For the three days I was in Cairns I realized it's truly beautiful. I suggest that that everyone go snorkeling and/or scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
Kalgoorlie is a place you'll either love or hate. I loved it. It was my home for only 3 months but will always be a part of me.
Geelong is a great gateway to Great Ocean Road. Public transport is available to all beaches and Melbourne. Go to www.geelongotway.org and www.greatoceanroad.org for all tourist info and links to Geelong and the Great Ocean Road.
I had a brilliant time in Townsville. It's a place where you can go to get a real feel of Ozy life as there isn't a huge backpacker appeal. It's just a really nice town and I look forward to going back. Another bonus is that it is a base for the Oz army so there were plenty of fit young men around. This was way back in 2000 so hope not too much has changed!
Moree sucks ass. It's too damn hot and swarmed with murderous bloodythirsty kangeroo's.
Emerald is a beautiful place. Make sure you keep it that way. Very nice.
For anyone that is traveling Western Australia, get out now or else you're going to end up broke! Don't believe any of the bullsh*t about the work on the fruit farms -- I've the best part of $1,500 spent on accommodation. I've tried about thirty farms, all answers the same -- the weather's too bad. Carnarvon is a hole with nothing with nothing in it -- only rednecks.
Kiama is lovely and I would love to go there again.
Queenscliff is a magnificient coastal town, 30 minutes from Geelong by public transfer. Ferry runs yearly between Queenscliff and Sorrento on the hour. Fishing tours are available and swim with the dolphins also available. Visit Australia's only black light house, visit the lookout of the "rip". Steam trains run on weekends between Queenscliff and Drysdale. Enjoy Fish n Chips sitting on the beach.
When you're in Adelaide, do visit the Adelaide Hills -- really nice scenery and free wine tasting.
Canberra is the oddest place I have been to in my life! I only really went to see some rugby and felt like I had walked onto a film set, everything is so new it looks fake. And when I got up on satuday morning to have a stroll around the town there was a distinct lack of people. Only go if you want to see some decent rugby or you want to feel like you're on the Truman Show.
Echuca is a great place to stay, the people are lovely and there is nothing better than sailing down the murray with friends around to have a few beers with. Loved the place and hope to get back in the future.
Launceston is right next to Cataract Gorge, a 150m cut into the rock with the river at the bottom. Literally 10 minutes walk from the city centre and you're in the heart of nature. The city has an adequate bus system during the week, based at St John Street. Always call taxis from payphones instead of mobiles as the numbers otherwise go back to Hobart! Some company runs a $35 Tamar River cruise which is worth checking out. All in all I'd say Launceston is a much nicer, more relaxed city than Hobart and with no shortage of things to see and do. I used Launceston as a start/stop point for the Under Down Under tour also.
I have visited Apollo Bay many times and I would like to recommend to EVERYONE that they must try one of the delicious treats from the local bakery. The food is excellent and the staff are delightful.
The biggest attraction to Shark Bay is the area of Monkey Mia, which is known for its friendly dophins. Denham is also in Shark Bay and it's the nearest town to Monkey Mia (at about 25 Km away).
Anglesea has great views of the beach from the lookout, fantastic place to see kangaroos at the Angelsea Golf Course, hundreds of kangaroos.
Bacchus Marsh is the most awesome place ever -- it's great.
Merrigum is a quaint little place populated with an assortment of strange people for which it has always been known.
Melbourne is a fantastic city, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. There are some beautiful parks in the center of the city, and some lovely galleries and museums. I ended up staying in Melbourne for longer than I originally planned as I found it to be a 'fun' city - great bars and nighclubs, to suit all tastes. Also, Melbourne has some of the best shopping in Australia and the best selection of restaurants, where you can sample food from every corner of the globe. I couldn't believe the selection! If you're thinking about when to visit Melbourne, I would probably recommend going in summer, as temperatures are warmer and a little more stable.
Bremer Bay is such a beautiful place, just dont spoil it with development of more hotels and rising buildings. What's there now is enough.
We spent a great month in Augusta a couple of years ago (as part of a 3 month journey around SW Australia). We started in a caravan (which was great), and we migrated to a rented a house from an estate agency and extended our visit for another three weeks. We were most impressed by the friendly and welcoming attitude of the locals which included joining a cape to cape walking tour, a visit to the local island, and walking around the estuary and headlands. We would recommend Augusta as a peaceful, scenic, and friendly destination.
