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ExecuDork posted:The almost-a-ghost-town of Wayne, Alberta is worth a look if you have time. The old coal mines in the valley of the Rosebud River have some interesting history, and you cross 11 bridges over the river in the short distance from the town of Rosedale on the Red Deer River to Wayne, plus lots of views of the many railroad bridges. Goddamn that's one of the most  construction projects I've ever heard of. 11 bridges in just 6 kilometers? Seems like a road along the ridge would have been smarter. Does seem like a fun drive though. I gotta drag the wife up to Canada sometime.
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Jun 12, 2013 19:26
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Medicine Hat is my hometown, so this is sort of a nostalgia-haven't-been-back-since-I-was-12 tour. On my list right now of places to head for photos, looping clockwise from Calgary are Drumheller, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Red Rock Coulee and Head Smashed In. I hadn't heard of Wayne, but it looks right up alley. I'll check it out if time permits. Living in Ontario, I have no desire to go anywhere near trees. I just want tumbleweeds and badlands. Thanks for the suggestions!
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Jun 12, 2013 19:33
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I've gone camping in Wayne a couple times, both times have been during a monsoon though... but yeah, there's a bunch of old abandoned mining equipment kicking around there
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Jun 12, 2013 19:35
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For last year's May-long (Victoria Day long weekend in May), my GF and I paddled her canoe from Rosebud to Rosedale, downstream on the Rosebud river. We paddled under 59 bridges, most of them the railroad that was built to collect coal from the various small-scale mines along the valley. Set on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49837331@N06/sets/72157629883482284/  Bridge over Rosebud River (22 of 59) by Execudork, on Flickr When we were arranging the shuttle for our trip (we left my car at the downstream end of the trip, in Rosedale, and were carried upstream to where we'd left the boat and gear in Rosebud by a local farmer) we heard about one local guy, I think named Garfield, who owns a handcar and occassionally runs it up and down the rail in the valley (I believe alcohol may be involved in some way). Everybody we met - which, besides our shuttle driver, was basically an extended family having a BBQ at their cabin - knew about Garfield. I never met him, but I gather he's something of a local legend despite not being particularly old - I heard he was mid-thirties. Horseshoe Canyon is right next to Highway 9 just north of Drumheller if you're really pressed for time but still have a need to see some classic badlands. Tumbleweeds, hoodoos, desert plants & bugs, bright direct sunshine, and sunburns, all in easy walking distance! EDIT: I visited Head-Smashed-In as a child, I remember huge expansive views, lots of wind, and endless grass. Plus a cool visitor center with illustrations of hordes of buffalos being driven to their deaths. EDIT 2: I just looked again at the map. Medicine Hat is close to Cypress Hills! How long are you going to be in the area? Whatever, don't answer, just take another week and spend it in Cypress Hills. I want to live vicariously through you ExecuDork fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Jun 13, 2013 |
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Jun 13, 2013 02:35
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InternetJunky posted:My wife and I are heading to Newfoundland in August for some birding. I don't know of any newfie dorkroom goons but I'd love to get some tips on where to get off the beaten path to find some good shots, even if they don't involve birds. Hey awesome, glad you're visiting. Lots to see here. Which part of the province will you be visiting? If it's east coast (St. John's), you'll definitely want to check out St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, but I suspect you may know of that already. That page links to some other reserves as well, but St. Mary's is known for its birds. Salmonier Nature Park is a more like a zoo-type place, but it's all outside and fairly open. Totally open owl area, for example, where you can pretty much walk right up to them. It can be a fun afternoon and isn't too far from town. I don't do a lot of birding, but I know I've spotted a few eagles on some of my usual trails, so I could point those out too. If you just want to do a bit of hiking, the East Coast Trail is fantastic. All within just a few minutes of town (some parts in town itself) and great views. Pretty much all of my landscapes are taken somewhere along it. It's very large. If you're going to be on the West coast, I'm a little less certain on where the really great birding spots are. I grew up there, but it's been a long time since I was back. Gros Morne and the area (Green Gardens is loving insane!) are just great though, endless trails and awesome views. Give me a quick rundown of where you'll be and what you've got planned so far, I'll give you some more ideas. I assume you'll have access to a car. EDIT: I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you want to see some puffins too. Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is supposed to be THE PLACE for them. Apparently nearly all the world's Atlantic puffin population breeds there? I've never been, but heard it's pretty sweet. scottch fucked around with this message at 19:59 on Jun 13, 2013 |
