A question about Australia

nuffingman

We are planning going to Aus next year but don't know where to start or finish. it will be for 3 weeks and our only musts are Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef. Any recommendations, URLs appreciated.

blue mosquito

Recommendations? Find more time..... unless you are planning on taking some internal flights.

Also, apart from the Opera House and the Harbour, you would be better off going to Melbourne than Sydney, it is a much cooler city. IMO

nuffingman

Thanks, no more time available I'm afraid. We are happy to take internal flights.

blue mosquito

I am sure our antipodean friends on the board are better placed but when I was there I stopped at Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Brisbane, Noosa and Fraser Island. Have a look at all those places in a guidebook or website and see what you think....... although forget about Coffs.

Byron Bay is pretty laid back, Surfers is a bit more urban, Brisbane you can miss as you are hitting Sydney. Noosa/Fraser Island is worth a bit of time.

nuffingman

I'll look them up. It's probably going to take more time planning this than going. Thanks

I'll have to bump this for when Oz wakes up.

battan1120

Couran Cove Resort off the Coast Brisbane.You tube very nice but pricey.

Hinny

What time of the year?

Sydney is top notch for a 4 day visit
1 day in the Blue Mountains. Come back at night and find some Thai to eat in Newtown. Stay overnight at Jenolan Caves if you wanna see some underground caves.
1 day at Taronga Zoo followed by a harbour walk along the national park along the shores to Manly, then a ferry ride back into town. Skip the zoo if you don't have a thing for animals. Skip the harbour walk if a 5 hour stroll is too much work.
1 day on the beaches- ferry to Watson's Bay for some seafood at the wharf there, then head on to the South Head cliff tops for a great photo op, then go do the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach.
1 day doing the inner city stuff- walk on the harbour bridge (the pilon is far cheaper than the bridge arch for a similar view), Opera House visit, stroll through the Botanical Gardens, check out the State Art Gallery, lunch at Darling Harbour.

If you're coming in winter, catch a rugby league/union match on the weekend. If not, catch some random gig at the Metro, the Enmore, the Gaelic, or for something more mellow, the Basement.

That's Sydney, done.

Hinny

For Great Barrier Reef, I find using Port Douglas as a base to be far more relaxing than using Cairns. PD is an hour by road north of Cairns. Cairns is more vibrant, PD is more up-market. DO NOT GO INTO THE WATER IF YOU COME BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND MARCH. Don't even think of walking barefooted into the waters along the beaches. Stinger season.

Unless you have a thing for wine, skip Adelaide. 3 weeks is too short for you to include South Australia. There's great places there, sure, but like I said, too short.

If you do like your wines, save it for a trip out west.

Perth
- 2-3 days away from Perth to the Margaret River area. Great surf, great wines, great national parks, great all round.
- 1 day day tour to the Pinnacles http://www.travelaust.com.au/adventure/wa/per034.html
- 1 day seeing Rottnest Island, spend the night back on land at Fremantle

Zoso

don't forget to visit Adelaide

don't worry about watching a thugby match just go and watch some Aussie Rules football instead.

nuffingman

Hinny wrote:

For Great Barrier Reef, I find using Port Douglas as a base to be far more relaxing than using Cairns. PD is an hour by road north of Cairns. Cairns is more vibrant, PD is more up-market. DO NOT GO INTO THE WATER IF YOU COME BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND MARCH. Don't even think of walking barefooted into the waters along the beaches. Stinger season.

Unless you have a thing for wine, skip Adelaide. 3 weeks is too short for you to include South Australia. There's great places there, sure, but like I said, too short.

If you do like your wines, save it for a trip out west.

Perth
- 2-3 days away from Perth to the Margaret River area. Great surf, great wines, great national parks, great all round.
- 1 day day tour to the Pinnacles http://www.travelaust.com.au/adventure/wa/per034.html
- 1 day seeing Rottnest Island, spend the night back on land at Fremantle

Thanks Hinny, that's a big help. We are looking to come out in January or February so no paddling then. Good to know about Port Douglas as we assumed Cairns was the place to go but we prefer quieter places.
Thanks again.

i like matt.c

nuffingman wrote:

Thanks Hinny, that's a big help. We are looking to come out in January or February so no paddling then. Good to know about Port Douglas as we assumed Cairns was the place to go but we prefer quieter places.
Thanks again.

If your coming at the start of the year, go to a cricket match or a music festival. Bondi is a lot of fun aswell. Good food, shops and the beach.

threefish10

I would love to visit Australia. sounds like a great place.



but in all seriousness, i would avoid byron. like i was there 2 weeks ago and it just felt like the place was full of transients who have just gone there to beg of the tourists.

on your way up from sydney to the reef, or down the other way whichever you do first. there is no real reason to stop in brisso. sure it's a nice city and stuff, but you'd be buggered filling in more then a day or two in the city. and the only real good things we have are some nice parks, museums and the gallery of modern art. but you can see all that and better in Sydney. so you'd be better spending a few extra days there. or going down to Melbourne.

maybe the sunshine coast. fair bit of tourist stuff round there, nice coast and hinterland within half an hour of each other.

but yeah if you are nly here 3 weeks, i'd probably just stay east coast. but i don't really know much about Perth. it migt be worth the journey over there.

