Great Ocean Road, Australia

The Great Ocean Road, a windy, scenic, coastal road near Melbourne, is similar to California’s coastal Highway 1. Actually, with its numerous rock formations, curvaceous coast and blue-green water, I think the Great Ocean Road is more stunning than its California counterpart.

Four other CouchSurfers and I rented an SUV to explore the Great Ocean Road in two days. We started in Torquay (nearest to Melbourne) and drove all the way to Port Campbell before heading back. My favorite view of the Great Ocean Road meandering along the coast was at Teddy’s Lookout.

We camped at Cape Otway, the southernmost point of the area. Near our campsite were coastal trails that led to scenic, rocky beaches. Also, there were several koalas in the trees in Cape Otway, resting and eating, as usual. We also saw two koalas near the road at night while driving back.

Parts of the Great Ocean Road are a bit inland, giving us the opportunity to observe lush hills and valleys and cattle. Some areas reminded me of the European countryside.

The most stunning part of the Great Ocean Road had to be The Twelve Apostles and the area nearby. The Twelve Apostles are six (used to be twelve) rock formations in the ocean. Together with the adjacent undulating coast, it makes for great photographs and priceless memories. We were luckily able to witness the sunset and the changing colors of the clouds at The Twelve Apostles. Visiting nature’s gifts, like those along the Great Ocean Road, reminds me of how beautiful the world is and how we need to safeguard these natural treasures for future generations.

Australian Open 2010

They say that there can be four seasons in a day in Melbourne and this was clearly exhibited during the Australian Open (tennis tournament). On several days, there was a persistent overcast and chill, reminding me of wintry weather (I thought heading to the Southern hemisphere would save me from winter). However, many people, including me, got sun-burnt on those days. At least it wasn’t scorching hot during the tournament, though!

The reason I chose to come to Melbourne in mid-January, in the middle of the Australian summer, was to watch the Australian Open, one of four Grand Slam tennis tournaments (the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open). Ever since I was a child, it had been my dream to attend a Grand Slam tournament. I was going to watch the French Open in Paris last May but did not get a chance as all the tickets were sold out by the time I got to the venue. Thus, I bought my five-day grounds pass for the Aussie Open months ahead of the competition.

I watched tennis for five straight days (the second to sixth days as it was raining on the first day), spending about 7-12 hours a day at Melbourne Park, the venue. With my grounds pass, I could roam around more than a dozen courts, giving me complete flexibility. In actuality, though, one can only enter the courts during players’ rest time and many of the seats in the three outside stadiums fill up early in the day. I watched first to third round matches. I was lucky in that I watched all the matches that I wanted to. My favorite player to watch is the French male player Gael Monfils, slipping and sliding on the court as if it were clay! I also got to watch Venus and Serena Williams play doubles.

One thing about watching live tennis--it is much more interesting than watching TV tennis! The time seems to go by much faster during live matches as one can catch up on scores from the other courts or simply observe the audience during players’ breaks. The atmosphere in the courts in outstanding! Some countries have cheering squads that resemble fans at football matches (e.g., Sweden, Croatia, Serbia and Chile--I’ll never forget those fans!). Other fans waved flags, wore their nation’s colors, painted their favorite players’ names on themselves or simply yelled!

Outside of tennis, there were vendor stalls and food booths in the area. I especially enjoyed the big screens that broadcasted live matches from the two main courts, along with score updates. Overall, the Aussie Open had great atmosphere and I want to come back in the future.

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, Australia’s “second city” has a European vibe to it. The city is composed of charming neighborhoods filled with Victorian architecture, curbside cafes and shady parks. Because of all this, I adore Melbourne more than Sydney, which I found rather bland and modern.

Melbourne’s heart is Federation Square, with its modern museums and giant TV screen. I like the atmosphere of this central location; in fact, I watched some Australian Open tennis on the giant screen.

My highlight in the city had to be celebrating Australia Day. The government did a great job of planning a day of free events for the public. This began with a People’s Parade down Swanston Street. The festivities also included an acrobatics show by the Australian Air Force, a guitar concert, birthday cake cutting and vintage car exhibition. The grand finale was a spectacular fireworks show over Federation Square and the Yarra River. Happy birthday, Australia!

Byron Bay, Australia

For my last stop in Australia, I decided to cross into New South Wales state and visit Bryon Bay, home of the easternmost point in Australia.

Byron Bay is known for surfing, art and is alternative lifestyle. The latter includes yoga, meditation and organic food. When I visited, the town was packed due to schoolies week, a period of debauchery and drunkenness for graduating high school seniors.

My highlight of my stay was the hike around Cape Byron. There, I was able to hike through coastal rainforest while at the same time admiring the rocky coastline and pristine beaches. The path took me to the Cape Byron Lighthouse, which is near Australia’s most easterly point.

At this point, I am ready to move onto Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia. I enjoyed my time in Australia, but am a bit “beached out.” I believe good things are best enjoyed sparingly. Australia has the world’s most beautiful beaches and scenery, but is culturally devoid, just like the U.S. I am ready for a unique cultural experience in Southeast Asia!

Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane, the largest city in Queensland, is a modern Western city with many contemporary skyscrapers and apartment blocks lining its river. The city surprisingly (to me) is very international, with a healthy mix of Asians, Europeans and Africans. Brisbane is a hub for international students and working holidaymakers.

My highlights of Brisbane are actually outside the city. My CS host Nicola and I spent a Saturday morning bushwalking along the coast of North Stradbroke Island. There, we spotted two manta rays and a kangaroo. The beaches there were very white and the water, similar to Sydney’s had two shades of blue.

Another highlight was the visit to Daisy Hill Koala Centre. For the first time, I spotted koalas! The cute, cuddly creatures were very sedentary, preferring to eat eucalypt leaves while hanging onto branches.

