Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

City Breaks - An area where Australia is lacking?

13»

Comments

  • #62
    CiaranC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,300 ✭✭✭CiaranC


    The Aussie wrote: »
    It might be a passion/hobby for the pair of you, but judging by your posts you dont seem to be very good at it. anybody looking at a map could tell its a vast, barren empty place with cities long distances apart and a long way to travel to any other Country
    Pity you cant get a feel for the obnoxiousness of Australias inhabitants by looking at a map, I could have saved myself the effort of going there. :)


  • #63
    hussey
    Registered Users Posts: 6,240 ✭✭✭hussey


    Mod last warning guys - be civil or don't post at all.

    Just because you like something, does not mean you have the right to belittle someone who does not share that interest.

    Either this train wreak gets back on track or it will be shut.


  • #64
    catbear
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,092 ✭✭✭catbear


    Ok, I'll try to bring this back to common sense.

    I'm a big fan of the Euro city break, I spent a lot of long weekends in Berlin, Venice, Milan, Rome, Paris, Barcelona etc.. but when I got the chance to come out to Australia I knew that it meant a different type of mini break.

    In Europe I loved the different cultures and the history and in Italy I always loved the food and wine. I've saving up my time off for a return trip to Ireland and I will be hoping to stop by Italy and maybe somewhere new too.

    However I've being planning a lot of weekends away here, I'm into hiking, they cal it bush walking, and hopefully I'll be able to join up with a local walking club if work schedules allow. It's not Europe but it does have great freedom of space.


  • #65
    Pisco Sour
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,029 ✭✭✭Pisco Sour


    To be honest, Europe offers a lot of that outdoorsy stuff aswell (Switzerland to give just one example). Not with the same isolation as Australia but being honest how many of you have actually ventured into the Outback or up the West Coast? Most people who travel Australia spend their time on the East Coast which is pretty well populated.


  • #66
    Doc
    Registered Users Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭Doc


    04072511 wrote: »
    To be honest, Europe offers a lot of that outdoorsy stuff aswell (Switzerland to give just one example). Not with the same isolation as Australia but being honest how many of you have actually ventured into the Outback or up the West Coast? Most people who travel Australia spend their time on the East Coast which is pretty well populated.

    Well I have anyway. Plus you can drive to these places you don’t have to take a plane everywhere like you would have to in Ireland most of the time. Australia is much better set up for weekend camping trips then most of Europe. I might be doing a city brake to Sydney soon flights are cheap enough from Melbourne and back.

    Have meet people from all over Australia who came to Melbourne for the grand Prix and also for shopping trips / city breaks / the AFL.


  • Advertisement
  • #67
    catbear
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,092 ✭✭✭catbear


    04072511 wrote: »
    To be honest, Europe offers a lot of that outdoorsy stuff aswell (Switzerland to give just one example). Not with the same isolation as Australia but being honest how many of you have actually ventured into the Outback or up the West Coast? Most people who travel Australia spend their time on the East Coast which is pretty well populated.
    I totally agree, walking and velloroutes of europe can be very good. However i do find here camping facilities uniformly reliable whereas parts of europe can be very hit and miss.
    I'm making the most of it, if the mining boom stalls i'll be packing up. However for outdoors i rate nz far above oz. lifetime ambition to do a few of the great walks.


  • #68
    Traq
    Registered Users Posts: 253 ✭✭Traq


    catbear wrote: »
    However i do find here camping facilities uniformly reliable whereas parts of europe can be very hit and miss.

    Nail on the head right there, I've covered pretty much the whole circuit of Australia at this stage and have never had difficulty finding a campsite no matter where I've ended up at the end of the day. The standard of them can vary quite a bit, but they'll all usually have decent showers, toilets and a camp kitchen to use.

    I'm sure back at home there are tons of campsites that I'm not aware of, it's just that they're so much a part of the way of life here that they're more noticeable and more public here, whereas they wouldn't be back at home.


  • #69
    jackbhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭jackbhoy


    04072511 wrote: »
    To be honest, Europe offers a lot of that outdoorsy stuff aswell (Switzerland to give just one example). Not with the same isolation as Australia but being honest how many of you have actually ventured into the Outback or up the West Coast? Most people who travel Australia spend their time on the East Coast which is pretty well populated.

    Jeez mate the way you go on about WA you'd swear you were the only Irish person ever to go there. Practically everyone I know that has done WHV/emigrated has travelled in the west so I have no idea where you get the idea its so rare? Maybe young guys here for year of partying don't do it but most do.


  • #70
    Pisco Sour
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,029 ✭✭✭Pisco Sour


    jackbhoy wrote: »
    Jeez mate the way you go on about WA you'd swear you were the only Irish person ever to go there. Practically everyone I know that has done WHV/emigrated has travelled in the west so I have no idea where you get the idea its so rare? Maybe young guys here for year of partying don't do it but most do.

