XP: Australia!

pinkcow13

I posted this on the honeymoon board, but it's kinda slow, and I know some of you knottie's have traveled to different places.

FI and I decided that we want to go to Australia for our honeymoon. So tell me all you guys know about the land down under! FI and I have been doing some research, and a coworker provided him with some information. Right now we are considering spending one week in the city - either Melbourne or Sydney, and using Air BnB. We think it might be cool to "live" out there for the week. Our second week we would like to go to a "beachier" destination, and we are looking into the Whitsunday Islands which look amazing. 

One concern I have is that it will be winter there - we are going the last week in May into the first week of June. I know that winter there is different than it is here (NYC), but that is one thing we have in mind. I am curious about the food (I LOVE food), and what are some must try food items.  Also, are there any preferences between Sydney or Melbourne?

I would appreciate any and all information!

charlottesmom0626

I lived in Sydney and visited Melbourne...Melbourne has a cooler scene for bars and small restaurants, but there was more to do in Sydney (in my opinion) To be fair Australia is very diverse and there aren't many foods I can think of (marmite?) that you NEED to try, but there's an amazing Asian influence..oh and kangaroo! Eat that. There's a cool meat pie truck called Harry's that I liked.

esstee33

@Jells2dot0 has a pretty solid knowledge of Australia, I think. Jellllllls, come here! 

larrygaga

I heard saying g'day mate is actually offensive and my friend went there and got peed on by a koala have fun

Jells2dot0

I was married there, so I have some knowledge

Melbourne will be more like San Fransisco while Sydney will be more like San Diego. @missdelilah is from Sydney so she may be able to help! Melbourne is def a foodie destination, but it will be chilly. 

The lower GBR will be a bit cooler, so try to head up toward the nothern part of the Whitsundays or Cairns. We HMed on Lizard Island, which is an hour flight north of Cairns and the weather was perfect. 

JaniV123

exciting!!! aaaand thats all I have haha sorry never been to Australia or know anything bout it. 

pinkcow13

@charlottesmom0626 - Awesome! I heard that they eat kangaroo meat out there and that it is phenomenal. I'm a bit nervous to try it, but I'm always game to at least try something once before knocking it!

@larrygaga, honestly koalas are so cute, that I would be honored to get peed on by one. Plus, we're kinda used to it. A Capuchin once peed on FI, and last Christmas, our kitty Kapuchee peed on him too.

Jells2dot0missdelilah is from Sydney! 

WinstonsGirl

My Brother/SIL did almost 3 month in Australia for their HM.  They started in Sydney, flew to Cairns and backpacked their way down the Gold Coast.  I can look into places they loved if you're interested.  

esstee33

@pinkcow13 I've had kangaroo burgers and they were awesome. Do it! 

Jells2dot0

It was a fucking long flight, but we flew Air New Zealand and bought a SkyCouch. So, we could lay down and sleep for the 12 hour journey.

charlottesmom0626

Ouch. I tried to tough if out- economy. Burst a blood vessel in my thigh, massive bruising. Moral: walk on the flight! Drink water! Maybe take an aspirin.

pinkcow13

@WinstonsGirl‌ I would love that! Wow a 3 month honeymoon is freaking amazing! @esstee33‌ - Ahh really? Is it better than beef? I love my beef burgers lol. @Jells2dot0‌ , oh that's pretty awesome. I want to price it out to see if we can do something above economy. A skycouch would be amazing. @charlottesmom0626‌, omg OW!! That's another fear of mine. I've heard of things like deep vein thrombosis occurring for example. Maybe I can do some lunges or squats in the aisle or something.

CMGragain

pinkcow13 said:

@WinstonsGirl‌ I would love that! Wow a 3 month honeymoon is freaking amazing! @esstee33‌ - Ahh really? Is it better than beef? I love my beef burgers lol. @Jells2dot0‌ , oh that's pretty awesome. I want to price it out to see if we can do something above economy. A skycouch would be amazing. @charlottesmom0626‌, omg OW!! That's another fear of mine. I've heard of things like deep vein thrombosis occurring for example. Maybe I can do some lunges or squats in the aisle or something.

On overseas flights, I always get up every three to four hours and do knee bends and stretches.  I had blood vessels burst on the back of both my knees on a long Atlantic flight.  I have been very careful ever since, and I haven't had a problem. 
Also, you should take one asperin before you board the plane.  It helps prevent blood clots.

charlottesmom0626

@CMGragain My doctor actually recommended an aspirin a day for a week before travel. OP talk to your doctor about their suggestions

Maggie0829

They have huge spiders and other crazy ass huge things that can kill you.  It is also a long fucking flight from the US.

