Went up to Townsville in a motorhome .
A new learning experience for the newbe grey nomad.
Travelled up the Newell quickly to the warm weather of Queensland in early june.
Visited major ports of Bundaberg Gladstone Rockhampton Mackay and Townsville.
People are doing it hard after mining collapse.
Found people very friendly .
Australia is a beautiful country and next trip up that way will go higher to Cooktown to break the record.
Came back down highway no one the Bruce highway through sunshine and gold coast then hume highway.
Favourite place Hervey Bay .
Missed the bombers but saw most games and am proud of our great club.
Great to be home after a huge learning curve.
Cheers to all.
Came up to Sydney via the inland route on the weekend
Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo, Echuca, Deniliquin, Jerilderie then headed up the Newell.
Man, the Newell is empty even in the RiverinaâŠ107km to the next petrol at NarranderaâŠand then onto Wagga Wagga, where I stayed at a motel run by ex-North player Peter Jonas.
From Wagga Wagga to Junee, Cootamundra (Bradmanâs birthplace), Young, Bathurst and through the Blue Mountains into Sydney.
Iâve taken that same inland route to Sydney.
Also came back an interesting way - Blue Mountains, Bowral (another Bradman connection, not that I really cared), down the coast to Bermagui, then over the Great Dividing Range via Jindabyne to Bright & back to Melbourne.
I've taken that same inland route to Sydney.
Also came back an interesting way - Blue Mountains, Bowral (another Bradman connection, not that I really cared), down the coast to Bermagui, then over the Great Dividing Range via Jindabyne to Bright & back to Melbourne.
I was just going to take the A1 from Sydney to Port Fairy on the way back.
Just finishing my degree (Law/Commerce, shout out to my Sorry Saga homeboys) and after 6 years Iâm a bit burnt out and in need of a change. Iâm thinking of doing a trip to Oneness University (not a real Uni) and doing their 30 day course. http://onenessuniversity.org Then maybe see if I can do some volunteering somewhere. OU is in/near Chennai. Anyone got any suggestions/tips etc even if itâs not about volunteering etc. and just stuff to do before/after I enter the eternal lotus plane of enlightenment?
Cheers
I havenât been to southern India and I donât know how far you want to go BUT I found India visually stimulating but â â â â â â irritating at times. Before I went a friend of mine whoâs been everywhere told me New Delhi was the â â â â â â â â of the world and in retrospect I see what he meant. Conversely Old Delhi was great. But that for me that was India, youâd see something absolutely extraordinary and then a bunch of touts were all over you trying to eat you alive because you were a tourist. Rajasthan and Varanasi were amazing and not as pushy as New Dehli but there was still a pushy buzz. The best thing we did in India was travel to Nepal which was cheaper(not sure if it still is and India isnât expensive anyway) and a breath of fresh air, in all senses, after Northern India. We bought the tickets in India which mightnât appeal but it was a heap cheaper. As youâre in Chennai Iâm not sure youâll want to do that but in retrospect Iâd return to Nepal with its incredible landscape and culture and friendliness, long before Iâd go back to India. I repeat, I only experienced the Delhi, Varanasi and Rajasthan region and donât get me wrong I loved it regularly but Nepal, for me, was on a different level, literally and figuratively. Others might disagree if theyâve been to the South.
off to Tokyo for work in October. If I had a day, or half a day to spare, is there anything I must see/do?
Shibuya. See the famous crossing, walk around and feel the buzz. You can even walk to nearby Harajuku.
Go up the Tokyo Govt Metro Bldg in Shinjuku. It's free, shows you the whole city, and you can see Fuji on a clear day. Then you can walk around Shinjuku and at night, get some kicks walking through Kabukicho.
In one day thatâs probably all you can do to get a feel for the sprawling mayhem that is Tokyo.
Just finishing my degree (Law/Commerce, shout out to my Sorry Saga homeboys) and after 6 years Iâm a bit burnt out and in need of a change. Iâm thinking of doing a trip to Oneness University (not a real Uni) and doing their 30 day course. http://onenessuniversity.org Then maybe see if I can do some volunteering somewhere. OU is in/near Chennai. Anyone got any suggestions/tips etc even if itâs not about volunteering etc. and just stuff to do before/after I enter the eternal lotus plane of enlightenment?
Cheers
I havenât been to southern India and I donât know how far you want to go BUT I found India visually stimulating but â â â â â â irritating at times. Before I went a friend of mine whoâs been everywhere told me New Delhi was the â â â â â â â â of the world and in retrospect I see what he meant. Conversely Old Delhi was great. But that for me that was India, youâd see something absolutely extraordinary and then a bunch of touts were all over you trying to eat you alive because you were a tourist. Rajasthan and Varanasi were amazing and not as pushy as New Dehli but there was still a pushy buzz. The best thing we did in India was travel to Nepal which was cheaper(not sure if it still is and India isnât expensive anyway) and a breath of fresh air, in all senses, after Northern India. We bought the tickets in India which mightnât appeal but it was a heap cheaper. As youâre in Chennai Iâm not sure youâll want to do that but in retrospect Iâd return to Nepal with its incredible landscape and culture and friendliness, long before Iâd go back to India. I repeat, I only experienced the Delhi, Varanasi and Rajasthan region and donât get me wrong I loved it regularly but Nepal, for me, was on a different level, literally and figuratively. Others might disagree if theyâve been to the South.
Thanks heaps for the input. Iâve barely done any planning - Nepal will have to go on the list!
