Advantages: Anything you could possibly want in a holiday all in 1 country! Disadvantages: Far from anywhere, long way to get anywhere
Australia is popular with all travellers, from budget backpackers to luxury holidaymakers, and it isn't surprising considering anything you could possible want to do on a holiday, you can do here. If your idea of a perfect holiday is sunbathing on the sand and the most energetic thing you do is walk to the cocktail stall you can do it here, if you perfect holiday is skiing or snowboarding you can do it here, if your perfect holiday is shopping in ... ...enjoy sightseeing, bushwalking, hiking, camping, adventure holidays, getting close to nature and seeing extremes of climates and landscapes you can do it all here!
Australia is the 3rd biggest country in the world but the smallest continent. It has a population of around 20 million - more people live in London and it's surrounding suburbs then in this vast land! And around 90% of the population live within a couple of hours drive from the coast. ...
Allyalcock 03.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Relaxed people, great food, an adventure! Disadvantages: SO big, don't underestimate distances
On 25 April 2004 I was in Sydney with a few friends. We had just been to the wedding of a friend from back home (Scotland) and had 3 full weeks to go. What to do next? Drive the 2,500 kilometres north to Cairns obviously!
This is the story of that journey and why I would recommend the places I visited to anyone, just don’t drive! We had 13 days to see a bit of Australia and get back to Sydney before flying to New Zealand. Loads of time we thought! ... ...eventually got back to Sydney I noticed how cheap the internal flights are in Australia…we could have flown everywhere and had a lot of time to spend on the finer things in life.
But I’ll come back to that later…
***Sydney***
I have a number of friends who have moved to Sydney and it was great to see them again. I’ll go into Sydney in more detail in another Review but can mention a few highlights here.
It was Anzac Day (designed to celebrate ...
u103177 18.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Far too many to mention Disadvantages: you better like planes........
As I have a mate who is currently doing the whole 'year in oz' experience, I thought it might be a good opportunity to go see what all the fuss is about. So I booked myself 5 weeks off work and got myself a flight and headed on down.
As I decided to go during the busiest season (xmas & new year) my flights were about £860 with emerites but even this was booked 6mths in advance, so it was quite expensive to get there.
The flight itself is NOT as ... ...take about 26hrs in total to get there but will do a seperate review on emirates at another point.
Once there though, you immediately see it was worth it. Apart from the fact that in december you leave the cold, wet drudge of the UK to land in over 30 degree heat, your feel instantly welcome. Some people told me that sydneysiders were not the friendliest people but I didnt find that at all. One thing you will no doubt experience when you get there ...
drewboy 13.05.2004 (02.06.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Working Visa, money, medical, luggage, flights Disadvantages: Let me know!!!
On the 7th of February 2006, I travelled to Perth, Western Australia. I had no idea what to expect, I was terrified that I would be back on the plane home in a fortnights time as a failure. I have never done anything on this magnitude before and had no idea where to start when I arrived at my destination.
By the time I left on the 1st of November 2006 and arrived back in my hometown, I knew I made a serious mistake, I was back in my home town for ... ...get out of this country'.
Since then I've been getting my life together and making it my goal to get back to Oz before I hit my thirtieth birthday!
But, whilst I'm still stuck in the UK, I talk to other people, who are interested in going over there. I give them advice on places to go, ways of searching for a job, food, drink, wildlife, how to get started, etc.
I looked on the internet to see if anyone else give's advise about travelling overseas, ...
Jonny5sk 06.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Nice & Warm, some impressive scenery Disadvantages: Expensive, nothing apart from the above to recommend it
****I have recently revised this and must admit that i was quite nervous about posting such a negative review - especially as it goes against the grain of most opinions about Oz. I must say to all those who rated my review you have my most sincere thanks! I am pleasantly surprised by your reactions which were both considered and mature, even if you didn't share my views. Thanks again! Furthermore, I have this to add: One of my other least favorite ... ...that my review didnt sound too anti-Australian was the amount of British tourists there. Some of these were friendly, polite, and lots of fun. I maitain a solid friendship with some of them and would gladly have a few drinks with others I met there. But the fact is that due to the sheer weight of numbers of British tourists 'down under', there are always a good few idiots around, wherever you go. Not only is this true of the big towns but also of ...
