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Travel Ramble - Christine's rambles on rambling

To travel is to live...Christine's rambles on rambling.

It was a difficult decision, but in the end we chose the BMW M3 over the Porsche 911 for the sports car splurge during our recent trip to the Gold Coast. And what a ride it was.

The bar was set very low, after we spent the first 5 days of the holiday driving a Nissan Tiida. This is possibly the most boring car on earth. Every time we had to look for it in the car park of Movie World, it would take forever, because it was so forgettable. We literally couldn't see it.

And then there was driving it. Yawn. So the M3 didn't have to be much better to be an improvement. But good it was. Fantastic actually. So much fun to hoon up and down the motorway. We were pretty good at sticking to the speed limit, but the time it took to get to the speed limit was very, very short. You know what I mean.

The seats were comfy, stereo, top notch and putting the roof down on a summer evening in Queensland, was... divine.

Sportscar rentals Queensland were excellent to deal with. We've already booked in our next drive day with friends - that will be one Ferrari and one Porsche, thanks.

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Posted By: christine Hillman Keyes - Category: No Category

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Port Arthur - living history

January 31st 2010 12:27

I love history but some museums are boring. Ask any seven-year-old. But Port Arthur Historic Site is not one of them.

I spent seven hours there today and then came back for the Ghost Tour tonight. The whole day was outstanding. I became a TV journalist partly because I have the attention span of a gnat. This was the perfect day out for me. Not too many glass cases full of "stuff", but rather, interactive exhibits, historic properties set up as they were in the 1800s when Port Arthur was a notorious secondary punishment centre and quite a few ruins.

Most importantly, Port Arthur Historic Site has recruited excellent staff. I began the day with Daniel on the front desk who took the time to explain all the tour options (Bronze Tour $28). The 11.30 guided tour was hosted by Eric. I've travelled the world several times over and I haven't come across anyone better. He knew his material, his jokes were funny, he kept things moving and best of all, he made Port Arthur's history come alive.

The Isle of the Dead Tour ($12), led by Neil, left me with a real sense of some of the 1100 people buried on the Island, just across from Port Arthur.

The rest of the afternoon, I wandered the site, trying to imagine the harsh life the convicts, soldiers and their families must have faced. The Separate Prison in particular, where convicts were sent when they first arrived or reoffended, was chilling. No noise; no contact with fellow prisoners was allowed. Total silence. Total isolation.

Tonight, to my delight, Eric was hosting my Ghost Tour ($20). I convinced the people from my B&B to change tours because I knew he would deliver. He didn't disappoint us. We were all jumping at our own shadows by the end of the night. I'm the most committed sceptic there is when it comes to ghosts but even I thought I heard a few footsteps in the Separate Prison.

Storytelling is an art - some people just have the knack. Congratulations Port Arthur for recruiting guides who bring your history to life. Without them, it might just be a really impressive-looking ruin.

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Posted By: christine Hillman Keyes - Category: No Category

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Tasman Peninsula - heaven on earth

January 31st 2010 07:08

Even the RSL shuts at 7pm on the Tasman Peninsula, but despite the fact you can't get a drink or even a packet of chips for dinner, White Beach, 80km from Hobart is a must.

I picked Storm Bay Guest House, at White Beach off wotif.com. a few hours before my flight left for Hobart. Nothing like planning ahead. $99 seemed like good value, only 10km from Port Arthur Historic Site, a place I've been meaning to visit for years. Then I booked an Audi A3 TDi from Europcar for only $56 a day (plus all the hidden costs they never tell you about, which brought it up to over $100).

On my Jetstar flight, the service was so good from the crew, I was moved to stay up late, writing to Jetstar management to tell them about it. First time, ever.

On the ground in Hobart, I had a spring in my step as I collected the keys to the Audi. I knew I was going to enjoy the drive. And I did. The A3 wasn't the BMW M3 we hired on the Gold Coast, but for $130,000 less, it compares pretty well. And the diesel engine had plenty of power. Very fast, with great handling. Go Audi. I might be heading down to Wollongong Audi, to snap up one of these babies shortly.

