Yes, it isn't much longer until we get on a plane and head on our journey home that will cover six locations and a little over two weeks. But last weekend I had one trip to make first to a location that I really wanted to see- the Brisbane area.
Friday night after my final I packed and headed to the airport for the redeye flight across the continent to Brisbane. The flight left around 11pm and took about five hours. I sat in the middle, and this old guy next to me wanted to talk the entire flight. He did not understand that when my eyes were closed and head to the side asleep meant that I wanted to rest, so don't nudge me awake and talk. I did not get much rest on that flight. I landed around 5:40 in the morning and headed to the train station at the airport. It took some layovers and a couple of changes, but I got the train up to the Sunshine Coast. There I briefly saw the city, as well as the Glass House Mountain National Park, before heading to the Australia Zoo. The Australia Zoo is the place that the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin started and built up. His family still owns and runs it. Steve's image is on everything and they continue to play to that strongly. It is sorta amusement parky, but with the animals as the focus. It was very good, but not quite as good as I expected with the exception of the crocodiles and alligators. Most of them were caught by Steve Irwin himself from around the country, and there are tons of them, most with their own enclosures. These areas dominate the area of the zoo. The big Croc Show in the stadium that is on the grounds is pretty good, and there were a lot of foriegners there - including many Americans.
Following the zoo, I headed back to the train station and headed into Brisbane. After checking into my hostel at around 5pm, I figured that despite how tired I was, it was way too early to call it a night. I walked around a little bit including South Bank, where there are tons of parks and open community areas, even a man made beach with salt water where people come and swim. It was a Saturday night so a lot of people were out and having a great time. I decided to go on the touristy ferris wheel similar to the London Eye, and saw some great views of the city at night. After hanging out for awhile and observing the noise and excitement of Brissie on a Saturday night, I headed back to the hostel.
The next day was a blitz-krieg of Brisbane. I walked and saw pretty much that entire city and everything of note to see. I wore my Notre Dame Fighting Irish Sweatshirt in the morning because it was a little cooler early on and at least four different times someone asked me why the French "Notre Dame" was above the IRISH? I had to explain to them the situation, although most still didn't understand why those two names would be chosen for the same institution. Brisbane has great parks and gardens throughout. There are boats lazily on the river that runs around the city. On that Sunday there were many open air markets and craft booths set up all over the city. I really liked Brisbane. It didn't have the grit to it that Melbourne did. It certainly is a little smaller than Melbs (although Brissie is the 3rd largest city in the country and capitol of Queensland) but I liked it better - doesn't hurt that the weather is a lot better being so much farther north.
Late that afternoon I headed to the train station and caught the train to the Gold Coast. I arrived in time to check into my hostel and walk around as the sun set. The Gold Coast, like the Sunshine Coast, is both a region and a technical government area like a city. I stayed in the Surfer's Paradise portion of the city. The best way to describe Gold Coast is a slightly smaller Orlando combined with a hint of Vegas right on the ocean. This is where Australians go to vacation and where celebrities come to rest if they are in the country. It is that same delightful mix of the highest end shops in every category, to tacky tourist shops selling junk. There are lean to places to stay, and the highest quality five star resorts - the Mariott is really nice and they have a really deep swimming pool that actually has fish in it that guests can scuba in. Many celebrities own homes in the area as well -- I saw Jackie Chan's house. They also stay up much later than most of Australia. Even on Sunday night, shops and eateries were open well past midnight.
The area is called BrisVegas and the lights are always on at night and different things to do. There is a Hard Rock Cafe, and casinos. I relate it to Orlando for the reasons I mentioned earlier, as well as the fact that there are many theme parks here as well. It truly is a unique place- and a long stay there could be a lot of fun with all of those plus world class beaches. There are many high rises -- most of which are condos or hotels and they are right on the water. This is unlike many of the other places in the country where the beach side property is not allowed to be built like that. On Monday I went up to the observation deck of the Q1, the tallest residential building in the world. I also took a Duck tour to go in the river that runs on the other side of the city and see the theme parks, the ocean, the multi million dollar homes, and much more. I explored for the rest of the day before catching a two hour train ride back to Brisbane and the airport. I flew home that night, about a 5.5 hour flight, and got back to Port Lodge around 2AM.
