TRAVELINGOZ .COM
TRAVELINGOZ .COM
2006 Australia Trip
It's hard to believe the trip is over and I am back home. The trip went very well. It only rained for a very brief time in Adelaide and Melbourne. No rain at all in Sydney or Surfer's Paradise. Nice warm weather in Sydney and Surfer's. It was a bit cold in Adelaide and Melbourne at night.
The plane flight down was very rough. Strong head winds. I was glad to land in Sydney after 14 hours of bumps. All of my domestic flights were great. The flight back to Los Angeles and St. Louis was excellent. Not only faster but smoother thanks to a good tail wind. 747-400ER Boeing jets are the best made and my favorite to fly in.
Sydney was excellent as usual. My friend Mike was with me on the trip this time and he was very impressed. Especially with the beer. It was good to see all of my friends at the hotel. They were waiting for my arrival. I stayed in the city this time and did not get to the Blue Mountains. There was not enough time having only 7 days in Sydney. I did all the tourist things mainly for Mike as it was his first time there. The public transport came in handy for our frequent trips to Circular Quay and Bondi Beach. The red explorer bus was good too for a nice overview of what to see.
Sydney always has construction going on in the CBD. There always seems to be more tall buildings going up. The skyline is awesome enough. It just gets better.
Our next stop was Surfer's Paradise for 4 days. Our hotel had us in a suite on the 26th floor! What a view of the South Pacific! The resort was excellent. They have a lagoon with waterfalls. You can jump in and swim with the fish. There was also a big pool around it with palm trees. The food was great including the biggest breakfast buffet I have ever seen. The hotel bar was great with live music. Very cold beer too. That is a must! The Hard rock Cafe in Surfer's was great! Friendly staff too. If you go to Surfer's, check it out. There is also plenty of shopping. There is a boardwalk along the beach that is awesome. The perfect place for a walk or jogging.
After Surfer's Paradise we went to Adelaide for 3 days. I met up with a friend and we drove north to the town of Freeling. This is the base and filming location for the Australian TV show "McLeod's Daughters". I am a big fan of the show so we had to go to the Railway Hotel for a beer. The hotel is also known as the Gungellan Hotel for the TV series. We also went by the Gungellan Truck Stop and the actual Drover's Run homestead. Check out the pictures on this site.
I enjoyed an excellent steak dinner at the Glenelg BBQ on Jetty Road. There are a lot of shops along Jetty Road as well including an ice cream store that was out of this world. We also went to my friend's house for a great home BBQ. The Aussies do it right! I even had some kangaroo sausages. The Watermark hotel is a good pub. It even has a pokie room if you like slot machines. The weather in Adelaide was cooler and fall was setting in as well. It only rained a few sprinkles once or twice. Mainly clouds off the ocean.
After Adelaide it was a short flight to Melbourne for Easter weekend. Not much to do because of the holiday but the Hard Rock Cafe was open. Had to check that out of course. The usual great food and service. Had to get a few t-shirts too. I had dinner at an excellent restaurant called Piccolo Mondo on Lygon Street. This area has several restaurants and pubs to choose from. Any type of food you want. I sat outside at the tables under the propane heaters. Melbourne was even colder than Adelaide at night. If you like to people watch, Lygon Street is for you. Mike and I met a few new friends. Hello to Sandra, Rohan, and Jess if you are reading this. Jess made more coffee than drinks at the hotel bar.
It was a short flight back to Sydney for our final night in Australia and home to the USA. Three weeks goes by fast when you are having so much fun! Never fear though as I will be back soon to do it all over again!!!
Checkout my 2006 Pictures page for more on my trip.
Page updated February 18, 2007 07:25:34 PM
