Well we made it. We circumnavigated the continent of Australia ending in we city where we started 35 years ago, Melbourne. We made connections with some friends from long, long, ago. We were surprised how much they had aged, we hadn’t – ha ha! First we toured the city, much is the same and much is very changed. The river Yarra is now a pleasant place to stroll and dine. We drove by the house, in Hawthorne, where we rented a flat many years ago and it is going through a major renovation. The suburb is now a million $+ area to live in. Many of the Melbourne’s surrounding suburbs have been refreshed and upgraded with nice shops and restaurants. There are many freeways now, 35 years ago there were none. The airport is going through a major renovation, probable the second or third since we last flew into or out of it. The biggest change was how Melbourne, and all of Australia, was so much like the USA. When we lived here in 1971-73, the country was 10 years behind the USA in social and technological areas. Today the country is equal or ahead of the USA in many areas.
The best part of our trip was the people. This country is so friendly. The locals were very helpful to lost strangers. That was important because directions and road signs were at best confusing if not non-existent. We only got really lost once and that time even the locals had trouble helping us.
The scenery, the cultures, the food, the people, the motor home, the history, the diversity were all wonderful. We are so thankful that we were able once more to visit Australia and see some of what we missed the first time.
We traveled12,000 kilometers or 9,000 miles of driving, 2,000 miles by train, 6,000 miles by air during our Aussie Adventure. Thank You Australia, for allowing our “Planes, Trains, and Motor homes” trip of 80 days around Oz possible. We have had a lot fun sharing our experiences with all of you. We return stateside on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Mike and Karen Wraight
3 comments:
Wow, Melbourn is a beautiful city. Those of us back home are so glad that we have had the ability to share this experience with you. We hope that the rest of your trip (no it isn't over yet) is as enjoyable. Thank you again for sharing this trip with all of us. Love you guys bunches. Eric (Bro 4/4)
Thanks for allowing us to tag along and welcome home!!
Steve W.
You have shared your special trip with all of us, and we thank you. I hope the trip home goes well. We look forward to hearing more over a glass of wine or two.
Post a Comment