Top places in Australia

Everybody has different places they like in a country, different things they want to see and do and that they want other people to see and do too. Here is the list of what I liked in Australia, which I think other people should see and do too.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. What are your favourite places in Australia?

Adelaide

• Central Market (cheap food)
• Old Adelaide Gaol
• Blackeby’s Old Sweet Shop
• Migration Museum

Airlie Beach

• Whitsunday Islands, but go for longer than just one day.

Brisbane

• Mt. Coot-tha lookout and botanical gardens
• South Bank
• GOMA
• Australia Zoo

Byron Bay

• The lighthouse

Cairns                                                                        

• Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling is good, but if you can you should go diving and for more than just one day.
• Kuranda Scenic Railway
• Tjapukai Cultural Park
• Daintree Rainforest, get some ice cream from the Daintree Ice Cream Company!

Canberra

• Lovely city just to walk around in and see all the statues and monuments
• Mt. Ainslie, it’s pretty cool how you can see how the city is laid out from up there.

Darwin

• Chinese Temple
• The termite mounds, just the size of them is really impressive!
• Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, they are on a Thursday and Sunday night during the dry season.

Fraser Island

• Lake McKenzie
• The pinnacles
• It’s a personal choice, depending on what you want to see, if you want to go just for a day, which is what I did and thought was enough, or more.

Hobart

• MONA
• Mt. Wellington
• Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, or somewhere else where  you can see the Tasmanian devil
• Port Arthur (I didn’t get to go inside, but I wish I had)
• Salamanca Market

Melbourne

• St. Kilda, for Luna park and the penguins in the evening
• Great Ocean Road
• Just take a walk around the city and look at the street art

Perth

• Clock tower, don’t  necessarily go in, just see it
• King’s gardens
• Freemantle Prison

Port Macquarie

• Koala Sanctuary
• The painted rocks along the esplanade

Sydney

• The Opera House
• Fireworks at Darling Harbour at least once (Awesome on Australia Day)
• Bondi Beach , if you go during winter it’s not too busy
• Harbour Bridge
• Go to Manly and laugh yourself silly because of how they use the name

Yulara

• Uluru
• Kata Tjuta, everybody seems to focus on Uluru, but the Kata Tjutas are definitely worth a visit as well!

Adelaide - Part 3

Written on 20.04.12

Last night there were some girls talking in the dorm, at 11pm! I don’t mind people talking in the dorm during the day of course, but at 10pm, 11pm and later and if people are trying to sleep then I think it’s just rude to have a conversation, especially if you’re not even going to whisper, although that’s annoying too. Go outside in the hallway or to the common room if you’re going to talk! Or if you’re on the phone, same thing applies.

This morning, like every morning in this dorm, someone put their alarm on snooze 5-6 times… Also rude. Just because you can’t be bothered to get up when your alarm goes off doesn’t mean you should wake everybody else in the dorm up! Set it for later and learn to get up the first time it goes off.

Anyway, rant over.

I walked to a lolly shop today; it’s very close to the hostel. I managed not to buy anything, amazing, I know! But I would have if they had what I wanted. The shop is called Blackeby’s, and I’m glad I went, just to see how amazing it looked. There were figures on the wall outside and a display in the window… It just looked amazing. If you’re ever in Adelaide, just go down James Place off Rundle Mall and see it for yourself, it’s worth the 5 minutes it takes just to look around.

 After I had been thrown out of Blackeby’s for drooling too much and not buying anything, I walked to the Old Adelaide Gaol. I paid $11 concession to get in and do a self-guided tour and I’m really glad I did. It was really interesting and I learnt a lot. It’s definitely another thing you should see if you’re in Adelaide. I have to admit, though, that I didn’t feel very well as I was walking around seeing how the prisoners had lived and reading their stories… It was horrible, and it was used until 1988. Just the thought of people living that way, in those conditions… It’s horrible. But then again I’m sure some of them  deserved it.

The hanging tower

Inside the hanging tower

This totally creeped me out when I first saw it out of the corner of my eye!

It didn’t say anything in the visitor guide that I couldn’t share the pictures I took there on a private web page, but I still don’t want to share too much. You should go and see it for yourselves. 

Our House Backpackers

The hostel I stayed at in Adelaide was called Our House. I stayed in a dorm for 18 females and the room was quite big and it didn’t feel “cramped”. The floors are wooden so they’re quite noisy, but at least there was no one over us in the dorm I stayed in.

Instead of room numbers the dorms have names from places in Australia. I stayed in Surfer’s Paradise. I think it’s pretty cool, different and a nice way to make the hallways look a bit prettier. There was, however, nothing inside the rooms that reflected the names of them.

