That's a lot for a week! But then one is allowed a big bucket.

"I don't have my schedule of work yet, but it should not be longer than 3 weeks of 4 days and that leaves a week at the end of my 28 days in Australia.

I've created a bucket list of things to do divided by area. I hope to get to all."

It's quite simply not possible to do everything on your bucket list in one week...maybe we can help if we knew a bit more about what you feel you really, really want to to see.

You can't get from Uluru to Melbourne and then the Great Ocean Road for example in the time necessary to fit in even what you have listed for these areas.

Have you looked at a map- a serious question. You're looking at thousands of miles of travel; long distances mean flying which adds time - you do need to do some more basic research and then I'm sure you'll gets loads of good advice!

If I am only work 3-4 days/week I can travel on weekends- a key point I left out. so that gives me more than week for my list

Skip Phillips Island not worth it.

@ JoanneH: how come? I heard the penguins are parade are really nice. just wondering?

any other thoughts?

met19, from Campbelltown, it will take about an hour and a half one way to Sydney, doable of course. (city rail info).

Uluru is a very long way, expensive and very touristy.You'll meet lots of Americans and Japanese. For a more Aussie experience, could you perhaps hire a car one weekend and drive down the south coast beaches, maybe Pebbly Beach to see the kangaroos, and /or from Campbelltown, it's only a couple of hours down the Hume Highway to Australia's capital city, Canberra, which has wonderful free galleries and museums, and a most interesting Parliament House. Don't miss the War Museum, and the Gallipoli story of how Australia came to see itself as a nation. You do need your own transport, if not on a tour though. Hostels hire bikes, and it's flat.

Whatever you do, you'll have a good time. But you'll remember it better if you don't try to see it all at once, it's impossible. Choose fewer things, and enjoy them in more detail.
(http://www.southcoast.com.au/durras/index.html

http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/

I just tried to find you a train from Campbelltown to Canberra - there's no direct train unfortunately. Maybe there's a tour from Sydney. The YHA is very near Central Railway, and they arrange lots of tours all over.
http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/sydney-surrounds/sydney-central/

Have a look at this hostel in Sydney too - stay at least one night and just lap up the view!!

http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/nsw/sydney-surrounds/sydney-harbour/

Phillip Island Penguin Parade is VERY crowded and VERY commercial. If you don't mind that form of tourism you will have a great time. There are other places you can see them but they are off the beaten track.

The Figures for 2008/9 were 487 251 (308 465) from overseas. Dividing that by 365 days means that it will be you and 1 335 of your closest friends. As winter is very cold, the numbers will be less. So in Summer it would be you and 2 000 others.

Ayers Rock is worth every cent of going, particularly if you are lucky enough for the climb to be open. Although touristy Ayers Rock has a great community feel among the tourists. The resort is fairly spiritless. The Olgas are also fantastic and less tourists visit them. Do both walks at the Olgas, rather than doing the full walk around the base of Ayers Rock. The best bit of Ayers Rock is the summit and seeing itin themiddleof the plain.

Forgot to mention that when you go to the 12 Apostles, there is a small section of the Otawy National Park called Melba Gully. It is about half an hour out of Port Campbell. It is wet forest that has glow worms on the sides of the walking tracks. Well worth it, but not very well known.

Just re read one of the posts. Ayers Rock is very popular with Australians at the moment going there to climb the rock before it is permanently closed.

Get up close to koalas, see chocolates being made, taste local wines and cheeses, then watch the enchanting fairy penguins waddle up the beach at dusk to their burrows in the sand dunes.

Be aware that the Phillip Island Chocolate factory is more akin to Cadbury's chocolate than real chocolate.

@petersale: thought it was considered wrong to climb uluru?

everyone keep the feedback and ideas coming. i appreciate them

If you're working 3 or 4 day weeks, that gives you 3 or 4 days each week to explore. Plus the week at the end.

On that basis, you could tick off a lot of your "bucket list".

For the Sydney things, I'd really encourage you to stay overnight in the city. YHA The Rocks is in a fantastic location and single rooms are a reasonable price. Factor in the time & $ saving of going back to Campbelltown, and you'll probably not be too much out of pocket at all.

Let's say you take 3 days: Day 1: Bridge Climb (but I'd just walk over the normal pedestrian footpath); the Zoo, Aquarium and Opera House Tour - plus explore The Rocks.

Day 2: Early morning - Bus to The Spit. Walk to Manly.
http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/sydney-harbour-national-park/spit-bridge-to-manly.html

Allow 4 hours or a bit more. Lunch in Manly. Have a swim if it's warm enough. Ferry back to Sydney.

