Final thoughts on Australia

When we reminisce about Australia, we think about the wonderful people, the variations in landscape and climate, the urban culture of Sydney and Melbourne and how much fun we had exploring the country! Australia was much bigger than we thought-we had to skip Western Australia and the N. Aust. Area around Darwin due to our limited time. And while we saw the beaches in Q'land and Sydney, we felt we didn't spend enough time to fully enjoy them- in particular, no surfing was done on our visit! Just one more reason to come back and visit...

People

We found Aussies to be quite friendly, hospitable and direct (in that sense, more like East Coasters than Californians). We had a blast learning Aussie speak, such as "that's alright" instead of "you're welcome" and "swimming costume" rather than "swimsuit".

Food

Aussie BBQ is a bit different as they cook on a flat metal surface instead of a grill surface like in US or Argentina. You'll find lots of fish-n-chips and hamburgers, which are a bit different from home-their patties seem to be slightly tastier, I have to admit! Julie found it a bit disconcerting that chips (french fries) were the main carb for nearly all meals, while Xavier fully took advantage of this custom. They have savory and sweet biscuits nailed down-X was introduced to the sweet chocolatey delight of Tim Tams and coffee! One thing we found curious was that while the kangaroo is considered a national icon (animal?) of Oz, they have no qualms about eating 'roo as well!

Hiking

One thing that made day hikes interesting was that we were never quite sure if we would be attacked by an animal or wounded by a plant. It seems that many Ozzie animals can kill or hurt you. For example, our beach walk in Q'land's Daintree Park was brief since we were warned that a croc was spotted there a few weeks earlier! And there seems to be many scratchy or itchy plants to be avoided! However, we found walking through the botanical gardens in Sydney and Melbourne to be an experience not to be missed - the beautiful landscaping, variety of plants, and extensive grounds made for many romantic afternoon walks.