bergmcberg 04.03.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: So much to see Disadvantages: Such a long flight away
I have not long returned from a gap year away where I spent most of my time in Australia working. This is definitely a country, which has lots to offer. I spent 6 months here and you could definitely spend longer. Below are some of the highlights of my trip:
**SYDNEY**
There are lots of things to see and do here, the Opera House being the most obvious. We paid to do a tour inside here, which I would recommend as you can see inside the theatre and ... ...not for the faint hearted though as it very high up. If you take the boat to Taronga Zoo you can see the Opera House from the water and the views of Sydney skyline are amazing from the zoo, plus there are lots of different animals in the zoo to keep you entertained all day. Blue Mountains is a must see, it is two hours out of Sydney but the views are breathtaking! Hunter Valley for the wine enthusiasts, various tours operate where you can go wine ...
DeniseKelly40 11.07.2008 (04.09.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: There is a lot of exciting and interesting places to explore Disadvantages: You will be missing the country and a long journey from UK and Europe.
TRAVELLING IS ALWAYS PART of my agenda in life. Being a Sagittarian, I always believe that my zodiac is destined to explore the globe. My travelling experience is coupled with two things: study/work and hobby. Most of my travels abroad are the result of my desire to pursue further studies and trainings in the field of my profession or basically just part of my job. The never-ending process of learning also gives me the adrenalin to go out of the ... ...of life. My two-year stay in Australia was a rewarding experience. This was part of my postgraduate research program in environmental engineering at the University of Queensland (UQ). During my schooling, it was a privilege to travel around Australia, especially in its major cities like Sydney (New South Wales), Canberra (Australia Capital Territory), Melbourne (Victoria), and Brisbane (Queensland) where I stayed most of the time. Having a well-organized ...
digitalenvironmentalist 13.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: beautiful scenery, nice and compact and lots to see and do. Disadvantages: boring drive getting there! Can be blustery and cold
When you think about it, Phillip Island isn?t really an island. If the water level were another 5 metres lower, the difference between San Remo and Phillip Island would be a wide beach, and no silly bridge linking the fishing town on the ?mainland? and the ?island? 500 yards away on the other side would exist. Unfortunately, cars don?t take to water too kindly, and so the formality of crossing the bridge must be undertaken. As far as bridges go, ... ...Phillip Island, as it currently exists, is about a two-hour drive south-east of Melbourne, though of course this depends on whether or not you get stuck in the South-Eastern Carpark, I mean Arterial. In which case it?ll take you about 5 hours. If you live in a convenient part of the eastern suburbs, as I do, it shouldn?t take too long at all. The island occupies a fair whack of Westernport Bay, which if it didn?t have two large islands in the centre ...
adamsputnik 06.09.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: The experience, The scenery, Meet new friends, It goes on... Disadvantages: Need some money first, Travelling time
Last summer myself and a friend ventured into Queensland Australia for 4 weeks. During our short stay, all I can say from the whole experience is that it’s breath taking, exciting and tremendous fun. What’s so good about Australia? Well read the op, if I’ve bored you already then I urge you to read. Pleeeeeaaaaaseeee :)
From my own experience and 4 other friends (2 of them Australian), my (our) mission is to tell you everything that needs to be ... ...shorts and shades, the first thing I think you’ll need when heading for Australia is a sense of scale. The home to Heath Ledger, Kylie (mmmm) and, er, Paul Hogan is big. Real big. I’m talking 7,682,300 sq km, that nearly 60 times bigger than England my fellow ciaoers. And given the high cost of internal flights for the backpacker following the Lonely Planet ant trail around Oz, that means one hell of a bus journey.
The good news is that Australia ...
mdtt1983 03.05.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Beautiful Scenery, Loads to do, Brilliant adventure Disadvantages: Big Cities were no child friendly, nor were the people.
As my boyfriend and i had friends who were travelling we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see a little bit of the world for ourselves. Their first ports of call were India and Thailand, neither of which i wanted to travel with our 4 year old son Elliott so we decided to meet up with them in Australia, and take the opportunity to see as much of the place as we could (in 3 weeks).
