Beautiful  sandy beaches and an  energetic nightlife make Sydney one of the most popular destinations in Australia. There's heaps to do in the Emerald City, but just in case you only had a few days of sightseeing, see below for a three-day guide to the city:

DAY ONE Circular Quay and City Centre After breakfast, head down to Circular Quay to see the two city icons: the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. You could take a tour of the Opera House, or take a walk further to the peninsular of the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens along Mrs Macquarie’s Road to the famous carved rock bench Mrs Macquarie’s Chair where you can take great pictures of the Opera House. Nearby to the Opera House, you can stroll through The Rocks area along quaint streets to where European Sydney started out. The area is covered with alleyways, terraced houses, old pubs, and former maritime storehouses. You can also take a guided walk with an operator like The Rocks Walking Tours. If you head up to walkway that spans the Sydney Harbour Bridge you can walk right across the bridge, returning back to the city centre by local commuter train. Or gain a memorable experience by climbing the Harbour Bridge with BridgeClimb. Next up, you can head back to Circular Quay to take a boat trip on Sydney’s glorious harbour. There are guided tours such as the Tribal Warrior Aboriginal Culture Cruise or you can simply catch the public transport ferry to Manly for a pre-lunch swim followed by fish and chips on the beach. In the afternoon you can head into the city centre and see the Sydney Tower, the tallest building in Sydney. The tower offers stunning 360-degree views across the city and beyond to the Blue Mountains and the brave can walk around the outside of the tower on a Skywalk.

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DAY TWO Darling Harbour, Darling Spend the morning in Darling Harbour, Sydney’s main entertainment precinct and an area packed with plenty of bars, pubs and restaurants with al fresco dining. Darling Harbour is also home to the Sydney Aquarium where you can see the stunning Barrier Reef exhibit, dugong habitat, and an underwater walkway through an enormous tank full of giant sharks and rays. You can also feed the sharks from a glass bottom boat. In the afternoon you could check out the native Australian animals at Taronga Zoo or make your way to one of Sydney’s many golden beaches. The most famous is Bondi Beach, where you might even be lucky enough to see home-grown celebs. You can also learn to surf on Bondi.

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DAY THREE Blue Mountains exploration Today it’s time to head to the hills and get away from the city into the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, which are less than two hours from Sydney. You can get there by train and join a tour, take a tour from Sydney, or wander around alone. Visa Bureau Platinum Card holders can take day trip out to the Blue Mountains with Adventure Tours Australia at 50% off. You can see more about this and other single-day trips on the Adventure Tours Australia single-day tours page on the Platinum Card site. In the Blue Mountains you can ride the world’s steepest incline railway and enjoy spectacular rainforest views from a cable car at Scenic World. Stretching for over one million hectares the Blue Mountains is an inspiring mix of rainforest, canyons, tall forests and heathlands, combining eight individual conservation reserves. There are lots of incredible bushwalks, majestic waterfalls, and the sandstone escarpments and canyons are awesome. Take a bushwalk, or a bike ride, down a few of the tracks and see for yourself some of the many cascades and waterfalls through the area. Stay the night if you wish to extend your trip, or head back to the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Sydney.

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- Don't forget that you can send in your working holiday stories by via email, with photos or edited video attached and the word “Australia” in the subject box, to and win prizes!

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

You might have read her stuff earlier on in the blog, and since arriving in Australia last year Alex Simpson has put some serious travel miles under her belt and seen a helluva lot of country. As you'll read though, Alex still feels the magical "wow I'm in Australia" moments:

We were both excited and apprehensive about meeting Melbourne as it's where we're planning to live and work for 2+ months and wanted to love it. The good news is, we do.

A lot of people have raved on about how great it is, really cultural, young and trendy so we had high hopes but it really is as good as the recommendations. A cross between London and Brighton, street art adorning every brick wall and tiny cafes, bars and clubs poking out of holes in back alleys. We're very excited to be heading back there, defo my favourite Australian city.

On day 1 we caught a tram into the CBD and followed the Lonely Planet's recommended walking guide to get to know the streets fast, it was a cool tour and took us past everything we needed to see to get a feel for the place. We'd only just got started when we promptly stopped again and enjoyed and very cosmopolitan lunch of risotto and wine while sitting at a little cafe table under the shade of a big canvas umbrella.

