HOME > TRAVEL > 2000 > PALAU & AUSTRALIA > REFERENCES

Palau & Australia : Trip Report

Reference Library

Obviously we used a lot of books and web sites to plan our trip. In addition, I picked up a few books to help me identify the critters I saw on our dives. For your convenience, I put all this information in one page I call the Reference Library. Most of the books I got from Amazon.com as they are not the kind of books available at the corner bookstore. The book on the dive sites of Palau should be available at many local dive shops as well.

Books

" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Frommer's Australia 2000 720 pages 2000 edition
This is the book we used most often in Australia. They have a clear layout and excellent maps. Indispensable guide.
" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Australia (National Geographic Traveler) 400 pages
Not as good as a travel resource but where we found it useful is that it goes into a lot more depth about the history of Australia as well as Aboriginal culture.

" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Loney Planet Australia 2000 1056 pages 10th edition
Another typically excellent travel guide.
" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Fodor's Australia 2000 624 pages 2000 edition
Another typically excellent travel guide.

" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
The Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea 176 pages by Neville Coleman
This book describes only some of the major sites on the Great Barrier Reef. The reef itself is so vast that no one book can possibly describe all of them. The book does have good maps, tips on how to plan travel to the region and dozens of excellent photographs of some of the wildlife you could see on the famous Great Barrier Reef.
" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Lonely Planet Palau : Diving & Snorkeling 144 pages by Tim Rock and Francis Toribiong
This is the newer edition of the book I used and with twice as many pages I expect it's even better than the edition I used. The edition I used had some great text about Palau and the unique culture of the region. Obviously it has great maps and descriptions of the dive sites of the islands. Once again there are some sites that I visited that weren't described but most actually were described and represented accurately.

" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Comprehensive Guide.. 522 page hardcover by Robert F. Myers
This is an absolutely amazing book if you are really into knowing everything about the fish you're looking at. It's quite scientific but also includes over 1000 color pictures of various fish to make identification easier. The only downside is that it's heavy.
" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists 408 page paperback by Robert F. Myers
This is a slighly trimmed down version of the hardcover I bought. I checked out the dog-eared copy the Sun Dancer II had available and it contained almost the same content but toned down on the scientific stuff a bit.

" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific 314 pages by Terrence M. Gosliner, David W. Behrens, Gary C. Williams
Another indispensible guide to animals. This book only deals with invertibrates so you'll need a separate book about fish (see above). The only downside is that it's lacking common names for some fairly common animals but still an excellent book.
" TARGET="_NEW"> More info! More info!
Reef Watchers: Guam & Micronesia Fish & Critter I.D. 96 pages by Astrid Witte, Casey Mahaney
A cute but very small book. It's handy to carry around with you if you don't want to lug around the other much larger books. Has many of the animals you're likely to see but will definitely not have things you'll see. The book is both in English and Japanese.

Web Sites

Trip-N-Tour
This company specializes in dive travel to Micronesia. I dealt with Mike Zolna and I highly recommend them.
Carolines Resort
This is a nice little resort we stayed at for a couple nights in Palau. The rooms were actually small cottages at the top of a hill with spectacular views of the islands.
Peter Hughes Diving Inc.
This is an excellent operator of Live-a-boards around the world. We really enjoyed their Sun Dancer II operation in Palau.
Bondi Beach Bed & Breakfast
This is a small Bed and Breakfast in Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia. The owners made us feel very welcome when we stayed in their Garden "Sweet".
Inn Australia
On-line Bed & Breakfast broker. I worked with Carl Southern there to find a room in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. I couldn't find a place to stay anywhere near Sydney on my own but Carl came through with several options including the Bondi Beach B&B we stayed at, see above.
Sydney Taronga Zoo
The Taronga Zoo we visited while in Sydney. Definitely a must visit if you're in Sydney.
Royal Orchid Guam
The hotel we stayed at during our brief time in Guam. This was also undoubtedly the nicest hotel we stayed at on the whole trip.
Tusa Dive Australia
This is the dive operator we used while in Cairns, Australia. They were ok but probably still better than the other land based alternatives.
Kuranda Cultural Rainforest Village
The official site of the major tourist destination near Cairns, Australia.
Matthew's Palau Pictures
Here are pictures taken by a friend of a friend who went to Palau in November 2003. His pictures were taken by a housed Sony digital camera and look great. The pictures are hosted by Shutterfly so hopefully they'll stay there a while.

That's It! Go back to the Home Page.