Greetings from Australia

[WVUforREDSKINS]

In Melbourne now.

Anyone been down here? Got any must do things for me? Haven't had a chance to check out the city yet. It seems a lot more complicated than Sydney, which was much like NY and easy to learn.

I gotta get a job ASAP. I lived in Sydney for four months and didn't work. Now I gotta buckle down and find something or im gonna find myself on a plane sooner than I would like. I suppose if it came down to it, I would pick fruit or work on a farm in exchange for housing and food. I know there is always stuff like that. I don't know though, that isn't Ideal, as it wouldn't give me money to travel to Cairns with.

[SkinnedAussie]

In Melbourne now.

That was about 6 weeks ago. Any news on your current whereabouts?

[WVUforREDSKINS]

I left Sydney for Melbourne and lived in St. Kilda for a month and a half. Sydney vs. Melbourne is like LA vs. NY. I prefer Sydeny personally. Melbourne was great though. I got to see the penguins at St. Kilda beech before I left, which was probably the only time i'll get to see penguins in my life. Smelly, loud, little mo fo's they are.

I am now up in Cairns aka paradise. Here are some pics from the Great Barrier Reef.

Nemo found!

[WVUforREDSKINS]

I regret not seeing the great ocean road, but I didn't have the money to rent a car by myself and the people I lived with had already done that trip. Kinda sucks, but oh well.

Wish I could made my way out in your direction Skinned Aussie, woulda been cool to meet up and grab a bite to eat.

[renaissance]

I was wondering if you were still alive or if you were lost and left for dead somewhere in the outback!!

Pics look awesome but in that one it looks like Nemo died haha

[WVUforREDSKINS]

I was wondering if you were still alive or if you were lost and left for dead somewhere in the outback!!

Pics look awesome but in that one it looks like Nemo died haha

The mods gave me a vacation for two months.

I posted something really dumb and got the hammer.

How is MN by the way? I have family there so I know the state pretty well.

[renaissance]

The mods gave me a vacation for two months.

I posted something really dumb and got the hammer.

How is MN by the way? I have family there so I know the state pretty well.

It's nice! Haven't really left the Twin Cities tho I'll do more exploring when I come back next fall. Recommendations are welcomed!!

I have a friend headed your way (well, to New Zealand) next week. Am insanely jealous of you both!!!!!!!

[WVUforREDSKINS]

It's nice! Haven't really left the Twin Cities tho I'll do more exploring when I come back next fall. Recommendations are welcomed!!

I have a friend headed your way (well, to New Zealand) next week. Am insanely jealous of you both!!!!!!!

Well, my family is on a farm in the SE corner of MN. Its right near LaCrosse WS. Not to much to do there. Winona, MN (also south and east of you, is a nice town with a good history and there is stuff to do, but im sure there are much better places to go.

[SkinnedAussie]

Wish I could made my way out in your direction Skinned Aussie, woulda been cool to meet up and grab a bite to eat.

Not to worry, it was never meant to be.

Besides, I didn't know if I was coming or going at one stage there. On one side of the family, we have a sister-in-law who has just been diagnosed with a very aggressive lung cancer, so we have been up and down the freeway several times, and then my folks were in town for a couple of weeks, so we had them to chauffeur around. Basically, we had to be told it was already the end of April!

The last time I was in Cairns, I attempted to have at least one beer in every pub, but back then, there was a pub on every corner, so it become mission unaccomplished!

You could have stayed somewhere worse than St. Kilda, but I'm sure you were never alone when it came to night time 'company'?! :pfft:

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Not to worry, it was never meant to be.

Besides, I didn't know if I was coming or going at one stage there. On one side of the family, we have a sister-in-law who has just been diagnosed with a very aggressive lung cancer, so we have been up and down the freeway several times, and then my folks were in town for a couple of weeks, so we had them to chauffeur around. Basically, we had to be told it was already the end of April!

The last time I was in Cairns, I attempted to have at least one beer in every pub, but back then, there was a pub on every corner, so it become mission unaccomplished!

You could have stayed somewhere worse than St. Kilda, but I'm sure you were never alone when it came to night time 'company'?! :pfft:

Well, when I first arrived from Sydney, I stayed right across from the Crown Casino. And then moved to North Melbourne across from the Victoria Market. Then I got sick of living in a hostel and got a place in St. Kilda. The night life is insane.

Cairns is nice, although, I have noticed how poor the locals are, I suppose that is like most tourist places.

I wish the best for you and yours Aussie. Hope everything works out.

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Well, my time in OZ is coming near its end. I've got a lot of activities planed for this last week.

Going to go Croc spotting in North Queensland and see a snake show. Along with wallabys, Koalas, and Cassowaries.

