Both of them are great so it would be nice to visit them both. Port Douglas is not far from Cairns. It's about 43 miles away from Cairns..

Here are some of the best destinations in Australia: Sydney - Bondi Beach, Congee Beach, Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Blue Mountain Melbourne - Great Shopping Malls such as Sundays Market and Royal Arcade Others are Kakadu National Park, Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef.

[quote]can anyone explain, what Monkey Mia is?[/quote] Monkey Mia is a popular tourist resort located about 800 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The resort is 25 km northeast of the town of Denham in the Shark Bay Marine Park and World Heritage Site. The main attraction is the daily feeding of the bottlenose dolphins that have been coming close to shore for more than forty years. Rangers from the Department of Environment and Conservation carefully supervise the process. source: wikipedia.org.

Thanks for all your response. For me, Sydney and Melbourne are the top cities that I love most. In Sydney, I like their awesome beaches such as Bondi, Congee and Tamarama. All of them are so great. In Melbourne, I really admire their shopping malls like Sundays Market and Royal Arcade..

Has anybody heard of deals where you take rental vehicles across Oz for the rental companies needing them back? Looking for a cheap way to get from Perth to East coast.

I'm sure it will boost tourism, especially in the Top End where it was filmed. Some of the shots I have seen would make your mouth water. They have picked the most beautiful parts of the north and with Baz's magic have made them look even better. Besides all that Oprah gave it a big wrap up and said it had convinced HER that she should visit Australia. The Australian dollar being a bit low at present should also help. Geoff.

To give you a very basic idea given you haven't let us know what your interests are. February on the East Coast is Summertime so you'll want to be somewhere near the water if possible. The beaches will be full and Sundayt afternoon drinks at a good pub with a great outdoor beer garden are a must. In Sydney try Newport Arms on the northern beaches or Watsons Bay Hotel in eastern suburbs. Bryon Bay pub has a cool beer garden too but in summer Bryon Bay is jam packed and becoming more and more a rip off (too expensive) so try Lennox Head a bit further south. Any place from Tathra on the South Coast NSW to the Sunshine Coast is a nice place to hang out. It gets more humid the further north you go. The Barrier reef at this time I'm pretty sure is stinger time so you might want to check that before you book up that way if your keen to see the reef.

Yeah, how was the trip? Threaded Feb. :lol:.

Hi, you say hotels but the Mandalay if you're looking for apartments or something a little bigger was awesome..

Hey BB no problem, have you decided where you think you might start out? I had a look at flatmates and there didnt seem to be much there (6 for whole of sydney) and I can tell you there was nearly a page of listing in the Manly Daily (local paper for the northern beaches) so i reckon they might be your best bet. I check their website but it doesn't seem to have any of the listings from the paper there it just defaults the realestate.com share section which is empty so looks like you'll have to check the local papers when you arrive. Hope you have a great trip if your in Sydney and on the Northern Beaches try the Newport Arms hotel for a cold beer any hot sunny summer sunday for one of the worlds great outdoor pub experiences. If your in the city or eastern suburbs the Watsons Bay Hotel will do a similar job for you albeit with less girls arriving straight off the beach.

Try to make a stop on white haven beach, the white send there is truly amazing!.

Welcome, you can hire a tutor or test your english here. :).

Agree. Bayswater always has great deals.

True. The GBR is excellent this year..

Cool. I live in Barcelona and moving to Portugal in March for four months... All part of my university degree though, it's obligatory to do a year abroad if you study a language in most universities in Britain. Would love to do a house swap, but as I'm a humble student, I don't own a house! Bet my parents and sisters would be interested though, you got room for 5??!! At the moment I am working for a travel company writing for their blog, it's great :) In March I'm going to start working at a vineyard in Lamego... Should be fun... :) Hows the weather in Oz at the mo? Getting a bit hotter I imagine? Char.

