sobepal

I will be traveling to australia in september for two weeks. i was thinking of starting in sydeny from september 1-5 then going over to ayers rock from the 5-8 heading over to cairns 8-11 and ending in melbourne from 11-15. Any suggestions on locations to stay. i have been looking for hotels and think that in sydney the best place would be the rocks/quay area. ayers is easy since there arent many choices. for cairns and melbourne i really have no clue. i wanted some beach time but at the same time i live on south beach so was thinking that maybe i should forget the beaches and just enjoy carins CBD. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated....on anything...tours, hotels, restaurants. i will be traveling with my parents as i am surprising my father for his 60th birthday since this has always been his dream. they are very active and can keep up with a busy itinerary. please help


thanks
sobepal

AlanJG

You are spending a lot of time traveling for the time you have on the ground. I wo0uld suggest cutting out one of the locations so you can see the others better.

sharich

Hi Sobepal, Cairns is nothing special, Port Douglas a bit further up and much nicer, the main thing in the area is getting gout to the Barrier Reef, and maybe the Karanda Railway and Sky Rail.
The Rocks in Sydney is nice but can be pricey.
In Melbourne if you want to be near the Bay stay in St Kilda, the Novotel is in a good spot and you can get into and out of the City by tram, St Kilda is very cosmopolitan and amazing food and people watching. You wont be lying on the beach in Melbourne in September mind, you will have to rely on Cairns for that!
Otherwise we have great hotels in Melbourne, Try Citadenes Apartments in Bourke Street, I stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment there last night and it was lovely,

longhorn55

I agree with Alan. For a 2-week vacation in Australia, I recommend no more than 3 different destinations, mainly due to the time it takes to get from one place to another. I'm sure you and your parents would rather be sightseeing in Australia than spending your time waiting around in airports and flying around.

tt7

For a 2 week trip, you are trying to cover a lot of ground but with good scheduling, it should be do-able.

If you go to Cairns, stay in Palm Cove or Port Douglas. Although opinions will differ (and there may undoubtedly be others who will chime in and disagree), there is nothing to "enjoy in Cairns CBD". As far as I'm concerned, the only reason to go to Cairns is because it's where the airport is ... The point of going up there is to (a) visit the reef and (b) visit the rain forest. I don't think tourists go to Cairns simply to visit Cairns. You indicate that you don't really need much beach time but the reef and the rain forest are well worth it, even if the beach time is minimal. From Uluru, fly to Cairns on day 1, go out to the reef on day 2, rain forest (perhaps the Kuranda train/skyrail) on day 3 and fly to Melbourne on day 4.

As for Melbourne, plenty of hotels to choose from. As suggested, you should visit St Kilda, though personally I'd be more inclined to stay in the city itself. If, after a couple of hours of wandering around, you want to go back to the hotel to put your feet up for an hour, it's easier to do if it's in the city, rather than a tram ride away. Depending on your budget, some of the apartments may work well (as already suggested) or places like the Novotel on Collins are centrally located. If travelling with parents, then perhaps the 2 bedroom apartment may provide the best alternative. I've not had much call to check them out, but in addition to the already-suggested Citadenes, check out Punt Hill Apartments and Quest Apartments. If you want input on specific locations, just ask.

Melbourne is generally regarded as the cultural / sporting / dining / cafe / shopping capital of Australia. Sydney has the glitz and the glamour (the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House etc. etc) but Melbourne has everything else.

Melbourne is the home of Australian Rules Football and by September it's the end of the season and finals time. The grand final (in U.S. terms, think Super Bowl) is on September 29, so if you're here earlier in September, the preliminary finals will be on. An Aussie Rules game is well worth going to see, IF you can get a ticket (which may be difficult and/or expensive once it's finals time - but there's always tv!).

If winery tours are of interest, the Yarra Valley or the Mornington Peninsula are both about an hour or so drive from Melbourne. The Great Ocean Road is well worth it but you preferably need two days for that (at least).

tt7

For hotels, check out http://www.wotif.com/

You may do as well (or better) booking direct with a hotel, but wotif will give you a pretty good idea of what's available and at what price point.

AlanJG

For rainforests in the Cairns area go to the Daintree if you are into botany and to the Atherton Tablelands if wildlife is your interest. Kuranda is at the top of the escarpment and not yet high enough for most of the endemics.

sobepal

Thank you all so very much for all the suggestions. i honestly didnt think that i was trying to cover too much, but again its my first time in australia so i really dont know much. the longest flight is about 3.5 hours. i will consider cutting one city if its crazy. im trying to make the best of this trip since its my fathers dream and i doubt he will ever go back. we leave the 30 but wont arrive sydney till the 1st.
1 -sydney---we arrive at 700am so i was planning on just walking aroung and sightsee especially after all the travel
2-sydney- hunters wine tour
3-sydney -blue mountains
4-sydney- whale watch 3 hour tour and check out opera house
5-travel to ayers rock
6- ayers rock- tour and sunset dinner
7- ayers rock
8- travel to cairns- arrive early relax today
9-cairns- great barrier reef tour
10-cairns- rainforest or kuranda
11-travel to melbourne--relax
12- melbourne- wine tour yarra valley
13 melbourne- not sure
14- melbourne- relax and enjoy city
15 home
please do let me know if this is too much. i honestly thought it was doable, but again, im not certain.

sobepal

again thank you all for the help. i want to make this a special trip that my parents will find memorable.

