Originally Posted by
lexande
Nearly everything in Australia costs at least twice as much as in the US, with the overall costs ending up far more than anywhere else I've traveled. Intercity transport costs were an early clue, but this is also applies to local transport costs (nearly $4 for a single ride on urban metro systems), restaurant food (almost impossible to eat non-fastfood for under $10), fast food ($3 for McDonald's crap that's on the 'dollar menu' in the US, $7 for a fast food meal)...
Guess you've never been to London, or most of the rest of Europe. I was in Oslo last month; a bottle of Carlsberg in a bar was US$13. You seem angry that you didn't find America 2.0 when you got off the plane. And why are you eating McDonald's in Australia when you can get meat pies and sausage rolls for less? Why'd you even go?
Originally Posted by lexande
Tourist attraction costs are harder to compare, and I didn't end up spending much on these with my budget so blown by basic living costs, but $35 for a tour of the Sydney Opera house or $100 for a one-day tour from Melbourne to the Great Ocean Road both seem pretty steep to me.
$100 for a whole-day tour of anything doesn't seem steep to me. When you take a half-day bus+boat tour of New York City the fare is $79.99 plus tip:
http://www.onboardnewyorktours.com/t...age=shop/index
If you want to go the top of the Empire State Building in New York, it's $37 -- and that's about an hour's fun. One spin around the London Eye is GBP18, a "fast track" ticket GBP26 (that's US$40), and the ride takes about 30 minutes IIRC. You seem a little naive about what touristy things cost in big cities around the world in general.
Originally Posted by lexande
People mostly seem friendly and laid back; it's a pity you have to feel like they're constantly trying to rip you off. (One restaurant said I couldn't have tap water with my meal without paying extra!)
I've never felt anyone in Australia is "trying to rip you off," only that the country is built a little differently, that's all. You are charged for some things you might be used to getting for free, but you don't have to leave 20% tips or pay weird, sneaky taxes at every turn.
It's just different.
Originally Posted by lexande
After flying back from PER to SYD, I learnt that I would have to pay $5 for the train to get from the Domestic to the International terminal at SYD in order to connect to my onward flight out of the country. Unwilling to accept this final indignity, I walked 4km along the road between the terminals instead.
Did you know that at JFK in New York, you have to pay $5 to ride the Airtrain just to get to the subway to get into the city? I don't see a lot of people hiking out along the Van Wyck to avoid this "indignity." You seem easily offended by the prospect of paying for the services you want to use, from ice water to rail transport.
Originally Posted by lexande
In a global economy with oil priced in USD, this seems unsustainable; surely at some point Australian prices will drop back into line with the rest of the developed world.
As I have said Australia is in line with, or cheaper than, much of the developed world. That said it does not appear cheap right now if you come from a weak-currency destination like the US. You seem to have allowed your preoccupation with the Australian "sidewalk tax" to ruin your view of what should have been a very nice holiday. To most people this would be a trip of a lifetime, and I doubt most good travelers would have compromised it by hiking 4km between air terminals to save $5, fuming all the while.
Originally Posted by lexande
I'd suggest that all but the "1%" for whom money is no object consider waiting until then to visit Australia.
Don't be absurd. If you're worried about every $5, you shouldn't be traveling at all.
Originally Posted by
Enigma
At the end of the day, money aside, I genuinely hope you enjoyed your trip. Australia is NOT the US. And it never will be. It has it's own quirks, good and bad.
And thank goodness for that.