Visting independently? It'll cost you $35 to get the Uluru Express to Ayers Rock. Get the sunset tour with combined walk, it's the same price as the sunset tour alone. The Olgas are $50, the gorge walk is quite disappointing though. Don't forget you need to add $25 to all this for the park three-day pass. Bring a mosquito net -- flies will drive you mad.
I was with Esso Australia in 1981-1982 and I was assigned an oil prospect near Derby, so I made everal trips to Derby. An interesting place, especially the huge tides in the bay. It was pretty outback when I was there.
Maroochydore is a great place to do fruit picking as it is so close to the beach, has lovely weather, plenty of charity shops, and great drinking holes!
Brisbane is a fantastic city! We loved our stay here. Brisbane was fabulous - South Bank (wow!) the river (wow) and great feel for a city. We saw some great AFl with the Brisbane Lions too!
I live in Sydney and have to brag that the Royal National Park is just spectacular - especially if you want to see a diverse range of habitat in one location, within an hour or two of Sydney's CBD. The Royal has rainforest in the south, wet and dry sclerophyl forests in the north, heath along the north eastern coast, moors a little inland, swamps in the west and a myriad of creeks and rivers. Along with such diverse habitats come dozens, if not hundreds of bird species, a variety of mammals, lizards, snakes, frogs and fish.
The park has dozens of walking tracks with all grades of difficulty, from short walks to day walks and overnight walks. To anyone visiting Australia, especially for the first time, be aware that the outdoors environment can be harsh - be very sure you know what you're doing if you plan on any serious walking, and be aware that surf conditions along the park demand that you only swim if you are very experienced with surf. But don't let me frighten you away - the…
I was born and bred in Quirindi, and although I am only 12, I know the Castle Mountain area well, and I would love to stay there. HIGHLY recommended!
Bowen is one of my favourite spots in Oz. My tip is to mingle with the locals and they will show you the best time ever coz they are the friendliest bunch of Ozzies I ever met.
Mackay is a safe town to walk and explore. Non-touristy and friendly locals.
I am from Mount Gambier and think it's one of the most beautiful places I've lived. It's humble and a place to relax and take in all the amazing scenery. So close to the sea, the vineyards, and the marvels of the volcanoes.
Innisfail is a good place for a stop over and to earn some cash on the fruit picking but hard ass work...
Exmouth is AmAzInG. The Ningaloo Reef is located in The Cape Range National Park far far far away from town, but the good news is that The Ningaloo Reef Retreat does a shuttle bus there. I don't want to tell you my favourite spot as I share it with the likes of my middle brother and my best mate, but here's some food for thought. Ever seen a moon rise? How about a moon set over the ocean? If you've got your own wheels this place is the money. You'll need camping gear including a gas cooker as you are not allowed to make a fire in the National Park, a 20 litre container for fresh water, which you can fill at Neds Camp in the park and supplies purchased from Exmouth. Take out about $100 from the bank in Exmouth as the Lighthouse Caravan Park doesn't accept cards, but you can buy take-away food, petrol, and a shower from them. The caravan park is about the mid point between Exmouth and the best places to camp and snorkel, make sure you leave Exmouth with a full tank of gas, if you camp…
Lorne is one hour from Geelong and approximately 100 minutes from Melbourne. Go to the lookout for fantastic views of the beach and Erskine falls is a must. Plenty of bush walks available.
Check out the funky shop "New To You" in a lovely old house on Kuranda's main street. It has everything imaginable for sale, in the original rooms of the old house. Everything else in town is Chinese crap!
Fremantle is a breath of fresh air. It has a quirky vibe, anything goes! Beautiful climate, beaches, historic buildings...
Here's my TOP 10 to-do's for Freo: (in no order)
1. Fremantle Markets, get a beer at the market bar and listen to the buskers.
2. Definitely do the night-time Prison tour, its excellent.
3. Go to Little Creatures for a pale ale and frites, you'll love it.
4. Get the ferry to Rottnest Island, its so pretty... but don't feed the quokas!
5. Get a caffeine fix on Cappucino strip, Gino's and Benny's do great coffee.
6. Old Shanghai foodhall opposite markets does great food, cheap (especially Taka's Japanese).
7. Jump on the free bus (it's orange and has CAT written on it).
8. Shopping... cool clothes and jewellery by local designers.
9. Go see a band in the Newport, or DJs in Norfolk.
10. Seafood haven... some os the best in the world (according to the locals!). Go to Fishing boat Harbour, for fish 'n chips.
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