Australia
Posted by: rodney2518
21st Nov 2008 11:47pm
I have had many friends travel overseas, and still I ask them, have you explored your own country first! I love life and would go anywhere, whether it be in Australia or any country in the world, but wouldn't you wan't to know your own country!
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Comments 62
Anonymous
its important to know what you want and how to accomplish this
bonacci
Well I'm only 16, but still want to travel Australia first. The rest of the word can wait! :)
dunbaylass
I came to Australia 54 years ago from Malta as a child, and since My marriage I have been to Victoria, South Australia and the length and breath of my home town W.A., however there is no place like home Busselton W.A, BUT on saying so tell me to start bragging about one place in particular and I will always reply Port Lincoln S.A., and that is not just because my son and his young family live there, but because of the friendly people, who are always so willing to help you, the fishing, the beaches are not much, not like here in the west, but because of the clear blue, green waters, and the relaxing nature that every one generates, Who needs to go overseas, risking all sorts of problems , when you can enjoy the safe life in your own country AUSTRALIA, our van is always packed and ready to go at a moments notice
dave
australia is the one of the best places to travel
Burnt Out Digger
Ihave been lucky enough to have work take me to many remote places across Australia. When living in those places I have seen real indigenous ceremonies, not just ones that are bunged on for tourists and seen sights that many other people will never have the chace to see.
Miss Prim
Before we retired my husband I travelled extensively around Australia and had a fabulous time. We seen lots of beautiful places and took lots of photos. Luckily we did all this, as my husband now has an incurable life threatening disease and cannot travel. So, we are now arm chair travellers. We have not travelled overseas as there was so much to see and appreciate on our own doorstep. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! oy! oy! oy!
monkeyman
i love my country, and it offers so much to see, one oif my favorite places is the grampians, just on my doorstep full of beauty and splendor, one of the truelly magnificient splendors that mother nature has given us.
I really recommend that people come and visit our splendor, experience nature and all that it offers, wonderful walks, beautiful waterfalls.
RedNomadOZ
SO agree with all the Aussie lovers out there! I'm not against overseas travel, but I'm enjoying REALLY exploring Australia and blogging about it! It'll be a long time before I've 'finished' my amazing Australian adventures!
KWAKA444
TOTALLY AGREE - everyone comes here to australia, all saying "it's a great place with honest people an alot to see and do." Myself, in a way that's why i dont have a passport for that reason. I'm only 33, and young at heart, love my country dearly (AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE), love to travel and have fun etc.... Seen alot of the red centre but i sill haven't i haven't seen it all. The place changes so much with every season and year that goes bye. Who can say their seen it all and explored every inch of this wide red land, I KNOW I HAVEN'T YET !, but i'm getting close and by the time i retire, maybe, just maybe i want to see more of our country !!!
hicks338
The reason people travel overseas and not see our own country is because it is cheaper, flights within Australia are quite expensive also accommodation, reason being is that our wages are higher that a lot of other countries, so who do we blame, ourselves of course. I just love travelling in Australia, there is so much to see, we are off to Tasmania in 2 weeks time, can't wait, have been told is a beautiful state to visit.
cafe adam
I LOVE AUSTRALIA....
I have been a tour guide for over 20 years, in many parts of OZ, and I will never see enough of it. I do travel overseas a lot too........
I fly it I drive it I hike it, I cycle it.
I do the same in NZ...............
We should all see oz, I love the Blue mtns, and a great deal of the NT, would be my favourites.............enjoy it while we still have the freedom here, australia is changing very fast and not for the better........
a lot of the probes I see overseas is starting to occur here and very fast......
Anonymous
I have travelled a bit around my own country but also have gone overseas. One thing I found is that I truly appreciated so much more of my own country once I travelled overseas. Besides, it opens your mind up so much to experience different cultures & lifestyles.
jjdrer
I can understand why some people travel overseas instead of Aust. Some years ago, we went to NZ. for 14 days. It was cheaper to go there than for 10 days to Qld. We chose NZ then as I realised the extra distance would be more difficult for my aging Mother then. A family friend had to go to Darwin from Adelaide for a conference which was work related (his business). It was cheaper for him to fly to Bali, stay overnight in a Motel, and fly down to Darwin the next day than it was to just fly from Adelaide to Darwin. It is still a topic discussed to this day.
musicmum
I agree, I chose to travel to Tropical North Queensland instead of Bali like everyone else and it was fantastic. Going on the off season you get 1/2 price accommodation, great deals on everything and lots of room to move. Why go to an overcrowded destination and not have enough time to see anything special or relax when we have the best in Australia. Warm tropical beaches, rain forest,wildlife,and outback treasures,i was truly blown away with friendly people,great accommodation and wonderful things to see and explore.Keep your money here and help the struggling Australian Tourism, its safer too!
sandylee
You should at least take the time to explore your own country before seeing others
super88
I know some people who haven't travelled beyond their home state, and others that travel to the same destination within Australia every time they have a holiday.