    I personally know very few who have done it (excluding those who I met on my trip of course!).

    I do, on the otherhand, know an awful lot of people who have gone from Sydney to Cairns.

    No way do "most do" the West Coast. If "most" did the West Coast then it would be a hell of a lot more built up for tourism than it is. It gets only a tiny percentage of the visitors that the East Coast gets, which is a shame for those who dont do it, because it is a stunning part of the world.


  • #71
    jackbhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭jackbhoy


    04072511 wrote: »
    jackbhoy wrote: »
    Jeez mate the way you go on about WA you'd swear you were the only Irish person ever to go there. Practically everyone I know that has done WHV/emigrated has travelled in the west so I have no idea where you get the idea its so rare? Maybe young guys here for year of partying don't do it but most do.

    I personally know very few who have done it (excluding those who I met on my trip of course!).

    I do, on the otherhand, know an awful lot of people who have gone from Sydney to Cairns.

    No way do "most do" the West Coast. If "most" did the West Coast then it would be a hell of a lot more built up for tourism than it is. It gets only a tiny percentage of the visitors that the East Coast gets, which is a shame for those who dont do it, because it is a stunning part of the world.

    I agree, its my favourite part of Oz for travel. I did it by campervan/car and most campsites and parks we went to were jammed (it wasn't xmas/Easter or anything) so it gets plenty of tourists in my experience. There are some people barely leave Bondi or St. Kilda but I still don't agree that's representative of the majority, at least not with people I know.


  • Advertisement
  • #72
    Pisco Sour
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,029 ✭✭✭Pisco Sour


    To be honest, the overwhelming majority of people who I have met who have travelled Australia, have travelled the East and not the West. Not only this, but for many of them, they never even considered the West, citing "there's nothing out there" as a reason.

    The campsites appear full on the West but there really isn't many of them (relatively speaking) therefore the few they have will naturally fill up.

    If the West was somewhere where most people who visit Australia go, then there would be more hostels, more campsites, more bars, restaurants, tour companies, and other features of a well beaten track. When I went to the Bungle Bungles we were the only ones at the main lookout for sunset. We were the only ones on the whole of Shell Beach for sunset. This is not something you would expect in a well visited place.

    Are you based in Perth. If so then that would explain why you know more people who have travelled the West. Having said that, a large chunk of the Northbridge Irish don't even leave Perth either, just like the Bondi and St Kilda crew.


  • #73
    jackbhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭jackbhoy


    04072511 wrote: »


    Are you based in Perth. If so then that would explain why you know more people who have travelled the West. Having said that, a large chunk of the Northbridge Irish don't even leave Perth either, just like the Bondi and St Kilda crew.

    No I live in Melbourne, in beautiful Brunswick. Maybe I just have strange circle of mates; it would explain a lot!


  • #74
    seachto7
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,863 ✭✭✭seachto7


    A lot of people who enjoy city breaks I find are the ones who would not really go on activity holidays or camping or hiking or watersports. They would tend to go on package breaks to Spain in the summer and have everything done for them.
    A generalisation, but a lot like that. Which is why a lot of them didn't really like Aus in my experience. It's all about the great outdoors when you get out of the city,as there is nothing much else there.........as in there is , but there isn't if you know what I mean. Now, would NZ top Aus for outdoors,hmmmmmmmm. For me, yeah. Just that the weather was a bit too harsh and extreme in Aus for me. I liked NZ, you had the "openess" and wide open, but it was greener, I suppose, like a fancy version of Ireland....


  • #75
    mandrake04
    Registered Users Posts: 4,435 ✭✭✭mandrake04


    how funny, found out today I am off for training in the fatherland for 5 weeks around September... should get 1 or 2 weekends back to the old country and maybe City break in Europe and soak up some of the 'culture'.


  • #76
    seachto7
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,863 ✭✭✭seachto7


    Well, the thing about Europe that appeals to me, is that when I was in Liege, if I drove east, within an hour, I went from French speaking Wallonia, through Dutch speaking Masstricht, over to German speaking Aachen.
    That to me is the appeal of Europe. I love the sounds of that, and loved experiencing it. Not saying anything against Aus, but I prefer the novelty of Europe (and it's a right novelty, run by clowns!)


  • #77
    catbear
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,092 ✭✭✭catbear


    I know what you mean Seachto. Take Venice for example, it's a open museum. Very few people actually live there, I think it's got the highest proportion of pensioners in Italy. Most of the people who work there arrive with the tourist and leave with the tourist so in a way it's like a Disney park.

    Variety is the attraction of Europe, history is the entertainment, art is the guide and food and drink the indulgence.

