Michael Chmilar's Travels

Category: Australia

  • East Coast

    East Coast

    I’ve spent the last few days travelling from Sydney to Brisbane, and past. I am surprised at how developed the whole coast is. There are many, many beach resorts north of Sydney, and north and south of Brisbane. However, I am not a “beach person”, so, after seeing a couple of beaches, I am ready…

  • Halfway Finished

    Halfway Finished

    Well, I am about halfway through my trip. I will be leaving Australia for New Zealand in about a week. (I have updated the previous two posts – “Tree Huggers” and “Hook Turn” – with photos. Scroll down to see the updates.) I am driving from Melbourne to Brisbane. I am currently back in Sydney,…

  • Tree Huggers

    Tree Huggers

    I did see some Koalas”in the wild”, yesterday. They were laying around in some trees, along the “Great Ocean Road”. There was six beasts, in all, including two very small ones, and one “teenager”. Koalas are certainly “tree huggers”. They just flop on a branch and sleep all day! Unfortunately, I can’t post a photo.…

  • The Hook Turn

    The Hook Turn

    The “hook turn” is a (legal) driving maneuver that seems to be unique to Melbourne. This description is changed to North American (ie. driving on right-hand side of the road) driving: Let’s say you want to make a left turn, at an intersection. To do so, you would: start in the rightmost lane; drive into…

  • Melbourne Museum and Zoo

    Melbourne Museum and Zoo

    Getting back into tourist mode, I visited the Melbourne Museum yesterday, and the zoo today. Both are pretty good. The museum featured a number of different exhibits. One of the most interesting was about “evolution”. Amazingly, they are able to cover the topic without being distracted by “alternate” views from religious fanatics! (Similarly, “global warming”…

  • Canberra

    Canberra

    I am in Melbourne now, but I spent Christmas in Canberra. Canberra is the capitol of Australia. It is not in any of the states of Australia. It is in a special region called the Australian Capitol Territory. In that regard it is like Washington D.C. Also, like D.C., Canberra is a “planned city”. As…

  • Sydney to Canberra

    Sydney to Canberra

    It’s already time to leave Sydney. I am heading to Canberra, in a couple hours. I will weather out the Christmas seige in Canberra. I haven’t really done much in Sydney, but it is nice to just relax. I went on a Sydney harbour cruise, for two hours, and strolled a bit around downtown and…

  • First Day In Sydney

    First Day In Sydney

    My first day in Sydney has not been too exciting. I have not strayed more than a couple of blocks from my hotel. I first went the Apple Store, which is half-a-block away. There, I learned that my iPod has a hardware fault, and is not worth repairing. Then I discussed buying a new one.…

  • Adelaide and Area

    Adelaide and Area

    I arrived in Sydney last evening, after a week in Adelaide and the surrounding area. I really only spent one full day in the city of Adelaide. Then I was off on another campervan adventure. I had another 4wd “Trekker”, which is the same vehicle I damaged in Darwin. This time, I managed to return…

  • Perth and Surroundings

    Perth and Surroundings

    I’ve spent a week in and around Perth. My film arrived last Tuesday, so I was then able to head out into the countryside. Perth is a very relaxed city of 1.4 million people. It is quite pleasant to hang out here. My hostel is two blocks from what they call “Chinatown”, but should really…