I don't see any reason to criticise them for that, although it isn't what I would choose.
When I talk to them of sleeping in a donga, or of the view from the cliffs above the bight,or places like Kalgoorlie, I might as well be talking about Mars. They will never experience these things(probably they don't want to) yet they are uniquely Australian.
It is said, travel broadens the mind. I think it allows you to see other lifestyles and with a bit of luck a different point of view. I suppose it depends how far out of your comfort zone you are prepared to go.
Some people enjoy camping and caravans, nothing wrong with that , but it's not my personal favourite.
I don't think it is necessary to travel all over Australia before going overseas. Or that it is necessary to travel at all, if you don't want to.
super88
I guess for me travel is about the experience.
I've seen some of Australia,not enough, but I have been to every state.
We could spend a lifetime exploring Australia and still not see everything.
I think travelling is great, and have had some memorable trips and experiences o'seas (Good & Bad).
Eventually I'm always glad to come home. I haven't explored everything around here either, but it won't stop me travelling.
super88
I guess for me travel is about the experience.
I've seen some of Australia,not enough, but I have been to every state.
We could spend a lifetime exploring Australia and still not see everything.
I think travelling is great, and have had some memorable trips and experiences o'seas (Good & Bad).
Eventually I'm always glad to come home. I haven't explored everything around here either, but it won't stop me travelling.
prety girl
apsolutly agred
kerrym
I decided when I was young that I wanted to explore my own country first, unless there was a specific purpose for travelling oversea. I surprised my Mum with a trip to NZ, the land of her birth, as soon as I became employed and could save, then visited friends in PNG around the same age, but over several decades I've managed to visit all states in Australia and lived on the extreme boundaries of east, north and west for periods.
My first passport was acquired at age 57, when I finally headed for Ireland via Thailand and U.K. What an astonishing feeling to stand in London for the first time, an Aussie alone on the far side of the globe ! I fully appreciated the experience later in life and was able to share the wonders of my own country with the many people I met who are keen to come here from the perspective of one who has explored for myself.
I certainly find that many folk everywhere have never discovered their own homeland, which I think is sad. I believe that wherever I now travel, or here at home, I am a great ambassador for this wonderful Land Downunda !
SarahEC
It depends on why you travel. I am not very interested in the country or scenery etc - I travel to relax and to attend events etc. So it doesn't bother me that I haven't seen all of Australia; it bothers me more than I haven't yet got to La Scala or Covent Garden.
Jade Simpson
I took my holidays in my own hometown this year, the Gold Coast! I also love going up the Sunshine Coast, Noosaville in particular.
syl
hubby and I have been travelling 25 plus years, mainly around oz. We have a tinny and outboard, pull a caravan, and are self sufficient. Often pick up few weeks(months) of casual work to keep fuel costs down, but our joy is relaxing on local beach/estuary casing fish for dinner. Often go back to favourite spots, but always manage to find brand new areas. Yes we are now grey nomads, and while we can, we keep travelling, bit closer to home these days
Of late we have been overseas, Europe and of course s.e.Asia, but still like oz the best..
indigoscarlet
I haven't seen as much of our beautiful country as I would like to. I fall into the trap of going somewhere and enjoying my visit so much that I return to the same place, instead of trying somewhere new each and every time.
Lynjoy
Yes I have travelled O/S many times, BUT previously have travelled around Australia frequently. we live in a Beautiful Country. Lyn
grandmadicker
I agree with you- see your own country first. Friends of mine have traveled all over the world but have not seen much of their own country. I have traveled Australia in my holidays now for over 30 years mainly camping. Australia has some beautiful places especially in the outback that most Australians do not know about.
Eagleswings
We (my husband and I) have travelled around Australia for 6 months, and before that to Queensland for 2 months, and Australia is a wonderful place. I have travelled outside of Australia twice, and enjoyed both experiences, but Australia is the BEST!
888shelley
agree that you should travel both in oz and overseas......i was always saying that we could never afford it, but re prioritizing our pensions we now travel every 4 years or so, mostly to asia . we stay in cheaper accom and budget our days. travel broadens your experience and makes you appreciate our own country, although i have found that life in other countries is generally much more laid back and simple in their pleasures, which is how we used to be
super88
Australia is huge, I'll never see everything here . I haven't seen everything in any of the 6 states I have visited, or lived in.
