WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

Travelling down under

Rosey, there are so many places to go and things to do over here, much like in North America. It really depends what the lad likes doing, and whether he wants to do a tour or just travel around by himself. As Marion will tell you, it ranges from sub-tropical in the north of the North Island of NZ to pretty cold at the bottom tip of the Sth Island, even in March (beginning of our Autumn).  If he's able to do both islands he'd see a huge variety of places and things. Good for someone who is fit and likes extreme sports.  We really enjoyed learning about the Maori culture there. Probably a bus tour would be best to see and do a good range of things there.
Australia, on the other hand, is so huge that he would have to choose just a few places to go.  The north once again is very tropical (Darwin NT, Great Barrier Reef Qld). They do have cyclones still once in a while at that time of year.  He could go to the Centre (Uluru/Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, etc) if he's interested in geology and our indigenous culture.  Tasmania should be cool by then and much like the Sth Island of NZ in landscape, climate, etc.  Lots of history there - especially re convicts, old buildings, etc. Some good walks in the mountains and forests.  If he'd rather see the Big Cities I'd have to say Sydney and Melbourne, or Brisbane if he doesn't mind the humidity still. They're not that far from each other but all different. Canberra, the country's capital, is inland between Sydney and Melbourne and has some interesting museums, etc.  Many places along the eastern and SE seaboard are good for surfing if he's into that.  Perth is pretty vibrant but it's way over on the west coast and a couple of extra days' travel there and back.  Adelaide is the gateway to the Barossa Valley (wines), Flinders Ranges (trekking, geology) and Kangaroo Island (native fauna). But in March it's also hosting the Adelaide Festival of Arts, WOMADelaide (music and dance) and the Adelaide Intl Guitar Festival, all overlapping each other. Autumn is usually the best time of year there too - not as hot (usually a dry heat) but hasn't cooled down too much yet either.
Hope that helps!

posted by Fran (Sth Aust) @ 10:53 PM