Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne is actually a great city! I say that after being here 4 nights. Melbourne is a huge city with many different districts. Each district has a distinct atmosphere to it. Melbourne reminds me of Berlin in the that there are a lot of street sculptures. Check my photos in either my Facebook or Flickr. They make interesting photo ops. Look for them.

In the city center, you have buildings with old Victorian architecture. Chinatown is here as well with a lot of Asian eateries. Federation Square is here and it is "Melbourne's meeting place". You can get tourist information here and it is located right on the Yara River. Swanson Street is most likely the first street you will encounter as you start exploring Melbourne.

Directly south of the city center is the Royal Botanic Gardens. It is a huge park, with lots of green space and interesting monuments to see and take photos of. It runs right along St. Kilda Road. I spent 2 nights in a God awful hostel in the South Yara area about a 25 minute walk from the city center. There seems to be a lot of hostels around this area and the one I stayed at was awful. It was old, dirty, and smelled. I felt so dirty afterwards, I had to check into a 4 star hotel to clean myself. I am staying at Urban Central now. This is a modern hostel and it is much better. It's cleaner, has air condition, an elevator, and is located closer to the city. They even have electrical outlets in the lockers so you can charge your laptop while it's in there. Nice! Finding electrical outlets for your phone and laptops is a problem at many hostels. There were a few issues with the elevator and the light bulb in the bathroom was out. They were nice enough to change me to another room. Overall, I don't think you can't expect much more for $40/night here.

The Queen Victoria Market located on the corner of Queen and Victoria Street is another site worth looking into. It is a flea market and the oldest market in Melbourne. There's fresh produce, meats, clothing, wigs, hand bags, and various merchandise at cheap prices.

St. Kilda is another area worth checking out. There area has lots of beaches and people hanging out. Also check out the nearby Acland Street with it's many cake and coffee shops. I had coffee and cake (which was way too sweet) with my friend Sunny and her family here. Luna Park is here, which is an amusement park and a place to take your kids if you need to keep them busy. There are boardwalks and plenty of bike and running paths for you to jog, skate, or ride along the St. Kilda harbor.

Docklands is a brand new district where much of it is still under construction. The area is modern with shopping, eating, office and residential. It is the live, work, play model of urban planning that is getting popular all over the world. Many new high rise buildings are being built here. It will be Melbourne's next high end water front district. Costco has also made it to Australia and there store is located here.

Australia Interesting Facts...

It's been about a month since I got back from Australia. It's a great little (in terms of population) country. Great weather, affordable (a little less than the US at the current exchange rates), with a diverse population. I would consider moving there and definitely plan to visit again as long as airfares are as cheap as they are. The culture seems to be close to British and European with an Asian influence in the big cities (i.e. Sydney). I saw a lot of Europeans and Asians and very few Hispanics (didn't see any in fact) and Blacks (very few).

The mass transportation system seems better developed than the US. I spent 10 days there and never needed a car. I only took a taxi twice. I got everywhere I wanted to go on planes, trains, buses, ferry, and foot. Of course, I stayed near the cities. If you want to go explore the Outback, then you would definitely need a car. Gas (or petrol as the Aussies call it) was about AU$1.10 per liter. That's over AU$4 per gallon or US$3.32 per gallon. It's probably more now since gas has gone up since I've been there.

I liked Brisbane more than Sydney. It's cleaner, not as crowded, and a lot prettier. Gold Coast is also a great place to hang out as it is the vacation hot spot for Australia with lots of high rises, beaches, restaurants, souvenir shops, and other attractions. You will definitely want to check out Surfer's Paradise while you are there.

Traveling in Australia is easy. If you are comfortable traveling in the US, you shouldn't have any problems in Australia. It's not hard to buy a plane ticket and figure everything out when you get here. There are plenty of places to exchange money, eat, find accommodations, and buy whatever you may need.

Talking to some of the locals, it seems Australians get paid better than Americans. The minimum wage is AU$14.31 per hour, but it seems that many low level workers make more than this. That is much higher than the US$6.55 per hour here. Also, it seems non skilled workers get paid substantially more there than in the US. When you factor in that the country has universal health care while most of our non skilled workers are uninsured and have no health care coverage, they earn substantially more than Americans.

I'm not sure how they do it. Things don't seem to be anymore expensive than what they are here. The only thing I can think of is that their government does not have the massive debt that we do and they aren't spending hundreds of billions fighting wars like we are. Or perhaps its because there is far less corruption and special interest groups in Australia compared with the USA. There are only 22 million people there, which is fewer people than there are in Texas.

Brisbane to Surfers Paradise: Quick Note

Brisbane is a beautiful city. The heart of the city is definitely the river that winds through it. This city has a beautiful combination of high rises mixed with parks and gardens surrounded by foothills. Its much cleaner than Sydney (which reminds me of New York City) and definitely seems like a much more livable city.

I flew into Brisbane airport and hopped on a train (AU$14) that took me to central station. From here, there are plenty of hostels and hotels you can goto.

I would hop on the city tour bus. For AU$25 you can ride a city bus that takes you to all the major attractions and allows you to ride on City Cat, which is the city's ferry service. Taking a ride on the city ferry service is a great way to see the city skyline. The bus takes you up this mountain that overlooks the city. You can hop on and off the bus and there is another bus every 45 minutes. It's a great way to do a narrated tour of the city.

