On the heels of our fantastic family trip to Japan, our next great travel adventure was also destined to be far-flung. It was time to travel to our global antipode, the great continent down-under … Australia!!
All six of us were figuratively climbing over ourselves with excitement as we threw ideas at each other while making plans online, trying to shoehorn a lifetime of anticipation into a sixteen day calendar. We quickly learned that Australia is a very large place, and it is very far away. Just getting there and back would take nearly three days.
Time became a precious commodity. Thus, some initial proposals, such as an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef quickly went out the window because distance and DCS requirements precluded it. Also, July is mid-winter in the southern hemisphere and ocean temperatures would be a cold 70 degrees. It just wasn't an optimal time for underwater activities.
It would also be our first family adventure south of the equator and we had to consider factors we hadn’t before, such as packing North Face parkas in mid-July.
We soon realized that it made sense to focus our attention on Sydney and Melbourne, and then fill out the rest of the itinerary from there.
However, I insisted on traveling to the Northern Territory, the Outback, located in the red heart of the continent. Australia’s great national landmark and aboriginal spiritual icon, Uluru, was on my bucket list. I knew that all of us would appreciate experiencing that essential part of Australia’s still-living culture. How could you go to Australia and not endure the Outback?
As we huddled over Google maps and surfed through options on our computers, out of the blue came the text everyone knew was coming …
“We’re doing New Zealand, right?”
Umm.
“And we’re all gonna do Hobbiton, right? We can’t not go to New Zealand!!”
Eh, Hobbiton?
So, with one of the most jam-packed itineraries ever attempted, we began our incredible expedition to the most distant corner of the world.
Friday, July 17, 2026
American Airlines Flight To Dallas
Qantas Airways Flight To Sydney
(Preparations and flight to Dallas)
I can still hear Dustin Hoffman repeat the same word over and over as he described the safest airline in the world in the movie Rain Man ... "Qantas". Indeed our connection in Dallas was with Qantas Airways Limited. Flight number QF8, aboard the largest jet airplane in the world, the Airbus 380, departing at 10:55 pm on Friday and scheduled to arrive in Sydney at 6:55 am on Sunday. Yes, the entire day of Saturday would be spent in-flight. At more than fifteen hours of flying time, the Dallas to Sydney flight is the fifth-longest anywhere in the world, for any airline. We purchased premium economy seats in the upper deck, three rows of two seats, along the starboard windows.
Qantas Airways Limited is one of the oldest airlines in existence. Founded in November of 1920 as Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services, the airline commands two-thirds of the Australian domestic market. It operates 308 aircraft and features the iconic kangaroo image on its red tail. It also owns Jetstar Airways, a low cost domestic airline. We would be flying both brands during our trip.
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Qantas Airways Flight To Sydney
All Day
(In flight commentary)
In a fit of complete boredom as our flight continued circumnavigating the globe at 40,000 feet, I pulled out my Fodor’s Guide To Australia and studied a bit about the country’s history.
Sixty-five thousand years ago, aboriginal Australians settled throughout the country from Papua, New Guinea and other nearby islands. Dutch navigators briefly explored the area in mid-1600s. However, it was Captain James Cook who arrived along the eastern coast and claimed Australia for Great Britain in 1770. For the next 130 years, Australia was part of the ever-expanding British Empire. They were incredibly effective at colonizing the continent, and much of the western cultural heritage remains.
Even though Australia became a self-governing nation in 1901, a strong familial connection has remained between Australia and the British Isles.
Queen Elizabeth II arrived at Farm Cove (Botany Bay) in 1954, where Captain Arthur Phillip had first raised the Union Jack 165 years earlier, commencing her Australian Royal Tour. It was the first time a reigning monarch set foot onto Australian soil.
The royals have visited Australia many times since, including in 1980 at the Sydney Opera House, when the Queen met Crocodile Dundee (actor Paul Hogan) and singer Olivia Newton John.
The Australia Act 1986, completely removed any governmental ties between the two nations. However, King Charles III still acts as the nation’s head of state (making it a constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm), but the British government and Parliament have no authority or jurisdiction over Australia. The king’s role is entirely ceremonial.
It seems that Australia is comfortable with their arms-length relationship with the UK, and the Australian flag still prominently features the Union Jack. When most people think of Australians, they think of those with British heritage (i.e. Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Mel Gibson, Steve Irwin, Russell Crowe, Rupert Murdoch, Kylie Minogue, Mark Webber, and Chris Hemsworth).
In recent years, a gradual reconciliation effort between British and indigenous cultures has been underway. Australia is the only British Commonwealth nation without a treaty with its First Nations people. Issues revolving around discrimination and racism remain.
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Arrival In Sydney
Shuttle To Pier One Sydney Harbour
Yup. Still flying.
As the sun was dawning over Sydney, Qantas flight QF8 lumbered in for a landing at SYD (Sydney International Airport), on runway 16R. Located on Botany Bay, in New South Wales, the airport is one of the world’s oldest still in operation, with its first flight in 1911. The airport had been repeatedly updated over the years (most recently in 2000 for the Summer Olympics) and is still considered one of the best in the world.
The most popular international destination from SYD is Singapore, handling more than two million passengers per year, followed by Auckland, New Zealand.
Our Qantas double-decker taxied to Terminal 3 (especially designed to accommodate the A380) and just as Queen Elizabeth did seventy-two years earlier, six royals disembarked near Botany Bay and headed for customs.
