# Heading Down Under



## SafetyPro2 (Apr 12, 2005)

Well, Chimpie's not the only one who's gonna be outta town.

Friday afternoon, we (wife, baby and I) will be heading off to Australia for almost 2 weeks. My wife's brother and his wife are living there temporarily (last Feb. through Aug.), so we'll be spending some time with them and seeing the sights, including a 4 day trip to Tasmania. This will be the first time I've ever left the country (except for the Canadian side of Niagra Falls), and needless to say, I'm excited.

This will be the first "real" vacation we've had since the baby was born (other than trips to Indiana to see my wife's family).

Hopefully will get my website up and running shortly after I get back, with some pictures.


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## Wingnut (Apr 12, 2005)

Awesome, have fun!     








I am SOOOOOOOO jealous   :angry:


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## MedicPrincess (Apr 12, 2005)

WOW!!! I sooooo want to go there.  I have been all over Europe, Mexico, Canada...but Austrailia would be most awesomest!!!

Have fun and be safe....

Oh and watch out for those talking kangaroos.


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## rescuecpt (Apr 12, 2005)

Cool - have fun!  Remember, the toilets flush in the other direction!


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## Jon (Apr 12, 2005)

Have fun... I want a full 300-word report on the benifits of using motorcycle response (as in Sydney) as a QRS / Fly car in a multi-tiered system....  

Really, have fun


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## TTLWHKR (Apr 12, 2005)

I'd be afraid of being eatin by a croc, or one of those snakes that we all wish would bite that weird guy on TV that kisses the "most toxic snake on the planet".  Crikey Mate. Have fun, watch where ya step.


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## ffemt8978 (Apr 13, 2005)

I visited Australia when I was in the service, including Perth and Hobart, Tasmania (the only time in my life I thought about deserting...  )

Australia is a wonderful place, but Tasmania rocks!!!!!  Be sure you go to the zoo and see a "real" Tasmanian Devil.  I wish I could remember more, but I was too (choose one) drunk/sloshed/bombed/tanked/plastered.

Have a fun and safe trip, and drop us a line while you're there!  B)


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## MMiz (Apr 13, 2005)

Chris,

Sounds awesome, but I really think it would be safe it you brought an EMT with you.  I've heard Australl... Australy... Australia, is that how you say it?  is a third world country, and you really need a wingman to watch out for you and the family.

So when are we leaving?    B) 

Have a good time!


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## SafetyPro2 (Apr 14, 2005)

Just finished packing. T minus 38 hours.    Its hard to believe that two adults and one 17 month old need so much stuff for a 12 day trip. 

The Tasmania trip is going to be great. We're flying into Launceston (in the north) and spending the next 3 days driving down to Hobart (in the south). No real specific plans (other than the hotels)...just gonna see what we can along the way.

Unfortunately, other than Tasmania, we're probably only going to get out of the Sydney area one other day (to the Blue Mountains). But, guess that's an excuse to go back sometime.  

Also, just today set-up a "firefighter's tour" of the Sydney area. I have a friend from the Code 3 Collectibles forum who's a member of the Penrith Rural Fire Brigade (aka volunteer fire department) and Marsden Park Volunteer Rescue Squad. He and his wife were here in the States back in September and got together with them a couple times, so he's gonna return the favor and take me around to his two departments, the Sydney HQ fire station and the national fire museum. Hopefully will get some good pics from that too to share.


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## Chimpie (Apr 30, 2005)

:unsure:


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## ffemt8978 (Apr 30, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Chimpie_@Apr 30 2005, 03:20 AM
> * :unsure: *


 Ya thinking the aboriginies got him?

I'm kind of suprised we haven't heard from him yet, either.


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## Chimpie (Apr 30, 2005)

His email acct is temp. suspended.   :blink:


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## ffemt8978 (Apr 30, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Chimpie_@Apr 30 2005, 09:12 AM
> * His email acct is temp. suspended.   :blink: *


 He does that when he leaves town


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## Chimpie (Apr 30, 2005)

> _Originally posted by ffemt8978+Apr 30 2005, 05:20 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>*QUOTE* (ffemt8978 @ Apr 30 2005, 05:20 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Chimpie_@Apr 30 2005, 09:12 AM
> * His email acct is temp. suspended.  :blink: *


He does that when he leaves town [/b][/quote]
 Right, which makes me wonder if he's even back in town yet.  I can understand not going to the forums (even though THIS IS EMTLIFE we're talking about) but at least he would have turned his emails back on.


