Trekking to
Australia is an air travel endurance contest, but the experiences are well
worth the tradeoff.
Off To “The Land Down Under”
If my words are jumbled, forgive me. We’re still working through jet lag after our return from our two-week sojourn to Australia. It was an exhilarating adventure. We’ll cover our travels in several posts in the coming days, starting with the first leg of our journey.
Before we take
off down the runway, a few tips for travelers to Australia:
- You’ll need a power converter to
charge phones, laptops and things like electric razors. A plug adaptor
won’t do the trick, since the current needs to be stepped down from
230 volts to the 120 that’s used in the US. I found the Foval
converter (about $36 US) that has two outlets and four USBs to
be excellent.
- For the first time, I used travel
cubes for packing. I got a six-cube
set from Bagail for about $25. This allows you to
compartmentalize your suitcase. I had shirts in one, shoes and socks
in another and my technology things in another. I found it very helpful,
although my wife prefers plastic “vacuum” bags.
- Before our trip I purchased a couple
of nice sound-cancelling headphones. We got the highly rated Plantronics
BackBeat Pro 2. The cost is about $199 each. These are
essential to keeping your sanity on the long flights.
- Recalling our struggles with large
suitcases on a train in France a number of years ago, I was determined to
travel light. I found that two of our lodgings had guest laundries. I
packed just a bit more than a week’s worth of clothing and then did
laundry at a mid-point of our trip. This allowed me to pack a smaller
suitcase.
- Weird as it initially sounded to me, we wore compression socks for our flight. This improves circulation and helps avoid blood clots. Here’s some information about why this is a good idea.
For travelers from the US, the most
daunting aspect of the trip is the air travel. Traveling from Raleigh, NC, we
had a five-hour flight to Los Angeles, a four-hour layover, then a 16-hour
flight to Melbourne. We flew American to LAX and then were on Qantas.
We found the
service to be good on Qantas. They’ll serve you a number of meals, including a
big dinner or lunch after which they dim the lights to give you a chance to
sleep. If you can.
There are things
you can do to make it a more comfortable flight, but at the end of the day, you
are hurtling at 30,000 feet in a metal tube for hours on end. It won’t be the
most enjoyable part of the trip, but the end rewards are worth it.
Touching Down
For our trip, we used a travel agent who arranged all our lodgings, flights, transfers and tours, based on our directions. We found this to be a nice arrangement, as our preference is to have customized travel as opposed to group voyages. Upon landing and standing in endless line after line to clear customs, we found our shuttle and headed to The Blackman, our hotel accommodation on St. Kilda Road.
The Blackman is
inspired by famed Australian artist Charles Blackman. Blackman’s best known
works are inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The hotel
is modern and stylish and we had a spacious studio suite balcony. The room
featured a refrigerator, microwave and a well-stocked mini-bar.
The hotel is
outstanding with our only complaint being that it is not in the central
business district. There is a dearth of dining and entertainment establishments
around the hotel (although a couple of nice restaurants in the hotel). The
Blackman is close to a tram stop. Although we used it once, deciphering the
tram system timetable was a daunting task.
Marvelous Melbourne
Melbourne is
Australia’s second largest city at about 4.8 million. It also is rated as the second most
livable city in the world (behind Vienna). Sydney (No. 5) and
Adelaide (No. 10) are also on the list. The city is home to some of the best
known cultural institutions in the country, including Melbourne Cricket Ground,
the National Gallery of Victoria and the Royal Exhibition Building. It also
hosts the Australia Grand Prix and the Australian Open, which we would attend.
Before heading to
the Australian Open, my wife decided she’d like to take a walk to Port Phillip
Bay. The walk was long but delightful – under the scorching Australian
sun. Although the skyline is dominated by wonderful modern architecture,
Melbourne at its heart is a Victorian city. Prior to our visit, I always
considered New Orleans to be the wrought iron capitol of the world, but the new
winner is Melbourne. Wrought iron adorns the majority of historic homes we saw
and most also include a flower garden in front.
Due to the heat, long walk and an
unfortunate choice of shorts, my thighs were chaffing raw and I was getting a
bit testy. Chalk it up to the long flight! On our return jaunt, we walked
through the charming area of Albert Park.
There we stopped
at the Dundas
and Faussett Café and were soon rejuvenated by chilled beverages and
lunch. I ordered the Thai Beef Salad and Green Dragon enjoyed some Tom Yum soup
with prawns. The outdoor setting was perfect for chillaxing!
On To The Australian Open!
Yes, I’m a tennis
player and fan. We started organizing this holiday long before I realized that
the Australian Open would be going on during our visit. The stars aligned and
we had an open day in Melbourne during the Open.
We had hoped to
see Roger Federer in action, but when the draw was announced, I could see that
wasn’t happening. We had tickets for a night session at Rod Laver arena, the
venue for the showcase matches during the tournament.
The Australian
Open is known as the “Happy Slam” and we can see why. The location for this
Grand Slam event is right along the banks of the Yarra River and the grounds
are festival-like, with food, beer and wine and music flowing freely.
We enjoyed a burger and some beer at the
Coopers beer garden. We didn’t see Fosters at all during our visit, the
formerly Australian beer is now owned by an international beverage company. We
also fortified ourselves with Champagne from the Piper Heidsieck pavilion.
An afternoon
session match featuring Simona Halep ran late, meaning our entry into the arena
was delayed by more than 90 minutes. Since I was late in ordering tickets, I
was concerned that our seats in the upper level might be in the stratosphere.
We found our
seats and the location was better than hoped for with a very good view. We
settled in for some great action with some legendary tennis players. The opener
featured icon Serena Williams versus Eugenie Bouchard. Serena showed why she is
considered the best female tennis player of all time and quickly dispatched
Bouchard.
Novak Djokovic
was featured in the second match against Joe Wilfred Tsonga. This was an early
round match, but Djokovic played almost flawlessly and that caliber of play
would ultimately carry him to the championship. Tsonga battled in the second
set and despite some inane fan continuously urging him on with shouts of “It’s
your night, Willie,” and “You can do it, Willie,” Tsonga dropped a closely
contested second set and was bounced out in straight sets.
The tennis didn’t
wrap up until almost midnight. When we exited the grounds, the trams were no
longer running and the taxi queue was at least 50 people deep. We walked down
the street and flagged down a cab before he reached the taxi stand and were
soon whisked away to our luxury accommodations and some well deserved sleep.
More installments
of our Australian adventure are forthcoming. Australia is a wonderful
destination for American travelers and Melbourne is a world-class city that deserves
a week or more on its own.
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