We have been using our credit card with the intent to build up points to transfer to our Qantas Frequent Flier program. After many years we have finally build up enough points for four domestic tickets in Australia.

The tickets would normally cost about $400.00 each for our flights.

After finding four available seats on Qantas we proceeded to book our flights. Despite flying on frequent flier points we were still hit with a charge of almost $200 per person for taxes and surcharges!

So much for a cheap way to visit the family …

With our tickets we had to transit through either Sydney or Melbourne. We were booking our flights with frequent flyer points, so the only charges were the tax and extra fees, so there were no differences in the cost of the actual tickets.

Sydney airport tax was about $10.00 more per person than Melbourne for our domestic airfares. We chose to fly through Melbourne because that $40.00 saved will buy us our meals while we wait for our next flight, since meals are rarely offered on flights any more …

The best day to purchase petrol in Australia is on a Wednesday. Last week petrol was $1.24 per litre on Wednesday and then on Thursday I had to pay $1.34 per litre.

Consumer Groups in Australia have reported that petrol in Australia is almost always cheapest on Wednesday, with a price jump on Thursday for the weekend. Petrol will then slowly drop in price until Wednesday of the next week when petrol price will be at it’s cheapest, with the petrol price then jumping again for the following Thursday.

You can guarantee that Long Weekends and the start of School Holidays also signals a large jump in petrol prices in Australia.

Despite there being enquiries into possible price gouging and price fixing there has been nothing conclusive found. For us living through it however it’s hard not to think that there is something up between the oil companies in Australia.

Technorati Tags: petrol, australia, gas

The Bruce Highway between Townsville and Cairns is a two lane highway for about 95% of the trip, with very few places to safely overtake. About 1/3rd of the highway has no shoulder and no place to pull over, unless you want to drive your car into a cane-field.

The trip from Townsville to Cairns is about 350km, but it takes over 5-hours to drive it. You will want to make sure to fill up your car with petrol in either Townsville or Cairns before undertaking the drive as it’s a long drive and it’s more expensive to purchase petrol in the small towns between Townsville and Cairns.

There has been talk for years from the politicians about upgrading The Bruce Highway in North Queensland, but we will wait and see when or it it finally happens.

Technorati Tags: townsville, cairns, bruce highway

For the price we probably couldn’t have a found better value accommodation around Cairns.

We found a package for $279.00 for five-nights accommodation in a one bed-room apartment. That works out to about $56.00 per night, which is hard to beat unless you are willing to stay in backpacker style accommodation.

Castaways, Trinity Beach has one-bedroom and two-bedroom self-contained apartments in it’s complex. There are three swimming pools and BBQ areas set throughout the complex. You are only 75 metres from the beach and numerous restaurants, a sports pubs and parks.

The accommodation is rated at 3.5 stars and for the money it was pretty good value. For family accommodation in Trinity Beach it would be pretty good and I would highly recommend it. For romantic accommodation in Trinity Beach you might want to look at spending a bit more money and going for a 4 stars or above style resort, which there are plenty of in Trinity Beach.

Link: Castaways Trinity Beach

Technorati Tags: trinity beach, accommodation

On our way up through Cardwell I had a Steak and Mushroom meat pie an on the way back I had a Steak, Bacon, Tomato and Cheese pie. The Steak and Mushroom pie I had at the Cardwell Hot Bread was fantastic but the second pie was average. I think that it was probably too late in the day (2:30 pm) for the pie to be fresh, especially with the tomato in it.

Lunch in Cardwell for my wife and I only cost $9.40, including a pie each and we split an orange juice. Pretty good value, especially if you get there early enough that the pies and pasties are fresh.

One of the things on this hidden menu is the value meal that my wife and I consider to be McDonald’s best value meal. It is McDonald’s “5 Dollar Value Meal“.

The Five Dollar Value Meal consists of a cheeseburger, medium fries, medium drink and a choice of a sunday or apple pie dessert. We find it to be pretty much the perfect amount to fill you up, while giving you lot of sweet and savoury flavours in the meal.

