Australia - East Coast - Travelogue

Australia is beautiful beyond your wildest imagination. From the Sun-soaked beaches to the Bushlands to the Rainforests to World class cities , the diversity is amazing.The unique Flora & Fauna of Australia are a delight to the wildlife lovers .Melbourne,Sydney,Canberra are not just World class cities but cultural icons teeming with excellent architechture .

VISA DETAILS : All Indian nationals need a Visa. The Australian Visa takes a long time and henceapply at least a month in advance and be prepared to submit a huge set of documents in supportof your Visa application.

WHEN TO GO ? Summer ( Dec-Feb) is the best time to go to Australia. Its the perfect beach weather.

CURRENCY : Australian Dollar . ( At the time of writing, 1 AUD = 33.6 Rupees) .
FOOD : Australian landscape is littered with American food chains such as Mcdonalds,Pizza Hut,Subway,Hungry Jack's,KFC.Veggies get something everywhere. Mac has a Veggie Burger,Subway sells Veggie Sandwiches & a veg Pizza is available everywhere.Brisbane has a Indian Restaurant called Govinda's ( Run by ISKCON Folks) at Elizabeth Street. Melbourne, Sydney have lots of Indian restaurants with Classic Curry Company in Melbourne(Elizabeth Street)and Maya's in Sydney (At Surry Hills) being the good ones.

GETTING AROUND : Australia is a huge country. Domestic low cost carriers such as Virgin Blue,Jetstar offer great discount deals between Australian cities. Car Rentals are cheap and the best way to travel .Hertz,Avis,Budget,Europcar,Thrifty,Abel are some of the big players in Car Rentals.Public transport is excellent in Melbourne & Sydney.Melbourne has its charming trams and buses and sydney boasts of very good train service .

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES : Its hard not to fall in love with Australia. Friendly people,great beaches,cosmopolitan cities,unique wildlife all make Australia a tourist's heaven. Brisbane was a typical urban city while the Gold coast was the centre of Theme parks.Melbourne was the best. Regal,Cosmopolitan,artistic,sport-loving,spacious. Its easily the best city I've seen till now. Sydney was beautiful in parts. The waterfronts are awesome but the downtowns and train rides remind you of a city finding hard to cope with the migrants. Canberra is small but extremely beautiful and an architect's vision of a perfect city ( Reminded me of Gandhinagar in Gujarat,India ). The heaven of travellers are the beaches. Golden sands,torquoish clear waters are a feast for the eyes.The huge country has a population of just 20 million ( a little more than Mumbai) but is almost two and half times the Size of India. Australian wildlife is unique in the world ( The Marsupials,Adders,Colorful fishes,Whales,Sharks,Lorikeets,Cuckatoos,Duck Billed Platypus,Echidnas,Emus) and a tremendous amount of Landscape is covered by forests there.Its hard to resist the temptation of visiting Australia again !

PLACES TO SEE : Great Barrier Reef,Brisbane,Gold Coast,Sydney,Canberra,Melbourne.

BRISBANE : The city of sunshine has several interesting places and the Gold coast is just an Hour's drive.

Attractions at Brisbane :

City Centre : Old Buildings and wonderful Architechture.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary : Don't miss this place. The best of Australian Wildlife in the open.Koalas,Kangaroos,Echidnas,Wombats,Dingoes,Tassie Devils,Emus.

Brisbane Botanical Gardens : Good place for lovers of Flora.

Mt.Coot Tha Lookout : Get the best views of the Brisbane city from here.

Brisbane Waterfront : Riverfront & river tours.

GOLD COAST : The " Orlando,FL" of Australia. Theme Parks,fun,adventure and surfing.

Attractions at Gold coast:

Surfers Paradise : A paradise for Surfers & beach lovers.There are numerous other attractions like Wax Museum,Ripleys Museum etc..

Dream World : The "Disneyworld" equivalent of Australia.Spend at least two days here and enjoy all the thrills.There is a lot for kids too.

Movieworld : The Warner brothers theme park . Its quite ok and might be fun for kids.

Seaworld : Get close to the marine Animals.

Wet'n'wild : Get wet & go wild in this theme park.

MELBOURNE : They don't call it the " World's most liveable city " for nothing. Spectacular,Cosmopolitan,sport loving,artistic -- this city is every person's dream.

Attractions at Melbourne :

Federation Square : Grand Public Square with a great view of the Yarra River.

St.Paul's Cathedral : Splendid looking neo-gothic architechture.

National Gallery of Victoria : Art lovers can gaze at Van Gogh's, Picasso's and a hundreds more.

Flinder's st Station : Most distinctive Landmark of Melbourne. Spectacular and Huge and reminded me of VT station,Mumbai.

Royal Botanical Gardens : Sprawling gardens of unbelievable tranquility.

MCG : The Mecca of cricket . Do the day tour and see the dressing rooms,third umpire room & an excellent view of the ground.

