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Australia - Any Tips?


Kevin
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Me an twa pals are headin oot for 3 months in November, headin up tae Queensland after a few days in Melbourne then wirkin wir way back tae Sydney for New Year. Goin tae probably visit Tasmania and South Australia in January + go tae da Big Day Out festival - Rage Against The Machine have just been confirmed for it!!

 

Onybody hae ony tips on places tae go an things tae do?

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Give Melbourne more than a few days is my advice. I've been here a year and I'm not even close to exhausting the entertainment possibilities - mind you, that's from the point of view of an old married fart rather than a bunch of lads on the lash - ah, happy days.

 

Still, Melbourne's reputation as a party town exceeds that of Sydney. Take a bit of time, base yourselves in St Kilda (plenty of backpacker accommodation, but book ahead). Lots of pub and club culture , good beaches and not too stupidly hot for pale skinned northerners.

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Never even noticed da typin mistake yunder! :)

 

We're probably going to be spending more time in Melbourne in late January/early February, we're using it as a bit of a base as I have a 1st cousin that stays there, she stays in one of the suburbs on the east side, not to far from Mount Dandenong so I can see us trying some of the backpackers accomadation in St Kilda for a few days to be closer to the action!

 

Cheers for da advice!

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Unless you are planning to stop off in Sussex on your way there then you ain't gonna see her:-

 

Anyway, the old days of Mrs Mangel are long gone, so now we ask ourselves, where is she now?

 

Well, Vivean Grey is actually a Brit. She was born on July 20th during the 1920s in Cleethorpes, the eldest of four children and with a fish merchant for a father. He worked at Grimsby Docks before the war, until the family moved to Kingston in Surrey. At the outbreak of war in 1939 the family were evacuated back to the delights of Cleethorpes during the Blitz. After the war the family moved back to Surrey.

 

Vivean always wanted to be an actress but found limited opportunities in Britain, so she emigrated to Australia in 1952. It was there that she worked steadily on TV and in film.

 

Aside from her role as Mrs Mangel, she is perhaps best known for her role as Miss McCraw in Peter Weir's 1975 brooding drama Picnic at Hanging Rock, which revolves around the mysterious disappearance of three girls on a school outing in South Australia in 1900. Other popular Australian television series that she did during the 1970s and 80s included The Sullivans and Prisoner: Cell Block H.

 

Because a lot of people are imbeciles, unable to tell fact from fiction, Vivean Gray sadly suffered an astonishing amount of abuse from members of the general public, so convincing was her portrayal of the waspish Mrs. Mangel. So strong was this reaction that is actually played a large role in her decision to leave Neighbours in 1988 and give up acting.

 

Vivean returned to England and has since settled in Shoreham in Sussex, where presumably she still lives in peace. Unless some fool goes round there shouting at her for all the times she was mean to Madge.

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Never even noticed da typin mistake yunder! :)

 

We're probably going to be spending more time in Melbourne in late January/early February, we're using it as a bit of a base as I have a 1st cousin that stays there, she stays in one of the suburbs on the east side, not to far from Mount Dandenong so I can see us trying some of the backpackers accomadation in St Kilda for a few days to be closer to the action!

 

Cheers for da advice!

 

Good thinking. I live not too far from Mount Dandenong myself - had (Shetland) visitors up there for a run ower da helly. Nice scenery but its mostly cream teas and antique shops out this way. The inner 'burbs like St Kilda, Carlton, Fitzroy, etc are a little more suitable for the under 40's.

 

Also Border Security is a national sport here at the moment, with at least one reality TV show based in the customs hall of melbourne airport. Fill out all your forms punctiliously, stay within your duty free limits and on no account try to bring out a couple of baands of piltocks for your cousin.

 

Also, if asked if you have a criminal record, answering 'I didn't know you still needed one' is considered less funny than it used to be. Don't ask me why, I still think it's a side splitter.

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Never even noticed da typin mistake yunder! :)

 

We're probably going to be spending more time in Melbourne in late January/early February, we're using it as a bit of a base as I have a 1st cousin that stays there, she stays in one of the suburbs on the east side, not to far from Mount Dandenong so I can see us trying some of the backpackers accomadation in St Kilda for a few days to be closer to the action!

 

Cheers for da advice!

 

Good thinking. I live not too far from Mount Dandenong myself - had (Shetland) visitors up there for a run ower da helly. Nice scenery but its mostly cream teas and antique shops out this way. The inner 'burbs like St Kilda, Carlton, Fitzroy, etc are a little more suitable for the under 40's.

 

Also Border Security is a national sport here at the moment, with at least one reality TV show based in the customs hall of melbourne airport. Fill out all your forms punctiliously, stay within your duty free limits and on no account try to bring out a couple of baands of piltocks for your cousin.

 

Also, if asked if you have a criminal record, answering 'I didn't know you still needed one' is considered less funny than it used to be. Don't ask me why, I still think it's a side splitter.

 

My cousin bides in a suburb called Mooroolbark near Lilydale if i mind right.

 

Yeah, we'll mak sure and get all forms filled oot properly, got wir electronic visas sorted oot as weel, any idea if we'd be able tae leave Aus and head tae NZ for 10 days, then come back in tae Aus for wir flight home?

 

Damn, nae reestit mutton tattie soup for wis at new year den!

 

 

 

We did a very similar trip 20 years ago. Probably been a few changes since then, but the highlight for me was doing a scuba diving course in Townsville (Queensland) and then diving on the Barrier Reef.

 

Been readin aboot scuba diving etc, hopin tae give it a go, surely need tae wear "stinger suits" in the summer, whitever they're lik?

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We were there in October and didn't need stinger suits for diving then, just short wetsuits. The diving companies rent out suits and will advise you what protection you need. The stinger suits are like licra whole body suits. If you don't have a diving qualification you can go snorkelling, or try a supervised dive. But if you don't dive already I would recommend spending a week there getting an open water diving certificate so that you can really explore the reef.

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if you havent sorted out accomadation for Sydney at new year I would do it now rooms are bloody scarce at that time of year you could end up with a tip or a bill that would make bill gates cry. try the crest in the kings cross it has views of the bridge is clean and under $200 a night for a twin room at new year. plus you'll get the fitba downstairs on the telly 2nd o jan when the hangover needs sorting with more beer and loads o shouting at the telly.

enjoy

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