Yanks continue to invade OZ

[LarryT]

My wife and I are looking for lodging recommendations for our visit in November.

The financial planner informed us that if we are going to travel to Australia once in our lifetime it won't make much difference to our retirement if its' now or later (due to being old already). This has been a lousy year for me financially, but our daughter is currently an exchange student at James Cook U. in Townsville, so we have decided to tap our retirement now.

We'll be visiting Cairns, Townsville to collect our daughter, then Brisbane and Sydney. We've made decisions about lodging for Cairns, gotten advice re Townsville, have researched Sydney and have not researched Brisbane.

Looks like serviced apartments are the best choice for us in Sydney. We will not have a rental car. If one of you had to choose between serviced apartments on Bridge St. or Kent St. in downtown Sydney would you have a preference? How about districts further away like Darlinghurst, Haymarket, Potts Point or Chippendale? Too inconvenient without a car or are the buses and trains a good way to get about?

For the Brisbane folk - do you have lodging recommendations for your fair city? Currently we are unsure how we are splitting our time between Townsville and Brisbane. We haven't made a decision whether to fly or use ground transport to Brisbane, which would affect the allocation of days.

Thanks a lot for your help. We are really looking forward to coming and hopefully meeting some of you.

LarryT
Larry Tompkins
N544WB RV-6A purchased flying
W52 Battle Ground, WA

[lorne green]

Larry, My son married an Auzzie a few years ago. My wife and I were compelled to attend the wedding. I hope it's OK for a Canuk to comment. We stayed at a few different areas while staying in OZ for three weeks. I would say that we enjoyed staying in Paramata and taking the thirty to forty minute ferry ride right in to Darling Harbour....Sydney Opera House et al. Oh, if you are a wine enjoyer, spend a day (read - a week) in the Hunter Valley, not far from New Castle. Enjoy your visit, they're wonderful folks.

[GusBiz]

Larry,

I don't live in Sydney but been there enough to know. (live in Melbourne kind of like San Fran and LA, we obviously are better)

All the locations in Sydney are pretty close togther. You could Taxi about there without too much trouble. As far as close to the centre it doesn't really matter unless you were wanting to walk every where which unless all you were doing was shopping in the CBD. If you do want to just walk then Bridge is obviously your best call but that is hard core CBD with traffic worst than LA.

I would stay in Haymarket but all those areas are fairly similar.

Townsville is not a short trip from Brisbane. You could drive it but most fly it. Its a h3ll of a long way. However you will see the country driving it. (redneck part of the country but hey still, thats Australia.)

If you want to get to experience the area then a road trip would be cool from Brissy to Towns.

Just my $0.02 worth of course.

[rjtjrt]

Larry
As said, Townsville is not a short trip from Brisbane, and be aware there is no freeway/tollway/motorway - it is mostly 2 lane (ie one each way) road. So even slower than you may imagine for the distance.
Enjoy the trip and the reunion with your daughter.
John

[Richard Connell]

As a Sydney person, I would recommend either of the downtown options. You are then within easy walking distance of main hubs for:
Ferries
Busses
Trains
Easy walking distance of all the main visitor attractions:
Opera house
Bridge
Aquarium
Museums
Art galleries
Botanic gardens etc...

Just make sure you look both ways crossing all the streets!

BTW, I think October or November is probably the nicest time to visit Sydney.

Good luck

[Jack Tyler]

Larry, Patricia and I recently (2010-2011) lived in a suburb of Brisbane for 6 months - just a super experience, BTW. A couple of points to consider:
-- Translink, the public transport system in Bris, is superb and you can get to most of Bris proper and most of its suburbs using one single card (buses, trains, ferries) that you buy at the first station and can top-up as needed. Car rentals aren't cheap, the Aussie $ is still overvalued (sez me, after painfully using the American peso for our 6 months), and Bris lacks much of a grid system so nav can be challenging when driving around. We bought a really good Bris map, carried the Translink route skeds, and never regretted relying on public transport.
-- based on the above, in your shoes I'd reserve a motel room with kitchenette (they are very common in Oz) after a) checking rates, and b) using the on-line Translink train/bus routes to insure I could easily commute into the city and out to the bayfront areas. Oz is relatively expensive, restaurants are expensive, and a kitchenette, which would give you meal options, can be a big budget saver.
-- it's simply not safe to drive at night inbetween cities like we do in the States. Too many 'Roos on the roads and rentals don't have 'Roo bumpers; additionally, full insurance coverage for that kind of damage is expensive. Finally, the roads are not interstate-like and average speeds are less. Your most significant limitation is time rather than money. Fly inbetween your various destinations.
-- FWIW (we had much less exposure to Sydney than Bris) Sydney is massive and public transport was a less efficient experience there for us than in Bris. If renting a car there, suggest you add a GPS to the rental - it will save you time and gas.

Lucky you (two). You'll really enjoy yourselves.

Jack

[newt]

Originally Posted by Jack Tyler

it's simply not safe to drive at night inbetween cities like we do in the States. Too many 'Roos on the roads and rentals don't have 'Roo bumpers; additionally, full insurance coverage for that kind of damage is expensive.

Now you tell me? I've been driving on country roads at night here for 25 years without a problem so far, but now I feel intimidated all of a sudden

If you avoid dusk and dawn (when the roos are swarming but visibility is poor) and keep a good lookout at the verges of the road ahead you should be fine.

There's to much to see by road, it'd be a shame to miss it. Cities are the same all over the world, but each town in the bush has its own character.

- mark

[GusBiz]

Originally Posted by newt

There's to much to see by road, it'd be a shame to miss it. Cities are the same all over the world, but each town in the bush has its own character.

- mark

Yes!! This is totaly true. I am a city boy. But if I want to see stuff in my own country then drive. Our speed limits are OK and I have never hit a Roo (ok maybe once) but its more likely that you will hit a car in city traffic than hit a Roo.

Country Australia is really the best part. Much nicer than us city dwellers.

[Andy_RR]

This all reminds me of when I was young and foolish and travelling by night between Perth and Adelaide, somewhere between Lake King and Norseman on a gravel road. I was pretty much midway along the road when three huge red kangaroos crossed my path in the darkness. They were going places, but I had to stop for them. Skidded, spun 180? in the darkness or was it 360?...? Thankfully no damage, but ****! Now which way is Norseman?

Now I am older, but probably nearly as foolish.

[Jimboscr]

If you avoid dusk and dawn (when the roos are swarming but visibility is poor) and keep a good lookout at the verges of the road ahead you should be fine.

There's to much to see by road, it'd be a shame to miss it. Cities are the same all over the world, but each town in the bush has its own character.

- mark[/quote]

I agree with Mark. I have been all over the place and have not yet hit a roo with the car (touch wood) If you watch road verges, and avoid dusk and dawn you will be fine.

Public transport in the capital cities is good (which one is best is usually argued on partisan lines)

But if you really want to see a great place, come to Adelaide / Sth Australia. Don't let those east coasters monopolise your time!

Thanks to the problems in Europe / Greece, the $A has just dipped below the US$, so spend up quick!

Cheers

Jim