Table Of ContentARTHUR FROMMER PURLICATION '495
1978-79 Edition Of
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AN ARTHUR FROMMER PUBLICATION
1978-79 EDITION
By JOHN GODWIN
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PREPARED FOR BIFHEIU ZEBLanO
Copyright © 1978
by
ARTHUR FROMMER. INC.
All rights reserved
Published by
ARTHUR FROMMER, INC.
380 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Distributed by
SIMON AND SCHUSTER
A GULF+WESTERN COMPANY
1230 Avenue of the Americas
Nev*/ York, New York 10020
0-671-24192-3
i
Distributed outside the USA and Canada by
FLEETBOOKS
c/o Feffer and Simons, Inc.
100 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Distributed in Canada by
P J PAPERBACKS LTD.
330 Steeicase Road East
Markham, Ontario L3R2IVI1
Manufactured in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Introduction AUSTRALIA ON $15 A DAY 1
Why Australia? 1
A Capsule History 3
The Aborigines 12
Flora and Fauna 14
Chapter AUSTRALIA: A BUDGET SURVEY 17
1
The Currency 17
Climate—When to Come 17
Preparing for Your Trip 18
Travel Documents 18
What to Pack 19
Tourist Information 20
Where to Stay 22
The Youth Hostels 23
The Y's 23
Colleges 24
Camping and Trailer Parks 24
Farmhouse Holidays 24
Motels 24
Bed-and-Breakfast 25
Serviced Apartments 25
Where and What to Eat and
Drink 26
What to Buy 29
What to Do 30
Active Sports 31
Evening Activities 32
Meeting the Aussies 33
Get in Touch 34
The ABCs of Australia 35
Chapter GETTING TO AND AROUND AUSTRALIA 40
II
Getting to Australia 40
From America 40
From Britain 43
From New Zealand 43
Your Choice of Airline 46
Advice for Your Flight 46
Getting Around Australia 47
By Air 49
By Rail 50
By Bus 52
By Car 53
By Ship 56
Hitchhiking 57
Chapter SYDNEY 58
III
The City and Surroundings 59
The Blue Mountains 84
New South Wales 85
The Snowy Mountains 86
Lightening Ridge 87
Chapter IV MELBOURNE 88
The City and Surroundings 88
The Dandenongs 106
Healesville 107
Phillip Island 107
Victoria 108
Ballarat 109
Swan 109
Hill
The Gippsland Lakes 110
Chapter V ADELAIDE 111
The City and Surroundings 111
The Barossa Valley 120
South Australia 125
Coober Pedy 125
The Flinders Ranges 127
Chapter VI BRISBANE 128
The City and Surroundings 128
The Gold Coast 144
Chapter VII CAIRNS AND THE GREAT BARRIER
REEF 155
The City and Surroundings 155
Queensland 170
The Sunshine Coast 172
Mount Isa 173
Chapter VIII PERTH AND THE FAR WEST 174
The City and Surroundings 174
Fremantle 186
West Australia 192
New Norcia 192
Coolgardie 193
The Kimberley Plateau 193
Chapter IX CANBERRA-THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 195
The City and Surroundings 195
The Mount Stromlo
Observatory 206
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve 207
Australian Capital Territory 210
Snowy Mountains
Hydro-Electric Scheme 210
Cooma 211
Chapter X ALICE SPRINGS-"THE RED HEART" 212
The Town and Surroundings 212
The Royal Flying Doctor
Service 219
Ayers Rock 223
The Northern Territory 227
Darwin 228
Chapter XI TASMANIA-THE ISLAND STATE 229
A Tour of the Island 232
Launceston 232
From Launceston to Port
Arthur 235
Hobart 237
From Hobart to Devonport 245
MAPS
Australia at a Glance 4
Air New Zealand Route Map 44-45
Getting Around Australia: Main Air Services 48
Getting Around Australia: Main Railways 51
Getting Around Australia: Main Highways 54
Sydney: City Center 60
Melbourne: City Center 90
Adelaide: City Center 113
Brisbane: City Center 130
The Gold Coast
144
Cairns: City Center
157
Perth: City Center
176
Canberra: City Center 198
Alice Springs
214
Tasmania
231
Hobart: City Center 238
READ THIS FIRST
Thefirst questi—oneveryAustralian asked on hearing the title ofthisbook
was, "Sounds good but can you do it?"
The answer is Yes, absolutely, within the terms laid down by this entire
long-standingseriesofbudgetguides. Thesetermsstipulatethatthe $15-a-Day
cover only yo—ur basic trip expenses ofa clean bed and thre—e solid meals. All
otheroutlays transportation, entertainment, shopping, etc. count as extras.
Heremyjobwastocollect the information that willenable you togetthemost
foryour money in every respect. This rule also applies tothe *'splurge" oppor-
tunities I haveincluded in every chapter. They may beslightly abovethestrict
budget bracket, but are economical in terms of value offered for the price.
Budget travelers Down Under enjoy a tremendous advantage over their
fellow tourists in America and Europe: they can disregard "hidden costs."
Everypricedisplayedanywhereisexactlywhatyo—upay. Therearenoaddition-
al taxes, service charges, or tips to reckon with additions which elsewhere
may increaseyourbill by anything up to 25 percent. Thus whileat firstglance
some Australian rates may seem as high as their U.S. equivalents, they're
actually lower. This goes not only for services but also for store purchases and
makes a heck ofa lot ofdifference in the long run.
Thisbooktookfivemonthstoresearch, eventhoughIwasalreadyfamiliar
with most oftheareasdescribed. I personally checked out every establishment
mentioned. A large number of"possibles" were dropped by the wayside for a
variety of reasons, sometim—es merely because the vibes were bad. So what
you're getting is a selection not a listing. Whenever I have included a place
solelybecauseitwasultra-economical, Isaysoplainlyinthetext. Thepurpose
forincludingthematallwastogiveyouadownwardmargin,justasthesplurge
spots provide you with an upward one.
All prices, therefore, are accurate for the time at which they were gath-
ered. Unfortunately they won't stay that way. We're caught in an age of
inexorable inflation, a constant edging up ofliving costs that operates Down
Under as it does everywhere else. Since the tourist industry is the sector in
whichfood, wage, andfuelincreasesarefeltsharpest, it'smorethanlikely that
some ofthe rates will have grown by the time you get there. However, since
all the managements involved are essentially budget-oriented, they will still
offer you, relatively speaking, the best deals available.
Money value is a basic consideration ofthis book, but not the only one.
Australiahasthingsthatcannotbeassessedindollars:dramaticbeauty,asense
ofnewnessandadventure, thefascinatingdynamicsofayoungandfreesociety
shapingitsfuture,andawonderfulspiritof"mateship"thatenfoldsnativesand
visitors alike.
I hopethatbyhelpingyouextractthemostfromyourmoney I canenable
you to take a close-up glimpse ofan exciting human experiment in a part of
the globe that has long been veiled by the "tyranny ofdistance."
John Godwin
Christmas, 1977
THANKS TO the peopleofthe Australian TouristCommission,
the most dedicated, hardworking, painstaking and efficient
bunch of government employees have ever encountered. My
I
special thanks go to John Richardson, Stan Marks, Ken Smith,
WayneStorey, and Sonja Morris in Melbourne; toAlex Piechowiak
and Maria Williams in Sydney; andto Robin Prestage in NewYork.
Without their unflagging assistance, all-round know-how and
talent for time schedules, this book might have been about a
decade In the making. On the transportation side want to thank
I
Alex Parker of Air New Zealand for smoothing my flight both
ways.
