Visiting Australia for the first time.

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by Allan_L

Be careful of distances.
Townsville is about 1,000 miles north and would be looking at 15 hours driving for the return trip.

Sunshine Coast Airport is a lot closer to your destination (IMHO)

One place I would recommend while in the area to visit would be Maidenwell. (Maidenwell Astronomical Observatory might be an hours drive from where Astrofest will be held, and has some seriously dark skies.

Thanks!

[Allan_L (Allan)]

OOPS just found this...

August 28, 2014
The Maidenwell Observatory plans to close its doors at the end of the year and relocate to a new site at Kingaroy Airport.
Observatory director James Barclay told fellow members of the South Burnett Tourism Association at a meeting held at Cranes Winery on Tuesday night that he hoped the new Observatory would be open by March next year.
Mr Barclay said over the last decade the Maidenwell Observatory had accommodated 16,000 visitors.
About 90 per cent of these weren’t locals and he thought the lack of adequate accommodation facilities in the area was holding the business back.
He said the new Observatory would be located on Geoff Raph Drive, near the South Burnett Vintage Machinery Club’s site.
He thanked SBRC Economic Development Manager Phil Harding for his assistance with the move.

Well it is still close by and hopefully easier to get to.

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by Allan_L

OOPS just found this...



Well it is still close by and hopefully easier to get to.

I may check it out. Thanks!

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

...or maybe check-out where the car rental locations are and catch the train? The public transport in/around the Brisbane area is relatively inexpensive and you wouldn't have to travel far out before it calms down. Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast are very accessible by bus/train. I'd probably suggest the latter as Gold Coast can be busy at times.

Having driven in numerous countries around the world, I've found that cities (or at least suburbs) can be remarkably familiar, where there are often divided multilane intersections with traffic lights just like at home nothing quite like jumping in at the deep end IMO but ymmv!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Is the road to Camp Duckadang where Astrofest is held a sealed road?

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Sure is.

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by Camelopardalis

Sure is.

Great!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by Camelopardalis

...or maybe check-out where the car rental locations are and catch the train? The public transport in/around the Brisbane area is relatively inexpensive and you wouldn't have to travel far out before it calms down. Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast are very accessible by bus/train. I'd probably suggest the latter as Gold Coast can be busy at times.

Having driven in numerous countries around the world, I've found that cities (or at least suburbs) can be remarkably familiar, where there are often divided multilane intersections with traffic lights just like at home nothing quite like jumping in at the deep end IMO but ymmv!

Thanks!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by Camelopardalis

...or maybe check-out where the car rental locations are and catch the train? The public transport in/around the Brisbane area is relatively inexpensive and you wouldn't have to travel far out before it calms down. Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast are very accessible by bus/train. I'd probably suggest the latter as Gold Coast can be busy at times.

Having driven in numerous countries around the world, I've found that cities (or at least suburbs) can be remarkably familiar, where there are often divided multilane intersections with traffic lights just like at home nothing quite like jumping in at the deep end IMO but ymmv!

Here is a train that I found that will transport you from Brisbane Airport to gold coast:

https://www.airtrain.com.au/products_gcairport

and transport options to sunshine coast:

http://www.sunshinecoastairport.com....nsport-options

Whatever I decide to do, I am definitely going to book a room for a day or two after I arrive to unwind!

Everyone here has been great with helping me sort out details of my trip!

Joe W.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by jwheel69

Here is a train that I found that will transport you from Brisbane Airport to gold coast:

https://www.airtrain.com.au/products_gcairport

and transport options to sunshine coast:

http://www.sunshinecoastairport.com....nsport-options

Whatever I decide to do, I am definitely going to book a room for a day or two after I arrive to unwind!

Everyone here has been great with helping me sort out details of my trip!

Joe W.