I really enjoyed the trip and liked everything I saw. I really had wanted to see the famous Australia Zoo and the surrounding Sunshine Coast. I had heard good things about Brisbane, and to date I think that it is my favourite city I have been to in Australia. Gold Coast is insane. I think if we studied at a university there we would never get anything done. I loved each place and I am so glad that I got to see them. It is ironic that Queensland has the nickname the Sunshine State on their liscence plates. In so many ways it was like being back in Florida that I couldn't help but laugh. It was a great time. My legs are tired from the incredible amount of walking done during the trip, and I am a little sick of airports. but those will both soon recover.
In case your wondering, that final the day I got back went well, so no negative side effects of taking a trip between finals. Two finals remain. We had a giant five course feast of a dinner to say goodbye last night, and it was amazing. I have not eaten that much food in a very long time. It was delicious with chicken, steak, fish, shrimp salad, multiple deserts, etc. It was a nice way to go out in terms of meals.
I have begun to pack, and I am about half way there. It does not seem like over four months since the last time that I packed this suitcase. It will be very hard to say goodbye to the many friends that I have made during this trip. I look forward to the trip that we will take for 2.5 weeks coming home, but am sad that this experience is winding to a close. As I write this, I will be home in about 20 days. That number may seem small to you, but is a lot smaller than the 21 weeks that we started with. Finally, I was asked to calculate the total amount of miles traveled from the time I left Okemos until the time that I get back to Okemos. After doing all the calculations of all the trips, it comes to just under 54,000 miles and 26 plane rides. Now a lot of those miles are chewed up with the long journeys to Asia for spring break and back, as well as the journey from LA and back to LA. However, thats about how far my body has traveled which I find funny, because the 1990 truck that I drive only has like 60,000 miles on it!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Travel Map
I have had some requests for a more visual representation of where exactly I have been/ am going to be traveling over the next three and a half weeks. This map is color coated with a key on the right side, and is in chronological order of when they were taken. [Click on the map for a better view]My second final is friday, International Business, at 9am. As soon as that is done we are getting together to plan and book things for our trip on the way home. That night around 9:30 I will head to the airport for a three day trip to Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, and Gold Coast. They are a cluster of cities comprising three of the top 10 largest cities in the country, with Brisbane being the largest. I will study on the trip, and then return Monday night, in time to take my final Tuesday afternoon. It should be a fun trip, and I really wanted to see Brisbane, so I am glad that I will have a chance to go.
As you can see from the map, I am pretty much covering all of Australia, and really didn't waste my time spent in the country. There are three or four trips that others have made when they spent the semester here, but for the most part I really feel I did about as much as I could. I would have liked to get to Darwin, the capitol of the Northern Territory, but it did not work out cost wise or time wise. You will notice, however, that I hit every other capital in the country, and will have visited every single state and territory in the country. Not a bad run.
It has been colder and raining here, which one would think would create a good atmosphere for studying- with no distractions. For the dorm as a whole it doesn't seem to be working out that way, but its early yet- with over a week left of tests. I feel that I got my hardest test out of the way first and I hope I did well on that. Tomorrow should be my easiest test, and in case you are worried, the test on Tuesday after I get back is the class that I am dominating and don't need much to get a great grade. I'll probably post one more time before I leave tomorrow, but in the mean time enjoy the visual of my travels.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
City photos and finals update
Hobart with Mt Wellington in the Background and the city built up into the side of the mountain and the water leading up to the docks (capitol of tasmania)Twelve Apostles -- Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Melbourne -- capitol of Victoria
Melbourne -- capitol of Victoria
Canberra -- Capital of Australia (capital building is the one in the background with the old parliament building in front of it)
Adelaide -- Capitol of South Australia
We went to the Maritime Museum of Western Australia the day after we got back from our trip. It was pretty cool and interactive with a lot of examples and boats in it. One of them was the Australia II which won the America's Cup and brought the defence to Fremantle basically saving the city during the 80s.
Today was the first final for me. It is run a lot like the SAT. It is independent of your professor. You have pre-assigned seats. You have to have your ID on your desk at all times. Some old lady reads from a giant book word for word the directions. Lots of info to fill out on the sheets. They count down the time, and have a pencils down. Definently weird and not run like finals at home. I will keep you updated on how this goes. My next final is on friday.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Southern Cities Expedition
We just got back from our "Southern Cities Expedition" which covered the large cities to the south of the country. We were gone for a week, and now it is time to rest up and recover as well as get ready for finals, which for me begin on Tuesday. Here is a recap of the trip.
