Thursday, April 12, 2012

Australia a.k.a Oz

Departure May 31st - 7 weeks


Yulara - Outback
Preparation

During my visit to Europe Bound Outfitters (383 King St W.), I learned how important my backpack and shoes will be during my travel. I will be exchanging my house for a backpack, and my car for hiking shoes.

     I bought my first “house”, a dark green 65 Liter Mountain Co-op pack. Unlike other houses, I have to learn to carry mine on my back. When I tried my pack in the store, the service rep filled up with weight and pillows. I felt like I was carrying another person on my back… time to start exercise training with weights in my backpack.

My new “car” has yet to arrive. I am currently browsing through the top hiking brand names to ensure a comfortable and smooth ride.




Books to read:
 
The Lost Girls by: Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett, and Amanda Pressner.

·   True story. Three friends, four countries, one unconventional detour around the world.

          
      






·   Bill Bryson describes his travels by railway and car throughout Australia, his conversations with people in all walks of life about the history, geography, unusual plants and animals of the country, and his wry impressions of the life, culture and amenities (or lack thereof) in each locality.








The Great Barrier Reef is the largest organic construction on earth.
Fun Facts! 

- 1/3 is desert. 
- 90% of Australians live on the coast. 
- Australia’s coastline stretches almost 50,000 kilometers and has over 10,000 beaches. 

- Sydney is the largest city with over 4 million people, while the capital city of Canberra only has around 300,000. 
- Australia has the lowest population density in the world at two people per square kilometer. 
- Melbourne has the second largest Greek population in the world. 

- The Australian Alps, or Snowy Mountains as they are also known, receive more snow than Switzerland.
- Yulara, the Aboriginal name of the Ayers Rock Resort, means ‘weeping.’ (Which, given their history with whites, is not surprising!).
- People from New South Wales are called “cockroaches.”       

- Australia produces 95 per cent of the world’s precious opals and 99 per cent of its black opals.
- With 25.4 million heads of cattle, Australia is the world’s largest exporter of beef. 
- Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. The only continent drier is Antarctica.

1 comment:

  1. YOu're going to have sooo much fun Elise! It's our loss at the LA Fitness. You're the best trainer ever and I've gone through a few.

    My blog is http://marissadw.blogspot.com (MDW's Love)

    Keep in touch.

    ReplyDelete