Petals

I have seen a lot of Australia. The Kimberly is very good place to go a lot more people up there these days than when my parents were there. The tides are enormous up there.

I think that every place has beauty if you stay there for a while.

My favourite place in Aus is Tasmania for its size and ease of getting around and the scenery.

We like to head off into the country.

DadAgain

I've seen a bit....

I worked in Darwin for a while and explored down as far as Katherine.

I've travelled the full length of Qld (well from Cape Tribulation south anyway) stopping in Cairns several times, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg.

I've driven down BNE-SYD many times both up and down the coast and inland. I've ski'd in the Victorian highlands and visited Melbourne a couple of times and have had a week in Perth & Freemantle...

I've also spent a few days driving around NZ north island and a few days visiting NZ south island (seriously need to get back there at some point)

I havent yet got down to Tassie, seen anything of South Australia or really headed inland enough to get past 'cattle grazing' country and into real 'outback' - but all these things will happen eventually.

As others have said with fewer holidays here than back home and bigger distances involved its tough to get away from whatever corner you live in - and with many of us using valuable holiday time for trips back home to see family its even harder to make any dent in looking around this contintent.


How many UK residents have taken the time to thoroughly explore the width and breadth of the whole of Europe?

Pomster

we have visited a few spots:

Ningaloo reef and Coral Bay
Perth :Margaret River, Swan valley etc
Alice Springs: Ulhuru, King's Canyon
Coober Pedy
Riverina
Sydney and Blue Mountains
Lakes Entrance
Brisbane
Cairns and Great barrier Reef
Townsville
Darwin and loop down to Katherine.
Plus lots of spots around Melbourne,

So we have covered a fair bit of ground

Vash the Stampede

I've had a ride on Bazza's Beer Bus. We got as far as Hindley Street.

Does that count?

Max&Ozzy

travelled about 32,000 K's on 2 to road trips so far. From Adelaide to Darwin and back, then Adelaide to Cape York and back. We love the outback and go as remote as we can as often as we can. It's amazing out there.

Syedney

Great thread

How true is the sentiment echoed. Last week I was just thinking we've been here a year and haven't yet seen all of Sydney!!

And talk about being 5 mins (literally!) away from the beach and yet hardly been there.

Caught a mate at work with a tan and asked where did he go and it turned out that after 6 months being in Sydney, he made it to a beach for once!

How folks back home think we lay on the beach and swim every afternoon and yet for some of us, how untrue this is!!

We decided with my mate to consciously make every Sunday to visit a new beach!

Beach towel anyone??

TandC23

Well, my girlfriend and I arrived here in Perth in September after having visited for a month at a time over consecutive years from 2002 to 2004. Each time we bought a banger of a car and just drove. The first time was from Perth to Sydney in 2002 in a $500 Datsun Bluebird bought from a car yard. A few worries but no major problems!! 2003 was from Melbourne to Darwin in a big budget $900 1985 Mitsubishi Magna (which we sold in Darwin for $1000!). We even went off road for 450 ks up the Oodnadatta track to see some pioneer country on that trip. Our little car even got 'salutes' from the rare passing truckers we saw on the sandy and pitted track. And 3rd was our trip down the east coast from Cairns to Sydney in 2004. A fantastic trip in a by now customary less than a $1000 vehicle. It did help that my father had driven across Australia, and indeed all the way round the world in a car far less suitable for the roads of his time in 1960, and had taught me the basics of travelling on a micro budget plus his mechanical know how! www.yallop.net . Last December we visited once more to drive from Perth to Broome, this time in the luxury of a hired camper van! We are by no measure well off but had set aside a budget for our plans and just saved. In each instance, our air tickets from UK equalled our travelling budget. We decided after many 1000's of k's of exploring, that we just loved the place! Having said that, I can't see why anyone arriving for the first time to see this amazing, vast country and its people (new and old) for the first time, should not be able to make a go of it. After all, most of the folk who arrived here over 100 years ago did not have the luxury of holiday beforehand, and they had no where near the mod cons of today.

mohogony

l go swimming at the beach most days during summer, but l live in the country near a nice beach that l usually have pity much to myself , if l lived in a city and had to drive through all the traffic to get to a crowded beach l probably would'nt go much either.

Pollyana

I've spent vast amounts of time in Tassie wandering around backpacking - gorgeous scenery, and so tranquil. There are loads of other bits of Aus I'd like to see - and hopefully will get to see one day, places like Coober Pedy, Alice, Darwin, Ulhuru, Kings Canyon, Kakadu, but I don't think any of them will ever match up to Tasmania. Time I went back for another fix methinks......

bigkaz

I bought a large map of Australia when i arrived so I could mark off all the places I visited as I went along. Pinned up on my dining room wall so I can mark off any places i still want to visit also.
Have done most of what I wanted to do with my favourite trip being a 22 day 4wd tour from Perth to Darwin sleeping in swags and visiting places like Tom Price,Marble Bar and Bungle Bungles. Have been from Adelaide to Darwin and onto Kakadu,drove from Alice Springs to Uluru. Spent some time in Katherine which is a place I really liked.
Have seen most of Victoria as try to get away for long weekends at least every 6 weeks. Drove from Melbourne to Broken Hill, Adelaide and Sydney (in different trips).
Seen pretty much what I want to see on the East Coast but would like to do a trip from either Townsville or Rockhampton to Darwin,via Mount Isa.
Heading to Tasmania mid Feb and then want to do the South West loop of Perth,Albany,Esperance and Kalgoorlie at some point later in the year.

Some great sights to see and interesting little towns to stop all over the country

the troubadour

Actually know a few from abroad who like as travelled around the country decades ago before settling as what is termed backpackers. Great way to get to know aspects of Australia,distance places etc but found many have only limited exeriences with Aussies as the back packer world is rather self contained.

the troubadour

A number of Aussies wait untill they retire then become grey nomads..taking a year or whatever to go around the country.
Doesn't appear to be so many younger ones doing Oz these days as there were in times past..apart of course from international backpackers.

the troubadour

a not too uncommon observation...in small doses though or first timers it can be a novelty.

mohogony

l agree most of the outback has boring scenery but theres no where else like it in the world, where else has an Ayres rock. but many other parts of the country have spectacular scenery, such as Tasmania, someone mentioned. l've been there, it must have some of the best uspoilt wilderness and scenery in the world.

the troubadour

Actually Namibia bears a resimbalance to Oz as does South Africa