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City Breaks - An area where Australia is lacking?

  • 22-04-2012 5:42am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,029 ✭✭✭


    When living in Europe you have an endless list of cities which you can visit for the weekend, each one different from the next, in close proximity to where you live, and with very cheap airlines fares. Barcelona, Stockholm, Vienna, Edinburgh, Florence, Bucharest. All places very different to each other in terms of climate, lifestyle, history, culture, architecture, language, people.

    In Australia I have found the options available for a city break to be very uninspiring. I've travelled so much of Australia, and it is one of the best countries I have travelled, but it really isn't somewhere that caters very much to the 3 day weekend city break getaway.

    You've got Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, which all have their own charms I guess, but after awhile the resemblences between each, and the lack of differences, becomes a bit boring. I can't get myself interested about going to Brisbane for a weekend when it promises to be just another Minneapolis Down Under type place.

    The price of flights down here makes weekend breaks difficult. If I wanted to do the Great Barrier Reef for a weekend, it would consist of about 400-500 dollar return flight from Melbourne, before you even pay for the activites that you have flown that distance to see.

    I guess, after doing so much travelling of South America, New Zealand, and extensive travel around Australia, I'm getting itchy feet to see more, but there doesn't seem to be the choice of places available here to help scratch that itch. I'm loving living down here, just a bit frustrated with not being able to do what I did when I lived at home, which was visit a different city every few months.

    I'm looking into a weekend in Hobart, which should be interesting as it seems to have a fair bit of history, but I'm running out of places to see fast, and I've only been here 16 months.

    What do people think about the choice of places to visit in Australia?


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 595 ✭✭✭markymark21


    Wow it seems like you don't stay still for very long. You travelling alone or with someone?


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


    Wow it seems like you don't stay still for very long. You travelling alone or with someone?

    Travelled alone for 3 months before getting to Oz. Worked in Melbourne for 6 months. Travelled again for 7 weeks, mainly around Western Australia, then did 3 months farm work, and now have been back in Melbourne working for 5 months. I've always loved seeing new and different places, but having seen a lot of Australia (spent a month here in 2009 also) I'm feeling a bit bored looking at the options available to me.

    This has nothing to do with living in Australia, something which I am loving, but a big disadvantage of living here I feel is the lack of different weekend getaway options.


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


    Just had coffee with a bunch of ozzies and this topic came up. They all save up their time off and go big on foreign holidays. If they do stay local it's generally an activity holiday like fishing, surfing, bush walking etc and they're self contained by camping.

    There was a travel supplement from one of the Sunday papers in the coffee house and in nearly every instance it was cheaper to holiday outside Oz. The prices for local breaks was just too much, saving time off is the way to go.

    The next time I'm heading back to Ireland I'll be a good month off and hopefully I'll catch a few places on route.


  • Registered Users Posts: 595 ✭✭✭markymark21


    04072511 wrote: »
    Travelled alone for 3 months before getting to Oz. Worked in Melbourne for 6 months. Travelled again for 7 weeks, mainly around Western Australia, then did 3 months farm work, and now have been back in Melbourne working for 5 months. I've always loved seeing new and different places, but having seen a lot of Australia (spent a month here in 2009 also) I'm feeling a bit bored looking at the options available to me.

    This has nothing to do with living in Australia, something which I am loving, but a big disadvantage of living here I feel is the lack of different weekend getaway options.


    Ah I see, I work in hospitality so there's no such thing as a 'Weekend Getaway'! And to be honest crazy hours make me kinda happy to just chill around the city when off.


    Anyways, I take it you've done the Yarra Valley, Grampians and the Mornington Peninsula? Good spots right there. Tasi is fun as well. Hobart is a nice spot. You should check out all the old Gaols and penal colonies, very interesting.

    Stay away from Launceston though, absolutely nothing happening there.


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


    I dont think its something Australia is lacking, its just something Australians dont do, im over here in Cork and the wife has dragged me off on a few weekends away to france, spain and a few other littlle kips. I still wonder Why???

    I would much rather go for a days Salmon Fishing in Kerry or an afternoon shoot on the weekends and go somewhere for a week or more for a decent holiday, the whole weekend break thing is a tad overrated, how much can you experience in a day and a half anyway, i think Paul Kelly put it well in the mid 90's song Every F'ing City, "Every F'ing city is just the same"

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1cqfohztx4


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


    The Aussie wrote: »
    I dont think its something Australia is lacking, its just something Australians dont do, im over here in Cork and the wife has dragged me off on a few weekends away to france, spain and a few other littlle kips. I still wonder Why???

