Australia

Australia – There is Nothing Like It

Newgate Prison in London was full so they decided in
1849 to ship 1750 prisoners to Australia a new land the British
Government was anxious to populate. These
did this every year until 1868. Many people died on the long sea voyage from
Scurvy, a disease which affected your bones.
It was found that eating a lime stopped the disease, so that is why the
British are called “Limey’s” by the Aussies.
Another nickname is “Pommy”. Not
being used to sunshine, we went bright
red, like a pomegranate, hence the name.

Australia lost 25% of its men in World War 11, and they did a massive campaign in Britain in the 1950’s called the Ten Pound Passage. For ten dollars, you could emigrate with your household belongings and have an 8 week voyage to down under. They called it the brain drain, so many people left Gt. Britain for a new life. It has seven Provinces, all very different. The most enjoyable thing I ever did was to take all the exams to become an Aussie Specialist and I have been to every part of the land, many times. I won the Aussie Specialist of the Year Award nine times, for doing the best itinerary.

It is a long way to go. 14 ½ hours from Los Angeles, so it is not a place I would send you to for only a week. If clients have the time, then I give them a lay over for a few days in either Hawaii or Fiji. Taking a cruise is also an option, and this way you get to see different parts on one trip. Its people are mostly of British background, and they are careful about who they let in the country.

There are only two seasons in Australia. Hot, and wet. Tasmania has four seasons being an island.

People are tough to live in some of the out of the way places. One little town I went to in the outback had a dentist whose sign said “I also do tattoos and pierce ears”. If you are interested in the Aboriginal culture best place to see it is in the Northern Territory.

Sydney is a must. A wonderful city, with lots of history. The bridge climb, harbor cruise, Opera House tour, a tour of the zoo but ask to see only the Aussie animals, and a walk in the botanical gardens are the highlights. There are three wonderful train trips, the Ghan, Adelaide through the Outback to Darwin, the Queenslander, up the east coast, and the 72 hour Sydney to Perth called the Indian Pacific. Only place I would recommend renting a car is in Tasmania, which is a small island with easy roads. The rest of the country is too vast to try and drive yourself and only red dirt roads in many regions. If you are interested in wine, then the area around Adelaide, South Australia. is a great place to visit. Kangaroo Island is also off the coast and worth seeing.

You should not visit the Northern Territory when it is hot. It can be 130 degrees, and then November and December is the wet season, and impossible to get around.

Go on our web site – www.allhorizonstvl.com and look at the eleven wonderful offers we have to different regions of the country. The Great Barrier reef has had some bleaching in in recent years, due to global warming, but it is still worth going to. Fantastic beaches on every coast, and the surfing is spectacular to watch.

Western Australia is well worth visiting, but it is another 5 hours of flying from Sydney. The Kimberley area in the north is rarely visited, and the Ningaloo Reef is something special. I’ve done several camping trips in the Bungle Bungle range. This is a great destination for taking a family. There is so much to see and do which is different, and a camel safari in the Northern Territory is exciting for any age.

Great food, good wine, nice people, reasonably priced, unusual wildlife, and definitely go on a package which is a way to save you money.

Maureen Jones

Aussie Specialist

All Horizons Travel/Frosch

825 Santa Cruz Avenue

Menlo Park, California

650-961-2340 direct