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Detailed travelogue on Australia and New Zealand

Detailed Travelogue on Australia and New Zealand

Larry
2006-05-27 03:23:16

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of an item in increments no smaller than
5c (ie, 90c, 95c, $1.00 ... no "99c", since there is no 1c coin). However,
the petrol pumps count off in pennies, so the station will just round off
(either lower or higher depending on the amount) how much you owe. The
pumps are also the old-fashioned type, without any accordian-style nozzles
to suck the fumes back in.
Unlike in the U.S., where you must pay for your gas beforehand, in
Australia, you just drive up, start pumping, and pay for the gas afterwards.
Most service stations also have little convenience stores, and in rural
Australia, especially along the Stuart Highway, many are also roadhouses,
where you can get a room to sleep for the night.
One thing to keep in mind when driving is that you shouldn't always
believe a map. While driving in Tasmania, I decided to take the main road
(a nice, big thick red line on the map) and after driving on it for an hour,
it suddenly turned into a dirt road. The road sign said "INTERMITTENT
BITUMAN THE NEXT 33KM." ("Bituman" -- prounced "Bitchman" by some -- is
what Australians call blacktop, or paved roads, and "paved roads" are called
"sealed roads").

ALICE SPRINGS (Part I)

Alice Springs is the largest town in central Australia, and is located
pretty much in the center of the country. It doesn't have much charm, but
at the same time, is not a bad town.
Many of its inhabitants are Aboriginal Australians -- those that have
become part of mainstream Australian society, those that haven't, and those
that are somewhere in between.
Someone asked me when I got back if I took a lot of pictures of
Aboriginal people. In actual fact, I didn't take even one. It just didn't
occur to me to, because it really would have been no different than going
out onto the streets of L.A. and taking a picture ...

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