Australia' Size

I want to thank this TT site as I learned something today. You know what they say, you are never too old to learn something new.
Reading a thread about bananas being grown in Australia, I thought WOW, they have a tropical area in Australia, so I Googled the area of Australia compared to the USA, I never realized Australia was so vast! You are as wide as the USA, about 3,000 miles from end to end and wider than the USA. But the USA does have more square area than Australia.
Thank you for the insight into Australia, you Aussies Rock!

Rosy

Hey, Rosy, bananas grow here also. We have shark infested surfing areas and we even have Shrimp On A Barby here. Outback restaurant counts, right? That's like saying Taco bell has real Mexican food.
Never mind.

I wouldnt mention Outback Steakhouse to a real Australian.
YOU PROBABLY WOULD GET PUNCHED.
I wasnt real impressed with the one the wife wanted to visit
on our anniversary.
And I agree with the Taco Hell comment also

Now having been mean to the food places,

If I ever win the lottery, Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania
are definately on the list of GREAT places to visit.

now your talking my Turf.. 18 years in Australia, 28 in New Zealand,
i believe australia is bigger than mainland USA however the additional territories aka alaska, make the USA;s total area larger.
We have all sorts of climates here in Australia, from tropical in the north to snow and frost in the south.. deserts and rain forests.
white sand beaches and the largest sand island. the great barrier reef. and a lot of what you would consider unusual animals and bugs.

NZ is small, but loaded with scenery and unbelievably good for bike/trike riding the weather can be somewhat more unpredictable, wild and rugged, Tasmania, which is part of Australia, not a seperate country, is more like NZ. awesome diverse wild and relatively compact.
do a few google image searches for Australia like

whitsunday islands
gold coast
tasmania
arnhem land
outback australia

for NZ try google image search on
southern alps
Otago
taupo
bay of islands
fiordland

[QUOTE=oneup;225745]now your talking my Turf.. 18 years in Australia, 28 in New Zealand,
i believe australia is bigger than mainland USA however the additional territories aka alaska, make the USA;s total area larger.
We have all sorts of climates here in Australia, from tropical in the north to snow and frost in the south.. deserts and rain forests.
white sand beaches and the largest sand island. the great barrier reef. and a lot of what you would consider unusual animals and bugs.

NZ is small, but loaded with scenery and unbelievably good for bike/trike riding the weather can be somewhat more unpredictable, wild and rugged, Tasmania, which is part of Australia, not a seperate country, is more like NZ. awesome diverse wild and relatively compact.
do a few google image searches for Australia like

whitsunday islands
gold coast
tasmania
arnhem land
outback australia

for NZ try google image search on
southern alps
Otago
taupo
bay of islands
fiordland[/QUOTE]

Yup both have amazing places...but Auise being so huge you have a fair bit of travel to cover the different parts of the country, in NZ you can go from this

[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/IMG_0145.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/2013-01-28125817_zps5abbffb0.jpg[/IMG]

to this in a good days drive

[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/IMG_4980.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/BrendansTahr.jpg[/IMG]

and this is around the corner from our largest town

[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/IMG_3302.jpg[/IMG]

and the west has miles of untamed beaches :D

[IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/P1040183.jpg[/IMG]

Always wanted to visit N.Z. What an amazingly beautiful place! You're high on my bucket list of must see places.

[QUOTE=Bazooka;225782]Always wanted to visit N.Z. What an amazingly beautiful place! You're high on my bucket list of must see places.[/QUOTE]

If you ever do make sure you do some of the back country, not far from towns you have some of the most tranquil areas, get hold of a 4x4 and hook up with some locals and hit country like this

[URL="http://s222.photobucket.com/user/leathel-one/media/pblot43.jpg.html"][IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/pblot43.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL="http://s222.photobucket.com/user/leathel-one/media/IMG_2198.jpg.html"][IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/IMG_2198.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL="http://s222.photobucket.com/user/leathel-one/media/pblot20.jpg.html"][IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/pblot20.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Free Hunting and fishing year round (except ducks, pheasants and trout that have a season.... oh and there are some protected birds so do the research)


Forum research before travel (4x4, hunting, fishing forums) will have you in the back country doing things some of the townie locals have never seen... Its criminal that some Kiwi's have never been through the southern alps even though you can drive there in a car!

[URL=http://s222.photobucket.com/user/leathel-one/media/pblot18.jpg.html][IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/pblot18.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s222.photobucket.com/user/leathel-one/media/pblot25.jpg.html][IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/pblot25.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

a short walk from the car/ tourist bus is lots of country like this

[URL=http://s222.photobucket.com/user/leathel-one/media/pblot28.jpg.html][IMG]http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/leathel-one/pblot28.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

all to true leathel. i grew up in Canturbury, mostly CHCH but also down Ashburton way. couldnt begin to count the number of round trips ive done of the south island on bikes. even done a lap on a KDX175 mixing fuel in the tank and carrying a can on my back. havent seen all of the north island but done a few rides and car trips. and cant not mention sweetwaters.

Bazooka if you make it down our way, you have a room and the use of a trike in queensland Australia.

[COLOR=silver][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR]

we are between Brisbane and the gold coast

[COLOR=silver][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR]

OH and Rosy, i have bananas growing wild on my property, actually they arent that easy to get rid of. and since i am allergic to eating bananas, i have tried.. we are subtropical here

Well, oneup, stay away from bananas, WOW, first time I've heard of someone bring allergic to bananas.
Yes, our country is like yours, HUGE, with many...many...days of traveling to get from one part to the other. And yes, we have parts of this country where you don't want to go without spare petrol or you won't be coming back.
I hate to say this, but we also have natives who live here their whole lives and never see the wonders of this country, and like yours, there are many to see!
I am sure you have seen our country in pictures, as I have yours.
If any Aussie comes over in my neighborhood, give a "call" and I will make sure we will get together and I will show you the wonders of New England.

Rosy

[QUOTE=oneup;225907]
Bazooka if you make it down our way, you have a room and the use of a trike in queensland Australia.
[/QUOTE]

I'll start saving me pennies Jeff. ThumbUp

Looking at a few of those pictures I could swear I was in Wyoming!ThumbUp

Rosy.. Elise and i spent July and August last year riding the trike around the USA. we thought at the time it would be the ride of a lifetime, and it was... till we started thinking about doing another big USA ride in the next year or so.

I remember your pictures and stories. Like I said, if anybody comes up to New England, you are more than welcome to give me a shout and we will see if we can show you good roads, scenery, and places of interest. Also the best places to eat and drink, not the "tourist traps". As we travel in the area we will also stop at places who make their own ice cream, Yum...Yum....nothing like going for a long ride then stopping to get refreshed with a bowl of home made ice cream.
So think about it, if you are in this part of the woods!

Rosy