I’ve wanted to go to Australia ever since I saw “The Rescuers Down Under” when I was a kid. There are just so many cute/horrifying animals to play with/run away from there. What that particular Disney movie didn’t mention was the some of the other great things about Australia, like the constant drinking and New Jersey style way of insulting you then following it up with the “apology” of saying how they can be offensive and use the “c” word as a term of endearment because they are from Australia.
Australians definitely go at it hard, and they don’t pussyfoot around. (They are all descended from criminals, after all.). They also are really, really friendly, even if they have a weird way of showing it. (And remember, taking a piss is just kidding, getting a pissed is getting drunk.)
When I decided to head down under, I booked my flight and rental car, which is a great website in that it rates hotels and helps you book them and flights, but also has a kind of yelp aspect that allows you to look at activities, public places, tourist attractions, places to eat, bars and nightlife, and see customers reviews. Kind of an all in one place for travel. Anyway, I ended up booking a room for a few days in Sydney, and from there I had a jumping off point to explore New South Wales.
Of course Sydney itself is way more than just a jumping off point. All the iconic stuff is iconic for a reason: the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, the early settlements. All fantastic. Great nightlife, great seafood, an amazingly located zoo called the Taronga, a great local beach (Bondi Beach)cand lots of nature within a short distance. Sydney is just a beautiful city with really friendly people.
All that being said, I had come to Australia for two reasons: to get up on a surfboard, and befriend a koala bear (turns out there are drunk all the time from Eucalyptus leaves, but not a friendly drunk. They are drunk like a drunk, not like you’re college roommate who gets drunk and just tells people how great they are. ) I only accomplished one of these things.
I rode a wave at Boomerang beach, a great spot for surfing not far from the New South Wales town of Forster. Australia is a great place, and you’re probably a bit of a ________ if you don’t go. Ah, don’t worry mate, I’m only taking a piss.