10 CITIES TO VISIT IN AUSTRALIA
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| Advantages: |
Fabulous fresh air and friendly people |
| Disadvantages: |
None |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
1. Hobart, Tasmania (26 July 2008)
2. Melbourne, Victoria (2 August 2008)
3. Sydney, New South Wales (coming soon)
4. Brisbane, Queensland (coming soon)
5, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (coming soon)
6. Adelade, South Australia (coming soon)
7. Perth, Western Australia (coming soon)
8. Alice Springs, Northern Territories (coming soon)
9. Darwin, Northern Territories (coming soon)
10. Launceston, Tasmania (coming soon)1. HOBART, TASMANIA Tasmania is well served by regular flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide so Hobart, Australia's most southerly city is easily accessible for international tourists. There is a good Tourist information site on the internet so I am not going to tell you all the historical facts about Hobart or Tasmania.Having lived in Australia for many years, i have to say that Hobart is one of my favourite places to escape to and this is why. As you fly in to Hobart's airport you overfly the waterfront and the Derwent river and the first thing that will strike you is the steepness of the roads leading from the water up to the centre of town. If you decide to hire a car you will need to accustom yourself to engaging the hand brake every time you stop and even parking right up kerbside to prevent your car rolling away - it really is that steep!Hobart is Australia's second oldest city and sits at the foot of Mount Wellington on the shores of the Derwent River. Perhaps best known as the finishing point for the world renowned Sydney to Hobart yacht race, Hobart offers a range of experiences from high quality waterfront eateries to day trips to historic Port Arthur penal colony (the first established by the British founding fathers in the 19th century). The climate is generally temperate with no extremes of heat in summer (unlike the rest of mainland Australia) but it can get very chilly in the depths of winter ( -3C is not uncommon).Hobart's waterfront is a mecca for tourists and residents alike especially on a Saturday morning when the Salamanca Place market comes alive. From early in the morning, when the stallholders start arriving until mid-afternoon the place is a hive of activity. Here you can buy just about anything, from locally produced fruit and vegetables to hand-made jewellery, clothing and secondhand bric-a-brac. Locally produced apple cider is available by the glass and if you want to take some home you can buy bottles of it too. People come from all over southern Tasmania to this market which really buzzes with energy and enthusiasm. An absolute must for anyone visiting Hobart is a visit to the Cadbury chocolate factory which has been in operation continuously since 1925. There are two ways to get there. You can either go on a boat and take a lunch cruise from the harbour or you can take a bus ride to the factory. There is no actual entrance fee for the factory and tours run frequently all year round.. and yes, there are plenty of free samples!! Hobart city itself has many very friendly pubs which serve nice cold beers and lovely hot food! Accommodation is very easy to find ranging from 5* hotels to bed&breakfasts and everything in between. Hobart is a great place to visit, there is some nightlife in the form of nightclubs and Australia's first legal casino at Sandy Bay, but mostly it is a place to relax, breathe in lungfuls of gloriously fresh air straight from the Antarctic and take a time out from the usual rat race of 21st century living.2. MELBOURNE, VICTORIA Melbourne is the capital of the State of Victoria and is one of the Australian cities first seen by international travellers as they fly in. It is a bustling, multi-cultural city with many attractions for tourists (full details of these can be Googled for online!).Having lived in Melbourne for many years, I am perhaps a bit biased in my opinion that Melbourne is one of the world's greatest cities! From its picturesque gardens and parks to its many fine-dining restaurants, from the bay-side beaches to the stunning close-by wine country of the Yarra valley there is really something for everyone here. Getting around in-town is very easy with excellent public transport (good bus network, metro/subway system and a tram service). Melbourne is one of the few cities in the world that has not only retained but also expanded its original tram network, first built in the early 1900s. Trams run from very early morning to very late at night, every day of the year, fares are extremely cheap and the network extends to all of the major attractions in the city (museums, art galleries, the waterfront area, the major shopping district). There is also a free tourist tram that runs right the way round the city that runs all day which is a great way to see all the sights of Melbourne. I think that although Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia and it is the second most populous city in the country, the pace of life is slower than Sydney and people aren't as hurried or as impatient. If you stop and ask someone for directions in Melbourne, people are likely to give you full and complete directions and really make sure you know where you are going… they really seem to care that you have a good time and enjoy their city. The Rialto Tower Observation Deck at the top end of Colins Street is an absolute must - if you do nothing else in Melbourne you must visit this - as it offers spectacular views over Melbourne and its surrounding areas. At the top of the tower is a café so you can sip coffee while enjoying the 360 degree panoramas and coin-in-slot telescopes mean you can see forever!! If you visit Melbourne from March to October one of the things you have to do is to go to an Australian Rules football match at either of the Telstra Dome or the Melbourne Cricket Ground. To the uninitiated the game looks a blend of WWF/US football/soccer but is actually a highly complex yet physical game and the people that go the matches week in/week out have as much passion for this game as Poms do for soccer and Americans for football. On the first Tuesday in November every year the whole of Melbourne and indeed the whole of the Australian nation stops for about 5mins for the running of the Melbourne Cup. This is a 3200 metre (2 miles) handicap flat race for horses which offers fabulous prize money and a gold trophy for the winner. Horses from all over the world enter this race every year and the crowds, numbering in excess of 100,000, tend to dress outrageously fashionably - in fact it is almost mandatory to look outlandish (a guy wearing top hat, white shirt, bow tie, tux jacket and red silk boxer shorts for example would not be out of place!!). While you can pay a premium for dining, most people bring picnics , there is a lawn carpark and if you get there at 5am to get the best spot you can set yourself up for the day - there are spots so you can set up bbqs - and if you can't actually get to the rails to see the race there are huge screens set up all around so you can still see the action. In closing I would say that Melbourne really is a top place to visit!
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