As expected, there was a family debate as to how we should transfer to our hotel. Cab or train? Dad still remembered vividly the infamous incident while boarding a train at Shibuya Station. He still suffered PTSD from that traumatic event. ;) He strongly recommended a shuttle.
The ride into Sydney Centre was short (5.6 miles) and we were soon at the Pier One Sydney Harbour Hotel, located directly beneath the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Pier One Sydney Harbour was originally constructed as a cargo wharf and passenger terminal in 1912. It was converted into a hotel in 1998, and became home to Pier One Sydney Harbour in 2014. The structure was completely revamped in 2019 by acclaimed architect Tonkin Zulaika Greer. It is now a 5-star historic landmark in Sydney Centre.
Arriving at the hotel, I felt the Sydney Opera House calling out to me. I knew it was just beyond the granite footing of the harbour bridge, but I just couldn’t quite get a clear shot of it yet.
Monday, July 20, 2026
Sydney Harbour / Opera House
Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb
G-day Sydney!!
The original name of Sydney Harbour was Port Jackson. James Cook first arrived in 1770 and named the inlet after Sir George Jackson, the Judge Advocate of the British Fleet. It was the location of the first permanent European settlement in Australia, eighteen years later, in 1788. Prior to the immigrants arrival, the area was inhabited by several Eora aboriginal clans, who had lived there for at least 30,000 years. The first British settlers in 1788 were eleven shiploads of prisoners, 736 convicts who established the Botany Bay penal colony in New South Wales. As usual, the new arrivals brought smallpox with them, which killed half the indigenous population of the area. The survivors moved a short distance away on the other side of Sydney Cove (to what is now Sydney Centre).
As a naturally-protected port, Sydney Harbour was the site of ongoing shipping and industrial development, and eventually became the most populous city in Australia. Sydney’s population in 2026 was nearly six million people.
Sydney is one of the most expensive places in the world to live. Yet, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, CNBC, and Time Out all named it one the world’s most ‘liveable’ cities. Conde Nast Traveler named it ‘World’s Best City’ in 2024.
Conde Nast Traveler: World's Best City - Sydney (2024)
What a fascinating destination!! Its reputation preceded itself ... and we were finally here to discover it for ourselves!!!
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was a nine-year project, built between 1923 and 1932. It was designed after the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. It spans 1,654 feet and connects 'The Rocks' at Dawes Point with Milsons Point on the north shore.
It is the tallest steel arched bridge in the world, at 440 feet in height. When heated in the summer sun, the steel expands and arch height can increase by more than seven inches. Eighty percent of the steel was imported from the Newcastle Steelworks in England.
When the bridge was completed in February 1932, its four rails tracks were tested with the weight of 96 steam locomotives, placed end to end.
Over time, the bridge became affectionately known as ‘The Coathanger’ by locals, and it has (along with the Sydney Opera House) become of the world famous icons of the city.
The Sydney Opera House has an even more interesting story to tell. It begins in the late 1940s, when Eugene Goossens, Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Director of the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, began lobbying for a new venue. By 1955, he had cajoled the local government to launch an international design competition, similar to that of the St. Louis Arch (1947). There were 233 entries, representing architects from 32 countries. The criteria called for a large hall seating 3,000 and a small hall for 1,200 people. The three-person jury for the competition included Finnish-American modernist architect Eero Saarinen.
The winner, announced on January 29, 1957, was Danish architect Jorn Utzon. Saarinen chose his design from among 30 finalists. Utzon quickly moved to Sydney to supervise the project.
Architect Jorn Utzon
It turns out that the architect’s design was easier to conceive than to build.
The construction site was at the original location of old Fort Macquarie, and the tram depot there was demolished in 1958. The first footings for the opera house were poured in March 1959. Almost seven hundred concrete piers were then driven 82 feet below sea level.
Meanwhile, Utzon was trying to come to grips with how to fabricate the exterior roof ‘shells’ of the design. He spent the next four years working on pre-cast concrete panels supported by precast concrete ribs. It took the team twelve iterations to devise a solution. The surface of the concrete would be covered with 1,056,006 individual tiles in two colors; glossy white and matte cream. Each tile was custom-shaped and manufactured in Sweden.
After one year of construction, the project was already a year behind schedule. Estimates for construction cost had tripled and a lottery was implemented to help raise funds. A new, less supportive, government placed the project under the Ministry of Public Works, and Utzon resigned. The local premier hated the foreign architect, and he also had a severe dislike of modernism. Local architect Peter Hall took over the project.
It was soon discovered that Utzon’s original design only accommodated 2,000 seats in the main hall and that increasing the number to 3,000 would be disastrous for the acoustics. The multipurpose performance hall became solely a concert hall. Other, more practical, changes were made to Utzon’s interior designs as well.
The Opera House was finally completed in 1973. Ten years late and fourteen times over budget ($102,000,000). On October 20, 1973, Queen Elizabeth formally opened the Sydney Opera House to the music of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
In the late 1990s, the Sydney Opera House Trust reconciled with Utzon. He was appointed as a design consultant for future work. A huge horizontal tapestry by Le Corbusier, commissioned by Utzon in 1959 for the building (which had been in storage at the family residence in Denmark for fifty years) was purchased by the Opera House in June 2015 and placed on permanent display.
The Sydney Opera House was worth every penny. It hosts 1,800 performances annually, attended by 1.4 million people. The building, itself, is visited by more than ten million people annually.
