Visiting Australia
Posted by John Ester
on Jun 19, 2012
Barb Skurdall tells us about her three-week trip to Australia and Tasmania.
Barb and partner Ann spent the first five days of their March visit in Melbourne. Highlights there included trips to the Rod Laver Arena (where the Australian Tennis Open is held) and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (where Platte Lake resident David Lean won a silver medal in the 1956 Olympics).
After soaking up the local culture in Melbourne, Barb and Ann took the ten-hour ferry ride to Tasmania, another island (along with Australia) known for having housed convicts from England. Tasmania is a beautiful country, much of which is wilderness. They visited the capital of Hobart, as well as several national parks. At one they took a picturesque ride up the mountain in a train powered by a steam locomotive; another one involved a river cruise.
The next stops were at Canberra (a planned city and Australia's capital) and Sydney with its world-famous Opera House. Other attractions there included the aquarium, a wildlife park, and the Harbor Bridge. Barb left us all eager to plan our own visit!
After soaking up the local culture in Melbourne, Barb and Ann took the ten-hour ferry ride to Tasmania, another island (along with Australia) known for having housed convicts from England. Tasmania is a beautiful country, much of which is wilderness. They visited the capital of Hobart, as well as several national parks. At one they took a picturesque ride up the mountain in a train powered by a steam locomotive; another one involved a river cruise.
The next stops were at Canberra (a planned city and Australia's capital) and Sydney with its world-famous Opera House. Other attractions there included the aquarium, a wildlife park, and the Harbor Bridge. Barb left us all eager to plan our own visit!