THen I want to go Reef fishing. I have never been sal****er fishing except off a pier (which sucks cuz you never catch anything in my experience)

Last, I am going to spend the night (maybe spend the night) in the jungle. 2 days 1 night tour of looking at native Australian wildlife. Waterfalls, swimming, platypus spotting in canoe's, and a nice Aussie BBQ

Will post pics

[Teller]

have never been sal****er fishing except off a pier (which sucks cuz you never catch anything in my experience)

Took me a minute to figure out what the filter filtered there.

Sounds like you've had the trip of a lifetime, WVU. I'm jealous. But very happy for you!

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Took me a minute to figure out what the filter filtered there.

Sounds like you've had the trip of a lifetime, WVU. I'm jealous. But very happy for you!

whoops its two words haha.

Thanks hog! It was a blast.

[SkinnedAussie]

at the filter.

I had the same thing happen when I was posting about sal****er (salt-water) crocodiles, and took some time to work out why it was being filtered.

I hope I haven't breached any rules re bypassing the by typing as I have, but there is nothing wrong with the word in first place, so I'm hoping to get the all clear.

So, when do you head home?

[WVUforREDSKINS]

I'll be home next Sunday, so 9 days

[SkinnedAussie]

9 days left in Cairns - time to run amok!

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Went to up further north today and went to the wetlands, your right SkinnedAussie, these esturaine crocs are massive! A roo liked me as well. I would love to have one as a pet.

Next on the list (hopefully) see a platypus. Do you know anything about about the Highland Rainforest, Skinned? I would canoe looking at wildlife and see volcanic crater lake among other nature type stuff. I'd like to go reef fishing but its so damn expensive.

Here are some pics.

This guy was the biggest one I saw (lil less than 20ft)

[WVUforREDSKINS]

[SkinnedAussie]

Do you know anything about about the Highland Rainforest, Skinned? I would canoe looking at wildlife and see volcanic crater lake among other nature type stuff. I'd like to go reef fishing but its so damn expensive.

Sorry mate, I can't help with the Highland Rainforest. In fact, I've never heard of it.

[China]

Next on the list (hopefully) see a platypus.

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[ixcuincle]

Holy ****.

The parallels between my foray to Australia and this one are so similar, basically visited the same spots, Sydney and Cairns. That's it though, no Melbourne or Brisbane.

Qantas is good, it was nice but I never got the lounge or the free internet at LAX, and I actually refused the free alcohol on the way back from Sydney. I also notice that the original title of this was Greetings from Auckland, New Zealand which was pretty much my final destination too, but I spent 10 days visiting North and South Island.

Never met a koala or a kangaroo either, although I did take a picture of a baby crocodile from Cairns and a baby lion from Rotorua, New Zealand

I know that the jet lag, when flying from the US to Aus, is a killer, but it shouldn't take four days to get over it!

Then again, it is the weekend, and there are lots a parties on the go.

It didn't take that long to acclimate to NZ / Aus time but the adjustment back to US time takes an amazingly long time. I keep waking up at 2 , 3 and 4 AM (lately 2 AM) which is pretty much 4 PM, 5 PM , and 6 PM there.

[Special K]

Thanks for the pics WVU. They are fantastic!

[SkinnedAussie]

It didn't take that long to acclimate to NZ / Aus time but the adjustment back to US time takes an amazingly long time. I keep waking up at 2 , 3 and 4 AM (lately 2 AM) which is pretty much 4 PM, 5 PM , and 6 PM there.

When we did our tour of the US in 1992, after getting through Customs at LAX, we got to our motel about 4.30pm. With that, we didn't have any problems with jet lag as we had been on the go for some 22 hours, and was ready to crash for the night anyway. Come morning, and it was just like we were still home.

Coming home, however, was a different story, compounded by an 18hr stopover in Bali.

[dchogs]

When we did our tour of the US in 1992, after getting through Customs at LAX, we got to our motel about 4.30pm. With that, we didn't have any problems with jet lag as we had been on the go for some 22 hours, and was ready to crash for the night anyway. Come morning, and it was just like we were still home.

i plan all my overseas flights just like this. no airplane sleeping (lots of movies!), get to the hotel in the evening, take a couple advil pm, crash hard, and i'm usually good to go in the morning. there are a couple residual days of jet lag, but nothing terrible.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

i plan all my overseas flights just like this. no airplane sleeping (lots of movies!), get to the hotel in the evening, take a couple advil pm, crash hard, and i'm usually good to go in the morning. there are a couple residual days of jet lag, but nothing terrible.

I hate flying so I have to sleep on the plane. I never sleep the night before and I just crash hard on the plane. Sleep through all the turbulence.

Anyway, my mother and stepfather just spent three weeks in Hawaii. They got back a week ago. I was talking to my mom yesterday and she said they're still struggling with their sleep. They went to iHOP at 2 in the morning to get some pancakes a couple of nights ago. Which is absolutely shocking if you know them.