It was named as a finalist in the New 7 Wonders Of The World campaign in 2001, alongside Macchu Picchu, the Giza Pyrmids, the Roman Colosseum, and the Great Wall of China. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. Utzon was awarded the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2003.
Things were getting a bit tense as morning turned into afternoon. I noticed some beads of sweat on Michelle's forehead. The group was getting noticeably quiet too. Each of us was thinking about our 2:05 appointment ... to climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sounded fun when we booked it back home. But staring at it in real life was something else entirely!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Sydney Fish Market (Behind The Scenes Tour)
Luna Park
Chinatown
Mr. Wong Dim Sum
Lucky us! We got to get up at 4:00 am this morning to do something really special. Michelle had bought tickets for a ‘Behind The Scenes’ tour of the Sydney Fish Market, including the early morning wholesale auction. The market was not far from our hotel, but considering how early it was, we decided to cab it over to the new facility, which had opened a few months before we arrived.
The original fish market was established in 1871, at Woolloomooloo. Due to unhygienic conditions, the fish market was moved to Sydney, and a facility known as the ’Southern Fish Market’ was constructed in 1891, located on Redfern Street. A newer market was opened in the Haymarket area in 1911. Three fish markets competed with each other until 1923, when Sydney finally consolidated all of them in the Haymarket. It was again relocated to Blackwattle Bay in 1966 and then a new-concept consumer and wholesale market was built in Glebe in 2026. The new structure, ten years in the making, features huge sweeping rooflines, 15,500 meters of upper-level seafood retail space, as well as wholesale processing beneath.
When local mobster Abe Saffron died in 2006, several members of his family concurred with conspiracy theorists that he set the fire in retaliation after a failed attempt to purchase the park. The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) concluded in a 2021 television documentary, buttressed with eyewitness and forensic expert testimony, that it was arson. The network also concluded that the New South Wales Police Department took part in a cover-up at the time.
The amusement park was closed for three years, as local authorities tried to assess next steps. A group of local citizens named Friends of Luna Park helped raise money to rebuild it. Eventually the Luna Park Reserve Trust was established to protect it as a historic landmark. The park has been threatened for decades and closed multiple times in the past forty years, but it seems to have nine lives.
The most iconic feature of Luna Park is The Face, an 85 foot tall entrance structure with an art-deco face, flanked by two facsimilies of New York's Chrysler Building. The original was fabricated from chicken-wire and plaster. A fiberglass version, built in 1995, towered above us.
The first Chinese arrived in Sydney in 1828, and migration accelerated with the 1851 discovery of gold. By 1877, nearly 20,000 Chinese immigrants were living near the city, in New South Wales. Opium dens and brothels common to Chinese neighborhoods were the target of a Royal Commission to investigate gambling and immorality 1892. Eventually, the negative attitude toward the Chinese abated and Sydney’s Chinatown moved to Campbell Street in the early 1920s. The core of Haymarket Chinatown is Dixon Street, where a large paifang (traditional Chinese Gateway) welcomes visitors. Inside are a plethora of produce and flea markets, restaurants, and related boutiques. Bilingual street signs were prevalent across Chinatown (mostly written in Mandarin).
About a third of the residents are Chinese, with Thai (18.3%), Indonesian (5.6%), and Korean (4.8%) populations as well.
Sydney’s Chinatown has been featured in many films, including David Bowie’s China Girl music video, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, and The Wolverine.
Probably the most famous Chinese business in Sydney is not in Chinatown, but in the central business district. Mr. Wong Dim Sum is a colonial-style (1930s Shanghai jazz vibe) Cantonese restaurant located in a back alley at 3 Bridge Lane. Almost lost amongst the towering sky-scrapers, this rustic 19th century converted brick and timber warehouse is an incredibly stylish and popular place (no reservations) and we hoped to get in.
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Qantas Airways Flight To Uluru
Emu Walk Apartments
Tali Wiru Dinner In The Desert
Awake early again. At 6 am, our traveling road show was packed and on our way to the airport. Our next destination was deep into the Red Centre ... Northern Territory.
(Flight experience)
The Commonwealth of Australia is geographically the sixth-largest country in the world. The distance between Sydney and Perth on the western coast is 2040 miles, roughly the same as the mileage between Cleveland and Las Vegas.
Virtually all of Australia’s population is sprinkled around the perimeter of the landmass. All of the center of the country is still wild and undeveloped, with very few intercontinental roads bisecting the continent. Ninety percent of the country is considered ‘the outback.’
Perhaps the most remote area of the country is the Northern Territory. Covering 520,385 square miles, it is the third largest territory in Australia. Yet, the most populous city in the NT (outside of Darwin on the north coast) is Alice Springs, with fewer than 25,000 people.
The southern portion of the territory, in particular, is a land of amazing geography. Red desert sandstone spreads out for hundreds of miles, all covered with raw spartan brush. The territory has one paved road running north and south through its length. It is the Stuart Highway, better known as ‘the track.’
There is one gas station every 120 miles along the track, at places such as Humpty Doo, Birdum, Warumungu, and Coober Pedy. The road wasn’t fully paved until 1987. Once paved, it had an unrestricted speed limit until 1994.
