The Temple Tour of Australia

One challenge of our trip was that we were trying to cram so many things into such a short amount of time (well, a month is not short, but for what we wanted to do, it was), that you do have to give some things up. One of those was that we did not make it to any temples.

Part of that was transportation, because temples generally are in suburbs and don't have tour buses going to them, and part of that was that at the time Julie and Maria were not endowed yet, so it just made sense. Still, I thought it would be fun to concoct an itinerary based on temple locations. This will get you to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth--sort of. Actually, you will need to get to Carlingford, Kangaroo Point, Wantirna, Marsden, and Yokine. Bet you haven't heard of any of those yet. Don't worry--we have a plan.

It may be unfair, but for this particular itinerary I am picturing the travelers as an older LDS couple, or maybe two such couples. In each city they will want to do a temple session, but they will also want to see some of the local color, without it involving any really strenuous activities or wild parties.

We start off in Sydney.

On your first day, it is reasonable to worry about how the air travel will affect you, and whether you will need a rest day. It may vary by individual, but our experience, and that of friends who have gone at different times, is that the flight was not nearly as tiring as you would expect. We were certainly stiff after all of our time aboard the plane, but we came out alert, and functioned normally during the day. It may be helpful to stay somewhat active and out in the fresh air just to be safe. Put yourself in an environment conducive to drowsiness, and it just might win out.

Exploring the Royal Botanic Gardens may be the perfect solution. It involves fresh air and exercise, and you can catch a guided walk at the visitor's center. You will also be in the right area to catch a photo opportunity at Mrs. Macquaries chair, one of the most popular picture spots for tourists.

You are also close to the most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sydney Opera House, and must pay it a visit. Tours are available, and not a bad idea, but you should really treat yourself to a performance there. There are eight performance halls with extensive offerings, so on any given night you should be able to find something that works. This should fit in well after your temple session, so you have one day for touring, one day for the temple and evening entertainment, and the you will head to Brisbane.

http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/
http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/

Sydney to Brisbane is doable as a drive (about 11 hours), and you will need the car, so you may want to consider driving. There will be another stop where the long drive is more important, so flying is perfectly acceptable.

The obvious choice for sightseeing is the Australia Zoo. The Crocodile Hunter is gone, but this was his place, and you will get to see the main Australian animals, plus several from Asia and the Galapagos. Naturally, there are crocodiles.

However, if you are worried that it is a bit too commercial, and maybe want to explore the town at your own pace, consider the Brisbane City Sights tour. With tours like this, I like to go around the full circuit first, hearing everything, and then decided where to get off. They will give you the lay of the land, and get you access to local buses and ferries. They might even be able to give you some tips about making your way to Kangaroo Point, so take the city tour on your first day, and then go to the temple the next, or maybe even that evening.

http://www.australiazoo.com.au/
http://www.citysights.com.au/home/default.asp

Driving from Sydney to Brisbane is okay, and driving from Adelaide to Melbourne is recommended, but from Brisbane to Perth, you will definitely want to fly (plan on about a four hour flight). You are heading all the way across the country, to the far West end. Many visitors never make it to the West Coast at all, let alone Perth--the world's most isolated capital city.

Our tourist side is going to visit the Perth Mint. Although the area was isolated, a gold rush made it reasonable to build the mint in 1899. You can take a historical walk, watch a gold pour, and view the world's largest display of gold bars.

It won't hurt to spend a little time exploring the outdoors as well, so you may want to wander by the Swan Bells. This is a glass spire bell tower on the Swan River. Stop by at the right time and you can hear them play, or get a bell handling demonstration.

http://www.perthmint.com.au/
http://swanbells.com.au/

Adelaide is next. If you are going through a guidebook, you will see that pretty much every major city has a zoo, botanical gardens, a candy factory, a museum, and often an aquarium and an arctic exploration center. Obviously going to each one in each town would be overkill. For chocolate, the Haigh's tour may not be the best known (that would probably be the Cadbury tour near Hobart, Tasmania), Haigh's is the oldest chocolate maker in Australia, since 1915, and they offer free tastings. Since Adelaide is known for it's food and drink, partaking of something local makes sense.