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Jun 13, 2013 19:50
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I'm in the process of registering for a couple of conferences in the fall (registration deadlines are always many months ahead of the actual conference). I always take a few days extra at far-from-home conferences as small vacations if I can - the plane tickets are paid for by my advisor, so all I need to do is sort out accomodation and (the fun part) plan what I want to do and see. I won't have to buy plane tickets and set firm dates for a while, yet, so I thought I'd get some local knowledge about southwestern Montana and Tampa, Florida and then try to work out how many days I can spend exploring. Polar and Alpine Microbiology 2013, Big Sky, Montana. September 8-12. There's a tour on the Wednesday (Sept 11) into Yellowstone National Park, for that I'll be just another tourist on a guided tour. After the conference I plan to hang around the area for maybe 3 days, either camping or finding a cheap motel. I'll have my car so I can take whatever gear I might need. Should I just plan to spend 3 days in Yellowstone? Any specific places in or near the park I should check out? ASA, CSSA, SSSA 2013, Tampa, Florida. November 3-6. There's a tour on Nov 2 of the Everglades, starting in Miami and ending in Tampa. After the conference I plan to spend at least 3, maybe 4 or 5 days in the area - early November in Saskatchewan will have much less pleasant weather than southern Florida will have at any time of year. I'll be renting a car with a friend who will also be at this conference, and we're both big nerds so birdwatching / wildlife are high on the list. I already discovered the websites for the Manatee Viewing Center at the power station and the Great Florida Birding Trail. Has anybody done interesting things at either? I realize the Birding Trail is a network of state parks and other areas, are there particular spots that might be good for birds or just generally exploring Florida? EDIT: I'll be in Miami the night of Nov 2 - tell me what I should do! 
ExecuDork fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Jun 13, 2013 |
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Jun 13, 2013 22:33
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scottch posted:Hey awesome, glad you're visiting. Lots to see here. The East Coast Trail sounds awesome and I think needs to go into our schedule. Any other tips on cool places to shoot (i.e. old lighthouses, scenery, fishing villages, etc) that might be off the standard tourist route would be most appreciated!
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Jun 13, 2013 22:42
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ExecuDork posted:I'm in the process of registering for a couple of conferences in the fall (registration deadlines are always many months ahead of the actual conference). I always take a few days extra at far-from-home conferences as small vacations if I can - the plane tickets are paid for by my advisor, so all I need to do is sort out accomodation and (the fun part) plan what I want to do and see. I've never seen Big Sky in the summer, but it's glorious in the winter after it snows. If you have time I'd look up a day hike and go get lost in the woods. 3 days is probably enough to do a turbo tour of all the tourist hotspots (haw haw get it?) in Yellowstone. It'll take one day to do the west gate to lake yellowtone leg, another day for the west gate to north gate, and a third day for the grand canyon of yellowstone portion. It'll depend on the crowds though.. I'm not 100% sure when the tourist season starts to wind down. The geysers are certainly a lot of fun but I wouldn't waste time standing around for old faithful.. it's not very photogenic to my eye. I've not had the chance to visit the canyon but I hear it's spectacular. Make sure to do the Blacktail Plateau Drive, it's very quiet and you can see a long, long ways. If you're not opposed to a lot of driving both route 212 to red lodge and 296 to Wyoming 120 have some pretty mountain pass drives. Outside the park, Madison valley and Virginia City are great places to visit. The valley has mile after mile of wheat fields.. I might be biased because my family used to farm there but I think it's a gorgeous place. There's a bunch of mining ghost towns in that part of Montana.. try to dig up a book to help find them if that's interesting to you. Pony, MT is a "near" ghost town that I've visited and it was a neat little spot. The highlight of the town is a bar that is best described as "podunk." If you head up towards Bozeman, Hyalite canyon is a local favorite spot with some beautiful low stress hikes. There's a couple waterfalls back there that are pretty popular. The drive between Big Sky and Bozeman is pretty awesome too.
