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So I'm going to Australia late 2025

L

lordalexander74

Visiting my brothers side of the family in Albany. I'm considering going completely out of the way to the Tolga Bat Hospital in northern Queensland (Bats of most varieties are my spirit animal), though the closest airports seem to be Darwin or Brisbane. And another day of driving to the hospital. Anyone here got ideas on domestic travel options?
I wouldn't mind visiting Tasmania, that's a bit closer.
Though naturally visiting my brothers family takes priority.

Thanks
 
B

bernie01

The closest regional airport to Carrington would be Cairns, get a flight from Brisbane to Cairns then hire a car to get to the bat cave... It's a long way from Albany, WA to Brisbane, QLD and you'd need several flights.
 
Wombat ESQ

Wombat ESQ

You can do the "Red Eye Run" west to east [midnight flight, rough as gutz, 4 hours] cheap as chips on toast

BrisBANE to Cairns [cans] driving is 1800klm 21 hrs no pit stops @ 2$ AUD a liter for gas so lean

A plane is 2 n half hours for about 180 to 200AUD

FNQ [far north Q] in late year is stinkin hot and humid and sticky

You need bring a stick, rule #1 always carry a stick, rule #2 Do NOT feed the Drop Bears.
 
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
Australia is huge, so expect to be flying if you are visiting different states. When you say Tasmania is "a bit closer" to Albany, it is still about as close as LA is to NYC. And not on continental Aus.

Also, assuming you are from the US, when hiring a car and driving remember you will be on the other side of the road, and the steering wheel is on the left side of the car. Might not be an issue for you, but it freaks me out when I have to change.
 
L

lordalexander74

Yeah, I think I'm underestimating how big Australia is. I might just scrap the plans of going anywhere in the north/NE part of the country.
Tasmania's still an option though, as is New Zealand. At least for a few days before or after going to Australia. My parents went there on the way back from visiting my brother years ago and enjoyed it..
I've got plenty of time to get facts straight and work out a itinerary. My brother's actually visiting the rest of our family in the States later this year, I'll confer with him then. A side note, he skipped his birthday on one of his flights to Australia, crossing the international date line at just the right time.
Yes, I'm from the States as well. Rough estimate, it's about 24 hours of flying from Nashville TN to Perth. Not including any side trips. Surprisingly cheap plane fare, especially around late December. My brother's kids are on vacation then, it's the most convenient time to visit.
 
Wal59

Wal59

After hitting Perth it’s about another 5 hours south to Albany by car. Lovely part of the world.

Australia is roughly the size of continental USA minus Alaska but with less than 10% of the population. You’ll enjoy the vast emptiness we have.

On another note, if you like your whisky, Limeburners, the local brand, has a distillery there. Some of their expressions are fabulous.

I agree with Wombat ESQ. Keep a weather eye out for the drop bears though. 😉

Enjoy the trip.
 
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
lordalexander74 said:
Yeah, I think I'm underestimating how big Australia is. I might just scrap the plans of going anywhere in the north/NE part of the country.
Tasmania's still an option though, as is New Zealand. At least for a few days before or after going to Australia. My parents went there on the way back from visiting my brother years ago and enjoyed it..
I've got plenty of time to get facts straight and work out a itinerary. My brother's actually visiting the rest of our family in the States later this year, I'll confer with him then. A side note, he skipped his birthday on one of his flights to Australia, crossing the international date line at just the right time.
Yes, I'm from the States as well. Rough estimate, it's about 24 hours of flying from Nashville TN to Perth. Not including any side trips. Surprisingly cheap plane fare, especially around late December. My brother's kids are on vacation then, it's the most convenient time to visit.
Click to expand...
My wife is from the US, and we did a trip to Tasmania when her sister visited last time. Very beautiful place, and not as hot as the rest of Australia in late December. I’d suggest flying from Perth to Melbourne, spend a day or two there, then fly to Tasmania and rent a car (preferably with someone who is used to driving in Oz, as the roads are scenic, but narrow and winding. The last thing you would want to do is space out looking at the view and wander onto the wrong side of the road, which unfortunately happens all the time on tourist roads)
 
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
lordalexander74 said:
I'm getting a bit hyped up, planning this trip. Tentative plans to spend a few days in various locations in Tasmania, Cradle Mountain for sure.
Click to expand...
Hobart is a nice city. Check out MONA, which is as interesting for the architecture of the place as the art. Take the ferry to get there. Port Arthur is interesting, the night "ghost" tour is cool. Salamanca market.