Day 1: Perth to Adelaide
We left at 2am heading out from Perth to Adelaide on Tiger Airways. Luckily we got a ride to the airport, though so that we didnt have to shuttle in at that hour. Adelaide is an hour and a half time change ahead of Perth (I found that the 90 minute change was weird). Phones work there, but the clocks do not automatically reset so we had to make sure that we had the time right. We arrived at the airport at around 6:30am local time and headed to our hostel. We could not check in until 12, so we left our bags and wandered around town to see the sights. We saw the markets, and churches and almost all of the big sites over the course of the next six hours. Finally around 1 we checked into our hostel and went to bed. We were so tired from getting very little sleep on the red eye and wandering around for six hours that we slept the rest of the day. Adelaide is the capital of South Australia and is known as the City of Churches. It also has a decent China Town area which we ate dinner at. We met up with one of Nicole's friends at some bars in a nice part of town, and finally called it a night.
Day 2: Adelaide
We saw most of the highlights of Adelaide during our 6 hour trek the first day, so we slept in a little bit later. We walked through the mall and shop area of the city before heading to Government House. It is the home of the governor of South Australia and is only open a few times of the year. We took a tour through the house and actually met the governor. We also saw the University of South Australia and University of Adelaide, before heading to the Botanical Gardens. We ended the day by visiting the National Wine Centre of Australia. South Australia produces some of the finest wine in the country, and the center was pretty cool. We grabbed some dinner and played some games and called it a night.
Day 3: Adelaide to Canberra
The next day we checked out of the hostel and visted a few sites before heading to the airport. We tried to visit an underground opal mine (South Australia is the leader in the world in opals), but it turned out to be really a tourist trap. We wandered through some shops and the big Victoria Square, before heading to the airport.
Analysis: I liked Adelaide. It is not a really big or bustling city, but it is laid back and has lots of nice open parks and gardens to enjoy. The city of churches does have a lot, and some are very nice inside and out. The bar area we went to was small, but enjoyable. I think it would be a nice place to live, although if you are going looking for a wild good time it is not the city for that. I am glad that I saw it though, and I actually really enjoyed the feel of the city despite its lack of wild atmosphere or tons of things to do.
Once we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed- and evenutally it led to a four hour delay and an over five hour stay in the airport. This was bad news because we had only booked ourselves about 24 hours in Canberra and were counting on looking around that day. We finally got to Canberra at night and went to the hostel. We decided to wander around the mall containing the war memorial to see it at night. It was about a 15-20 minute walk to the memorial, which is a mile long street with memorials to each of the wars and branches on each side of the road with a museum on a hill at one end and an open view to the capital building across the lake to the other. It was nice at night and empty as we saw all the monuments lit up. We decided to come back and see it at night and started to head back. At the museum are great open grassy areas leading up to the building. We were surprised to see a huge heard of wild kangaroos wandering around it; some of the biggest kangaroos I have ever seen. We walked back and explored the city part of Canberra with the government buildings for the territory and city, as well as the shopping district. We made pasta in the hostel and called it a night.
Day 4: Canberra
We got up early to begin, due to our lost time the day before. We started at the War Memorial, where we saw all of the monuments to different branches and wars. By far the oddest monument was the monument to the Turkish leaders and soldiers who defeated the Australian troops badly at Galipoli during World War II. I found it odd that a monument would be built to the side that defeated and killed so many Australians. As we walked down the hill and the strip visiting each monument, I was a little desturbed by one major fact -- the spaces along the road that they had built into areas, but put no monument. They were spaces in the master plan to eventually build monuments to future wars that have not yet been fought (that in itself is a sad commentary on humanity when something like that has to be done in a master plan because of inevitability). There were also some spaces for monuments that had not yet been completed.