After our walk we made time for a quick fondue from Max Brenner and then got comfy in our Imax seats for Avatar 3D which was absolutely, unbelievably, incredibly amazing. A life changing experience really, just astounding. Especially as Melbourne has the 3rd biggest screen in the world :).

We ended up walking over 7 miles on day 2 because we wanted to check out St Kilda and all the funky suburbs we might want to live in. St Kilda had a fun beachy vibeto it and the huge palms reminded me of America which made me a bit travel sick for LA.

It was really windy so I got a great unexpected surprise when I spotted a kite hovering in the air a mile or so away.

I sat bolt upright staring at the horizon and then noticed a whole sky full of kite colour WOOHOO! I walked down to the harbour and went straight up to a guy to ask him about the wind seasons and kite community which is apparently thriving so have made the decision to get my stuff sent down to Melbourne for when I'm there, don't know how yet but can't wait!

On our last day we walked another 7 miles into a different district (also uber-cool) to check that out and ended up treating ourselves to another cosmo lunch, oops! We loved our 3 days in Melbourne and packed our bags happy in the knowledge we are heading back in a month or two.

The last 3 days we've been travelling from Melbourne over to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road on the Groovy Grape tour bus lol! It's been really fun, Tina and I are the only English on the mini bus which seems quite rare but it's taken us past some awesome views including my highlight, sunset at the 12 Apostles. The Apostles are a coastal rock formation formed by sea and wind erosion but they don't sound so mystical like that so we'll leave it as The Apostles.

The day before yesterday we drove up into the Grampian mountains and saw Koalas just chilling in their natural habitat which was so cool and nice to see, I'm not sure I'd fancy going to a zoo again after that. In the evening we stayed at little cabins surrounded by bush so as dusk fell loads of kangaroos started appearing out from the trees and coming right up to us where we were having a BBQ! It was one of those "wow, I'm really in Australia moments".

Our final day took us on a hike up into Hollow Mountain which sounds a bit like a Disneyland ride but was actually some dramatic sandstone mountains we got to scramble up to reach the summit, amazing views and worth the effort for sure.

Then we had a quick pit stop for a picnic lunch and hit the road for the remaining 5 hour drive to Adelaide. We arrived quite late, too late to do anything yet had that agitated 'been stuck on a bus' feeling so I managed to persuade Tina to go on a jog around the town before bed, not sure how that happened!

So now we're in Adelaide and we're off to explore the town, we've chosen a good time to come as the Fringe Festival is currently on and the area seems to be buzzing more than usual.

Next stop is Alice Springs and the desert, hope I don't get bitten by a scorpian...or snake...or spider...or...

- What's your "wow" moment in Australia? Send us your working holiday stories by via email, with photos or edited video attached and the word “Australia” in the subject box, to . 

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

It’s a sparkling, new year, and if you are anything like me you probably have spent your last clams on the fabulous party week between Christmas and New Year’s. 

Anywoo, there is a new deal for Visa Bureau Platinum Card holders for a day trip out to the Blue Mountains with Adventure Tours Australia. They offer a few one-day tours already as part of the exclusive programme, including tours of the Hunter Valley and the Tablelands, but they have just added the Blue Mountains tour ... *deep breath* ... at 50% off!

You may be enjoying the Sydney summer and just chilling on Bondi beach, but the Blue Mountains is well worth getting off the sand.

The mountain range juts up behind Sydney, and is practically vertical in parts, with gorges and waterfalls carving through the sandstone and secluded valleys below.

Early European settlers thought it was impassable (although the Aboriginals did know of passes through the range) but that rich, farming land lay behind it. China could have laid behind the mountains for all anyone knew, but at least the seemingly impassable mountains kept the convicts from escaping ... that often.

The Blue Mountains get their “blue” haze from the oil given off from the eucalyptus trees (that’s eucalyptus oil brainiac), and still today there are valleys and gorges in the ranges that are almost pristine. A living dinosaur was discovered in 1994 in a remote gorge in the area by a national park field officer: the Wollemia or colloquially dubbed Wollemi pine.

The oldest fossil of this tree has been dated to 200 million years ago, and that one gorge is the sole known place it’s been found in the wild. It’s a living fossil!