You're wondering when I'm going to get to the bit about the RSL, aren't you? Well, I arrived at Storm Bay Guest House at just past 8.30pm. The Guest House sits high up on the hill looking out over Storm Bay and White Beach. Right now as I sit on the deck, sun streams through dark clouds onto the water, bathing us in a heavenly light. Last night, I came straight from the airport, trying to beat the dying daylight. I was in dire need of dinner when I arrived, but the nearest town, Nubeena, was shut up tight at 8.30pm on a Saturday night. Henry, the manager at the Guest House saved the day, whipping me up some toast and fruit.

Today I spent hours roaming around the Port Arthur site, amazed by the history, shocked at the brutality that occurred there, both in the 1800s and in 1996, when 35 people were killed by a lone gunman. The beauty of the place took my breath away. I didn't expect it from Australia's most notorious penal settlement.

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Posted By: christine Hillman Keyes - Category: No Category

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Travel anticipation

January 18th 2010 00:59

Is it just me, or is anticipation at least half the fun of travelling?

Yes, I believe that thinking about travelling is nearly as good as going. And clicking the 'submit' button on the Qantas website to purchase a ticket is akin to boarding the plane

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Cricket - Howzat?

January 8th 2010 05:56

What kind of game goes for five days and often concludes in a draw? It's cricket of course, a source of great passion among Commonwealth nations but a bizarre and often boring marathon to the rest of the world.

Hordes of sports fans like the English "Barmy Army" travel the world, following their teams to the ends of the earth. Why

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Posted By: christine Hillman Keyes - Category: No Category

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Which sports car - Audi, BMW or Porsche?

December 28th 2009 23:22

I need a sports car. Really. With three blokes in the house obsessed with Top Gear, the pressure is on. The Gold Coast trip is rapidly approaching and no one cares that I've booked no accommodation. Just get the car Mum!

But which car? It has to be cool (or sub-zero) not seriously uncool. It also has to seat 4 people and be available during the busiest time of the year - Christmas holidays

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Pure FunDay Sunday at Luna Park

December 27th 2009 23:36

Some families enjoy museums and art galleries (or so the highbrow parents claim). Others have more simple tastes. Give us a rollercoaster any day.

Santa brought us annual passes to Sydney's Luna Park. Santa told me they only cost $99 each (now the price has gone up to $120) and reliably informed me that too much fun was never enough. So we put them to use two days after Christmas. Combined with the Cityrail Family FunDay Sunday deal, which allows families to travel on trains, buses and ferries across the network for only $2.50 each all day, it made for a cheap excursion

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Summer time and it's time to go

December 23rd 2009 06:37

It's not easy living in paradise. The bar is much higher for any holiday than it otherwise might be. You know I have a strict rule for travel - it has to be better than staying home. So, if staying home is pretty damn good, you can see my problem. The photo below is just one of the hundreds of beaches within half an hour's drive.

Gerrigong rockpool on the NSW south coast

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travel or die

December 8th 2009 23:23

I try to explain my travel or die philosphy to certain people and they just don't get it. (They may be the same people who don't get going on holidays by yourself - see Solo New York)

To me, the worst possible life is one consigned to suburbia, doing the same thing day after day, with an annual two week holiday to a caravan park on the South Coast. Nothing wrong with any of that, per se, but it's not my idea of living. The problem is, I haven't quite worked out what my idea of living is, just what it isn't

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To Dwink or Shop - NY regrets

December 6th 2009 12:00

I hate to admit it but I regret not shopping enough in New York. Sure, I soaked up the atmosphere, got the feel for the city, but what did I buy? Nothing. Nada, except a NY T-shirt, purchased (ironically) at the Australian store, Quiksilver, in Times Square. It's a great shirt. Not a cheap 'I love NY' one, but classy; cool even.

But I see now that it wasn't enough. The day I went in search of Century 21 (a real estate agent in OZ, but department store in NY), I found, instead, two Englishmen on a drinking tour of the USA. It's hard to believe that Englishmen would participate in such a tour, but indeed one of them was setting up a website, www.dwink.co.uk, which reviews bars and pubs. I guess that makes it work. So when I found them standing on a street corner, lost, I did what any self respecting Australian would do. I personally escorted them to the pub. Then to the next one... The drinks were free. Unfortunately, after several cocktails, I almost fell into the hole in the ground that is Ground Zero. I was so embarrassed by my inability to recognise the world's most sombre site, that I punished myself with a long visit to the very haunting and humbling memorial to the victims of 9/11

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