Tone

Oh bejesus you're going to the Barrier Reef in summer!? Yikes, that'll be really fucking hot, although you really have to see it! Airlie Beach is a great place to stay (Whitsundays) and try and check out Fraser Island if you can. Take lots of sunscreen, definitely skip Adelaide (sorry to you SA's out there), not alot there and it's hotter than hell in summer.

You MUST go to Sydney, I may be biased cause I'm from there (even though I don't particularly like living there), but it is a truly beautiful city. You have to hit the harbour on a ferry, go to the zoo, go to the beaches, DRINK GREAT COFFEE, and everything Hinny said. The New South Wales central coast is beautiful, full of great beaches and places to visit, but it's so spread out and I just don't think you'll have the time.

Try and go to Melbourne, aim to go around Aus Open tennis or even see a cricket game at the MCG (go to a one-dayer). DRINK GREAT COFFEE!!! Check out St Kilda, Chapel Street in South Yarra, Lygon Street in Carlton (for Italian food) and really try and drive the Great Ocean Road (at least to Lorne), you won't regret it, absolutely gorgeous, stop off at Bells Beach, Torquay and just keep driving. Torquay is the start of the Great Ocean Road and it's only about 70km from Melbourne, so really close.

I would avoid the Sunshine Coast and Surfers, horrible, tacky, crappy place and ugly to boot. Brisbane is a nice city but, again, it's going to be rather uncomfortable at that time of year.

As Hinny said, Margaret River in WA is a great wine region, but it's way over the other coast. If you do like wine, you could maybe spend 2 days (1 night) at the Hunter Valley north of Sydney. It's a good wine region in Australia and very pretty or you could check out the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria (great Pinots). Undoubtedly the best wine regions in Australia are actually in South Australia with Coonawarra, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Barossa Valley etc, but that would mean going through Adelaide, lol.

Oh yeah, definitely don't bother with Canberra.

Enjoy! 3 weeks isn't much, Australia is geographically huge and spread out, but have fun

tarotvixen

I also recommend visiting Melbourne but don't think that 3 weeks will allow enough time. Reckon you should start in Sydney since that is a bigger hub airport, and then get an internal flight to Queensland, fairly cheap way of doing it. Ideally fly into Melbourne, spend a week here then hit Sydney and then fly to queensland for that last week of beach relaxation. Geographically it's the equivalent of landing in New York, going to Boston and ending up in Florida

Hinny

In defence of Adelaide, sitting by Glenelg beach and having Jeff and Boom come around and sit next to me at the oyster bar was kinda alright, but I don't think that kind of thing happens too often over there.

catefrances

Hinny wrote:

What time of the year?

Sydney is top notch for a 4 day visit
1 day in the Blue Mountains. Come back at night and find some Thai to eat in Newtown. Stay overnight at Jenolan Caves if you wanna see some underground caves.
1 day at Taronga Zoo followed by a harbour walk along the national park along the shores to Manly, then a ferry ride back into town. Skip the zoo if you don't have a thing for animals. Skip the harbour walk if a 5 hour stroll is too much work.
1 day on the beaches- ferry to Watson's Bay for some seafood at the wharf there, then head on to the South Head cliff tops for a great photo op, then go do the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach.
1 day doing the inner city stuff- walk on the harbour bridge (the pilon is far cheaper than the bridge arch for a similar view), Opera House visit, stroll through the Botanical Gardens, check out the State Art Gallery, lunch at Darling Harbour.

If you're coming in winter, catch a rugby league/union match on the weekend. If not, catch some random gig at the Metro, the Enmore, the Gaelic, or for something more mellow, the Basement.

That's Sydney, done.

hell hinny that was rather good.

an improvement if i may... walk through the domain, drop in at the art gallery. continue along to mrs macquarie's chair and then round through the botanic gardens to the opera house. continue on around circular quay, through the historic rocks area and then across the harbour bridge. theres a lovely resaturant near the public pool at milsons point(in the shadow of the bridge), then catch the train or ferry back from milsons point. absolutely loads of photo ops.

my only concern though is however will our visitor find a thai restaurant in newtown.;)

oh and dont forget a trip on the manly ferry.

colorsblend

Hinny wrote:

Perth
- 1 day seeing Rottnest Island, spend the night back on land at Fremantle

Go to Rottnest! It is stunning.

Earlier this year, I spent 5 weeks traveling around Australia. We went to Sydney, Noosa, Brisbane, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne, Alice Springs/ Uluru and Perth. Try to extend your trip, you want more time.

Skip Noosa, it's pretty, but it's just like the Jersey shore.

Definitely go to the Blue Mountains. Don't book a tour. You can buy a train/bus combo ticket at Central station, for $50 which will drop you off at multiple spots to hike.

Spend at least a week in Sydney. There's so much to see and do.