After the memorial we headed over toward their version of the CIA building and their Defence Department's version of the Pentagon. They are not really secured from the exterior and you can walk right up to them. Rather than a pentagon they have four defence buildings that are arranged in a square. In the middle of that square is an enormously tall American Monument. It is one of the tallest structures in the city, and looks like the Washington Monument with a giant eagle on top. I find it humorous (and perhaps very fitting) that in the middle of their defence department square is a giant monument to the United States. Can you imagine a giant Great Britain Monument rising out of the Pentagon? It was built in 1953 to thank and honor America for coming to its rescue after getting bombed by the Japanese to start WWII.
We then walked towards capital hill, by heading down towards the lake that lies in front of the hill. There was the island with the national carollin, and other monuments on the way. Across the lake, I went into the Supreme High Court of Australia. The court was not in session, but I got to go on the floor and right up to the bench of the highest court of the land which was very cool. Following that I saw the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Walking up the mall towards the Old Parliament Building is the Tent Embassy. It is a bunch of tents in a community camp occupied by Aboriginees protesting their lack of rights and desire for their "country" to be represented in the capitol. The Old Parliament Building has been turned into a museum and we got to see the former senate and house of representative chambers as well as the former prime minister's office and working space. There also were many exhibits set up about the history of the Australian Governemnt. Heading up the hill farther, was the extremely modern looking new Capital Building for Parliament. The House of Representatvies was in session and we got to listen for awhile from the viewing gallery, although most members of the House were not present. We also could look around and take pictures of the Senate chambers. The chambers are large and modern, very functional, but lack a historic type of charm. We visited the roof of the building and got a great view of the city, especially looking towards the War Memorial strip. It was tough to get to, but we ran across the highway to get a look at The Lodge. It is the home of the Prime Minister, and is not open to the public. It did not seem to be guarded very visably other than the high fence and cameras, but we were sure they were there somewhere. It is not very big, and looks alright, but is certainly no White House. Heading back, we saw the American Embassy which has the best location on a hill just off of the capitol building. It is early American Colonial architecture, and is very large. We got back to Parliament, and got a cab to the airport.
Analysis: I was the only one of the four who liked Canberra. As the capital city of the nation, you expect a lot- and Canberra is no Washington DC. It is very small, and other than the government buildings and historical monuments, there isnt a lot there. It felt to me almost like a very spread out university campus. We rushed around and covered a lot of ground by foot (which only I liked), but I enjoyed the sites. Although the country is not very old, and the capital city even younger (Melbourne and Sydney battled it out for the capitol before Canberra was decided as a comprimise half way between the two), it still has a historical feel. As one of the top twenty most powerful nations on Earth, you still have to feel the presence of power that occupies the city. Governement stuff interests me, as well as war history so the city was enjoyable. It is certainly not prefferable to DC, nor could it really be considered a city (although it is the 8th largest city in the country), but I liked it.
We headed to the airport and flew into Melbourne. We checked into our hostel and headed out to the Italian district. They have a very large and well known Italian section with great food. We grabbed dinner and desert there, meeting up with four other friends. We headed around Federation Square and then walked along the river before going into an Irish Pub. We had some fun catching up and sharing our traveling stories up to that point before heading back to bed.
Day 5: Melbourne
We started the day by heading to the athletic complex of the city. We saw Rod Laver Arena and the grounds for the Australian Open (Tennis Grand Slam event), as well as the 1956 Olympic Park. Close by is the Melbourne Cricket Grounds where Aussie Rules Football is played and Cricket. It seats over 110,000 people and is a massive stadium. We took a tour of the structure, which ran a little long but was very in depth. We headed back to the CBD and walked around exploring before heading up the Rialto Building to the 360 Degree Skydeck. It has indoor and outdoor portions and a great view of the city. We walked back and saw the orignial old gaol (jail in Australian) and headed back to Federation Square. It started to rain, so we checked out some art museums featuring mostly Australian artists, and peeked in the Australian racing museum as well. After wandering around the city some more, we headed to a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed some fun with large sombreros and drinks. We headed to the suburbs where a bar had trivia night (although it was mostly Australian setup and we didnt do to well), before heading back for the night.
