Please sign in to post.

Australia - A Trip Report As I Go

On 3/23 my friend and I took off from Portland to begin our journey to Australia. Why would I fly from Portland when I live in Northern California? Because I had been in Washington visiting family and my friend lives in Portland. I have only traveled in economy, but she insisted that we fly business class. I savored the experience because after this trip it will probably never happen again. We arrived in Melbourne in the morning on 2/25 and we spent the day exploring. I try to keep moving on arrival day. We settled into our rental apartment, walked down the street for dinner and when we returned to the apartment I showered and was in bed by 7:30. An 18 hour time difference is brutal.

We are staying on Flinders St. and there is so much to see within walking distance. Considering we didn’t get into town until about 10:30 or so we walked about 6 miles. We primarily stayed outside, but had lunch at a nice little tea house and went to the Old Melbourne Gaol. There are many Lane Ways that feature murals painted on the sides of the buildings. The back door of our apartment building opens up to one of the most famous ones. Melbourne is a large modern city with some interesting architecture, but there are plenty of old buildings in the mix.

Posted by
1722 posts

not the OP Andrea

(I think I'll add that to any of my replies so nobody confuses us)

Sounds like a terrific start! And business class too; I'm envious. I always say it isn't nice that you have to walk past those cocoons to get to your seat in economy. What airline?

My niece taught in Melbourne for awhile and she loved it. Was visiting her parents at their condo in Florida for Christmas and met a Florida man... you know the story. They're married now.

Looking forward to more. Are you going to Tasmania?

Posted by
1762 posts

Bookmarking to follow. I'm heading to Australia in 3 months.

Posted by
34710 posts

I have very good friends here who have been doing a (winter here, summer in Oz) trip each year for the last few to Melbourne and Sydney - they were married in Sydney about 30 some years ago.

We have lots of stories about both, I'm glad you get to be in that environment.

Have a wunnerful time.

Posted by
437 posts

Good morning, another wonderful autumnal day in the sports capital of Australia.

Enjoy

Regards Ron

Posted by
342 posts

I’m looking forward to following your live trip report. Have a great time!

Posted by
10836 posts

@Andrea, thanks for the inspiration for my doing this trip report. I’ve never done one in the past.

As far as business class, it’s a one trip thing. I would say the biggest plus was that I actually got some sleep on the plane. That was nice, but I always manage even without sleep. I enjoyed the experience but honestly I’m too cheap to spend that much money for short term satisfaction. I would rather sit in the back of the plane and spend that money on the trip itself. I’m flying United.

We leave for Tasmania on Sunday. We are spending 4 nights there.

Posted by
10836 posts

geovagriffith, we are going on a Great Ocean Road tour tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it. I was hoping to see the penguins but the friend I’m traveling with wasn’t interested and we have been plenty busy here.

Posted by
10836 posts

Tassie Devil, thank you. You are right about the beautiful weather, though it’s a bit more humid than I’m used to. Friday should be the hottest day. We are going to a football game on Saturday and I’m happy that it will cool off a bit for that. We will arrive in Hobart on Sunday to cooler weather. If you have any restaurant recommendations I would welcome them.

Posted by
10836 posts

Eatsrootsandleaves, thanks for the welcome. So far we have been in the CBD (I will elaborate in my next post) but tomorrow we are taking a tour of the Great Ocean Road. I’m looking forward to seeing nature. We go to a football game at the MCG on Saturday and we leave on Sunday.

Posted by
10836 posts

To say we have been very busy is an understatement.

On Wednesday, our first full day we walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens and spent a couple of hours exploring there. We saw some very unique and interesting plants there. We then walked to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and took a tour of the stadium. It is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere and we got a behind the scenes look at it. We are going to a football game there on Saturday and the guide showed us the section that we will be sitting in. Australian Rules Football is very different from American football and when I watched a game on TV before coming here it made no sense to me what was happening. Hopefully I’ll understand it better once I see it in person. We walked through Fitzroy Gardens on our way to pick up tickets for a play that night, then stopped at a pub for lunch before doing some more sightseeing. We enjoyed seeing Jesus Christ Superstar. We walked 10 miles that day and I was definitely feeling it by the time we got back.

Today, Thursday, we went to the Queen Victoria Market and wandered around there. Next stop was Melbourne Museum where we had to wade though the crowds queued up to get into the Melbourne International Flower Show. I enjoyed learning about the Aboriginal culture and I am impressed that we have repeatedly heard about the First People and that this land belongs to them. I understand the dark history about what happened to them in the past, but it seems like there is an attempt to correct things. I wish I could say the same about how the U.S. treats Native Americans. We finished up at the Immigration Museum. I was sad to see that the immigration experience here mirrors ours. We walked almost as much today as we did yesterday and I’m relieved that Friday we are doing a day tour to the Great Ocean Road. I think I’ll welcome some time in a vehicle because my feet could use a rest.

Posted by
493 posts

Glad you are going to the footy. It is a religion in Victoria. I was going to suggest going to Marvel Stadium for the Carlton v Bulldogs game tomorrow night. The MCG is a more impressive stadium. The Demons (Melbourne) are not as big a crowd puller as some of the other Melbourne clubs. With an interstate opponent it won't be a big crowd.

The GOR as a daytrip, I am guessing the turnaround will be Port Campbell. You will get to see some impressive scenery but it will be long day of driving. I usually take 3 days just to get to Port Campbell but of course I don't have the tight timeframe of the international tourist. Hopefully you get a bit of time at Loch Ard Gorge, great spot, great story.

You have been busy that's for sure.

Posted by
10836 posts

Friday was a busy and wonderful day. We did a 12 hour tour of the Great Ocean Road with the Hit The Road Tours company. We did a tour that was given in reverse that helped shorten the trip and avoid the crowds at the usual stops. The tour had a maximum of 11 people so it helped us be more nimble as we went from place to place as well. Thankfully everyone was always back to the van on time at our stops. The group consisted of 8 Americans, one Australian (she was the cousin of one of the American women, one woman from Lima and one man from Marseille. Our guide, Chris, was very knowledgeable and took us to some off the beaten path areas for better opportunities to see wildlife. We were picked up at the meeting point dark and early and our itinerary was stops at Loch Ard Gorge, Port Campbell, Twelve Apostles (breaking news, there were never 12), Razorback, London Bridge, a rainforest, and stops to find koalas and kangaroos in the wild. We also spotted a wallaby on the side of the road and cockatoos at a beach stop. The Great Ocean Road on the southeastern coast of Australia looks so much like the Northern California coast that I could have sworn that I was at home. We stopped in a cute town called Apollo Bay for lunch (we sat with the people from France and Peru and had an interesting conversation with them) and then later in the afternoon we stopped for some very delicious ice cream. There was a fair amount of van time but we made a lot of stops and I still managed to walk 7 miles and climb 17 floors of stairs. I’m hoping that Saturday is a bit more chill. 🤞🏼

Posted by
10836 posts

Tassie Devil, I would like to believe that I am rising in the dark morning hours here because I’m jet lagged, but sadly it’s a daily occurrence at home as well. It doesn’t matter how late I go to bed or how busy the previous day has been I’m cursed to wake up early, usually between 3:00 - 5:00.

Posted by
4775 posts

The Fitzroy Gardens are also beautiful.

Posted by
5693 posts

the southeastern coast of Australia looks so much like the Northern California coast

Hmmm, ok then, since I can't make it to Australia any time soon, perhaps it's time for a drive along the Northern California coast to pretend!

Have a great trip, Andrea! I'll try to follow along, and catch up for real after we're both back in CA!