Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful in the armchair; not so wonderful on the ground, April 30, 2010
This review is from: Lonely Planet Discover Australia (Full Color Country Travel Guide) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
At the outset, you have to realize that this sort of a guidebook just can't contain enough information on any particular location to serve adequately to guide a newcomer to a country as vast as Australia. Imagine trying to cram a guide to the United States -- the lower 48 states are about the size of Australia -- into 400 pages. A guide like that could give you the high spots of some of the bigger cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles -- and paint with a broad brush over vast areas of the country like New Mexico and New Jersey -- just to give you an idea of what the authors are up against.
It's very much the same with this pretty guide to Australia. The photographs are excellent, beautifully reproduced; the authors are almost all Aussies very knowledgeable about their country; and the itineraries for specific areas are excellent, based on my own travels in this fascinating country.
At the same time, much detail must be left out. One reviewer here rightfully criticizes the book for giving short shrift to the the wonderful Kangaroo Island -- only four pages -- but that is one percent of the entire book -- and at least the authors let you know that wonder exists.
That's the way I would use this book: read it over before actually travelling to Australia. Once you've decided on where you want to go, get a more detailed guide to actually make your plans. Or, use it like I did this morning: just page through it and remember what I've already seen and wish I could go again and find new discoveries.
Robert C. Ross 2010
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good solid information for a first or brief outing to Australia, May 5, 2010
This review is from: Lonely Planet Discover Australia (Full Color Country Travel Guide) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Discover Australia (Full Color Country Guides) is a great book for someone who wants to go to Australia or has been there and wants more of an experience in terms of the best the country has to offer.
I'm planning a trip to Australia in the next year or so and have never been there. I'm looking to put together a two week vacation that will allow me to more fully experience the areas I end up choosing to visit. Since my trip will be combined with a week long volunteer project, I'll be able to get the real scoop on what to see and where to go from Aussie natives, but want a comprehensive guide that will give me some starting points.
The book contains useful information under "Things You'll Want to Know" which includes info on ATM's, currency, electricity and the like. Simple things which help you choose which credit cards to bring, how much cash and of course adapters!
Some of the things I look for in a travel guide or in my Internet searches for a country include the museums available, city tours (I love to start my time in a new city with a city tour), gardens, shopping, bird watching and animal life. This guide does detail museums and city tours for the major cities. Plus each city has the "if you only have three days, here are some highlights to see" lists.
Because Australia is so massive in terms of size and diversity, this guide has been extremely helpful in narrowing down which cities to visit based on my interests. I've been able to combine the book with Internet searching to narrow down my options even more.
And, finally, the book does include some stunning pictures. Mmmm. Maybe I'll change my mind on those cities I want to visit or just add a few more days to the vacation! Australia here I come!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
For the Experienced First-Time Visitor, October 16, 2010
This review is from: Lonely Planet Discover Australia (Full Color Country Travel Guide) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
My title isn't meant to be oxymoronic. It accurately describes this guidebook's ideal audience. To someone who has never visited Australia before, it offers a good selection of the country's best sights and experiences, with essential information on how to get to them and what they will cost. Also included are lots of color photographs and a selection of reasonably useful maps.
This first-timer had better not, however, be new to foreign travel, for the practical side of the journey is scanted. For example, electricity flummoxes many novices: Can I safely plug in my computer or my cell phone charger? Will I have to have a converter - or a transformer - and what's the difference between them? What sort of plug adapters do I need? Not knowing the answers can be nerve-wracking and, once in a while, disastrous. Here is the totality of this volume's advice: "Electricity: Three pin, 240 V AC, 50Hz".
The section on "Internet Access" is less terse but not much more helpful, particularly as it leaves the reader with the erroneous impression that Australia is a land of dial-up connections.
One of the traditional purposes of guidebooks is to recommend places to sleep and dine. For "Discover Australia", that function has been reduced to a vestige: a dozen restaurants each in Sydney and Melbourne, seven in Brisbane, three in Perth. Hotel coverage is very slightly better.
As one expects from Lonely Planet, the text includes left-wing political commentary. Happily, the publisher's opinions are now isolated in a potted history of Australia rather than, as used to be the case, diffused throughout.
"Discover Australia" thus deserves a bifurcated rating: four or five stars for those who need only sightseeing suggestions, one or two if "Three pin, 240 V AC, 50Hz" means nothing to you.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
