Australia: Overview Video

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is a video overview of our experience.

Text Version: Our first destination was Australia.  Approximately the same size as the United States, with only 7% of the population, most of the landscape is made up of arid desert. Not surprisingly, the majority of the residents live along the 22,000 miles of coastline where most tourists tend to flock as well.

With just three weeks we wanted to make the most of our time and experience as much diversity as possible – from cities and seas to sand dunes and deserts.

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Australia: Sydney

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

We lasted about four hours our first day in Sydney.  By the time we got to our hotel and freshened up, it was around 2pm Sydney time.  But for our bodies, it was midnight.  So we decided to soldier through the day and hopefully into the night to fight off jet lag.  Walking from our hotel in the Kings Cross-Darlinghurst section of Sydney, we were reminded of the rolling streets of Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco.  And as we strolled into Pitt St. in the City Center, we felt as if we were walking the mall-like streets of Chicago.

Sightseeing wasn’t really on our agenda, as we were in search of a cell phone to use domestically and other miscellaneous items.  But I wanted Michael to have his first look of the famed Opera House and Sydney Harbour.  As we made our way into Circular Quay, he was a bit quiet.  He admitted it wasn’t quite the view he expected.  But what he has seen in photos is from a much different angle – usually showing the Opera House surrounded by a large body of water with the Harbour Bridge in the background.  It wouldn’t be until the next day that he had that view, but from Circular Quay, the Opera House appeared to him as a “big thing in a little harbor.”

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Australia: Hervey Bay

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

It was going to be a hot one in Sydney, with temperatures expected to be in the mid 30’sC (90’sF).  But it was still relatively comfortable as we made our way to the airport to catch our flight to Hervey Bay.  It was just an hour and 15 minute flight up the coast, but as we began our descent, we could see it would be much different weather from Sydney as we passed through thick clouds.

Hervey Bay is actually made up of five villages and stretches 16km along the coast, about 6 hours north of Brisbane.  During the months of August through October, Hervey Bay is well visited by tourists interested in seeing the humpback whales that migrate through the bay.  They’ll spend months here rearing their calves until they are fit to swim south to the Antarctic.  We arrived at the tale end of their migration but still hoped to catch them during our afternoon.

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Australia: Fraser Island

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

When planning our travel destinations, Michael said that the places he wanted to go to the most were Australia and New Zealand.  And even though I had traveled through both countries before, I was happy to go back to revisit.  And I wanted to take advantage of my return to see things I hadn’t before.  Fraser Island was one of them.

It is said that Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island, stretching 120kms (75 miles) long and made up of 100% sand over thousands of years of drifts.  It’s hard to imagine that it really is all sand, as the island is lush with woodlands and rain forests, as well as fresh water lakes.  And the only way to explore all of these wonders is by four-wheel drive.

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Australia: Whitsunday Islands/Great Barrier Reef

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

Another bright and early day as we set off from the Hervey Bay area and headed south to Brisbane via train.  Four hours later and we were awaiting our flight north to Proserpine.  From there a shuttle bus took us to Airlie Beach.  And then we made our way by foot to Abel Point Marina.  By sunset we were on a catamaran and ready to set sail for the Whitsunday Islands.  After so much movement in our first week, we were looking forward to anchoring ourselves in one spot for three days – even if our home was moving itself.

One of my favorite experiences from my last visit was sailing the Whitsundays, and I wanted Michael to experience it as well.  And Michael was really looking forward to diving the Great Barrier Reef.  With our tight schedule, we were uncertain if we could squeeze both in, but luckily our boat, the Pacific Star, cruised the Whitsundays and motored out to the outer reef for diving and snorkeling.  Perfectly timed.  Now we hoped the weather would cooperate.

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Australia: Airlie Beach/Bruce Highway

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

Well over a week into our trip and constantly on the move, we decided to stay put for an extra day in Airlie Beach after our boat trip to unwind and decompress.

Airlie Beach is the launching pad for the popular Whitsundays, so it also offers a great cross-section of travelers through Australia.  By walking along the coastal Esplanade or grabbing a beer in one of the many establishments, you encounter travelers from all different backgrounds.  There are certainly a large number of backpackers, making their way up and down the coast by bus or in one of the many campervans available for rental.  But you also have retirees and general vacationers who are on holiday for an extended time.

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Australia: Kuranda

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

Our drive up the coast to Kuranda was a long one, but it was the only way for us to make our way north in order to catch our flight out on Wednesday from Cairns to Ayers Rock.

Kuranda is a small mountain village in the rainforest about 30km outside of the tourist city of Cairns (another launching pad for the Great Barrier Reef).  To get there involves driving up a very steep and windy road – one in which the locals aren’t afraid to zoom around.

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Australia: The Red Center

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break.  The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

We left the blue coast for the red center as we made our way to Ayers Rock and the Olgas.  Known as Uluru and Kata Tjuta by the local Aborigines, the Anangu (meaning “people”), this land was given back to them in 1985.  Under the agreement, they in turn leased the land back to the Federal Government for 99 years and together they manage it.

Many people bypass visiting this area on a trip to Australia, but I think it’s the most magical and significant place to go in the country.  The glowing red of the sand and rocks is stunning and the vastness of this World Heritage Site is so impressive.  And to think that these land masses began to form over 550 million years ago really makes you thinks about your time and place in this world.
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Australia: Melbourne Cup

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

Our final destination in Australia: Melbourne.  And we couldn’t have timed it any better as we arrived in time for spring racing season.  This week long event has the country all a buzz, and it’s not just about the horses – it’s also about fashion, especially hats.

We were fortunate enough to have Emma as our guide.  Emma and I volunteered together in Peru and she was kind enough to put us up in her place in the beachy suburb of St. Kilda.  We toasted our first night in town over a meal at one of the many trendy restaurants.  And joining us on adventures over the next few days was Dan – a young man from the UK who just arrived for eight months of work and travel.

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Australia: Victoria

Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.

Any affects for the day before were washed away with the rain, so we were keen on visiting the Yarra Valley for some wine tasting.  Emma, Dan, Michael and I made up our foursome and even Mr. Darcy, Emma’s adorable King Charles, joined us for the ride.

The Yarra Valley is about an hours drive northeast of Melbourne and produces some delicious reds.  We visited four of the smaller wineries in the area and introduced Dan to his first wine tasting experience.  And back at Emma’s place we enjoyed several of the bottles over dinner.

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