Well, the last few days have been a bit slow....with the exception of an exciting job prospect in one of Australia's best fishing and diving areas. It would be far too discouraging to describe it in full in case it doesn't happen...so more on that later. In the mean time I am going to cut corners and copy/paste an email I wrote when I was less lazy. A few people have asked me about Australia (when to come and the like), and in an effort to possibly drum up more potential visitors, here is some handy info! A fair warning though...if you are already a bit tired or bored, definitely don't read on! More on the exciting job soon!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Well Howdy,
Luckily for you, I don't even need to waste time researching...I am, at present, a fully saturated sponge of Australian knowledge. For example: Did you know that Australia once lost a Prime Minister as unceremoniously as you might lose a left sock? He jumped in the the bay one day for a quick dip, accompanied by the expected procession of staff, and was never seen again.
Anyhow, and more to the point, I am excited you might visit, and I do have some opinions that I feel could help. Firstly, $1300 is not an unreasonable round-trip price as it is a very long way away. Skyscanner.com is a great resource. That said, I would be surprised if you were able to find it cheaper than $1200 - $1300 anyhow...;( With Skyscanner, search LAX to Australia and it will show you prices for all the different airports.
As far as where to go, that's the hardest question of all. Weather wise, it will be the middle of winter here in May. The north jungilly bits will be dry and mild compared to the hell sauna they are now. The south of the country (Sydney and definitely Melbourne) will be cold and grey from what I hear (50's in the day). Also, the "winter" in the north is a great time to do the reef because all (most) of the awful stinging killing things migrate elsewhere leaving the waters relatively safe. Cairns is the city to go to for the reef...you can venture further north, but you'll still fly into Cairn's regional airport. It is also a great place to see the rainforest in relative safety (great hospital in Cairns) and the Altheron tablelands...a beautiful fruit growing jungle area full of waterfalls and the like. So, in short, for that time of year, I would fly into Sydney to see it, then fly to Cairns for the jungle and reef. From Cairns, do a flight to the outback (Alice Springs or somewhere else) and then return to Brisbane, Melbourne, or Sydney for a flight home.
I definitely agree with not trying to see the entire country. The size is a bit of a shock, and ground transport is completely out of the question. You'll have to leave the south coast and the west for another trip and another time of year.
Despite a sizable bout of laziness at the time of this email writing, I did get up and walk to the travel desk to find the price of getting a full dive certification on the reef. Unfortunately the guy was occupied with 4 Swedish girls, and as I approached I heard one of them ask "so, do you guys offer trips to the reef." Knowing how long that was likely to take, I immediately gave up and walked back to my room. It would be a fair question except for the fact that the reef is the only reason anyone comes to this town, and any travel desk that didn't offer a reef trip would be promptly laughed out of the business. So, I don't really know the total cost, but it's about $80 a dive and you would need 4 over 2 different days to go home certified. Equipment seems to always be included in the price, so I would guess the total cost at about $600 (possibly less) for a nice experience with a good company (ocean freedom's power boat out of Cairns is a very friendly and well run operation with a very cool Scottish Captain). I would say it would be totally worth it. Do it!
As far as landmarks go, Uluru rock is as classically Australian as the Sydney Opera House. Beyond that, Australia is full to the brim with strange formations and geologic oddities. You'll just have to a bit of searching. For ideas, I like trolling pre-packaged tours that tell you all the stops.
Unfortunately, I can't say where we'll be tomorrow any more than I could say where we'll be in May, but I am sure we can get together!
...
With all that quality info, I expect boatloads of visitors!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Well Howdy,
Luckily for you, I don't even need to waste time researching...I am, at present, a fully saturated sponge of Australian knowledge. For example: Did you know that Australia once lost a Prime Minister as unceremoniously as you might lose a left sock? He jumped in the the bay one day for a quick dip, accompanied by the expected procession of staff, and was never seen again.
Anyhow, and more to the point, I am excited you might visit, and I do have some opinions that I feel could help. Firstly, $1300 is not an unreasonable round-trip price as it is a very long way away. Skyscanner.com is a great resource. That said, I would be surprised if you were able to find it cheaper than $1200 - $1300 anyhow...;( With Skyscanner, search LAX to Australia and it will show you prices for all the different airports.
As far as where to go, that's the hardest question of all. Weather wise, it will be the middle of winter here in May. The north jungilly bits will be dry and mild compared to the hell sauna they are now. The south of the country (Sydney and definitely Melbourne) will be cold and grey from what I hear (50's in the day). Also, the "winter" in the north is a great time to do the reef because all (most) of the awful stinging killing things migrate elsewhere leaving the waters relatively safe. Cairns is the city to go to for the reef...you can venture further north, but you'll still fly into Cairn's regional airport. It is also a great place to see the rainforest in relative safety (great hospital in Cairns) and the Altheron tablelands...a beautiful fruit growing jungle area full of waterfalls and the like. So, in short, for that time of year, I would fly into Sydney to see it, then fly to Cairns for the jungle and reef. From Cairns, do a flight to the outback (Alice Springs or somewhere else) and then return to Brisbane, Melbourne, or Sydney for a flight home.
I definitely agree with not trying to see the entire country. The size is a bit of a shock, and ground transport is completely out of the question. You'll have to leave the south coast and the west for another trip and another time of year.
Despite a sizable bout of laziness at the time of this email writing, I did get up and walk to the travel desk to find the price of getting a full dive certification on the reef. Unfortunately the guy was occupied with 4 Swedish girls, and as I approached I heard one of them ask "so, do you guys offer trips to the reef." Knowing how long that was likely to take, I immediately gave up and walked back to my room. It would be a fair question except for the fact that the reef is the only reason anyone comes to this town, and any travel desk that didn't offer a reef trip would be promptly laughed out of the business. So, I don't really know the total cost, but it's about $80 a dive and you would need 4 over 2 different days to go home certified. Equipment seems to always be included in the price, so I would guess the total cost at about $600 (possibly less) for a nice experience with a good company (ocean freedom's power boat out of Cairns is a very friendly and well run operation with a very cool Scottish Captain). I would say it would be totally worth it. Do it!
As far as landmarks go, Uluru rock is as classically Australian as the Sydney Opera House. Beyond that, Australia is full to the brim with strange formations and geologic oddities. You'll just have to a bit of searching. For ideas, I like trolling pre-packaged tours that tell you all the stops.
Unfortunately, I can't say where we'll be tomorrow any more than I could say where we'll be in May, but I am sure we can get together!
...
With all that quality info, I expect boatloads of visitors!
The original better have been my email!! :) Sadly, visiting you is looking rather expensivooo. :( I'll keep you posted.
ReplyDelete-Christine