That is the extent of my knowledge.

pinkcow13

Maggie0829 said:

They have huge spiders and other crazy ass huge things that can kill you.  It is also a long fucking flight from the US.

That is the extent of my knowledge.

Haha, yea my coworker told me about the huge spiders, and was nice enough to send me some lovely pictures. Yea, the flight is really what is freaking me out. If I can survive that flight, I think I will be fine with the spiders. Maybe....

Thanks @charlottesmom0626, I will definitely ask. I will have to go to my doctor beforehand to get some super strong xanax, or something to get me through the flight!

Jells2dot0

We saw WAY bigger spiders in the Seychelles than we did in Australia. We did not have any encounters with any type of dangerous anything in Australia.

missdelilah

Chiming in a little late, but I've lived in both Sydney and Melbourne, so here's my thoughts on that part of the adventure, feel free to ask me more if you like.

Sydney will likely have better weather at that time of year, but it's been such an odd few years there, that there's no guaranteeing anything much.  It won't be anything you consider cold, but it could be really pleasant, or really dreary.  

Go with whichever city appeals to you most.  There's great food in both places, wonderful museums and galleries, and the opportunity for day trips to lovely places if you want to hire a car or get out of town on the train.  Melbourne is more laid back, and Sydney is a bit more hectic, but nothing at like NYC.  If you want it be really obvious to all your Facebook 'friends' who you haven't spoken to in several years that you went to Australia, go to Sydney.  That's where most of the internationally famous places are.  It's really hard to give you a "pick one over the other" piece of advice, because they're such different cities, and so similar at the same time.  Once you've decided which city you'll be going to, let me know if you want suggestions on what to do there, or whether things that are on your list of possibilities are worthwhile.  Keep in mind, I haven't lived there in four and a half years, but I do visit from time to time.  I can also help you out choosing an Air BnB location if you like.

And yeah, avoid the 'G'day mate.'  It's just ridiculous when foreigners try to do it.  'Mate' is acceptable if you're from a place where it's a common saying, but putting it on always makes us roll our eyes.  

And don't worry about the huge spiders.  It's the tiny ones that tend to be poisonous.  You really shouldn't have a problem with them in the city, but if you go up North, be prepared to spend a little time learning about what you're likely to encounter and what you don't need to worry about.  So few people die from snake and spider bites in Australia, so don't stress.

pinkcow13

missdelilah said:

Chiming in a little late, but I've lived in both Sydney and Melbourne, so here's my thoughts on that part of the adventure, feel free to ask me more if you like.

Sydney will likely have better weather at that time of year, but it's been such an odd few years there, that there's no guaranteeing anything much.  It won't be anything you consider cold, but it could be really pleasant, or really dreary.  

Go with whichever city appeals to you most.  There's great food in both places, wonderful museums and galleries, and the opportunity for day trips to lovely places if you want to hire a car or get out of town on the train.  Melbourne is more laid back, and Sydney is a bit more hectic, but nothing at like NYC.  If you want it be really obvious to all your Facebook 'friends' who you haven't spoken to in several years that you went to Australia, go to Sydney.  That's where most of the internationally famous places are.  It's really hard to give you a "pick one over the other" piece of advice, because they're such different cities, and so similar at the same time.  Once you've decided which city you'll be going to, let me know if you want suggestions on what to do there, or whether things that are on your list of possibilities are worthwhile.  Keep in mind, I haven't lived there in four and a half years, but I do visit from time to time.  I can also help you out choosing an Air BnB location if you like.

And yeah, avoid the 'G'day mate.'  It's just ridiculous when foreigners try to do it.  'Mate' is acceptable if you're from a place where it's a common saying, but putting it on always makes us roll our eyes.  

And don't worry about the huge spiders.  It's the tiny ones that tend to be poisonous.  You really shouldn't have a problem with them in the city, but if you go up North, be prepared to spend a little time learning about what you're likely to encounter and what you don't need to worry about.  So few people die from snake and spider bites in Australia, so don't stress.

Thanks so much! We are still undecided, although I am slightly leaning towards Melbourne. Like you said, it really is hard picking one over the other. As much as I hate spiders and any other creatures, I'm definitely not nervous. There are creatures everywhere, and I've been to remote areas where I could have encountered much worse things. I think we are going to meet with a travel agent, do a bit more research, and once we narrow things down I'll definitely contact you for advice