atw74

I'll be traveling to Australia for 3 weeks in November. A friend recently moved to Melbourne and I'm taking the opportunity to visit someplace that's been on my "list" since I was in high school. Anyway, I've come up with an outline of an itinerary and would like some comments from people who've been.

So far, I've found that my friends who have visited think it's a good trip (seeing enough while spending enough time in each place), while my friends who have lived there think I'm overreaching.

I would ask that you keep in mind my way of looking at this trip: I don't want to run from here to there just to say I've been there. I want to spend quality time in the places I visit. BUT, I have to be realistic and realize that this is quite possibly my only trip to Australia, so I need to make the most of it. It's a difficult balancing act. Anyway, any thoughts you could give would be great.

*Leave NYC, Friday, November 2

*Arrive Cairns, Sunday, November 4; spend 4 days in the Great Barrier Reef area (I thought it would be best to start up there rather than Sydney. This would be a more relaxing start, hopefully, and I think I would cut out a lot of unnecessary travel time, i.e. Sydney then up to GBR, then back to Sydney, then out to the Blue Mountains, then back to Sydney and then Uluru...just seemed like a lot of wasted time if I started in Sydney)

*Arrive Sydney, Thursday, November 8; spend 6 days in and around Sydney, including 2 days in the Blue Mountains, a day at Bondi or Manly, and all of the Sydney sights (zoo, bridge walk, opera house, botanical gardens)

*Arrive Uluru, Wednesday, November 14; spend 2 days at Uluru (need to be sure I can fly in from Sydney and out to Melbourne. Also, I assume 2 days is enough, but please let me know if I should add a day)

*Arrive Melbourne, Friday, November 16; spend 4-5 days visiting a friend & traveling around Victoria (including the Great Ocean Road, wine tasting, hiking)

*Arrive Tasmania, Wednesday, November 21; spend 4 days (this is where I have the most flexibility. I would LOVE to go, but not if 4 days isn't enough and not if I'm sacrificing other places)

*Arrive Melbourne, Sunday, November 25th

*Leave Melbourne, Monday, November 26th

*Arrive, NYC, Monday, November 26th

Okay, what do you think? Should I spend more/less time anywhere? Should I knock out Tasmania (I think it would be awesome, but I don't want to run crazy the whole time to get there)? Any other changes you would make?

I really appreciate any insights you can provide.

rcg

Lucky you! You'll love Australia. We were there about 3 years ago for 18 days & we were in Cairns, Kangaroo Island, the Blue Mtns. & Sydney.

We like a more relaxed pace so we opted to stay 6 days in each area (Blue Mtns were part of the Sydney time). We found that the time spent in each area was just about right. We weren't rushed or exhausted & enjoyed every moment there.

Your shortest trip is the one to Uluru & from what I've heard from others who have been there, that's the trip I'd cut out. Then you'd have more time elsewhere, maybe an extra day in Cairns to recuperate.

If you are into plants, there are enormous rhododendron in the Blue Mtns. I'm not sure of the bloom time but it should be early Nov. Australian spring should be a beautiful time to visit.

Enjoy your visit & listen to your fiends who have lived there!

LizzyF

I would cut out Uluru 1/ because it is a long way to go and would take longer to get there than you think 2/ because November is close enough to summer for the centre ( Uluru) and therefore it will be stinking hot and the flies will drive you mad.

stormbird

I agree witht the other posters with regard to Uluru. Maybe you can come back in winter another time and concentrate on the Red Centre and Outback.

I'd tack the days you've gained from not doing Uluru onto Tasmania and voila I think you have a fabo tripped planned.

LizzyF

You could also add that last day to Tasmania as well and fly direct from there to Melbourne to pick up your NY flight - unless of course it leaves really early in the morning.

DownUnder

Hmmm. take out Uluru? I would think about that. I know to many of us it is just a Big Rock, but if you haven't been there before it is like Aussies going to America without seeing Niagra Falls. Uluru gives you the Outback and the vastness of Australia and would make the excellent trip you have planned very complete. You don't need more than two days and I would definitely leave it in. The GBR & Uluru are the two "biggies" downunder and you have the opportunity to see them both. I don't think you are attempting too much.

chimani

Hi

Brilliant itinerary. Open for a few tweaks but on the whole eminently sane. And I love your distinction between people who have visited (for fairly short periods one assumes) and people who have lived here.