When I checked in I got a key for a locker in my room, this has never happened before. The times when there has been a locker in the dorm before, I had to use my own padlock or rent a key, but most of the times there isn’t a locker at all. Inside the locker was a bag with the bed linen and crockery which I just return when I check out.

The bathrooms are clean and big, there are plenty of toilets and sinks and the shower stalls are big. There is no shelf to put your things on in the showers, only hooks, but at least there’s more than one hook.

The hostel also has free breakfast. It’s just toast with butter and jam and tea or coffee, but at least it’s free!

They have not got free internet, you have to pay $3 for 75 minutes, and they don’t have Wi-Fi at all, you have to use the computers provided. There are however plenty of places in Adelaide you CAN get free Wi-Fi, I walked to the library.

The hostel is close to pretty much everything in the city, including stops for the free tram and city loop bus and the central train station.

Adelaide - Part 2

Written on: 19.04.12

This morning I got up early enough to get the free breakfast the hostel offers. It’s just toast and tea or coffee, but it’s free! The reason I managed to get up early is because there are some other girls in the dorm that’s not very good at turning their alarms off or being quiet when they have to get up early!

After breakfast I went on a free city walk arranged by the Tourist Information Centre. There was a big group of 11 Polish people, 2 New Zealanders and me. There were two guides. The female guide told the male guide to take care of me and the New Zealanders while she handled the Poles. She had to tell him three times. I don’t know, maybe he hadn’t led the tour before. He was a nice man, but he seemed more interested in talking to us about Norway, where he is going in a few weeks, and New Zealand. He didn’t say much as he led us around. I’m glad the “tour” didn’t last more than 30-45 minutes, but at the same time I’m disappointed that I didn’t learn much more about Adelaide. But it was free and I did learn a couple of titbits. The main street that runs through the city is called King William Street, the streets that cross it have different names on either side of King William Street because “no one crosses the king”, I thought that was funny.

 After my city walk I went to Adelaide Central Market. There was loads of fruit, meat, baked goods etc. there. I bought some fresh fruit to eat while I’m here.

Tempting, but I managed not to

 After I had gone back to the hostel to put away the fruit I went to the Migration Museum. It was really interesting, I suggest anyone that goes to Adelaide to visit it. I especially liked the exhibit called “Behind the Wall”. It’s the history of the site which originally operated as a “Native School” where Aboriginal children were boarded and educated, and then as Adelaide’s Destitute Asylum. It was really sad to read the stories of people that had been there, but also very interesting It’s history and we should learn about it and learn from it.

I had a very quick look inside the “normal” Museum as well but I think there must be something going on in the city today, because it was filled with children and extremely noisy and with a long line that I have no idea where it led to, so I just gave up and walked out. Maybe I’ll try again another day.

Adelaide - Part 1

Written on: 17.04.12

As I was flying towards Adelaide and looking out the window of the plane I thought it looked so lovely. Nice little hills, cute country roads, cute country homes… I’m looking forward to my days in Adelaide, although for all I know I might spend the whole time in the city.

I got a map of the city at the hostel. I arrived too late to go to the tourist information centre, but according to the map it’s just around the corner from the hostel, so I will go there tomorrow after I have found a place where they can (hopefully) fix my camera. Also included in my plan for tomorrow is going to Adelaide Central Market and get some cheap food for my days here.

Written on: 18.04.12

My new camera, at least it works!

To fix my camera it would cost around $100, and if they saw something more that needed fixing, other than just the sand, that would be extra. Since I know the lens has a scratch on it, I figured I might as well buy a new camera. I got the cheapest one they had for $98. Hopefully it will last until I go back to Norway. I told the sales-guy about my bad luck with cameras, he suggested I get a shock-proof, water-proof etc. camera once I get back to Norway… That’s probably a good idea. Maybe I shouldn’t get a DSLR after all… Yeah, right!

After I got my new camera I went to the Tourist Information Centre and had a look at the brochures. I found some for free bike hire so I might do that one day, and they also gave me a map of the free City Loop bus and tram.

As the hostel I am staying at in Adelaide doesn’t have Wi-Fi I decided to go to the library for a bit since I had 3 new posts to publish. Unlike the Brisbane library there are not many places to sit, and the seats that are there are very hard and uncomfortable. I ended up sitting on the floor. At least it means I won’t spend more time than I have to there as my bum and back starts to hurt.

After the library I decided that it was a bit late to go to the market so I walked up and down Rundle Mall again (I’m getting plenty of exercise today!) as I had seen some things there this morning I wanted to take pictures of.

 I have also had a look at the maps I got at the TIC and found some things I would like to see in the next few days. The TIC also does free guided city walks at 9.30am so I think I’ll do that one day.