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Lock Up Your Daughters Sydney!

July 5th 2007 07:02

So the US Aircraft Carrier Kitty Hawk has arrived with other ships that make up the fleet, which means there will be about 7000 male and female US sailors on downtime in Sydney over the next few days. Sydney has long had a tradition of these folk coming into our ports at different times and letting their metaphorical hair down. Sydney during World War 2 was particularly frequented by yank sailors and with the amount of Aussies overseas fighting they would have had their pick of it you would imagine.

Personally, I think it is the best reason to stay in this weekend one can think of, but perhaps I am missing something when it comes to Americans...

I don't know what it is with Sydney and their obsession with big boats, but combined with a train issue on the Harbour Bridge, it seems it causes havoc and not joy with locals. Sometimes you should just stay at home.

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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No more Pasha, but the Kitty Hawk is coming

July 3rd 2007 04:42

So the bulk carrier that gave Newcastle an accidental tourist attraction is no longer in the place it had made home on Newcastle's Nobby's Beach. I'm sure this is pleasing to many locals sick of the amount of people that have poured into the steel city from out of town, but those who were making a buck out of visitors and those who hadn't gotten a chance to see it won't be as happy. Nonetheless, it is gone and Newcastle goes back to being a nice, relatively quiet coastal city.

The attention will turn to Sydney this weekend with a fleet of US Military ships coming into Sydney. From Thursday to Sydney these ships will enter Sydney Harbour, with the highlight supposedly being the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier, which is huge, by all reports.

There is a fear from some quarters that the same problems with Sydney transport will be encountered as when the QE2 and the Queen Mary came in earlier in the year. Personally, I don't think there will be the same amount of interest because even though it will be school holidays, Australia doesn't quite have the same connection to US military ships as they do with the cruise ships that were named after the Royals. Leave your car at home all the same though.

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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The QE2 is retired

June 19th 2007 09:39

A regular to Australian shores, the cruise ships of all cruise ships, at least once upon a time, the QE2 is being retired. The ship that drew hundreds to the foreshore of Sydney Harbour when it joined the even larger QM2 earlier in the year, will not be seen in Australia again.

Instead, you will have to visit to Dubai to see the ship, where it will have a permanent home. It will become a part of a new resort in the UAE, marking a new period in world tourism.

One has to ask whether this is the place of it? Sure Dubai is the place that can demand the sort of money traditionally required to stay at the QE2, but some have suggested the glitz and glamour of the Arab destination doesn't fit with the tradition assoiciated with the famous cruise ship.

Personally, a big ship full of people makes me think of a shopping mall on water, but it is part of a history of global travel that many think fondly of.

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Winter Magic 2007 @ Katoomba

June 18th 2007 07:31

It doesn't seem like a year ago that Winter Magic was on in the Blue Mountains of NSW, but it was. It is on again this weekend and it seems like the bad weather will have passed for it. Having said that, it will no doubt still be freezing. I say that because it really cold here and Katoomba is usually a few degrees cooler than the inner west of Sydney.

The Winter Magic Festival is very much aimed at the whole spectrum of ages in the community with a lot to do for the kids, as well as for adults

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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My Country by Dorethea Mackellar - A tourist pamphlet in verse

June 14th 2007 06:35

The huge rains that fell in the Newcastle/Hunter and Central Coast areas, not to mention Sydney last weekend are repeating today it seems. In quite a serious period of water shortage, it may have come as quite a surprise, but it shouldn't have. It wasn't very long ago that Wollongong faced similar conditions and there's a certain poem that reminds us that Australia is a nation of extreme weather.

A section from Dorethea Mackellar's, A Sunburnt Country
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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Don't expect larrikins when coming to Australia

June 13th 2007 07:39

I am reading a book at the momenet about larrikins in Australia. The book deals mainly with these blokes from the late 19th century, but does suggest that this type of person's characteristics rubbed off on many Australians since that period, including some Prime Ministers. It gave Australia somewhat of a reputation for having this type of character in society.

