The Free Talk Live BBS
Free Talk Live => General => Topic started by: mikehz on September 07, 2010, 12:14:44 PM
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So, we're headed to Melbourne for a month in October. I've never been there, and have never flown overseas before. It's a LONG airplane ride!
I've got a few things to figure out.
One thing I'll have to figure out is how to drive on the wrong side of the road. Has anyone ever had to learn this, and if so how difficult was it?
I'm also wondering about communications. We'd like to use cell phones, but ours won't work there. Even if they did, the roaming charges would be ridiculous! We will have access to a computer.
We are doing this as a home exchange. It'll be our fifth, and they work out very well.
So much to do; so much to do!
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DONT EAT THE VEGEMITE !!
you have been warned
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DONT EAT THE VEGEMITE !!
you have been warned
Gotta try it.
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Driving on the wrong side of the road is easy. You get used to it in a few minutes' time.
Buy a cheapie cell phone while you're there. I do that anytime I travel out of North America.
Melbourne is pretty cool. If you get a chance, get out of the city and go for a long drive. The Australian countryside is breathtaking. Take the Great Ocean Road. You'll thank me later.
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DONT EAT THE VEGEMITE !!
you have been warned
Gotta try it.
Don't spread it on your slice of bread, or toast, thick. A very thin layer will suffice. Don't go trying a spoonfull of it either. it has a strong taste so less is better. Its good stuff.
Melbourne is pretty cool. If you get a chance, get out of the city and go for a long drive. The Australian countryside is breathtaking. Take the Great Ocean Road. You'll thank me later.
Never been to Melbourne, but I always hear about the Great Ocean Road. Driving that road will be one of the first things I'd do if I end up down that way.
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My experience with driving on the 'wrong' side of the road was the same as Dennis.
And yeah, you should definitely get out of the city at some point.
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DONT EAT THE VEGEMITE !!
you have been warned
Gotta try it.
Noooo dont!
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Hey, I live about an hour and a half drive from Melbourne in the Latrobe Valley. :shock:
Its ok apart from the feral humans roaming around.
Its snow season here at the moment up in the mountains :)
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DONT EAT THE VEGEMITE !!
you have been warned
Gotta try it.
Noooo dont!
I like a little bit of bread with my vegemite.
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Okay--we're here in beautiful Melbourne. Great place--except for the high prices of everything due to taxes. Still, the people seem well off and happy enough. Everyone is friendly and helpful. If they have any assholes in this country, I have yet to meet one.
Bought, and tried, Vegemite. Not bad. Tastes like beef bouillon paste. Healthy, and no salt. What's not to like about it?
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high prices of everything due to taxes.
Taxes are bad but not THAT bad.
Mostly the high prices you see are because the USD is taking a shit.
Last I was in Oz was 2003, it was $1.60AU to the USD, it was like a 40%-off sale on everything I bought. Now it's pretty much $1AU=$1US
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Okay--we're here in beautiful Melbourne. Great place--except for the high prices of everything due to taxes. Still, the people seem well off and happy enough. Everyone is friendly and helpful. If they have any assholes in this country, I have yet to meet one.
Bought, and tried, Vegemite. Not bad. Tastes like beef bouillon paste. Healthy, and no salt. What's not to like about it?
hey welcome to Aus!
The taxes are high because people get lots of "free" stuff from the feds.
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Okay--we're here in beautiful Melbourne. Great place--except for the high prices of everything due to taxes. Still, the people seem well off and happy enough. Everyone is friendly and helpful. If they have any assholes in this country, I have yet to meet one.
Bought, and tried, Vegemite. Not bad. Tastes like beef bouillon paste. Healthy, and no salt. What's not to like about it?
taxes and a minimum wage of $15 an hour drives the price of everything up a bit.
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Hope you've had a chance to drive the Great Ocean Road while there. It was one of the highlights of my trip while I was down there 3 years ago. Did you rent a camper van? Oh, and what other parts of Australia have you visited?
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Hope you've had a chance to drive the Great Ocean Road while there. It was one of the highlights of my trip while I was down there 3 years ago. Did you rent a camper van? Oh, and what other parts of Australia have you visited?
Driving that road is one of our plans while here. It's a home swap, so we're driving the other couple's '09 Mazda. We are here a month, so should have enought time to see this area, which is the top tourist area of the country.
We have not yet seen any other part of the country. It's a big place, after all! But, we may make the drive to Sydney, or take a train there and rent a car. (Gas is about $5/gal.)
