I accomplished a lot during my two weeks in Australia. I flew JetStar (the Qantas budget airline) six times and I visited six Aussie cities/coastal areas: Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong, Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. It was a wacky whirlwind of family and friends' homes, hotels, cars, boats, trains and planes. I'm surprised that I'm even awake after the last flight, which was very long, over an hour delayed and included some of the worst turbulence I've ever experienced (the bumpy, stomach-churning ride lasted at least three hours). But no worries, I do feel that it was worth all the hassle and headache.
Besides the fact that Australia is expensive ($11 for a sandwich??), and the AU dollar is now nearly 1 to 1 with the US dollar, I found many things to like about the big island "down under". Aussies tend to travel overseas more than Americans do, and most are very open to other people and cultures, without pretense. The country has immigrants from all over, which is best reflected by the diversity of the urban areas. I also appreciate Australians' strong sense of obligation in the preservation of their natural environment and the wildlife that live there. And well they should. Aussie customs are tight, disallowing most animal and plant products. Anything unidentifiable gets quarantined immediately, on the traveler's own dime, of course. It may seem excessive, but this type of caution prevents disease and other contaminants from entering and infesting the country.
In Melbourne I enjoyed the hip/edgy architecture and public art the most. The tiny lanes of shops and cafes were also great. The weather reminded me of Seattle (sun, clouds, rain, cold, sun, clouds, rain, cold...), but it doesn't seem to discourage anyone from sitting at outdoor cafes, chatting over cappuccino. I did a lot of window-shopping and visited the National Gallery of Victoria for the art deco exhibit. There are free hop-on-hop-off buses and trams that go all around the city center, which I wish every city had. I would love to visit Melbourne again during the summer months and really soak in everything the city has to offer.
In Sydney I liked Darling Harbor and again, the architecture. I had a fun time at the Taronga Zoo, which is a short ferry ride from Circular Quay in Sydney Harbor. I had never seen Aussie animals up close before. I won't lie, koalas are perhaps the cutest animals on the planet. They eat primarily eucalyptus leaves, which provide very little energy, so they're pretty slow-moving. Kangaroos also lay around most of the time, basking in the sunshine and giving zoo visitors the squinty eye. The joey I saw jumping in and out of his mother's pouch was priceless.
Both Melbourne and Sydney are pedestrian-friendly, which is so nice for visitors. Sidewalks, paths, parks, and good signage are plentiful. It was easy to get around the cities and not get too lost. Public transportation is also good, although I chose to hoof it most of the time. There's no better way to get to know a city. I didn't make it to the Outback this time around, but that's okay because I prefer my walkabouts to involve interesting art and outdoor cafes along the way...