There was a Stuart Highway Cannonball Run, in 1994, officially sponsored and endorsed by the Minister of the Northern Territory. The plan was for 149 drivers to race from Darwin to Yulara and back (4,000 kilometers). However, on May 24, the third day of the race, a Ferrari F40 spun out at high-speed after overtaking a Porshe Turbo near the Stuarts Well Roadhouse, and slammed into a race checkpoint, killing two Japanese drivers (both dentists) as well as two officials. A speed limit was established for Stuart Highway and all future races were cancelled.
The ill-fated Northern Territory Cannonball Run (1994)
The Northern Territory is home to the greatest number of aboriginal people in Australia, who count a third of the NT’s quarter-million population and half of its property owners. Most of these people live in designated tribal areas in southern and western regions, near Kings Canyon and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks.
Life is rough out there. Life expectancy is eleven years shorter than in Australia’s city centers. Thus the average age in the NT is the youngest in the country, with 23 percent under the age of 15. The median age is 31, six years younger than the national average.
Aboriginal influence is everywhere, particularly with language, where Kriol (Australian Creole), Djambarrpuyngu, Gumatj, Gupapuyngu, Arrernte, and a hundred other Dhuwal dialects are commonly spoken in the region.
On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to the local Pitjantjatjara people. A year later, Uluru was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Overnight, Uluru became a destination for global travelers, and the sacred site was literally crawling with tourists. Sacred sandstone does not handle climbers well, particularly those who do it drunk or nude. On November 1, 2017, the national park board prohibited the climbing of Uluru. By 2019, all access and guide chains were removed. Occasional idiots continue to climb the monolith, and they are immediately arrested.
Those who take pieces of Uluru are cursed for life.
The Aboriginal community of Mutitjulu, with a population of approximately 300, is located near the eastern end of Uluru; many of whom work in the tourist industry at the Ayer’s Rock Resorts.
The first tourists to the area arrived in the 1950s, when Uluru was considered a unique and challenging hill climb. In 1958, 2,296 brave souls drove thousands of miles on dust and mud-covered roads to Alice Springs to discover the rock. In 1959, a lease was granted to begin the development of a hotel, store, and a service station at Uluru. By 1968, the tourist business was expanding, with 23,000 visitors that year. An airstrip was added in the 1970s.
In 1984, the Four Seasons Hotel opened the Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel and Sheraton opened Voyages Sails In The Desert. In 1988, the Yulara Maisonettes, now known as the Emu Walk Apartments were opened. In 1992, all of the hotels were sold to Ayers Rock Resort Company and they were consolidated into a single entity. In 2006, 344,357 visitors came to Uluru.
In 2011, the Indigenous Land And Sea Corporation purchased Ayers Rock Resort. Indigenous employment at the resort grew from 2 in 2010 to 264 in 2014. The Gallery of Central Australia (GoCA) was opened in 2021. It further expanded its product offering with unique cultural and culinary experiences in 2023.
Tali Wiru (Beautiful Dune) is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. A select handful of guests travel out into the wide open desert and are presented with a world-class four-course dining adventure of indigenous food and Australia's finest wines, all under the backdrop of an incredible Uluru sunset.
It has been recognized as the finest dining experience in the Northern Territory, and among the top five in all of Australia (AGFG Award 2024, 2025, 2026). It has also won the World Culinary Award as finest dining in the Oceania Region (2024, 2025, 2026).
(Tali Wiru experience)
Tali Wiru broke the record for being the most expensive meal our family ever ate, surpassing the magnificent French gluttony in the wine room at Remy on board the Disney Dream in 2019.
Thursday, July 23, 2026
Helicopter Flight Over Uluru
Gallery Of Central Australia
Outback Sky Journey
Uluru is an arkose sandstone inselberg (prominent isolated residual knob). It stands 1,142 feet high, and 5.8 miles in perimeter, dominating the surrounding landscape. It’s reddish-brown color the result of ongoing oxidation. It was formed during the prehistoric Cambrian period.
Anangu map of Uluru
The local Anangu (Arn-ung-oo) aborigines named it Uluru, a proper noun with no applicable translation.
It’s unique geological characteristics facilitated its interpretation as a sacred spiritual site. Some sections of it are considered so sacred that photography is banned; they are special sites of gender rituals and forbidden to any member of the opposite sex. Other sections are believed to be inhabited by Anangu ancestors.
In 1873, surveyor William Gosse sighted the landmark and named it Ayers Rock. It has shared a dual name since.
Alex and Laura shuttled directly to Uluru for an up-close and personal experience with it. With a newly-minted masters degree in geology, she was prepared to make a full assessment, and I was looking forward to hear her thoughts.
(Describe their experience)
The rest of us did the toursty-thing and took a fifteen-minute helicopter flight to get an aerial view of the rock. We were prevented from flying directly over it out of respect for Tjukurpa civilization and traditions.
(Describe flight)
We returned from our flight and ate lunch at the resort.
We had a small window of time in the afternoon. Tam did laundry while the rest of us decided to try the Bush Food Experience at the resort’s Arkani Theatre. It was a vegetarian’s delight.
Nearby, at the Gallery of Central Australia (GOCA), we walked through a curated collection of authentic Aboriginal art in a museum setting. Virtually all of the pieces on display were for sale. Most of the pieces were intense and colorful non-figurative graphic art murals. The walls were covered with works from 23 different local artist collectives. The gallery also supported independent artists, some of whom were present to describe their works, and share their artistry in progress.
Ayers Rock Resort was simply outstanding with its support of local indigenous culture through many of its daily, and free, experiences.