The main part of downtown must be the Queen Street Mall. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, information booths, and its great to hang out here just to people watch. In particular, there is this discount souvenir shop that sells a variety of Australian items. It is on the corner of Queen and Albert. I purchased several boomerangs, leather wallets (between AU$7-$10), and this kangaroo leather cowboy hat that you will see me wearing now.

I spent a couple days here, and then took the Gold Coast train and transferred to a bus that took me to Surfer's Paradise where I am now.

Sydney, Australia: Tips, Mistakes, and First Impressions

My first impressions of Sydney is that it is a mix of European and Asian culture. From just walking around, the population seems to be a mixture of Europeans (mainly British), Asians, and Polynesians. There seem to be very few Blacks or Hispanics here. I have not seen a Mexican restaurant yet. In fact, there seems to be very few Americans here. So far I've only met one other American from New York. Most people here speak English with an Australian or British accent.

Weather

In May, the weather has generally been warm and comfortable during the day. At night it does get chilly. Bring a light to medium jacket, long sleeve shirts and jeans, should be sufficient.

People

They seem to drink and smoke a lot more heavily than Americans. Smoking is definitely much more common here.

People here are no where near as fat as Americans. I don't know why Americans are so fat! They seem to live pretty much the same way we live. It is not genetics (some say Asians don't get fat) because there are plenty of Europeans here as well. I'm sitting in a cafe on a busy street in downtown Sydney at the moment, watching plenty of people walk by and I don't see anyone that is severely obese.

Units of Measure

For us Americans, here are some useful conversion factors

$1 Australian Dollar = 77-82 US cents. These are the actual conversion rates I was able to get at the time of my visit. 

1 kilometer = 0.62 miles

1 US Gallon = 3.79 liters

1 square meter = 10.76 square feet

100 grams = 3.53 ounces

Getting Here

Getting here was quite simple. Because of the recession there are plenty of cheap airfare around. I booked my ticket online at Qantas for US$918 round trip from Austin thru Los Angeles. You also need to get an electronic visa for AU$20 which is good for 3 months. The flight is 15 hours from Los Angels to Sydney.

Money

I suggest either converting some cash before you come here or opening an Australian bank account and depositing money before you come. Converting money at the airport is very expensive. The least expensive place I found to convert money is at a bank. The cost of things in Sydney is about as expensive (perhaps a little bit less) as Austin, Dallas, or Houston. My Citibank credit card charges a 3% surcharge on everything.

There is a 10% sales tax, but prices in Australia are generally all inclusive of taxes, fees, and tips. Unlike the states, tipping is not expected.

At the Airport/Transportation

Once you arrive and go through customs (pretty painless), the first thing I suggest to get is a 7 day metro pass for around AU$42. I did not do this and ended up paying more. This allows unlimited travel on Sydney's bus, subway, and ferry service. Take a train to Central Station, which is in the heart of downtown Sydney. The public transportation system in Sydney is excellent. Between public transportation and taxis, you should not need to rent a car if you stay within the city.

They drive on the left side of the road in Australia, so be careful at street crossings. Always make sure to look both ways before you cross the street and you'll be fine.

Where To Stay

There are plenty of hostels to stay in. I'm staying in Maze Hostels (417 Pitt Street) for AU$28 for a double room (but so far I don't have a roommate). Book 3 nights and they give you the 4th night free, so I'm paying AU$84 for 4 nights. They are basically like college dorms and can sometimes be just as nasty. Shop around for a clean one. You get a room and there are pubic showers and toilets. By no means are they luxurious accommodations, but they one I'm staying is in an old building and in fair condition. It is located on Pitt Street and is in a convenient location.

Communications

I got a basic prepaid Nokia cell phone from Optus for AU$50. I also got AU$30 worth of credits, which seems to give me plenty of minutes of talk time. Incoming calls are free. So get a cell phone for AU$80

Power

Make sure your power adapters and electronics can handle 220 volts. If they can, all you need is a AU$15 adapter to make the plugs work. Most modern electronics can handle the higher voltage, but check the label to make sure you don't fry anything.

Food

There seems to be a wide variety of restaurants and pubs here. There are lots of Asian and European restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, and fast food. For fast food, it seems McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Hungry Jacks (Burger King).

Favorite Places to Eat:

• Breakfast. At various cafes, for AU$10-$12 you can get a "big breakfast". It includes bacon, eggs, sausage, mushrooms, and toast.
• Lunch or Dinner: I like going to bars or pubs. For AU$10-12 you can get a 250 gram steak with mash potatoes or fries.
• If you are in a hurry, there is fast food which is just like the states.

Things to See and Do

• "The Rocks" / Circular Quay - Come see this iconic landmark. Also see the famous bay bridge.
• Darling Harbor - This is my favorite place in central Sydney. It's a bit touristy, but it's a beautiful harbor with lots of shopping, restaurants, bars, gardens, sculptures, and pedestrian bridges.
• Kings Cross - The seedy part of Sydney with lots of strip clubs, bars, and prostitutes.
• Queen Victoria Building - A stunning building built in the style of Victoria architecture. It is a high end shopping mall, but its worth walk through it to see the architecture.
• Manly Beach - It's a beautiful beach with a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. Take the 20 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay. Use the 7 day metro pass I told you to get the first day.
• George/Pitt Street Area- These seem to be the main streets in downtown Sydney with just about all the shops you need. There are grocery stores (Woolworth), clothing, bars, restaurants, convenience stores, electronics, internet cafes, travel agents, banks, etc.

Next stop, I'm going to try to book a flight to Brisbane and see the Gold Coast!