What to do in Australia?

With five people it's probably cheaper to drive from Sydney to Brisbane. But mostly we planned it that way so that we can have days/nights at local hotels and see the towns, museums, beaches, ect along the way. It's more about the journey than the destination.

Of course I just broke two of the fingers on my left hand so we'll see if the trip is delayed. I'd rather not as changing flights and hotel reservations will be a pain, but then I'm not sure how my medical insurance handles foreign countries so if I make it to Australia without a cast or splint it might be out of pocket for me.

I'm at least making the first leg tomorrow morning to Honolulu so we'll see what happens from there. :\

You must go to the Austrailia Zoo in Brisbane. It was the most amazing part of my trip to Austrailia and I also snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef.

It is worth it to hire a guide (~$400 about I think...) which isn't actually a guide so much as one of the Zookeepers that has time. They literally drive you around in a golf cart with drinks and show you everything up close and personal (got to stand right next to 2 of the adult Cheetah's that were going for a walk and eating tuna lollipops). The zoo is soo much better than any I have ever gone too, and the insider tour just made it so much better. You have to book the guide ahead of time and there are only 3 available per day... but it was literally the best money I spent in the whole country.

Also, drink the beer... there is good wine down there, but the beer I tried down there made me lament that most were not exported. Man I would love to get more from the Blue Tongue brewery.

Also... +1 for the Sydney Harbor Bridge climb... best view you can get, we decided to not even go to the opera house afterwards because our view from there was obviously better than any other we could have gotten.

My Lao friends who recently visited Melbourne enjoyed Eureka Tower skydeck, National Gallery of Victoria and ACMI and the general riding around in a trams vibe.

I'll check those out when I'm there, Bruce. Thanks.

So minor update, I managed to get a doctor in Honolulu tomorrow morning and extended my stay here by one day, so I'll arrive late on the 21st of December rather than the 20th. Changes cost a bit but if it means I get these fingers taken care of sooner it's certainly worth it.

My brother is also re-thinking the drive-with-multiple-stops thing at the last minute, so we might be extending the stay in Sydney by a few days and flying to Brisbane instead. I'm just letting him take care of that stuff for the most part, though I'd still like to be in downtown Sydney during New Years just to experience it. I imagine the crowds will be absurd.

You should be glad you are not in Melbourne today. It is a scorcher.

Yeah, but I already miss the food there. Sydney has some good places, I'm sure, but the sheer density of eateries in Melbourne was a sight to behold, especially since I was near your Chinatown.

So, how is/did the trip go?