Perhaps the most famous Indigenous Australian in the world was David Gulpilil (Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu). Born in 1953, he was a well-known actor and dancer in the Northern Territory. He first starred in the small independent film, Walkabout. But his real claim to fame was as co-star in the movie Crocodile Dundee, where he played westernized Aborigine ‘Nev’ Bell, good friend of Michael J. ‘Mick’ Dundee.
Crocodile Dundee’s film budget was six million dollars (the band INXS were investors). The movie was shot over four months throughout Australia (including the Northern Territory), with the final six weeks being shot in New York City. Filming wrapped on October 11, 1985. Paul Hogan anticipated that it would be a hit, and boldly claimed that it was ‘Australia’s first proper movie.’ He was right, the film grossed nearly $400 million, surpassing Mad Max 2 as the highest grossing Australian film in history. Paul Hogan won a Golden Globe for his performance.
David Gulpilil sadly became an alcoholic after being introduced to it during the filming of Walkabout. It led to several related run-ins with the law for domestic violence and assault. After twelve months in Berrimah Prison he became sober and moved to South Australia. He remained active in film and was recognized for his achievements, winning Best Actor at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and several lifetime achievement awards in Australia. He retired in 2019 and died of lung cancer in 2021.
Apparently, there was a real Crocodile Dundee. His name was Rod Ansell. In 1977, as a young bushman, he set out to poach crocodiles and his boat capsized and sank in an isolated and barely accessible portion of the Fitzmaurice River (more than 120 miles from any civilization). With a knife, a rifle, a sleeping bag, and two bull terriers, he hunted wild buffalo and slept in trees to avoid crocodiles and dingos. He endured seven weeks on buffalo blood and honey sourced from a wild hive. He eventually encountered two aboriginal stockmen and made it out of the bush. He became a local celebrity, and some people believe he was the inspiration for Crocodile Dundee. He sued Paul Hogan for royalties and lost in court.
(Dinner ... Outback Sky Journey)
Friday, July 24, 2026
Last Morning In The Outback
Jetstar Flight To Melbourne
Westin Melbourne - City Centre
The area surrounding Uluru is an amazing ecosystem, comprised mostly of mulgara, a transitional and fragile sand surface that is off-limits to humans. Here, more than 21 species of marsupials of various sizes co-exist, along with the woma python, and the great desert skink. Seven species of bats roost in the caves and crevices of Uluru. Among the reptiles are four unique sub-species of frogs.
Puti (scrub bush) and Ukiri (wild grasses) cover the sand wherever they can grab hold. Punu (scrub mulga and bloodwood trees) spring up randomly. They provide the material for boomerangs and spears. Bloodwood sap is used by locals as a disinfectant and inhalant for coughs and colds.
We could have almost walked from the resort to the airport, it was only four miles. Connellan (Ayers Rock) Airport was about the same size as Kalamazoo Airport; a single building with three jetways. Served by three airlines. Our flight to Melbourne was onboard Qantas' economy airline, Jetstar (JQ665) in an Airbus 320. We were wheels up at XXXX pm, turned southeast and headed for 'Melbs.'
Once again, the view out of our window was of rust-colored desolation. Hours and hours of it. Virtually everything outside of Australia’s city centers is outback. Australia’s population of 27 million over its landmass would be like Florida’s 24 million people spread over the continental US. It is a very raw and remote place. In our country, perhaps only Alaska is on par with it.
I'm so glad we got to experience it.
Melbourne is the second-most populous city in Australia (5.4 million), and capital of the state of Victoria. It has been home to Aboriginal Victorians for over 40,000 years. Of the five peoples of the Kulin nation, three are the traditional custodians of the land encompassing Melbourne (the Boonwurrung, the Woiwurrung, and the Wurundjeri).
The first British settlement in the area was a penal colony (an outpost of the one at New South Wales) at Sullivan Bay. Melbourne was founded as a city by free settlers of Tasmania in 1835, and became a crown settlement in 1837, named after then UK Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount, Melbourne.
The 1850s gold rush ignited an extended growth boom for the city. It was a transformed into one of the world’s wealthiest metropolises, and it served as Australia’s capital city until Canberra was named in 1927.
Modern Melbourne is a global financial center, featuring both traditional and modern architecture, and has one of the world’s tallest skylines. Its port is the nation’s busiest. And Melbourne has also been named one of the world’s best and most livable cities.
Time Out: World's Best City - Melbourne (2026)
The correct local pronunciation is ‘Melbun.’ We had been practicing it back home for months and were fired up to use it when we arrived.
Our accommodation of choice was the Westin Melbourne, located in the central business district of Melbourne, on the ‘Paris End’ of Collins Street (surrounded by all of the designer boutiques). It was literally next door to Regent Theatre, a only a few feet from Flinders Street Station and Federation Square. We were staying in the absolute center of Melbourne. Perfect!!
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Albert Park F1 Grand Prix Circuit
Pit Stop Merchandise
Melbourne Rugby / Australian Rules Football
Albert Park is a large public park in inner-suburban Melbourne, located about two miles to the southeast of our hotel. It is the sporting hub for the city, featuring multiple stadiums and aquatic centers, as well as the Albert Park Sailing Club. It is also home to the Albert Park Circuit, home of the Australian Grand Prix since 1996.