Day 6: Great Ocean Road
Just as the ocean heads up the coast in California, Great Ocean Road is world reknowned for heading along the southern coast of Australia west of Melbourne. Four of us decided that we would rent a car and drive the loop that leads to the Twelve Apostles, a series of picturesque rocks jutting out of the ocean that are well known and oft-photographed around the world. The only car that could be rented, however, was a covertible. We started the journey with the top down driving around (remember we look foolish because it is winter) before it got too cold. We got a little lost leaving the city, but finally hit the road. We routed through Geelong, a larger city outside of Melbourne, and finally got to Great Ocean Road. The views along the entire route were amazing, and we stopped often for pictures. The road was very turning and hilly, so it took a long time to get there. We finally got to the Twelve Apostles and nearby sights just before the sun set. The view of the sun setting over the rocks was amazing. Some of the other sites were the Loch and Gorge, Razor Back, Blowhole, and Thunder Cave. We took a quicker route home, and had to hurry back. We had a reservation to meet the rest of our party at the Ice Bar in Melbourne. We were given coats, gloves, and some boots to go to the bar. Everything there was ice- including the walls, bar, furniture, and cups. It was definently a touristy thing to do, but also unique and fun. By the time we left I was pretty cold, however, and ready to warm up. We also went to a Saki Bar, where a few of our members of the group (not me) enjoyed some karaoke. We saw a different part of the city as we headed to a different hostel across town.
Analysis: Melbourne is pretty cool, and much bigger than any city we have seen here yet. It has powerlines blocking your view up for most of the city, however, as it has an extensive tram service down almost every street. It was very easy to get around because of that, but it took away from the city aesthetically. The river with the big buildings is a great view, especially at night. As the capital city of Victoria, it also had an official aire to it. It had a lot more action then any place we have been since entering the country. I would have like a little more time in the city to see individual things, but I felt like I really saw the city. Kevin described it well as a city like Chicago-- not a lot of individual things you must go see, but a lot areas you just need to wander around to experience being there.
Day 7: Hobart
While the rest of my group stayed in Melbourne for the day, I headed to the airport at 5am to catch a plane for Tasmania. The hostel we stayed in that night was in the St. Kildas suburb of the city and my ride to the airport got a pretty good look around it. I got on the plane at 7:20am and landed in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania around 9. I headed into the city via the large Tasman Bridge and headed to the docks. It was cloudy to start, so I decided to take a city tour on a double decker bus brought over from London. Following that, I walked around the CBD for a little while before heading back to the water. I took a 2.5 hour harbour and river lunch cruise with very good sea food. It gave a great view of the city and Mt Wellington towering over it through the clouds. I followed a walking tour up throught the different bouroughs and burbs of the city that was recomended in the book and it highlighted most of the notable sights in teh city including all of the government buildings, museums, gallerys, and historical buidlings of interest. Finally I strolled along the waterside outdoor market area and docks. They have great parks with memorials looking over the water and city, so I ended my day there as it got dark and began to rain. Finally I took a shuttle back to the airport.
Analysis: Hobart is not very big. But the homes and buildings are built into mountain sides of the enourmous Mt Wellington that looms over the water and the city. It is very cool if you take it for what it is- a small state's relatively small capital city in a valley. The docks are interesting and cool to hang out around, and it was neat to see the ships that head for the Antarctic based there. It is not a roudy city, and I probably didnt need much more time there. I wish it would have been clear in the morning so I could have gone up Mt Wellington to see the great views, but other than that I covered everything I wanted to see in my time there. I am glad that I went there to see Tasmania, which apparently looks a lot more like New Zealand than the rest of Australia.
As I got to the airport panic started. I was delayed heading back to Melbourne, which was bad because I had to meet up with the flight heading back to Perth. I flew Jet Star airlines out of Hobart, which landed in Melbourne at the opposite side of the airport grounds in the terminal as far away from the Tiger Terminal as possible. I dead sprinted for a long way to get to Tiger in time, and I was the only person in line in the terminal when I arrived. It turned out to be somewhat unnecessary as the flight was a half hour delayed and I made it with extra time. We headed back to Perth and were picked up at the airport and dropped off at a train stop. We then caught the train back to Perth and finally Fremantle.
The Southern Cities Trip was great. We saw so much over the week that we were gone, and the time flew. I really feel like each of the stops was different than all of the others, and it really gave a great flavor of the variety of Australia. Finals begin this week, and I must begin studying as my first one is in Moral Philosophy on Tuesday. I then have an Internationl Business final on Friday before heading to the airport on Friday night. Next weekend I will be in Brisbane and Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast for three days and two nights. With so little time left in Australia, we have to make each day count.