Sure you could skip Uluru but it is the one location where you will really realise how big Australia is. So I wouldn't - even if I normally harp on about how 2 days isn't enough!!

It isn't but .. something has to give somewhere.

Are those 4-5 days in Vic primarily to see the friend or primarily to do the GOR and the hiking?

If you will spend all those days with the friend you came to see - well, yes, I understand that. But if not then I would cut out the GOR.

IMO it's seriously overrated unless you are doing it as a from a to b from MLB to Adelaide and have 4 days to spend doing it. Cos the most attractive thing about the journey is the side trips.

So maybe you could take a day or two off MLB and add to Tassie.

The Rock and Tassie are far, far more worthwhile for a first timer than the GOR.

Just my few cents' worth of course.

Happy travels.

SnRSeattle

Just curious--how are you flying from NYC to Cairns? Is it direct to Cairns or do you go through Sydney anyway?

RE skipping Uluru--that's a tough call. It IS in the hot season. . .but is an Australian icon.

Sally in Seattle

wlzmatilida

Hi Atw,

agree with the other posters -- take out Uluru - and add the time to Tasmania.

Sally, oh, that would be wishful thinking - a direct flight from NYC?!

from NYC, the routing would be JFK / LAX / SYD / CNS; and on the return a bit better - MEL / LAX / JFK.

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

tampatramp

listen to all the other posters and eliminate Uluru and you will have a wonderful trip; no doubt about that.

Listen to yourself: "quite possibly my only trip to Australia, so I need to make the most of it." then how can you eliminate the outback, Uluru-a major icon of the country, and leave with no idea of the vastness of the country.

IMO, either decide you will go back, or see what makes the country great [the great cities like Sydney & Melbourne, the GBR, the Outback -and the Aboriginal culture, and Tazzi (although I have never been-yet).

[Australians please take no offense at my leaving out some of the other great things that I have experienced: Adelaide, Perth, Darwin/Kakadu, the wine and the beers, the trains, and most of all the people.]

OutbackRita

Hi atw,

good posts and advice here

My humble opinion is that you should not leave out Uluru, esp. if you think this might be the only trip to OZ. It is a magic place, and you'll get a sense of the Outback there.
You're friends are probably right, that your itinerary is to big, but if you seek information about all places you visit in advance you'll be right.
I know from own experience that Australia is overwhelming, however, when I know a little about the places I am going to see they seem a bit familiar. So you won't feel like you're in a spin.

Happy planning, Rita

atw74

Hey everyone -
Thanks for your thoughts and advice. I've been trying to match what I want to do with what my travel buddie and the friend we are visiting all want to do. It's not easy. I've come up with a new itinerary that I have on hold with Quantas. Of course, since then, I've had some further thoughts. My new itinerary is as follows (with notes and questions as to some of the changes i might make):

*Nov 2, Leave NYC;

*Nov 4, Arrive Sydney: Here is my first problem: Because of flight availability, I only have 4 days in and around Sydney. Is this enough time in Sydney? What about seeing the Blue Mts? Would it be workable to pick up a car at the airport and head straight for the Blue Mts for one overnight, then back to Sydney for 3 days and 3 nights? Am I missing a lot if I don't see Bondi Beach?;

*Nov 8; Arrive Uluru for three nights (I think I might change this to two nights in order to get to Cairns the night before my friend arrives);

*Nov 11 (or Nov 10); Arrive Cairns: we'd like to do Cape Trib for 2 days. I suppose we will spend the other three in Cairns. Does anyone have a favorite island they can recommend for a day trip? (Currently, I have 3 days, 4 nights in Cairns, but I'm going to fly in a day early (arriving in the late afternoon) and I'm going to try to add a day at the end, as well, giving me 5+days);

*Nov 15 (or 16th); Arrive Melbourne for 5 days with friends;

*Nov 20 (or (21st); Arrive Tasmania. We have 4 days here. I'm thinking the best thing is to fly into Launceston, rent a car, drive to Cradle Mt (through Devonport) and then drive down to Hobart and see that and Port Douglas, etc. Does that seem doable?