Yes it's good to know your own country but it's also good to know others as well . These things are not mutually exclusive.
kiaree
Im going up to airlie beach for christmas...never been up that way before...and given its a 2 day drive for us...does anyone have any suggestions to where to eat or places to see??
wilhamina
Could not agree more, we have a wonderful country, and a multitude of places to explore. I have crossed the Nullabor , there and back at least 8 times . at times on my own and at times with others, and I never get tired of the wild life or the view from the cliffs.
uruz
While there are some countries I would love to see I still have a lot of this big land to explore. I've lived in WA, SA, VIC and NSW and visited QLD and TAS but there are still plenty of places in the country I still want to visit. I've only spent one hour in Darwin when flying overseas on military duty and I'd love to see more of the Northern Territory and northern WA.
winspaz
exploring australia isn't all that cheap either!! I'm from Sydney, and would love to visit uluru or the whitsundays, but the price of return tickets / accomodation etc is already similar to the price of going overseas. My family is overseas, so most of the time when i have the chance to travel, and the prices seem similar, I would go overseas to visit family. If tickets were cheaper, i would seriously love to travel more within Australia though. So far, I've only been to Brisbane, Gold coast, Canberra, Melbourne. am waiting for discount tickets to alice springs or whitsundays....
neety
My first trip ever on a plane was 17 when I finished school and went to Europe to visit family. That was great. Since then, I have travelled a bit around Australia (Melb, Perth, Gold Coast), but I think while I'm young I should travel further and when I'm older I should travel closer to home.
queentulip
I originated overseas but traveling in Australia is also a vast country to enjoy and relax. If you and I are just ordinary working for someone then of course our holiday in a year is not even enough to travel Oz in few years neither alone overseas. Make sure have plan to travel overseas, you will learn other cultures that may shock you. Someone said to me, "I don't think I'm culture-shock overseas when he traveled but I am culture-shock in my own country Oz when I got home?" Just a thought to share with this post :-)
Kimberley
No, I prefer to go over seas.
gone fishing
I agree wholeheartedly with what you say, in "72" my wife and i toured around Australia for 18 months and had a ball . Forty years later we still remember this trip as if it was yesterday. We have since travelled o/s a few times ,but still relish the fact that we saw our own country first. If you have the opportunity to do this , jump at it.
danni
I prefer to travel Australia then going oversea, my favourite trip was to Uluru with friends and family. The drive was long but enjoyed the views... It was amazing and my kids loved it as well and would love to do it again...Have been to most parts of Australia , Cairns, Perth and Tassie are next on my list but like everyone else have to find the money so there is a good 4-5 years between trips.. If I was to win tattslotto I know the first thing I would do is travel around Australia and when thats done I would have to go to Disneyland and fill every kids dream of going there LOL..
Ziah
We're travelling overseas now, while we are young enough to be able to go all the places and do all the things we want to do. Then we can see more of Australia when we are too old to be climbing the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building or hiking the Grand Canyon, or kayaking the Colorado River, or Skiing in Aspen, or riding the rollercoasters at every Disney or Six Flags park in the world or anything else we have done/will do. Touring Australia is something to be done leisurely, over many weeks or months, to truly enjoy what it means to be Australian. It is not something to be hurried or crammed into the only holiday time we can get right now. Touring Australia is not fitting in ten cities in ten days, or seeing how far you can get on a Berocca - it's slowing down, watching the sunset and sunrise at the same beach, or dropping a line in and not caring if you catch anything, or snorkelling over the Great Barrier Reef every day for a week, or riding a horse along a deserted beach, or climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or taking a coupe of weeks to drive the Great Ocean Drive, or across the Nullarbor, or taking the Ghan or the Indian Pacific, or hiking through Kakadu or game fishing off Exmouth, or any number of beautiful adventures that require far more time than work will permit right now. Australia is for when we have time to appreciate it. That's why overseas adventures tend to come first, and Australia later in life.
pakeha
I travelled oversees when I was younger, but realised when meeting travellers that they had seen more of my country than I had. So that kicked me into checking out my own backyard. A few years ago my now husband & I (before kids) travelled O/S, and believe it was enhanced by my ability to contrast my O/S experiences with those from Australia. These days its cheaper to travel domestically, particuarly now we have 2 children, and I'd like them to grow up with an apprecitation of the country they were born in.
blueyes
I would love to travel a lot, but unfortunatelly I never have the money!
marz
I agree with you to a degree. Most Australians do know their own country fairly well, our history and culture. I believe that a lot of people travel overseas to experience the different cultures around the world. It is such a vast and huge array of nationalities and countries out there and it is fantastic to experience it. I have done various road trips around Australia with my husband and children and the only state we haven't visited so far is Tasmania. My daughter has managed to do that on her own though. My husband and I have also been to Thailand, Hawaii, road trip across the USA with relatives, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Latvia. We intend to spend a couple of weeks later this year in New Zealand. It was a wonderful experience to travel overseas and to see where my family came from and some still live. I have became very proud of my heritage really only after travelling overseas. Though I am an Australian through and through, born and raised here. I believe Australia is a very unique country and has a lot to offer the tourist from overseas. I just love our outback, their is nothing like it.
