January 2007 - Australian Traveller

Australian Traveller

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Australian Traveller - January 2007

Intoxicating India...

January 16th 2007 11:14

I have always wanted to go to India. A friend of mine went last year and said it was an amazing, life changing experience. They came back a totally different person. Another friend is going next month.......

I have also lost a lot of family members to the dreadful Cancer disease that plagues our planet today. I would not wish upon my very worst enemy the punishment of watching a loved one die to this disease.

What do the two have in common?

Well, a travel company called World Expeditions has got together with some charities and offers trips to anyone doing fundraising for that charity. The Cancer Council of NSW offers trips to India, trekking in the Himalayas, in return for a personal donation as well as meeting their fundraising target. They give you ideas on how to fundraise, as well as some time after the trip to do some last minute collecting.

As well as this they also offer trips to Nepal and Vietnam and Cambodia....decisions, decisions......Do not think this is a way of travelling for nothing. You must be committed - you will be required to overcome personal obstacles and it is not an easy road to travel. If you are interested in staying in the country after the trek travel arrangements will be made for you to do so, however the cost is all yours.

This is not the only charity challenge that is on offer. There are various ones to different parts of the world and for varying levels of fitness.

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Travel

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Doo-ing some time travel through Tasmania

January 14th 2007 22:00

Today I headed back into Ross which was looking a little chilling, even in the morning light. The clouds were still low in the sky and a fine mist of rain washed over everything. There was no one about the town when I arrived, although it was pretty early and chilly. A church stands at the top of town, looking down over the deserted streets......

The church at the top of the hill

The church at the bottom of the hill

There is some very interesting history in Ross though. If you are interested click here to read about it, particularly about The Crossroads.

By the time that I had reached Richmond the grey clouds had been chased away by the sun and the sky was a deep blue above. I sat by the bridge and watched the ducks and swans carrying about their business for the day. It reminded me so much of one of those picturesque little country towns that you would find in the English countryside....

It was now time to head down toward Port Arthur and the Tasman Peninsular. This part of Tasmania houses the most dramatic scenery you will see. The pictures do better justice than any words....

Tasman Arch

Sea-side cliffs

The Tasman Blowhole

When you drive to all of these places you have to go through this town called "Doo Town". Everyone has got together and named their houses "Doo-something" - it is the cutest thing. I did not realise the name of the place. As I was driving around looking at all these house names I was thinking it was a bit weird that everyone had named their house in this way. It was only on the way out when I saw the sign that I realised.....*doh*

Port Arthur is famous for the shootings that took place nearly twelve years ago which you can read about here. However, it is also famous for the Port Arthur historic site - a sprawling ruined settlement that is scattered on the shore. There is something very unsettling about this whole area, I would imagine a few ghosts walk the grounds.....

Port Arthur Historic Site

You can read all about this settlement here They provide some great information and photos. If you are going to do this trip I would suggest taking a few hours at least as the grounds are very big and there is a lot to see and do there. I was going to stay the night there too, but felt a little unsettled so headed back for Hobart.

I left behind all the rugged landscapes and beautiful scenery and exchanged it for the hustle and bustle of city life, something I had not missed over the past few days. However, as I was soon to discover Hobart has its own beauty......

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Aussie Sightseeing

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Confusion

January 13th 2007 21:58

If confusion is the first step to knowledge, I must be a genius

Larry Leissner

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Travel

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Why do something when you know the outcome is going to be a disaster?

January 10th 2007 06:33

We are interesting creatures, us humans. We will do something, knowing full well the outcome of it and then stand there scratching our heads in amazement and wonder why when things go pear shaped!
We will drink those tequila shots and then wonder why we spend the night curled around the toilet and wake up the next day with a thumping head and body wobbling around like a huge pot of jelly.
We will touch that wall with the big sign on it that says “Wet Paint” and then curse ourselves when we have a nice big green stripe up our finger. Or touch that iron, just to see if it is hot and then complain because we have burnt ourselves

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Travel

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Blowholes, wineglasses and tumbleweed in the wind!

January 9th 2007 21:18

Bicheno is a small town on the East coast of Tasmania. I was fortunate enough to find a small B 'n' B that overlooked the ocean and woke to a fresh, crisp morning, with the sun rising gently above the calm seas.