    I still look forward to exploring Australia but it a big place. I'm here because of work but years ago I passed through and I was more taken with NZ for the variety of landscape. However life is short and I intend to make of this time here and i really like Australians, there's something very innocent about them.


  • #78
    The Aussie
    Registered Users Posts: 2,440 ✭✭✭The Aussie


    Traq wrote: »
    I'm sure back at home there are tons of campsites that I'm not aware of

    There is surprisingly little in the way of Wild Camping, its more aimed at the Caravan/Motorhome market other than that your option is B&B's near where you end up at the end of a planned day.

    I still remember a impromptu wild camp me and a friend had December 2 years ago on a Kerry mountain, with to much weight to bring back down we made the decision early to overnight it, it would have to rate as the longest night ever recorded.


  • #79
    seachto7
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,863 ✭✭✭seachto7


    I will say the vastness of the Aus and NZ bush was something you will never witness in Europe, for obvious reasons.
    I mean, if you speak French or Spanish, you could have a very similar life to the Aussie life in Europe, if you wanted. You'd have the weather, food, ocean etc. That's my plan!!


  • #80
    Pisco Sour
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,029 ✭✭✭Pisco Sour


    The Aussie wrote: »
    There is surprisingly little in the way of Wild Camping, its more aimed at the Caravan/Motorhome market other than that your option is B&B's near where you end up at the end of a planned day.

    I still remember a impromptu wild camp me and a friend had December 2 years ago on a Kerry mountain, with to much weight to bring back down we made the decision early to overnight it, it would have to rate as the longest night ever recorded.

    Europe is the size of Australia. You don't need to just look in Ireland for camping. Lots of people go to France for camping holidays for example.

    I enjoyed camping in WA and NT but after awhile the novalty wares off for me personally. 9 days camping in a row in the Kimberleys. Kind of gets old he after awhile. I certainly didn't enjoy waking up in the middle of the night at Uluru to notice that my head had got completely soaked by a downpour while sleeping in my swag.

    For short camping stays of 1 or 2 nights, I almost feel the effort to get everything packed, then set up, taken back down, and put away, isn't worth it for the short amount of time camping. It's enjoyable when actually camping but I hate the effort of getting everything set up.

    And after awhile, every f*cking campsite's just the same.:)


  • #81
    The Aussie
    Registered Users Posts: 2,440 ✭✭✭The Aussie


    04072511 wrote: »
    Europe is the size of Australia. You don't need to just look in Ireland for camping. Lots of people go to France for camping holidays for example.

    I try not to camp anywhere in Ireland to be honest, at 38 my back does not thank me in the morning and with all of my hunting under 2 hours drive from home why bother, we still carry 1 man tents and everything to do a overnighter in case we get caught short,

    As for camping on the continent, it would either be a family thing when the girls grow up, so about 10 years or so away or hunting wild Boar and with the rate some Morons are releasing them into the Wiclow Mountains i might not even have to do that.


  • Advertisement
  • #82
    macmurchu
    Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭macmurchu


    This is the reason Europe is great for people from places like Oz, the US & Canada. They are huge countries of essentially one culture. You could fly within these countries for 5 hours and get off in a place that does pretty much the same as where you took off. In Europe all you have to do is look at the map and see that individual countries are quite small and a stone's throw from each other, and look at the cultural changes.

    I hiked from France into Spain once. You cross the Pyrenees and suddenly everything changes - weather, people's appearance and attitudes and languages obviously enough. In the US, Canada or Oz, no matter where you go it's essentially still the same.


  • #83
    Pisco Sour
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,029 ✭✭✭Pisco Sour


    macmurchu wrote: »
    This is the reason Europe is great for people from places like Oz, the US & Canada. They are huge countries of essentially one culture. You could fly within these countries for 5 hours and get off in a place that does pretty much the same as where you took off. In Europe all you have to do is look at the map and see that individual countries are quite small and a stone's throw from each other, and look at the cultural changes.

    I hiked from France into Spain once. You cross the Pyrenees and suddenly everything changes - weather, people's appearance and attitudes and languages obviously enough. In the US, Canada or Oz, no matter where you go it's essentially still the same.

    To be fair USA and Canada offer a much greater variety than Australia in terms of culture. People from the South are nothing like people from the North, nor are they like the people from California. Cities like Nashville and Memphis are a world of difference to places like Boston or San Francisco. In Australia on the other hand, culturally I havent noticed much difference between any of the cities really. Melbourne loves its sport, but so does all of Australia. Perth people love their beaches, but so do people from all around Australia.

    Think you are being a bit harsh on Canada. Quebec is completely different culturally than the rest of Canada. They don't even speak the same language.


Advertisement