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bells0 · 10:19 AM

Hey all

Have just booked to come with my Mrs over to your fine island at Xmas this year - in time to see us retain the Ashes

Leave Blighty 22nd Dec, landing in Melbourne 23rd at 8.15pm.

Plan on stayin in Melb till 28th then hitting Sydney for NY.

Then try get up the East coast and the reef on 3rd till the 9th when we leave outta Sydney home.

I lived in Aus for a year in 96/7 and kinda know most places - but wouldn't mind a refresher on things to do in Melbourne/Sydney/Reef as well as good hotels and tips???

Really looking forward to it!!

allblue · Feb 10, 2006, 10:10 AM

RETAIN (not regain) the Ashes old chap! Tee hee!

bells0 · Feb 10, 2006, 10:18 AM

Doh!! - edited!

Hawkeye_a · Feb 10, 2006, 10:38 AM

Hmmm... just the east coast eh ?

Well if you gots the time. come on over to the west coast. ive been here for almost 3 years now and loving it. If you do, check out Monkeymaya , Ningaloo in the north (you get to swim with dolphins and whale sharks). And Margaret River and Yallingup in the south west.

Cheers

allblue · Feb 10, 2006, 11:30 AM

Ok, its Friday afternoon and I've had it with work so let me regale you with my Oz experience. In late '86 I set off on a long travel though Asia, planning to stop off for a couple of weeks to catch the 5th Test at the SCG, thus fulfilling a childhood ambition nurtured all those years before furtively listening to coverage from downunder beneath the blankets. Therefore it was with somewhat mixed feelings in Chang Mai that I listened to Edmonds winning the 4th and decisive Test at Melbourne thus securing the Ashes - delighted we had won, disappointed that I wasn't there to see it.
On arrival in Sydney, first impressions were good (apart from the uniformed men rushing on the plane to spray everything in sight which was a bit alarming!) with a super-friendly smiley lady at passport control. "Purpose of visit?" she asked me. "Well," I replied, "I had been intending to see us win the Ashes, but it looks like I'm a bit late!" (Warning: Do not under any circumstances attempt such jocularity with the grim-faced automatons at UK passport control who tend to look at you as though you are a war criminal!)
It was a great Test, at the beginning of the penultimate over before the final 20 all four results were realistically possible. Then Gatting got out for 96 and we ended up losing that one. Anyway, the intended couple of weeks morphed into five months, and I had a fantastic time there. Stunning flora and fauna, glorious climate and incredibly friendly and hospitable people. Against this there was the background music of total success on the cricket field. Not content with just the Ashes, we won the World Series (with the Windies) and even a little three-way (with Pakistan) called the Perth Challenge to coincide with the Americas Cup in that city. Or offshore that city to be more precise!
Although there are differences between us Poms and the Diggers, we do share an almost identical sense of humour, and the Aussies are very good at taking a joke I found (although I notice Ponting just threw his toys out of the pram over Tuffers' recent little wind-up!). I found that they were interested to hear my impression of their country and I had no qualms telling them what a fantastic place it was. On several occasions there was a follow-up question: "Why don't you come and live here then?" My stock reply was "Well, I'd love to. But unfortunately", (pause, slight sigh and gentle shake of the head) "your cricket team just 'aint good enough!" Yes! 1-0 every time! Please feel free to use that line if appropriate, it has lain dormant for nearly twenty years after all!
Have a great time, just watch out for the Funnel-web spiders, King Browns, Box Jellyfishes, Stone Fish, Blue-ringed octopussi, crocodiles and Great Whites and you'll be alright!

besson3c · Feb 10, 2006, 11:35 AM

paging Cubeoid. He's from Australia.

Stradlater · Feb 10, 2006, 11:48 AM

Cubeoid, please report to the thread.

jebjeb · Feb 10, 2006, 01:00 PM

You're missing my home area as I am near Brisbane (actually About 20km's south of Byron Bay). Not a huge fan of Sydney so no help there.

