Question about Australia

Isn't Australia on the bottom of the plannet?

Will you not fall off?

Do you want swimming beaches, or just near the Ocean? South or North? Are you staying in one spot the duration of your stay or traveling around?

Two of my favorite spots are Tasmania and Port Douglas. The only place that I have been in Australia where I did not feel safe was in Darwin and I'm not sure exactly why. We were only there two days before taking a camping trip to Kakadu.

I have been to Melbourne a few times. I recommend doing the Great Ocean road if possible. There are some really nice beaches and some amazing scenery around there. If you stay in the Crown Casino area of Melbourne there is plenty of excellent eating and shops, and I have seen a lot of runners aruond there (the Queen Victoria gardens are pretty nearby, too).

I don't know much about the rest of Oz, just Melbourne. But the Great Barrier reef, up north, is supposed to be the best place to see.

north pole wrote:

Isn't Australia on the bottom of the plannet?

Will you not fall off?

A very good point. Best not to go to a place where you can fall into the abyss of space, where no one can hear you scream.

haha u guys are funny.

I'm an aussie so where do you want to go?

Melbourne is excellent for many things and the great ocean rd isnt far away and there is running everywhere. The Summer season in Oz starts in a few weeks and in Melbourne there are 4 major competition venues, plenty of running groups everywhere.

good luck

ps the site

www.coolrunning.com.au

may be helpful

Thanks for the replies so far. Not knowing much about Australia we had been thinking about just going to Sydney-- but do you think it would be better to do 2 weeks in Melbourne and 2 weeks in Sydney?

Any recommendations about specific neighborhoods or areas to try to stay in in either of those cities?

Thanks again!

Melbourne is a great city to visit. I've had some good meals in the whole area by Crown Casino. As mentioned earlier, there is the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds) - not sure if the time of the year is right to take in a cricket game, and I think footie is done also, but still there may be things going on. There may be some athletics going on. I made it there for the Commonwealth Games, and it was a great venue.

To see the entire city, you can go to the top of the Rialto Tower. You can also ride a tram around the central business district for free.

Here's a bit more abstract of a suggestion... Make sure you get to a local grocery store. You'll want to get some Arnott's Shapes, some Big M flavored milk (the banana milk is awesome), some Violet Crumbles, and some Cadbury chocolate bars (their Cadbury is different than ours). Also, you'll want to get a good meat pie somewhere. Not one at the cricket grounds or a venue, but rather one from a bakery type of shop.

You can go see penguins at Phillip Island also (good to do at night), about 1.5 hours away I think. If you do the Great Ocean road, get you may want to take a few days to do so, and stay in some of the resort towns along the way. Then you can get out to the Twelve Apostles area (really cool rock formations in the ocean) which is about four hours from the suburbs.

I'm not biased towards Melbourne or against any of the other places, but it's the only place I've been there, so it's what I know. It's a city with suburbs. Seeing Alice Springs, Queensland, etc. are completely different though, from what I understand.

If I can think of anything else, I'll let you know.

I spent 10 days in Melbourne in 2002. Fantastic city. Albert Park was great for running - 5K loop on the F1 course in the park. Path along the Yarra was another great place to run plus the Royal Botanical Gardens, down through St. Kilda. On and on. Marathon and associated events are coming up in the first week of October.

Great restaurants abound. If you get a craving for Mexican look down in St. Kilda for Blue Corn. Byron Bay Bug tacos were great (bugs = freshwater lobsters).

Great Ocean Road was spectacular.

I would spend some time in Melbourne and then for a long drive head toward Adelaide. If you have 4 weeks, do say 7-10 days down in Melbourne-Adelaide and check out the wineries. Sydney for another 7-10 days and then head to upper Queensland which I have heard is spectacular.

As for safety - never once felt unsafe in Oz, including midnight in the CBD when I walked back to the hotel after a Midnight Oil show.

You've got four weeks in Australia and you're thinking about only Sydney and Melbourne? Sydney is my favorite city on earth. I've heard good things about Melbourne. Tasmania is definitely worthwhile. And go to Cairns or somewhere so you can access the Great Barrier Reef. I would recommend at least those four spots.

great suggestions so far!

Unless your a seious nature lover i'd leave Tasmania off the list. Melbourne sydney adelaide possibly with a few days on a resort island off the coast of far north queensland on the way home.

