Few places in this world evoke images of faraway splendor quite like Australia. Perhaps it’s the thought of pristine beaches, prolific wildlife, or the unspoiled Outback. Or, it could be pure curiosity of what there is on the flip side of the Earth. Whatever the…Read More

Few places in this world evoke images of faraway splendor quite like Australia. Perhaps it’s the thought of pristine beaches, prolific wildlife, or the unspoiled Outback. Or, it could be pure curiosity of what there is on the flip side of the Earth. Whatever the reason one has for visiting the land "down under", I can guarantee that there are surprises for even the most jaded traveler.
The port of entry for most international visitors is also Australia’s most famous city—Sydney. Located on a wonderful natural harbor along the Parramatta River, this former prison outpost has certainly come into its own. The city’s most identifiable landmark is of course the famous Opera House, situated on a promontory along the water’s edge in the lovely Botanical Gardens. While one can indeed enjoy a performance inside, just circling this uniquely designed building and snapping photos is enough for most who come calling. From here there is a panoramic view of the downtown area with its modern skyscrapers, and an area called The Rocks near the base of the climbable Sydney Harbor Bridge. Here was one of the original settlements, back when visitors were much less happy to be arriving. Today it is a quaint area of boutiques and souvenir shops for the many cruise passengers that disembark nearby with regularity.
Just a bit inshore is the Queen Victoria Building—an elegant stone edifice that houses a modern shopping mall while retaining much of its gilded colonial history. A short monorail’s ride to the west is happening Darling Harbor, a waterfront district with more shopping malls, lots of busy restaurants, and a variety of street performers. My take on it was that it is an Aussie version of New York’s South Street Seaport, with all the same energy on a summer’s night. All in all it’s a great place to meander around and soak up the surprisingly cosmopolitan scene that Sydney delivers, though it must be admitted that few people come to Australia for it’s urban landscapes. No worries, the Australia people come for begins just outside of town.
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This year it is all about seeing some of the Australian countryside and at the beginning of June we headed down to Melbourne for 4 days to have a bit of a look around and to go to the King Tut Exhibition at the Melbourne…Read More

This year it is all about seeing some of the Australian countryside and at the beginning of June we headed down to Melbourne for 4 days to have a bit of a look around and to go to the King Tut Exhibition at the Melbourne Museum and to the Cirque Du Sol while it was showing down there.

We had a great couple of days visiting the following: -

The Victoria Markets – located near the Therry Street and Elizabeth Street corner and extending back a couple of blocks the Victoria Markets are indicated on every sightseeing map that you will lay your hands on. I would definitely recommend a visit to the older original parts of the market – the areas of the specialty shops, the meat and fish markets and in particular the delicatessen area – great history here with all the old market shop fronts with the, brick walls and sliding windows.
I wouldn’t suggest that you look through the clothing section of the markets, unless you need to add some cheap clothes to your wardrobe - there are a couple of interesting stores in here but most are selling the identical stuff.

Lygon Street – great for lovers of Italian food this is the place for you. The restaurants line both sides of the road for about 3 blocks and practically all the restaurants were Italian – there were Pizza joints, flash upper class restaurants – whatever your budget you’ll find something, somewhere. For those of you who don’t like Italian – there are a couple of pubs that sell traditional pub meals (cheap and you can get a pint or pot of beer) and a couple of Indian or Thai Restaurants. It was great to wander along the street just soaking up the atmosphere.

Visit the Melbourne Museum for a visiting Exhibition and a wander around afterwards. While we were there the King Tut exhibition was showing. I had bought the tickets prior to arriving in Melbourne but there were facilities at the museum where could purchase tickets on the day. The show was great and it’s always interesting seeing all that history. The great thing about visiting the exhibition is that the admission to the general museum is also included in the price. The Melbourne Museum is only a small museum and it is well set out so you can follow a circuit around the different sections. The most interesting sections we thought were the human body areas, the Melbourne local history areas and the Aboriginal History areas.

Brunswick Road – Is great for new and second hand clothes shops, novelty shops and alternative shops, trendy cafes and bar hopping. We spent a couple of hours prowling around the shops looking at different items, ducking into bars for a quick drink and to rest the feet and stopping for a bite to eat in the window of one of the many cafes so we could people watch. Could people watch all day – fascinating to say the least. This street is frequented by many university students and alternative lifestyle people.