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Yeah thats about 30 cents less than what I paid per gallon. I'll be in Adelaide myself in a week & a half (Nov 3rd) & going straight to Ayers Rock the next day. You should check it out also. Anyway, its probably cheaper to fly to Sydney than drive or take a train. Plus, on all domestic flights, they let you bring liquids onboard (even Mountain Dew!). Virgin Blue is THE airline to take for domestic IMHO. However if going through Aussie TSA is reason enough to go by land, then take the train. I took the train from Adelaide to Sydney & loved the experience. Plus, no checkpoints for train travel (at least when I was there).
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I'll be in Adelaide myself in a week & a half (Nov 3rd) & going straight to Ayers Rock the next day.
Yo.
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Yo.
Sup.
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Yeah thats about 30 cents less than what I paid per gallon. I'll be in Adelaide myself in a week & a half (Nov 3rd) & going straight to Ayers Rock the next day. You should check it out also. Anyway, its probably cheaper to fly to Sydney than drive or take a train. Plus, on all domestic flights, they let you bring liquids onboard (even Mountain Dew!). Virgin Blue is THE airline to take for domestic IMHO. However if going through Aussie TSA is reason enough to go by land, then take the train. I took the train from Adelaide to Sydney & loved the experience. Plus, no checkpoints for train travel (at least when I was there).
You DO get around!
Ayers is such a long way from here. I doubt we'll be up that way. Even Sydney is a pretty good distance. It turns out that there's so much to see in this area that we'll be lucky to have time for Sydney. (Actually, we've already been there, kinda sorta. Due to a bit of plane trouble, we missed a connection and had to take another flight with a connection in Sydney. Saw the Opera House. Briefly. From the air. )
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I'll be in Adelaide myself in a week & a half (Nov 3rd)
Sweet! That's where we lived for most of our year Down Under.
Do me a favor:
1) Get drunk at the Belgian Bar downtown. Try the fries. Best time is night time. Trust me.
2) Take a pic from there & upload it here
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You DO get around!
Ayers is such a long way from here. I doubt we'll be up that way. Even Sydney is a pretty good distance. It turns out that there's so much to see in this area that we'll be lucky to have time for Sydney. (Actually, we've already been there, kinda sorta. Due to a bit of plane trouble, we missed a connection and had to take another flight with a connection in Sydney. Saw the Opera House. Briefly. From the air. )
Well you could knuckle under, hold your nose, & fly to Uluru in the morning, spend the night, & fly back the next day. But airfare will be Expensive!
When you get to Sydney, I recommend you stay in the Kings Cross area (the subway station there is called kings cross station btw). Its the party part of Sydney. LOTS of strip clubs & Hostels right off Darlinghurst Ave.
I'll be in Adelaide myself in a week & a half (Nov 3rd)
Sweet! That's where we lived for most of our year Down Under.
Do me a favor:
1) Get drunk at the Belgian Bar downtown. Try the fries. Best time is night time. Trust me.
2) Take a pic from there & upload it here
Wrote it down...
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When you get to Sydney, I recommend you stay in the Kings Cross area (the subway station there is called kings cross station btw). Its the party part of Sydney. LOTS of strip clubs & Hostels right off Darlinghurst Ave.
Yeah--I'll be sure to run that one past my wife. :lol:
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I'll be in Adelaide myself in a week & a half (Nov 3rd)
Sweet! That's where we lived for most of our year Down Under.
Do me a favor:
1) Get drunk at the Belgian Bar downtown. Try the fries. Best time is night time. Trust me.
2) Take a pic from there & upload it here
Youre doing it wrong.
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What, take a pic first then get drunk?
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¡ɥɐpun uʍop ʇnoqɐʞlɐʍ uo ɯ,ı ¡sǝʇɐɯ `ʎɐp,ƃ
And now I'm back.
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What, take a pic first then get drunk?
No-you went to Adelaide. :D
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What, take a pic first then get drunk?
No-you went to Adelaide. :D
And I will again.
I could imagine retiring there when I get too old for NH winters.
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What, take a pic first then get drunk?
No-you went to Adelaide. :D
And I will again.
I could imagine retiring there when I get too old for NH winters.
If I were to retire in Australia, I'd want a house overlooking the Great Ocean Road. Such as this one...
[img width= height= alt=Image Hosted by ImageShack.us]http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1486/dscf0570zu7.jpg[/img]
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In 20 years, I can realistically afford to time-share or buy outright a nice townhouse near the parks on the outskirts of Adelaide. In 200 year, I am unlikely to afford a pad as kickass as the one pictured above.
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If I were to retire in Australia, I'd want a house overlooking the Great Ocean Road. Such as this one...
[img width= height= alt=Image Hosted by ImageShack.us]http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1486/dscf0570zu7.jpg[/img]
I'll keep an eye out for that when we drive there next week.