Australia and Alice Springs.

[jakarta]

Melbourne is also a fantastic city.

Mrs Jakarta has a Cousin there so we have been 3 times in the last 10 years, it is a lovely City.

If you are a sports fan you have to visit the MCG, obviously best if there is some cricket being played but even if there is not the Tour & Museum are tremendous...

 

[VAL1850]

Isn't Alice Springs a boring dust bowl, full of lethal spiders and drunk Abo's.

Nothing to see at all in A/S and yes full of drunk Abo's sleeping their hangovers off under the shade of a tree as sponsored by the Aussie governments handouts

Remember had time to spare waiting for a bus in Alice nothing to do but went to cinema to see Clockwork Orange which was still banned at the time in the UK

Think most people get drawn to A/S for Ayres rock and the Olgas but they are still 6 hours drive away

 

[chimneys]

Isn't Alice Springs a boring dust bowl, full of lethal spiders and drunk Abo's.

Nothing to see at all in A/S and yes full of drunk Abo's sleeping their hangovers off under the shade of a tree as sponsored by the Aussie governments handouts

n. pl. Ab·os or ab·os Offensive Slang
Used as a disparaging term for an Australian Aborigine.

Come on guys. You wouldn't use P*ki (I hope), and this is similarly offensive.

 

[Greavsey]

Alice Springs is a horrible place.

Correct. If you want the same experience just hang out in Burgess Hill on a hot summer day.

Byron and Whitsunday's are a real highlight of the East Coast IMHO. Had a great time in Darwin too, but was chasing a lovely bit of Swedish skirt at the time, so that could have added to it's charm.

There is nowhere in Australia that is packed with interest for more than a couple of days as you would say London or New York might be (maybe Sydney is an exception). It's just a great place to hang out!

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

We lived in Melbourne for a year and wouldn't necessarily recommend it if your time is limited - don't forget how far apart everything is in Australia. Oz is not really the place to do city breaks given it really excels at beaches, rain forest, geography etc..

We took a road trip up/down the east coast when we were there and took 2 months over it. We still missed out a lot of stuff. I would recommend getting as far north as you can to really experience rain forest/tropical feel - Cape Tribulation is as far as you can drive with Port Douglas a nice base nearby. Other places we liked were Mission Beach, Cape Hillsborough and, of course, the Whitsundays.

With all of this, your best option is probably going to be driving around - the distances and the fact that many of the best places are "off the beaten track" make this ideal.

I can't comment on Alice Springs as many in Oz told us not to bother, mainly because it's so much travel to get there when you could be doing more with the time. The west coast up to Broome and Darwin were also recommended as breathtaking scenery with real "outback" feel.

What time of year are you going? Oz winter is good for more northerly trips (dry season) whilst everywhere can get pretty hot in the summer!

 

[Justice]

The Australian accent grinds on me for some reason.

 

[Sussexscots]

Alice springs is a dump in the middle of nowhere. There seems to be some sort of romantic notion about the place - possibly because of the Nevil Shute novel - but there's really little to commend it. If you want to see Ayers Rock/Uluru, you can fly direct there.

The Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth or the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin - stopping in Alice Springs - are epic train journeys. Very much tourist trains these days though. Since the sleepers on the lines were replaced with concrete the outback towns that served the railways have largely become ghost towns. Few people ride the rails for anything but the tourist experience, but to get a sense of the vastness of the place, there's nothing like it if time and money permit.

As for Alice, I'm never going back. Been there twice and there was water in the Todd River both times. They say if you see water in the Todd three times you never leave Alice. I'm not taking any chances.

 

[BadFish]

Mrs Jakarta has a Cousin there so we have been 3 times in the last 10 years, it is a lovely City.

If you are a sports fan you have to visit the MCG, obviously best if there is some cricket being played but even if there is not the Tour & Museum are tremendous...

Watching AFL at the MCG is also a wonderful experience.

