Australia (by Ben)
- by Ben Poole
It's every travel agents dream to be offered the opportunity of travelling ‘down under' all in the name of work, so in the words of SuBo I am proud to say I have now lived the dream!
After a long flight with Qantas I arrived in Melbourne. My first impressions were not the best, it was cold, wet, and miserable, infact I did wonder whether I had been involved in an elaborate prank and we had landed back in London! However after a good night's sleep my vision cleared and my views changed for the better.
To sum Melbourne up in 3 words it would have to be quirky, grungy, and dark. A majority of the buildings in Melbourne are made of bluestone where as its rival Sydney is mainly composed of sandstone, so in comparison it feels darker and more mysterious. The similarities between Melbourne and England are remarkable. The hidden lanes and Victorian arcades are exact replicas of what you would find here at home. The one thing I absolutely loved about Melbourne was the old Victorian houses, they are so cute and pretty with their steel fringing and modest verandas, however the price tags are similar to real estate in LA!
Whilst in Melbourne we took an excursion over to Philip Island which has been made famous by the recent BBC documentary ‘Penguin Island' were the daily natural phenomenon that is known as the ‘penguin parade' attracts 100's of spectators every night. The penguins are so tiny, and the sounds they make are really cute - it's a definite must for all animal lovers.
From Melbourne we toured the Great Ocean road to Adelaide. The journey takes about 3 days from start to finish and some of the great highlights you will see enroute include Warrnambool which is famous for its whale watching, Tower Hill State game reserve which is a spectacular wildlife haven located in a dormant volcano, the impressive Blue Lake at Mount Gambier, and the remarkable 12 Apostles (now 8 due to recent erosion).
On arrival in Adelaide my instant impression was that it felt more like a town, rather than a city and somewhat sleepy, rather than bustling. Personally I do not think it's a place you need to spend a lot of time in however as a stopover it suits a purpose.
Adelaide was our gateway by ferry to Kangaroo Island which as its name suggests is full of kangaroos! The island itself is a nature reserve full of protected species of flora and fauna. The wildlife viewing opportunities are endless and the scenery is spectacular and very dramatic. My highlight of Kangaroo Island was touring the island by four wheel drive and stopping for lunch in a remote forest where the guide/driver stopped and cooked a fabulous gourmet 6 course BBQ lunch which was complimented with fine Australian wines, mmmmmm! After Kangaroo Island we headed back to Adelaide for our onward flight connection to Sydney.
Sydney is like any other city in the world, it has its good parts and bad parts. The obvious highlights have to be seeing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and opera house for the first time by night, it was exactly how I imagined it to be and somehow you can't help but feel overwhelmed when you see it in the flesh. There is an abundance of things to see and do in Sydney and it really does have something to offer for everyone.
I could go into great detail about all the elements of my Australian adventure but as it was a action packed 2 week trip I fear I may send you to sleep! So what I suggest is that if you are planning a trip of a lifetime to include the places I have visited then please get in touch and I can help you create the perfect itinerary and suggest some fantastic places to stay.