds and stunning waterfalls make it a nice day out.
Aussie Blokes
In this age of the new man, it is good to see the the traditional Aussie bloke is still alive and kicking. If you're in the pub outside of the metropolitan sophisticate areas, they'll usually come over for a chat, usually with a fellow bloke (often me!) rather than the sheilas. In years to come, when they're extinct, there'll be theme parks where drunken, grubby actors dress up in string vests and swear for the public!
Kuranda
A great day out from Cairns. The journey is a major part of the fun, with the scenic railway one way and the stunning cable car back over the rainforest the other, but the town itself is well worth a visit, with lots to see and do.
Lake McKensie, Fraser Island
Beautiful clear freshwater, pristine white sand, surrounded by thick forest. A bugger to get to though, as it's well away from the coast so it's a bouncy 4wd journey to get there. At least that keeps the crowds down!
Group tours
I went on two 3 night tours. One unexpected benefit of this, was the sheer number of times I would bump into fellow tour members later on in my travels. Taking the Great Ocean road as an example, the majority of people who travel west from Melbourne to Adelaide will continue up to Alice Springs. After Alice people generally either go south or up to Darwin, a 50/50 chance of going the same way as you, and with the cities up here much smaller, and the tourist trail fairly obvious, there's a fair chance you'll catch up with each other!
Internal Flights
Australia is VERY large, and much as I wanted to travel more of it overland, it would have taken too long for my timescale, and to be honest, the scenery isn't so interesting to make 11 hours staring out of the window fun! Internal flights are good value, and the in flight service on QANTAS pretty good.
Pies
Much as Australia is trying to portray itself as international and cosmopolitan, with diverse, sophisticated cuisine, there are times when salads or sushi just don't fill the gap and what you require is a bit of dead animal in pastry! Australia is definitely meat pie heaven, with bakery shops full of them. Harry's in Sydney is a city institution now (they serve them with mushy peas and mash a little bit like the east end pie mash shops), while the Adelaide favourite is the pie floater, a pie floating in pea liquor with ketchup on top (apparently a northern english way). All delicious, though the best pie I had was in a roadhouse on the way back from Uluru/Ayers Rock!
The Nasties (all banned from the team)
Aussie beer
The Aussies in London keep telling me that although Fosters is rubbish, the real Aussie beer is much better. No it isn't!!! Most of it is still dull and bland, the best of a poor bunch is Coopers of Adelaide, at least their beer has some flavour. This was brought home to me on arrival in Singapore. I've never previously been that excited by Tiger beer, but compared with the Aussie stuff, it was heaven!
Uluru Base Walk
I didn't climb Uluru, there are many good reasons not to, both spritual and common sense ones, as the climb is steep and dangerous. It was closed on the day I was there anyway, as it was too windy. Instead we all did the base walk around the circumference. 3 hours I think it took, and to be honest, not terribly interesting. The problem was, that various areas were cordoned off as they had spritual significance to the Aborigines, but no explanation as to why was ever given, so you ended up none the wiser.
Flies
The outback flies are a nightmare, they are harmless, but so irritating! On your face, up your nose, in your eyes, in your ears...the mystery is why there are so many flies there, as there is hardly any vegetation, and hardly any animals either. The sahara desert is hardly famous for it's flies is it? What do they (or rather their maggots) feed on?
Great Barrier Reef
Unless you are a good scuba diver, or a decent enough swimmer to snorkle comfortably, don't bother going out to the reef, as you'll see very little and end up swallowing large amounts of disgusting sea water!
Sydney
It may have great sights and attractions, it just didn't excite me as a city. I'm not sure why, I guess I was expecting something better. Discussing this with other travellers, I'm not the only one who felt this. There are lots of reasons to come to Australia, but don't come just to see Sydney. It's fine, but not a patch on London, Paris or New York.
The Ghan Train
A long train journey, but not much to see! Hour after hour of the same deserty scrubland.
The Aboriginal Issue
A final depressing thought. I won't go into the appalling treatment of the Aborigines in the past here, what's more depressing is their current state, with high unemployment, 3rd world life expectancy, and high levels of alcohol and petrol abuse. They seem to be lost between a previous lifestyle that they can't go back to, and a developed world they can't adapt to, and it's very sad.
So there you have it. Feel free to agree or disagree! I had a great time in Australia, I covered a fair part of it in my 5 weeks there, but there are several places to visit on a future trip (such as Tasmania and WA). I'm now in Asia, so finally away from Australisia, and only 7 hours ahead of the UK now!!!
My First 18
Sydney Harbour
A nice obvious one this, but then the view of the bridge and opera house is magnificent. If you cross the bridge (the normal way, not the climbing option) you get beautiful views back. It's quite nice on the other side, and there's a decent spit roast sandwich shop there too!