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Jun 13, 2013 23:13
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InternetJunky posted:We're still building our itinerary, but so far we're hitting up Elliston, Cape St. Mary's Park Reserve, and Twillingate. Witless bay is off our list because to land there you need a special permit, otherwise the best you can do is take a boat tour around the area (not ideal for photography). Email me (scottch at gmail) and I'll give you some ideas. The ECT is so handy you can hit a lot of variety within even just a day or two.
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Jun 14, 2013 02:03
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Has anyone been to Guam? I maaaay have an opportunity to travel there for work. I would have weekends to myself, and have already started looking at different things to do and stuff to shoot. (Definitely getting my hopes up, so I hope it happens now) I'm having trouble finding info on any kind of hikes. There are organized hikes through the bureau of tourism but they look geared toward the incredibly inexperienced (1.5 miles, zero elevation in 4 hours, wut?)
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Jun 18, 2013 04:20
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Honolulu, Hawaii for a conference. I know it should sound like easy time photoshoots, but I only really have a plan to hike up Diamond Head. Any other off-the-beaten-path places to check out? Or must-see places? I don't care much for Waikiki beach, resorty-type deals.
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Jun 26, 2013 16:23
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Miko posted:Honolulu, Hawaii for a conference. I know it should sound like easy time photoshoots, but I only really have a plan to hike up Diamond Head. This exact spot. Sea turtles. Try late afternoon.
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Jun 26, 2013 23:32
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Gambl0r posted:Has anyone been to Guam? I maaaay have an opportunity to travel there for work. I would have weekends to myself, and have already started looking at different things to do and stuff to shoot. (Definitely getting my hopes up, so I hope it happens now) I'm having trouble finding info on any kind of hikes. There are organized hikes through the bureau of tourism but they look geared toward the incredibly inexperienced (1.5 miles, zero elevation in 4 hours, wut?) I live here, and have hiked nearly every weekend for the last 9 years. Three basic options: 1. The Boonie Stomp - very organized, $2, takes you to a pre-set location (but usually pretty nice). Some can be very difficult, others stupidly easy. If you're in-shape, you may get frustrated by having to wait for slow people. 2. Going by yourself - There's a book written by the guy who organized the boonie stomps called Best Tracks on Guam, it has 40+ hikes with topographical maps, is usually available in a local bookstore or at Jeff's Pirate's Cove. If you do this, pick up a camelbak and gloves. 3. The Agana Hash House Harriers - $6, moderately difficult trails that will take you to poo poo that no one else has seen. Sometimes goes to the old standby spots/waterfalls/caves, but will usually go find new ones. A group of 80 people caravan out from central Hagatna at 4PM on Saturday to the start of the run (different every week), bring water and gloves (swordgrass will rip your hands up). Trail is usually 2-6 miles in length, it'll take you about 1.5 hrs. Afterwards there are trucks to get you back to your car, and then there's a bonfire with a lot of drinking/singing/ridiculousness. I was in charge of it for a couple of years, can answer questions. edit: you may want to get a waterproof/shockproof camera. and it's also the best place to learn to scuba dive, as far as cost/experience. double edit: or you can just pm me and ask about a specific spot and I can give you directions. Abugadu fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Jul 2, 2013 |
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Jul 2, 2013 02:03
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I just sent out a quote for a job that's going to involve a lot of traveling and I thought I'd check to see if there are any Dorkroomers that might want to assist on an interiors shoot if they happen to live in one of the cities. Keep in mind that I don't have the job yet - but I'm hopeful (If I don't get it I'm committing suicide because I've already mentally spent the money and I'm already mentally enjoying my fantasy new used car and apartment). So, does anyone live in:
I'd basically be doing all of these over two weeks, so there wouldn't be much time to meet&greet, basically travel day -> shoot day -> travel day -> shoot day etc. If you know stuff about lighting and cameras and stuff and can actually assist that would be awesome and I'd pay you. If you just want to come and learn and let me blame my farts on you then that would be cool too and I'll feed you. Once again, this isn't a sure thing yet.