The first time I went to Tassie was on my honeymoon, and we went on a great day long chartered bus trip that took you to lots of local manufactures, of cheese, chocolate, oysters, cider, ect, and that was great. Look for something like that, because Tasmanian produce is the bomb.
 
L

lordalexander74

The first thing I do when going out of state/country is look at food options. Seafood for sure (I grew up in Connecticut and currently live in Tennessee, I miss having access to decent seafood), followed by local cuisine. Aside from the tours and bus trips you mentioned, any restaurants/markets I should look into?
I'm thinking 2-3 days in Hobart, two near Cradle Mountain, and maybe 2-3 somewhere else. Where should I go next?
 
Lil Cooties

Lil Cooties

If you want a market, there's the Salamanca market in Hobart, right near the port so there's a good chance of seafood somewhere there. Plenty of local produce to be had in Tassie.
 
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
lordalexander74 said:
The first thing I do when going out of state/country is look at food options. Seafood for sure (I grew up in Connecticut and currently live in Tennessee, I miss having access to decent seafood), followed by local cuisine. Aside from the tours and bus trips you mentioned, any restaurants/markets I should look into?
I'm thinking 2-3 days in Hobart, two near Cradle Mountain, and maybe 2-3 somewhere else. Where should I go next?
Click to expand...
Tasmania is not so big so five days should be plenty. I'd probably spend three days in Hobart, and two or three doing nature stuff, including cradle mountain.

Places I enjoyed were MONA gallery, Salamanka market, Port Arthur is interesting if you are into history, Lark distillery if you like whiskey, Cascade brewery if you like beer (they have a really nice beer garden where you can sample and look at the scenery), Bruny island if you like oysters (and other produce), Wineglass bay for scenery.


www.cascadebrewerybar.com.au

Home of Cascade Brewery

Historic brewery bar & gardens offering lunch & dinner, as well as tastings and events.
www.cascadebrewerybar.com.au www.cascadebrewerybar.com.au
 
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L

lordalexander74

Thanks again for the tips, I'll look into them later. I'm drooling over that chocolate store already. French Broad Chocolates in Asheville, NC has a similar appeal with their high quality Bonbon collections. I get a box from them occasionally, they're so good.
 
L

lordalexander74

So what would y'all recommend for hotels in Hobart? My budget's flexible, I don't need anything too fancy but I'll pay for convenient parking as I'm going to have to drive to several destinations when I'm in Tasmania.
I've been looking around Hobart via Google maps, there's a couple places around Salamanca that look promising. Tentative plans to go to the local market when I arrive, and load up on fruits and non-perishable snacks for the majority of my meals in Tasmania.
 
Wombat ESQ

Wombat ESQ

lordalexander74 said:
So what would y'all recommend for hotels in Hobart? My budget's flexible, I don't need anything too fancy but I'll pay for convenient parking as I'm going to have to drive to several destinations when I'm in Tasmania.
I've been looking around Hobart via Google maps, there's a couple places around Salamanca that look promising. Tentative plans to go to the local market when I arrive, and load up on fruits and non-perishable snacks for the majority of my meals in Tasmania.
Click to expand...
Do Not drink the water down there!
 
L

lordalexander74

I figured that would be the case, I had to survive on bottled water when I went to Egypt years ago. I'll doublecheck with my brother, he's visiting the states later this year.
 
Legion

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
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