As a travel agent I get many enquiries about travel in Australia, what to do, what you should include etc. Many are not aware of the great distances involved like Sydney to Melbourne is 1000k, Sydney to Cairns 3000k etc. Recently I had an enquiry from a group who wanted to do Sydney-Canberra-Melbourne-Adelaide-Ayers Rock-Darwin in 8 days with a lot of sightseeing included. You would probably not remember a thing from this trip if you went ahead. --------------------------- mathew drivenwide dot com.

Prices hike up. Our salaries don't. :lol:.

I suggest a heavy dose of sunblock..

If you picked Kangaroo Island, tell me how it went and do post some pics. G'luck!.

This post was dated way back. I guess he already went. If you're reading this, how was it?.

Have a look on trademe.co.nz (New Zealands version of ebay) which lists vehicles for sale..

I think Newzealand is a very beautyful country and the air is super fresh!!(I stayed in south island,Timaru). I've been there, and just fell in love with the icecream. :D and miss it very much. Have anyone tried it? or Missed it?.

I suggest everyone try the Edge. If you're afraid of heights, this is the safest way to get over it!.

I went backpacking last year and stayed at Rarotonga in the Cook Islands for one week for a relaxing pit stop before carrying onto LA. The weather was hot despite it being November which in the northern hemisphere I would consider winter but it did rain heavily a couple of afternoons. I stayed in a hostel and so it was self catering. There was a shop at the end of the road with very basic supplies - I am talking tins, bread, fruit some packaged meats and not much else. There was a small supermarket in the town center but it was too far to walk from where i was staying so had to travel by bus. It takes about 30 minutes to travel around the island by bus. There is one route and the bus runs in one direction quite infrequently. People do tend to hire scooters to get around the island but to be honest there is not a lot to see plus you have to pass a test and get a license before you can hire.

HI again YYC woman, We discussed Fiji back in May, I have now made my plans. I see we will missed each other . I will only make it in November. Will stay in Nadi only 1 night , from there I will be taking the Yasawa flyer to Waya and Nacula in the Yasawa group of Islands. If you get a chance to sent a post from FIji while your there or shortly after, It would be interesting to get more feedback on NADI. I was thinking of staying at smugglers cove for the one night in Nadi. I arrive aroung 2 pm, I would like to stay close enought to town so I can go back after settling in. Is the Nomads that you mention earlier close to town? Josee.

I think this thread is way overdue. ARe you back from that trip already? So how was the campervan?.

You could try http://www.newzealand.com/travel/International/ it's an official site, you can get your ideas there. or there's this new festival in NZ : http://www.mydriveholiday.com/tempo-08-new-zealands-festival-of-dance/.

Hi everyone... Has anyone been away over christmas and new year? I'm going travelling alone in New Zealand and just wondered if anyone has any experiences of this type of situation??? I have booked a ticket with Kiwi Experience and I have no worries about New Year, it's just I get the feeling already that Xmas will be a time for missing my friends and family (and figure it might be even worse if there's very little to do)......

Does anybody know if it is ok to bring plant cuttings into Tonga?.

:idea: Im new to this game....have just finished uni and quit my part time job to travel western europe for 3 weeks but im thinking , temp till xmas when i get back, and go to newzealand workingfor 6 months, but am new o this game and have n idea where to start! I will be traveling alone so am wondering, wheres best to go, and wheres best to meet people in the same situation as me! :shock: what sort of work is available? Is it best to live in a hostel? is it a good idea to g with a company that will sort out visas, first few nights accomodation and bank acconts as well as support me on my trip? here to begin! :?: Looking forward to hearing from anyone who can help me out Thanks :D Emmanuel x.

palau maybe? i'm not sure about shark diving, but for any other type of diving palau's waters are king!.