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Jul 2, 2013 08:02
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woot fatigue posted:I just sent out a quote for a job that's going to involve a lot of traveling and I thought I'd check to see if there are any Dorkroomers that might want to assist on an interiors shoot if they happen to live in one of the cities. Keep in mind that I don't have the job yet - but I'm hopeful (If I don't get it I'm committing suicide because I've already mentally spent the money and I'm already mentally enjoying my fantasy new used car and apartment). So, does anyone live in: I live in Seattle and would love to help out if my work schedule allows.
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Jul 2, 2013 10:52
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I could help out Detroit potentially.
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Jul 2, 2013 12:07
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woot fatigue posted:I just sent out a quote for a job that's going to involve a lot of traveling and I thought I'd check to see if there are any Dorkroomers that might want to assist on an interiors shoot if they happen to live in one of the cities. Keep in mind that I don't have the job yet - but I'm hopeful (If I don't get it I'm committing suicide because I've already mentally spent the money and I'm already mentally enjoying my fantasy new used car and apartment). So, does anyone live in: I may be able to do the Tempe, AZ shoot. I'm in Albuquerque, NM but its a really short flight out. Depends on the dates.
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Jul 2, 2013 17:54
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Whitezombi posted:I may be able to do the Tempe, AZ shoot. I'm in Albuquerque, NM but its a really short flight out. Depends on the dates. Dude unless you're getting like a $150 round trip it wouldn't be worth it. Unless you actually want to come along for funsies! 8th-samurai posted:I live in Seattle and would love to help out if my work schedule allows. Cool. Depending on how things are scheduled I'd probably have time to meet up for a beer or we could jerk off together while playing godzilla with your HO Scale model trains. DJExile posted:I could help out Detroit potentially. Sounds good. I'll let you know. Detroit would be one of the easier ones to schedule since there's no flight involved.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:18
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woot fatigue posted:Dude unless you're getting like a $150 round trip it wouldn't be worth it. Unless you actually want to come along for funsies! $100 round trip.
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Jul 2, 2013 18:20
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woot fatigue posted:Sounds good. I'll let you know. Detroit would be one of the easier ones to schedule since there's no flight involved. Awesome. My summer is kind of busy but if I have a free weekend or day I'll make it happen. Drop me an email at sgtbenwilcox at gee male and let me know.
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Jul 3, 2013 12:14
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I am going up to Philadelphia this fall to visit family. I will be there for around four or so days and then I'll take a trip up to New York. Any advice on places to visit up there?
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Jul 5, 2013 19:37
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The trip to Rome was awesome! It was nice to be able to get out of my comfort zone and discover a new city and culture. Unfortunately I wasn't 100% prepared with my new camera and a lot of my photos came up blurry/underexposed/bad. The combination of the heat and my feet hurting literally the entire trip made photographing a bit of a chore. That and all the tourists, my god the tourists. Still, I was able to get a few keepers:  Vespa in Alley by Guitar Abroad, on Flickr  Santi Giovanni e Paolo prepared for a wedding by Guitar Abroad, on Flickr  colosseum at night 2 by Guitar Abroad, on Flickr  Saint Peters Square by Guitar Abroad, on Flickr I enjoyed my trip but I will never go anywhere in summer ever again. I thought I was used to tourists in Heidelberg but Rome took the cake. I couldn't walk 2 feet without seeing a goddamn tour group. It ruined it a little bit, I said I wasn't going to go back but I know that's a lie. There are so many places I need to revisit and photograph properly.
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Jul 9, 2013 19:55
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If you thought Rome was bad for tourists, try Paris.
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Jul 10, 2013 02:22
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HPL posted:If you thought Rome was bad for tourists, try Paris. Paris is fun - at least in the eight seconds that exists between being hassled by Nigerians trying to tie string on your finger and then twelve busloads of Chinese tourists appearing out of nowhere and carpetbombing the area in popup flashes and fanny packs.
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Jul 10, 2013 03:31
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HPL posted:If you thought Rome was bad for tourists, try Paris. I did Paris a few years ago but I went during the off seasons, fall I think and found it more tolerable than Rome and I liked the city much more. The weather was crap so I'll end up going back and I actually look forward to seeing Paris again, unlike Rome.  VSCO Test 1 by Guitar Abroad, on Flickr
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Jul 10, 2013 10:26
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Yeah Paris is a riot. So hey, business has me on the road again. What kind of awesome sights can I look forward to in the next two days in tropical, exotic Lincoln, Nebraska?  E: And Metal Dude, your Eiffel Tower and collusieum night shots own really hard.
