Just for something new and completely different...

What is up or new where you are? What do tourists need to know?

I'll kick off with Canberra news. Please don't make the drive out of town to the bob sled and water slide attractions out at Corin Forest today as there was a bit of a lightning strike there in last night's storms and it's closed for 24 hours.

Now, I wonder what's happening around the rest of this big country?

Coming up this weekend out of Adelaide:

Middleton Jazz Festival
February 17-18
SWING, blues and modern jazz will again surround the seaside town in February with the second Middleton Jazz Fest. Acts include etypejazz.

Coopers Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival 2007
February 15 and 17
THIS two-day carnival is the island's premier racing and largest tourism event. The highlight is the Kangaroo Island Cup Race Day.


Enjoy!

It's the Hot Air Balloon Festival, from 13 to 16 April, here in Canberra. I have the website here and also a recent picture of one floating over my house.

Don't plan on doing anything outdoors this weekend in SA! We have rain at last!!

Yes, and don't go up to play on the bobsled at Corin Forest today, a half hour drive from Canberra, as it is closed due to rain as well.

No blowing dead brown snakes off the bobsled run today for my son! Oh well, he's back there on Sunday.

Where has the weekend of rain gone!
We had 11mm of rain last night here in Queenscliff but a sunny day today with no rain on the radar yet.
Still, it is good for the tourists travelling The Great Ocean Road.

It's come up here! It rained heavily the whole time I was doing the Slow Travel book club chat on the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil book. Added quite a spooky atmosphere to a true crime murder style book chat!

So, any travelers to Canberra today will have their outdoor activities washed out I'm afraid.

I never thought I'd be so happy to see rain!!

Isn't it wonderful to see and feel it coming steadily down, down, down?

Lots of activities cancelled - all in a good cause. May it rain on and on!

It's the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend. So tourists drving through New South Wales beware - it's double demerit points on the road for any infringements! H'mmm, just when my son gets his car back on the road after several weeks of waiting for parts to come from America.

New South Wales has very bad wind warnings out at the moment too, especially around Sydney beaches.

I'd love to hear about events that take place in the Fall or Winter down-under. Those of us living in the US or other northern countries can often get some killer deals on travel to Australia. What are some items to do in the down-under winter?

Just outside Canberra, we have Corin Forest, where my son works the bobsled and the waterslide and the flying fox on weekends and on public holidays. They have snowplay activities during the coldest months when it snows.

There's a kiosk. It's about a half hour out of Canberra. The drive out there is beautiful.

Go north! That's the best winter advice from me. I hate the cold and the north-west is particularly beautiful at this time of the year.

Alas, I'm forced to wait until next year when we have visitors arriving from Holland for 2-3 months. We will be taking them on a driving tour of the north of Western Australia and then into the Northern Territory.

After all, it isn't fair that they miss out on a summer for a full year and I could use a double dose.

Elly

Through March to June there seem to be lots of festivals in SA - any earlier & it's too hot, any later (hopefully) too wet!

Every March there's WOMADelaide & The Fringe & alternate years the Adelaide Festival of Arts. The wine districts all have food & wine events - last weekend was "Sea & Vine" in McLaren Vale. At the moment there's a Cabaret Festival on in Adelaide - a great mix of local & international acts.

Enjoy!

quote:

Marta:
I'd love to hear about events that take place in the Fall or Winter down-under.

Hi Marta.

It's snow season here in Australia. Here's a good article on the New South Wales snowfields of Perisher Blue, Thredo and Selwyn Snowfields.

There's also another article on
Perisher Blue talking about the new, world class alpine village.

Brrrr! But sounds good!

Baby - it's cold outside!

And in case you want to see it up closer...

Well it was minus fifteen degrees celsius last night at Charlottes Pass, up past Perisher Valley in the Kosciuszko National Park.

The snow season is proving successful this year! Maybe when I look out my window in the morning I will see some on the Brindabellas again.

What's that noise I heard after I rolled down the car window on the way to the mall yesterday afternoon?

BOING! BOING!

A whole herd...

You see, one doesn't have to pay to go into a zoo here in Cnaberra to see wildlife. We just look out our car windows.

Hi All,

I leave next week for my much anticipated trip to Australia. I will be based on the Gold Coast and traveling to Sydney and Melbourne. What should I pack? Will it be cold or Spring like weather? Also, should I take Australian dollars or US? Help me!!