Of course now we propagate them, and give mini Wollemi pines as gifts to countries and dignitaries. You can even buy them in special garden centres. But hay, who knows what else lies in those hills.

On the Adventure Tours Australia trip you will take in a 2-3 hour loop walk near the famous Wentworth Falls to see waterfalls, lookout points and walk through hanging swamps and under rock ledges before a pretty decent lunch (which is included).

After lunch is the historic Furber Stairs into Jamison Valley, through lush rainforest and the Katoomba Falls to view the incredible Three Sisters rock formations. From the bottom of the Jamison Valley is the Scenic Railway (fare included), the steepest railway in the world and ride up to the valley rim.

It will be a big day out, and with the 50% deal for Visa Bureau Platinum Card members the clams will go further.

Check out the offer in full, and read about all the other single-day trips on the Adventure Tours Australia single-day tours page on the Platinum Card site.

- Don't forget that you can send in your working holiday stories by via email, with photos or edited video attached and the word “Australia” in the subject box, to and win prizes!

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Cal O'Neill discovers the real truth about Fosters and makes some new friends in a four-day stopover of Australia's most stylish city, Melbourne.

So after three weeks in Sydney, the next stop on my ‘great Aussie adventure’ is a brief four day stopover in Melbourne where I’d be staying at the delightful Habitat HQ hostel in St Kilda.  The short plane ride over gave me time to reflect on my time down under so far.   

When thinking of Australia back in England, I had this clear image of day-after-day of glorious sun with everyone chilling out on the beach, having BBQ’s and drinking Fosters.  So far my trip had brought up weird red dust storms, endless amounts of rain and not a Fosters in sight.  No one drinks it here! 

Back in England their whole marketing angle is ‘drink Australian, drink Fosters’ and the adverts always have cool, relaxed Aussie dude’s chilling at a beach (now you can see where I got my image of Australia from) but over here, no one bloody drinks it!  Perhaps Melbourne would be the place to provide me with my Aussie ideal.

I arrive at the hostel and for a minute forget what country I’m in due to the sheer volume of English.  Now despite being English myself, I’ve always been amused by the stereotypical English tourist and how often many live up to that stereotype.  Here was no different.  All they want to do is get a tan, get pissed and only hang out with fellow English people.  I never understand why they waste all that money and effort coming halfway around the world to do this when they could have quite as easily stayed at home, bought a crate of beer and a few sessions on the tanning bed.  At least back home they can get a Fosters.

I get to my room and am greeted by a large German guy snoring away in the bunk above mine.  I dump my bags in my room and quickly make an escape into the city to see what Melbourne has to offer.  After hours of roaming around the cool little side streets and checking out some of the Arts Festival I find myself at a bar with a well earned pint of Super Dry (its low-carb so I feel healthy for drinking it).  I’m sitting there lost in thought when two very attractive blonde Aussie girls approach me, “Excuse me, anyone sitting here?” 

After a few seconds of bewildered silence I tell them no and they join me. 

They introduce themselves as Kat and Marley and for the next two hours or so the beer flows just as quickly as the conversation. And so I sit there and enjoy some good old fashioned Australian hospitality. Things are about to get a bit more hospitable when Marley tells me they are off back to hers to make dinner and would I like to join them.  After a few more moments of bewildered silence I find myself in their car travelling to some suburb in the middle of nowhere asking myself how I got here.  I have no idea where I am or how I’m going to get back to the hostel and I’m already starting to imagine tomorrow’s headlines – ‘another stupid pom backpacker missing.’

As we approach one of the biggest houses I’ve ever seen, Marley turns to me and says “My friend Dan is coming for dinner as well.”  Before I can ask who this Dan guy is Marley says “oh there she is now, she’s early.” 

It turns out Dan is short for Danielle who is yet another tall, attractive blonde.  I’m starting to question whether I’m actually awake or if this is all a dream and I’m really passed out in my hostel room with the large German guy in the bunk above me snoring away.  I mean seriously, this is like that scene from Love Actually with the American girls and those two English guys.

I decided that dream or not, I’m just gonna go with it so get out of the car and introduce myself to the delightful Danielle.  We make our way into the house, which much like the whole of this experience, is unbelievable.  It’s like one of those houses you see in American teen movies where they always have a massive party.  So we settle in one of the many lounge rooms and I enjoy an evening full of drink, food and general good times.  Marley is even kind enough to drop me back at the hostel the next day where the large German guy is still happily snoring away.  I’m not quite sure if he’s moved at all from when I left him.

