TRAVELINGOZ .COM
TRAVELINGOZ .COM
2004 Australia Trip
I knew it was going to be a great trip to Australia when our plane was descending for landing and it was a beautiful day in Sydney.
The Qantas ground staff told me that it had been raining for days prior to our arrival. The weather has been great. The temperature has been in the low to high 70’s and a bit breezy.
The staff at the Sydney Marriott greeted me at check in. I was running on empty after my long flight in but felt at home. The hotel staff is excellent.
I made my rounds to the places I needed to go which placed me back in the groove. Including getting used to looking to the right before crossing the street and getting in the front passenger seat of cars and taxies from the left door.
The local IGA food store was fun to shop trying to find all the Australian products I like so much. I had to buy my supply of Tim Tams and Lift lemon lime soda. After that it was off to buy my state transit Sydney Pass to get around and get money from the ATM. Once this was done I was ready to go.
I have spent a lot of time visiting friends. Having been invited to a few home cooked meals, I was a happy camper. I am not one to complain after doing the hotel food and McDonald’s. The Hotel food is excellent but it does get tiring after three weeks.
Some of the current prices this trip include:
A six pack of domestic beer: AU$14.00, lunch at McDonald's: AU$7.00, seven day Sydney pass: AU$140.00, pre-paid Optus mobile phone with AU$10.00 credit: AU$99.00 to AU$149.00, harbor lunch cruise: AU$55.00, bottle of Budweiser: AU$6.00, USA Today (international): AU$5.00.
I took a few say trips outside of Sydney to surrounding New South Wales. I decided to go to Canberra to visit several attractions including parliament house, museums, and the U. S. Embassy. The ride over on the tour bus was very scenic countryside. The bus stopped for morning tea and lunch.
The other day trip was to the Blue Mountain region with stops in Katoomba and the Jenolan Caves. The weather was a bit cooler as fall was setting in.
A friend and I drove down to the small coastal town of Kiama south of Sydney one evening to walk along the high cliffs above the ocean. There was a light house there looking out over the ocean. The town also had a number of small shops and restaurants.
As the days flew by, the weather seemed to get even better then it already was. During the 21 days in Sydney it only rained one day. Unfortunately that happened to be the day that I was on a day tour of Sydney including a harbor lunch cruise. It started raining as I exited the boat. Nothing like an unexpected shower to ruin your day.
Keeping in touch with friends and family was easy thanks to cheap long distance phone cards, the Ekit.com system, and the internet. It's always nice to feel not so far away from home.
Being from the Midwest, I always like to get to the ocean. Several times during the trip I went to Bondi and Manly beaches. At times I felt as if I could stand there for hours and just stare at the ocean. I could see ships off in the horizon. I wondered what it was like for Captain Cook on his voyage to what is now Australia in 1770 and if he had the same view of the coast back then as the people on those ships do now.
After 21 days it was time to say goodbye to Sydney for another year or two. Time to pack up again. Time to deal with going through the airports. Time to get on the Qantas flight. It was time to go home.
I would like to thank all of the wonderful people that I have met on the 2004 trip. I look forward to visiting with some of you next time.
Click the link below to see the best pictures from my trip. Including pictures of some friends and other people I met along the way. I shot about 300 pictures total.
Page updated February 18, 2007 07:23:38 PM
