Australia

Our trip to Australia

Earlier this year, 1999, we trekked down under. On this trip we visited the main tourist destination Sydney, and the tropical destination, also known as the backpackers haven, Cairns. (Cairns is pronounced Cans.) We want to share some of that experience with others here on this site. Below, you will find links that take you to even more information about Australia.

First, our journey started on a Thursday morning at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. We flew to Los Angeles and connected onwards to Sydney via a non-stop Qantas airlines flight. This is by mileage and time, one of the longest non-stop flights in the world, the longest being NYC to Johannesburg, South Africa. We arrived in Sydney the next evening in time to relax for a couple of hours before going to bed.

Upon arrival we were met by many hospitable Aussies. They helped us get acquainted with Sydney and what we could do in the next three days before we left for Cairns. The Immigration agent even warned us about all the Kiwi's arriving for the grand football match between the two countries. (Kiwis are New Zealanders.)

We enjoyed three nights at the Mercure Hotel near the main train station. Also, located right outside our hotel was a major bus station and a nice sidewalk cafe. The rooms were nice and modern and the hotel staff was attentive and helpful.

While in Sydney, we took a city and Blue Mountains tour. This was an especially fun filled day for us. We got to see the Olympic Park which is being completed. We also drove by the canoeing venue, where my cousin hopes to represent the USA next year. The sites were absolutely incredible and our tour guide was wonderful.

After we said good bye to the world famous Sydney Opera House, we hopped a flight up the coast, 1200 miles, to Cairns to a tropical paradise, the Novotel Palm Cove Resort. This is one of the nicer resorts in that area. Since we were celebrating our 1st anniversary, and I made the hotel aware of that little fact, we were upgraded to a suite. The grounds were well maintained and provided an incredible experience. We even saw Kangaroos hopping around the grounds. (We even have pictures as proof.)

One of the most exciting aspects of our trip to Cairns was our three days on the Coral Reeftel live-aboard dive boat. This facility belongs to Cairns Dive Center. We spent three days diving. On that trip I earned my Advanced and Search and Recovery ratings, through PADI. The dive operations are well run and provide a very large safety margin with all they do. I recommend diving with Cairns Dive Center if you are in that area. Ask for Fraser and tell him David from Texas sent you.

In addition to our diving, we strolled along the tropical beaches, and went to Cairns for an afternoon of shopping and good seafood. You can find some very nice Opal while in Cairns. The seafood is fresh and if you eat at Barnacle Bill's, I am sure you will have a delightful meal.

As I mentioned Cairns is the backpackers capital of Australia. There are flights to Asia as well as several other destinations popular with the backpacker crowd from around the world. Accommodations for this crowd are readily available and are affordable. There is a ton of activities that await the backpacker and tourist alike in Cairns.

If you get the urge to travel and have a good week or more, head on down under. You will likely not want to come home. If you really have lots of time to spare, you should stop in Fiji, Hawaii, or New Zealand on the to or from Australia. (When traveling from the USA.)

LINKS TO AUSTRALIA

	Information on Sydney
	Information on Cairns
	Qantas Airlines
	Cairns Dive Center
	Air New Zealand
	Novotel & Mercure Hotels
	Australia Information
	Lonely Planet - Sydney Information
	Quicksilver Great Barrier Reef Day Tours
	Karunda Tours
	Cairns On-Line Guide
	Ansett Airways
	Tropical Queensland Information
	The Great Barrier Reef
	~Cairns Lodging Information
	More Sydney Links

If you know of other good resources that would help a fellow traveler plan a trip to Australia, the land of OZ, email the link to me.

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