The Rod Laver Arena for shows, concerts and the like – we had booked tickets, via the internet, for the Cirque De Sol show so we went along and enjoyed every minute of it. Afterwards we decided to walk up to our hotel via the central shopping district. Interesting – all the different people out and about, coming out of the different theatres we passed along the way.

St Kilda’s – a seaside suburb, located just a short tram ride form the centre of Melbourne – Tram numbers 16 or 69 will get you out here and back – you can buy tram tickets from most hotels ($6.20 for a whole days travel (on Sunday) on any tram, train or bus). St Kilda’s has a reputation for its trendy café and shopping district and for its street markets which sell locally made handcrafts from many of the local artists. We spent a morning just walking along the road drawling at the cakes, pastries and other sweets in the windows and on the shelves of the various cake shops and cafes after visiting the markets.

The Melbourne Aquarium – great for kids and adults alike - get on the No.69 tram from St Kilda’s and get of near the Casino – if we can do it anyone can. The aquarium is only a small one compared to Sydney’s one but well worth the visit. It is laid out in a way that it is easy enough to follow a path around the exhibits and not miss a thing. You get presented with a map and timetable of the feeding times and talks when you enter. We loved all of it but most memorable were the penguin enclosure and the tropical reef display

The central Melbourne shopping district is interesting in its own right with all its little alley ways with artistic graffiti providing interesting backdrops. Melborne is thought of as the arts capital of Australia, although those from Sydney try and dispute it, and has a huge, thriving art scene which is apparent in the modern building designs going up all over the joint and the murals and graffiti around the joint. There are numerous art galleries and several art/acting colleges around the suburbs and city. Great place to just relax and wander around and take your camera/

Dale and I loved the place and will definitely go back.


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I found out about the Historic Houses Trust through the Sydney guidebook which I bought for our trip in July 2009. I hadn't done a lot of preparation before we went but I had liked what I'd read about the Elizabeth Bay House and had…Read More

I found out about the Historic Houses Trust through the Sydney guidebook which I bought for our trip in July 2009. I hadn't done a lot of preparation before we went but I had liked what I'd read about the Elizabeth Bay House and had gone online to look for more information. Since the EBH is one of the Trust's most visited properties, I soon realised that the best way to see a whole bunch of great historic buildings was to buy a so-called 'Ticket Through Time'. As a tourist who's only in the city for a week or two it makes no sense to buy an annual subscription so the Trust offers this special ticket which has a 3 month validity and includes all the houses in their care.

The exchange rate was really good when we visited – about AU$2 to the £ - so everything seemed like good value. However, even today with the rate closer to 1.50 to the pound it's still a bargain. We paid AU$30 each for the pass and (I hope they won't read this) when we left after our holiday we passed the tickets to my parents who used them a few times as well.

We bought our tickets at the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, a fascinating place that tracks the history of immigration into Australia. It's one of the most visited attractions in the city and would cost you $10 to get in without the ticket. We also visited the Mint Building next door which is the home of the Historic Houses Trust. There's not too much to see there and that would normally be free. The next day we visited the Government House on a guided tour (that one's also free but you must turn up and get a timed ticket) as well as the Justice and Police Museum. In a city where rather a lot of the early settlers were on the wrong side of the law, the development of policing methods and justice systems was very important.

We took the train to Paddington to go and see the Elizabeth Bay House, an absolutely beautiful period house which once stood in large gardens. Following financial problems the land was nibbled away at and sold off for developments. In contrast to the grandeur of the EBH, we also visited the Susannah Place Museum on The Rocks where a guided tour takes small groups of visitors through a terrace of small houses that have been decorated and furnished in keeping with different time periods. These were the houses where the poor folk lived and there's even a cute little corner store.

Our final visit was to the Museum of Sydney which contains an eclectic set of exhibits on a wide range of topics. There are recorded testimonies of early settlers, information about trade, transportation and the building of the city.

In total, the seven properties we visited would have cost us $44 if we'd bought the tickets individually. We covered all the houses in central Sydney and would love to have visited the others which are further away but we had limited time and were reliant on public transportation so we couldn't cover them all. To get value from your Ticket Through Time you will need to be willing to dedicate several days to visiting the houses but personally I found it a fascinating way to structure our time in the city. Neither my uncle and aunt nor my cousins who've lived in the city their entire lives had visited any of the HHT properties and were a bit shamefaced that we'd done so many in so little time. Sydney's a very modern city and the HHT Ticket Through Time gives visitors a really easy way to pinpoint some of the most important and inspiring buildings in the city. I recommend it highly.Close

We had heard about the self-drive audio tour of the town and were keen to do it. We found that we could rent or purchase a CD and map and discover the hidden treasures of Charters Towers at our own pace. This proved to be…Read More

We had heard about the self-drive audio tour of the town and were keen to do it. We found that we could rent or purchase a CD and map and discover the hidden treasures of Charters Towers at our own pace. This proved to be an excellent way of navigating the town and we certainly learned new things and saw places we would never have known about without the CD.