The entire Albert Park Circuit consists of normally public roads, with high-speed characteristics, such as grass and gravel run-off areas. There is a concrete barrier running along the Lakeside Drive curve, where no run-off area is available. It is considered one the faster F1 circuits in the world, however, there are few true straights on the course, making it less conducive to passing.
The annual Grand Prix event (generally held each March) draws more than 400,000 spectators. The most recent race (leading off the 2026 F1 schedule) was held on March 8, 2026, and was won by George Russell, racing for Mercedes.
We hoped to catch a cab at the hotel and ride around the entire track before being dropped off at a local F1 merchandise shop. Our speed limit on the track would be 40 KMH (25 MPH).
(Describe ... )
Australian Rules Football was born in Melbourne in 1858. The first official rules were published in 1859 by the Melbourne Football Club. Australian football has the highest spectator attendance of all Australian sports. The AFL Grand Final is held annually at the 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Australian football is played by two teams of 18 players on an oval-shaped field, using an oval-shaped ball (somewhat similar to a US football). Points are scored by kicking the ball between two sets of goal posts, each counting differently based on difficulty. As teams maneuver the ball for such attempts, they can kick or run with the ball, but must touch it to the ground intermittently. Throwing the ball is not allowed. Players cannot be caught ‘holding’ a ball for any length of time. Defense is by tackling. The game is very fast-moving and incredibly physical. It is one of the most violent team sports in the world. No protective equipment is worn, other than mouth-guards.
Umpires look similar to US football referees, except for the guy who counts the value of a kick. Traditionally dressed in a white lab-coat and white fedora, the ‘goal umpire’ steps out and gestures with his arms in a rigid, often hilarious, manner. One Aussie uttered online “these guys look so un-cool that they’re cool!!” I definitely agree with that.
However, in 2020, the rules were changed and goal umpires were permitted to wear more sporting attire and, in my opinion, the game lost some of its unique personality.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground was the site of the 20th round of AFL playoffs, and we hoped to get tickets, but they were well-nigh impossible to purchase from home.
(Update)
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Collins Street
Queen Victoria Market
Old Melbourne Gaol Prison
The George On Collins
Sunday morning in Melbourne! A perfect time to take a breather and make plans for the day.
Queen Victoria Market opened at 9:00 am and we were there for it. ‘Vic Market’ (as it is affectionately known in the city) first opened in 1878. It was recognized in 2018 as a National Heritage Site as a still-operating 19th century metropolitan produce market. Covering more than two blocks, the market contains rows and rows of everything under the sun, sold by more than 600 vendors. It was described as the ultimate place for ‘foodie tours.’
The market also has five worm farms on site, where vendors can dump fresh food waste. It is converted into fertilizer for the potted trees and plants that surround the area. It also provides mulch for Melbourne’s first cemetery (1837 - 1854), containing the remains of more than 10,000 early settlers, on which the entire market is built.
(Queen Victoria Market experience)
Three blocks east of the Queen Victoria Market, following Victoria Street and turning onto Russell Street, is the legendary Old Melbourne Gaol (pronounced Jay-Ol). It was one of the largest structures built in Melbourne in 1839. During its operation over the next 90 years, the gaol was the scene of 133 hangings. The gallows still exist today. In addition to some of Australia’s most notorious and hardened criminals, it was also home to the insane and many unfortunate indigent gold-miners.
The most common inmates were ‘bushrangers’ - armed outlaws who resided in the bush during the 1800s. These robbers thrived during the mid-19th century gold rush, covering the entire territory between New South Wales and Victoria. The most well-known of these were the Gardiner-Hall Gang, the Clarke Gang, and Dan Morgan (mostly Australian-born sons of British and Irish convicts). None, however, were as infamous as Ned Kelly.
Edward Kelly was born in 1854, in rural Victoria. His father was a transported Irish convict who died when Ned was 12. The family lived as squatters for years, moving constantly throughout the area. At the age of 19, Kelly had already spent three years in prison. His mother was also imprisoned, something Kelly vowed to avenge. Demanding justice for his family and the rural poor, Kelly was often supported by sympathizers also struggling in the bush.
In 1878, Kelly planned an ambush on local police at Stringbark Creek. He and his gang killed three officers; Michael Scanlon, Thomas Lonigan, and Michael Kennedy. Kelly considered his actions as righteous self-defense. For the next two years, Kelly evaded authorities, until June 27, 1880, when he was chased into Glenrowan and a gun-battle with police wiped out his gang. Kelly was severely injured and crawled in to the brush, where he faded in and out of consciousness.
In his final attempt to confront police reinforcements (led by Sergeant Steele from nearby Benalla), Kelly donned a set of ironclad armor, made from farm plough implements. Holding three handguns, he launched a solo attack. Initially stunned, the police sat motionless, but then several returned fire. The gunfight lasted 15 minutes and ended when Ned was taken down with two shotgun blasts by Steele to his unprotected thighs. A doctor attended to Kelly and found 28 gunshot wounds.
Ned Kelly - World's First Ironman
Within a few hours, more than 600 spectators had gathered around to witness history. They watched as the Glenrowan Hotel was set ablaze in an attempt to smoke out the last few assailants.
Ned Kelly was transported to Melbourne Gaol, where he recovered from his injuries. He went on trial in Benalla. Nine days later, he was found guilty of the murder of officer Lonigan. The judge said, “May God have mercy on your soul.” Kelly retorted, “I will see you there where I go.” Less than 12 days after Kelly’s hanging, the judge died from sudden illness. Many sympathizers believed it was the Ned Kelly Curse.
