Melbourne’s W class trams are a well known icon of Melbourne that date back to the early 1920s. A main part of Melbourne’s transport system until the 1990s Today the trams are a tourist drawcard operating free on the city circle line as well as at night converted to restaurant trams. Interestingly Melbourne is not the only place in the world where you will see the iconic trams operating as a tourist trolly, a few of the 748 Melbourne built trams were exported to the US in the 70s and 80s and today can be seen operating in San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, New Orleans, Dallas and Portland. The youtube video above is of a Melbourne tram turning onto San Franscisco’s Embarcadero. There are also some W class trams operating in Auckland and Christchurch New Zealand. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts under ‘Australia’
The Melbourne Museum
The Melbourne Museum is the one of the newest and largest museums in the Southern Hemisphere housing a permanent collection in eight galleries, including one just for children and areas for huge traveling exhibitions. The most love treasure of the museum is Pharlap which is renowned as Australia’s greatest racehorse, thousands visit the museum just to view this magnificent animal. The museum features an IMAX theatre and the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Centre which is one of Australia’s finest collection of Australian indigenous culture. The museum isn’t all glass cabinet displays it is a multi media learning centre for young and old and even features an amazing living rain forest complete with animals and plant life in it’s heart. Children love the dinosaur galleries with huge skeleton of a diprotodon, Tarbosaurus, Tsintaosaurus and other huge prehistoric beasts. Read the rest of this entry »
A view from the world’s highest residential tower
The glitzy Surfers Paradise of Australia’s Gold Coast is home to the world’s tallest residental tower which is on of the tallest buildings in the world. Standing at a 322.5 metres above street level the Q1 is taller than both the Chrysler Building in New York and the Eiffel Tower in Paris and it is built less than 100 metres from the magnificent Surfers Paradise beach. The observation deck on the 77th and 78th floors offer specatcular views of the highrises of the Gold Coast and give views from Brisbane to Byron Bay and miles out to the Pacific Ocean. The tower also offers one of the world’s fastest elevators taking only 42.7 seconds to reach the top floors.
Australia’s most easterly point
Cape Byron is the most easterly point of Austalia’s mainland and is home to the Cape Byron Lighthouse which is the most powerful lighthouse in Australia. Built in 1901 the beacon has a range of over 50 kilometers. Byron was named by Captain James Cook as he sailed passed after the circumnavigator John Byron. Byron Bay. Today Byron Bay is one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations with all year round good weather, great beaches and plenty of getaways. The town is very popular with the young and has many festivals including the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival and Splendor in the Grass to attract them along with some great surf beaches. The area is also a very popular eco holiday destination with beautiful sandy shores, and an abundance of wildlife including the humpback whales who frequent the bay on their migration. Read the rest of this entry »
Fatso the Fat Arsed Wombat
During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Fatso the Fat Arsed Wombat became the unofficial Olympic mascot and was caused quiet a stir doing it. The official mascots were Syd, Ollie and Mille they were a Platypus, an echidna and Kookaburra but they got overshaddowed by Fatso. Fatso was the creation of a Sydney cartoonist and featured on Sport’s comedians Roy & HG’s nightly show The Dream he overshaddowed the real mascots to the point the Australian Olympic Committe tried to ban him or stop their athletes getting seen with him.. Fatso survived and won the day he even ended up standing on the dias during a medal presentation. Fatso eventually got auctioned for charty reaching over $80,000, now living in a glass box in a TV executives office. But Fatso lives on and has been imortalised right outside the Sydney Olympic Stadium where a lifesize model of the fat arsed wombat appears on a pole showing all his glory. A must for anyone visiting the home of the best Olympics Games ever.
The Sydney Opera House
There is probably not a more recognisable image of Australia than the magnificent sails of the Sydney Opera House, one of the world’s most beautiful and creative buildings. Sitting on the banks of Sydney’s beautiful harbor the Opera House Sydney Opera House recently received World Heritage recognition. It is one of the architectural wonders of the world, designed by Jorn Utzon, the building is truly amazing. The building is going under some extensive redesign with the help of Mr Utzon who after much controversy never had the chance to see the finished building. The building will receive some modernization inside which will also include some original design features which were never built into the building after cost over runs and political involvement. There are always different performances running from opera, jazz, rock, or comedy, ballet or theatre, the theatres are so versatile. But to see the real Opera House a tour is the best idea. Here you can learn about the interesting history of the building and see many of the behinds the scenes things you would never see sitting in the beautiful theatres.
Bathurst Racing Museum
As today is Australia Day we thought we would feature a couple of Australian Icons over the next few days. Today’s story is the National Motor Racing Museum at Bathurst. Bathurst is the premier car racing event on the Australian calendar and it is where legends of the track are made. None other than the Peter Brock who’s car is featured on today’s photograph. The vehicle exhibits change regularly and is located next to the mountain’s circuit which is a public road on non race days. The ever changing display at the National Motor Racing Museum showcases an array of motorcycle and vehicles and car racing memorabilia from all over the country, especially featuring the ‘kings of the mountain’ Every October tens of thousands flock to the mountain to cheer on either Ford or Holden in the battle for the best V8 super car.
guvus anutha pot luv at the Ettamongah Pub
Back in the 60’s and 70’s a popular men’s magazine called Australasian Post featured regular catoons by artist Ken Maynard, they were all based around a few Aussie friends and the happenings at the Ettamongah Pub. Some bright spark in the 1980’s decided to build a Ettamongah Pub and with great detail, right down to the busted up truck on the roof. Today the Ettamongah Pub about 10 minutes drive from the Victorian- New South Wales border town of Albury in Australia is home to the amazing pub. It has been so successful with bus loads of tourists and families other Ettamongah Pubs have sprouted up throughout Australia, with Western Australia and Queensland a few of the states which have now got their own Ettamongah Pub. The pub is more than a pub, it has a great restaurant, souvenir shop and even a lolly shop for the young folk. So if you are near Albury call in for an ice cold beer and say G’day to the locals.
The giant Murray Cod
If you are a regular reader of Tripandom you have probably noticed we have a soft spot for ‘Big Things’ and we have found another, and guess what it’s in Australia (they seem to have their fair share of big things). This time its a giant Murray Cod it can be found in Swan Hill in North Western Victoria along the mighty Murray River. The fish is 11 metres in length and 6 metres wide, it was actually built as a move prop for a film called ‘Eight Ball’ and the locals liked it so much and found a home for it. Swan Hill is the gateway to inland fishing in Australia and their is no mightier fish to catch than the Murray Cod which lives along the fallen river gums on the Murray.
Steam power on the mighty Murray
Before the days of cars the river was the lifeblood of the country and just as the Paddle steamer on the Mississippi opened up the USA the paddle steamer also opened up Australia along its mighty Murray River. The Cumberoona at the twin cities of Albury and Wodonga is a unique experience to step back in time an imagine the days the paddlesteamer ruled the trading world and also get to experience the mighty Murray River with its huge river gum trees. The Cumberoona offers trips up the river during from about October to April when the river is high and the cooler moths the craft is docked at Noreuil Park on the river, where it is open for dining and special events including some fantastic jazz and blues nights.
