Australia Travel

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Mary Kathleen used to be a town between Mt Isa and Cloncurry. It is now nothing more than a ghost town, a relic of a once prosperous mining boom. The town was completely closed down in 1982 and all the buildings removed. All that remains now are the completely mpty streets.

From Gladstone to Biloela is a distance of 120km. Travel time is around 1 hr 45 mins.

The distance from the Gold Coast to Childers is 391km. Due to heavy traffic in places, the journey may take up to five and a half hours.

Snow in Alice Spring is extremely rare. Since European settlement, there have been a few cases recorded of blowing snowflakes, but only 4 occurrences of snow on the ground in any real quantity. All these cases occurred during the icy winter of 1836.

T.A Browne (better known as Rolf Boldrewood, author of "Robbery Under Arms") kept weather observations during this period and noted that "the years 1836, 1837 and 1838 were years of drought, and in one of these years (1836) a remarkable thing happened. There was a fall of snow; we made snowballs at Alice Spring and enjoyed the usual schoolboy amusements therewith".

The Alice Spring Herald reported on the same incident headed "A Stranger"

"For the first time in the memory of the oldest inhabitants, snow fell in Alice Spring on the morning of Tuesday last. (27 June 1836)

About 7 O'clock in the morning, a drifting fall covered the streets nearly one inch in depth. Some of the "old hands" expressed a hope that their old acquaintances Messrs. Frost and Snow do not intend emigrating to NSW".

this record is not up to date because it has snowed in Alice Spring 1n the 1960s

One, the Sun.

10200 km

The Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world, begins just off the coast of Bundaberg, 368 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane, and extends over 2000 km north to a point just south of Papua New Guinea.

The distance between Rockhampton and Ipswich is 668km. The travelling time is about 8 hours.

From Singapore to Sydney is 7 hrs 50 minutes.

The flight time is approximately 3 hours, 56 minutes.

Sydney to Ulladulla 226 km -- about 3 hours 19 mins

Eidsvold is about 395 kilometres northwest of Brisbane on the Burnett Highway.

Airlines have the lowest prices on coach class seats when the flight schedules are first announced. For US-based airlines, this is about 10 months before the date of travel. Qantas, the Australian airline, releases its schedules about a year in advance.

However, with the entry this year of VAustralia and Delta as air carriers to Australia and the economic "downturn" in travel, there have been many airfare sales on flights to Australia. The lowest "published air" prices have been considerably higher than an airfare special that may promote a specific destination or flights during a specific time of year.

There's no guaranty that the airfare sales will continue into 2010, but VAustralia is actively promoting its flights to Australia - and Qantas has been trying to keep pace with the sales.

Depending on where you plan to visit in Australia, your best airfare purchase may be a Qantas Aussie AirPass, which allows for between 3-4 (depending on the current special) "free" flights to destinations within Australia for the cost of the international (non-sale priced) airfare. The cost of an AirPass does not change; the best time to puchase it is as soon as you have planned where you want to go.

For only one or two destinations, or if you're looking for a really low price, the best time to purchase your tickets is during a sale. The pricing for each new sale has been higher than it was for the previous sale, and only a small number of seats on each flight are allocated to sale prices. If you have specific dates you must travel, you may be forced to pay more if you wait too long.

Finding the lowest priced airfare is often a bit like playing roulette - unfortunately, there are no guarantees.

The largest island in South Australia is Kangaroo Island.

Technically no; an Electronic Travel Authorization in addition to your US passport is sufficient (and significantly cheaper, at $20 AUS vs. $130 AUS for a visa).

However, you do have to have either the ETA or a visa. The passport alone is NOT sufficient.

Sydney to Perth is a 5 hours 0 mins flight

9-10 hours depending on traffic

People have cycled between Sydney and Brisbane but they share narrow roads with heavy traffic. Recently (early 2009), a teenager with Asperger's managed to cycle from Brisbane to Sydney, arriving safely at his destination.

During your trip, you will be using the M1/A1 from Melbourne, Victoria. Leading on to the '1' in New South Wales. On Google Maps, the full travel time is estimated at just over 7 hours. You can find the route here: http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?hl=en&doflg=ptk&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=102777608309391313844.00046f8ab882ef44bc564&ll=-36.611118,147.43103&spn=3.637562,7.575073&z=8 You should reserve at least 2 days to enjoy the journey and sights. It is recommended that night driving be kept to a minimum in Australia due to wildlife such as Kangaroos being a danger on the roads.

When it is Autumn in Ohio, it is Spring in Australia.

People in the modern Australian outback eat the same things as people in the cities. The storage and cooking facilities are comparable with those in the cities, although costs tend to be slightly higher due to the cost of extra transportation. In the 19th century and early 20th century, when the outback was a place for itinerant swagmen and bushmen, these people often lived on damper, a simple bread made from flour, salt and water and cooked over an open campfire. Workers in the outback lived on a fairly staple diet of beef or mutton with potatoes or stews.

Travelling time between Noosa Heads, Qld and Byron Bay, NSW is just over 3 hours, if one can avoid peak hour traffic along the motorway in and out of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The distance is 304km.