And so I now head over to Perth taking with me some very fond memories of Melbourne and thinking that Australia so far is way better then chilling on a beach drinking a Fosters.

- Interested in tracing Cal's travels and visiting Melbourne? Get a free night's accomodation at Habitat HQ and heaps of other freebies with your Visa Bureau Australian Working Holiday Visa.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

One of the best places to stay in Melboure is the seaside suburb of St Kilda, and the expert of the area is the backpackers' home-away-from-home, Habitat HQ. Habitat HQ also has a sweet deal for Platinum Card members, so you can get a free night's accommodation, internet, and airport pick up and much more. Have a look here for the pile of goodies you can get.

And because Habitat HQ knows Melbourne and St Kilda you will be in the right hands for finding out how to explore the city.

 

So why are you sitting here watching re-runs of Jerry Springer when you could be living it up on...

Habitat HQ’s DIY St Kilda Walking Tour!

There will be plenty of time to watch trashy television shows when you get back home so turn off the TV, get off your ass and check out some of the fantastic and quirky wonderland that we call St Kilda. Come up and see Habitat HQ reception and they'll give you a map and point you in the right direction…

FIRST STOP Eating out at Acland A mere 10 minute walk away from Habitat HQ you’ll find the bustling Acland Street, one of the best food precincts of St Kilda. If you’re hungry you can grab some fish and chips from Clamm’s Fast Fish and take it down to the beach to eat. If you’re not a fish and chips fan, there are heaps of other options including vegetarian from Lentil as Anything or burgers from Pit-Stop '96. There are also heaps of cake shops if you’ve got a sweet tooth. Habitat HQ have a list of take away menus behind reception if you want some other ideas.

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SECOND STOP Take a look at Luna Park After you’ve eaten your food, you can take a short stroll to one of St Kilda’s most iconic landmarks, the historic fun fair with the giant smiling face, Luna Park. It’s not very big so you might get bored pretty quickly but it’s free to go inside (you just need to pay for the rides) and it’s still better than listening to people chanting “JERRY, JERRY, JERRY!”

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THIRD STOP Penguins on the pier When you’re all dodgem car’d & merry go rounded out, you can go for a walk along St Kilda pier. Right at the end is a breakwater that has become a penguin breeding colony so when the sun comes down, the penguins will climb onto the rocks and start screaming at each other. If you want to take photos of them, please don’t use your flash as their beady little penguin eyes can’t handle the light. They come out most nights but if they aren’t around the night you go down there, don’t blame Australia. You’re just an unlucky person and your extremely unfortunate misfortune is though no fault of ours.

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FOURTH STOP Beer and music at the Espy After your penguin spotting expedition, head on down to the Esplanade Hotel, one of St Kilda’s most premier live music venues. In an average week they’ll host around 50 bands and DJ’s and a lot of the gigs are free so it’s definitely worth checking out.

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FIFTH STOP Stumble home via Fitzroy Street Tired from a long and fulfilling day of getting amongst it, you can walk home via Fitzroy Street, Acland Streets estranged half brother. Like Acland, Fitzroy Street is home to plenty of great places to grab some food or drinks. If you feel like some desserty indulgence, you can stop off at “Cold Rock” where they’ll mash up your choice of chocolates and/or lollies with ice cream. It’s an unhealthily winning combination.

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SIXTH AND FINAL STOP Home sweet home Jerry’s final thought: And then, when you’re all done, you can come home and collapse back in front of the TV again, comfortable in the knowledge that you’ve been out into the big wide world and experienced some of the city your currently in, instead of just watching some guy confess his love to a horse… - Habitat HQ is a 4.5 star backpacker hostel in Melbourne's funky St Kilda suburb.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

There is a small town about 300km west of Brisbane, Queensland, that holds a bizzare festival every two years.

For four days the little town of Chinchilla (and visitors) ski, bungy, spit, eat, slurp and smash their way through as many melons as possible. And in most creative ways.

Chinchilla is the melon captial of Australia, producing a quarter of the countries melons, and to celebrate almost everything imaginable that can be done with the fruit is given a go. Melon cocktails and pip spitting are some of the tamer exploits, moving to the more full-on events.

