2004 View of Australia

AUSTRALIA – DOWN UNDER BUT ALSO DIFFERENT!!

Observations:
1.There is virtually no graffiti – North American culture has not extended to this art form.
2.Toilets have full or half flush handle settings.
3.Sunrises in the east and at noon it goes north and sets in the west. Very disconcerting for orientation.
4.Wombats, Kangaroos, Wallabys, Koalas. Which of them make good sausages? You are correct it is Kangaroo. In the supermarkets meat department there is a section beside the other meats for Kanga meat. Very popular are the so called Kanga Bangers for frying or barbies.
5.Water swirls counter-clockwise.
6.No pennies exist – the smallest currency is 5 cents. We could learn from that.
7.Way south on Phillips Island there is this unbelievable phenomenon. At precisely 5 minutes after sunset on the storm swept really cold beach and very rough sea all of a sudden in groups of 15 or 20 or more of Little Penguins appear in front of you out of the water and slowly waddle past amazed spectators into the low brush to their burrows. Unafraid of humans they will come within less than a meter of the people. This scene takes place every day of the year. The penguins go to the sea in the morning, not one seems to be left behind (except when nesting) – they swim out up to 20 km to hunt and return when it becomes too dark.
8.Wilson's Promontory is the most southern of mainland Australia. It protrudes out quite a distance out into the sea and at one time was the connection with what is Tasmania. High green mountains, beautiful scenery, yellow sand beaches and rugged coastline


Here are some of the posted signs that we saw:

Traffic signs:
1.If you drink and drive you're a bloody idiot!
2.Don't sleep and drive.
3.Long time dead – so what's the hurry!
4.Yawning? A micro sleep can kill!
5.Drowsy drivers die

Numerous designated rest stops are located along all highways.

Sheilas and Blokes do not pee crap or spew around the trees only in the compost Loo or your own tent.

Other important signs:
1.No pet allowed of any kind in National Parks – no exceptions. (Also applies to many private campgrounds.)
2.Sign in grocery stores – Under 18 drinking - $500, using someone else's ID - $500

We went on a few hikes and saw two large snakes over a meter long. One was the infamous Tiger Snake, which can be very aggressive. One lady, who experiences an attack, described it as like a bicycle tire rolling towards her at amazing speed.

Australia has some wonderful little towns with well under 5,000 people that were founded around 1900. All well kept with street made into pedestrian malls, sidewalk cafes, restaurants and stores etc. Very English with little North American influence. Australia is a wonderful place to live and visit and in our opinion will become more attractive in the world while we believe the Americas are going the other way. The people were very friendly and helpful. They were willing to give loads of information of where to travel and what to enjoy in their country.

Two months driving through Australia gives you only a small taste of that large country. One of the most spectacular roads in the world is the Great Ocean Road along the coast west of Melbourne. Unbelievable, colorful, rugged rock formations fighting against an onslaught of wild wave action of blue and green water. Blow holes, white ocean spray 10 to 20 meters high, the noise of wind, gulls, cormorants and other birds. It it a 2 day trip for most people and a must if you are near Melbourne. There is a ferry service that connects the highways that lets you bypass Melbourne about 50 km south you avoid the heavy traffic which to use out weighed the attraction of the large city.

Our last few days were again spent in Sydney where we stayed at the Philip Street Travelodge. Our room was equipped with a small kitchen and this made it very convenient. We again enjoyed to see the historical and grand buildings of the downtown area. The hotel was close to the Botanical Gardens, the Opera House, the Quay and Darling Harbour.

We enjoyed the use of a campervan as it allowed us the freedom to stay in town and as well the natural surroundings of State Parks. The weather varied from hot in the Brisbane area to cold and windy on the south coast. We had rain and storms for only a few days and the rest were sunny. The 2 months of travel went by very fast. If we visit again we would like to see Western Australia.