Now for something completely different

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, MicCanberra said:

Still haven't found a thorn yet

I found a Barb 😉

[possum52]

7 hours ago, lyndarra said:

My azaleas are flowering now?

 

Google says

 

"They are at their peak from late winter to spring when they are in full bloom. Azaleas flower generously and many varieties also bloom at other times of the year, a habit called 'spot flowering'."

I have a white azalea which flowers nearly all year round. It is full of flowers at the moment.

[MicCanberra]

I was going to plant some herbs but I ran out of thyme

[MicCanberra]

[ceeceeDee]

12 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I was going to plant some herbs but I ran out of thyme

🙄😂

[Blackduck59]

Hey everyone. We are in planning mode and the last gap is a stop between Orbost and Philip Island. We are trying to keep the hops short so we can stop if something looks interesting and have a look around. It's almost down to throwing darts at a map for the last stop. We think maybe Traralgon or in the general area. We are also looking at car rentals, the difference in cost between agencies is astounding. Most I have heard of but some not, the most reasonable price we can find is from "Ace", we have never heard of it. The advertised price for the same vehicle (Nissan X Trail) is almost double at Budget. We need for the vehicle to be comfortable so econo boxes are not an option. There is a Subaru Forester listed but it would be over $4,000.00 CAD. We don't want to buy the car, just borrow it for a couple of weeks.

[MicCanberra]

I have used No Birds a few times for car hire.

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

The advertised price for the same vehicle (Nissan X Trail) is almost double at Budget. We need for the vehicle to be comfortable so econo boxes are not an option. There is a Subaru Forester listed but it would be over $4,000.00 CAD. We don't want to buy the car, just borrow it for a couple of weeks.

 

I know you say you want a comfortable car but could you not be comfortable in a non 4WD car? From what I have read of your route there does not seem to be a lot of off roading. 4WD are always going to be premium priced and if you aren't going to use the feature perhaps an SUV might be worth considering instead?

[Blackduck59]

So we have our itinerary set. I won't mention dates on here just the "Route".

We have 3 nights in Sydney, after which we will pick up the hire car for the "Great Australian Meet and Greet Tour". Driving north to Lake Macquarie to meet up with Lyndon and spend a few days with him. This is an area we wouldn't have gone to without his generous invitation. From there we will head southwest to Penrith to meet up with Neil and Tracey. We may have driven through the Blue Mountains on an earlier itinerary, but we are looking forward to spending a couple of days in the area and having a proper visit. From there it is off to Canberra to meet up with Linda and Mario for couple of days having a look at your Nation's Capital City and then continuing on with them to Bateman's Bay (Hopefully we will be able to meet up with Les if he is in the area). From there we will bid farewell to our friends for a while; we will then boldly move forward, strangers in a strange land. Hopefully we have planned our hops to make for a nice drive, stopping at points of interest along the way. We will check out Eden on the way to overnight in Orbost. From there our next overnight is in Morwell. Why those places you ask? Mic mentioned Orbost a while back, Morwell just seemed a place to make a stop. Hopefully we will find interesting places as we drive. I know someone mentioned a place somewhere in that stretch between Bateman's Bay and Philip Island that there was quite a few Koalas. This part of the drive is totally open with the only requirement being that we get checked in to the accommodation as booked (all reservations have free cancellation within about a week of check in) and most are pay at the Hotel. Some will take pre-payment about a week before check in. We have changed from 2 nights on Philip Island to 1 night. We will be sure to book the Penguin Parade well in advance to avoid disappointment. From Philip Island the next stop is Torquay via the Sorrento to Queenscliff ferry. We also be sure to book the ferry well in advance. After Torquay the next overnight is Port Campbell. We will then proceed back towards Melbourne Via Ballarat. We are booked in Craig's Royal Hotel for 2 nights. From there we will drop the hire car off in Melbourne and spend 3 nights there before we fly to Auckland to embark on our long voyage home. Hopefully we will be able to meet up with Leigh and Rob while we are there.

Here I have written a novel, I will get back to shorter posts forthwith.

Edited May 18 by Blackduck59
typo

[Blackduck59]

20 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I know you say you want a comfortable car but could you not be comfortable in a non 4WD car? From what I have read of your route there does not seem to be a lot of off roading. 4WD are always going to be premium priced and if you aren't going to use the feature perhaps an SUV might be worth considering instead?

 

We really don't need a 4x4 it just so happens that the X Trail was the least expensive of the "SUV/CUV" category. I mentioned the Subaru because we own one and really enjoy it. I find most sedans to be squishy so the taller vehicle works better for me.

[MicCanberra]

Note that I mentioned Orbost more as to being a halfway point, although there are some places on the coast near there that will be nicer and quieter. Lakes Entrance is lovely but higher priced and busier.

[Blackduck59]

Thanks Mic, it seems a good place for a pit stop. While I'm sure there are many great places to stay along the coast I'm not sure how important that is for us. I think we are just hoping we are able to see places less seen by visitors from overseas. I will have to go back to the beginning of this thread to find some of the points of interest that were mentioned. I distinctly recall someone posting about a place where koalas in the wild were quite common, and I think it was on our route at the time.

[possum52]

10 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Hopefully we will be able to meet up with Leigh and Rob while we are there.

 

Yes, I hope we can meet up with you and Lynn Lyle. My email address is leighprideauxathotmail.com with at replacing@.

[Blackduck59]

8 hours ago, possum52 said:

Yes, I hope we can meet up with you and Lynn Lyle. My email address is leighprideauxathotmail.com with at replacing@.

Thanks Leigh, I'll drop a line when I get home. We are out and about. Getting petrol and some groceries,  perhaps a spot of lunch. 