    I would much rather go for a days Salmon Fishing in Kerry or an afternoon shoot on the weekends and go somewhere for a week or more for a decent holiday, the whole weekend break thing is a tad overrated, how much can you experience in a day and a half anyway, i think Paul Kelly put it well in the mid 90's song Every F'ing City, "Every F'ing city is just the same"

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1cqfohztx4

    Hahaha, Paul Kelly isn't talking about the actual cities in that song but more how he was feeling and all that. It's a funny song though I agree.

    European cities are anything but the same as each other. Australian cities on the other hand...


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


    04072511 wrote: »
    European cities are anything but the same as each other. Australian cities on the other hand...

    To be honest, European Citys and Australian citys are as interesting as the oddly named Cork City (how this place can be described as a "City" god only knows).

    I think its a upbringing thing, why go looking at Citys when you can go Camping or play sports on weekends.


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


    The Aussie wrote: »
    I think its a upbringing thing, why go looking at Citys when you can go Camping or play sports on weekends.

    You're not too interested in travel. Fair enough. But for those who are, Australia doesn't offer much in the way of city breaks, like the way Europe does.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,208 ✭✭✭Batgurl


    I disagree.

    Yes Europe has great cities but Australia has great LOCATIONS.

    Margaret River, Whitsundays, Hunter Valley, Great Ocean Road, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, Kakadu, Blue Mountains, Gold Coast & Hinterland, Central Coast, Cable Beach in Broome, Barossa Valley, Kangaroo Island and Tassie.

    If these aren't your style, NZ is a short flight across the Tasman. Slightly further afield is the Pacific Islands and Fiji. To your north west you have Bali, Singapore, KL, Bangkok, Phuket, Honkers and pretty much most of Asia.

    I disagree that it's too expensive to get to these places, Jetstar do flights to NZ starting at $99 each way and hello...have you heard of Air Asia?

    I'd go so far as to say Australia is miles better in terms of being able to see the world and more cultures etc.

    I do miss Ryanair and the cheapo specials they did but with Scoot launching their $88 each way fare and Jetstar Japan about to launch 1 cent fares, I reckon we shouldn't complain about anything other than the inability to get more time off work... :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 764 ✭✭✭6ix


    Batgurl wrote: »
    I disagree.

    Yes Europe has great cities but Australia has great LOCATIONS.

    To be fair, the OP has made this thread about city breaks specifically - he's not denying that Australia has some great locations/scenery.
    Batgurl wrote: »
    If these aren't your style, NZ is a short flight across the Tasman. Slightly further afield is the Pacific Islands and Fiji. To your north west you have Bali, Singapore, KL, Bangkok, Phuket, Honkers and pretty much most of Asia.

    I disagree that it's too expensive to get to these places, Jetstar do flights to NZ starting at $99 each way and hello...have you heard of Air Asia?

    That's not like with like at all. It is far more hassle and expense to get to Bangkok/Singapore than it would be to go from Dublin to Paris/Berlin or even further afield like Istanbul. Flights are way longer, more of a time difference etc... I mean do people really fly two 9+ hour flights to do a weekend break in Bangkok from the East Coast of Oz?
    Batgurl wrote: »
    I'd go so far as to say Australia is miles better in terms of being able to see the world and more cultures etc.

    Australia is a wonderful place to travel and for one country it contains a remarkable amount of diversity in terms of scenery, wildlife etc... but I really really couldn't disagree more with your statement.

    Within a 6 hour flight of Dublin you have all of Europe, some of the Middle East, Northern Africa, and the East Coast of the US/Canada.

    Within a 6 hour flight of Sydney you don't have nearly the amount of diversity/countries/cultures. It's not even close.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,512 ✭✭✭Sundy


    I have some more things that Australia lags behind in that I think should be discussed in this thread also.

    Does australia lack in Alpine Mountains and there lack in culturally different places to go skiing and snow boarding?

    Is Australia lacking in other countries that can be visited by car? One of the few major countries in the world where you can't easily drive your car to another country.

    I could go on but I'll leave it to 04072511..


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


    Batgurl wrote: »
    I'd go so far as to say Australia is miles better in terms of being able to see the world and more cultures etc.

    That has to be the most inaccurate statement of all time.


