New South Wales Travel Guide
7/14/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Australia Travel, Holy Travel, Pope Benedict XVI (all tags)
Unwitting travelers landing in Sydney this week might find no room at the inn: It's World Youth Day and at least 215,000 young Catholics are already registered to be in Sydney for the week, with more arriving unannounced.
Pope Benedict XVI has already turned up and is apparently staying in a retreat where even a pet cat has been provided to suit him. Parades and events run from Tuesday to Sunday this week, with the pope-mobile getting an outing on Thursday when the Papal Motorcade runs through downtown Sydney.
A recent Travel + Leisure survey put the city at number four on its list of the most popular places for travelers, so all these young Catholics should enjoy themselves. The only people who are really annoyed are the owners of expensive hotels--one place that youth don't tend to book.
Related Stories:
· World Youth Day [Official Site]
· Tourists Love Sydney, Even If We Don't [ABC]
· Pilgrim Tourists Boost Youth Day Numbers [Herald Sun]
· Australia Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: RTSS]
by amandak
6/25/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Australia Travel, Tourist Attractions, Attractions, Tourism Boards, Tourism Board Travel, Driving (all tags)
The east coast town of Wollongong in Australia used to be good for not much more than a tricky spelling question at a pub quiz night. But the Wollongong tourist board is busy telling the world that the city is worth a trip when you're next visiting Sydney.
In their exact words, if you want to "mix a Sydney stopover with a stunning coastal drive and regional tourism experience" then Wollongong is the right place to go. They've created a 140 km, signposted scenic drive down the coast which has been named the Grand Pacific Drive which certainly does sound pretty, well, grand.
The route crosses the slightly scary Sea Cliff Bridge, and the Illawarra tree-top walk is also close by. Just right for a short-but-grand escape from bustling Sydney.
Related Stories:
· Wollongong Tourism [Official Site]
· Signs To Lure Overseas Visitors [South Coast Register]
· New South Wales Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: iansand]
by amandak
4/11/2008 at 9:11 AM
Tags: Wife Carrying, Australia Travel, Finland Travel (all tags)
Last year, the champion wife carriers in that ever-more-famous event in Finland, the World Wife Carrying Championships, came out of Estonia, again. But if the wife carriers from the opposite end of the world--Australia--have anything to do with it this year, they'll be looking to knock the Estonians out of top place.
Tomorrow is the Australian Wife Carrying Titles, the national contest to decide who can go to Finland. If you're traveling through New South Wales, and end up near Singleton, a couple of hours north of Sydney, then do drop by to watch the wife carriers in action.
Apparently, most of the successful Aussie wife carriers will be using the Estonian carrying technique. It has the wife's legs over her husband's shoulders and her body hanging down his back--not very flattering, but effective. Finland's World Wife Carrying Championships will be held on July 5 this year so book your tickets to the host town of Sonkajärvi now.
Related Stories:
· Wife Carrying Makes Its Mark in Australia [news.com.au]
· All Worship the Estonian Wife Carriers [Jaunted]
· Wife Carrying Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: ecyrd]
by amandak
3/14/2008 at 9:20 AM
Tags: Australia Travel, Nature, National Parks, Tourist Attractions (all tags)
Another reason to head Down Under is added to the list tomorrow, March 15, when the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk opens. Located two hours south of Sydney, it's another eco-friendly tourist attraction that lets us commune with nature and snap a ton of beautiful photos at the same time.
Similar to the Western Australian tree top walk, the Illawarra Fly is a set of steel suspension bridges at the canopy level of the rainforest. Most of the walk is around 30 meters above the ground, and you can get half that far up again by climbing the Knights Tower, the ultimate viewing point.
The Illawarra Fly will be open every day from nine to five. It's not that cheap, at A$19 (nearly US$18) per adult, and you'll need to factor in another purchase: the driving directions mention that the turn-off for the Fly is opposite the Robertson Pie Shop, and you shouldn't pass up a chance to eat an Aussie pie.