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## Chimpie (May 4, 2005)

Alright.  His mailbox is still disabled.  Two more weeks and we're all taking a vacation to find him.  Who's with me?


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## Jon (May 4, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Chimpie_@May 4 2005, 07:14 PM
> * Alright.  His mailbox is still disabled.  Two more weeks and we're all taking a vacation to find him.  Who's with me? *


 I'll go, so long as you are footing the bill...


Jon


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## Chimpie (May 4, 2005)

This is Matt's forum.  I think he should foot the bill.


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## SafetyPro2 (May 5, 2005)

Well, the e-mail thing wasn't intentional. Even Verizon can't figure out WHY its "temporarily suspended" and I'm on my second trouble ticket now trying to get it fixed. In the meantime, you can use cagaylord@verizon.net if you need to get ahold of me.

Oh yeah, I'm back. 

I actually got back last Wed., but I've been busy trying to catch up, so haven't had time to come on here 'til now.

Trip was great! I still can't believe how much we did, and I still feel like there was tons of stuff we didn't do. Here's a brief synopsis:

*Day 1* - Flew...and flew...and flew. Then slept.

*Day 2* - Went down to Circular Quay (the main ferry terminal by the Opera House) and had a typical Australian BBQ breakfast, then took a harbor cruise. 

*Day 3* - Took the ferry to the Taronga Zoo and spent most of the morning there. Then took the ferry over to Darling Harbor (where the Aquarium is) and walked to the Powerhouse Museum (old, converted power plant...kinda a science/technology museum).

*Day 4* - Took the bus to Bondi Beach and walked from there to Coogee Beach (a couple miles). Stopped along the way to let Amory play at Clovely Beach, then again at Coogee. Walked back to my bro & sis-in-laws apartment.

*Day 5* - Took the ferry back to Darling Harbor and went to the National Maritime Museum (including the replica of Capt. Cook's _Endeavour_ which was open to the public for the first time...just got back from 10 years sailing around the world). Then went to the Aquarium.

*Day 6* - Went to the airport and flew to Launceston, Tasmania. Got rental car and hit the visitor's center, then went to Cataract Gorge (nature park-type area). Drove onto Devonport and spent the night.

*Day 7* - Got up and drove to Cradle Mountain. Spent about 3 hours hiking around Dove Lake at the base of the mountain (with the stroller). Drove on to Queenstown and spent the night.

*Day 8* - Drove through the rest of the Cradle Mountain National Park and made it all the way down to Hobart. Visited the Salamanca Market (weekly street market). Got to see the Hobart Fire Brigade in action at a kitchen fire at an Indian restaurant. Drove onto Port Arthur and spent the night.

*Day 9* - Went to the Port Arthur Historical Site (old penal colony) and took the tour and harbor cruise. Saw the last land before Antarctica. Drove back to Hobart and went to the top of Mt. Wellington (4,000+ feet). Spent the night in Hobart.

*Day 10* - Flew back to Sydney. Hooked up with my friend Alan and did the "Fireman's Tour of Sydney". Went to the Museum of Fire in Penrith, then visited the Penrith Volunteer Rescue Squad (Alan's a member) and the Marsden Park Fire Brigade (Alan's a former operational member...now social). Stopped by his house and visited with his wife, then went to the HQ of the Rural Fire Service (right next to Olympic Stadium) and then HQ Station for the NSW Fire Brigades in Sydney. Had dinner with the both of them and the family.

*Day 11* - Took the tour of the Opera House, went opal shopping, visited the Univ. of New South Wales, then back to Coogee Beach.

*Day 12* - Back to the airport. Spent an hour and a half on the plane waiting for the passenger who checked their bags and then never got on the plane. Spent another 13 hours on the plane. Landed 4 hours before we took off. :blink: Had to wait for paramedics to come on for a passenger who started having some medical problem 2 hours into the flight (didn't hear a thing about it until we were in LA). Limo driver was waiting for MIA passenger until flight crew told him passenger was still Down Under. Went home, forced self to stay up 'til decent hour (8 PM) and went to bed after being awake for 37 hours straight.  