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Jul 10, 2013 12:16
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DJExile posted:Yeah Paris is a riot. Much appreciated. I look forward to going back to Paris but there are so many other places on my list living here in Europe. I did a search for where you're headed. Looks like an interesting place for street/cityscape type stuff. Good luck!
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Jul 10, 2013 14:03
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Offseason tourism is the best tourism. The only downside to travelling in the winter is reduced daylight hours. So use that excuse to justify buying a pro camera to the spouse. You need that high iso performance to properly document the vacation. 
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Jul 12, 2013 16:33
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Offseason doesn't have to be THAT offseason. Even going a few weeks before school gets out and vacations start can make a difference. I went to the Royal Tyrell museum in Alberta in early June and breezed right in through the door. Apparently later in the summer it's lined up around the block. I find that early/mid June is good for travelling in general. The weather is still a bit chancy but you're getting to places just before the crowds get crazy.
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Jul 13, 2013 01:30
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Well my motivation for travelling during winter would be more about seeing the famous spots with different weather. National parks in particular, bury them in snow and it's like a completely different world. Or you can aim for the fall colors. Or the spring melt.
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Jul 13, 2013 18:15
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I traveled around Spain/France/Belgium in late March one year, and it worked out to be a great time to go. Still a little cold in Belgium and northern France, but like everyones saying, no cues for anything, airports and train stations were a breeze. And the main thing is that you could get the shot you're after without getting 5000 people in the way trying to get a similar shot (see Martin Parr).
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Jul 15, 2013 00:07
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woot fatigue posted:I just sent out a quote for a job that's going to involve a lot of traveling and I thought I'd check to see if there are any Dorkroomers that might want to assist on an interiors shoot if they happen to live in one of the cities. Keep in mind that I don't have the job yet - but I'm hopeful (If I don't get it I'm committing suicide because I've already mentally spent the money and I'm already mentally enjoying my fantasy new used car and apartment). So, does anyone live in: Yeah, so... I don't think this one is happening. I probably jinxed myself by telling too many people. I've got some other cool stuff in the works though, it's just not the kind of stuff that makes a lot of $$$.
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Jul 16, 2013 17:00
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Super vague but my wife and I are in the early planning stages of a month long trip to Australia and New Zealand. Are there any parks national parks in Queensland/NSW/Victoria/SA that we absolutely have to go to? I've wanted to go to Lake Eyre ever since I saw Murray Fredricks' photos, it is realistic to drive all the way up there from Adelaide? We're considering renting a car in Sydney and road tripping to Adelaide since Kangaroo island is on our to do list too. Good/horrible idea? I also want to spend a few days in Tasmania. For NZ, we're going to fly into Auckland, spend 2-3 days riving to Wellington and 10-14 days on the south island. Mostly looking for advice of the photographic variety.
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Jul 26, 2013 10:29
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Saint Fu posted:For NZ, we're going to fly into Auckland, spend 2-3 days riving to Wellington and 10-14 days on the south island. As far as the South Island goes the drive from Christchurch to Queenstown has plenty to offer, especially the Mackenzie Basin and Mt Cook (which can be seen easily seen from the main road but if you have the time and like a bit of walking it is worth the detour up to the Mt Cook village). When you're in Queenstown make sure to visit Glenorchy, the drive is beautiful as is the area around Glenorchy itself. Milford Sound is a must do. The Caitlin's, which is basically the south eastern coast, is a hidden gem but it is kind of out of the way and the drive there is pretty boring. The West Coast is fantastic but it rains A LOT so be prepared for that if you're going that way.
