From Dublin To Oz And An Avid Train Traveller

This week I encountered lots of Irish visitors who all seemed to enjoy their stay Down Under. They included a couple here for a family wedding in the Hunter Valley and to stay with relatives in Gosford. I also chatted to a young Irish lass who had been working here for the last few months.

On a flight to Christchurch was an American businessman from Colorado who works for a medical equipment company. I guess this is a busy industry to be in with fast advancing technologies and our ageing population.

Travelling to Malaysia were a Chilean guy in Sydney for just one night on business - that's what you call a quick business trip! There was also a Malaysian guy here to spend a week with his girlfriend in Sydney.

On British Airways back to London was an English guy who was in Sydney for a job interview and to visit a friend. He already knew that he had got the job (in the engineering field) and now had to get everything organized for the big move to Australia.

Also travelling home on BA was a German guy in his early 30's who had travelled over most of the country during the last few months. But, in contrast to most backpackers I come across, he had travelled mainly by train - on the Indian Pacific, the Ghan and the Overlander trains. He found train travel much more appealing and quite economical using a rail pass. That's something I need to look into myself. I quite enjoy rail travel but haven't done much for a long time.

Till next week.

Peter

Souvenirs Australia Warehouse

Weddings, A French Hostel Intern & Redundancy Holidays

There were more wedding related visits amongst those heading home last weekend. I chatted to a German resident travelling on a Canadian passport who was staying with relatives in the Lake Macquarie area of NSW and exploring possible locations in the Hunter Valley for her upcoming wedding. She has family & friends in Australia and Canada and had decided to hold the wedding here. So no doubt there will be a few Canadian visitiors arriving for the event. I also came across an English couple who had been in Sydney to attend their daughters wedding.

There was a young French girl on her way to New Zealand who had done a 3 month intern job at a backpackers hostel in Melbourne. Her duties were mainly reception and bar work. After her Kiwi holiday she was planning to do similar work in Perth. I hadn't realised these sorts of employment opportunities were available to working holiday visitors.

A pleasant young Polish couple were on their way home after a package tour of Australia visiting Uluru, Hamilton Island, Gold Coast & Sydney. It's not very often that I have come across tourists from Poland. I also chatted to a French couple here for 2 weeks with friends in Sydney.

Redundancy holidays are probably becoming more common in the current economic environment. I ran across an English couple in their 50's who had both recently been made redundant. They decided to have a 3 month holiday Down Under while they contemplated their future. Their stay involved around 35 different overnight stops in South Australia, Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and South East Queensland and they had a most enjoyable time.

Till next week.

Peter

Souvenirs Australia Warehouse

Rave Review for Jenolan Caves, the Horse Show Pub in Tassie and Yet More Weddings!

On Saturday I spoke to an Indian gentleman here with his wife to visit their daughter and son-in-law in Sydney. While they were taken to the Gold Coast and Brisbane which they enjoyed, his most positive comments were about Jenolan Caves. He described it as an amazing natural wonder that should be better promoted to international visitors.

I also came across a middle aged American guy who was here as a tourist with his father. They had spent time on our mainland, then over to NZ and back for a week in Tasmania. They enjoyed the week driving around Tassie and he made very favourable remarks about the meals to be had at the Horse Shoe pub in Cambridge. So it would probably pay to check them out next time you're down on the Apple Isle.

It certainly seems to be wedding season for overseas visitors in Australia. I met yet another young lady and her aunt who were here for not one, but two weddings. The brother and sister had timed both their weddings one week apart so a large family group from the UK could attend. One wedding was in Canberra and the other in the Hunter Valley.

Other travellers I spoke to this week included a young female Japanese backpacker who travelled here on her own for 2 weeks in Sydney, an English backpacker here for a year with a working holiday stint of a few months in Melbourne and an older group of family and friends from Singapore for a one week package holiday in Melbourne and Sydney.

Hearing about the adventuires of overseas visitors to our country continues to whet my appetite for my own trip around as much as possible of our huge country.

Till next week.

Peter

Souvenirs Australia Warehouse