Day 1: Perth to Adelaide
We left at 2am heading out from Perth to Adelaide on Tiger Airways. Luckily we got a ride to the airport, though so that we didnt have to shuttle in at that hour. Adelaide is an hour and a half time change ahead of Perth (I found that the 90 minute change was weird). Phones work there, but the clocks do not automatically reset so we had to make sure that we had the time right. We arrived at the airport at around 6:30am local time and headed to our hostel. We could not check in until 12, so we left our bags and wandered around town to see the sights. We saw the markets, and churches and almost all of the big sites over the course of the next six hours. Finally around 1 we checked into our hostel and went to bed. We were so tired from getting very little sleep on the red eye and wandering around for six hours that we slept the rest of the day. Adelaide is the capital of South Australia and is known as the City of Churches. It also has a decent China Town area which we ate dinner at. We met up with one of Nicole's friends at some bars in a nice part of town, and finally called it a night.
Day 2: Adelaide
We saw most of the highlights of Adelaide during our 6 hour trek the first day, so we slept in a little bit later. We walked through the mall and shop area of the city before heading to Government House. It is the home of the governor of South Australia and is only open a few times of the year. We took a tour through the house and actually met the governor. We also saw the University of South Australia and University of Adelaide, before heading to the Botanical Gardens. We ended the day by visiting the National Wine Centre of Australia. South Australia produces some of the finest wine in the country, and the center was pretty cool. We grabbed some dinner and played some games and called it a night.
Day 3: Adelaide to Canberra
The next day we checked out of the hostel and visted a few sites before heading to the airport. We tried to visit an underground opal mine (South Australia is the leader in the world in opals), but it turned out to be really a tourist trap. We wandered through some shops and the big Victoria Square, before heading to the airport.
Analysis: I liked Adelaide. It is not a really big or bustling city, but it is laid back and has lots of nice open parks and gardens to enjoy. The city of churches does have a lot, and some are very nice inside and out. The bar area we went to was small, but enjoyable. I think it would be a nice place to live, although if you are going looking for a wild good time it is not the city for that. I am glad that I saw it though, and I actually really enjoyed the feel of the city despite its lack of wild atmosphere or tons of things to do.
Once we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed- and evenutally it led to a four hour delay and an over five hour stay in the airport. This was bad news because we had only booked ourselves about 24 hours in Canberra and were counting on looking around that day. We finally got to Canberra at night and went to the hostel. We decided to wander around the mall containing the war memorial to see it at night. It was about a 15-20 minute walk to the memorial, which is a mile long street with memorials to each of the wars and branches on each side of the road with a museum on a hill at one end and an open view to the capital building across the lake to the other. It was nice at night and empty as we saw all the monuments lit up. We decided to come back and see it at night and started to head back. At the museum are great open grassy areas leading up to the building. We were surprised to see a huge heard of wild kangaroos wandering around it; some of the biggest kangaroos I have ever seen. We walked back and explored the city part of Canberra with the government buildings for the territory and city, as well as the shopping district. We made pasta in the hostel and called it a night.
Day 4: Canberra
We got up early to begin, due to our lost time the day before. We started at the War Memorial, where we saw all of the monuments to different branches and wars. By far the oddest monument was the monument to the Turkish leaders and soldiers who defeated the Australian troops badly at Galipoli during World War II. I found it odd that a monument would be built to the side that defeated and killed so many Australians. As we walked down the hill and the strip visiting each monument, I was a little desturbed by one major fact -- the spaces along the road that they had built into areas, but put no monument. They were spaces in the master plan to eventually build monuments to future wars that have not yet been fought (that in itself is a sad commentary on humanity when something like that has to be done in a master plan because of inevitability). There were also some spaces for monuments that had not yet been completed.
After the memorial we headed over toward their version of the CIA building and their Defence Department's version of the Pentagon. They are not really secured from the exterior and you can walk right up to them. Rather than a pentagon they have four defence buildings that are arranged in a square. In the middle of that square is an enormously tall American Monument. It is one of the tallest structures in the city, and looks like the Washington Monument with a giant eagle on top. I find it humorous (and perhaps very fitting) that in the middle of their defence department square is a giant monument to the United States. Can you imagine a giant Great Britain Monument rising out of the Pentagon? It was built in 1953 to thank and honor America for coming to its rescue after getting bombed by the Japanese to start WWII.
