Customer Reviews

Frommer's Australia 2006 (Frommer's Complete Guides)

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

On my previous trip to Australia in 2001, I used the Let's Go travel guide. It was okay, but after the excellent book I had for Hawaii, I thought I would try for something better. Frommer's isn't it. This book has no more information than the website and is probably not as up to date. Hours and prices were consistently wrong--by more than allowable for a yearly update. Attraction ratings were unhelpful. That is, they did not include the sort of information that helped me decide what I wanted to see. For example, a museum in Adelaide is supposedly known for it's extensive collection of Aborigine artifacts and was highly rated based on that. However, the items are presented with minimal context, so that the collection is not the tremendous learning experience it ought to be; it's more like an art show. Another example: The botanical garden in Melbourne is like a park, with few flowers; the one in Brisbane is organized like a zoo, divided into geographic regions, and with lots of flowers. The distinction wasn't made in the book.

Australia is a huge area to cover, but this book tries to please too many audiences and ends up satisfying none, I would think. By including dining and lodging choices from 5 star to 2 star, it can only offer 3 or 4 choices in each category. A huge failing was not identifying where the best areas to stay are, based on what you want to do. For example, if you will be taking lots of bus tours, you want to stay at a hotel where the buses will pick you up. If you are renting a car, you will want to stay somewhere with free or inexpensive parking and from which you can easily go into or out of town. It would have been far more helpful to list good/reliable Aussie chains/organizations of hotels/motels/b&bs than to list individual establishments.

I didn't even like the way the book was organized. The attractions are why I travel--things to see and do. They were listed after lodging and food and given just as skimpy treatment.

I would have done better to stick with my OLD Let's Go book from 2000.

We have used Frommer's guides since the 1960's, and even tho the format has changed over the years, this is still one of the best guides to help you plan an Australian vacation.

This book is clear to the point and truly helpful. It tells you what you need to know without becoming some sort of treatise like Lonely Planet. Just be careful when they safe a certain hotel in Alice Springs is only a short stroll from the heart of town. If you don't have a car and it's hot enough in Alice Springs even in the winter, and you are out of shape, this is not a short stroll.