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


    Sundy wrote: »

    Is Australia lacking in other countries that can be visited by car? One of the few major countries in the world where you can't easily drive your car to another country.

    You do know Australia is an Island dont you, i mean if you want to drive to another country while your there can you tell me so i can try and be there with a camera, It has been tried before though.

    "Three Japanese tourists came unstuck on their planned Australian holiday on Thursday when they abandoned their hire car in Moreton Bay after they tried to "drive" to North Stradbroke Island."

    www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/taking-the-most-direct-route-to-straddie-20120315-1v85m.html


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,208 ✭✭✭Batgurl


    Hardly...

    You say you've done so much travelling around South America and New Zealand and you've got itchy feet to see more...

    And yet when someone presents the option of taking a red eye to Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan or anywhere in South East Asia to you, you feel the need to belittle them?

    If you want a European city break, go to Europe. All I'm saying is that the abundance of cheap airfares to destinations throughout Asia and the South Pacific from Australia should sate your appetite for travel and if they don't, you may want to broaden your imagination.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,512 ✭✭✭Sundy


    The Aussie wrote: »
    You do know Australia is an Island dont you, i mean if you want to drive to another country while your there can you tell me so i can try and be there with a camera, It has been tried before though.

    "Three Japanese tourists came unstuck on their planned Australian holiday on Thursday when they abandoned their hire car in Moreton Bay after they tried to "drive" to North Stradbroke Island."

    www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/taking-the-most-direct-route-to-straddie-20120315-1v85m.html


    There may have been an element of irony in my post.


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


    Batgurl wrote: »
    Hardly...

    You say you've done so much travelling around South America and New Zealand and you've got itchy feet to see more...

    And yet when someone presents the option of taking a red eye to Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan or anywhere in South East Asia to you, you feel the need to belittle them?

    If you want a European city break, go to Europe. All I'm saying is that the abundance of cheap airfares to destinations throughout Asia and the South Pacific from Australia should sate your appetite for travel and if they don't, you may want to broaden your imagination.

    Your opinions are baffling. To go to those places requires a lot of money for flights (around 750 return to get to pacific islands, around the same for South East Asia). It also requires a fair bit of time off work. You can't visit any of those places for a weekend, which is what the thread is about.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 18,123 Mod ✭✭✭✭CatFromHue


    04072511 wrote: »
    You're not too interested in travel. Fair enough. But for those who are, Australia doesn't offer much in the way of city breaks, like the way Europe does.

    I think you might be forgetting that there just aren't that many cities in or around OZ that there are in and around Ireland.

    They just aren't there physically to go to!


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


    Sundy wrote: »
    There may have been an element of irony in my post.

    I dont know at times, i keep on getting asked if Perth is anywhere near Brisbane:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,208 ✭✭✭Batgurl


    YOUR opinions are baffling!!!

    Its a 4 hour flight from Sydney to Nadi (Fiji) and you can get Jetstar return for $225 if you do your homework (same as if you do your homework with Ryanair you can get E50 return flights to Paris).

    Japan is 9 hours 15 mins (bit longer I'll admit but not much moreso than your US or UAE arguments) but if you catch a red eye flight on a Thursday night, you'll be there for Friday morning with 3 whole days to explore Tokyo and then a red eye back Sunday night. As mentioned, Jetstar Japan will be launching shortly so no complaints from me with 1c flights.

    I think that because none of these places have the culture or feel of the rest of Europe that people dismiss them but I challenge you to try these places before you go shooting them down


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


    I'm kinda a bit baffled by the OP question here, of course Australia is lacking city breaks I mean there are only 6 city's (at a stretch) and Perth and Darwin are a fair bit away from the others.

    But what others have pointed out is that there are plenty of other weekend away options.

    It's a bit unfair to compare Australia to Europe in this regard.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 208 ✭✭battle_hardend


    Batgurl wrote: »
    YOUR opinions are baffling!!!

    Its a 4 hour flight from Sydney to Nadi (Fiji) and you can get Jetstar return for $225 if you do your homework (same as if you do your homework with Ryanair you can get E50 return flights to Paris).

    Japan is 9 hours 15 mins (bit longer I'll admit but not much moreso than your US or UAE arguments) but if you catch a red eye flight on a Thursday night, you'll be there for Friday morning with 3 whole days to explore Tokyo and then a red eye back Sunday night. As mentioned, Jetstar Japan will be launching shortly so no complaints from me with 1c flights.