*Nov 25; Arrive NYC

So, any thoughts you have on this would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone used any particular tours (I'm thinking at Uluru or Cape Trib or Tasmania) that you'd recommend, please let me know. Now that i'm close to a basic itinerary, I need to start in on those kinds of things.

Thanks

effe88

Regarding comments about the Great Ocean Road (MLB) agree it can appear a little overrated if you just drive in and out. Local's opinion is that the magic of that route is if you spend a night once you get there, otherwise just a pretty drive. There are also some great walks you can do there now, see the GOR website. http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/greatoceanwalk/index.asp

lenh567

HI, We have had to wrestle with the same sort of choices that your are dealing with.

Our trip starts in Sydney (flying form SFO on the 16th) on Oct 18, and we fly back on Nov 11, which makes for 25 days compared to your 21. At first we had the same mentality as you: "this would likely be our only trip to Australia".

From the start we knew we wanted to visit Tasmania, and also planned ot visit Sydney, Cairns/Port Douglas, Melbourne and Adelaide.

To visit Uluru was a minimum three days, two nights, and we abandoned that destination at the start.

Adelaide is on our list because of the appealing writup that Bill Bryson gave of it in "In a Sunburned Country." As part of the Adelaide visit will be a one or two night visit to Kangaroo Island.

A travel agent I spoke with suggested three nights, four days to drive the Great Ocean Road and on to Adelaide. I did not accept that recommendation because my reading and judgement made me agree with those who suggest that the GOR is overrated, but worth doing if you are going from Melbourne to Adelaide anyway. We will probably spend two nights in transit, including the drive southeast of Melbourne to Mornington Penninsula and crossing to Queenscliff from Sorrento on the ferry.

No matter how I tried, I could not do justice to Tasmania, at best getting the time (4 or 5 nights)to do either the west coast or the east coast but not both.

Changing our logic to: "This will be the only time we do Tasmania", we decided to drop the Cairns leg out on the supposition that some day we will make another trip to Australia. Either a driving tour or a cruise will allow us to do the Great Barrier reef and the rainforest at a later time. 25 days is just not sufficient to do justice to all that Australia has to offer.

We have not finalized all bookings, so we are open to comments and suggestions that any readers may care to offer.

If you are comfortable with just 4 nights in Tasmania, I'd say you're pretty close to a final solution. Good luck, let us all know how it all ends up.

atw74

Well, we decided on an itinerary based on everyone's availability. Basically, I'll do
4 nights in Sydney (including a day trip or overnight to the Blue Mts);
2 nights in Uluru
5 nights at the GBR (including 3 nights at Cape Tribulation and adding on an extra night for me as I'll fly in the night before)
5 nights in Melbourne
4 nights in Tasmania

I think/hope it's a good itinerary. I think I'm seeing everything I want to see and I hope I'm spending "enough" time in each place.
Actually, a question has come up on Tasmania. From readings, etc, I had thought we'd fly into Launceston, rent a car, drive out to Cradle Mountain and spend one or two nights there before heading down to Hobart. We'd then spend 2 nights in Hobart and fly out of there. Now a guide book and a friend have both said, if you can do one thing in Tasmania, it should be Freycinet NP. So, do I bag Cradle Mountain in favor of Freycinet NP? Or, do I try to figure a way to do a day trip from Hobart to FNP? Or, do I try to figure a way to drive from Cradle Mountain to FNP and then end up in Hobart? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone

bechan

I've just come back from a month in Australia. I went to Uluru, and would recommend leaving it in (though I've never been to Tasmaina...). The scenery is much different from the other parts of Australia you'll be visiting, and it's as famous as it is because it really is spectacular. Given that you are concerned about time, I think that two nights there would be fine. The minimum that (I think) you would want to do would be watching the rock at sunset and sunrise, and then walking around it during the day. Of course there are other tours, but they're just icing on the cake - the above will be enough to give you the feeling of awe of it all. And don't forget to look up at night at all the stars.

Saltuarius

Three nights vegging out at Cape Trib sounds like just what I need now. Unless you're a botanist do not expect the natural history will keep you enthralled that long.
The Atherton Tablelands has more to offer in the way of scenery,wildlife and diverse attractions. You will not be disapointed about going to Cape Trib but you may be disapointed when you find out what you came so near to but missed.