Kelly was hanged in the Melbourne Gaol gallows at 10 am on November 11, 1880. His final words were, “Such is life.” He was buried in the old man’s section of the gaol graveyard, but was serruptitiously extracted and used for dissection practice by medical students a few months later. His head was removed for 'phrenological study' and his skull placed on display at the Old Melbourne Gaol ... that is, until it was stolen in 1978. What happened to his head is a very long and sordid mystery. It still has not been found.
Ned Kelly's Head Is Still Missing (ABC TV)
Finally, in 2013, after years of legal wrangling, Kelly’s headless remains were buried at Greta Cemetery in Wangaratta, and he was completely encased in concrete.
His legend and his life would be intertwined forever. He is still considered a hero today by rural iconoclasts who prefer to live in the bush.
There was another person hung at the Old Melbourne Gaol, perhaps even more famous than Ned Kelly. Fredrick Bailey Deeming was arrested for murdering his wife in Melbourne in 1892. Authorities traced his criminal activity back to England and found a trail of swindling and violence. In his final days before hanging at the old gaol, he supposedly spoke to priests from the Church of England and admitted to several more murders in the UK, including his entire family.
Many experts speculate that Fredrick Bailey Deeming was probably Jack The Ripper.
Fred The Ripper (Gristly History)
(Old Melbourne Gaol experience)
Collins Street is the most desired address in all of Australia. It is also the pinnacle of high-end boutique shopping in the entire southern hemisphere. Laid out by surveyor Robert Hoddle in 1837, the street is precisely one mile in length.
Collins Street (1930)
Today, along that length is everything important about Melbourne; the most historic buildings and churches, the wealthiest banks (including Australia’s Reserve Bank), the tallest skyscrapers, the finest hotels and restaurants, the nation’s two largest theatres, the most esteemed private clubs (such as the Melbourne Club). It is home to flagship retail stores; Prada, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Fendi, Dior, and all of the other usual suspects.
The rest of our afternoon was spent browsing the retail Mecca, as we meandered our way back to the Westin.
I took a detour from shopping and ventured to Flinders Street Station, a block south of our hotel. Flinders Street Station was opened in 1854 by the Melbourne and Hobson’s Bay Railway Company. It is the oldest and busiest rail station in Australia. It is known for its unique Edwardian-Freestyle architecture (completed in 1909), but also features French-Influenced arched entrances, clock tower, and distinctive copper roof. One popular and humorous myth was that the design was actually intended for Mumbai’s Victoria Terminus and vice versa, but the designs were inadvertently swapped in the mail.
A long-held tradition among locals is to ‘meet beneath the clocks’ at the main entrance before departing to places unknown.
The landmark structure extended for two running city blocks, 13 platforms, and served the entire electrified metropolitan rail network. The station had been recently renovated and equipped with custom LED lighting, adding a 21st century touch to the historic ediface.
Across the street from the station entrance was a statue commemorating Captain Matthew Flinders. He led the first circumnavigation of mainland Australia. He was also the first utilize the name ‘Australia’ to describe the continent. His explorations, completed between 1791 and 1803, led to a book published in 1810, Voyage To Terra Australis, which was widely praised throughout the world. He was lesser known as one of William Bligh’s new crew on board the HMS Providence, immediately following Bligh’s infamous HMS Bounty voyage. Flinders died of kidney disease at the age of 40 at his home in London. He was buried and forgotten until he was unexpectedly disinterred during London’s High Speed Rail excavation.
Our dinner reservations were for The George On Collins at 6:00 pm. Housed within the iconic George’s Building, across the street from the Westin Melbourne, it's a New York-style basement Asian restaurant and bar, serving very high-end specialties such as Hanoi Pork Spring Rolls, Sticky Mekong Lamb Ribs, and Wagyu Beef Stir Fry Noodle.
(Dinner experience)
We returned to the Westin and packed for our long flight to New Zealand.
Monday, July 27, 2026
Air New Zealand Flight To Auckland
JW Marriott Auckland
Getting into Australia was easy. Getting into New Zealand was hard.
Australia only required an ETA (Entry Travel Authorization) document (paid online), with no visa needed. It was a simple money grab.
New Zealand required a NZeTA document and a visa approval process, completed no more than 30 days before entry, as well as confirmation of all travel plans and accommodations during our stay. An IVL (International Visitor Levy) was also required, along with a NZ Traveller Declaration.
This immediately reminded me of New Zealand's draconian 'Go Hard, Go Early' response to COVID; completely cutting itself off from the world and virtually destroying its economy in the process. So I wasn't totally surprised by the level of scrutiny.
New Zealand is known as 'the loneliest country' largely because it is more than a thousand miles from any neighbor. It takes pride in its seclusion and like other remote nations, it embraces tight societal norms. Locals describe it as tall poppy syndrome - the tendency to diminish or criticize people who stand out. We saw this in Nordic countries, described as Janteloven.
However, our visit to New Zealand would be only 48 hours. So it would be hardly enough time for us to do any real damage. No worries.
Westerners often view Australia and New Zealand together, as the same part of the world. But the two are vastly different. Australia is a continent, and thinks of itself globally. New Zealand is an island, both physically and metaphorically. New Zealanders view themselves as part of polynesia; connected to other remote island cultures (Samoans, Tahitians, Tongans, Fijians, Cook Islanders, and Maori).