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Jul 28, 2013 22:22
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Saint Fu posted:Super vague but my wife and I are in the early planning stages of a month long trip to Australia and New Zealand. Are there any parks national parks in Queensland/NSW/Victoria/SA that we absolutely have to go to? I think to get the most out of your holiday you'll want to do a bit of internal flying and then hiring a car at select locations, otherwise there'll be A LOT of driving involved. I'll just give you some ideas from my experiences, which is a jumping off point and nowhere near a full list. In Qld I'd go up to Cairns/Port Douglas to check out the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest (oldest rainforest in the world). In Victoria I'd go check out the Great Ocean Road, basically our answer to California's PCH, and you can drive all the way to SA/Adelaide from there. The Victorian Alps are also pretty cool, you'll get to see Alpine type regions covered in a specific type of Eucalyptus tree rather than pine. And as for Tassie, go check out Cradle mountain (in the middle of the island) and probably Port Arthur too. I haven't seen too much of NSW, but friends and family are always talking about the Sapphire Coast and the Blue Mountains. So if you want to drive, you could go from Sydney -> Blue Moutains -> Sapphire Coast -> Victorian Alps -> Dandenong Ranges/Yarra Valley -> Melbourne -> Great Ocean Road -> Adelaide. But I'm sure if there are any other Aussies reading this they'll have a million different suggestions.
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Jul 29, 2013 06:01
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Hotwax Residue posted:As far as the South Island goes the drive from Christchurch to Queenstown has plenty to offer, especially the Mackenzie Basin and Mt Cook (which can be seen easily seen from the main road but if you have the time and like a bit of walking it is worth the detour up to the Mt Cook village). When you're in Queenstown make sure to visit Glenorchy, the drive is beautiful as is the area around Glenorchy itself. Milford Sound is a must do. The Caitlin's, which is basically the south eastern coast, is a hidden gem but it is kind of out of the way and the drive there is pretty boring. The West Coast is fantastic but it rains A LOT so be prepared for that if you're going that way.
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Jul 29, 2013 08:53
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Spedman posted:I think to get the most out of your holiday you'll want to do a bit of internal flying and then hiring a car at select locations, otherwise there'll be A LOT of driving involved. Would it be realistic buy a tent and cheap sleeping bags in Sydney and spend a few nights in parks along the way to Adelaide? We would also plan on using them on the NZ leg of the trip (see post above). The temperature looks a little cool in October but camping sure helps keep the cost down.
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Jul 29, 2013 09:06
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Definitely drive the Great Ocean Road. It is all of those three things. Also see the penguins at Phillip Island! http://www.penguins.org.au/ Adelaide is nice enough, but the winelands around it in the Adelaide Hills and Eden/Barossa Valley are awesome if you are into that kind of thing. Henschke (who make Australia's best wines), Seppeltsfield, Bethany and Rockford should be top of your list, along with Maggie Beer's wonderful farm of tasty food. If you are going during the warmer months, Turkey Flat too. Because they make some of the best rose outside Provence. http://henschke.com.au/cellar-door http://www.seppeltsfield.com.au/the-village/tours-and-tasting/ http://www.bethany.com.au/winebox/contact.asp?mmID=6&smID=10 http://www.rockfordwines.com.au/ http://www.maggiebeer.com.au/visit-us/menu Kangaroo Island is awesome. Saint Fu posted:
Totally doable. It's about 1500km from Adelaide to Ayers Rock, say 1700 via Lake Eyre. You could do it in 3 days, but 4 or 5 would be better. The bits in between the awesome stuff are long and monotonous, but it's far far cheaper than doing it by plane. After that, I guess you can either keep going north to Darwin/Kakadu, but that's an even longer and more monotonous drive. If you just want to see Lake Eyre, though, cut those times in half. It's only a 7 or 8 hour drive, and even less if you are already in the winelands. In October, it's going to be really friggin hot. Like, forty degrees (105f) hot. Saint Fu posted:Then we were originally going to make a big road trip out of driving to Sydney but sort of reconsidered and are now thinking along your suggestion of just flying to Sydney and renting a car from there. Good choice. The trip from Brisbane to Sydney is boring, repetitive and long. There are a few nice places along the way - like Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay (if you want to buy weed and/or smell unwashed hippies) and Lake Macquarie.. but it's mostly boring 'freeway through the forrest'. Once you hit the lakes and rivers near Berowra, there are some cool places/things. Saint Fu posted:We had