Related Stories:
· Tom's Thumbs-Up For Fly [Mercury]
· Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk [Official Site]
· Walking on Top of Trees [Jaunted]
[Photo: doublebug]
by amandak
6/11/2007 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Weather, Travel Hell (all tags)
Hey, it turns out it ain't all sunshine and days on the beach Down Under. They don't even seem to be having that drought they were complaining about: in fact massive storms are causing chaos on the east coast of Australia, especially in Sydney's state of New South Wales.
The worst hit areas are the Hunter and Central Coast regions north of Sydney. Sadly, at least nine people have died in the storms, mostly when their cars have been washed off roads. A Qantas plan was even struck by lightning on its way into Sydney, but landed safely. If you can change your travel plans, try and avoid this pretty part of Oz for a while, and wait until the sunny days return. Shouldn't be too long--they do call it the lucky country.
Related Stories:
· Australia Travel [Jaunted]
· NSW Floods Gallery [news.com.au]
· Bring on the Sun [Jaunted]
[Photo: Leorex]
by amandak
3/01/2007 at 1:04 PM
Tags: Zoos, Australia Field Trip, Jaunted Field Trips, Attractions (all tags)
The Taronga Zoo in Sydney is worth checking out when in town. It's easy to get to--just hop a ferry from Circular Quay which then drops you off at the zoo's very own jetty in the Sydney Harbour.
Once you get off the ferry (about a 30-40 minute ride), you take a gondola, or Zoo Sky Safari, up to the top of the zoo's mountain and proceed to walk back down, stopping at different animal habitats along the way.
Perhaps a clever marketing scheme, as you exit the Zoo Sky Safari the first thing you see is the Animal Encounters Experience with koala bears, where an attendant will allow you an up-close look at the animals (no touching though) and then snap a professional picture of you and the koalas.
We bought this hook, line and sinker and posed with two sleepy koala bears in the background. Here's a picture of one of them.
More on the zoo including a Chimpanzees Gone Wild video after the jump.
MORE...
by juliana
1/11/2007 at 10:15 AM
Tags: Festivals, Music, Elvis (all tags)
What do you get when a small town some six hours from Sydney decides it wants to make itself famous? You get an
Elvis Festival in a place that has absolutely no link to the guy at all.
But if you're an Elvis fan that shouldn't stop you time-warping right this instant to Parkes in inland New South Wales, where as we speak the Parkes Elvis Festival is up and swinging. With Elvis impersonators on every corner, special Elvis movie screenings, even Elvis in the Park Markets, the four-day festival brings in a million dollars a year directly to the 10,000 member town (and generates eight times that indirectly), and that ain't peanuts!
It all culminates this weekend with the Elvis Sportsmans Dinner; dress is optionally smart casual, or rock 'n' roll. But is it a case of true Elvis devotion or a way to strip tourists of their bucks? You decide.
[Photo:
King'76]
Related Stories:·
Parkes All Shook Up [ABC Online]
by amandak
12/20/2006 at 11:00 AM
Tags: Caves, Nature, Tourist Attractions (all tags)
This week Down Under, the
Jenolan Caves Trust near Sydney has re-opened the Nettle Cave, and is offering a self-guided tour. They locked up this cave three-quarters of a century ago, for reasons they can't bring themselves to tell us (we're worried that it's because it wasn't interesting enough for visitors). But as of last Monday, you can use the new pathways, boardwalks and railings to see this old, old cave for yourself.
The big attractions here are the stromatolites, ancient life-forms shaped like the tail of a crayfish or lobster. Wanna know where they come from? Helpful tourist information from the good people at Jenolan tells us:
They are formed by colonies of cyanobacteria bonded with layers of calcite crystal.
All clear now? Looks like they'd make great 3D alternatives to an inkblot test, too.
[Photo:
zodmczod]
Related Stories:
·
Australia's Big Ol' Cave [Jaunted]
by amandak
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