Captain Cook claimed New Zealand for Great Britain in 1769, and it became a crown colony in 1841. However, conflicts with the Maori and other indigenous tribes eventually led to its independence in 1947, while keeping the monarch as a figurative head of state.
The population of New Zealand is smaller than that of the city of Melbourne (5 million people). About two-thirds are of European ancestry, with a Maori minority of twenty percent. English is the predominant language. It is a secular country with fifty-two percent of the population being non-religious.
New Zealand was once a world-recognized pinnacle of progressive government; a model for political leftists. However, an over-zealous response to the COVID epidemic killed economic growth and put the nation in a financial death spiral that has lasted for several years. Globalism and AI developments were also leaving the island nation further behind.
Paradise Lost: New Zealand's Crisis Of State And Identity
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we landed in Auckland, but we would all soon find out. Seriously, how could any nation with a sheep to human ratio of 6:1 go wrong?
Our flight was Air New Zealand (NZ122), non-stop from Melbourne to Auckland. We were flying eastbound, so leaving at noon, we lost two hours and arrived at 5:40 pm. There were a few nervy moments wondering if we'd all make it through customs. But before long, we were on our way to the only Marriott hotel in new Zealand.
Our flight touched down in Auckland at pm. Kia ora New Zealand!!
The JW Marriott Auckland was previously the Stamford Plaza, a five-star hotel built in 1984. It was the midtown hot spot for celebrities to stay and be seen. Most recent customers being Lady Gaga, Beyonce, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Rolling Stones. The hotel was purchased for $170 million in 2022 by a Singaporean consortium who spent $35 million on renovations. It was reintroduced as the JW Marriott in 2025.
(Vibe of Auckland)
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Road Trip To Hobbitton
Cheeky Kiwi Travel
Bright and early, the Olin halflings hopped into a Cheeky Kiwi Travel van and headed south for middle-earth.
(Driving through NZ)
New Zealand has an incredibly unique topography, almost prehistoric in nature. This is due to ongoing volcanism and earthquake activity throughout North Island. The region is bisected by two global plates (the sliding of the Pacific Plate beneath the Indo-Australian Plate) which places it directly on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Hauraki and Taupo Rift Zones conjoin in the center of North Island. This is where four of the most explosive volcanic eruptions in world history took place.
Nearing our destination, a few miles southwest of Matamata (Maori for 'headland'), we entered into one of the larger dormant volcanic calderas on North Island ... Mangakino Caldera Complex. It is the oldest extinct rhyolitic caldera volcano in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Its last eruption was a million years ago. It has erupted eleven times, with five of those pyroclastic eruptions being primarily responsible for the formation of the northern half of New Zealand.
Evidence of more recent eruptions are ignimbrite rock deposits and hot springs on the surface that, when covered with generations of organic overgrowth, created the mystical environment in and on which Hobbiton was constructed. Director Peter Jackson specifically-selected this area for its unusual surreal serenity.
Our van pulled into The Shire's Rest, a welcome center of sorts, where busloads of guests are transferred on shuttles to the movie set, located across the street and over the hill.
(Hobbiton experience)
The Green Dragon Inn was the meeting place for all residents of Hobbiton. Its warm and welcoming atmosphere provided a safe and comfortable environment for Hobbits of all shapes and sizes. The original set was featured heavily in the Fellowship of the Ring and briefly in The Return of the King.
(Lunch buffet experience)
We dearly wanted to go to Rotorua, one of the familial regions of the Maori, to experience tribal life as well as the hot volcanic springs that bubble up with sulfuric energy. However, the tourist village closes for one week each year for cleaning and repair during the off-season ... and this was that week. Bummer.
I also wanted to go a bit further south to visit the small hill near Hawke's Bay with the largest name in the world ... Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu ... which translates roughly as "the summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his koauau (flute) to his loved one."
But we were short on time.
(Drive to Auckland)
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Auckland Museum
Maori Cultural Experience
Qantas Airways Flight To Sydney
Sydney Harbour Marriott At Circular Quay
Auckland was settled by the Maori in 1350, having arrived from surrounding islands further north. The soil in the area was highly fertile, the result of 53 volcanic maar surface craters (creating the Auckland Volcanic Field) and a mild oceanic climate, facilitating population growth that exceeded 20,000 at its peak.
A British colony was first established in New Zealand in 1840, and Auckland was named as its capital. This was short-lived, as Wellington replaced it 1865. However, Auckland remained as the country's economic hub; focused on mining, logging, and shipping. The colonists fortified Auckland as a military outpost to protect it against increasingly rebellious Maori tribes.
Over time, the Maori threat dissipated as constant European immigration and economic development diluted their influence, and continued to push indigenous peoples onto the volcanic plateau in southern areas of North Island.
Auckland is in transition. The European plurality that has lasted for two hundred years has again become a minority. Asians and Polynesians have become substantial and growing minorities. The city's population of roughly 1.5 million is expected to grow to 1.9 million by 2030. Virtually all of it via immigration.
New Zealand's Maori population, once numbering more than 700,000, bottomed out at 40,000 in 1896 for several reasons, including political persecution. Maori leaders adopted a more moderate approach, including assimilation into contemporary culture. This sparked a revival of the Maori that has continued to present day.
Maori are now recognized as a key cultural asset and national treasure. Their people and culture are part of what defines New Zealand as a country today.
The controversial Speedo Racerback