The gold coast is warm at the moment. In the 20s during the day, but dropping to around 8 at night. (Thats 70f and 45f). People are swimming at the beach. So t-shirts and shorts for the day and warm clthes and light coats for night and early morning.

You will need cold weather clothes for Sydney and especially Melbourne. There may be overnight frosts. I am going down to Sydney today from the Gold Coast airport so I will let you know what it is like today.

You could check weather web sites as well.

Most places take credit cards but you will need Australian dollars for small shops, public transport, some cafes. Taxis take credit cards but you pay a 10% surcharge for this.

Overseas I always take local currency out from ATMs (is that what you call cash machines?).

Some US people coming over here to work bring their own coffee. There is absolutely no need to do that. We have great coffee.

I have given a positive review for Cafe Creole at Kirra (not far from Coolangatta (Gold Coast) Airport)on the Gold Coast. If you get there I would appreciate your opinion.

Melbourne has been cold this year and we have had rain which we have loved after the drought. Not as good for the tourists though.
Our temperatures this week have been 7c to about 16c with overcast to sunny days. Even the coastal areas had a few frosts this year.
As I write the sun is out and the wind is blowing. The temperature in the sun out of the wind is 18c.
August is quite windy too so walks along the beach can be very "bracing".
I would use the ATMs to get cash although my husband always likes a small amount of local money when we arrive.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Very valuable. John, I look forward to your report from Sydney about the weather. I will be staying in Coolangatta and am happy to hear that I can enjoy the beach. I will also be sure to check out Cafe Creole and give my opinion.

You will need Australian dollars or use your credit card. I got my Australian dollars from the Sydney airport ATM right after I arrived from the US. No problems. Are you arriving in Sydney or Brisbane? For Sydney International (T1), here is the list of ATMs. There are also helpful visitor assistants if you need help locating one. I never had any problems using my Washington Mutual Mastercard ATM in Australia.

You will have a great time regardless of the weather. The Gold Coast is a great and vibrant introduction to Australia. We try and get there at least once every two years from way across the other side of the country.

You've been given very good advice from the previous posters and if you have any problems, just ask people around you and they will be more than willing to help.

Australians love tourists.

Elly

It was a clear sunny midday yesterday as I walked out to board the Virgin Blue 737. (Coolangatta is a small airport so it walking across the tarmac and up steps to get into plane). I was in my suit and removed my jacket to enjoy the cooling sea breeze.
I was comfortable in my suit in Sydney, but warmed up walking the streets. It had cooled down by 7pm but even though people were wearing coats I was comfortable without one.
Try to get a window seat (not over the wing) on your flight to Coolangatta. The coastal views are lovely. If you come up from Sydney you pass over my area 60km before the Gold Coast and there is a great view over the Mt Warning National Park, which is the remains of an ancient 80km across volcano (ancient by volcanic standards; it is mostly worn away) with Mt Warning in the centre of the caldera.

The Kirra Surf Life Daving Club is right on the beach and is a good place to have a drink and watch the yachts, surfers, and sea. The whales are travelling south at the moment, but you may need to go on a whale watching trip to see them. I am at Brunswick Heads near Byron Bay at the moment and am keeping an eye out, but have not seen any today.

You could also visit the Currumbin Wildlife sanctuary to see native fauna and flora.

I think you have chosen a good part of the GC to stay. Coolangatta is not dominated by beach front high rises and you are away from the rowdy tourist bustle. Public transport is good. If you are driving keep to the speed limits as there are lots of cameras and they get the fine to your rental company quickly.

If you get down to the Byron Bay area I can recommend some good restaurants and places to go.

Thanks John, much appreciated. I have a better idea now of what clothing I should take. I would like those restaurant recommendations since we will be touring the GC. I am so very psyched!! I will post updates as my trip progresses.

Don't forget that we are an hour's drive south of Coolangatta.

Restaurant Reccomendations

In Byron Bay

Balcony Bar & Restaurant

The Fig Tree Restaurant

pogel's wood cafe (only open Fri and Sat

Also worth visiting if you are this way

The Crystal Castle It houses some of the Wearable Arts that my son's Shearwater Steiner School runs each year



I just can't resist adding the pictures of Andrew performing as Napoleon Dynamite

Next Saturday Floriade starts in Canberra (15 September-14 October). One of my favourite times of year here (apart from Winter, Autumn and Summer...) - blue skies, sun and lots of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and irises. My tulips have even bloomed early in anticipation!

