[NA] Australian vacation - recommendations

[Sac Arrow]

Oh yeah, Central Quay...

There use to be didgeridoo player that would hang out near Central Quay, dressed in traditional Aboriginal garb (e.g. not much) but in conversation it turned out he wasn't Aboriginal at all. He was black American from New York.

 

[murphey]

We did Australia in the beginning of July, their winter, and lots of it were still hot. We did Sidney, climbed the bridge, took a Beaver seaplane tour. Then went up to Brisbane and got checked out in a 172 and then did a two week flying tour out to Uluru and Alice Springs and back. We then went up to Cannes and spent a few days on a live aboard dive boat (taking a jet ranger out to the boat).

This...it's about 3-4 hours commercially to Alice Springs. You can then get checked out an fly to Uluru and toodle around central Oz. Uluru is about 3 hrs or so by car from Alice Springs, or you can take the tour bus. Alice Springs is good for about one day. While in Sydney, I took the train to Bankstown, then got checked out in a 152 and wandered around the SE area near Sydney while the rest of my group took the boat tour to the Opera House. I, on the other hand, buzzed them on the boat (legally, had a CFI with me). I was hoping to make it to the west coast to visit friends but didn't have time. (Business trip & business class, the only way to spend 14 hrs in a United 747).

If you're a hat wearer, pick up an Akubra at a quality haberdashery. They'll custom fit it to you.

As for food - kangaroo is sold in frozen packages at the grocery stores, much like beef, pork and chicken is in the US. Aint considered a delicacy down there. If you enjoy lamb, Oz is probably one of the best places to enjoy it.

 

[Ghery]

Well the big trip starts tomorrow. I wasn't going to do it originally because it is such a long drive but we decided last minute that we can't go all the way to Australia and not dive the Great Barrier Reef. So looking for any recommendations on that as the advertised ones that pop up on Google are all the way up in Cairns was hoping to find something a little further south. Thanks, Jeff.

We took a 3 day, 2 night cruise on the reef out of Cairns in 2007. 65 foot schooner. They're out of business now. Got in three introductory scuba dives on the cruise. It was great.

Oh yeah, Central Quay...

There use to be didgeridoo player that would hang out near Central Quay, dressed in traditional Aboriginal garb (e.g. not much) but in conversation it turned out he wasn't Aboriginal at all. He was black American from New York.

Central Quay? Where's that? I know Circular Quay in Sydney. Had meetings just up the street from there (more than one trip).

 

[Sac Arrow]

We took a 3 day, 2 night cruise on the reef out of Cairns in 2007. 65 foot schooner. They're out of business now. Got in three introductory scuba dives on the cruise. It was great.



Central Quay? Where's that? I know Circular Quay in Sydney. Had meetings just up the street from there (more than one trip).

My bad - you are correct, Circular Quay. The main one.

 

[ejensen]

Lady Elliot Island - fly only at the south end of the GBR. North end already shows sign of coral bleaching and other affects of warming and pollution.