Reef is cool. If you have some time, go inland to the Daintree rainforest. Freakin cool.

Have a winner!

PurpleGiant · Feb 10, 2006, 05:41 PM

Around Melbourne:

•Canoe or Kayak on the Yarra River. Perfect time of year for it, and relatively inexpensive.
•If that's not quite your thing, there are small row-boats for hire from Yarra Bend Park right on top of Melbourne.
• Cricket
• So many restaurants to choose from. If food is a passion of yours, check out the Flower Drum restaurant in the city (Chinese). Lygon Street is a little overrated/priced these days, but still is an excellent strip for Italian Cuisine. (notable down there is also LemonGrass Thai, delicious)
• Hot Air Ballooning in the Yarra Valley (an hour or so North-East of Melbourne)
• Docklands waterfront city is about half-way completed. There are quite a few funky bars over there (right next to the city, waterfront side), as well as public art
• Federation Square in the city has free Art Exhibitions on regularly, as well as Birrurung Marr park behind it
• For shopping, Melbourne Central has been redevloped in the past few years, now spans two city blocks, 250 shops on 5 levels.
• Melbourne Museum
• Not sure where you lived in Aus last time, but if it's your first trip to Melbourne catch the free city circle tram for an overview of the main places in town (Parliament, Telstra Dome/Docklands, Flagstaff Gardens etc). You can get on and off when you please, runs all day.
• If you're up late, there are too many pubs/clubs to list for you. Crown Casino is open 24 hours, and has the arcade or 24 hour ten pin bowling.
• St Kilda beach. Nothing too special as a beach, but right near the city, completely flat (no surfing), but great to relax on a hot day. Luna Park (theme park) is right next to the beach, as well as a strip full of cafe's.

PER3 · Feb 12, 2006, 07:48 AM

Give Canberra a miss (think Pyongyang minus the decadent nightlife and crazy girls)...

macforray · Feb 12, 2006, 09:31 AM

I'm not an aussie, but I spent a week in Perth back in '82. Loved it......and the Swan Lager. Best d*** beer I've ever had. Oops, sorry. Let's NOT start a discussion on beer. Its all good....just some better than others.

Anyway, had a great time. And only one of our crew (97 men on US submarine) ended up getting married in that week. We were warned but didn't believe it until it happened.

I would love to go back, but it is way out of my financial reach.

G'day mate.

qnxde · Feb 12, 2006, 12:08 PM

Whatever happened to Cipher13?

moonmonkey · Feb 13, 2006, 05:26 AM

as long as you are not a british backpacker you will be OK.

bells0 · Feb 15, 2006, 10:55 AM

Thanks for the replies - and no, this time around i aint a backbacker!!

Currently sweating on getting hotel rooms! - what with the Ashes and it being holiday season is proving hard.

Wanting to stay in decent accom if poss - though will mean i am gonna be a social hermit for the rest of the year whilst i save!!

Are waiting on a request for the Shangri La in Sydney for 28th Dec to 3rd Jan

Then am between goin for a deluxe room in the Crown Towers or getting an Ocean view room at the Novotal in St. Kilda????

As for the Reef - reckon we will stay in Cairns and use as a base to explore - easiest for us to fly into and get back to Sydney for flight home on 9th. - The Lakes resort looks cool, and pretty cheap.

Fingers crossed we get the room we want!

wdlove · Feb 15, 2006, 11:38 AM

You should try and be very careful to have honest and trustworthy members join you. Wish you all the best. Just please be careful.

qnxde · Feb 15, 2006, 12:02 PM

Do you just do a search for any thread with the word "Cubeoid" in it and post?

moonmonkey · Feb 15, 2006, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by bells0

As for the Reef - reckon we will stay in Cairns and use as a base to explore -

Be sure to drop into the Woolshed and have a Bundy and Coke.