First Xmas Away From Home, Need Advice On Where To Go, What To Do

STIG83

In a bit of a dilemma at the moment, Im in Perth, Xmas will be my 1st one away from home Dont get me wrong am enjoying it in Perth.
Only here since Sept and be pointless going home. What happens here for Xmas?
Anyone have any advice on where to go?
Im thinking Sydney but will be crazy expensive for flights and dont exactly want to stay in Perth for the Holidays.

ellaq

How about Bali?

I don't blame you for wanting to escape Perth, it seriously must be the most boring place on earth over the holidays. They don't even bother to celebrate NYE. One boring party in Northbridge, no fireworks and they won't even show the Sydney fireworks on TV. Australia Day however is great in Perth.

STIG83

I hear Bali is a good spot, but Sydney is on my mind too, Perth is nice but madness why shops close so early on Sunday evening!!, shop up road closes at 7pm Sunday evening!! :rolleyes:

Pisco Sour

Perth is quite possibly the most boring city on earth. Why so many Irish people chose to live there I cannot fathom.

Christmas in Australia is not like at home. It is almost non existant. They just aren't big into it down here and there is very little festive spirit. The sooner you come to terms with that and accept that it isnt really Christmas down here the less homesick you will be. Last year I kept trying to get into the Christmas spirit when travelling NZ, and then when I moved to Melbourne, and it didnt work, and I was dreadfully homesick as a result. This year I think I may just pretend Christmas doesn't exist, as most Australians seem to do that anyway.

iwsf

spent last Christmas in Bunbury , very nice atmosphere with outdoor concert.But it is nothing compared to Christmas at home (in Europe in general). Found it weird to spend it on the beach. Very few lights up . It is simply not a big thing down under.
Santa is simply too hot

Cooperspale

Christmas is generally about family and traditions so it'll be impossible to recreate your typical Irish celebration in Oz. Best to get into this mind set now.

I don't know much about Perth but think it will become quiet over the holiday like everywhere else.
In most of Australia, it's warm/hot for Christmas. Daylight savings means it's not dark until 8.30 in the southern states so Christmas lights are not so popular although I think its beginning to catch on.
Turkey is not an Australian tradition really, most folk do a cold ham lunch, seafood, BBQ, possibly a roast chicken. If you want to eat all day long, find an Italian family.
Boxing day is all about the cricket.
A lot of Aussies travel to family and or the beach over Christmas so the cities generally empty out. Melbourne becomes a bit of a ghost town.

For fireworks, no city compares to Sydney, but that's NYE not Christmas.

If you want to experience an Australian Christmas, you will need some companions.
Do you have a group of mates where you are or elsewhere? You could all meet
up and attempt to put together a Christmas lunch/dinner. Failing that, befriend an Aussie who can take an orphan for Christmas day.


And if it's a case of, I just don't want to feel lonely in the city over the holidays, Bali would be a great idea. It's never going to feel like an Irish Christmas in Oz so you may as well do something different and experience
the Balinese hospitality

catbear

I'm really glad to have found this thread. Due to in Perth for xmas and I'm actually relieved to hear it's low key there. I always found xmas in Ireland OTT, it starts next week and fusses on until after the new year.

The nest xmas I ever had was in Cambodia, it lasted one night in a local pub. Great!!!!

I hear easter is the bigger holiday in oz, makes more sense.

ellaq

I wouldn't say Christmas is not big over here. Tbh, I find it is much more OTT than Ireland. But it won't be Christmas as many as you know it so you may not notice. This is the only Christmas that most Australians have ever known, including my children. I find that the silly season starts earlier here, some places have started scaling back already in time for christmas and it is not even Halloween yet. The school year ends at Christmas in Australia so it is a very busy festive time for families.

Christmas will be as low key as you make it over here. Scarborough beach is popular with younger people and Cottlesloe is popular with families. There will be a lot on in the city in the weeks coming up to christmas and most of it will be free. We spend the day with friends, we eat a traditional dinner but we have the air-con on and we swim in the pool. We head to the beach in the evening.

It is NYE that is boring. Nothing to do. So find a good crowd and a good pub.

Bali might be cheaper than Sydney. I would advise you to seriously get booking now though.

STIG83

Update on what i am doing for Xmas, heading off on 26th Dec for 4 day trip to Kalbarri and Monkey Mia, should be good

Pisco Sour

STIG83 wrote: »

Update on what i am doing for Xmas, heading off on 26th Dec for 4 day trip to Kalbarri and Monkey Mia, should be good

Nice!

Kalbarri is beautiful, though we only spent half a day there.