Arch
Rodney I enjoy Australia, my wife and I go away 4 times a year, only for a week at a time, its best to go when its not holiday time. I never pay more than $60 per night and its in cabins, always caravan parks 3 1/2to 4 star accom. If you go to the website Travel Auctions you will see what I mean.
Regards John
sandy106
you make some very good points there is so much to see in our own country
INTAIR
Australia is very much larger than people appreciate and is extremely diverse. We should explore Australia and enjoy its rich diversity.
John
pakeha
Diverse geographically, but not culturally. When travelling through the Kimberley with o/s travellers, they pointed out that if we were covering the same distance in Europe, we would have passed through numerous boarders (and cultures).
DD
As diverse as Australia is , it is but a small fraction of the diversity available around the world.
Experiencing different cultures and languages is an experience not to be missed and in alot of cases it does make you appreciate what we have in Australia - the quality of our education and health systems and accesabilty of them to all Australians. Our freedom and rights and the opportunity to improve ourseleves and make a difference.
Sure travel Australia but dont forsake the opportunity for overseas travel if available to you.
shaper
Go overseas, it broadens peoples minds. They can travel in their own country later on. Seeing other cultures and
peoples make you realise that Australia is not the centre of the universe. Dont get me wrong I love Australia but we do tend to be
very tunnel visioned.. We do have unique animals and scenery , but then so do other countries. and so I say go and see them
for yourselves you will never regret it. After your trip and you are back here you will love Australia more and have a much better sense of where we stand in the world.
skinny
Never travelled thru my own country fully, our little cat died recently, I want to get another cat but could travel round Australia. Hubby & myself, we could take our little shizu maltese dog. He'd be happy enough. Get a caravan. Anyone could probably travel round their own country if they have time and/or money saved to spend time off work.
Goulah
There are so many internet organisations who want your business and you can get incredibly cheap holidays overseas and in Australia. With the global financial situation we are being encouraged to travel within Australia and if you look around you can get holidays in all States at 50% off. Use your subsidy and travel - it the perfect opportunity.
skinny
When I go to Tasmania I will be able to say I've been overseas....
skinny
I don't know if I will ever travel or not had saved & then needed money!! I believe Christ will return before such chance comes along to travel unless there is some mysterious lotto win but those thingz dont happen to me.
david
kezza,of course youare right travelling in australia is far to expensive.it is also becoming a country that is not a very safe place to travel
Mazzs1
Hi Jesse25, thanks for the reply and have to agree whole-heartedly with your friend. Getting itchy feet just thinking of my next trip in January.
Life is for living.
Jess25
Hi Mazz1, just wanted to say, "Good on you" and I agree wholeheartedly. I do agree it would be quite hard for you or anyone on a limited income but as you say there are ways and means. I would like to share with you a gem of advice from a close, older friend of mine who has lived a lot of life and that is, "It's better to DO things than to HAVE things!" I think this is a brilliant way to look at life and if you are able, get out there. Happy travels Mazzs1
Mazzs1
I am also on a disability pension & I travel intrastate and interstate several times a year. You have to learn to prioritize better if you want to travel. I would go nuts if I couldn't get my R&R. I am very lucky to have lots of family & friends so I don't have accomodation costs, but when you can get $39 fares to QLD from Melbourne it really helps.
If you travel to TAS on the Spirit you can get pension discount on your berth.
Tavel by train either intrastate or interstate you can use your free travel that the government gives you with your pension card renewal annually, so if you were going to Sydney you could use your free travel to Albury & then pensioner discounted ticket from Albury to Sydney.
So there are ways and means.
blueyes
You are so right kezza, there's never enough money left for anything.. what about travelling, when you are on a pension! although I saw on tv the other day some silly pensioner trying to prove that she lives like a millionaire on her pension!! that is so not true!
kezza052
Boffin,I just do not have the money to travell as I'm on a Disability Pension and by the time I have all my bills paid and extras I do not even have enough money left for food some fortnights,so travelling is not an option or luxuary to me.
Boffin
Kezza, do not worry about leaving your family for a while. They re always some cheap options available - like airlines discounts, hostels (instead of hotels), etc. What you know and what you have seen - nobody can take away from you.
kezza052
I have never travelled at all. I do not like being away from my daughter,son in law & Grandchildren as I'm very close to them all. I have never had the travelling bug,and it also cots so much to travel in our own country.
Dogs
Over a long life I have travelled and lived in a number of countries. Something I found was that a lot of the people I met had not travelled, very comprehensively, in their 'home' country. I think it is a thing that you feel you will do when you have had exhausted your 'travelling legs and cash' and that you figure you can always see 'home' when you have settled down and got these other urges out of your system :) It's not a bad thing either, travelling overseas when young (and impressionable) because when you do come 'home' and you will, you will REALLY appreciate it !!
Anonymous
I so agree, Dogs.