My only thought is that you are leaving too little time in the Cairns area as there is much more to see the and the surrounds than you think. I cannot help you with the GOR as I do not consider it the best of destinations actually and feel that there are far more deserving "must sees"in Australia that the GOR. I realise that a lot of people have been and liked it but then that is at the expense of other areas, which they did not see and that to my mind are better.
I envy you your idea of staying in Coober Pedy and you will certainly see something quite different, from the norm there and very interesting. I would also think that you will get some wonderful opals as well. However having said that I hope you are aware that the drive to Coober Pedy and from there to Uluru is about as uninteresting as you can get and you will be spending your precious travel days doing it. I am not saying don't do it, I am saying that although Cooper Pedy is an interesting place and one which I enjoyed a lot driving there and on to Uluru would not be my choice on a short trip from the USA.

you might want to re-look at doing Phillip Island then GOR - PI is on the western side of Melbourne, the GOR is on the east. you might be better to go to PI first night, then Melbourne the next day and night, then start the GOR.

As for staying in apollo bay and trying to see the 12 apostles sunrise, you're going to have to get up VERY early to do that as it is over an hour to get to the apostles from Port Campbell (longer if it's dark!) it is easy to find them in the dark - park at the visitors center and walk across. make sure you then drive down to gibson steps and walk along the beach for a different view.

Before you get there though you may like to look at where you're planning to stay. You would be backtracking if you do otway fly then stay at apollo bay as it is north west of apollo bay.

you seem to have allowed a lot of time between GOR and leaving adelaide. (5 days?) I would spend an extra day in Melbourne, one extra for the GOR, and then another to get to Adelaide. There's been quite a few posts recently on getting from GOR to Adelaide - do a search to see them.

Thank you both for the suggestions. I will do some rescheduling. Still thinking about doing Coober Peddy but dropping Kings Canyon to spend more time in N Queensland. Will also rearrange GOR. I am thinking of flyin into Sydney and leaving from Cairns.I am checking other threads and also finding them helpful.

I re-read my post - I meant it's over an hour from apollo bay to port campbell - the apostles are not far from port campbell.

Hi - Coober Pedy isn't a destination you see too often on this board.

I wish you all luck with your travels - but to be honest if this really is going to be your only trip to Australia then you are planning to see a whole pile of places that aren't in the top bracket.

The GOR is nice if you take it really slowly and see all the low key attractions there are to see. Like it's something to be savoured rather than just rushed through. But still wouldn't put it on my list for a one time visit.

Driving to Uluru from Adelaide is a long, long way. The attraction is in the challenge cos there really is little to see if you take the main highway. On the other hand, if you wanted to travel ADL to Coober Pedy by the back roads - through the Flinders Ranges, passing Lake Eyre and visiting the Oodnadatta Track, and William Creek (pop 12 - or is it 14?) then you would need lots of days.

Or .. let someone else do the driving (cos this is an amazing trip) - check out www.waywardbus.com.au.

There are always so many alternatives.

My advice - go slowly and savour.

What would you consider to be the top places to see? Everything sounds great, but I know from traveling here that all tourist info sounds great. How many days would you give GOR? I think Uluru and the GBR are something we really want to include. Everyone keeps saying Sydney is a must, but I am the least interested in cities. Would November be a better time to visit. it would most likey be mid Nov- mid Dec. We must travel after we finish harvest and before planting season. Thanks

March is probably better than November in a lot of ways and then the reverse is true in other ways. I would not like to be in Uluru in November for instance as it would be too hot then.
The top places in Australia in my opinion are the GBR and surrounds including Atherton Tablelands, Daintree and perhaps the savanna country further west, Kakudu and attractions in the Northern Territory, Places in the North West of Western Australia which really are bigger and better than the centre i.e. there is a rock there that is far, far bigger than Ayers Rock and the Bungle Bungle ranges are more interesting, ancient and weird than anything else in the rest of Australia. Ningaloo reef is fantastic, especially if you want to swim with whale sharks and so on and so forth. I think that Tasmania comes in the top of the list too of places worth seeing and it is different from the mainland and has a wide variety of places and things to see and do. White Cliffs in NSW and Lightening Ridge are probably more easily accessible and are also interesting to visit and both opal mining places. A visit to the saphire fields in Queensland and a side trip down to Carnarvon Gorge is a top trip destination as well and you will see a bit of the outback and in Carnarvon Gorge you will also see Aboriginal paintings. Drives around/ from Sydney i.e. up to the Blue Mountains, down around the southern highlands and through Kangaroo Valley is a beautiful trip with lots of things to see and do. The Hawkesbury River, postman for a day boat trip is great.
If you are on the land I would also be inclined to call in where perhaps the same, or similiar crops are grown and get to know some of the locals in the industry, you will be warmly welcomed and perhaps you would enjoy enchanging some ideas with others.
With the list that I have written I have tried to highlight things in Australia which are either unique or special and they are by no way the only things available BUT they are condensed in areas where you would have a higher concentration of interesting things do see and do and perhaps without wasting time driving though desolate places or adding enormous cost for only a few days.
Depending on the type of around Australia fare you got you could do a lot of this by flying into an area and staying in one place there while doing side trips from a central place.
Don't discount a few days in Sydney as you actually can have a very relaxing stay in Sydney and spend time seeing the beautiful waterways around while just sitting on a ferry. You do not need a car either there. But if you really don't like cities then drop that down to only a couple of days.

