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MadDog
One of the goals I've set for myself is to travel to Australia before I turn 30. Knocking on 28 right now, and so it's time to get everything set in motion.
I'm going to aim for Feb/Mar 2009. I plan to go along the Boomerang Coast... Sydney, Melbourne... may start at Brisbane. I've a few friends there.
Any must-sees along the way? I've never been out-of-country before. Do I need any vaccinations? How long does it take to get the visa cleared, and how much does the visa cost?
Answer
One must see and not too far out of your way is the Great Ocean Road running west of Melbourne. You could probably get a coach trip but it might be good to hire a car in Melbourne and drop it off at say Mt. Gambier, or you could head north from there through the wine growing country of South Australia.
The other thing is that you should spend 2 or 3 days in Canberra. The War Memorial & Museum is only beaten by the Imperial War Museum in London, they say. Also take a look at the Parliament House, built partially underground (!) in 1987 - 88 and open to all comers. Security checks apply but you can take all the photos you want - not while the houses are sitting of course.
An International Drivers Licence could ease the hiring of a car quite a bit. I looked into car hire recently and the larger companies actually did offer the best rates I could find.
We use Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club cards and a few others and there are plenty of automatic teller machines around the place and most of them are cross - compatible.
There are no endemic diseases here so vaccinations are not really a problem, we might be more worried about things you can bring with you! (Just kidding) A flu shot might be worthwhile.
Visas, well I've never had to get one but I'd allow a good 8 weeks, best to have it stashed rather than get worried whether it was going to arrive in time. A travel agent can advise you, but Australia has several consulates in the USA for instance and you can find them on the net.
If you are coming from the USA, don't bring electrical appliances, Australia uses 240Volts which will burn out US stuff before you can blink. Small dual voltage stuff like electric shavers are OK, but you will need an adapter plug. Your portable battery operated AM/FM radio will work fine. Some chargers for laptops and cell phones will work on 100 to 250 Volts without needing to set a selector switch, look at the charger. Hotels/motels offering internet connection are getting a lot more common even in rural areas but they tend to be at the higher end of the market.
Your cell phone might work if you get an Australian SIM card - check with your supplier. Cell phone coverage is good in the capital cities and larger towns, not so good in the small towns and along highways. Telstra has the best coverage.
Look at this site for electrical and phone information -
http://www.kropla.com/
http://www.accesscomms.com.au/Reference/powerplug.htm
Many Australian hotels/motels have hair dryers hard wired into bathroom walls and some have a 110 volt socket too. You can usually borrow a clothes iron and board from reception for free or a small fee and there is usually a guest laundry with auto washer and a drier.
One must see and not too far out of your way is the Great Ocean Road running west of Melbourne. You could probably get a coach trip but it might be good to hire a car in Melbourne and drop it off at say Mt. Gambier, or you could head north from there through the wine growing country of South Australia.
The other thing is that you should spend 2 or 3 days in Canberra. The War Memorial & Museum is only beaten by the Imperial War Museum in London, they say. Also take a look at the Parliament House, built partially underground (!) in 1987 - 88 and open to all comers. Security checks apply but you can take all the photos you want - not while the houses are sitting of course.
An International Drivers Licence could ease the hiring of a car quite a bit. I looked into car hire recently and the larger companies actually did offer the best rates I could find.
We use Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club cards and a few others and there are plenty of automatic teller machines around the place and most of them are cross - compatible.
There are no endemic diseases here so vaccinations are not really a problem, we might be more worried about things you can bring with you! (Just kidding) A flu shot might be worthwhile.
Visas, well I've never had to get one but I'd allow a good 8 weeks, best to have it stashed rather than get worried whether it was going to arrive in time. A travel agent can advise you, but Australia has several consulates in the USA for instance and you can find them on the net.
If you are coming from the USA, don't bring electrical appliances, Australia uses 240Volts which will burn out US stuff before you can blink. Small dual voltage stuff like electric shavers are OK, but you will need an adapter plug. Your portable battery operated AM/FM radio will work fine. Some chargers for laptops and cell phones will work on 100 to 250 Volts without needing to set a selector switch, look at the charger. Hotels/motels offering internet connection are getting a lot more common even in rural areas but they tend to be at the higher end of the market.
Your cell phone might work if you get an Australian SIM card - check with your supplier. Cell phone coverage is good in the capital cities and larger towns, not so good in the small towns and along highways. Telstra has the best coverage.
Look at this site for electrical and phone information -
http://www.kropla.com/
http://www.accesscomms.com.au/Reference/powerplug.htm
Many Australian hotels/motels have hair dryers hard wired into bathroom walls and some have a 110 volt socket too. You can usually borrow a clothes iron and board from reception for free or a small fee and there is usually a guest laundry with auto washer and a drier.
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