Surreal on arrival?

[rockola57]

Well ah wuzza just a thinkin' thar.
D'yer remember when you got here,travellin'from the Airport to your new Abode!Looking around in amazement at it all!That wierd feeling,almost like a dream.when we got here,had never been to OZ before!Taxi Driver was of no help,could hardly speak inglessi,so we looked around in awe,like"WTF was that?"oh,it's just a multi coloured Lorikeet,then a bunch of Kokatoos squawk past us.The loud and brash colours of the commercial buildings had us thinkin'wed got on the wrong plane,and ended up in the U ess of A!Every inch of road marked with some warning or other,like designed specifically to ave yer fined should you lapse for a nano second!what was your first thoughts?

[tink]

.........your post has made me think rock............been here so long it's just taken for granted..............but your right .......it's the ..........intense ness of everything.........the colours ,the noise and the smells.............lorikeets...........sulphur crested and frangipani's..........!.....that have such an impact when you first arrive,.......

[PaulandDeb]

We remember the heat on leaving the airport, and that oh so gorgeous Aussie sun set.
The drive in the hire car up the Mitchell freeway in the dark looking for our exit point and getting lost, we still laugh about it now.

[Munchkinella]

We first came out for DD's wedding and stayed in the Dandenong Ranges.

The scenery was breathtaking. The enormous trees and ferns that seemed to reach to the sky!
It was like being in Jurassic Park!
Driving along and spotting kangaroos in the fields, amazingly colourful birds that lovingly wake you at some ungodly hour of the morning!!

Fell in love then and there.

[*Fiona*]

Oooh the heat and the smell and the sheer excitement as we stood outside Perth Airport at 2am in the middle of Summer...then we found the taxi rank and drove to our rental....didnt really take much in as it was dark...when we got up next day remember it feeling very warm, familiar yet exotic and fantastically thrilling...kangaroos were a source of wondrous entertainment for months as were the big crows belive it or not...never heard crows like that in UK! First trip to the city....can tell Ive led a sheltered life...felt like I was in New York or something....very very overawed by it all...and thrilled...as for when we saw the Perth waterfront area...the Esplanade...thought Id died and gone to heaven. Gorgeous memories of those long hot first days and nights. Fab times.

[Guest69235]

Last time I went to Australia (it was the first time) it was the winter months... I remember the crisp cool Sydney morning air... and the first thing I noted (in contrast with Karachi, Pakistan) was the freshness and lack of pollution in the air. Ohhhhhhhhh memories....

[AKA]

Out of all my memories mate the first time landed in OZ is one that has stayed with me to this day.

Spotty, tubby (nothing changed there then) nearly 17 year old and it filled me with awe.

Ever since my dad had told me we were going I did all I could to research the place, OK, that research was mainly orientated around the fish and wildlife, but all the same I was doing my best to do what I could to envisage my new home.

I remember stepping of the aircraft and looking at a new country and a new start for myself, this was while my mum was in tears after the flight and her mood very black at having to leave my then 19 year old brother back in blighty.

The 'smell' was one thing that hit me, it was very early morning and the smell of dew on the ground filled my senses. The sounds as well, bird calls that I had never heard before, did at that time have my imagination racing.

My dad was waiting with his car and as we scrambled in the back I remember driving to Booragoon with my mouth wide open gawping at what I saw. Everything seemed so new, so bright, so colourful, just DIFFERENT in every respect.

We passed Red Rooster, (what the hell was that) and one fishing tackle shop called 'Ocean Blue' (I think) and it was immediately bookmarked in my head to make it a first port of call.

Then we finally got to our new house, god did it look new compared to our UK one, as we walked inside I couldn't get over the split level and openness, it was so DIFFERENT.

Within 10 minutes whilst my mum, dad and younger brother looked around the house I had asked where the nearest shopping centre was, apparently according to my dad it was just over the road and called 'Garden City'.

That was all I needed, off I went in search of the new adventure, in truth I wanted to buy some fishing magazines.

On the way over there I looked under every bush and tree hoping against hope I would see a snake, unfortunately there were none, but still the excitement was palpable.

Eventually I made it to Garden City, and be Jesus, what a place, I was use to the very small shopping centres we had in the UK, this place was HUGE, shops galore and people every where. The smell, sights and sounds are ingrained into me to this day.

After walking some distance I saw newsagent, NIRVANA I thought. With a few grubby dollars in my pocket I bought several magazines about fishing, I did my best not to read then there and then, but did have a quick flick thorough, HEAVEN it was.

On my way back to the new house I still looked for any snakes, at least this time I found a small Lizard and stared for ages at it.

Sorry Rock, waffled again, but I could right more matey,

And do you know what mate, even at 49 years old I feel exactly the same was whenever I go back.

Cheers Tony.

[BritChickx]

I can only say about my travels....but i guess it still counts....

Got off the plane at Perth absolutely exhausted and starving as i was the last to ask for a free sarnie on the plane, and got a taxi to northbridge, 20 min ride, the taxi driver was nice, so i'm okay at this point, then I rock up at my hostel and get asked if it's okay to stay in a dif room to the all girls dorm, so i'm like, okay thinking it won't be bad, then I get to my room and think OMG what have I done!!!!!! the place is a tip and I have to share with 2 blokes which i felt uncomfortable with. Goes outside for a wander (made sure suitcase was well padlocked first) and rings paul, but oh wait of course i'm on roaming so my credit goes after 1 min, get into a panick and start crying because i don't have a clue what i'm doing, paul can't ring me back cos it charges me aswell, so I run back to the hostel and try and put credit onto my phone, thank god i had that last tenner in my uk bank account. Then goes to call Paul because i can't bear to stay in the hostel, although never met paul yet cos so i'm crapping myself about that too! But in the end he came and got me and saved me from the big bad hostel people haha! I cried a lot that night because the reality of going to somewhere on my own let alone another country just hit me! But I soon got over it and started enjoying my time with paul in aus! i laugh thinking about it now but i was soo scared back then!


I also remember it being colder than anticipated too.

[3FatCats]

Remember arriving at our hotel knackered to find out it was a sports venue and was full of pokeys and pensioners doing exercise classes. The absolute cow of a receptionist refused point blank to let us into a room, any room, or help us with suitcases, before 2pm. Since it was 9 am at this point it was not great. Drove into Sydney to see the bridge and opera house, sat nav stopped working in the CBD so we got lost and had a huge argument. Made our way back to hotel where a series of things kept going wrong including fleas in the room! I kid you not. I am still planning my revenge.....

Anyways, to say I didn't have the best of starts is an understatement. I started to look at the birds and scenery much, much later.

I sometimes wish we had an easier start, as I think it contributes greatly to how you do or don't fall in love with Oz. Just my opinion like.

[rikyuu]

Well ah wuzza just a thinkin' thar.
D'yer remember when you got here,travellin'from the Airport to your new Abode!Looking around in amazement at it all!That wierd feeling,almost like a dream.when we got here,had never been to OZ before!Taxi Driver was of no help,could hardly speak inglessi,so we looked around in awe,like"WTF was that?"oh,it's just a multi coloured Lorikeet,then a bunch of Kokatoos squawk past us.The loud and brash colours of the commercial buildings had us thinkin'wed got on the wrong plane,and ended up in the U ess of A!Every inch of road marked with some warning or other,like designed specifically to ave yer fined should you lapse for a nano second!what was your first thoughts?

Love the last bit, yes I got slapped with a parking ticket within 5 days of being here, having never had one in 20 years of driving!