[lyndarra]

On 5/19/2024 at 9:13 AM, Blackduck59 said:

 

We really don't need a 4x4 it just so happens that the X Trail was the least expensive of the "SUV/CUV" category. I mentioned the Subaru because we own one and really enjoy it. I find most sedans to be squishy so the taller vehicle works better for me.

I have rented Mistusbishi ASX from Europcar a few times. It's not a car I would personally own - prefer Forester - but it is similar in size, roomy enough and a comfortable fit for my taller frame.

[MicCanberra]

I have an ASX, will likely buy another as mine is now 8 years old.

[Blackduck59]

We have just been looking at the Car Hire sites. There is such a variety of cars, and prices (for the same car) and of course cars I have never heard of. There is some SUV with an MG brand on it that looks like a Buick. I'm sure some posted prices are too good to be true. I'm concerned that we may choose a car that seems to match our needs only to find it is uncomfortable for us. At least a few of the cars we know the equivalent here.

[Blackduck59]

So I just spent a bunch of time reading through the first year of this thread,, all looking for a previous post about Koalas. I finally found it about an hour ago. Thanks @vada_9 for your suggestion from 3 years ago. In the same post you mentioned the Sorento to Queenscliff Ferry. We will be taking that voyage, it will be interesting to experience that service. Also the Cape Otway Road for Koalas. I'm sure we will see Koalas at the zoo but it will be nice to see them in the wild, hopefully without a bunch of other people intent on bothering the little critters for a selfie. I'm told the best place to see a Roo is at the golf course. I guess that is like the deer and Canada Geese at the golf course here. The biggest concern while we may be wandering around enjoying the scenery or wildlife is the other deadly critters that would be unpleasant to meet. Snakes, deadly spiders and such like things.

It was interesting reading back from that time.

Now we have been able to arrange meetings with many of the regulars on this thread, all of whom we consider friends. With the new itinerary for the "Great Australian Meet and Greet tour". As luck would have it Mic & Rosie @MicCanberra won't be home when we are in Canberra but they will be in Sydney preparing to embark on their cruise while we are also there preparing to embark on the road trip, so we can get together there. We have been invited to visit Lyndon @lyndarra at Lake Macquarie and look forward to see him there and visiting for a few days. From there it's off to Penrith to spend a couple days with Neil & Tracey @mr walker. We are fortunate that Linda & Mario @Mareblu have offered to show us around Canberra and Bateman's Bay, hopefully Les @NSWP will be home and we can raise a glass together. From there we are back to being strangers in a strange land, hoping to find helpful and friendly strangers willing to help some hapless Canadians should we run amok. With good luck we will continue without incident seeing new and interesting places as we drive on towards Melbourne. We look forward to meeting Leigh and Rob @possum52 before we fly out to Auckland to embark on the long voyage home. Of course we will be back to Oz for 3 port stops during that voyage, one in Taz, one in Melbourne and one in Sydney;; hopefully we can get together with Julie and Rolf @OzKiwiJJ because we will have missed them on our first stop in Sydney, because they will just be finishing their cruise (on the ship Mic & Rosie will be boarding). Now that we know where we are going in Oz, I guess we think of some things to do while we are in these places.

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

We have just been looking at the Car Hire sites. There is such a variety of cars, and prices (for the same car) and of course cars I have never heard of. There is some SUV with an MG brand on it that looks like a Buick. I'm sure some posted prices are too good to be true. I'm concerned that we may choose a car that seems to match our needs only to find it is uncomfortable for us. At least a few of the cars we know the equivalent here.

If you go for the MG, get the larger model,  HS rather than ZS, a friend has just bought one.

[MicCanberra]

Plenty of Roos around Canberra, especially on golf courses

[ilikeanswers]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

We have just been looking at the Car Hire sites. There is such a variety of cars, and prices (for the same car) and of course cars I have never heard of. There is some SUV with an MG brand on it that looks like a Buick. I'm sure some posted prices are too good to be true. I'm concerned that we may choose a car that seems to match our needs only to find it is uncomfortable for us. At least a few of the cars we know the equivalent here.

 

I wouldn't get too set on the model and make of the cars. A lot of the times they are just suggested similar or example types. I have rented a lot of cars in many countries including here in Oz and only twice did I get the exact make and model that was suggested. 

Edited May 20 by ilikeanswers

[MicCanberra]

2 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I wouldn't get too set on the model and make of the cars. A lot of the times they are just suggested similar or example types. I have rented a lot of cars in many countries including here in Oz and only twice did I get the exact make and model that was suggested. 

That is true, I have often booked a car  (i.e medium SUV) and got a similar size or better for the same price.

[Blackduck59]

We haven't done a lot of international car rentals. We hired cars for 2 different periods on our European vacation. In France we had a Peugeot station wagon and in Germany a Mercedes sedan, both had diesel engines. These rentals were arranged by a friend who was a travel agent at the time.

We  rented cars both times we were in Hawaii but those were "American" market cars that we were familiar with.

[Blackduck59]

Part of the problem for us is the models aren't necessarily identified as small, medium or large SUVs. We can identify some models even with different names. The Nissan XTrail is known as a Rogue here and we did have one of those in Hawaii. The Forester is of course the same here and we own one of those. The Rav 4 is the same here and we have looked at those, not that comfortable for us. The Kluger is known as a Highlander here and that is a larger vehicle. There is also a a ford product which seems to be a full size SUV. We will be spending many hours in this vehicle and comfort is important.

[mr walker]

59 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I wouldn't get too set on the model and make of the cars. A lot of the times they are just suggested similar or example types. 

 

56 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

That is true, I have often booked a car  (i.e medium SUV) and got a similar size or better for the same price.

 

My experience also. Seems, they often work on the theory that giving you a more expensive vehicle should make you happier.