Day 3: Ferry to Watsons Bay. Bus to Bondi Beach. Bondi to Bronte (or Coogee) walk. http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/things_to_do/local_walks/bondi_to_bronte_coastwalk

This can easily be reversed so you finish with a ferry back to the city from Watsons Bay. Spectacular if you do it in the late afternoon & see the sunset.

For the Blue Mountains day (and I'd consider an overnight if you have the time) - take a train and do a tour when you get there. Carol Probert runs wonderful bird spotting walks. http://www.bmbirding.com.au/

"@petersale: thought it was considered wrong to climb uluru?"

It is.... Peter has an entirely contrary view to the actual custodians of the "Rock", the Aboriginal people (and most environmentalists).

They, very politely, request that people respect such a sacred place and DO NOT climb. There is also reason to be very concerned about the environmental impacts of constant tracking on the rock itself.

Thankfully, many people now do tours around the base, and observe from a distance rather than climb.The tour around the base is fascinating.

@bokhara: any thoughts to things to add or delete from my list?

Not really - as you say, the Cooktown drive might be stretching it a bit. I wouldn't bother with Sydney Tower, but it's probably only 1/2 hour so if you're keen, do it.

When you know what your work schedule will be, you could start to plan a few excursions.

Even with a 3 day break, you could do a quick trip to Melbourne and a loop which would give you Phillip Island and some of the Great Ocean Road. Of course, 4 days would be better, but you could do it in 3. I happen to think Phillilp Island is well worth a trip. There's a lot to see and do. But then, I've spent a few days there, driven around and had a good look. Easy to be dismissive if you've only shuttled in & out on a crowded tour bus.

http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.9303EBAA-0912-4E32-A6E8DC5B85982919/vvt.vhtml



Same with Uluru & Cairns. You could use your last week to do both. Fly into Alice Springs. http://en.travelnt.com/explore/alice-springs/alice-the-town.aspx

Spend a day there & then get a bus to Uluru via Kings Canyon. Day at Uluru & Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) & fly to Cairns. Spend the rest of your week seeing the Great Barrier Reef and hinterland.

If your flights aren't set in stone, see if you can open jaw into Sydney and out of Cairns on your homeward leg. Even if you have to go via Brisbane, it might give you an extra 1/2 day or more.

Of course you'll be getting glimpses rather than in-depth views, but if you have the $ and are prepared to rent a car & use a bit of ingenuity & energy, I think you might just have a ball and get to see most of what's on your wish list.

Many (most?) Australians have no qualms about climbing Ayers Rock. It is long running debate. It is almost moot, as the climb is more often than not, closed. The aim is to have it permanently closed within a decade. The lady in the ticket booth was totally unconcerned about us climbing it and gave us information on how and when.

There were no Rangers to talk to or answer questions about the climb at the base of the rock. This was left to the Police who happened to be on patrol. When they do open the climb they slink in and out very quickly to avoid any possible association with it, and any potential abuse. One couple we spoke to were abused by a ranger for stepping onto the rock where is touched the walking track around the base! This is not a good park management strategy.

I climbed it last year with several hundred others who were waiting at the base ready for it to reopen. It is by far one of the best things I done.

There are many environmental issues with the Rock in general. One is people going to the toilet on the rock and the runoff supposedly polluting the water.

This is a management issue not a climbing issue. (There are many other management issues. It is unlike any other national park in its poor management of people and their interactions with the environment.)

There is only one toilet near the Rock. People go to the toilet all around the rock. Evident by the bits of white paper around the whole base of the rock.

Tour groups are given insufficient time to climb the rock (to discourage them of course), so will race up the rock and go to the toilet when "caught short". Likewise due to the unreliable opening times people will rush onto the rock as soon as it opens and again go when "caught short". The climb itself only cover a small section of the rock (unless you are like me and spend five hours up there and walk from one end to the other) and the geology very much limits where water will flow. Those "small bumps"you see on the rock are several metres high creating marrow gorges and water will not flow up hill!

If you are on the rock and they close it you can stay on. So of course people rush to get on, not knowing when it will be closed. This in itself shows that rock is not well managed. Anywhere else that an authority closes something, they inform the people already on it. Could you imagine closeing Bondi Beach because it is too rough but not informing the people in the water? It would be a lawyer's dream. (There was a successful law suit for someone who hit their head on a sand bar when diving into the water at Bondi - it was overturned evntually)

There are good reasons and there are real reasons. Very few of the official reasons given by the management of Ayers Rock are real reasons.

