Downunda 2007
In and around Australia
Taking four months off from work, and life in Atlanta, GA to spend time with family, travel and go 'sploring in Australia. I'm half Australian (insert funny response to 'which half?' here). My father is the half, and his whole side of the family lives here. Parents bought a place in Hobart, Tasmania in 2002, which I'll use as a home base during my stay.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler rlrpaton
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1
Incheon
My passage to Australia lasted approximately 36 total hours and 28 flying hours. This included layovers in Seattle, Seoul and Sydney, an... Continue reading »
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2
Melbourne
Spent six days in Melbourne, staying at my aunt Isobel's place. Attended three days of the Ashes cricket match between Australia and England... Continue reading »
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3
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Attended three days of "The Ashes," a bi-annual test cricket match between Australia and England, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Highl... Continue reading »
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4
Hobart
Arrived in Hobart on December 31, just in time for the New Year's Eve fireworks display. For the next several months, my parents' home in Sandy... Continue reading » -
5
Bruny Island
Took the Mirabeena ferry from Kettering to Bruny Island. Bruny actually includes two land masses (North and South Bruny "islands"), which are conne... Continue reading »
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6
Port Arthur
Port Arthur is Tasmania's most popular tourist destination, and it's not difficult to see why. The site is located on a beautiful harbor, and... Continue reading »
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7
Huonville
Riding shotgun along the Huon Trail route, made several stops including Hastings Caves and the Tahune Forest Airwalk.
Hastings is a rel... Continue reading »
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8
Swansea
Took a trip up the east coast, making a number of stops along the way. Spent the night in Swansea, which is a pretty town with several proble... Continue reading »
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9
Launceston
Spent four days in Launceston (or "Lonnie" as it's called for short), staying at my aunt Elisabeth's place. Went to Cataract G... Continue reading »
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10
Tassie's Northwest
Hired a car for about a week to explore Tassie's northwest. Spent time in many places along the way, including Queenstown, Strahan, Zeehan, R... Continue reading »
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11
Perth
Flew to Perth to check out Western Australia for four days.
Highlights:
Visiting the Perth Mint, where I saw a gold-pouring demonstrati... Continue reading »
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12
Overland Track
Completed the Overland Track, known as Australia's best bush walk. Walked approximately 98 kilometers (60 miles), over 6 days, through amazin... Continue reading »
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13
Canberra
Visited Canberra, the nation’s capitol, for three days. Stayed with my cousin, and mostly walked around on foot. Like Washington D.C., Canberra is... Continue reading »
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14
Sydney
Spent six, fantastic days in Sydney. Worth visiting, even if only to view arguably the world's most beautiful harbor (Port Jac... Continue reading »
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15
Adelaide
Spent several days and nights in Adelaide, broken up by side trips to Kangaroo Island and Barossa Valley. The city center is laid out in... Continue reading »
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16
Kangaroo Island
Spent two days in Kangaroo Island. Contrary to what we imagined (and what our guide book seemed to suggest), the kangaroos were not hopp... Continue reading »
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17
Barossa Valley
Spent a day in Barossa Valley, arguably Australia's top wine-producing region. Stayed the night before at the impossible to find in the... Continue reading »
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18
Port Douglas
Spent five days in the Port Douglas area, which were among my best days in Oz. The town itself a great holiday spot -- nice scenery, great beach, g... Continue reading »
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19
Darwin to Kakadu
Enlisted in a seven day "red rocket" trip with Adventure Tours. As it turned out, there were three distinct tours, each with t... Continue reading »
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20
Darwin to Alice Springs
On the second leg of my tour, from Darwin to Alice Springs, there were 18 of us from 9 countries. During the three days, we spent many h... Continue reading »
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21
The Red Centre
On the third leg of the tour, 23 of us from who knows how many nations, travelled through the "red centre" over two days. The amazing experie... Continue reading »
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22
Alice Springs
Spent three days in "The Alice," the unofficial capital of the outback that sits close to the geogrpahic center of the nation. Stay... Continue reading »
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23
Paihia
Spent several days in the Bay of Islands area, staying in the town of Paihia. Took a half-day cruise, which passed near many o... Continue reading »
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24
Waitomo Caves
Experienced the "Ultimate Lost World," a 7-hour caving adventure. Highlight of my trip, and one of the most exciting things I've ever done.Continue reading »
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25
Tongariro Crossing
Completed the Tongariro Crossing, which is widely considered the best one-day "tramp" (bush walk/hike) in New Zealand.
Covered the 18 k... Continue reading »
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26
Seoul
Spent three days in Seoul -- the last days of my journey. First trip to Asia, and first time in my life I have felt... Continue reading »
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