Susan7

I agree with Alan and Longhorn, three locations only for two weeks, otherwise you will spend too much time in airports.

I'd do just one city, the urban life of Australia is not why you would come here, it's the natural world that is so remarkable. That said both Sydney or Melbourne are great. Contrary to tt7's spruiking for Melbourne, there is no consensus on Melbourne being the cultural, dining, and whatever else capital. Every city in Australia has great dining, museums and so forth, so take your pick.

Bokhara2

And you only need one wine region visit on a tight schedule. If you're going to Melbourne, go to the Yarra Valley & use the Hunter Valley day elsewhere.

I'd like to see you spending a little more time in Sydney, even at the expense of the Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley.
But then, I don't know what your interests, or those of your parents are.

And do allow some flexibility on day 2 or 3 in case jet lag catches up with you.

Only you know the pace at which you like to travel and I don't want to discourage your visiting any of your dream locations. Just be aware that 3.5 hours flying morphs into 5.5 - 6 by the time you factor in:

* Travel to departure airport & from your arrival airport to your hotel (30-45 minutes in Sydney & Melbourne,depending on traffic).

* Check-in time with luggage is 45 minutes prior to flight time - and there may be a queue when you reach the airport. If you're late checking in with Jetstar, you forfeit the flight and your fare.

I like Sydney and Melbourne and have lived in both & know them enough not to buy into any parochial nonsense about which is "better". As Susan7 says, there's great dining, sightseeing and culture in each of our Capital cities - and they all have their own distinct flavour.

I think you'll have a great trip. This link may be useful in choosing accommodation www.wotif.com.au

I use it as a property, location & price guide - but contact the property direct to book, to avoid payment in advance and the restrictive cancellation policies of wotif.

sobepal

thank you all for the great suggestions. i will look into cutting out one city and focus more time on three. ahh decisions decisions! thanks for the advice.

sharich

Can I suggest you give the Hunter Valley a miss and use that day for something else, and in Melbourne visit the Mornington Peninsula wine region instead of Yarra valley, that way you get to see the beautiful coastal scenery as well. I can help with a bit of an itinerary for that (I live on the Peninsula).

sobepal

well i decided to make some changes to give me more time in sydney and in cairns. i really dont want to be too many days in ayers rock. i feel like i will will enjoy sydney and cairns much more. I can be wrong tho.

august 30 leave LAX-Sydney

September 1 arrive sydney at 730 AM
i was planning on just enjoy the city this day since we will be in a daze from 20+ hours of traveling and jetlagged.

September 2- blue mountains
September 3- maybe check out bondi beaches.
September 4- Hunters wine tour or something else. I was trying to do at least one wine tour since my father loves wine, but i wouldnt mind omitting it to include something better.
September 5- bay bridge climb/ 3 hour whale watch cruise
September 6 - leave for ayers rock
September 7- tour in am and end night at sounds of silence dinner
September 8- leave for cairnes at around 1400
September 9- relax and enjoy the beach
september 10- great barrier reef.
September 11- rain forest
ok this is where i am stuck it is MUCH cheaper leaving from melbourne than flying back to sydney and leaving from there so i was thinking
September 12- fly to melbourne just relax
september 13- melboune
September 14- melbourne
September 15 home
i know 4 cities may be too much but i still need to catch another flight from cairns to either sydney or melbourne to go back home. i rather save a little and be in a new city or is it just best to go back to sydney and leave from there?? Even if i cut out melbourne and visit only 3 cities i still have to do the same amount of flying

Sharich im all ears for suggestions for an itinerary.

sobepal

i can also add more days to sydney and carins and just stop in melbourne for one day to make connecting flight to LAX?

AlanJG

sobepal, In September it can be windy in and around Cairns so I would suggest you add a day or two here in your itinerary and do not book ahead. This will give you a bit of flexibility. The windy periods usually only last a couple of days at that time of year. Today the winds got up and that will last for the rest of the week.

sph

We visited Sydney and Cairns a few years ago. Fabulous trip. I remember being advised to skip Melbourne as it was too much and Ayers Rock may not be worth the time. We stayed in a luxury apartment in Sydney which was really nice and great location not too far from rocks area. You will definitely have jet lag for a few days so plan light activities then. Sydney is a beautiful city. We also stayed in an apartment in palm cove which I think is a bit more lively than port Douglas but Port Douglas is very pretty. We went to the blue mountains (full day), Daintree, tablelands, snorkeling and diving at the reef, visited a crocodile farm. No beach to speak of in cairns but great, lively pool down town and fun bars and restaurants.

There is a lot to explore from Cairns area with a rental car. We took the metro in the city. In the city, great wine and dining in the rocks area, opera house of course, Taronga zoo is great.

One of my family's favorite trips. Have fun.

sph

Forgot to mention that Bondi is a must do.