Well if you go towards the sunshine coast you could take a trip to Fraser Island. Plenty of different tour operators and different length trips. It's the biggest sand island in the world (more sand than you can poke a stick at!), has huge beaches, some rainforest and lots of sub-tropical woodland. The beach-rock cliffs on the east side are also very nice. There are worse ways to unwind!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

Well if you go towards the sunshine coast you could take a trip to Fraser Island. Plenty of different tour operators and different length trips. It's the biggest sand island in the world (more sand than you can poke a stick at!), has huge beaches, some rainforest and lots of sub-tropical woodland. The beach-rock cliffs on the east side are also very nice. There are worse ways to unwind!

That sounds like fun!

[clive milne]

Joe,
Previously in the thread it was suggested that you acquire an Aldi sim card for your phone because that particular phone company uses the Telstra network... Be aware though that Aldi does not use the full Telstra network, but 97.5% of it, and by that they mean 97.5% of the population, not 97.5% of the coverage area. (a vastly significant difference)

If you plan on spending any time on the road (particularly in regional and remote areas) the choice reduces to two companies; Telstra and Boost. Telstra might interest you if you simply have to be on a 4G network. However, their customer service department is run by none other than Satan himself.

Boost will allow you access to the full Telstra 3G network (what you get in regional and remote areas) and has a customer service policy which differs from Telstra in as much as it caters for actual real live human beings. It is also considerably cheaper.
For $40 (US$30) you get unlimited calls, unlimited texts, 3Gig of data (though this seems to vary depending on the promotions they have going at any particular time) with a bonus 1Gig of data on Sundays. (so up to 7 Gig a month) This may (or may not) seem expensive relative to the rates in the US, but in this country at least, that is as good as it gets. With the appropriate handset, you will be able to tether a laptop or tablet to the phone and enjoy internet access. (Highly recommended) If you call the Boost customer call centre, they will instruct you on how to do this. If you opt for Telstra, put aside a day to achieve the same outcome.

fwiw) The download speed I get with boost through my mobile in the metro area is typically 2 to 3 times faster than what I get over naked DSL.
With boost, you will be able to make calls using the sim card once you leave the country (it might be useful in transit) and call international numbers from within Australia. I am of the understanding that with Aldi, you can do neither.

The sim cards themselves are easy enough to obtain. They are available from many different locations, most likely any supermarket you walk in to. It is also likely that the sim card you get will need to be trimmed down to fit your phone. If the person who sells you the sim card cannot do it nor direct you to someone who can, ask directions to the nearest 'Dick Smith' store and they will be able to help you out.
In Australia you will need to present a certain amount of ID before you can be sold a sim card. It might be worth checking what form of ID is required before heading out to buy one.

If it was me taking the trip, I would seriously consider investing in a handset with a good aerial. for example; the reception you get with a Samsung (lovely phone in most other respects) doesn't hold a candle to what you will experience with a Nokia. I would also suggest getting a 'hands free' mount for the car so you can use it as a GPS navigator. (also highly recommended)

And that raises another point that you need to be aware of... If you are observed using a telephone in a vehicle in this country in any manner what so ever by a member of our police farce (and that includes simply touching it, even if you are stationary) you will be up for a stiff fine.
Anyway... some points worth a little research.

best
c

[clive milne]

Also be aware that airports in this country are a really bad place to buy things and an even worse place to exchange money. Do it elsewhere.

You credit cards will be accepted pretty much anywhere (Visa & Monstercard)
American Express & Diner's, however will severely limit your options and will pretty much guarantee an additional surcharge.
It would be a good idea to have $100 Australian on you before you get to the airport.

Incidentally, Australia is different to the US in as much as nobody tips anyone, it just isn't done, and it certainly isn't ever expected. Think of it as if the tip was already included in the cost of the service already, so you don't need to tip twice. The one time you might tip is if you had a meal at a restaurant that was so exceptional as to greatly exceed your expectations....
You get the point.

[clive milne]

As for hire cars, do your homework on this one.