[quote]Continental Airlines maintains a President's club at the Guam (Won Pat) Airport. No showers though. You can take a cab into town but the Tumon Bay area, which the airport overlooks, is a high priced tourist trap, and not much to do except shop. There are no bag check facilities at the airport, so you would need to hump your carry-ons into town, working up a good sweat. If you DO exit the airport make sure you have your passport and ticket, and be aware, Guam Customs are notoriously corrupt; they steal cash, jewelry.[/quote] Guam Customs corrupt? lol where did you find that out from?.

oh, and keep in mind that they have drop-bears in australia. drop bears are the 53th leading cause of death in australia amongst tourists - be very carefull!.

Very laid back --- it's pretty awesome. The internet cafe at Anchorage Beach resort was the owners computer when they were done for the day 8), and the phone worked about 25% of the time. I totally decompressed... it was a chore to walk 20 paces to the masseuse hut on the beach. There was accomms at Botaira Beach (Yasawa's) and Mana Island (Mamanuca's) --- but I did not stay at either place. Also the Coral Coast area south of Nadi is quite popular if you didn't want to stray too far. You may want to check that out. I'm sure you will find something suited to your needs. There is accomms from the very high end 'money is no object honeymoon' style to primitive backpackers 'share the toilet with 15 others' style. Do you like snorkeling, diving, water activities or prefer land based? Give me an idea of what you like to do and what are show stoppers.

Hey Don I would suggest one of the better times of year to travel in NZ is at the end of our summer February to April. The weather has generally settled down and is pretty nice but its not too hot, the kids are all back at school and people are still in the Summer vibe so there's lots happening about the place. Places to go? Well you'll probably fly into either Christchurch in the South Island or Auckland in the North Island ... doesn't really matter which. From Christchurch you would probably want to cruise down to Dunedin, to Queenstown (adventure tourism capital - bungy jumping, jet boating, river rafting, paragliding, etc), up the West Coast to see the glaciers (quick before they melt!!) and north to Nelson and Marlborough (wine, food, great weather). Kaikoura is a great place to go too .... very beuatiful, whale watching, seals, great seafood, etc. From Auckland you can travel north to the Bay of Islands, right up north to Cape Reinga, back down the Kauri coast, south to Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, Whakatane, etc), Rotorua for geothermal action and some cultural input, Taupo, Napier/Hastings (wine, food, art deco, great weather) south through the Wairarapa to Wellington (capital city, big museum, etc).

Hi there I'll join the crowd saying that you need to get out of Auckland. Its pretty much just a city like any other really. There are enough things to do in Auckland to keep you busy for a couple of days, but checking out Northland would be my recommendation - the Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga, the Kauri Coast for 4-5 days and then head south to the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo and Hawkes Bay. If you've got time and money, then hop Cook Strait on a Ferry (great day time trip) and check out Nelson Marlborough. With more time on your hands then you can cruise down through Kaikoura to Christchurch, head to Queenstown and back to Dunedin. I'm not sure about modes of transport to be honest because living here I just take a car. There are Intercity buses though. I would have thought that air travel might be the most expensive way to travel, though you can get some cheap deals at the last minute on some flights.

Hi there Depends entirely on what you want to do and how much money you want to spend. I've only ever stayed at a resort in Fiji, but we loved it. Don't expect anythign to happen on time or in a hurry, it all happens in a "Fiji minute" - which could be anything from 10 minutes to 2 days. Fiji has more resorts, more beaches, more hotels .... basically just more. I'm guessign that most people go to Rarotonga when they go to the Cook Is, but if you go I would reccomend flying out to Aitutaki if you can afford it. Aitutaki is a picture postcard tropical island that is simply gorgeous, but its not cheap to get there. Rarotonga is nice enough, but there aren't that many nice beaches .... you'll probably end up at Muri Beach where all the hotels and resorts are. Personally I would rate Fiji first and the Cooks second.

Loved the Cook islands. Rarotonga is gorgeous. The island is about 20kms in circumference. I cycled around it one day and can honestly say that the beaches are perfect all the way around. MIke.

