dotty

Saw Dianes/Tinajs post about holidays. Just wondered where people living here go for a hol and how often.

Me:
We live Sunny Coast and spend a mini fortune on holidays each Xmas. Usually go to UK or Canada visiting friends and rellies. Cost each year $20,000 easily but I found having a BBQ for Chrissy day very depressing, so do snow, turkey, idiotic party games with the family type stuff. (Nasty expense but we logic that as non smoking non gamboling types we deserve it). Then we usually scrape up the frequent flyer points and go and see friends in Melb/Syd mid year.

DianeOZ

Good thread to start Dotty, we can hopefully all get some good holiday ideas.

Diane

Ceri

We haven't had one holiday in 6 years due to the job and also added responsibilities regarding pets ( I have two cats which don't take well to kennels - they are ex abused stray cats, one needed (past tense as this one died recently - failed kidney transplant op) medical attention on a twice weekly basis ) - so I can't answer you on this one.

If I had the time for a holiday within Aus I'd probably take a long holiday in Gove .

I am hoping to take a holiday back to Britain this year by myself - it's impossible for both hubby and I to go away at the same time.

Holiday - what's that???

P.S

For cheap holidays with the kids - try camping, this is one thing which is cheap and plenty of campsites around here - Straddie Island etc

Christmas here usually revolves around getting p*ssed at mates houses - it's pretty depressing actually, seafood lunch - more beer, and more beer. This is one time of the year I do really miss home the most. Christmas is just not the same here. And even after more than 11 years of living away from home - I can't get used to christmas being warm - it's all wrong - we need to freeze on christmas day!

Rosy

Yes, Christmas here is VERY depressing. My children were singing the following at school: (to the tune of Jingle Bells)

Riding through the bush,
In a rusty Holden Ute,
Australia at Christmas Time,
Oh she`ll be a beaut!

How AWFUL is THAT???

when you`re in the UK (and I include myself here, before everyone has a go), you HATE the cold, dark winter days, and all the paraphernalia that goes with the increasing commercialisation of Christmas, BUT just wait `till you get here. It just don`t seem right!!!
It`s actually one of the things I`m looking forward to when I get back!

DianeOZ

My youngest thinks that with the cold weather Santa will be here soon. Bless......

Rosy

funny you should say that... my youngest presented me with a Christmas Card she`d designed yesterday... (that`s the God`s honest truth, on my children`s lives...)

dotty

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rosy
Yes, Christmas here is VERY depressing. My children were singing the following at school: (to the tune of Jingle Bells)

Riding through the bush,
In a rusty Holden Ute,
Australia at Christmas Time,
Oh she`ll be a beaut!

How AWFUL is THAT???

Probably as awful as the Purple Xmas card I am going to send you with Kangaroos pulling the sleigh. he he



We did a Xmas party for some small kids one summer it was a stinker and in some tiny hall, even in shorts it was boiling inside. About 90 kids turned up and Santa in full red regalia was getting redder and redder, by about the 80th kid the poor old guy passed out from the heat. About a dozen people rushed up pulled him out of the chair and started ripping his suit off and chucking lemonade over him to cool him down. The worst bit was when some little kid burst into tears screaming "thats my Poppy".

:scared:

Rosy

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dotty
That`s the best laugh I`ve had this month!!! (come to think of it, it`s one of the very few laughs I`ve had in the last year....)

gOD

I would recommend a few days driving down the Great Ocean Road in Victoria... Especially since you are in the same country!!

sundarize

Its strange that you look to go on holiday to cold miserable places, but I can fully appreciate the appeal of this environment at Christmas.

Christmas dinner outside in 40 degree heat will seem very strange but we're looking forward to the experience. I'd certainly choose Canada as theres at least a chance of snow.

There have only been 4 white christmases in Britain in the last 100 years.

agwa

Bloody hell, there's some right miseries on here.

Had a weeks holiday last month. Hired a cheap car for the week $450 and drove up the east coast. Spent 2 nights in Byron Bay, boogieboarding with the dolphins, took a whale sighting trip, generally relaxing.

Spent the rest of the week near Noosa, visiting the Sunshine Coasts beaches, which are amazing and empty/ish. Did a bit of bush walking, hired boats for fishing on Noosa River, weather beautiful the whole thing was excellent.

PeteY

My in-laws take one holiday a year..

Every 5th year they go somwhere in europe...

For the usual annual hol they generally go to somwhere in aus. Was tassie last time, and they said it was great.

Somewhere ive heard is good is Vanuatu, somwhere in the south pacific....

Ceri

What you described is the norm for me - I live up this way. I own my own boat and spend quite a lot of my weekends in and around the water, dolphins are a very common here - they will come up to the boat sometimes , if you don't own a boat - go to Bribie in the night , sit by the bridge and wait - most nights they come into feed - rounding up the fish - I've even seen them practically almost beaching themselves some nights rounding up the fish into the shallows
Whales - go to point lookout - a nice walk for you too. Sharks you could try a dive with them (either in the tank if you want to dive with the nurse sharks in a controlled environment - or if you go to straddie put on your mask and flippers and snorkel around Amity point - you'll see a few 5 , 6 ft Wobbegongs - they actually will come up to you on the boat ramp looking for food.

Anyway what you are describing is very much the norm for me - so it would be a bit like a bus mans holiday for me to make a holiday out of it. Next you'll be telling me to feed the possums, or go on a koala spotting trip - I only have to step outside my back door and into the garden for those.

Hardly miseries - anyway the point was what ideas for a holidays here, and what do people here in Aus do for holidays. .. whatever a holiday is - don't ask me ... I haven't had one in ages. But if I could it would be either Gove on a fishing holiday, or I would like to see Tasmania too which looks very beautiful, green and lush.

cheers

Mandy Bale

Unless you live in Scotland, had some fab white christmas's up there with the outlaws, but too cold to go outside (-12)!!

anyway, I don't really mind where I spend christmas just as long as I'm with my own little family and having a good time, which is what it is all about.

Mandy

jayr

Had a few days up at Noosa at Easter whcih was good as the weather was still hot enough to enjoy the beach. Looking forward to a long wekkend at Straddie soon try and catch some whales (not literally you understand). Would like to spend a few days on Fraser, haven't visited Moreton yet. Wish I could afford to take longer holidays, wouldn't mind visiting Cairns one day. Thinking of spending some more time at Noosa at Christmas (with rellie on the way to visit). As for holidays abroad, think I'll stick to discoverignt he backyard first, there's a lot of places worth going to within 2 hours of Brisbane. Anyone know if Byron Bay is worth a visit, say relative to Noosa??