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Place

Melbourne, Australia

Location

Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria, situated on the southeast coast of Australia.

Nearby Towns/Cities/Villages

There are several well-known towns and cities near Melbourne, two of the more notable are St. Kilda and Portsea, a popular holiday destination that is home to some of the most affluent families in Australia.

Climate and Geography

Located on the bay of Port Philip, Melbourne’s city center sits on the estuary of the Yarra River. The topography of the 8806 km² city varies, ranging from valleys (Yarra and Dandenong Creek) to lowland mountain ranges (Dandenong, Macedon), to bustling metropolitan sprawls, to flat volcanic plains, to beautiful beaches along Port Philip Bay (there are more than 36 for sun-worshippers to enjoy!).

The climate varies as wildly as the landscape. The city is said to experience “four seasons in one day.” Temperamental weather changes occur due to a clash between the warm inland climate and the cool southern ocean. Hail and heavy rain may occur suddenly in one area, while another area nearby remains dry. After storms rain-drenched areas will clear up and become sunny and calm, as if nothing had transpired. Melbourne’s oceanic climate produces warm winters and cool summers.  The average daily temperatures range from 26°C in January to 15°C in August.

Description

An international city that was voted the second-best place to live on the planet, Melbourne has a population of 4 million people. It attracts visitors from around the globe with its renowned festivals, fantastic shopping, alluring landscapes, colorful arts and culture scene, and major sporting events such as The Melbourne Cup, Formula One Grand Prix, and Australian Rules Football. Known as the sporting capital of Australia and the “Ultimate Sports City” of the world, adventure enthusiasts will be in their glory with an array of adrenaline-spiking activities to choose from.

One activity growing in popularity in the area is known as “adventure racing”. In this sport teams of 2 – 4 people test their endurance levels with intense bouts of kayaking, cycling, swimming, mountain climbing, hiking, and running. These competitions can last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. Other popular activities center on the plentiful beaches, where visitors can go kiteboarding, scuba diving, snorkeling, and boating.

Activities in the Melbourne Area

• Adventure racing
• Scuba diving
• Snorkeling
• Rock climbing
• Hot air ballooning (wildly popular)
• Skydiving
• Horseback riding
• Kayaking
• Kiteboarding
• Surfing
• Hiking and trekking
• Camping
• Whitewater rafting
• Aerobatic flying
• V8 Racecar driving
• Paragliding
• Skydiving
• Boating

On a Budget?

• Melbourne hotels and hostels are designed to fit every traveler’s budget. Hostels range from $18-50 USD per person per night, and one can find many budget hostels and hotels near the State Library of Victoria and Melbourne Central. Campsites on the beach with a stunning view of Port Philip Bay are available near the city. There are also numerous sites tucked away in the wilds of Victoria, for travelers looking to get up close and personal with nature.
• Melbourne offers the daring diner many enticing options. It is known as the “foodie capital” of Australia (seems that Melbourne is #1 for many things in Australia). Due to the international flavor of the city, visitors will find restaurants with fare from all corners of the globe. On the cheap end, one can expect to pay around $8-13 USD per meal.

Photos

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Images (in order) courtesy of, colros, chrisleishman, Looking Glass, eguidetravel, Lucid-Dreams, Looking Glass, macinate, Paleontour, Looking Glass, and thomasrdotorg on Flickr.

Map

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Melbourne Vacations

The post Melbourne, Australia Adventure Travel Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.

When I decided to write this article on how to kitesurf I didn’t want to waste any time. Being an experienced wakeboarder and snowboarder, as well as having some experience surfing and windsurfing, I figured I was as good a candidate as anyone to go from zero to hero. Although in my relatively short seven-hour lesson I never quite got up on a board, I did learn what it takes to learn to kitesurf, and it’s really not that difficult.

My instructor, Joe Rueger of the Tainan Kitesurfing Center, walked me through the following steps learning to kitesurf.

Lesson 1: The Basics
First you have to learn the proper kitesurfing terminology so that your instructor can communicate instructions to you clearly. This includes a few pieces of equipment and kite positions.

