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The Big Day OutFestivals in Sydney, Australia The Big Day Out (BDO) rocks stadiums of people all around Australia and New Zealand with its mix of big international headliners and local acts. Multiple gigs take place all at once on stages of varying sizes all around the grounds, so you have to know what you HAVE to see to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time. The really organised arrive when the festival opens at nine or ten in the morning and have their day planned out until the 1am finish. There’s a mix of music from rock to punk to electronica to hip hop depending on which artists have been big that year. The dance music gigs are hosted by the ‘Boiler Room’, a circus style tent to create a rave style ambiance. The first Big Day Out was held in Sydney in 1992, and the festival now tours to Auckland, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Recent BDO’s have attracted between 40,000 and 55,000 people per venue.
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Review by Photo by flickr user Michael_Spencer |
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Manly BeachBeaches in Sydney, Australia The best thing about Manly is the fantastic ferry trip out there. The Manly Ferry is probably Sydney’s cheapest harbour cruise and if you get a seat outside it’s probably also one of the best. The 35 - 40 minute trip takes you past the Opera House, the central harbour bays with some of Sydney’s most expensive property , Taronga Zoo and the heads, where it can get satisfyingly rocky. People used to go to Manly for their holidays and I can see why. The ferry pulls into a relaxed, sprawling but clean looking wharf which leads onto the relaxed, sprawling Corso which links the wharf on the harbour side and the long beaches on the ocean side. So maybe the best thing about Manly is walking along the Corso seeing the ocean open out before you. On the ocean side the beach is a long scoop. To the right as you’re facing the ocean is a path and if you follow it around past a pool carved into the ocean you’ll get to Shelly Beach which hooks around to face the rest of Manly and is a good spot for scuba diving and has a truly excellent and secluded café. Which could also be the best thing about Manly. Surfers do come along here but the surf schools are mostly in the other direction up towards Queenscliff where there are less rocks in the water. There are also beach volley ball nets set up along beach next to the path that runs along the front US style with rollerbladers, cyclists and people who don’t want to get sand between their toes. You’re going to see tourists in Manly - it’s one of the most popular beaches in Sydney, but it’s not badly spoilt by the crowds and even in the peak of the Christmas school holidays there’s still enough sand and ice cream for everyone and the pub on the harbour side wharf extends out on decking above the ocean, so there’s more space to enjoy an afternoon drink Sydney style. Which could also be the best thing about Manly…
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Review by Photo by flickr user stibbons |
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Jenolan CavesCaves & Caving in New South Wales, Australia The Jenolan Caves are known both for being the world’s oldest open cave system, and for the almost pure white shades of the limestone formations. The shimmering, dramatic karst formations created over eons under the Blue Mountains were changed quickly and dramatically to cater to inquisitive eyes fascinated by their ethereal landscape. The Jenolan Caves rose rapidly in popularity on discovery, and lights and platforms were constructed creating some of the most magnificent show caves in the world and one of New South Wales’ top tourist attractions for the past hundred and fifty years. The story goes that first European to find these caves was a convict on the run who was living in them and using them as a hideout in the early 1800s. Once their cave mouths began to be discovered, people began to plunge further and further into their depths, revealing more and more spectacular formations the deeper they got, reaching some of the current major show caves the Elder and Lucas caves in the 1860s. Unfortunately early visitors were a bit hap hazard with their souvenir collecting and some of the most dramatic formations were damaged, you can see the marks of these early visitors in the Elder cave. By the 1880’s the Jenolan Caves had become a tourist attraction, with lighting rigged up and paths cleared so that less adventurers could see the wonders as well as the cavers, who pushed through passages to discover the Imperial and Chifley Caves and then the Jersey and Jubilee Caves.
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Review by Photo by flickr user THERKD |
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The Melbourne CupSpectator Sports in Melbourne, Australia Does every country have a ‘Race that stops the nation’? A racing event so important and well loved that for three minutes a year pretty much everyone in an entire country is glued to their screen watching horses run around a track? The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s and does just that. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like horse racing, if you’re an avid animal rights activist or leader of a chapter of Gamblers Anonymous, if you’re in Australia at around 3pm on the first Tuesday in November, you’ll probably still find yourself in front of a telly.
Usually warm and sunny there is a feeling of anticipation all day. In Victoria it’s a public holiday, but throughout the rest of the country Cup Day is a good reason for a little extra festival, most offices have a sweep, people drink champagne (more than they would on a regular Tuesday) and women wear hats. The closer you can get to the Flemington Race Course the more cup fever takes hold. You could easily find yourself picnicking on the lawn wearing your best racing garb or peering over the rails as race after race is run leading up to the big countdown… Racecourses are exciting places anyway, money is won and lost, in fact in 2000 it was estimated that 80% of Australia’s adult population had a flutter - people are splashing the cash - and the Australian weather means people don’t need much of an excuse to spend the day outside drinking, eating and enjoying themselves.
The first cup was raced in 1861. Originally run over two miles, when metric come in it lost about 60ft off its length and is now 3,200 metres. Since the 90’s more international horses have been entered, but the general idea is still the same. The big winner in recent memory has been Makybe Diva, who won in 2003, then became the first mare to win twice in 2004, and then the first horse to win three times in 2005. Amid tears, Diva’s trainer famously said you would need to find the youngest child on the course if you wanted to see someone who may see it done again in their lifetime. Legendary steed Phar Lap only won it once and came in third the following year.
The fashions of cup day are just as much a part as the race itself, with people going all out in finery or dressing in costume…basically the whole day is a spectacle of racing glamour.
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Review by Photo by flickr user Banamine |
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Melbourne International Arts FestivalArts in Melbourne, Australia As the name implies, this October festival showcases creative works from all over the world as well as Australia, and lifts new talent into the limelight as well as celebrating dance, theatre, multimedia, music and visual pieces generated by established artists and companies. The exhibitions and performances take place indoors and out, and ticket prices vary enormously, but there are enough free events to make the festival worth a visit, and plenty of family-friendly ones, even if you're not planning to be there for the full seventeen days. Bear in mind, though, that you'll need to book in advance to see most of the higher-profile acts. Expect time-honoured classical music, modern re-workings of Shakespeare, conceptual art based on audience participation, fiercely clever short films, puppet shows and everything in between. You'll be extremely hard pushed not to find something you like!
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Review by Photo by flickr user Looking Glass |
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About usStuck at your desk? Gazing out at those grey skies and imagining you are somewhere else? I want to go here is all about inspiring you to do something different - about encouraging you to check out a new experience or destination. It's simple - we post something new every day. If you like the look of it, send it to a couple of friends. If not, wait and see what tomorrow brings. And if it gets past the fantasy stage, we'll soon have links to research the experience further, but you can also send us an email, and we'll tell you where to look or book next. |