Australia

[Lou Barron]

Australia a country of extremes in weather and scenery a place I like to visit which I have done many times .The only part I have never been to is Western Australia .With daughters living in Alice Springs it gave my late wife and I reasons to go there often also having friends in Brisbane .We did a lot of sight seeing and I was amazed at the sights I saw including the rock .My son in law took us away out in the desert to Chambers Piller and a lot of other places.There was one time we was in A/S when the airline pilots went on strike and we had to get to Brisbane to get our flight back to NZ so we had to get a bus from A/S to Brisbane and believe me it was a bus trip I would not like to do again .Two of the best things we did was going to Adelaide on the Ghan my wife and I enjoyed it also my flight in a hot air balloon it was great .I have been thinking of doing another trip over there might stop off at Sydney but that's in the pipe line

[j.sabourn]

Lou would that have been the strike by Ansett pilots in the 90"s. Cheers John S

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Lou
If you do decide to do a trip here to Sydney ,you will be more than Welcome to come up here to the Mountains and have a visit with us,its on the House mate!
Whatever time you like 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 days no matter,as long as we are here,so do contact me if you plan to come and when?
Cheers

The Food is not Five Star,nor is the accommodation but its home and happy at that LOL!
there are Four bedrooms so space is no issue!
Will give you the second room with King Size Single Bed!
Will that do ?? haha!
Cheers

[Peter F Chard]

Like yourself we enjoy holidays in OZ, have been there many times and always enjoy ourselves. My wife has a brother living in Brisbane so somewhere to sleep when we go over. We are having 10 days in Townsville next month, our favourites have to be North Queensland and Tasmania but my personal favourite is the Pilbarra region of West Australia, whilst at sea we used to load blue asbestos at Point Sampsom from the ill fated Witenoom open cast mine and take it to Japan. It is a bit of a wonder that I am still alive the way that material was handled on the quayside ! Our original idea for next months holiday was to visit Perth and drive from there to Karratha -- when I told my wife that it was 1800 Km and the travel guides said it would take seven days and you had to take VHF radios, extra gas,spare tyres and lots of drinking water, GSP and all the rest she said find somewhere else, hence Townsville. Regards Peter in NZ.

[j.sabourn]

#5..easier to fly to Karratha and hire a car up there. Just under 2 hours flying time. Used to be in and out of Dampier like a rat in a drain pipe. Went to see that film Red Dog and the scenery still as I remember it. Thought the Mermaid Pub was the same as well but someone told me it was a studio make up. Was very near the real thing as I remembered. Dont think you would see many changes in the Pilbara, still plenty of space. Cheers John S.

[Colin Wood]

Dont know how old your guides were but it was only 2 days Perth to Port Hedland and it was dirt from Roeburne. If you go to this area, divert from the Highway, divert to Whim Creek, great pub built from the stone ballast from sailing ships loading wool at Depuch Island. Believe it was a church originally.

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Correction, should have said that was in 1965 when I was assistant HM and BHP had not started.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Lou and Peter.
It certainly is a great country for scenery and travel. My wife and I had always flown to see our son in Broken Hill and Adelaide, but one day decided to drive to Wyalla when he moved there. Summer, the car had no airconditioning, took us two and a bit days, going wasn't bad stopped halfway in a motel, but coming back we had to bring our granddaughter to her other grand parents in Griffiths, it was that hot reaching nearly 40degrees across the Hay Plain, we stopped at a motel in Balaring the wife was putting wet towels on my head to keep me going, and that was just a short trip as Australia goes. Best place to visit in my opinion is Broken Hill.
Cheers Des.

redc.gif

[Captain Kong]

7 years ago I did 8,000 Ks in Western Australia, All the way up the coast from Perth, some lovely places, Geraldton,. Monkey Kia, Murchison River, Caernarvon all the way to Karratha and Dampier then to Whim Creek Pub, no beer when we got there, beer truck was two weeks late, just had a cup of tea. Port Headland and back though the desert, Need plenty of Water, six people died on the track we were on, no water, Two Australians, Two Germans and two English ladies.Marble Bar, HOT HOT HOT, 50c.
to Mount Tom Price and Newman to Paines Find, population Two. and down to Margaret River for the wine, Cape Lleuwin, Albany along to Esperence and up to Norseman, and then to Kalgoorlie, Coolgatrdie, Southern Cross and back to Perth. Real good trip.
W.A. Has everything.
.
.Best place to visit in my opinion is Broken Hill. Des.

from Broken Hill 20 Ks up the road to Silverton, ghost town just a pub open The Silverton Hotel, was used in the XXXX Ale adverts
.
OZ, The last place where you can still have adventures.

Norseman WA/

[happy daze john in oz]

Lou you will be more than welcome here in Oz, and yes there is so much to see and do.

Also you will find more Kiwi's in Sydney and Bondi than at home, but you will see that the NZ sheep are much pretier than ours think it all the sun they get, sunburn maybe.

[Lou Barron]

Vernon I just might take up your very kind invitation to stay with you for a few days will be in contact I am not sure when it would be but it would be about July or August . I don't think I will be going to A/S this time as my daughters will be coming over here for Xmas

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Yes John it was the Ansett pilots who went on strike it caused a few headaches