Sydney walks
The Manly to Spit point walk is on Sydney's doorstep, and is really interesting. Further out, the Blue Mountains have many fine trails. Wentworth Falls is quieter than Katoomba, with fewer tour buses, so you feel more of an explorer! It is worth mentioning that Aussie walk definitions are quite sporty...a 'medium' graded walk can be pretty difficult! I mention this, as several times I saw people who's bitten off more than they could chew, and were trying to drag understandably tired young children along inappropriate trails.
Melbourne sports events
Melbourne may not have that many sights, but it is a nice place, and a great place to see sport, with it's various top class venues. Cricket at the MCG, Aussie Open Tennis, Rugby League, Aussie Rules, Australian GP, there's plenty to choose from!
Great Ocean Road
A great trip along the coast from Melbourne to Adelaide, the 12 Apostles are the highlight (especially if you take the helicopter ride over them) but there's plenty else to see too!
Aussie Wine
Tasty and good value, need I saw more? I found the Rosé went down rather well in the warm weather over there...And to those Kiwis who say that much Aussie wine is mass produced rubbish, to be honest if it tastes good, I don't care!
Aussie Rules Footie
I rather enjoyed the game I went to, it was fast and furious. Besides, watching a local game of sport is a key part of understanding a country's psyche!
Cute Wildlife
Koala bears...need I say more? How cute can an animal be, and seeing them sleeping in the trees is a magical sight. Kangaroos aren't bad either, and seeing the baby's head sticking out of it's mother's pouch is a lovely sight.
Scary Wildlife
Australia has so many natural ways to kill you, it's amazing I survived at all. It certainly added a extra edge...For example :-
In the sea are sharks (the risk of a shark attack is overrated) and jellyfish, who are much more of a threat - one beach on Fraser island was covered with them, the sting can be agony and even fatal. There's stinging fish too!
In the water on land are crocodiles, the numbers of which have been increasing. I was in Darwin during the floods below, and no I didn't visit Katherine!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4887182.stm
Snakes are generally not a threat, as they normally run off. Spiders are much more dangerous, as they are small and easily missed (the deadly ones are tiny). They also like hanging around in bathrooms and toilets, seeing a redback as you brush your teeth is quite distracting, seeing one in the toilet stops you lingering too long.
Even the plants are at it. The most nasty is the Giant Stinging Tree a relative of our stinging nettle, but far, far worse. The sharp pain has been known to last for months, with certain species people have had heart attacks due to the agony. I saw these in Queensland.
Swagging
Sleeping under the stars is romantic and gives a great view of the night sky. Wrap up well in the outback though!
The Olgas/Kata Tjuta
This was my favourite part of the Uluru/Ayers Rock trip, The Valley of the Winds walk is stunning, and well worth the effort
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=8248&.dnm=e7d4.jpg&.src=ph
Crocodile Farm and the Jumping Crocs
Good fun to see these brutes close up, and seeing them jump out of the water to grab meat off the end of a line is fascinating, especially when you're holding the pole yourself!
Litchfield
I didn't make it to Kakadu, but Litchfield is a decent substitute. Giant termite mounds and stunning waterfalls make it a nice day out.
Aussie Blokes
In this age of the new man, it is good to see the the traditional Aussie bloke is still alive and kicking. If you're in the pub outside of the metropolitan sophisticate areas, they'll usually come over for a chat, usually with a fellow bloke (often me!) rather than the sheilas. In years to come, when they're extinct, there'll be theme parks where drunken, grubby actors dress up in string vests and swear for the public!
Kuranda
A great day out from Cairns. The journey is a major part of the fun, with the scenic railway one way and the stunning cable car back over the rainforest the other, but the town itself is well worth a visit, with lots to see and do.
Lake McKensie, Fraser Island
Beautiful clear freshwater, pristine white sand, surrounded by thick forest. A bugger to get to though, as it's well away from the coast so it's a bouncy 4wd journey to get there. At least that keeps the crowds down!
Group tours
I went on two 3 night tours. One unexpected benefit of this, was the sheer number of times I would bump into fellow tour members later on in my travels. Taking the Great Ocean road as an example, the majority of people who travel west from Melbourne to Adelaide will continue up to Alice Springs. After Alice people generally either go south or up to Darwin, a 50/50 chance of going the same way as you, and with the cities up here much smaller, and the tourist trail fairly obvious, there's a fair chance you'll catch up with each other!
Internal Flights
Australia is VERY large, and much as I wanted to travel more of it overland, it would have taken too long for my timescale, and to be honest, the scenery isn't so interesting to make 11 hours staring out of the window fun! Internal flights are good value, and the in flight service on QANTAS pretty good.