Equipment
Kite – Used to harness the power of the wind and pull you across the water. Looks like a smaller, modified paraglider.

Harness – Attaches you to the kite.

Power Bar – Allows you to steer the kite and control the power or ‘pull’ of the kite.

Board – The board that you stand on as you zip across the water. Similar in size and shape to a wakeboard.

Bindings – The foot holders that attach you to the board.

Kite Positions – Horizontal (see fig. 1)

As with flying any kite, when kitesurfing you always stand with your back to the wind. If you are facing the same direction as the wind, the position of the kite from left to right is discussed in terms as if you are standing in the center of a large clock and the kite is near one of the numbers. Straight ahead is 12:00 and 90-degrees to your right is 3:00. To your left 90-degrees is also 12:00. The kite will always remain between 9:00 and 3:00 because if it goes any farther the wind will no longer hold it aloft.

Kite Positions – Vertical (see fig. 2)

The position of the kite on the vertical plane is discussed in terms of degrees; the ground being zero degrees, and directly above your head being 90-degrees.

Lesson 2: Power Positions (see fig. 1 & 2)
Once you know how to discuss the position of the kite, it’s time to learn the significance of the positions. This is important because the position of the kite determines the strength of the pull, or power, of the kite.

The formula for power positions is basically this. The most powerful possible position is when the kite is at 12:00 (directly in front of you), at a 45-degree angle – pretty much the center of the kite’s field of movement. The farther you move away from this position in any direction the less power the kite will have. If you place the kite at any extreme – 3:00, 9:00, 90-degrees, or zero degrees – it will have barely enough power to stay aloft.

Lesson 3: Controlling the Kite
Next, to learn how to control the position and power of the kite, you will start practicing with a trainer kite on the beach. The trainer is a miniature kitesurfing kite that maneuvers just like a real one, but that is too small to pull you anywhere.

You’re first attached to the kite by a harness. Your control over the kite comes in the form of a bar about 80 cm long that you hold onto like a set of handlebars. This bar controls the direction of the kite, as well as the power. The ends of the bar are attached by strings to the corners of the kite and the bar pivots on the main cord that attaches your harness to the kite. When you pull in on one side of the bar, the kite will turn in that direction.

The bar also moves towards and away from you along the cord that attaches your harness to the kite. Holding the bar midway between yourself and the stopper will keep the kite at full power. If you pull the whole bar towards you, or let the bar all the way out, it will de-power the kite. This is a failsafe for people who feel out of control. If you panic and let go of the bar and the kite completely de-powers.

Lesson 4: Sand Skiing
Once you’ve got the hang of the trainer kite, it’s time to strap on the big boy and try dragging yourself across the beach. First, you strap into a real kite. Then, you practice moving the through low-power positions. Then, when you’re ready you move the kite into a power position. It will jerk you forward and then, leaning back against the pull of the kite, you will ski briefly across the sand. Don’t worry, you won’t be pulled far. It’s very hard to keep the kite in a power position in this exercise. You’ll move the kite through the power position, and then out do a de-powered position, so the pull will only last a moment or two. This exercise teaches you where the power really is, and how it feels to be pulled.

Lesson 5: Body Dragging
The next step is just to get comfortable with a kite in the water. This is basically the same as sand skiing, except you’re dragging yourself through the water. You just move the kite in and out of power positions, pulling yourself along through the surf.

Lesson 6: Kite Surfing
This is it. You’ve mastered all the techniques. Now it’s time to strap on the board. To start you sit in the water with the board on, keeping the board near the surface of the water, just like starting on water skis or a wakeboard. Then you put the kite in the air, and move it into a power position. The pull of the kite should pull you up out of the water and, as you lean back, keeping the board’s edge in the water, you’ll start moving. And that’s it – you’re kitesurfing.

For information in Chinese on learning to kitesurf visit the Taiwan Kitesurfing Center website.
For information in English (in Taiwan) call Joe Rueger at 0956 100 97 1

The post Zero to Hero: Learning to Kitesurf in a Day appeared first on XpatMatt.