This is also a good place to take in some more history, especially in regard to the Aboriginal people. The South Australian Museum has the largest collection of Aboriginal artifacts in the world, and gives a straightforward account of their interactions with white colonists. Just round the corner is the library and the Migration Museum, and next door is the Art Gallery. Nearby in the other direction is the War Memorial and Parliament House, so a lot can be seen and learned in a small space.

http://haighschocolates.com.au/
http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/

Now, between Adelaide and Melbourne is where we are going to make the big exception to flying between cities. You are going to keep your rental for the rest of your time in Australia, and get to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road.

Well, actually, you may not want to keep your rental, because this is also an area where you do have the option of several coach tours. Several different companies offer options of one or three day tours, either going one way between Melbourne and Adelaide, or doing a round trip loop.

Assuming that you have used rental cars in each city to this point, you have had a chance to get comfortable driving on the other side of the road. However, you will be going through an amazingly scenic area, and there may be some advantages to letting an experienced driver take the wheel and point out attractions. At the same time, by going with a tour you are letting someone else call the shots, choosing where and when to stop and how long to stay.

The first thing that comes to mind at the mention of the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles, and you do want to see those, but there are many things worth viewing. The limestone coastline has been sculpted by wind and waves coming straight from Antarctica, and there is a lot to see. Pay specific attention along Bay of Islands Coastal Park, where features include the Arch, the Grotto, London Bridge, the Bay of Martyrs, the Bay of Islands, and Worm Bay. You may want to stop off in Loch Ard Gorge and see the Blowhole.

Not every attraction is a coastal formation. You will also be traveling near Otway State Park and National Forest, and Grampians National Park. There are some rugged hikes to be had, but you can just take a leisurely drive nearby and soak up the scenery.

Having just sampled local chocolates in Adelaide, consider stopping for some local organic cheese at the Mousetrap. Also, stop off in Geelong for the Wool Museum. Sheep have been an important part of Australian history, and you can learn all about the sheep and wool here, and see fun things like a knitted tea party.

(We would have a tendency to also try and swing by the Condah Pub, because we met the proprietor and we liked him a lot.)

http://touristnews.standard.net.au/timboon/ti_eat.html
http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/nwm/
http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/
(This site has some information, but I recommend adding to it with a guidebook, or checking sites like wikitravel, lonelyplanet, or viator.)

The last stop is in Melbourne, and if you are in Melbourne than you really do need to head over to Phillip Island and see the Penguin Parade. There are tours that will pick you up in Melbourne and take you here, but simply getting the 3 park pass will give you plenty to do, and you should find exploring the island on your own to be fun. Remember that the penguins start coming ashore at dusk, so however early you get there will be more about how much time you want to spend at the other attractions, but you will definitely be coming back after dark.

In Melbourne itself, I do recommend Piazza Navona, Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, on Toorak Road. It was good food, and not terribly expensive, which could not be said about the other restaurants in that area.

There are two big things to remember about this kind of a tour. One, you need to check ahead to see when temple closures are. You're not going to feel good about going halfway around the world to visit a temple and then not being able to get in. Sure, you wouldn't miss all of them, but there's no reason to miss any with some advance planning.

Also, it is reasonable to assume that you are going to want to go to church on Sundays. Don't just take the meeting time and address from the web pages--call and ask! We learned this by sad experience.

Now you may be wondering if this temple tour can be expanded at all. Well, you can easily fly from Melbourne to Auckland, and get yourself to the Hamilton Temple. This would not add too much additional cost or time. You can refer back to my overall guide for the North Island for ideas on what to do, but the Kiwi House in Otorohanga is certainly close by, and would be an easy stop. Adding New Zealand would make perfect sense.


What about the Pacific Islands? Well, that is going to add to the time and money considerably. Also, you are increasing the temperature range, so it may make packing more of a challenge. But if you are looking at that, your other options are Suva Fiji, Apia Samoa, Nuku'alofa Tonga, and Papeete Tahiti.

Have a great trip.