Travel Tips » Australia

Australian road conditions

Vi — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:01:11 +0000

It is big country and before heading into Australian outback it is good idea check road conditions as it can be long re-route in case some roads closure. Here is list of official websites where it is possible to check roads current status:

Have a safe trip!

What is best time go to …

Vi — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:01:12 +0000

Probably most asked question when preparing for any trip – what is best time go to some place. There is only one answer – NOW. Ok, in some cases you may need to wait couple months the rainy/wet season to pass by, but don’t delay for too long if you want to go somewhere. Things are changing too quickly in these days, especially in developing countries. Everyday more and more people are traveling and it is getting more difficult to avoid crowd in popular places. I met so many people who are telling this place looks so different comparing with what they saw here 10 years ago. So go now if you have place you are dreaming to visit. Prices are going up faster then you can save, so you are wrong if you are thinking to save money for couple years and go then. It is better to visit that place second time in 10 or 20 years and you will see it from different perspective – as everything and everybody will be different – you, place, people in that place. You are wrong if you think you’ll have more time then you have now. You most likely will be even more busy. So don’t postpone things you want and can do now and not tomorrow.

Where to ski/snowboard in Australia

Vi — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:01:46 +0000

Snow probably not the first thing in mind of people who are going to Australia for holidays. But in case somebody is coming to Australia for longer period and is missing snow there couple places where it is possible enjoy snow activities even in Australia. Actually there are probably about 30 snowfields in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, but biggest and most popular ski resorts are in Snowy Mountains in New South Wales – Tredbo and Perisher Blue. So enjoy the snow but be careful and don’t underestimate snow in Australia, as it happened to these cross-country skiers.

Kakadu NP re-introduced a park use fee

Vi — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:01:53 +0000

This year one of most popular national parks in Australia – Kakadu – re-introduced a park use fee and became most expensive Australian national park to visit. The fee is $25 per person and valid for two weeks. Although all Northern Territory residents and children under 16 are exempt.

What’s on in Sydney in June

Vi — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:19:43 +0000

Main event for me this month is FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. From 11 June to 12 July you can visit Sydney International FIFA Fan Fest in Darling Harbour. The four screens – three on floating stages – will be set up at Cockle Bay and one in Tumbalong Park and all 64 World Cup games will be broadcasted.

57th annual Sydney Film festival starts. Check screening schedule on their website.

17th Biennale of Sydney is still running in different venues around the city as whale watching season continues in Sydney.

Whale watching in Sydney. Season 2010 is open

Vi — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:01:31 +0000

Whales are here and whale watching season 2010 is open in Sydney. Check earlier post about where are good places for whale watching in Sydney and what is best time for whale watching there. Have a good spotting!

Where to see platypus in the wild in Australia

Vi — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:01:56 +0000

If you are traveling on most popular tourist route in Australia from Sydney to Cairns then you have good possibility to spot platypus in Eungella National Park. Park is located about North West of Mackay. It is about 80km from highway No 1. So it is only short detour from main route. Best time to spot platypus is before sunset or after sunrise. I was there just after sunrise and watched for an hour at least three platypus swimming around lookout platform or from the bridge.

Another place apparently is Carnarvon Gorge section of Carnarvon National Park, but can’t confirm it and this park is further away from highway No 1, but has good walking trails so worth a visit anyway.

What is your scuba diving certification

Vi — Sun, 16 May 2010 04:01:06 +0000

I was scuba diving around South Pacific (Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu), also Thailand and never had problems with my PADI Open Water scuba diving certification. Tour operators check your certification and that you have experience, but didn’t care much is it open water or advanced or something else. But in Australia they don’t allow you to dive deeper then 18 meters if you have only open water certification. It wasn’t big loss, as most stuff is not so deep anyway, but didn’t like how all this certification business limits your diving experience. So make sure you’ll get your advanced certification somewhere in cheaper place (like Asia) before going to Australia.

How big is your fuel tank?

Vi — Thu, 06 May 2010 04:01:41 +0000

When I was renting car in Europe, US or Canada, I never was thinking or wasn’t care how much fuel I can fill into car tank. Usually was no problem to find gas station near by. But in Australia is different story. Unless you travel on East Coast or South West near Perth in other places distances between gas stations (or roadhouses) can reach 400km. Once I rented camper van with which I could travel max 350km, so I needed to fill it up in every roadhouse, otherwise my trip could end up somewhere in the middle in nowhere. So always check what is range of your rented car and may be ask for spare fuel tank just in case, as it can be difficult to get help in remote places with not much traffic.

What’s on in Sydney in May

Vi — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:01:05 +0000

In May two interesting festivals are starting:

Vivid Sydney 2010 – annual festival of light, music and ideas

Another festival is 17th Biennale of Sydney – Australia’s largest and most exciting international festival of contemporary art.
Also whale watching season start in Sydney.