LizF
Thank you. You have caused me to pause and think about how I like to travel and spending time in Airports is not real appealing. I need to spend more time at fewer destinations. Obviously I need to spend more time in Queensland.

I had considered Kakadu earlier and ruled it out because of it being the wet season, I like to see things up close (on the ground rather than by plane) perhaps I got the wrong impression on the wet season being a problem. Also how would I get to Bungle Bungle? Will I be able to visit on the ground in March? If I can make Kakadu and Bungle Bungle work i would skip Uluru.

What is the nearest airpor to Ningaloo reef? Sounds wonderful though may involve to much travel time.

Thinking about Skipping GOR and PI, Still need to check out info on Tasmania.

Travel Agents around here tell me I need to get reservations made in August, is this really necesary if I don't need fancy accommidations. I would rather spend my money on more days in australia than on a fancy hotel.

I lived in Darwin for a year and have visited it a few times since and much prefer the wet season there to the dry actually because of the rain, the greening countryside and the respite from the sun. Generally speaking March is the end of the rainy season and yes, unless there is some dramatic change in weather patterns or a freak cyclone around, you can travel on the ground and of course places like Kakadu are much more beautiful I think with the waterfalls and the coverage of water etc.
I am assuming you will get some sort of travel air pass when you come to Australia, if that is the case then no place will be inaccessible and that includes the NW of Western Australia. Broom would be the airport of choice I would think but I will check that out later for you because things change so much in the airline industry that it may be there are no flights between Darwin and Broom now. I will get back on that for you.
If you have a pass then you could fly say Cairns - Darwin - Alice Springs ( Uluru) Sydney and spend more time on the ground in and around those places. Alternatively it is still possible then Cairns -Darwin - Broom -Perth - Sydney or something like that.
I would not be booking accommodation at this time because if you are flexible and can wait until closer to your visit you will get a great choice of hotels, B&Bs at discount rates. March is not school holidays that I know of and therefore less people travelling.

I have just checked and there are no flights that I can find that touch down in either Karatha, Broom or Kunanarra in WA from Darwin if you fly on a pass with Qantas. NB though I have not explored all options but I have included here the website for a Qantas Australian Air pass - it does not go into 2007 as yet though with those fares. However you would be able to do a lot with the pass even if you had to pay an extra little bit for a preferred destination. http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/us/specials/webDeals217

Happy planning..........Liz

Suminoryh,

I just wanted to reply to your question about doable re: jet lag from the midwest. Everyone is different, but here is my experience. We flew to San Francisco (from Kansas City), then on to Sydney. I slept most of the way between SF and Sydney, primarily by staying up most of the night before so was exhausted, plus have a bad back so took pain pills for flight (which make me sleepy, and can be easily accomplished with a Tylonel PM as well)

We arrived in the morning, went to hotel, showered, spent the day out with friends for lunch and dinner, and managed to stay up to 9 pm.

Honestly, have to tell you that I was totally fine by the next day. So, your day 4 plan for starting sightseeing should be just fine!

Thank you all so much I will take a few days to plan and probably be back in a week with more questions.

