No comments about Tasmania (Regional Guide).

2 comments about Frommer's Australia 2006 (Frommer's Complete).

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.



2. 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.

No comments about Melbourne & Victoria (City Guide).

No comments about The Miss Tutti Frutti Contest: Travel Tales of the South Pacific (Ginger).

No comments about Polynesian Researches: During a Residence of Nearly Eight Years in the Society and Sandwich Islands. Volume 4.

No comments about Australia by Rail, 4th: Includes city guides to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra.

1 comments about Uninhabited Ocean Islands.

1. This recent book (1991) is well researched and will assist those explorers who have GPS (he gives precise lat/long of each Island).

   Those of us searching for existing sovereignties that need help getting an ISO 3166-1 code to entitle them to an Internet top level domain (i.e. like .aa or .uk) will also not be disappointed.

   Originally published by Llompanics Unlimited.

   This is the opinion of a Sovereign Individual, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of Laissez Faire City.

No comments about From New York to Delhi,: By way of Rio de Janeiro, Australia, and China.

No comments about Australian Travelers Backpacking Guide: The Most Comprehensive Directory of Hostels and Cheap Accommodation for Backpackers Travel Across Australia.

2 comments about Just Tell Them I Survived!: Women in Antarctica.

1. I didn't even finish this book. It seems like it is just a list of facts about woman who have visited Antarctica. I was hoping for more stories than facts. I was very bored. Also the writer appears to be a strong feminist.



2. This is a terrible book that could had potential. Arguably women in antarctica have as much interest and stories to share as men. Unfortunatly this author, an unabashed feminist, just lists lots of boring facts and petty acheivements of women. Do we really care who the first women who swore at the south pole was? Or the first women to smoke a cigarrette at the pole? No. A terrible book, useless tripe, hateful.