I personally like Melbourne over Sydney but i am a Melburnian. I think it may come down to the streets. Melbourne is very symmetrical and grid like. Sydney for me is all over the place.:)

I'll go on a bit about Melbourne. The trams are cool and actually lead 10 kms out of Melbourne in most directions. The concerts, plays and productions are many especially over Summer and the alternative scene is quite large. The Australian Open is here in January. The Botanical gardens are surrounded by the tan a highly used running track 3.8 kms long with a killer 300m hill in it. Inside the gardens you find all the flora and at night they show movies on a bigscreen and you can lie down on the grass with a blanket and a feast. There are a few street festivals over January from memory and regardless Chapel st for its shopping, Lygon st for its Greek Culture and Brunswick st for its eclectic nature all should be visited.

An hour and a half drive from Melbourne are surf beaches, trendy holiday towns, twisty roads through rainforest, national parks everywhere, you can drive to Phillip island and its penguins or to the arapales ranges for rockclimbing. There would have to be 100 wineries around Melbourne.

The only big meets in January are in Sydney on the 12th and Tasmania on the 18th (they are national series meets the second level of competition in the country). Canberra also has its A series meet on the 26th. It is 3 hours drive from Sydney or 50 mins flight.

Melbourne has club meets 15 times though January and Premier League three times as well as a number of state level competitions. You will find running groups of all levels all over the city and running tracks you can follow for 30kms if you want. One follows the Yarra River, which is Melbourne's main river.

Good luck with your planning but i would give Melbourne 10 days for a solid experience.

You can contact me on

enter-the-zone@hotmail.com

if you wish any assistance.

Enjoy!

Expensive but once in a lfetime experience is a Heli-SCUBA tour of the Barrier reef, Plenty of time till Jan to get certified in SCUBA- local Y 's and Red Cross often have certification courses. Breathtakingly beautiful. Take a trip to the rainforest while in Queensland.

If you've got a month, start in Sydney and make your way to Melbourne and then to Adelaide. Lots of very cool stuff to see. Definitely drive it.

(Check out the Austrailian Institute of Sport in Canberra.)

This in itself is enough for a month, but if you want to do more then fly Adelaide to Cairns and see the Great Barrier Reef and area.

Running is great in most places. I love the grass tracks that many small towns and suburbs have.

There's maybe a few sketchy places in Sydney, otherwise very safe.

Two tips -

1) Unlike North America, one way car rentals are very possible

2) Virgin Blue - a great discount airline

Places to miss

Brisbane is ok, but nothing really special. Not worth a special trip if you've only got a month.

Since you have a month maybe Perth ?

I'd head up to Noosa, Sunshine Coast Queensland.

Warm weather & water, beach is fairly protected

& Noosa National Park has a fine system of running trails.

If you're staying a month,

I found a few beautiful townhouses for $450.-550. a month.

One thing, food is far cheaper in Queensland than NSW, SA & NT. I also liked Coolum 15Km below Noosa,

there's a great caravan park right next to the beach with a large tent site area but the surf makes it not great for swimming.

I love Sydney & Adelaide, but for the past 3 years the weather in Jan/Feb has been so darn cold, forced me out to Alice Springs/Darwin/Sunshine Coast.

Thanks for all the replies-- so much helpful information. If anyone thinks of anything else to add, I'm all ears!

I second the vote for Noosa. Great trails, great beach, excellent weather, good food, very active community.....

Good luck.

I'll second Noosa, Canberra is nice as is Adlelade( spelling/) forget about the wine district the wine is rather astrigent. Melbourne and Sydney and Cairns were ok.

Be prepared to be treated like sugar honey iced tea by Aussies, if you take the double decker in Melbourne and have to get off ay the bus station , take your stuff with you DO NOT leave them in your seat thinking you have saved it, you will find all your stuff strewn all over the bus with no apologies. On second thought skip Australia entirely and go to New Zealand believe me you will be treated better and enjoy your trip more

Gold Coast!! dont miss it

Judging by the list of requirements then the Mornington Peninsula might be the place to stay.

Not far south of Melbourne it offers both ocean and bayside beaches. Good bush trails, some nice hilly runs -a good run up over Arthur's Seat will reward you with spectacular views, aching quads and calves and bursting lungs. There is great running to be had through the Cape Schank Coastal Park.

Sorrento and in particular Portsea are where the well heeled spend their summers so there are plenty of good restaurants etc. in the area.

A ferry ride across the heads will take you to Queenscliff and the Bellarine Peninsula. From there you can head off for a trip down the majestic Great Ocean Road.

On the other hand an hours drive along the bay will have you in Melbourne a cosmopolitan city of 3.5 million people.

In January you will find several running events in the area. The Portsea Twilight (6.7k)is a hilly, spectacular little race.

January is usually pretty hot- mid summer. Melbourne has somewhat milder weather than Sydney and further north. Expect 25-35 deg C.(80-90s F?)