In Tanzania I went to see a soccer game – the Dar es Salam (the Simbas) team play the Arusha Football Club at the Arusha Stadium. This was in my first couple of weeks of moving to the country and one of our friends got us so we could stand next to the players bench. In typical African style the game started late and after about half an hour not much had happened – so the fans started getting a bit rambunctious. It was not long before we realised we were in trouble when we had about 100 angry fans running towards us from across the pitch and a similar number of riot police running to meet them from behind us -leaving us bang in the middle. It was a great experience – especially because we emerged unhurt!!

The United States has an interesting mix of professional and non-professional sports. I had the priviledge of going to a High School football (American Football) game in Virginia – and it was obvious that these students had been well drilled in their craft – to an extent where one wonders if they study, or how pushed by parents / teachers they must be, especially as high school and college sports represent so much income for these institutions, and are doorways to bigger things for the players!
I also would really suggest trying to go to a baseball game in the US – while it is not an adreneline packed sport – the atmosphere in the stadiums is worth going to experience even if you dont have a clue about the rules (the same can be said for cricket!). It is the only professional sport in the world where everyone in the crowd sings a song before the game (take me out to the ball game)…it is quite fascinating! Remember to bring a glove cause if you catch a ball that has been hit into the crowd you can keep it!

The Australians are quite incredable at Sport – they dominate internationally in 3 sports (rugby union and league and cricket) play soccer and basketball to a good standard and then they have Aussie Rules Football (AFL) which no one else plays but is a vastly entertaining sport. All this achievement in a country of 20 million! During my stays in Australia I really got into rugby league and would try and go to see the Queensland Cowboys as often as possible. The atmosphere at these games is great it is so laid back that two ends of the statium have grass banks that you can bring a picnic blanket and have a beer while the game is on. The atmosphere directly reflects the Australian culture of being laid back – I like to call it the “No Worries Culture” and it makes Australia a great place to visit or live!

I still have a few sports I want to watch in various nations – these include an AFL game in Australia, a gaelic hockey game in Ireland, Ice Hockey in North America and a football (soccer) game in South America. It is amazing how sports really can reflect the ambience of a nation!

Molly Malones Irish Pub signature Crumbed Steak meal will only cost you $7.50 and for that price you get a huge crumbed steak and chips (french fries) smothered in gravy, plus some salad. For about $22.00 you can dine out with a friend and each have a steak and split a pitcher or jug of Tooheys New Beer.

With pubs in Queensland now smoke free Molly Manlones Irish Pub is even good value and a good environment for family dining in Townsville. I would recommend that you get their pretty early though if you are going with young kids, as it can get a bit loud as the night goes on.

Molly Malones Irish Pub also has other good meals, including a Guinness Beef Meat Pie, Irish Stew, Chicken Parmigiana and lots of other options if you are not keen on the crumbed steak. I have tried some of the other meals and they are good, but I continue return to the crumbed steak for it’s value and taste.

Molly Malones Irish Pub is located near the end of Flinders Street East, Townsville City, Queensland, Australia. You can read a bit more about them at their website, http://www.mollymalonesirishpub.com.au/.

Technorati Tags: townsville, australia, steak, value meal, family dining

For about the equivilant of 3 Mochas at Starbucks in Britain you can get a wonderful steak at Hogs Breath (www.hogsbreath.com.au). These steaks are slow cooked for 18 hours – and are incredably tender, I have not had a better steak anywhere on earth – I am a sucker for the hickory smoked rib! The service is great and the atmosphere is friendly, and the prices are not unreasonable.

There are locations all over Australia – Townsville, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth (one of my aims is to eat at all of them!), so wherever you are visiting in Australia there should be a restaurant (assuming you are not going too out of the way- like Broome!).
Well all this talk of steak has made me hungry – and unfortunately there are no hogs breath restaurants on our island – so I will have to make do with Outback Steak House (the closest thing to an Aussie restaurant that the Americans could manage!)