 

[knocky1]

Great thread this. It's the equivalent of I'm off to Malaga what can I see and being told Crete is worth a visit.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

Not much to do in Alice Springs. Drove there from Adelaide, hot boring drive but great places to stay for stopovers. Loaded the car onto the Ghan and back to Adelaide, that was an experience. Slept in the train seat while an Aboriginal woman decided her bed for the night was under the seat. Never smelt body odour like that before. Good fun overall though. Climbing Ayers Rock the highlight. Can you still do that? Coober Pedy worth a visit, bit like a ghost town and so hot.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

n. pl. Ab·os or ab·os Offensive Slang
Used as a disparaging term for an Australian Aborigine.

Come on guys. You wouldn't use P*ki (I hope), and this is similarly offensive.

Sorry.
But I did post it in an Australian accent, so somehow, and i don't know how they manage to do this, I got away with it without sounding racist.

 

[OzMike]

Go visit Tasmania if you have spare days. Smaller state so easier to see more in less time. Has some quite beautiful places and scenery to check out.

Totally agree, Tasmania reminds me of Wales, the scenery is fantastic.

 

[BadFish]

Sorry.
But I did post it in an Australian accent, so somehow, and i don't know how they manage to do this, I got away with it without sounding racist.

An Australian accent makes it casual racism which is alright.

 

[alofbrighton]

Don't sweat on it mate....Australians abbreviate everything including the usual for Pakistanis and Aboriginals but it's mostly not meant in a bad way.
It's taken some time to get used to but when I've queried it I've been told not to be so uptight it's just the Aussie way....oops there I go calling an Australian
an Aussie...it's a bit like that!

A great trip from Adelaide is to drive to Melbourne or vice versa along the Great Ocean Rd. Fabulous scenery and if you go at the right time a few good
music festivals en route. Adelaide at this time of year also hosts The Fringe which is the second biggest arts festival in the world...second only to the Edinburgh
Fringe so if anyone thinks Australia lacks culture think again. The Garden of Unearthly Delights being the highlight...over a million people will pass through
The Garden this year and it really is extraordinary.

Apparently Lonely Planet voted South Australia in the top 5 places to visit in the world this year. Incredibly underrated (thank God!) but Flinders Ranges,
Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and the West Coast are stand out places to visit...oh and then there's the wine, Barrosa Valley and McClaren Vale world
class wine regions with a few good craft breweries thrown in for good measure.

 

[zeetha]

Myself (and to ALL my FANS i will continue to post ) and her Indoors have booked Brisbane,now Byron Bay has been suggested worth a visit,however what is train travel like ? Brisbane to A/S ? A/S to Adelaide ?. Time is not really an issue for us so stop-offs are ok,but if so what is a good punt ? Thanks.

Just out of curiosity who have you booked with or are you doing it yourselves?

My OH and I are planning a trip to Oz next year that includes Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and the Gold Coast (for the Commonwealth Games) but as its getting complicated we're thinking maybe we should use an agent as its getting a bit complicated...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Sorry.
But I did post it in an Australian accent, so somehow, and i don't know how they manage to do this, I got away with it without sounding racist.

Try doing it in an Alf Garnett accent, and see if that helps.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Just out of curiosity who have you booked with or are you doing it yourselves?

My OH and I are planning a trip to Oz next year that includes Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and the Gold Coast (for the Commonwealth Games) but as its getting complicated we're thinking maybe we should use an agent as its getting a bit complicated...

People only go there if they want to buy firecrackers or for porn.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

People only go there if they want to buy firecrackers or for porn.

Don't believe that Canberra actually even exists, let alone is (according to Wikipedia) 'the capital city of Australia'.

Don't know one single person who admits to ever having been there, or at any time having lived there.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Just out of curiosity who have you booked with or are you doing it yourselves?

My OH and I are planning a trip to Oz next year that includes Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and the Gold Coast (for the Commonwealth Games) but as its getting complicated we're thinking maybe we should use an agent as its getting a bit complicated...

Already have one son out there since Sept 2015 but in Cambodia at the moment. For this trip have used a T/A really because everything has to be right forms/visa etc. Flights rtn via Singapore and Singapore Airlines from Manchester at £860 each.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

zeetha,Thomson in Leek but that came about as one of the group of four that went in 9/15 works there.