Another TEer headed to Oz... looking for recommendations

[Thistle]

I am a grad student, so $$ is an issue, and I will be traveling alone. I am not real big on the Hostel scene, so was thinking of some of the Pubs that have accomedation since then I get my own room, but it is cheaper than a hotel or B&B... any experience with this?

Thanks ladies! I am really excited for this trip, and all I want to do is plan and not do the work that I have to do to present at the conference!

Ellen

What area are you studying in? is the conference study related? Do you want to visit anyone at ANU while you're here? That's where i study and i'm happy to put you up and show you around....

Dont really know any accommodation places in tassie, but your trip sounds great!

Thea

[DrBadger]

Hey Thea-
I am a graduate student in Geophysics. The conference is the International Coastal Symposium which is being hosted by Griffith University. The work I am doing now is on the role of oil and gas production on subsidence in southern Louisiana (and yes, we had actually started working on this before Hurricaine Katrina last year).

Thanks for the offer to show me around ANU and Canberra, but I don't think that I will make it to Canberra on this trip.

I am having fun planning what I am going to do in Tassie though.

I am sure I will be back with more specific questions as the trip gets closer, right now I am just really paranoid about having to drive on the "wrong" side of the road when I am in Tassie... I am sure that it will be fine, but when I was in New Zealand and was the passanger in a car on a really windey road I just about jumped out of the car when another car came around the corner on what I thought was the wrong side Made my friend who was driving laugh histarically...

Thanks for the input you all, these boards are great!
Ellen

[oz rider]

Shame you don't get to Melbourne, so you could ride Beach Road. Next time.

Sydney - certainly the Opera House, and I'd suggest a Harbour cruise and maybe dinner over at Darling Harbour, but I wouldn't count on a lot of time at The Rocks unless you like tourist shops. Sydney has a red tourist bus, called Sydney Explorer I think, which is really good (and includes the Opera House). You get a ticket, and hop on and off at nearly a dozen locations during the day. It just keeps doing circuits, so you can get your bearings, without the hassle of getting to everything separately. Also, try to get to Bondi, Australia's most famous beach, which is just a few km east of the CBD. The Blue Mountains are beautiful.

Tassie - the wilderness areas are Tassie's jewel, and if you're into hiking, there'd be nowhere better. I'd do that over Port Arthur personally. Maybe Cradle Mountain too - there's a good web site, some fabulous hikes and food. Lake St Clair is a good idea too. Tassie is very pretty, and small, so you can get around pretty quick.

Have fun.