Trams : Charming. Try the free " City Circle" trams which take you free around the city.

Shrine of Remembrance : Magnificent.Victoria's largest & most visited war memorial.

Queen Victoria Market : Shopper's delight.

Rialto Towers : Watch the city from the tallest RC structure in Southern Hemisphere.

Around Melbourne :

The Great Ocean Road : Must see. Breath-taking 200 kms of drive on the coastal route just parallel to the Ocean. Visit the world-famous Twelve Apostles, the Otways rainforest, Bells Beach and of course the Great Ocean Road itself.

Phillip Island : Watch the amazing penguin parade ( Thousands of penguins crossing the beach sands during sunset), Koalas or the numerous beaches.

SYDNEY : The face of australia and a very vibrant city blessed with a great harbour and the beautiful Opera House.

Attractions in Sydney :

Circular Quay : Houses the Opera House , Harbour Bridge , Ferry terminals,Rocks.

Opera House : Magnificent finds its meaning.perched majestically on the sea. Take a leisurely stroll around the Opera house and soak in its beauty.

Harbour Bridge : The adventourous try the Bridgeclimb.The less privileged either take a walk or try the Pylon lookout.

The Rocks : Welcome to old world sydney untouched by modern urbanisation.Walk on the streets of Rocks and experience the best of " Old World" .

Sydney Ferries : Try out the ferry to Manly beach (can get choppy at times !) or get a great view of Opera house by travelling from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay.

Darling Harbour : Home of Sydney Aquarium, Australian maritime museum, excellent views of CBD ( Central business district).

Sydney Aquarium : The best aquarium in Australia. The Shark coves,Coral reefs,Sea lion world are spectacular.

Australian National Maritime Museum : Free admission. Worth a try if you are interested in Navy .

Queen Victoria Building : Victorian Grandeur in the heart of sydney.Good place for shopping too.

Bondi Beach : The world's famous chic spot of Australia.Australia's answer to California & Baywatch.

Manly Beach : A beautiful family beach .

Royal Botanical Gardens : A paradise for floraphiles. Spend at least a day here and walk upto the Opera house.

Macquarie St : Start at the tranquil Hyde Park,visit the St Mary's Cathedral and stroll across Macquarie street and catch a glimpse of Hyde Park Barracks,Parliament House of NSW,Mint Building,sydney hospital and the state library of NSW.

Around Sydney :

Blue Mountains : Located at around 100 kms from Sydney. The mountains look a charming mystic blue due to Raleigh Scattering. The Lookout offers an excellent view of the " Three Sisters ( Limestone rock formation)". At Katoomba , try the world's steepest incline railway.Also visit the wonderful limestone Jenolan Caves & view some amazing stalactites and stalagmites.The intrepid can try the Newnes Glowworm caves( Its a 75 kms two-way ride on forest terrain which can be done only on 4WD ).The glowworms glisten like stars in a sky after dusk.

Kiama : Located at 90 mins drive from Sydney.The famous blowhole where the Water erupts to a height of almost 100 feet is a sight to watch.

Jarvis Bay : Awesome beaches. Diving & Kayaking.The water looks emerald green and is almost transparent.

The Entrance : The Pelican capital of Australia. get up-close with the birds and don't miss the Pelican feeling at 1530 Hrs.

Bowral : Its around 1 hour drive from Sydney.The Birthplace of Don Bradman . Walk on the " Bradman Oval" and visit the Bradman Museum which is a must see for cricket lovers.

CANBERRA : A small picturesque city with beautiful museums,gardens & galleries.

Attractions at Canberra :

Parliament House : The icon of the Capital , its a marvel in architechtural beauty . There are free guided tours every half hour and the views from the top of the parliament house are awesome.

Australian War Memorial : Massive structure which is an epitome of Australia's war sacrifices. The view from War Memorial reminds you of Delhi's India Gate views.

National Gallery of Australia : Has the best collection of Aussie art .

National Museum of Australia : The colorful facade encompasses a splendid collection of australian culture.The 360 degree video tour is a visual delight.

Telstra Tower : Great view of the city from the Top.

TRAVEL TIPS : Australia is huge and hence plan for a long holiday there . If you have a month or more, you can hope to cover Great Barrier Reef,Brisbane,Gold Coast,Sydney,NSW Coast,Melbourne & Canberra. When Travelling in Summer , Carry plenty of Sunblock lotion since the UV Exposure is quite high.Also wear UV protected sun glasses & Hat at all times.The weather is very dynamic hence be prepared for Cold winds,Rain & Sunshine on the same day ( Carry Woolen,Cotton and rain wears).Take sufficient breaks during long drives and Australian traffic patrol is one of the strictest and hence follow all road rules .Domestic flying is quite inexpensive thanks to the low cost carriers and hence fly between cities to save time. I have embellished by posts with plenty of URL's (All underlined Words) to make it easier for people to plan their trip and know more about these places.

Forget all your worries and fall in love with this magnificent country.