The theme this year is Aussie icons, myths & legends - you'll even be able to see Dame Edna's Everage's glasses in flowers - although not gladdies! Floriade Australia

It's also the time of year to go out to the Tulip Farm (now called Tulip Top Gardens) My favourites are the quadricolour blossom trees on display, and the view down the hill. Superb!

Melbourne is now officially in Spring and all the blossom trees are in full colour. Today (Saturday) was a lovely day to be outdoors with hardly a cloud in the sky and the sun warm enough to get around in shirt only. If it wasn't for our disastrous lack of rainfall life would be beautifull. It now appears likely we will go to the next level of water restrictions unless a miracle happens.

Spring time brings out three major events in Melbourne -
1. Our local code football season finals, with a crowd of over 90,000 people expected to attend the Grand Final on the last Saturday in September to be held at the magnificent MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground).

2. The Spring Racing Carnival with major horse races culminating in the great Melbourne Cup Carnival held in the first week of November - and I think the only horse race in the world where a public holiday is declared on the day of the Melbourne Cup.

3. The Royal Melbourne Show exhibiting the best of our agricultural products.

Of course we have another setback with the outbreak of horse flu throughout New South Wales and Queensland meaning horses from those states are banned from entry into Victoria and I think for the first time since its inception no horses at the Melbourne show.

There were minor protests in Sydney during the APEC forum and a lot of ill feeling with the city almost in lockdown mode and did George Bush really need to bring over 700 staff for his visit!!!, but yes come over and see us and as the infamous ad says " where the bloody hell are you"

Leslie, when are you going to Dubai? I will be most interested in your comments about the area. I did put some comments on your other topic about Dubai because I do not understand the city. Development is massive, my daughter,s company has an involvement in over 80 high rise buildings. I don't know what it is all for. With temperatures around 50C during summer daily life must be very difficult unless you just stay indoors.

The areas around the Creek and the Suks are great but most other lifestyle activities are geared around affluence - a night in the Burj Al Arab will cost in excess of $1000 per room!

Hello Monty, temperature in Dubai today is 38 degrees and I will be there in four and a half weeks, so it's due to drop a degree or two by then. I've got a couple of summer outfits and my sandals packed. My son has his boardshorts.

I'm staying in beautiful accommodation I found on all the other travel forums that have an incredible amount of information for people looking to have a holiday there. It's a fraction of the price of that beautiful Hotel Burj Al Arab, which I will admire from the Wild Wadi water park nearby. It's the hotel from the Getaway Show, the Dhow Palace.

I'll be putting my thoughts and pictures up onto my travel website, Kaleidoscope.

We have three nights and two clear days. We're going to go look at the Gold Souk, the Wild Wadi park, and the Emirates Mall.

I am really pleased to be going there. I'm anticipating having a beaut, fun time with my son, who is really excited about seeing somewhere totally different.

I'm going for the holiday and the experience, not the shopping. I'll be right.

On overseas trips, I've been to Bali, Singapore, Bangkok, Hawaii, London, Geneva, Paris and all over Italy from Sorrento up in the past twenty years, so this will be a novel experience.

- Did I mention I'm excited to be going?

Leslie,

I really hope you have a great time. It was about 38C when we were there - make sure you drink a lot of bottled water, the desal tap water doesn't taste great.

The Gold Suk is near the Creek and the Spice Suk so have a look at both. Also take an Abbra ride or two. The Dubai Museum is nearby and is very good. You only need about an hour there. Allow at least 3/4 hr taxi ride from your hotel to the Creek.

If I remember correctly you pay for a day pass to the Wild Wadi so allow plenty of time. Your son should love it and also the snow ski area within Emirates Mall. You are going to be very busy.

Hey Monty, will now add in an Abra ride to the list.

Thanks for that.

30 September 2007 - Bay to Birdwood Classic Cars Rally.
More than 1500 classic vehicles will line up, including our modest 1964 MG1100 sedan. It's heaps of fun - people line the streets to wave at the cars & remember when... it finishes up with a huge party at the National Motor Museum.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chris,

quote:

Just for something new and completely different...

What is up or new where you are? What do tourists need to know?

Now that Spring's here & the weather is warming up (22C) I wonder what's planned around the country?

In a week approx 30,000 people will join the City Bay Fun Run in Adelaide. Some will run or walk 12km (incl my hubby), others will do 6km (me) and many will walk 3km with their young children. A great party atmosphere!

What's happening in your towns & cities?