I thought Melbourne was ok, but I was also there for 4 days which fell over Good Friday and Easter, and I didn't expect it to be so dead. Poor planning on my part.

Great Ocean Road is beautiful, but be prepared for a l-o-n-g day.

Cairns has heaps of great Indian restaurants. Wear a wetsuit if you snorkle on the Reef, every boat will have one.

Book your internal flights before you leave. Any tours you want to book, you can definitely get a better price while you're there.

Public transport is so easy to use.

Honestly if I were you, in 3 weeks I would go to Sydney, Perth and Uluru.

catefrances wrote:

theres a lovely resaturant near the public pool at milsons point(in the shadow of the bridge), then catch the train or ferry back from milsons point. absolutely loads of photo ops.

Are you talking about the Indian restaurant? If so, it's SO SO good.

nuffingman

Thanks people but with all those recommendations I think we may have to quit our jobs and come over for 2 months. We know nothing about Australia and all our friends that have been seem to have done the same thing, Melbourne, Sydney and the Barrier reef but we thought there must be so much more.

I'll let you know when we make our route plan and wait for your comments.

Cheers!!

catefrances

nuffingman wrote:

Thanks people but with all those recommendations I think we may have to quit our jobs and come over for 2 months. We know nothing about Australia and all our friends that have been seem to have done the same thing, Melbourne, Sydney and the Barrier reef but we thought there must be so much more.

I'll let you know when we make our route plan and wait for your comments.

Cheers!!

oh there is so much more. australia is huge. it cant be really given justice in a short trip. uluru is a must if you venture beyond the eastern seaboard. as is kakadu national park. theyre both in the northern territory.

sydney truly is a jewel. but i have admit to be biased, being born and bred there. it is quite a sight standing near the gap on south head and looking back down the harbour toards the bridge with the sun sparkling off the water and white sails drifting along.

Hinny

Cate, North Head has a better view, though it's trickier to get to and has a bit of a trek if going by public transport.

Nuffing, I haven't even covered big chunks of the country myself- Kimberly Ranges in north Western Australia, Kakadu National Park and Uluru in the North, Kangaroo Island in the South, Tasmania, and the offshore places like Hamilton and Lord Howe islands. It really is a big place.

vedder_soup

Hinny wrote:

Cate, North Head has a better view, though it's trickier to get to and has a bit of a trek if going by public transport.

Nuffing, I haven't even covered big chunks of the country myself- Kimberly Ranges in north Western Australia, Kakadu National Park and Uluru in the North, Kangaroo Island in the South, Tasmania, and the offshore places like Hamilton and Lord Howe islands. It really is a big place.

kimberly is amazing, been there twice and would like to go back, 16 years is a long time since i have been there and i want to see it with Adult eyes, same goes for Kakadu and Uluru.
Lord Howe Island is FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!!! Hamilton i would give a miss, but that is just a big tourist trap in the Whitsundays

catefrances

Hinny wrote:

Cate, North Head has a better view, though it's trickier to get to and has a bit of a trek if going by public transport.

...

a better view of the harbour? im so going. trekking is no problem for this avowed PTer.

threefish10

catefrances wrote:

a better view of the harbour? im so going. trekking is no problem for this avowed PTer.

just don't get all emo and decide to jump while your there.

catefrances

threefish10 wrote:

just don't get all emo and decide to jump while your there.

what are you, a mind reader?

Hinny

catefrances wrote:

a better view of the harbour? im so going. trekking is no problem for this avowed PTer.

It's not much of a trek, really. Mentioned that just cos we are now the fattest country in the world. Parking is a rip-off if you're driving right to North Head car park. The rangers know it, and know people will be too tight to pay, so they basically camp out there.

Even the car park has a bloody awesome view. Great place to picnic.

If public transporting it, there's a bus going up from Manly wharf to Manly hospital. Get off and walk about 30 min (I think?) past the military zone and the quarantine station, and it's right at the end of the one road up there. Nice environment for a jog. Definitely avoids the crowds South Head gets cos South Head is much easier to get to.

catefrances

Hinny wrote:

Parking is a rip-off if you're driving right to North Head car park. The rangers know it, and know people will be too tight to pay, so they basically camp out there.

Even the car park has a bloody awesome view. Great place to picnic.

If public transporting it, there's a bus going up from Manly wharf to Manly hospital. Get off and walk about 30 min (I think?) past the military zone and the quarantine station, and it's right at the end of the one road up there. Nice environment for a jog. Definitely avoids the crowds South Head gets cos South Head is much easier to get to.

past the military zone and quarantine station. HA!! that makes it sound like were in some south east asian dictator ruled country or quite possibly zimbabwe.

a jog? i think not. i dont even run for the bus.

well i guess i know what im doing next sunday if i recover from the breeders and albert hammond.

threefish10

catefrances wrote:

albert hammond.

did i not hear this morning that he cancelled?



Edit: yes, i did. sorry:

http://www.defamer.com.au/2008/07/albert_hammond_jr_isnt_coming_to_oz_anymore.html

catefrances

threefish10 wrote:

did i not hear this morning that he cancelled?

did he? oh shit. :(