So, that's the trip in a nutshell. I'm working on a website with pics (I took close to 900), but here's a couple of interest.






The Gaylord clan at the Sydney Opera House





Restaurant fire in Hobart, Tasmania





Hobart Fire Brigade Scania pumper





NSW Ambulance Service Mercedes Sprinter ambulances





Penrith V.R.A. Rescue Squad Rescue 2





NSW Rural Fire Service Category 1 tanker





NSW Fire Brigades Scania/Bronto 37m (121 ft) aerial ladder platform





NSW Fire Brigades Varley Commander "Super Pumper 1"





Super Pumper 1 leaving on a call


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## MMiz (May 5, 2005)

Welcome back, we missed you!

I'd give you a hard time about the hundreds of emails piled up in the server's mail system because of 1) Verizon has an amazing mail filter, and 2) your mail bounces, but I wont  

Instead I'll just wait for that huge graduation present you said you were going to send me for my graduation on friday


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## Jon (May 5, 2005)

Welcom back Scott... we were startijng to miss you. I'm glad you didn't let us down, adn took fire whacker pictures.


Jon

PS - Congrats, Matt.


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## rescuecpt (May 5, 2005)

YAY! He's back!

At least you took 1 picture of your family...


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## Chimpie (May 5, 2005)

He's back.  Welcome back Chris.


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## emt3225 (May 5, 2005)

Great pics...


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## Phridae (May 5, 2005)

Welcome back. 
I was not aware Isuzu made fire trucks. Hmm.
Hope you had a great time. I'M SO JEALOUS!


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## ffemt8978 (May 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by MedicStudentJon_@May 5 2005, 04:43 AM
> * Welcom back Scott... we were startijng to miss you. I'm glad you didn't let us down, adn took fire whacker pictures.
> 
> 
> ...


 I'm Scott.

SafetyPro is Chris.

And welcome back Chris.


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## Jon (May 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by ffemt8978+May 5 2005, 06:37 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>*QUOTE* (ffemt8978 @ May 5 2005, 06:37 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MedicStudentJon_@May 5 2005, 04:43 AM
> * Welcom back Scott... we were startijng to miss you. I'm glad you didn't let us down, adn took fire whacker pictures.
> 
> 
> ...


I'm Scott.

SafetyPro is Chris.

And welcome back Chris. [/b][/quote]
 Ok. My shoe tastes like leather. Let me get it out of my mouth...  . Ok.. Welcome back, *CHRIS*

Jon


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## SafetyPro2 (May 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by rescuecpt_@May 5 2005, 06:28 AM
> * YAY! He's back!
> 
> At least you took 1 picture of your family...    *


 Oh, that's just the only one I've LOADED so far. I have several hundred other family pics that will eventually be loaded.


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## SafetyPro2 (May 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Phridae_@May 5 2005, 01:29 PM
> * Welcome back.
> I was not aware Isuzu made fire trucks. Hmm.
> Hope you had a great time. I'M SO JEALOUS! *


 They're a fairly common truck platform for most everything in Oz. Only Isuzu fire apparatus I saw though were these brush tankers. The "urban" fire apparatus were mostly Varley, Scania, and surprisingly, Freightliner (you can see one in the pic of the restaurant fire...the one in the middle).


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## Jon (May 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by SafetyPro+May 6 2005, 12:40 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>*QUOTE* (SafetyPro @ May 6 2005, 12:40 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Phridae_@May 5 2005, 01:29 PM
> * Welcome back.
> I was not aware Isuzu made fire trucks. Hmm.
> Hope you had a great time. I'M SO JEALOUS! *


They're a fairly common truck platform for most everything in Oz. Only Isuzu fire apparatus I saw though were these brush tankers. The "urban" fire apparatus were mostly Varley, Scania, and surprisingly, Freightliner (you can see one in the pic of the restaurant fire...the one in the middle). [/b][/quote]
 Cool... I know European co's have Volvos...

Jon


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## Wingnut (May 10, 2005)

Welcome Back...great pics!!!


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## Jon (May 10, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Wingnut_@May 10 2005, 11:19 AM
> * Welcome Back...great pics!!!  *


 Wingnut - where have you been?

jon


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## Wingnut (May 10, 2005)

Hey John, I've been recuperating from surgery on my ankle. Sitting up= pain. But I can sit at the computer for short intervals now.


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