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| Sydney and Beyond: Notes From Australia by Jennifer Edwards |
I planned my Australian trip through an Australian travel agent who customizes trips to travelers
needs. I know I could have planned it myself since I usually plan all of our other trips, but it was our
25th wedding anniversary and I didn’t want to do all the work. We finally made it to Australia in
December 2002, which was late spring in Sydney.
needs. I know I could have planned it myself since I usually plan all of our other trips, but it was our
25th wedding anniversary and I didn’t want to do all the work. We finally made it to Australia in
December 2002, which was late spring in Sydney.
We flew into Sydney. It is the most
beautiful place we visited on our trip.
The harbor was amazing. It reminded
me of Laguna & Crystal beach in
California, only Sydney is that much
more spectacular. In Sydney we stayed
at the Renaissance hotel which was
centrally located and had great service.
The public transportation in Sydney was
also very good.
Next we visited the Great Barrier Reef.
We went to the southern tip to a town
named Airlie beach where we stayed at
a condo-hotel.
beautiful place we visited on our trip.
The harbor was amazing. It reminded
me of Laguna & Crystal beach in
California, only Sydney is that much
more spectacular. In Sydney we stayed
at the Renaissance hotel which was
centrally located and had great service.
The public transportation in Sydney was
also very good.
Next we visited the Great Barrier Reef.
We went to the southern tip to a town
named Airlie beach where we stayed at
a condo-hotel.
Next we moved on to a Bed & Breakfast in Adelaide and went north to visit the Barossa Valley which is
Australian wine country. On the private tours and tasting of many small wineries, we were able to talk to
the vintners themselves. At one vineyard, tea was even prepared for us. It was one of the highlights of
our trip.
Our visit to Kangaroo Island was another awesome stop. We did an all day jeep tour, which I highly
recommend even though it does cost extra money. It was more personalized, more informative and
much more flexible. The guide was also very knowledgeable. The tour included tea and cookies, a
lunch of Aussie barbie, cooked by the guide, and pick up and drop off. Kangaroo Island was also the
only stop on our trip where we actually saw the animals of Australia such as the koala, kangaroo, and
wallabies. Although we were there in December, which is summer in Australia, the island was very very
cold. We needed the extra jacket that the B&B owner had loaned us.
We did however have one interesting incident during our trip. The tour guide picked us up at the airport
and after the tour took us to the B&B. As we walked to the door we overheard him saying to himself
something like "I have to see this". I guess we were the first Black folks to stay at that particular Bed &
Breakfast. The owners were quite reserved at first but eventually warmed up to us. Like I said if you
don’t go looking for something, just accept that people are different and treat everyone as a person,
charm will win out every time.
Our last stop was Melbourne. "Not a repeater" as my husband would say, but there were some sights to
see. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, in a great room overlooking the Yarra River. There were many
things to do in the surrounding area so it was a good base, but we were there only 2 nights. Our last
night in Australia we did a dinner train. It was an old world style train like the Orient Express. We were
served great wine with each of the five courses. It was a romantic ending to a wonderful vacation.
Australian wine country. On the private tours and tasting of many small wineries, we were able to talk to
the vintners themselves. At one vineyard, tea was even prepared for us. It was one of the highlights of
our trip.
Our visit to Kangaroo Island was another awesome stop. We did an all day jeep tour, which I highly
recommend even though it does cost extra money. It was more personalized, more informative and
much more flexible. The guide was also very knowledgeable. The tour included tea and cookies, a
lunch of Aussie barbie, cooked by the guide, and pick up and drop off. Kangaroo Island was also the
only stop on our trip where we actually saw the animals of Australia such as the koala, kangaroo, and
wallabies. Although we were there in December, which is summer in Australia, the island was very very
cold. We needed the extra jacket that the B&B owner had loaned us.
We did however have one interesting incident during our trip. The tour guide picked us up at the airport
and after the tour took us to the B&B. As we walked to the door we overheard him saying to himself
something like "I have to see this". I guess we were the first Black folks to stay at that particular Bed &
Breakfast. The owners were quite reserved at first but eventually warmed up to us. Like I said if you
don’t go looking for something, just accept that people are different and treat everyone as a person,
charm will win out every time.
Our last stop was Melbourne. "Not a repeater" as my husband would say, but there were some sights to
see. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, in a great room overlooking the Yarra River. There were many
things to do in the surrounding area so it was a good base, but we were there only 2 nights. Our last
night in Australia we did a dinner train. It was an old world style train like the Orient Express. We were
served great wine with each of the five courses. It was a romantic ending to a wonderful vacation.
During our trip we took a total of 12 flights. We had to. After
all, Australia is bigger than the US. We only had 12 days on
the ground and 2 days of traveling. We met many travelers
along the way, mostly Europeans. They were visiting for
periods of 4 weeks to 3 months. There is just so much to see
and do in Australia it is not possible to do it all on one trip.
I would strongly recommend for any traveler black or white to
make this trip. It is a interesting place, and the land and
vegetation is so different from the US. The animals, the food
is amazing.
Although, Australians have a long history of racism towards the
Aboriginies, we did not experience any. I believe if we go into
new situations with open-mindedness and tolerance we allow
ourselves to have wonderful experiences. Over-all, the
Australian people were friendly. We didn’t experience any
rudeness. A few times however, we could feel a bit of
hesitation.
all, Australia is bigger than the US. We only had 12 days on
the ground and 2 days of traveling. We met many travelers
along the way, mostly Europeans. They were visiting for
periods of 4 weeks to 3 months. There is just so much to see
and do in Australia it is not possible to do it all on one trip.
I would strongly recommend for any traveler black or white to
make this trip. It is a interesting place, and the land and
vegetation is so different from the US. The animals, the food
is amazing.
Although, Australians have a long history of racism towards the
Aboriginies, we did not experience any. I believe if we go into
new situations with open-mindedness and tolerance we allow
ourselves to have wonderful experiences. Over-all, the
Australian people were friendly. We didn’t experience any
rudeness. A few times however, we could feel a bit of
hesitation.
But if you treat people in a way that is open and friendly, you can win over almost anyone.
We dream of returning one day.
We dream of returning one day.
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