Make sure to explore Shark Bay extensively. There's much more to see than the Monkey Mia Dolphins (which are awesome by the way). Shell Beach is incredible.

Skip the stramatolites though. Seriously, they are just a bunch of rocks sitting in shallow water.

Sorry science enthusiasts

Shame you cant take a longer trip and go further North as far as Exmouth and take in the Ningaloo Reef, especially Coral Bay and Turquoise Bay. Pure heaven!

Enjoy.

STIG83

And another Boardsie will be going too on same trip.

stone roses

xmas is oz hated it!! missed loads of things about ireland like the fire lighten, the pubs, the crack and most of all the family , xmas in oz made me want to come home every year was the same i couldnt get into it very hard! its really not the same we are worlds apart at xmas im sorry to say and there is nothing i found in oz at xmas to cheer me up!! maybe i was just to home sick i dont know but i hope you find somthing nice to do!! cheers

amybabes

This will be my 3rd Christmas in a row here. (live in Sydney)

1st year - weather was sh*t, actually reminded me of home - p*ssed it down for the whole week between christmas day and new years (just what you want when you are on holidays!)
Cooked for 10 people in our house, didnt meet 4 of them until the day (friends of housemates on holidays in aus for xmas) - rained all day, didnt even make it to the beach, spent 5-6 hours preparing and cooking and cleaning up then had a nap and panned in front of the tv, had a few drinks in the evening - early night.
Generally the whole week was a huge disappointment - wasnt the christmas on bondi beach i had imagined! Felt so lonely and homesick (was gone since the start of june)

2nd year - weather could not have been better. Was just me and my bf - cooked a turkey but it was so hot we didnt want to leave the beach and when we did we had no appetites, had a party that night in a friend's house (20 of us in the pool at 12 in the night), next day we went to the races in randwick - about 30 of us - has been one of my best days and nights in australia to date - new years day we went to space ibiza festival - unreal. (Unfortunately i was sick on new years eve so didnt drink, just watched the fire works from a friend's roof. Bar about an hour of tears and homesickness when I did Skype with all my family - I had a great week - was lucky enough to have a great group of friends and we really made the most of the week off in the great weather, drinks, bbq's, road trip up to Palm beach etc.

This year - I was home in July/August so going home again for Christmas just wasn't an option - so my next trip home will be December 2012. Don't really know what I will do - thinking maybe going to a restaurant in Darling Harbour with a group - a few places charge $100-$150 a head or so and its a set menu and as much wine etc as you can drink so think that's the plan, taking a year off from the cooking! Wouldn't mind getting out of Sydney for New Years! The festivals are crap this year - which is what we usually do (low key new years eve - festival new years day) - I've never had a good NYE in Sydney believe it or not - yeah the fireworks are good but not out of this world - and its over in a few mins, people cue in the domain etc from 11 or 12 in the day to get grass space - and you can't bring in alcohol! Most of the parks last year were alcohol free! BORING!

Glad I'm working up to 5pm on the 23rd, I wish I was working Christmas Eve like other years as it helps take the mind off being homesick. Just have to remember its just one day of the whole year! And the minute its over - I feel tons better!!

Mike...

04072511 wrote: »

Perth is quite possibly the most boring city on earth.

Do you write this on every post where someone mentions Perth

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75531256&postcount=2

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75532056&postcount=7

hussey

amybabes wrote: »

I've never had a good NYE in Sydney believe it or not - yeah the fireworks are good but not out of this world - and its over in a few mins, people cue in the domain etc from 11 or 12 in the day to get grass space - and you can't bring in alcohol! Most of the parks last year were alcohol free! BORING!

Yeah all parks around the city are family friendly, but there is a new year website (http://www.sydneynewyearseve.com/) and will tell you what parks are BYO etc
I know Balmain is BYO and 2 years ago Rushcutters bay was too

CiaranC

Mike... wrote: »

Do you write this on every post where someone mentions Perth

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75531256&postcount=2

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75532056&postcount=7

Perth is extremely boring, its completely relevant. People should know what kind of place it is before going, regardless if that somehow offends some plumbers who have moved there.

STIG83

A little off topic,
Anyone know what is Vodafone coverage like in Kalbarri, Monkey Mia and the Pinnacles?
Is there any phone coverage there?

Pisco Sour

STIG83 wrote: »

A little off topic,
Anyone know what is Vodafone coverage like in Kalbarri, Monkey Mia and the Pinnacles?
Is there any phone coverage there?

LOL

You're living in dreamland mate if you think Vodafone are going to give you much coverage up the West Coast

hussey

STIG83 wrote: »

A little off topic,
Anyone know what is Vodafone coverage like in Kalbarri, Monkey Mia and the Pinnacles?
Is there any phone coverage there?