We decided to rent, so we paid our $5.00 and left a $10 deposit and in return were given a CD and a map. We put the CD in the car player and were told where to go. So that you can travel at your own pace it is necessary to stop the CD on many occasions but this worked well and we started a new track each time we reached one of the 20 or so attractions.

The tour first takes you to the top of Towers Hill where there are many interesting storyboards where you can learn about the past while taking in the panorama or spotting the cheeky rock wallabies which play amongst the rocks. Towers Hill comes alive in the evening with a film screened in the amphitheatre called Ghosts after Dark. This is currently free and it plays at 6.30, 7.30 and 8.30pm.

From here the tour takes you all over town. You see grand old buildings like Pfeiffer House from 1882 which is now owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Thornburgh House from 1890 which is now part of Thornburgh College. Elsewhere you see and learn about the School of Mines (1899), the hospital (1876), the old Mount Alma hospital (1887) and the Masonic Centre (1887).

But it’s not just old buildings you see. You visit Columbia Poppet Head built over the Columbia Block Mine Shaft, Pioneer Cemetery which operated from 1872 until 1895, and Charters Towers Cemetery which was established in 1895. Three places where you should leave you car are also included. One is Lissner Park, the city’s main park. We suggest you walk to the lovely cast iron Boer War Memorial Kiosk with its tin plate roof and to the monument to the aboriginal boy Jupiter who first discovered gold.

The second is Venus Battery on the outskirts of the city which is the largest surviving battery relic in Australia. It was built in 1872 and worked for just over 100 years. Guided tours are available here. Towards the end of the audio tour you see the Civic Club and you should drop in for a drink with a local and soak up the historic atmosphere. It opened as the Londoner’s Club for gentlemen in 1900 and many mine owners were members. Anyone is now welcome and the building largely remains as it was built.
We took about two and a half hours to do the tour. If you didn’t stop anywhere it could be done in about an hour but that would be a pity. We thought this was something really worth doing and would recommend it to anyone.
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We slept in a bit today as we’d decided to have a more relaxed outing – we were heading of, by taxi, to the Salamanca Markets, the Taste of Tasmania and a few quiet ones at a local pub.First stop was the Taste of Tasmania…Read More

We slept in a bit today as we’d decided to have a more relaxed outing – we were heading of, by taxi, to the Salamanca Markets, the Taste of Tasmania and a few quiet ones at a local pub.

First stop was the Taste of Tasmania – this is located on the harbourside in a large shed type structure and is all about tasting all the great produce that is available in Tasmania – Dale’s first taste was a plate of natural oysters for $7 and mine was a bowl of fresh mixed berries – raspberries, strawberries and blue berries - with fresh cream and icecream for $7. Everything seemed to priced around the $7-$8 mark. The next tasting was a bowl of mussels in a chilli sauce for Dale and for me it was another serve of fresh mixed berries but with a crepe and cream this time. All of the food we had was delicious and was so fresh. They had a lot of stalls selling anything from fresh seafood, meat produces, fresh fruit and fresh vegetable produces to wines, fruit juices, ales and beers. The busiest queue seemed to be the line-up for the dip-fried mushrooms – they must have been nice, we just couldn’t be bothered with standing in line.

From here we went on a short strolle around the harbour. All the yachts from the Sydney to Hobart and the Melbourne to Hobart yacht races were docked there so there were plenty of people milling around, having their photos taken in front of the yachts and just having a look in general. The races are held every year at the same time - the Sydeny to Hobart race kicks of from Sydney on Boxing Day and the yachts usually take about 4 days to reach Hobart.

After our nice breakfast we walked out of the shed and across the road was the Salamanca Markets – large outdoor markets selling anything and everything from antiques and second hand goods to handbags and toys. There were plenty of locally made handcraft/artist stores. The area of the markets stretched out for about 1Km and took up the whole width of the road. Lining the road were other shops, bars and restaurants that were all busy. We spent a couple of hours zig-zagging up and down the 4 rows of stores – I bought a gold charm for my charms bracelet and was tempted by a number of other items but decided it would be too hard to get them home.