Pies
Much as Australia is trying to portray itself as international and cosmopolitan, with diverse, sophisticated cuisine, there are times when salads or sushi just don't fill the gap and what you require is a bit of dead animal in pastry! Australia is definitely meat pie heaven, with bakery shops full of them. Harry's in Sydney is a city institution now (they serve them with mushy peas and mash a little bit like the east end pie mash shops), while the Adelaide favourite is the pie floater, a pie floating in pea liquor with ketchup on top (apparently a northern english way). All delicious, though the best pie I had was in a roadhouse on the way back from Uluru/Ayers Rock!
The Nasties (all banned from the team)
Aussie beer
The Aussies in London keep telling me that although Fosters is rubbish, the real Aussie beer is much better. No it isn't!!! Most of it is still dull and bland, the best of a poor bunch is Coopers of Adelaide, at least their beer has some flavour. This was brought home to me on arrival in Singapore. I've never previously been that excited by Tiger beer, but compared with the Aussie stuff, it was heaven!
Uluru Base Walk
I didn't climb Uluru, there are many good reasons not to, both spritual and common sense ones, as the climb is steep and dangerous. It was closed on the day I was there anyway, as it was too windy. Instead we all did the base walk around the circumference. 3 hours I think it took, and to be honest, not terribly interesting. The problem was, that various areas were cordoned off as they had spritual significance to the Aborigines, but no explanation as to why was ever given, so you ended up none the wiser.
Flies
The outback flies are a nightmare, they are harmless, but so irritating! On your face, up your nose, in your eyes, in your ears...the mystery is why there are so many flies there, as there is hardly any vegetation, and hardly any animals either. The sahara desert is hardly famous for it's flies is it? What do they (or rather their maggots) feed on?
Great Barrier Reef
Unless you are a good scuba diver, or a decent enough swimmer to snorkle comfortably, don't bother going out to the reef, as you'll see very little and end up swallowing large amounts of disgusting sea water!
Sydney
It may have great sights and attractions, it just didn't excite me as a city. I'm not sure why, I guess I was expecting something better. Discussing this with other travellers, I'm not the only one who felt this. There are lots of reasons to come to Australia, but don't come just to see Sydney. It's fine, but not a patch on London, Paris or New York.
The Ghan Train
A long train journey, but not much to see! Hour after hour of the same deserty scrubland.
The Aboriginal Issue
A final depressing thought. I won't go into the appalling treatment of the Aborigines in the past here, what's more depressing is their current state, with high unemployment, 3rd world life expectancy, and high levels of alcohol and petrol abuse. They seem to be lost between a previous lifestyle that they can't go back to, and a developed world they can't adapt to, and it's very sad.
So there you have it. Feel free to agree or disagree! I had a great time in Australia, I covered a fair part of it in my 5 weeks there, but there are several places to visit on a future trip (such as Tasmania and WA). I'm now in Asia, so finally away from Australisia, and only 7 hours ahead of the UK now!!!
posted by Michael Conway at
11:30 am
1 Comments:
Dude! I am Australian - from Sydney in fact - and I have to say... I kind of agree with most of what you say.
Running down your list though, I first stop at your bit about wine. Rose? I can't remember when I last drank a decent Australian rose. The Kiwis may be down on Aussie wines, but they're down on most things Australian. Having said that, Kiwi wine is some of the best in the world, especially their whites. Australia produces a lot of wine, a lot of which is for the masses, a lot of which is also pretty damn good.
Koalas: Okay, they're cute, but have you ever picked one up? They will piddle on you even when you are not on fire. Trust me.
Traditional Aussie blokes: Puh-lease. They are embarrassing. Never more so than when overseas (which I was recently). Their accent becomes broader, their shirts louder... urgh.
Pies: "As much as Australia is trying to portray itself as international and cosmopolitan etc", erm... did you go to Tetsuyas? Longrain? Any of their ilk? Sure, Harry's Cafe de Wheels is fun, but google the above and you'll find we're not 'trying' to do anything. We're just doing it. You obviously missed out.
Aussie beer: Agreed. Most is shit. Coopers is the exception. Going back to Aussie blokes - they will insist that Fosters or VB or whatever is where it's at. It isn't.
Great Barrier Reef: Let me guess - you got as far as Cairns. If you go further, up to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation you will - WILL - be amazed. Requires more effort, but it's well worth it.
Sydney: I take your point. I love the city, but then I know its secrets. But yeah, it's not a patch on London or Paris. However I have traveller friends who spent some time here and ended up staying a lot longer than intended.
Enjoyed your list. Made me think, especially as I've just arrived back from overseas myself and feel kinda weird being back.
By
Lee Bemrose, at 12:03 pm
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