It was summer and I had to escape from the heat in Mumbai and my vacation was due. Wanted to plan a holiday some place that would give me respite from the summer here. Going back home was out of question in the summer with the temperatures hitting the nadir. Australia was one of the places in the cooler zone at that point in time.
Skyline with the opera house Sydney, view from ferry
Applied for my visa and took off to oz land. Quite a few experiences were new. Was going first time backpacking, of course I do a lot of trekking. So there were a few mistakes too. I could have saved almost a third of my traveling cost if I had taken Singapore-Darwin route and seen more places which I learnt later. Anyways Australia is not a place which you can cover in a month.
The famous Manly beach
Landed at Sydney straight since my flight was nonstop from Mumbai. Had got all my bookings at YHA international. Had my apprehensions about staying at these places, as I was not aware as to what sort of people stayed there. But once I was there, the place was buzzing with backpackers from all over the world except Indians. Of course the migrant Indian population was quite a size elsewhere. Especially the Melbourne railway station was teeming with Indians.
Parliament building Canberra
Weather was amazing at all the places especially Sydney. Only I was not used to such. So was going everywhere with my jackets on not one but two. After Sydney I visited Canberra which gave me the tremors in my bones the day I landed there it was -3 degrees and the day I was leaving it was pouring there so had to cut short my trip to the Canberra zoo where I missed seeing the Tigon a cross breed of tiger and lion. Melbourne was amazing too. Got the best of weather there too. In fact it was bright and sunny the day I was there and as against most people cautioning me it never rained.
An Australian!
The facilities at the YHA were just awesome and my apprehensions were at ease. People were very cooperative even for that matter even the locals. I did not find any sort of racist attitude anywhere; could be because of the high society standards the Indians have among those who have migrated.
Market center, Manly
I went on a shoestring budget and so could not make it to Adelaide and Perth, which were on my itinerary but had to cut short because of time too. The only disadvantage was that I had taken a visitors visa which does not let one to work there whereas most of the other people there were on working holiday maker visas which allows one to work for a period of one year.
Living cost wise I found the place quite reasonable. The places I visited are self explanatory and the pictures do the rest.
Melbourne citycenter
Koalas at the Koala park in melbourne.
Trying the Aboriginal musical instrument
Author: Stevenson Fernandes- India