We decided that we needed to give our feet a rest and we found an outside table and a couple of stools at one of the pubs called The Quarry which we had passed. We had a ball sitting back and people watching and chatting to passer-byers while we downed a few beers and ate a pizza – you have to be there at the right time to get a seat/stool though as the markets are crowded and the number of seats/stools are few - not a bad way to spend the rest of the day.
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Today we were on the move – going south – we had two nights booked in Hobart and we were looking forward to visiting the big smoke (Hobart is Tasmania’s capital city).On the previous night we had discussed the driving routes available and had decided…Read More

Today we were on the move – going south – we had two nights booked in Hobart and we were looking forward to visiting the big smoke (Hobart is Tasmania’s capital city).
On the previous night we had discussed the driving routes available and had decided that, for the journey south we would take the coastal road and for the return trip to St Helens we would take the central inland route. With that in mind we headed off in the direction of Bicheno, through town of Swansea to our first stop for the day – The Spiky Bridge.

The Spiky Bridge is a relic from about 180 years ago when the first europeon settlers to the area were making their mark on the map. The bridge was built by convicts and is aptly named for the spiky stones that were positioned in the tops of the side walls of the bridge. The bridge is located just south of the town of Swansea on the right-hand side of the road – keep your eyes open for the sign.

Back on the road again we continued south through Orford, where we stopped for lunch and then on to Sorell and out to The Tasman National Park and Port Arthur. Not far before a place called Eagles nest, on the way to the Tasman National Park and Port Arthur there is a sign pointing to a lookout which is well worth a look – it provides visitors with a view of the coastline heading toward the park.

Further around this road, at Eagles Nest, you will find a museum which is housed in the building that was once the Offices Quarters back in the days when the area was used as a convict station. This is an interesting museum to have a look at and costs nothing – don’t forget to walk along the short track that leads to the dog line statue – Eagles Nest is a very narrow neck of land that is the only way in/out to Port Arthur and the narrow stretch was protected/guarded from prison escape by a row of guard dogs, any prisoners trying to cross through the line were attacked by the dogs or caught by the sentries.

Just out of Eagle Nest you can drive out to the Blowhole, Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen which are all natural rock formations that are staggers along a short piece of the Tasman National Park’s coastline – the coastline consists of high towering cliffs and is quite spectacular to see.

From here it was a short drive to Port Arthur, which was home to the convicts and the soldiers and other personnel that were associated with looking after them. It is a very extensive site with plenty to see. For the basic entry price - $30/adult - you are entitled to a introduction to the site – guides walk you down to the grounds and explain what the site was used for and what went on there, the guides do not take you through the buildings or give you a tour – and you also entitled to the ferry ride that takes you across to where the boys were kept, around the isle of the dead (where the dead were buried) and back to the site – the captain provides a full commentary while the ferry is moving. There are more expensive packages that you can buy that include the hire of a recorded commentary that you can wander around with and tells you about all the buildings/objects of interest. History buffs and general visitors alike find this place interesting. We just enjoyed wandering around the site, looking at the building/structures and reading the plaques. We spend 3 hours there and didn’t see all of it – it’s a must see if you visit Tasmania.

Our visit to Port Arthur finished at 5.30pm so we drove directly to the Motel 426, at Sandy Bay, Hobart without stopping. It only took us about 1 hour so it wasn’t to far. We signed in at the reception office, got the key for our room, dumped our bags, changed and went for a walk along the road to the casino for dinner. We had a nice informal dinner in the Bistro and played a few pokie machines before heading back to the motel for some much needed rest.
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This is the day we had to retrace our steps back to Bicheno – Dale had managed to leave behind his Hat and sunglass’ at the café the night before – good one. After we had secured the items we drove to an antique store…Read More

This is the day we had to retrace our steps back to Bicheno – Dale had managed to leave behind his Hat and sunglass’ at the café the night before – good one.

After we had secured the items we drove to an antique store called The Shop in the Bush – located on the Tasman Highway just out of St Helens – loads of all sorts of antiques and gift items here.

Then it was on to the Pyengana region for a stop at the Pub in the Paddock and the Diary/Cheese Factory. The Pub in the Paddock was great – lots of locals and tourists congregated together having a few drinks, pub food and chatting. You can roll up in any form of transport here – motorbikes, car, four wheel drives, motor-cross bikes and any type of off road vehicle.