We then walked towards capital hill, by heading down towards the lake that lies in front of the hill. There was the island with the national carollin, and other monuments on the way. Across the lake, I went into the Supreme High Court of Australia. The court was not in session, but I got to go on the floor and right up to the bench of the highest court of the land which was very cool. Following that I saw the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Walking up the mall towards the Old Parliament Building is the Tent Embassy. It is a bunch of tents in a community camp occupied by Aboriginees protesting their lack of rights and desire for their "country" to be represented in the capitol. The Old Parliament Building has been turned into a museum and we got to see the former senate and house of representative chambers as well as the former prime minister's office and working space. There also were many exhibits set up about the history of the Australian Governemnt. Heading up the hill farther, was the extremely modern looking new Capital Building for Parliament. The House of Representatvies was in session and we got to listen for awhile from the viewing gallery, although most members of the House were not present. We also could look around and take pictures of the Senate chambers. The chambers are large and modern, very functional, but lack a historic type of charm. We visited the roof of the building and got a great view of the city, especially looking towards the War Memorial strip. It was tough to get to, but we ran across the highway to get a look at The Lodge. It is the home of the Prime Minister, and is not open to the public. It did not seem to be guarded very visably other than the high fence and cameras, but we were sure they were there somewhere. It is not very big, and looks alright, but is certainly no White House. Heading back, we saw the American Embassy which has the best location on a hill just off of the capitol building. It is early American Colonial architecture, and is very large. We got back to Parliament, and got a cab to the airport.
Analysis: I was the only one of the four who liked Canberra. As the capital city of the nation, you expect a lot- and Canberra is no Washington DC. It is very small, and other than the government buildings and historical monuments, there isnt a lot there. It felt to me almost like a very spread out university campus. We rushed around and covered a lot of ground by foot (which only I liked), but I enjoyed the sites. Although the country is not very old, and the capital city even younger (Melbourne and Sydney battled it out for the capitol before Canberra was decided as a comprimise half way between the two), it still has a historical feel. As one of the top twenty most powerful nations on Earth, you still have to feel the presence of power that occupies the city. Governement stuff interests me, as well as war history so the city was enjoyable. It is certainly not prefferable to DC, nor could it really be considered a city (although it is the 8th largest city in the country), but I liked it.
We headed to the airport and flew into Melbourne. We checked into our hostel and headed out to the Italian district. They have a very large and well known Italian section with great food. We grabbed dinner and desert there, meeting up with four other friends. We headed around Federation Square and then walked along the river before going into an Irish Pub. We had some fun catching up and sharing our traveling stories up to that point before heading back to bed.
Day 5: Melbourne
We started the day by heading to the athletic complex of the city. We saw Rod Laver Arena and the grounds for the Australian Open (Tennis Grand Slam event), as well as the 1956 Olympic Park. Close by is the Melbourne Cricket Grounds where Aussie Rules Football is played and Cricket. It seats over 110,000 people and is a massive stadium. We took a tour of the structure, which ran a little long but was very in depth. We headed back to the CBD and walked around exploring before heading up the Rialto Building to the 360 Degree Skydeck. It has indoor and outdoor portions and a great view of the city. We walked back and saw the orignial old gaol (jail in Australian) and headed back to Federation Square. It started to rain, so we checked out some art museums featuring mostly Australian artists, and peeked in the Australian racing museum as well. After wandering around the city some more, we headed to a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed some fun with large sombreros and drinks. We headed to the suburbs where a bar had trivia night (although it was mostly Australian setup and we didnt do to well), before heading back for the night.