3 years ago (when I was there) - zero
lost it about 20mins outside perth - and then nothing till I returned

Vodafone are pretty poor = but they are upgrading their network currently

STIG83

Is there coverage up there then by any other cell network? What about Telstra?
Reason I ask is my sister back home is expecting a baby around the time I gone and want to keep in the loop on it.

ellaq

Telstra and it might only be on certain mobiles like the ones with the blue tick.

STIG83

ellaq wrote: »

Telstra and it might only be on certain mobiles like the ones with the blue tick.

I have a unlocked IPhone, surely it work on that?

ellaq

Not sure about the iphone but most likely. I think the blue tick on the phone just means that there are better at finding a signal. You will find that your mobile might need to be charged up more often as it struggles to find a signal in remote areas.

Shazforgrub

Continuing with the off-topic trend, we do a lot of work out in the Central-West and the only operator any good is Telstra, apparently they're by far the best here but you pay extra for that.

I didn't realise Perth wasn't a good choice for Christmas, I just paid 750 for flights over there, lol

STIG83

Shazforgrub wrote: »

Continuing with the off-topic trend, we do a lot of work out in the Central-West and the only operator any good is Telstra, apparently they're by far the best here but you pay extra for that.

I didn't realise Perth wasn't a good choice for Christmas, I just paid 750 for flights over there, lol

Flying from where?

kiwipower

Funny I really miss NZ/Aussie Christmas and New Years.

In Brisbane, we use to crew together with a bunch of other ex-pat Kiwis and head off to a campground for the week around NY.
Loads of Jim Beam, XXXX, (Beer for Queenslanders who can’t spell, ) Sausages etc. On NYE we would light a big bonfire to party around, heat up stones in the middle of it. The next morning the Blokes would put down a Hungi! Great Hangover food for a big group! Was a pretty isolated rough and ready campground, no showers, a good few snakes, but man it rocked on NY!

Christmas I use to head to my mums in NZ or my aunties in Brisbane, depending which country I was residing in. It would usually be a big family gathering Pot Luck style, where everyone brought a salad or dessert or something and me Bro or Uncle would be left in charge of the BBQ! Mad fights with my Granny over who got to eat the BBQ garlic muscles! Christmas is more about the children over there.

This will be my 9th Irish Christmas (missed one in ten years.) Spent one Christmas with my Dads brothers’ family; one working the 24-7 in a hospital, then went on the Piss in Galway for the whole NYE 48hours straight partying. Spent the last six with my partners’ family. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas when it’s cold dark and wet, kids still in the school years. Can’t go outside or off to find some fun. I tend to find it claustrophobic and boring sitting around doing nothing. Spending ridiculous amounts of money on crap for people who don’t need it!

Funny, I know my grandparents still miss Christmas in Holland 55years later! It’s just what you are use to and make of it, I guess.

Maybe you could all organise a Boardsies Orphan Christmas in an area near you? My help for those travelling alone, in small groups or who just haven’t settled yet? I know a bar in NZ which arranged one for the Christmas of 1999 for all the workers imported in for the Y2K celebrations! It was on the QT as it was illegal, but the bar owner had Galway connections and cooked a fine Turkey by all accounts!

Me I will be eating the sister in laws Turkey this year!

ian.hughes

I got some Vodafone coverage in Monkey Mia and Kalbarri when I was there a couple of months back. Not a chance in the Pinnacles and all places in between though. I'd totally +1 on getting up to Coral Bay and Exmouth if you can.

Xavi6

It's not just Perth that's crap for Christmas, it's a nationwide thing. I've had the holiday period on both the Gold Coast and Brisbane and it pissed rain the whole time, at least WA will have the sun.

Anyone expecting it to be like home is in for a shock and I go back every second year now to make sure I get a good oul Irish Christmas.

I'm glad however that nothing gets done for New Year here as it's the worst night of the year IMO for going out back home.

With regard to going north, you'll get roaming alright with Telstra but 3/Vodafone is pretty much non existent anywhere outside of major cities. The trip itself though will be epic as the west coast is stunning when you drive it.

As for my Christmas, I'll be down Mulaloo Beach at 9am for a sausage sizzle and a hangover curing dip before getting on the sauce again. Not a lot else to do in boring Perth after all

Shazforgrub

Flying from Sydney. Was the cheapest I could find.

globalwarrior

Living in oZ over twenty years and I have never got used to an aussie christmas, but it's worth it for the other 364 days of the year!!

In recent years, I have taken off to a healthspa in Thailand and when I got back tis all over and I'm left feeling fantastic!!

Love Thailand at chistmas, pink chritsmas trees's are something else