We decided to pop down the road to the Pyengana Cheese Factory for lunch as the pub was busy. We opted to do a bit of cheese tasting first and ended up buying some Devilish Cheese – plenty of chilli in it – and, after viewing the menu, revised our decision and decided the pub food was more to our liking. So back to the Pub in the Paddock we went for lunch and one for the road – there is only one beer on tap here – Boags – but they do sell other bottled brands.

To travel back to St Helens we decided to go through The Blue Tier – part of the Tasmanian Forestry and nick named Tin Mountain for the old, disused, tin mines in the area, these are still tourist sites you can walk/drive to if you want – via the townships of Lottah and Goulds Country with a detour up to Piomena on the way. This is yet another beautiful part of the northeast countryside. If you have the time there are plenty of bushwalks through the area to different historic sites/places, etc. Be on the lookout for native wildlife – we found an echidna (spiny anteater) crossing the road. Most of the roads out this way are gravel so drive carefully.
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We were up early again but this time it was in the opposite direction. We went up to visit the small inland town of St Marys where we stopped at a show room/museum – the fist shop on the left hand side as you arrive…Read More

We were up early again but this time it was in the opposite direction.

We went up to visit the small inland town of St Marys where we stopped at a show room/museum – the fist shop on the left hand side as you arrive in the township from St Helens. The show room/museum houses all sorts of things but mainly models of cars, planes, etc, several cars and bikes, old household items and old magazines and comics. You can touch most items, pick them up and read them, etc but nothing is for sale and therefore nothing gets taken away. The guy that runs the show room/museum is one of the most interesting people to speak to. He actually owns the majority of the stuff on show or at least knows who does own it. Some of the items are on-going projects that he is in the process of completing – he is assisting someone in re-doing an old school triumph bike and there are a couple of old car chassis. He adds to them when he can acquired the replacement original parts.

From here we venture up to a small, old coalmining township called Cornwall where we were told that there was a great antique/second hand shop worth visiting. Unfortunately it wasn’t open so we turned around and decided to travel down Elephant Pass as we had heard about the Elephant Pass Pancake Café from someone at work. Yum, yum, yum – a most stop – this place serves pancakes to suit most people’s taste and if you don’t like pancakes there are a load of other tasty things you can try instead.

Just a note – unless you are interested in buying jars of fresh jams and chutney or handcrafted dolls – ignore the sign outside the café directing you down a long, dusty driveway at the side of the café especially if it’s a rainy day and you don’t have a four wheel drive – we could imagine the driveway being a bit slippery in the wet and it is steep in some parts.

After lunch we continued down the windy Elephant Pass road to seaside town of Bicheno where we stopped at the boat ramp for 5 minutes to have a look before getting in the car and travelling to the Freycinet National Park – famous for being the home of Wineglass Bay which has also won awards – it costs $26 per car to enter or, if you’re going to visit a number of national parks during your stay in Tasmania, you can purchase a $60 pass which will allow you unlimited entry to any park.

The whole national park is scenic – not just Wineglass Bay. We stopped and did three short walks within the park grounds – the first was the lighthouse walk which takes you around the lighthouse base at the top of high cliffs, great photo opportunities here looking down the length of the park, past rocky out crops – the next was a sign posted track leading a small bay covered with pale pink pebbles, the walkway took you past plenty of spots where you could stop and admire the scenery – and the final walk was the up-hill track to the Wineglass Bay Lookout, a great view but difficult to get a spot without getting jostled all the time, quite a few tourists for the same reason that The Bay of Fires was popular, from the top you could then walk down to the bay itself if you wanted but we didn’t have time.

After leaving the national park Dale wanted to stop at a Coles Bay oyster shed to taste their produce – he actually wasn’t very impressed with the dozen natural he ordered – and then we headed back to St Helens stopping at Bicheno and a café/restaurant for dinner – very tasty – we actually got there 1 hour before dinner service was to start so we went a little further down the road to the pub first. The pub is very popular for diners too with a crowd already gathering a 5pm and dinner service didn’t start until 6pm.
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Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory and the largest city for over a thousand kilometres, has a population slightly in excess of 100,000. The whole Territory, in fact, has less than quarter of a million, one in three of them of Aboriginal origin. Darwin…Read More

Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory and the largest city for over a thousand kilometres, has a population slightly in excess of 100,000. The whole Territory, in fact, has less than quarter of a million, one in three of them of Aboriginal origin.

