Planning trip to Australia

[tvstrip]

No kidding, I'm gonna have to google that, I've only seen people on money. Except for one Canadian denomination. It had a Loon.

The Canadians "toonie" ($2) has polar bears, and you'll also find Moose and Beavers (the animal) on the coins.
And yes, there is Canadian money showing kids playing hockey:

Aussie coins are where it's at: Platypus, Echidna, Kangaroos and some sort of bird that no one really knows. Instead of buying souvenirs for friends, I just gave them coins. Much easier to put in your luggage than a giant hat with little corks hanging from it.

The banknotes are just the standard people with the polymer windows, so maybe not too special, although you may come across a $50 with a spelling mistake:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-48210733

 

[Mr. Daystar]

Wow, that's pretty cool, thanks for the info. I haven't been to Canada in decades, so I don't remember much, in fact the beer is WHY I don't remember much!

 

[Pornfan99]

Okay; I dug out my Australia travel journal. AMP Tower had nice views / was worth the price of admission. The prison I visited was the Hyde Park Barracks; very interesting. In that area the St. James Park has a nice fountain (and statues / sculptures?). The Chinese Gardens were nice (never been to one before). The Powerhouse Museum had a lot of cool exhibits: mock space station; Bugatti race car; history of the internet; different overnight car classes for trains; etc. And, the aquarium was good - including a "tunnel" where the fish swim all around you, including overhead.

 

[tvstrip]

^^
For sure, the Sea Life aquarium is good, and the tunnel is amazing, but don't forget all the other zoos and aquariums! In fact, deciding which one (or ones) to go to is going to be hard decision.
I would make sure you go to one with a platypus area - you're not going to see a live one outside of Australia.
One thing I hated is the koalas. It's a touristy thing to get your picture taken while holding one, but not all zoos let you do that. When I found one that did, the little bastard literally took a shit when I was holding it. Just chlamydia-infested fuckers drunk from all the alcohol in the eucalyptus leaves that sleep all day...🤬

Some of the best "zoos" are the small, privately owned ones on the outskirts of town. Those are the ones that really interact with the animals, whereas the larger zoos restrict access, probably because of the sheer number of people would traumatize the animals.

Like @Pornfan99 , I thought the powerhouse museum was good too. I usually went on Australia Day when it was free 😁

 

[tvstrip]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle...ss-these-unforgettable-attractions/ar-AAWIYgR

I think it speaks to the quality of the users in this thread seeing that we've already covered most of these

 

[Mr. Daystar]

I just watched a Netflix series about animals, and they did an episode on marsupials. It was very interesting, and the back round scenery looked gorgeous, but what stuck out were the larger species of Kangaroo. They should to males fight for control, and when it was done, they showed a profile of the winner, and this fucker was buff! I mean, it looked like this thing liberally pumped iron! He was jacked man, it was impressive to say the least.

I would pack boxing gloves, just in case.

 

[tvstrip]

I just watched a Netflix series about animals, and they did an episode on marsupials. It was very interesting, and the back round scenery looked gorgeous, but what stuck out were the larger species of Kangaroo. They should to males fight for control, and when it was done, they showed a profile of the winner, and this fucker was buff! I mean, it looked like this thing liberally pumped iron! He was jacked man, it was impressive to say the least.

I would pack boxing gloves, just in case.

That movie should have called "Kangaroo Jacked".

https://www.npr.org/2018/12/10/675282745/roger-the-buff-kangaroo-beloved-online-dies-at-age-12

I saw some wallabies that I felt comfortable around, but I would never, EVER get near a wild kangaroo. It was fun driving to the golf courses at night, which is when they'd all come out and graze. Felt sorry for the grounds crew who had to pick up after them before the course opened in the morning.

 

[Mr. Daystar]

I mean. look at that picture. That fucker looks pissed off, and wants to fight.

 

[tvstrip]

And that's their WEAKEST limb.

Their real muscles are in their tails and legs. Their tails can lift their entire body weight while their legs drop kick you all the way to Tasmania.

 

[Mr. Daystar]

Yeah, I sure as hell wouldn't mess with one.

 

[tvstrip]

Back to the currency, don't forget to grab some New Zealand coins while you're down there. Obviously there's the Kiwi on the $1, but there's also some cool Maori art on some of them too. I guess you could go for their banknotes too if you like birds... because there's a different bird on every denomination.

 

[usman19]

I'm a bit confused by the travel advice and maybe the websites have not been updated properly as last one is been last month.

As far as i know from the UK Gov website people who are vaccinated ie myself can go to Australia and show my status via the NHS app and the DPD, however what i find conflicting is when i arrive in Aus, specifically in Sydney i have to take a test and self isolate?

I hope this is not true, and would this mean before i travel i take a Rapid test and take a few kits with me once there?

Furthermore is wearing masks on flights a thing, cause i thought this is phasing out.

Website for reference

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel-restrictions/international-travel-rules

 

[usman19]

Finding a good luggage is hard it like the shops don't have any selection anymore. I would believe the hard shell ones are the best to get. One medium size one and a rucksack should do good

 

[Mr. Daystar]

Yeah, there used to be a time when any decent department store had a whole section for luggage...back when we had stores. The last time I bought any was for my wife as a present (that's what she wanted, it wasn't a hint). I can't even remember if they had hard side bags, hers aren't, but they fit in each other, like nesting dolls, and I think there were 5 pieces. The only name I can even remember, is Samsonite, and that's because of the commercials with the gorillas.

Good luck finding what you want, I would go to Amazon first, and search them.

 

[Pornfan99]

usman: did you do a Google search, and/or check your yellow pages? I have seen "luggage ONLY" stores, in the past. Likely more expensive, but also likely you'd find what you are indeed looking for.

 

[tvstrip]

usman: did you do a Google search, and/or check your yellow pages? I have seen "luggage ONLY" stores, in the past. Likely more expensive, but also likely you'd find what you are indeed looking for.

On the other hand, you don't want your luggage to look too expensive, making it target for theft. For day trips, I used a good quality, but well used backpack. Mind you, I still got one of those laptop loop locks, because there will be times you inevitably will need to put down your bag.

 

[usman19]

usman: did you do a Google search, and/or check your yellow pages? I have seen "luggage ONLY" stores, in the past. Likely more expensive, but also likely you'd find what you are indeed looking for.

Nope just went into stores but the range has gone down alot down the years

 

[Mr. Daystar]

Finding a good luggage is hard it like the shops don't have any selection anymore. I would believe the hard shell ones are the best to get. One medium size one and a rucksack should do good

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/flight-attendants-travelpro-luggage-100058378.html

 

[tvstrip]

The locals know how to deal with the wildlife...

 

[Pornfan99]

usman: did you book airfare? I'm guessing you have, by now.

If NOT - research Fiji Air flights. They're offering a deal of $949 (!) to Australia from LA or San Fran. Book by 7/27.