I don't think this is the case any longer. The growing atmoshphere of political correctness in this nation and the fact the leadership is made up of those from dominant classes or lawyers or others from white collar background, means there is little room for the larrikin. When John Howard romanticises on Australian values, I don't think he does so considering whether they are present in contemporary society. Rather, they are historical elements of our society, which are no longer there

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Queen's Birthday Weekend

June 7th 2007 09:58

Although it isn't actually the Queen's Birthday, it is the long weekend in recognition of her having a birthday. Whether you're a fan of the royal family or not, it means you get an extra day off and this generally leads to an increase in people going away.

I realise the extra day does allow for more holidaying time, but there are down sides to heading off at this time of year

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Gay and Lesbian guide to Australia

June 5th 2007 05:55

With a recent ruling that allows a gay pub to ban heterosexuals, the issue of whether certain groups can have their own social space has come to the fore. It got me thinking about the gay culture in Australia and how much of subculture there is behind homosexuality.

Not being gay, I can't really give good practical advice on the gay scene in Australia, but not surprisingly, there are a few websites around about where to go and what to do if you are chasing the gay culture when coming to Oz. Of course, not all gay couples will want an Australian holiday based around the gay scene, but I am sure some do

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Qantas voted worst airline by Choice readers

May 30th 2007 10:15

3000 people should suggest something, right? Well not according to Qantas, who were recently rated the worst airline by the readers of consumer magazine, Choice. They've shrugged off claims they are the worst, saying that customer satisfaction has never been higher.

I think you can have a combination. The main criticism of Qantas was in the service and to be honest, it reflected my feelings last time I was on a Qantas flight. I was only flying to Melbourne, but even in that short period I got the impression flight attendants thought they were pretty damn special. There was definitely the feeling they thought they were spectacular for working for Qantas and I remember thinking, you are only working as a domestic trolley dolly, what makes you so special?
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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Australian travel photography

May 29th 2007 07:35

Everyone seems to have a camera these days and so the web is littered with personal travel shots from all over the world and Australia definitely gets a look in.

Not everyone takes a good photo however, so below are a few sites worth checking out for images of Australia in its full glory

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Summer Hill

May 28th 2007 11:14

This suburb in the inner west of Sydney has the atmosphere of one of the Blue Mountains villages, yet it is only ten minutes from the city. Many who have been there will know it as the home of Monica Trapaga's shop Reclaim. The Playschool star and notable Jazz singer is seemingly a huge drawcard for the area, but there is more to it. Cafes, op shops and bakeries make it a hive of activity. They also make it a bit flash, but the village atmosphere is fantastic and it isn't as pretentious as some of the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

On the weekend it is a great place to do some shopping or sit on the footpath watching the world go by. There is a mix of cultures and backgrounds to surround you, and with that comes some great eating. Like every good village there's a pub on the main drag and park smack bang in the middle of the village

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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APEC says stay away from Sydney

May 18th 2007 10:21

I am back after a short hiatus, being pretty focussed getting through a teaching prac.

Anyway, I feel a good way of coming back is to discuss the APEC meeting in Sydney this year. In the past this Asian Pacific meeting has been held in places that aren't a nation's largest city, but not Australia. We're taking one of biggest tourist destinations out of action for the weekend, not to mention taking the money away from the businesses based in and around the city

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Do people travel for an Arts Festival?

April 18th 2007 05:52

The Sydney Writer's Festival is coming up and although I am quite interested in it, and many other Sydney folk are too, I wonder whether people travel to Sydney for it, just as they might a music festival.

The festival runs from May 28th to June 3rd, which is Monday to Sunday and it plays hosts to a huge amount of events from a wide variety of writers coming from all over Australia and the world

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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Offset your carbon emissions when you fly around Australia

April 13th 2007 05:25

Offsetting your carbon emissions isn't anything new, but going on holiday seems the latest scheme to get in on the act.

I don't know if every airline is doing it, but Virgin Blue allows you to offset the carbon emissions for your seat on a plane. Of course this means paying a cost, but if you're lucky to be wealthy enough and are concerned about your impact on the environment, you may want to consider purchasing credits

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Posted By: Glen - Category: Sydney

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