Darwin feels – and to large extent, still is – a frontier town. Many people who live here seem to be from somewhere else, migrants, transients, adventure seekers and life drop-outs alike. The climate is seriously tropical – with two seasons, the Dry (this is, by the way, a relative term, as the Dry is only dry in comparison to the humidity of the Wet) and the Wet (which is seriously Wet, Darwin being well within the monsoon sphere of influence). The tourist season is in the Dry, and most local activities, from the Darwin Show to the Darwin Race Weekend, take place between April and November too.

Even in the winter (or, as it would be correctly called, in the Dry), Darwin is very hot, with the average temperature of around 28C and only a small variation of 4C between the average hottest (February and September) and coldest (July) months. Humidity, however, varies from 25% in July to over 40% in January and February. This is true tropics, more than anywhere else in Australia (it is, after all, four degrees north of Cairns and seven degrees north of Townsville), and the influence – and closeness – of Asia (Port Moresby is as near, or as far, as Cairns; and Singapore is as far as Melbourne) is palpable.

As befits a frontier tropical town, Darwin has a serious drinking scene – some would say a drink problem – and it's not just for the uprooted and biologically more susceptible indigenous Australians but for pretty much everywhere here, putting away copious quantities of grog of all varieties is a favourite pastime.

In the centre, the revelries centre on Mitchell and Smith Streets, where backpacker travellers and locals alike vie for the title of the most drunk and (mildly, in all honesty) disorderly; but the drinking is everywhere, from the airport cafe to family hotels and everywhere in between.

The frontier mentality has probably something to do not just with the huge distance between Darwin and anywhere else (and the fact that it's rather isolated from the rest of Australia) but also with the many disasters that befell Darwin in its history, among others the famous Tracy cyclone that literally flattened the town on Christmas Eve 1974 and Darwin having been bombed extensively during the Second World War. The town was bombed fifty-nine times between 1942 and 1943, and the first and the worst of the raids was dubbed "the Australian Pearl Harbour" - the overall military significance of the raids was smaller, but actually more bombs were dropped on Darwin on the 19th February 1942 than on Pearl Harbour. Eight navy ships were sunk in Darwin harbour and killed and injured hundreds of people.

Military Museum, WW2 oil storage tunnels, gun placements and monuments to those who fought and were killed can be seen all around Darwin, and the war seems to be fresher in the social memory here than in any other place in Australia.

Modern Darwin lives from mining (like a lot of outback Australia – although Darwin doesn't really classify as outback) and tourism, offering plethora of tours, artificially created attractions and more tours, with crocodiles and Aboriginal sites featuring most heavily.

The pedestrianised mall in the centre of town has numerous travel agents and souvenir shops with Australiana of all kinds and indigenous souvenirs and artwork: an Aboriginal painter is sitting on the pavement in front of a gallery, finishing a pointillist work in the Western Desert style.

One sees a lot of Aboriginal people in Darwin - 10% of the population is indigenous Australian and it's the only city in Australia where the first inhabitants of this land are visible in any noticeable numbers. It's not always a pretty sight, and it has nothing to do with the ideals of beauty, and everything with the poverty, discrimination and deprivation (not to mention more or less systematic physical and cultural genocide) that the people that are now commonly referred to as "the original owners" have been subjected to for the hundred and fifty years since the European invasion. Things are changing, but the spectre of the original "terra nullis" principle still haunts Australia. The continent was settled without any, even token, treaties, and treated as "nobody's land", while the native population was not even counted in censuses up until 1967. The historic Mabo judgement that admitted land rights to the native Australians was passed only in 1992, and even now there are many circumstances in which Aboriginal land rights can be revoked at a whim or in service of vested political or industrial interests.

There are changes, though, and perhaps more of them in the last twenty years or so than in the previous hundred. The very racists resentment towards the Aboriginal population is still, however, a powerful undercurrent in the Australian society and it's quite possible that, as some Australians claim themselves, any family that have been in the country for more than a couple of generations will have either Aboriginal blood in them or Aboriginal blood on their hands, and quite likely both. Close

I myself, along with a good friend, drove through the Outback. It took a while before we arrived in Alice Springs, but I can already tell that the remote village was worth the drive. I myself went out three or four times (the fourth time…Read More

I myself, along with a good friend, drove through the Outback. It took a while before we arrived in Alice Springs, but I can already tell that the remote village was worth the drive. I myself went out three or four times (the fourth time I am less sure).A night out in Alice Springs? Follow my instructions and you will be guaranteed of a great evening/night.

