Oceania Travel Blogs, page 7876

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Ballarat » Sovereign Hill September 16th 1989

Maureen who was also temping at the State Bank invited another girl, Debbie, Mike and myself over to her place in Ballarat for the weekend. This is located about an hour outside Melbourne (a stone's throw by Australian standards) and is famous for an old, historic gold mining settlement called Sovereign Hill. Maureen gave us all the guided tour. Ballarat was the scene of one of Australia's bloodiest conflicts between soldiers and miners demanding a better way of life. This was known as the Eureka Stockade and resulted in the massacre of most of the miners. Sovereign Hills is still kept as it was back in the 19th century and the people who work there still dress as they did back then. There was a school room there where we were given lessons as they would ... read more

And The Holiday Ends

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Melbourne June 27th 1989

Melbourne at Dusk

waterfia

I remember arriving in Melbourne well. The highway from Adelaide crosses over the Westgate Bridge, which gives an excellent view over the city. Melbourne has a very spectacular skyline, which makes London look very flat, but on this particular morning it was a very grey and drab skyline which made us wonder whether we had made a serious mistake leaving the tropics. We all got off the bus extremely depressed and ran for cover from the ice-cold rain. We met someone at the bus terminal who was looking for people to stay at his backpackers' hostel. Obviously getting a roof over our heads was the top priority, especially in this weather, so a load of us jumped into his mini-bus. The next priority was to start to look for a job so I got the tram ... read more

First Sample of Australian Culture and I Was Impressed

Oceania » Australia » South Australia » Adelaide June 25th 1989

Festival Hall

waterfia

There was a great crowd on the bus south, except for the fact that the Japanese guy beside me had a bit of a personal hygiene problem. Luckily, he got off the bus at 2.00am literally in the middle of nowhere, which had the added bonus that I had two seats and was able to lie down to sleep. After a while travelling on the buses, you learn that they tend to fill the bus from the front, so if you ask for a seat at the back, there is a good chance that you will get two seats and hence a more comfortable night's sleep. No matter how comfortable it may be, getting a good night's sleep on a single seat is not easy. Once the bus starts moving, people from the front will check ... read more

A Town Called Alice

Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Alice Springs June 24th 1989

Telegraph Station

waterfia

After two days on buses with only a quick shower at the transit centre to freshen me up, it was nice to have a shave and a decent length shower. Refreshed and ready to go, I set off for the telegraph station, which was a short walk out of the town, but was the reason that the town was founded. It is built beside a water hole in the bed of the dry River Todd - Charles Todd being the name of a telegraph big-wig and, in case you were wondering, Alice was his wife (I'm just full of useful facts today). I loved Alice Springs. It has a special charm that I never came across anywhere else I visited due, I think, to the fact that it is not too big and busy or too ... read more

Climbing The Rock

Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Uluru June 23rd 1989

The Top of Uluru

waterfia

The bus for Alice Springs left at 10.30 in the morning and would arrive some time the following morning. Just out of Darwin we entered the true Crocodile Dundee country, mile after mile after mile of bush. After several hours of it, it was starting to get severely boring, but the people on the bus were a superb laugh and there were videos to watch. Two drivers took it in turns, with one driving whilst the other slept in a bed at the back of the bus. Unlike in England where there are signs telling you not to talk to the driver when the bus is in motion, here they positively encourage you to talk to the driver to relieve the boredom for him. Travelling long distances on buses is an incredibly tedious and dull experience. ... read more

Back to Reality

Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Darwin » City of Darwin June 18th 1989

Road Train

waterfia

Dempasar airport was a pitiful excuse and consisted of little more than a hut and a runway. Darwin was pretty much the same. Customs and immigration was not that much of an ordeal, which surprised us, but they were extremely hot on quarantine. We had to fill out a questionnaire in the plane about everywhere that we had been and everything that we had been doing. They then sprayed the plane with something before any of us were allowed to get off. You then got more questions in the terminal and they wanted to check anything you were carrying that was made from wood or straw. All the presents that we had got in Dempasar required a considerable amount of study before we were able to proceed. Alan had some sandwiches which he had bought in ... read more

Previous Life - Vanuatu

Oceania » Vanuatu January 15th 1989

mshorrock

I don't know what it was about this place that I remember so vividly. When ever I think about previous holidays, Vanuatu always pops up in my mind..but it rained the whole time we were there and from memory, we played table tennis in the games room most of the time. The few days we did get sunshine, Kelly & I rode out on the water in one of those boats you paddle with your feet.... read more

Jan 15, 1989

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Melbourne January 15th 1989

andjulbed

Geo: -37.8143, 144.963... read more

Jan 27, 1988

Oceania » French Polynesia January 27th 1988