AUSTRALIA |
The trip that started it all. Pete was studying abroad in Sydney and I had accrued four weeks of vacation entering a slowed period at work. To make matters better QANTAS was running a promotional special that included in country airfare for $100 per flight when you purchased a round trip international ticket. Less than a month after returning to the U.S. a recruited called me and jokingly I said I'd change companies if there was a position that would allow me to travel around the world. Less than a month after that I was on my way to Ireland on my first international work assignment.
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SYDNEYIf I ever go back to Sydney I may just purchase a one way ticket. Pete's residence during study abroad was Bondi Beach - the only beach town I'd rank above Manhattan Beach.
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MELBOURNEMelbourne had a more quaint and European feel than the modern and cosmopolitan Sydney. I only explored the city for a day and went on day trips to a penguin colony in the north then headed south along the coast for a few rock formations.
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CAIRNSMajor launching point for Great Barrier Reef scuba and snorkeling trips. Fortunately Australia allows introductory dives so I was able to head a little deeper and saw lots of fish and a family of clown fish that seemed terrified by my presence.
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ALICE TO ADELAIDEWe joined an overland tour that started in Alice springs and went south to Adelaide. We were part of a group that included a lot of entertaining English university students. The trip highlights included a stop at Ayer's Rock, aka Uluru, and the opal mining town of Coober Pedy where most of the houses are below ground.
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ADELAIDE & KANGAROO ISLANDWe hadn't got our fill of kangaroos and wallabies so we headed to this island on the southern coast of Australia. There's more to the island than just kangaroos there's a koala population that's been eating every eucalyptus tree in site, sand dunes, and a set of remarkable rocks, that are pretty darn remarkable.
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