In a very quiet Penang tonight, the quietest l can ever remember this place. On the way back to Sumatra tomorrow, after a week in Langkawi, on a combination visa run and honeymoon. The Captain married a local lass on August 17. l have been tripping around Sumatra since July 26. Looking for some land to buy, so l can move into semi-retirement.
Spent most of our time on Chenang beach on Langkawi and dined out on ME food most days. Prices were very reasonable and we would quite happily go back any time.
In a very quiet Penang tonight, the quietest l can ever remember this place. On the way back to Sumatra tomorrow, after a week in Langkawi, on a combination visa run and honeymoon. The Captain married a local lass on August 17. l have been tripping around Sumatra since July 26. Looking for some land to buy, so l can move into semi-retirement.
Spent most of our time on Chenang beach on Langkawi and dined out on ME food most days. Prices were very reasonable and we would quite happily go back any time.
In a very quiet Penang tonight, the quietest l can ever remember this place. On the way back to Sumatra tomorrow, after a week in Langkawi, on a combination visa run and honeymoon. The Captain married a local lass on August 17. l have been tripping around Sumatra since July 26. Looking for some land to buy, so l can move into semi-retirement.
Spent most of our time on Chenang beach on Langkawi and dined out on ME food most days. Prices were very reasonable and we would quite happily go back any time.
We spent two full days in Barcelona. First morning was before the tour actually started, and we walked along Ave Diagonal to PasseĂg de GracĂa, through Plaça de Catalunya and down La Rambla to the marina. Two magnificent wide boulevards, the first two, the second with a couple of distinctive Gaudi houses.
Second day, we went to Montserrat and the Black Madonna in the morningâŠBit religious for me on a Sunday morningâŠapparently the colour is caused by the smoke from the incense burnt to mask the fearsome pong of the pilgrims. No Midnight in Footscray available in those days.
Into the Gothic Quarter for the afternoonâŠplenty of bullet holes in the wallsâŠand tovthe cathedral. Then off to Sagrada Familia in the afternoon. Theyâre hoping to have it finished by the centenary of Gaudiâs death in 2026âŠpaying $11.40 on the NSW TAB.
Up MontjuĂŻc, where the Olympic Stadium and sundry other arenas were. Thereâs also a nasty prison we couldnât visit. A few important were shot there by Francoâs lads after the cvil war, includng Lluis Companys, the president of Catalunya.
Heading to Valencia now and stopping at the strangely named beachside resort of PeñiscolaâŠcanât see myself drinking that.
Got a nice photo of the Essendon fan club here tooâŠBombers De Barcelona.
Bombers is the Catalan word for firemen.
Iâm also not seeing much evidence that Spain is as financially destitute as weâd heard. Barcelona is very clean and neat. There are a few beggars on the street but nowhere near as many as at home.
Got a nice photo of the Essendon fan club here too...Bombers De Barcelona.
Bombers is the Catalan word for firemen.
Iâm also not seeing much evidence that Spain is as financially destitute as weâd heard. Barcelona is very clean and neat. There are a few beggars on the street but nowhere near as many as at home.
Like Italy, I think it gets a lot more destitute as you head south.
In a very quiet Penang tonight, the quietest l can ever remember this place. On the way back to Sumatra tomorrow, after a week in Langkawi, on a combination visa run and honeymoon. The Captain married a local lass on August 17. l have been tripping around Sumatra since July 26. Looking for some land to buy, so l can move into semi-retirement.
Spent most of our time on Chenang beach on Langkawi and dined out on ME food most days. Prices were very reasonable and we would quite happily go back any time.
Please tell me your partners name is Tennille.
Sorry to disappoint on that score. Her name is Wena Brginting.
Off to a few Indonesian islands next Monday for 3 weeks. Catching up with a few mates in Bali before heading to Lombok for just under a week and then travelling to Sumbawa and hopefully organising a tour of Komodo, Rinca and Flores before heading to Kalimantan. Will finish with a few days in KK which is one of our favourites and then a day or two in BSB and Brunei before flying home on Royal Brunei
Off to a few Indonesian islands next Monday for 3 weeks. Catching up with a few mates in Bali before heading to Lombok for just under a week and then travelling to Sumbawa and hopefully organising a tour of Komodo, Rinca and Flores before heading to Kalimantan. Will finish with a few days in KK which is one of our favourites and then a day or two in BSB and Brunei before flying home on Royal Brunei
Took a local fishing boat from Lombok to Flores in April 1993. We went via Sumbawa, Rinc and Komodo and had an absolute ball. We saw some little islands along the way that you wouldnât normally get to see. Too many highlights to mention, but still the best âlittleâ trip l have ever been on and am still mates with a few people l met on that trip. The channel between Sumbawa and Flores is spectacular. We had to wait to enter the straits. The water did some amazing things, whirlpools on one side, white tipped waves, breaking on the other side. Sometimes even the big ferry that carries trucks etc. wonât try crossing it. The dragons are spectacular.
Any suggestions on the best European countries to backpack through for a fortnight or so? Have long service leave coming up next year. Looking at 2-3 weeks in July ending up in Oslo. Heading from there to the Arctic for a bit then plan to finish touring through Scandinavia from there.
Any suggestions on the best European countries to backpack through for a fortnight or so? Have long service leave coming up next year. Looking at 2-3 weeks in July ending up in Oslo. Heading from there to the Arctic for a bit then plan to finish touring through Scandinavia from there.
Dubrovnik in Croatia, across to Mostar and Sarajevo in Bosnia and down to Kotor in Montenegro. Unbelievably beautiful and good value for money (for Europe). Wonderful people,loads to see and great food. Hire a car and drive from Dubrovnik. Fair way from Scandi, but wonât be disappointed.