    I think that because none of these places have the culture or feel of the rest of Europe that people dismiss them but I challenge you to try these places before you go shooting them down

    nine hours from dublin can almost bring you to las vegas and can bring you anywhere east of it in the usa , have you ever heard of anyone going to florida , chicago or atlanta for a weekend :confused: , a week would be considered almost too short , new zealand would be too far away for a weekend break from australia as its not the kind of place which has one city worth visting alone , a weekend is too short if your visting the kiwi countryside


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


    Batgurl wrote: »
    I think that because none of these places have the culture or feel of the rest of Europe that people dismiss them but I challenge you to try these places before you go shooting them down

    Spent 17 days in Japan 4 years ago. Spent 2 weeks in South Korea last August. Oh and it took me longer to get to Seoul from Melbourne than it did to get to Tokyo from Dublin, and it cost about $1000 return! You are living in fairyland!


  • Registered Users Posts: 40,856 ✭✭✭✭Xavi6


    Comparing Australia to Europe is just stupid given the amount of diversity a whole continent has in comparison to ONE country.


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


    Batgurl wrote: »
    I disagree.

    Yes Europe has great cities but Australia has great LOCATIONS.

    Margaret River........

    I'd go so far as to say Australia is miles better in terms of being able to see the world and more cultures etc.

    Again, Margaret River is grand, for WA! :) I have seen places in Italy and France that would be similar to Marg River. Still a lovely place though, but feckall of a town!

    I don't get your second point? How can you see more cultures in Aus than in Europe?

    The OP is the main problem I have with Aus. Within 1-2 hours in Europe, you have so many different places to choose from, from a linguistic point of view to a cultural point of view, even though I also agree that essentially most big cities are the same. (headf**k places to live!!)

    I suppose you can go to Asia from Aus, but the flight is so damn far from Aus, but you will get a different cultural experience I guess. It could be worse, you could be in NZ and far from everywhere!!
    But, NZ and Aus have stunning scenery and wide open, which Europe doesn't have. Europe is probably over populated..

    What about the USA? Plenty of people living there, plenty of cities, but is not a case that a city break in the US is same old same old?

    I think Aus downfall is that there are just not enough cities, and they are kind of all the same. The whole "citybreak" thing is a load of w*nk. I just can't get the image out of my head of the "girlzzzzzzzz" with their pink suitcases and heels and bottles of baileys minis going on a city break for the "shopeeeeeeeeeeng"


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


    Batgurl wrote: »
    I think that because none of these places have the culture or feel of the rest of Europe that people dismiss them but I challenge you to try these places before you go shooting them down
    What is it with people who move to Australia who feel they need to make nonsensical claims about the place? Why do you feel the need to make stuff up to "justify" how brilliant Australia is?
    I'd go so far as to say Australia is miles better in terms of being able to see the world and more cultures etc.
    lol


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


    CiaranC wrote: »
    What is it with people who move to Australia who feel they need to make nonsensical claims about the place? Why do you feel the need to make stuff up to "justify" how brilliant Australia is?

    So she asks to try it before slagging it off and this is 'nonsensical' :confused:


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


    hussey wrote: »
    So she asks to try it before slagging it off and this is 'nonsensical' :confused:

    Everyone who comes to Australia to travel on a WHV has looked at the travel options... They in no way compare to living on a continent such as Europe, nor would anyone expect them to, saying so is absurd.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,512 ✭✭✭Sundy


    hussey wrote: »
    I'm kinda a bit baffled by the OP question here, of course Australia is lacking city breaks I mean there are only 6 city's (at a stretch) and Perth and Darwin are a fair bit away from the others.

    But what others have pointed out is that there are plenty of other weekend away options.

    It's a bit unfair to compare Australia to Europe in this regard.
    The point of the thread baffles me too.

    I challenge anyone to find a positive thread on Australia started by 04072511.


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


    Sundy wrote: »
    I challenge anyone to find a positive thread on Australia started by 04072511.
    I didnt realise positivity was a prerequiste for posting here?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,512 ✭✭✭Sundy


    CiaranC wrote: »
    I didnt realise positivity was a prerequiste for posting here?
    No but some logic goes along way.

    I really think 04072511 must really hate oz at this stage.

    <SNIP> mod I think it is very unfair to post a lot of those links, due to lack of context </snip>

    I'm just a bit concerned that he doesn't really give a balanced representation of Australia to people who read his posts.


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