Take melon skiing: A half of a melon is stuck on each feet, and a rope drags you along on a tarp laced with slippery melon pieces. Some get further than others.

Or there is the melon iron man event, melon bungee, melon bullseye, pip spitting and melon tossing, and a real headache ... melon smashing.

Get a really hard head, smash it on to as many melons as you can in a minute and you have yourself possibly the stupidest reason for a headache. John Allwood, a melon picker, broke his record in melon smashing earlier this year in Chinchilla.

In 2007 he smashed 40 melons in one minute, but this year the 29-year-old cracked 47 with his noggin. All chances to officially challenge his record will have to wait for the Chinchilla Melon Festival on 17 - 20 February 2011.

Meanwhile, there is time to perfect your melon skiing technique.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

 

Australia’s a big, wide country, so what better way for a little town to stand out than with a Big Pineapple? 

There are more than 150 giant models in Australia, like the Big Gumboot in Tully, Queensland, and Humpty Doo’s (yes, that’s the name of the town) Big Boxing Crocodile. 

Some are just ridiculous, like the Big Poo in Kiama and the Big Potato in Robertson, but most are fun, if a bit kitsch, excuses for a road trip.

Here is my top 10.

10. Big Ned Kelly: Glenrowan, Victoria.  Worth the trip if you are interested in Australia’s infamous criminal.

9. Big Golden Guitar: Tamworth, New South Wales. It is beautifully crafted, and a fitting tribute for Australia’s country music capital.

8. Giant Koala: Dadswells Bridge, Victoria. Now owed by new people, Karla has had a makeover.

7. Big Banana: Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. The first in Australia (built in 1964) and visible from the highway.

6. Big Lobster: Kingston, South Australia. Known to the locals as ‘Larry’.

5. Big Merino: Goulburn, New South Wales. As awe-inspiring as a giant sheep can be, or should that be ewe-inspiring? ...ha ha... eh *sigh*.

4. Big Wine Cask: Wentworth, New South Wales. An excellent excuse for stupid photos with mouths agape under the dispenser.

3. Giant Murray Cod: Swan Hill, Victoria. Again, a funny photo opportunity in the mouth of the cod.

2. Big Prawn: Ballina, New South Wales (south of Byron Bay). It was a little faded the last time I saw it but it was always a signal on an east coast road trip to stop for lunch and have fish and chips on the beach.

And drum roll please...

1. Big Pineapple: Nambour, Queensland, it’s a 16-metre (52 foot) fibreglass fruit that has been an icon since it opened in 1971. It’s also an event with rides on a Macadamia nut mobile or on a small train, and tropical fruit parfaits for afters. Daww.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

I've a few favourite places in Australia, the kind of places that you find by accident and then love.

Cairns in Queensland, for example, is beautiful, fun and almost every gapper in Australia goes there. But if you take a road trip from Cairns down the coastline to Brisbane you will see some fantastic things, including a little town by the name of Bowen.

Have you seen the movie Australia? Despite much of it being set in Darwin, it was actually filmed in this sweet little town. Sure, it doen't have the nightclubs of Cairns but the pubs are cheerful and this is one of the only places in Queensland where you can just walk out in the water to see the Great Barrier Reef.

I flew into Cairns after six months living in Japan and a friend picked me up, and after a few days soaking up the rays we set out on a long road trip down the coast to Brisbane.

We hadn't planned anything, or booked anywhere to stay, but it was summer so we thought if we couldn't find anywhere along the way anytime during the five-day trip we would just sleep in the back of the station wagon. (Although, thinking back this was not going to be a good idea given that we had no screens, mattress ...)

On day one we got past Townsville, then Ayr by the arfternoon and started to think about somewhere to stay. Bowen! It was the very next town, it would do.

And when we pulled into Bowen, it was a bit brown and dry, but the town was full of murals. Quite good ones, current people and past histories painted on walls of shops, council buildings, outhouses...

We found a dinky-di caravan park in town, and for only $30 for both of us we got a night in fully kitted-out caravan with the salt water of the bay nearby lapping almost at the door.

The next morning before breakfast we took a swim at the beach just around the bend, looking underwater at the coral and fish.

We stayed two nights in the caravan on the beach, in literally paradise in Bowen.

  

©Visa Bureau 2003-2009

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.