Well the week turned into nearly a month.
Possible itinerary
Day 3 Arrive in Sydney
Day 4 & 5 tour Sydney
Day 6 & 7 Blue Mountains
Day 8 What ever looks interesting
Day 9 Fly to Melbourne and drive to Apollo Bay
Day 10 Otway and whatever appeals stay overnight at Port Campbell
Day 11 sunrise at the 12 Apostles, the rest of day unplanned
Day 12 back in Melbourne by evening
Day 13 fly to Coober Pedy
Day 14 Coober Pedy
Day 15 drive to Uluru
Day 16 Uluru and Olgas
Day 17 Kings Canyon
Day 18 come back from Kings Canyon and fly to Cairns
Day 19-24 GBR, Daintree, Cape Tribulation, Atherton Tablelands
Day 25 Fly home

Does this look more reasonable? No flights booked yet so we can still make changes.

Has anyone done the Great Ocean Walk? We don’t have time to do it all but would be interested in trying a little. What route would you take back to Melbourne?

Not sure if Coober Pedy will stay, if not we will fly directly to Uluru. Has anyone had any experience with Aussie World www.aussieworld.com? The 3 Day Red Center Safari looks interesting.

Can you recommend a web sight where customers rate local tour agencies?

Couple of points:

1. I think you can only fly to Coober Pedy from Adelaide - with Rex - Regional Express. Looks like you may be able to fly on to Alice Springs - but this is not too clear. You can also get there by coach, or train.

2. I couldn't see a car hire company listed at Coober Pedy - which would put rather a dampener on your drive to Uluru.

Have a look at the local website:
http://www.cooberpedy.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=179

Thank you for the info. We have dropped Coober Peddy. We are giving the Cairns area 8 days. We are thinking GBR 1-3 days, Daintree and Cape Trib. 2 days, Atherton Tablelands 2 days. i am not finding any maps to indicate exactly what is considered the Atherton Tablelands so i have no idea how much time to allow. Really have no idea how much time to give to the Reef. How would you spend 8 days in the Cairns area? Would you have your lodging in 1 place or move around? We are thinking if staying in one place works to make no plans until we get there. I tend to over plan so that idea is giving me a little stress even though it probably is a wise choice. It is so long since i have posted don't know if anyone will be checking or if i should start a new thread. Not to computer savy would it be called a thread?

Has anyone done a safari type tour in the red center?

Thaanks everyone we are really getting excited for thsi trip.

Well, isn't planning a trip to Australia frustrating as well as soo exciting? We did it for a year before our trip in 2004 and have been doing it steadily since returning for a trip in 2007. First of all, know that you will have an awesome time no matter what you do, because it is an awesome country with awesome, friendly people. Secondly, you absolutely cannot do it all! Decide what you want to get out of the trip and try to maximize that instead of doing what other people tell you to do based on what THEY like! (Although I'm going to tell you what I think, please feel free to do whatever!) We are snorkel-mad, so we changed our latest trip to stay in Queensland mostly so we can do more of that. We are also quite interested in animals, the unique plants of Australia (I LOVE tree ferns) and the Aboriginal art and culture. We had to X-out many other sites and experiences because we wanted to focus on what we like the best, or else we'd be spending too much time in the airports. Our first trip we went to Sydney and Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains, flew to Uluru for 3 nights, flew to Darwin for 3 nights in Kakadu, flew to Cairns for 3 nights there and then I think 4 nights in Port Douglas and finished up in Sydney again. This time we plan to go to Brisbane and Lammington NP, Carnarvon Gorge, fly to Airlie Beach to go to the reef there, drive to Cairns via Undarra Lava Tubes and the Atherton Tableland (do a search here for lots of info on the tableland--there are people who do night tours for wildlife) and then to Cairns for more snorkeling. Both trips were/will be 24 +/- days. We have a map of Australia in our hallway with pins in it and we haven't even scratched the surface of where to go and cool things to see. Good luck in planning and remember: it's all good!
Sally in Seattle

Pat Woolford is our resident expert on things around Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands and I am sure she will see your post here but if not then I suggest that you post another saying " Help from Pal Woolfood please"
The Tablelands take in places like Mareeba, Atherton, Milla Milla, Ravenshoe etc etc and the area is quite large but from there you could go to the lava tubes or you could take the train perhaps through some quite different country. I would just stay quite flexible as you can then decide at a moment's notice if you wish to spend more time on an island, in the rain forest or on some tour. There are many, many tours which you will see what you are there and many more than you can get up on the web searches. A friend of Pat's has a wonderful animal and bird sanctuary which is worth a visit as most of the things that are there you will be able to get close to. If you are interested in staying in a B&B then Pat Woolford has Lilybank B&B in Cairns and she has access to all the tours available in that area. If you were to stay with her she could make sure that you got on the best tours, saw the best things and you have the best time. Just a suggestion, but there is nothing better than local knowledge and knowledge that is not biased one way or another which means you get the best!