I basically did the same trip you did last year. Technically, you need an outbound ticket for most of those countries. However, I was never asked anywhere other than Tahiti. I got busted there and I had to buy a (refundable) ticket to the US at the airport. Most places are just glad to have tourists and are not worried about someone who doesn't speak the language hiding out. You can only get to Niue via Auckland, FYI. I'd add Samoa to your route, or perhaps in place of Niue. There is a weekly flight from Apia to Nuku'alofa on Air New Zealand. You can also take a short daily flight from Samoa to American Samoa. Samoa is great and the beach fales are really cheap. Flights in that part of the world change frequently. If you do book in advance, give your self lots of time for connecting flights. Days if possible.

This seems like an old topic/thread.. but I am also a graphic designer and I am looking for opportunities abroad and was wondering if anyone knows of any companies that generally pay for relocation? Or is it standard that people move prior to landing a job? any feedback or input would be greatly appreciated! (P.S. I have 8 years of graphic design experience, with both mac and PC proficiency, worked in Print, Web, animation and am pretty savvy with technology. Is there a demand for my type of skill set here? ) thanks a bunch!.

M.V. Jantzen posted a photo:

The Global Ocean System exhibit, showing temperature variations. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC.

Jay Look posted a photo:

Apia Bay before the long boat race during the Teuila Festival 2008 in Samoa

marlenells posted a photo:

I photographer words: www.flickr.com/groups/palavras

ari.zoldan posted a photo:

WiMAX Deployment in Oceania (Google Mash up) : www.wimaxmaps.org
Red bulletpoint : 802.16d
Yellow bulletpoint : 802.16e

yewenyi posted a photo:

yewenyi posted a photo:

yewenyi posted a photo:

yewenyi posted a photo:

100'th meet

yewenyi posted a photo:

yewenyi posted a photo:

mcd540 posted a photo:

One of the beaches on the island of Yap.

mcd540 posted a photo:

Yap Day is a festival of sorts for the Yapese people of Yap in Micronesia. It could be likened to a small fair in the USA. The girls are wearing hibiscus skirts dyed vibrant colors.

mcd540 posted a photo:

A beetel nut tree silhouetted against the blue sky. I have also seen it spelled betel; I don’t know which is more correct.

mcd540 posted a photo:

mcd540 posted a photo:

This men's hut was built upon this large rock platform that was built up in the water with rocks and also forms a dock for boats, rafts and canoes used for fishing. There is a short foot bridge made from wood timbers to reach it. The rock steps in the center foreground lead down to the dock platform.

The area around the hut is landscaped with plants and trees. There are pieces of stone money, or raay, leaning against the building foundation.

mcd540 posted a photo:

This men's hut was built upon this large rock platform that was built up in the water with rocks and also forms a dock for boats, rafts and canoes used for fishing. There is a short foot bridge made from wood timbers to reach it.

The area around the hut is landscaped with plants and trees. There are pieces of stone money, or raay, leaning against the building foundation. Notice the fishing nets in the right.

yewenyi posted a photo:

mcd540 posted a photo:

Close up of a lei being made.

Jay Look posted a photo:

Plumeria in Samoa, South Pacific

leosagnotti posted a photo:

Online Maps on the web

A free site to get GIS data about various countries. This is part of the OpenStreetMap project and you should note that there is NO METADATA OR ACCURACY CHECKS on any of this data.

Useful Oceania Cruise resources ,information and buying guide.

"The Centre for Pacific and Asian Studies (CPAS) was established in 1991. Developed from the former Centre for Australian and Oceanic Studies, the CPAS has an interdisciplinary character and covers Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand, Continental Asia and insular Southeast Asia. The Centre is hosted by the Cultural Anthropology research group within the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies at the University of Nijmegen." (quoted from website)

"The Center for Pacific Islands Studies, in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Pacific and Asian Studies, is both an academic department and a larger home for initiatives that bring together people and resources to promote an understanding of the Pacific Islands and issues of concern to Pacific Islanders. Its innovative instructional program is regional, comparative, and interdisciplinary in nature." (quoted from website)