Day 6: Great Ocean Road
Just as the ocean heads up the coast in California, Great Ocean Road is world reknowned for heading along the southern coast of Australia west of Melbourne. Four of us decided that we would rent a car and drive the loop that leads to the Twelve Apostles, a series of picturesque rocks jutting out of the ocean that are well known and oft-photographed around the world. The only car that could be rented, however, was a covertible. We started the journey with the top down driving around (remember we look foolish because it is winter) before it got too cold. We got a little lost leaving the city, but finally hit the road. We routed through Geelong, a larger city outside of Melbourne, and finally got to Great Ocean Road. The views along the entire route were amazing, and we stopped often for pictures. The road was very turning and hilly, so it took a long time to get there. We finally got to the Twelve Apostles and nearby sights just before the sun set. The view of the sun setting over the rocks was amazing. Some of the other sites were the Loch and Gorge, Razor Back, Blowhole, and Thunder Cave. We took a quicker route home, and had to hurry back. We had a reservation to meet the rest of our party at the Ice Bar in Melbourne. We were given coats, gloves, and some boots to go to the bar. Everything there was ice- including the walls, bar, furniture, and cups. It was definently a touristy thing to do, but also unique and fun. By the time we left I was pretty cold, however, and ready to warm up. We also went to a Saki Bar, where a few of our members of the group (not me) enjoyed some karaoke. We saw a different part of the city as we headed to a different hostel across town.
Analysis: Melbourne is pretty cool, and much bigger than any city we have seen here yet. It has powerlines blocking your view up for most of the city, however, as it has an extensive tram service down almost every street. It was very easy to get around because of that, but it took away from the city aesthetically. The river with the big buildings is a great view, especially at night. As the capital city of Victoria, it also had an official aire to it. It had a lot more action then any place we have been since entering the country. I would have like a little more time in the city to see individual things, but I felt like I really saw the city. Kevin described it well as a city like Chicago-- not a lot of individual things you must go see, but a lot areas you just need to wander around to experience being there.
Day 7: Hobart
While the rest of my group stayed in Melbourne for the day, I headed to the airport at 5am to catch a plane for Tasmania. The hostel we stayed in that night was in the St. Kildas suburb of the city and my ride to the airport got a pretty good look around it. I got on the plane at 7:20am and landed in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania around 9. I headed into the city via the large Tasman Bridge and headed to the docks. It was cloudy to start, so I decided to take a city tour on a double decker bus brought over from London. Following that, I walked around the CBD for a little while before heading back to the water. I took a 2.5 hour harbour and river lunch cruise with very good sea food. It gave a great view of the city and Mt Wellington towering over it through the clouds. I followed a walking tour up throught the different bouroughs and burbs of the city that was recomended in the book and it highlighted most of the notable sights in teh city including all of the government buildings, museums, gallerys, and historical buidlings of interest. Finally I strolled along the waterside outdoor market area and docks. They have great parks with memorials looking over the water and city, so I ended my day there as it got dark and began to rain. Finally I took a shuttle back to the airport.
Analysis: Hobart is not very big. But the homes and buildings are built into mountain sides of the enourmous Mt Wellington that looms over the water and the city. It is very cool if you take it for what it is- a small state's relatively small capital city in a valley. The docks are interesting and cool to hang out around, and it was neat to see the ships that head for the Antarctic based there. It is not a roudy city, and I probably didnt need much more time there. I wish it would have been clear in the morning so I could have gone up Mt Wellington to see the great views, but other than that I covered everything I wanted to see in my time there. I am glad that I went there to see Tasmania, which apparently looks a lot more like New Zealand than the rest of Australia.
As I got to the airport panic started. I was delayed heading back to Melbourne, which was bad because I had to meet up with the flight heading back to Perth. I flew Jet Star airlines out of Hobart, which landed in Melbourne at the opposite side of the airport grounds in the terminal as far away from the Tiger Terminal as possible. I dead sprinted for a long way to get to Tiger in time, and I was the only person in line in the terminal when I arrived. It turned out to be somewhat unnecessary as the flight was a half hour delayed and I made it with extra time. We headed back to Perth and were picked up at the airport and dropped off at a train stop. We then caught the train back to Perth and finally Fremantle.
The Southern Cities Trip was great. We saw so much over the week that we were gone, and the time flew. I really feel like each of the stops was different than all of the others, and it really gave a great flavor of the variety of Australia. Finals begin this week, and I must begin studying as my first one is in Moral Philosophy on Tuesday. I then have an Internationl Business final on Friday before heading to the airport on Friday night. Next weekend I will be in Brisbane and Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast for three days and two nights. With so little time left in Australia, we have to make each day count.
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