Now Liz is being too kind, but here's a new website which should go a long way to help self-drivers find the best of Far North Queensland, including coast, World Heritage rainforests, waterfalls, Tablelands and outback. www.greattropicaldrive.com.au/

Oh, Pat, thanks for posting that site because that is just what we want to do! I will have to study it, but I just wanted to thank you for this (as well as lots of other stuff.)
Sally in Seattle

Thanks Pat this is the kind of site I have been trying to find. Wow so much to do I may cancel the Great Ocean Road and add some more days in this area. Just what liz has been recommending It will take me a while to check it all out.

assuming your flying Qantas late flight out of LAX, something to remember, what ever time you leave LAX, as soon as you set foot on the Qantas jet, your under Assie east coast time....being from Dallas, Tx, central time as you, it was surprising to be served a huge supper at 2 am central time....it is 5 pm or supper time in Oz....we had caught the late flight out of LAX and arrived Sydney at 7am....it is loud on the jet....we had Bose noise canceling headphones....they sure helped immensely....even blocked out the babies crying...it helped to get some sleep..I would recommend staying up as long as you can and then nod off....we seemed to acclimate rather quick to Assie time but struggled with jet lag upon our return home to central time ...your schedule to rest after landing in Oz seems right...take it easy and have a wonderful time...

Thinking about doing a safari in the red center. Could someone discribe a swag to me. I understand that they are like a sleeping bag, but is there anything between you and the dirt beside fabric? The tours I like the best use swags, not sure my back would tolerate sleeping on the ground. Thanks for your help

Swags are sleeping bags - made from heavy strong material - waterproofed to a degree. A thin mattress and bedding is contained in the Swag which is opened up for sleeping and then rolled up for transport each day. They are quite warm and cosy but you are sleeping on the ground and it will be hard!

Thank you. We decided to take the Wayward Bus tour "Just the Centre" it has 1 night of sleeping in a swag. I am thinking of taking an air mattress to put in the swag do you think that will work?

We have 5 days in Sydeny we want to see the Blue Mountains? Would we see more on a tour or driving ourselves. Would you recommend 1 day or 2 to enjoy the mountains.

I will continue to browse the other postings they are helpful, and hopefully I won't ask to many repeat questions.

Regarding the Blue Mountains, there is another option in addition to taking a tour or driving yourself - taking the City Rail train.

You can do this yourself and save about 50% over a guided tour by going down to the City Rail window at Circular Quay and buying The CityRail Blue Mountains ExplorerLink ticket. It provides return train fare from Central Station to Katoomba and an all day 'get-on-get-off’Explorer Bus tour to 30 locations through the mountains. Stops include the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Leura village and the Scenic Railway.

You will gain flexibility and travel more relaxed because you are not driving yourself but are taking public transportation instead. Trust me, it is very easy to do!

Thanks to everyone who offered suggetions for our trip. I enjoyed Sydney much more than I expected. We stayed at the Sydney Harbor B&B, Location was terrific and the breakfasts wonderful.

I understand why you might think the GOR is overrated but we enjoyed it and don't regret spending time there. We took several side trips, saw Koalas and Kangaroos. The water falls were mere trickles but that is to be expected with the drought. Hope you start getting some rain.

We took the wayward bus to Kings Canyon, Uluru and the Olgas. The area was well worth the trip, we enjoyed the hikes. I would warn people to avoid this company however as the dishes were only rinsed with tap water after breakfast and with unheated water after the evening meal. after some complaints we were also given time to wash the dishes at noon. Hopefully we didn't contact Hepatitis on this tour. Regarding sleeping in swags- I am glad I tried it and never plan to do it again.

While in Caines we stayed at Lilybanks B&B. I loved the experience. We were in Caines during the rainy season, I expected rain although was surprised by the frequency. that is not a complaint just a great experience to better understand a tropical rain forrest enviroment. We went to the GBR one day, I think I must have seen every type of corral out there. The water was not real clear which cut down on the coloring of the corral. Once again we knew when we went that it was the rainy season and visibility would be less than ideal (it was the only time we can get away from our farm)I still enjoyed the experience but if your only reason to go to Australia is for the reef then don't go during the rainy season. We had a wonderful trip, I would recommend it to anyone at anytime of the year.