First things first i can't pretend, the flight was a ... ...old quite stressful as well. We flew with Emirates which were fine, not really sure what i was expecting as i'd never really flew long haul before but i was slightly dissapointed if i'm completely honest, i thought we'd have more leg room, the seats weren't that comfortable and the food was average. We all had our own tv's in the back of the seat in front which Elliott thought was fantastic and watched Madagascar 3 times on the flight to Dubai, they ...
SARL 05.12.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Everything you need Disadvantages: None
Ever thought of taking a trip "down under"?
Well those of you who are planning to or have already visited Australia would find the country as an amazing place. Below i will list all the major cities and all the attractions of each city so if 1 day you decide to visit you will be able to know a bit of the background and the places to visit so you dont miss out on anything.
Sydney: Well, what more can i say? A stunning city which hosted the 2000 ... ...to enjoy such as : The Sydney Opera house which is also one of the 7 wonders of the world, The Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Great sporting arenas which mainly host Rugby Union and League and the nightclubs which could be found on Kings Cross. Star city casino is also a hang out place for tourists as it provides great food and shopping. Shopping is Sydney is quite expensive and i would personally leave to buy things from other cities such as Melbourne ...
chimpreo 12.06.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Beautiful country, interesting animals, many things to do Disadvantages: Long distances to travel
Journey:
I don't know what it is like to travel from England, ss I lived in Switzerland a year ago when I went to Australia, but I am sure it is similar. You have to change the plane several times, so you fly with different airlines. We even spent a night in a Hotel at Dubai Airport, as the whole journey takes about twenty hours. The shorter flights are mostly in smaller planes, this makes it slightly more uncomfortable. However, the long parts ... ...quite big and has its own TV where you can watch whatever you like or play games. The crew on our planes was very friendly too.
Brisbane:
Accommodation: Brisbane was my first stop, as a girlfriend of mine lives there. Because her family was visiting, me and my boyfriend stayed in a Backpackers for the first month. The Backpackers in Australia are similar to the ones in England. There is a kitchen where you can cook your own meals or you can eat ...
Shanon 30.03.2005 (04.06.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
Advantages: This is an experiance of a life time Disadvantages: cockroaches, deadly snakes and killer spiders
As many other young Brits do I was bored of my 9-5 desk job and needed a change, fed up of rain and cold I stomped out of my office went to the local travel agents and bought a ticket to Sydney on my credit card, just like that, I visited the Austalian High Commission website, downloaded the forms to apply for a one year working holiday visa (available for anyone between the ages of 18 - 27)popped in an envelope with a cheque for 60 pounds, my passport, ... ...have to show that you have suffcient funds to help you travel around australia - currently the equivelant of $5000) and five days later my visa arrived and it was all systems go!
FINDING SOMEWHERE TO STAY
So I landed I had already decided that Bondi wasn't the place for me and as much as I love my fellow countrymen being surrounded by the "barmy army" wasn't my cup of tea, so with a closer inspection of my trusty Lonely Planet I decied to stay ...
curly110 26.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Australia
I am going to Sydney soon, staying in the Landmark Hotel. It's meant to be good, 5*, but i would appreciate any comments from anyone who has actually stayed there or in Potts Point generally. Also, has anyone done the Bridge climb? It's meant to be good, but I'm not sure how scary it is and how fit you need to be? Again, all comments welcome.
Any good bars/restaurants? Come on restaurant/bar owners ... if you send me a recommendation I promise we ...
JamesW 11.08.2000
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Review of General: Australia
Advantages: Different, hot, relaxed, romantic, unspoiled, looks like paradise from the air! Disadvantages: Umm...
Having been to Australia for 6 weeks when I was 9 years old, I vowed to return some day by myself and REALLY see the place... Twelve years later, I got off the plane in Brissie ("Brisbane" for the uninitiated) and stayed there with my uncle and aunt for two weeks. Brisbane is a great city. Clean and tidy, relaxed and friendly, with some great things to see and do. One thing to note though... If you're going to be travelling Australia extensively, ... ...in any Aussie city. The price varies from about $200 to $600. A FAR better way to buy a "didge" is to hop on the Oz Experience coach and head north from Brissie. You'll stop at a cattle station called Dingo (if I remember right). From there you can pay about $60 to accompany some of the local Aboriginees into the bush. You get to cut your own didge and they will hand-paint it for you with a unique design!
Anyhow, while Brisbane is impressive the ...
valanaster 14.07.2000
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Review of General: Australia
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