A great trip to the land of Oz
 

Yes, it was good, visited my friends on their "farm" westerly of Newcastle, spent time moving the cattle around, went to the Hunter winieries, spent a day and a night at their place in Newcastle, went to a couple other beach towns around there. Really green and pretty, great weather, took a train north five hours to Coffs Harbor, didn't care much for it and took a bus to Bellingen, stayed there a couple days, took another bus to Nambucca Heads, stayed there a couple days, really a great little beach town. Took the train back to the farm and stayed there a couple days, went to a pub in a very small town and had a good time. Took a train back to Sydney and spent three nights, did all the tourist you can for two full days. Got up at 4 in the morning to get to the airport, got home sometime the next day, ended up about 30 hours with not much sleep. Got home Tuesday.
Now the fun, My wife had an email about a job she had interviewed for before we left, she talked to them and they hired her. She hasn't even been into the office yet and is leaving for Tel Aviv tomorrow to company headquarters. Now thats going to be a long flight, LA to JFK, to Tel Aviv. I feel for her. Home four nights, we were in the land of Oz 18 days so we haven't gotten back to real time yet and she will be going someplace that is about 8 hours ahead of us. I would go and be a tourist there, she has a room, but the flight is over 2k and I just spent a bunch downunder. It's expensive down there. That and they sure drink a lot.

Bats in Bellingen
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Kukaburras in NewCastle
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The obligatory Kangaroo
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The prisoners quarters at the parents house from about 1900
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His 69 912, a very nice car
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Good on ya Maaate. As they say in Australia.

It's such a cool place. It makes me so proud that I'm almost Australian. Well, my great grandfather was born there and I go to Bondi for holidays :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Glad you enjoyed your stay!

Lots of Aussies travelling to the US with the good exchange rate at the moment .

Not often the $AUS is higher than the $US!

Wow. Green with envy here. Someday .....

I went to Brisbane for 5 days on Biz.

I like it there. I like Italy too!

Big lizard
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Lord Nelson's, one of he oldest pubs in Sydney, had a couple there
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looking up
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looking outhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1302416448.jpg

Greatest people there I have ever met. You were smart to get out of town and see the sights. Great looking 912. I spent a night in Coffs Harbour in 1988.

Been twice. Last trip was 3 weeks in a rental car. Next trip is a 10 day m/c trip from Hervey Bay (Queensland) to the races at Phillip Island and back.

Yeah, we spent ONE night in Coffs Harbour, we took the train up, no car, we thought we could walk around but it's just too spread out, that's why we left by bus and went to Bellingen, small town in the hills and we could walk everyplace. Even by Dana Point standards Australia is expensive.

Spent a month in Australia. Drove on the Great Ocean Road, went to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, spent time on Fraser Island. It's a wonderful place with great people. I'd gladly live there.

I had to read it twice. I thought your wife had gotten a job in Oz. Figured you'd be moving until I read the sentence correctly. Now that would have been something because gray hairs don't get a free pass into Oz.

She just called me from Tel Aviv, looong flight after just getting back from Oz.
The only way we could/would move to Oz is if she had a job where the company sent her there. It's just expensive down there.

Dean,

Glad you enjoyed your trip - you packed a fair bit into only a few days :). Boy do I feel for your wife - long haul plane trips aren't fun; but to have to back one up against another like this is almost nasty ;). Hope her jetlag doesn't last too long.

Two things are working against you Americans down here. One is the strength of our dollar - obvious (and ridiculous). The second is our cost of living just keeps climbing. Everyone I know (regardless of wealth) is feeling it. We may still be the lucky country is so many ways; but hell you'd better be able to afford it.

Unfortunately the cost comes down to supply and demand. We only have 21M souls so our consumer market is somewhat smaller than your 320M souls.

Glad you had a good time.

I think cost is living is tied to your minimum wage, when you pay a "server" in a restaurant and someone that changes sheets at the hotel $20 an hour, no wonder everything else is high.
I got my lectures there about our low minimum wages and why we are wrong but?

We didn't have to buy anything there but I noticed everything that was imported was taxed pretty high, even beer, $45 a case, I would have to start making my own.
We had a lot of fun but after being there I don't think Dana Point is expensive.

Tax here sucks. You can buy a new M3 for about $55K apparently, here $200K

Great read... I've been thinking about taking the wife to Australia later this year but of course the exchange rate leaves me thinking... is there even anywhere good to visit that the exchange rate wouldn't be too bad on someone from the US?

New Zealand :) :) :)

Shop around before you get here. Lots of good accommodation deals at the moment as our dollar is high, people are taking off overseas. If you come to Adelaide you can use one of my cars for as long as you need.

What did you think about Fraser Island? One of the coolest places I've ever been. We stayed at a resort named: Eurong Beach Resort......Figured it was name by our wives: UR wrong

http://www.fraserisland.au.com/?source=AdwordsB_@Fraser+Island&gclid=CN6Tic7Zk6gC FaNd5QodMmUieg

My best friend lives in Hervey Bay, (next door) and took us there for 2 days in his 4x4........Happy times....