the Blue Mountains on our list as well as the Victorian Alps. I'll check out the Sapphire Coast and Dandenong/Yarra Blue Mountains are worth a couple of days, it's nice and quiet and if you are into nature or bushwalking it's perfect. It's still got the small town, old world kinda charm and enough hippies, antiques and cuisine to be interesting. The 'Sapphire Coast' (and the south coast in general) is a bit hit and miss. In rough order... - Wollongong is next to the Royal National Park. Which is pretty excellent. And the Darkes Forrest. And Mts Keira and Kembla. The town itself is good as a base, but that's about it. The drive to/from (recently and oversellingly labelled 'Grand Pacific Drive') is more interesting, to be honest - Shellharbour should be nuked from orbit - Kiama is pretty, and the blowhole thing is pretty cool. Expect it to be pretty full on weekends and school hols, though - Gerringong and Berry are cute little towns, and generally nice places - Nowra is a nothing little town mostly filled with cows and Navy people - Ulladulla and the other one next to it that I can't recall are where Canberrans go on the weekend. See also Broulee. - Bateman's Bay is full of fuckwit locals and cashed up retirees in caravans clogging the roads and footpaths. Ugh. - Moruya is pretty enough, but more of the same kind of 'bush meets the ocean' that you have seen. But with a river!...have a quick look, but keep driving to.. - ...Narooma, which is pretty gorgeous. - Bermagui is colloquially known as 'Bermaspewi' After that, you head inland, through Bega (cows, lots of green hills) and you can either branch off towards the Snowy Mountains and loop back to Canberra, or keep going south through Merimbula and Eden (both really nice towns, esp Eden) and then through endless forest into Victoria. Saint Fu posted:Would it be realistic buy a tent and cheap sleeping bags in Sydney and spend a few nights in parks along the way to Adelaide? We would also plan on using them on the NZ leg of the trip (see post above). The temperature looks a little cool in October but camping sure helps keep the cost down. It's not even close to cold in October in NSW - might get down to 5 or 6 degrees at night, but daytime will be 20-30. Once you get to the southern end of the country, it can occasionally still hit zero, but mostly around 5 at night and 15-20 during the day; definitely doable for camping. fakeedit: you can pull temps from http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/data/ to check out anywhere you are thinking of staying. BrosephofArimathea fucked around with this message at 10:25 on Jul 29, 2013 |
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Jul 29, 2013 10:01
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Saint Fu posted:We had the Blue Mountains on our list as well as the Victorian Alps. I'll check out the Sapphire Coast and Dandenong/Yarra, thanks for the recommendations. We've heard good things about Wilson's Promontory NP as well. Any possible way you can drive from Sydney to Melbourne whilst avoiding the Hume Highway is worth it. With the exception that you would miss Holbrook which is an inland town that they stuck a decommissioned submarine in the middle of (Interesting story, well worth the Wiki...and the hologram that explains it at the Holbrook Submarine Museum). If you go down the coast from Sydney, you can cut in to either Cooma or Canberra from any number of places along the coast (I would suggest Canberra, Nations Capital and all...) and then head down to Jindabyne (2 hours drive South), then join the Alpine Way/Snowy Mountain Highway which will take you through the guts of the NSW High Country, including Thredbo from which you can check out our tallest mountain! It's similar enough to the Victorian High Country (same mountain range and all...) Also go to Wilsons Prom. Plenty photogenic.
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Jul 29, 2013 12:17
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Saint Fu posted:Thanks for the advice! We're considering taking the ferry from Wellington to Picton and doing a loop around the north/west coast stopping at Abel Tasman NP, Mount Cook, Wanaka, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Queenstown, Lake Tepako before ending in Christchurch. We don't mind the rain but are a little worried about snow in October. Do you think a normal compact car would be fine? Regarding lodging, I've gotten the impression that you can just show up and find a guest house or motel without making advanced reservations. Does this sound reasonable? We like the idea of not having to be tied to fixed schedule. That sounds like a great route to take, Abel Tasman is fantastic. You won't have to worry about snow in October unless you are extremely unlucky. We hardly have enough snow to keep the ski fields open at the moment and its the middle of winter! There might be some snow in the higher passes but the roads should be no problem at all, a normal compact car will be absolutely fine. You should be ok without reservations for most places, especially since October isn't peak time.
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Jul 29, 2013 21:31
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