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Fiery Bays and Crashing Tasmanian Waterfalls

January 8th 2007 21:22

After a very long drive through the farmlands of northeast Tassie I finally found the Bay of Fires, so named because of the red lichen that grows on the rocks. It is such a peaceful part of the country - I never saw another person or car for the entire time I was there. The water was tourquoise and looked very inviting although the chill in the air told otherwise.

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Crashing girls and chilly days in Tasmania

January 8th 2007 09:55

I have made the official decision that the National Animal of Tasmania is to be changed to......ROADKILL!! I have never seen so much roadkill in all my life! It is terrible, all these animals bodies scattered on the roadside.

An early morning flight meant the day stretched ahead and was not to be wasted. It had started to drizzle and was getting rather chilly, but this was not a deterrent for the adventurer. First stop was a rather scary ride on the chairlift at Cataract Gorge in Launceston, which proudly claims to be the

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Aussie Sightseeing

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Atherton Tablelands

January 6th 2007 22:10

Due to serious hangovers and then a day of absolute bliss and relaxation we slept in on the next morning in Cairns. By the time we woke up the sun was high in the sky and our tummies were grumbling loudly. Also due to the aforementioned reasons we had no food in our flat and there was no restaurant so we scratched through the rooms Compendium in order to find out how we could go in search of something to eat.
"Located only 500m around the corner is a store for all your shopping conveniences" or something like that jumped out from one of the pages. Plus they offered free home delivery if you shopped in their store....bonus as the heat was already swirling around outside.
OK, either I am blind and should have read 5000m or in Cairns they measure things a little differently, but after wandering down this endless road the heat began to get to us. Rippling images of a tree-lined oasis began to appear in the distance, the water cool and inviting, the fronds gently swaying in the breeze.....perhaps a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift! NO WAY WAS THAT 500M IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Aussie Sightseeing

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The Great Barrier Reef

January 5th 2007 23:31

The mind boggles at this underwater fantasy land. We set sail from the Cairns harbour on an early morning cruise that would take us to 'Green Island' - a rather commercialised part of the region, however, when time is short you have to do what is necessary!

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Aussie Sightseeing

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Kuranda Skyrail

January 4th 2007 20:53

Day Two of our Cairns adventure started off rather early too, but without the hangover, so already it was way better! We were headed for the Kuranda Skyrail, which was an amazing trip. To get up there you have to jump on the train which meanders its way up the mountainside, exposing breathtaking scenery on its ascent. At times it was rather hairy going over rickety wooden bridges suspended high over rocky cliffs with waterfalls nearly close enough to touch.

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Aussie Sightseeing

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Cairns in December

January 3rd 2007 21:09

December and Cairns are two words that should never be found in the same sentence...EVER! Walking out of the plane felt like walking into a furnace. Oh yes another word should be added here too....hangover.....December, Cairns and hangover are three words that should never be found in the same sentence! After breaking the promise of not going out the night before in Sydney we arrived at the Sydney Airport after two hours sleep in search of coffee and all we found were kids screaming and watching some annoying cartoon on the TV. Oh the pain.....
Flying into Cairns was a shock to the eyes, it was not what I expected at all. When we landed at the airport it reminded me of the small, pondokkie (*see definition at bottom) airport that we have at home. There were no big shops and rushing passengers and planes zooming down and taking off - it was rather refreshing, and very airconditioned....superb!
The trip to our hotel was also an interesting one. I was expecting to see a big built up city, people screaming past in loud cars....nothing like this in sight. Instead it appeared very laid back and calm and relaxing. We were staying about 20 minutes out of the city and our transfer bus took us right to the door....of Cardiac Hill. It was a beautiful apartment block, overlooking the ocean, however the bus could not drop us at the top as there was nowhere for it to turn around so off we got with our bags, hangovers and, by now mild cases of heat stroke and began our trek up Cardiac Hill (this wasn`t the real name by the way!). The views from our balcony were just incredible though, very worth everything we had self-inflicted

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Aussie Sightseeing

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Another day in Sydney

January 1st 2007 21:12

It is time to get up early and hit the city streets once again. The markets are already in full swing at Kings Cross, get lost in the noise and people as you search for a gift or two.

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Posted By: Ash - Category: Australia

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A whirl through Sydney

January 1st 2007 07:38

Arriving in Sydney is always a good experience. Heading out to sea to come back in to the airport you have a clear view of the harbour and Opera House down below as well as the jagged cliffs that stretch out along the coast line in either direction. The city itself is beautiful especially at night time, with the enormous buildings all lit up and the different coloured light displays that reflect off the Opera House and Harbour Bridge