General info

Alice Springs is the second city of the state Northern Territory in Australia and is called simply "Alice" or "The Alice". The village has about 27,500 inhabitants and is located in the "red center" of the country. The traditional inhabitants were called 'Arrernte', this aboriginal tribe has lived for more than 50.000 years in the desert around Alice Springs. Through the city flows the river Todd, but nine times out of ten it’s completely dry. In summer the average temperature is around 38 degrees and in winter it can get around 7 degrees.

Anybody there?

Because everything is so remote you might think will there be somebody? Well the opposite is true. Alice Springs is the place of the famous Uluru Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta's. These are three great natural wonders of Australia. A number of large tour companies offer tours to these natural wonders and it is standard that at the end of the tour everyone here dives into the pub. Each year approximately 500,000 people go to the Ayers Rock alone.

The big three

Here is everything done, these are the places where the tour companies and the locals gather, eat and drink. I've put them in chronological order.

Annie's Place

Where: Traeger Ave 4. (Straight on from the Todd Mall)
Close: Around 0:30.
Start your evening here with a snack and a drink

Restaurant
The restaurant belongs to the same hostel and there is a very friendly atmosphere. The meals are inexpensive and they have every day of the week a new $ 5 meal. This is a full meal where you really get enough of and for five dollars. Great. The restaurant exudes not very much, there are large fans and you have two big long wooden tables where the tour groups are usually in the evening. On the left side of the restaurant, you have more tables where you can sit.

Bar
The bar and restaurant flow into each other. The beer is as expensive as the whole of Australia, if you want cheaper you can drink the best out of the "Jugs", here you pay on average $ 2 less and you get five glasses. Outside in the garden you have the best atmosphere. Here is live, background music. You can also choose to walk up the stairs and sit on the roof terrace, slightly better view but it gets later in the evening quite a bit colder.

Bojangles

Where: Todd Mall 63 (a small 5 minute walk from Annie's, follow the crowd!)
Close: late at night but at 3 o’clock it gets empty, then everybody goes to the next pub.

You now had a bite to eat at Annie's and enjoyed a drink. If you're hungry you can eat at Bojangles, but here you pay three times more compared to Annie's Place. Welcome to the cowboy atmosphere!

Bar:
The bar in the middle and runs a full circle. The staff is very friendly and provide a very efficient service. They must be, because the beer really flows generously every night. They give beer on tap and they have also a good collection of beer bottles. Of course they also have wine, soft drinks and stronger drinks. Beer costs about $ 5 per glass, the standard price in Australia.

Music and atmosphere
This is the cowboy place of the Outback. The music is varied and very luckily I am very reminiscent of a mistake 90 years celebration. On stage plays a DJ. All sounds good and there is a good atmosphere.
Casino

Where: 1993 Barrett Drive (go along with the pack, ask a local or buy a card).
Close: In any case still open at 08:00, unfortunately.
If you still have energy left after about 3 hours Bojangles you follow the crowd into the tent Casino. A bar / casino / restaurant. I'm there twice, but my memories, I especially have to get the photos. Luckily I still have some things in general! Now the real party animals remaining, along with the locals who have nothing else to do.

Casino

A very dangerous area at the time. The casino is open 24 hours a day and is an ideal opportunity to get drunk gambling. They seem to encourage gambling under influence. Please do not spend more money than necessary.

Restaurant

Annie's Place is cheap, Bojangles is already more expensive and Casino is the most expensive. You paid the highest prize for the dishes. I have once ordered a sandwich around 07:00, it was fast and friendly service and paid $ 12. Good service, nicely decorated tables and chairs and beautiful decorations on the wall. A classy place.

Bar

Near the restaurant you will find the bar, the atmosphere and all the people are all night, bouncing back from Annie's Place. The tent is fairly "idiot-proof" (there can be little overturn or damage) is made. They give the same here as in the previous two bars, only here you pay something like $ 1 per drink more.

Atmosphere and music

The atmosphere was in my eyes just fine, but this was more fun because a large group of drunk people standing around me. They have a more hip music. After Bojangles is a welcome change in my opinion. Now back home, it's late, time to sleep!
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