The rates they advertise do not include any meaningful insurance.
When you arrive at their depot, you will be offered a couple of options.
Full, comprehensive insurance with a reasonable excess... and a daily rate extortionately higher than what you were expecting.
Or... something close to what you were expecting, but with the clause attached that you pay something like the first $5k of any damage done to the vehicle.
It would be wise to receive full disclosure before you book a vehicle.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by clive milne

Joe,
Previously in the thread it was suggested that you acquire an Aldi sim card for your phone because that particular phone company uses the Telstra network... Be aware though that Aldi does not use the full Telstra network, but 97.5% of it, and by that they mean 97.5% of the population, not 97.5% of the coverage area. (a vastly significant difference)

Thanks for that Clive. I obviously hadn't read the appropriate fine print - or is it in block capitals and I'm a goose?

This would explain problems I had getting coverage. At one point I was standing next to someone who was on the phone but I had no coverage. BTW any idea how Sony Xperia rates for reception?

Originally Posted by clive milne

Joe,
... Telstra .... customer service department is run by none other than Satan himself....

True. When we moved we had to switch to Telstra as the competition didn't have connections available at our exchange. They stuffed up the first bill so my wife spent >> an hour on the phone getting it fixed. The next bill was wrong. Replay. This went on for over 6 months before she happened upon someone who actually did what they promised and fixed the root cause. How this is an efficient use of their human resources is anyone's guess.

[clive milne]

Travel costs:
As has been mentioned previously, this is not a small country.
If you were to drive from Brisbane to Cairns 1700km, Cairns to Darwin 2850km, Darwin to Uluru 2000km, Uluru to Sydney via the Flinder's 3400km (which is on the route) Without including any time or mileage for sightseeing, you have just spent 11 days of your holiday driving from sun up to sunset through 6000 miles of mostly featureless and flat desert. That is a an experience you wont forget, but you need to ask yourself if that is the experience you really want? To visualize that sort of distance, it's about the same as driving in a straight line between Texas and Tokyo, or Texas and Moscow.
You should also keep in mind that the cost of fuel in Australia is a bit higher than in the US. The price varies considerably as a function of location and when you buy it. In the metro area you can get it as cheap as $3.40 US/Gallon if you buy it on a Wednesday. On Thursday from the same gas station the price might be up around $3.90. Once you leave the cities behind, (and by that I mean anywhere other than Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide & Brisbane) You will be lucky to see anything under $4/G. Once you leave the smaller towns behind (which will be the majority of your trip) budget $4.6/G at a minimum.

I'll let you do the sums....

The option is to fly.

A good internet based booking agency can be found here:
http://www.webjet.com.au
A flight from Brisbane to Cairns for example can be had for as little as US$85 without too much trouble. If you were to drive instead, it would cost you around US$190 in fuel, another US$150-$250 for two days of car hire, and probably another $50 in roadside food that you would sooner forget. And that is the shortest leg of your journey with the most reasonable petrol prices.

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

BTW any idea how Sony Xperia rates for reception?

I think it is middle of the road.. but not too bad.

[clive milne]

Whilst I remember, be aware that web-based flight agencies like webjet store cookies. (for a reason) If it sees you over a period of hours making several queries for the same basic flight itinerary, the prices quoted go up!
Log in from a different IP address, and the prices instantly and magically drop back down to what they were. It's a trick they use to encourage a 'panic buy' mentality in their customers.

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

Thanks for the tips Clive!

[jwheel69 (Joe Wheelock)]

I was aware about the tipping. From the research that I have done it sounds like my visa debit should work OK. I also have amex but it sounds like it may not be a very good option. I assume most of the petrol stations allow you to "pay at the pump" with credit or debit, or just pay cash.

Originally Posted by clive milne

Also be aware that airports in this country are a really bad place to buy things and an even worse place to exchange money. Do it elsewhere.

You credit cards will be accepted pretty much anywhere (Visa & Monstercard)
American Express & Diner's, however will severely limit your options and will pretty much guarantee an additional surcharge.
It would be a good idea to have $100 Australian on you before you get to the airport.

Incidentally, Australia is different to the US in as much as nobody tips anyone, it just isn't done, and it certainly isn't ever expected. Think of it as if the tip was already included in the cost of the service already, so you don't need to tip twice. The one time you might tip is if you had a meal at a restaurant that was so exceptional as to greatly exceed your expectations....
You get the point.