Whitsunday Islands, Australia

I spent four of the best days of my life on a sailing trip around the “I-ran-out-of-superlatives-to describe” Whitsunday Islands on the Queensland coast of Australia, in between Cairns and Brisbane. In fact, with all the places I have traveled to, I rate the Whitsunday Islands on my “top ten list”.

Why? Well, imagine sunny weather, cool breezes, glacial-blue waters and 74 welcoming islands. Top that off with warm water temperatures and coral reef and one has got a recipe for paradise. The coral reef there is a fringe reef while not technically part of the main Great Barrier Reef, was far more superior to it. For the first time in while, I saw vibrant, colorful coral and schools of multi-colored fish. My highlights include swimming amongst schools of fish and observing the color changes of the fish as the sunlight shone at different angles. I also observed a stingray, turtle and dolphins! Moreover, I got the chance to observe large fish in action as I fed them bread. Lastly, my CS host Joe caught a dead toadfish (poisonous to eat, though).

The trip itself was amazing. There were the six of us--me; my host and caretaker of the boat (Oceania) Joe; Mark, an Aussie; Maura, an Italian CSer; and Jane and Fran, a pair of German twins. We sailed on the Oceania, a 52-foot sailboat. I played skipper for part of the trip, steering us to safety. Each day, we would go for a swim, a snorkel and an R&R session on the deck. I especially enjoyed sleeping on the deck with the cool breeze brushing against my face, while gazing at a sky blanketed with stars. Then in the morning, I would wake up to the most beautiful sunrise and be surrounded by the cleanest water in this world.

One very special place in the Whitsundays is Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. This is perhaps the world’s longest and whitest beach. The silica-derived sand was so soft and pure, providing a gorgeous contrast to the different blue hues of the water. We also hiked up a peak for unparalleled views of Whitehaven Beach, the sea and a lagoon with swirls of the white sand. This is probably one of the world’s “top ten views”.

Cairns, Australia

Cairns is the tourist capital of the Great Barrier Reef. I was here to go snorkeling, mindful of the fact that the reef might cease to exist in a few decades.

Cairns is very touristy. Europeans, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans, you name it and they are here. The only exception being Australians, who seemed to be in the minority. The city is geared for tourism not only to the Great Barrier Reef, but also to the nearby rainforests, Aboriginal parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

My main activity in Cairns was joining a day trip abroad a catamaran to the Outer Reef. It is a shame that one has to travel two hours away from Cairns in order to spot some undamaged coral. The trip was a full day but I only got to snorkel for about 1.5 hours, at two different reefs. I saw some colored coral, anemones and colored (blue, green, yellow) fish. However, I was disappointed at the lack of color amongst most of the coral, probably due to bleaching from pollution and global warming. Isn’t the Great Barrier Reef supposed to contain the best and brightest coral in the world?

One interesting observation I noticed while here (nothing related to the reef) is the ubiquitous traffic roundabouts. Thus, instead of traffic lights or stop signs, Australians prefer to utilize roundabouts at their junctions.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney is similar to San Diego, both in its sunny weather and pristine beaches. In fact, I felt that Sydney is more scenic due to its numerous coves and rocky coastline.

In my opinion, one should come to Sydney for its natural beauty and not for its architecture, sites or culture. Since Australia’s history is relatively brief, there isn’t a whole lot of historic buildings. Most of the old homes are 19th century outfits with porches and terraces. In terms of culture, Australia is very similar to the U.S. Thus, I was frankly a bit bored with what I saw in the city.

However, one aspect of Sydney that makes it interesting is its diversity. This truly is an international city, with various cuisines and languages. In particular, I noted the huge numbers of Chinese, Korean and Japanese people. Because of this, Sydney resembles a mini-London.

I spent most of my time in Sydney “bushwalking” or hiking along its coast with the companionship of some great CouchSurfers. It is amazing that one can find pristine nature a few minutes away from the CBD (central business district). On the Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach walk, I was able to admire the blue-green water (Sydney is approximately the same latitude as San Diego; I wonder why its waters are more turquoise and clear than SD’s), various coves and modern sculptures on display. On the Manly Scenic Walk, I found myself hiking in a forested pathway with views of the CBD, bays, ocean and headlands. I also spotted various birds and lizards. And all this was in the city! Lastly, my favorite bushwalk of them all was north of Sydney, in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. There, several CouchSurfers and I hiked to a few headlands to admire views of both the ocean and the bay. We also spotted a few caves.

Two observations caught my attention. First, Australia (or at least Sydney) is pricier than I expected it to be. Prices here are on par or if not more expensive than that in the Euro zone. Of course, it does not help that the U.S. dollar is approaching parity with the Australian dollar. Price examples include over $4 for a gallon of milk (explain this to me as Australia is one of the largest dairy-producing countries in the world), at least $2/lb for any fruit, $10 for a sandwich and over $3 for a bus ride.

The second observation is concerning Sydney’s inefficient and user-unfriendly public transportation system. Sure, Sydney’s network of buses, trains and ferries is superior to that in most U.S. cities. However, it is inefficient in that there is no smart card that one can use on any transport, nothing like Hong Kong’s Octopus or London’s Oyster (in which the passenger can seamlessly swipe his/hard card over a reader without needing to know the fare beforehand). Thus, buses are frequently late due to passengers fumbling for change to pay the driver. Moreover, to complicate matters, the bus fare is dependent on the number of zones traveled, which means that one has to ask the bus driver for the fare (again a waste of time). Tickets with ten rides are sold, but unfortunately, these are only for travel in the same zone.

Lastly, I was very surprised at the number of European tourists in Australia. Sure, they are avoiding their winter, but in this economic climate, I was surprised at how many European youths were able to afford $25 and upward hostels and nights of partying in Sydney.