If you would climb a similar thing in your own country or another country, then climb Ayers Rock. If you wouldn't do it in another country then don't. It is that simple. Do your own research.

You will offend people what ever you do and whever you go.

Sorry to side track your thread. But it is important that you get all view points so that you can make a wise and honest decision.

It is truly a magical place. Well worth every cent of going. The climb is the best part in my opinion by far. Walking the base is like walking around any other cliff - as fascinating as that is.

The top is truly intriguing with its ridges and different coloured rock. The rock is actually grey but oxidises to red not easily seen at ground level. The plants and waterholes and shrimp found nowhere else are very special to see.

If you are not one to lower your voice when you enter a cathedral then the area around the base of Uluru is not for you. I speak as an atheist who enjoys monumental works of man and nature.

Related to this I think that the parliament house in Canberra strikes just the right tone. People lower their voices when entering the public areas but not to a whisper.

(With apologies to met19 for hijacking the thread a bit here...)

Wow, I'm astonished that Mr Sale takes such a cavalier and disrespectful view of climing Uluru. I'm sorry that he has so little regard for the beliefs and history of what the property owners, the Aboriginal people, consider a sacred space.

We were there in November, had a wonderful experience: we attended the Sounds of Silence dinner, and did a sunrise walk with breakfast in the dunes. Our guide then took us right round the base of the rock, stopping to hike in several places while he talked about the ancient history and legends of the area. The climb was closed that day, but we would not have considered it anyway out of respect. Maybe Mr Sale cares not a whit for the beliefs of others as long as his own wishes are taken care of. I think that's a sad way to go through life. Just sayin'.

I agree about the Sydney Bridge -- just walk the bridge like commuters and save the $200. The views are just a good.

I loved Kangaroo Island --little Blue penguins, plenty of roos, wildlife parks with birds and cassowaries and roos to feed, honey farm, sheep milking farm, and eucalyptus oil factory. Plus Flinders National Park with its rocks and scenery is awesome.

Been to Australia 3 times now and love it every time. Great ideas for Sydney area - def must is bridge climb/bondi/manly. Try Lord Nelsons Pub for good food and history.
We've been to Port Douglas - were disappointed, too "fancy schmanzy" for us. Too many shops. We always to go the Whitsundays and skip Cairns/Pdouglas altogether now. Sailing, diving, snorkeling in W'sundays is great!! Brisbane is also a really cool city and the drive up is interesting along the coast.
On our first trip we also went to Melbourne and took some winery tours and tours to the bush and had billy tea - yes, I know, very touristy but kind of fun. Blue Mtns were cool, too.
Have fun. The aussies are the best people - super nice!!!

rikked, as a north Queenslander I too do not like Port anymore. A lot more to the area than one tourist dormitory though!

I think you should consider the time it takes to actually get to some of the places you mention in other states - by the time you've travelled from Campbelltown to the airport, waited for the plane, done the flight and got from the airport to your final destination, you're looking at maybe five to seven hours and you've essentially lost a day in travel. Then you lose another day getting back to Sydney.

My advice would be to cut it back and maybe just do one of the out of Sydney things as you only have that week.

Either Uluru or the Daintree region is spectacular. Uluru may be touristy but it is stunningly beautiful and the base tour is fascinating. But with your limited timeframe it is a long way to go to see just one thing. Daintree region offers more variety with reef, rainforest, wilderness. If you prefer cultural things, Melbourne is another great option and you could fit in your penguins and the Great Ocean Road while you're there as day trips with some sort of tour.

Here's a Sydney based list I put together for friends visiting from the US.

• Rocks, markets, Opera House and Botanic Gardens
• Sydney Aquarium and the Darling Harbour precinct (latter quite tacky but a great location and a pleasant stroll, with some nice waterside restaurants along the King St Wharf side)
• Bridgeclimb
• Taronga Zoo
• Manly ferry trip - - you can get a bus to the Spit Bridge and do a bushwalk along a well marked track all the way to Manly if you're active - it is really beautiful scenery and takes about four hours
http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking/general/list-of-walks.html?groupid=58
• Saturday Paddington Markets and Centennial Park picnic
• Bronte to Bondi walk and reverse (40 mins each way and spectacular scenery)
http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/things_to_do/local_walks/bondi_to_bronte_coastwalk
• City and museums – Strand Arcade, Queen Victoria Building, Hyde Park, NSW art gallery, MCA, Museum of Sydney
• Vaucluse House and Watsons Bay
• Dinners at Newtown for its funky street life

Out of town:
Blue Mountains day trip
Canberra 2 days overnight

I agree with all those who say you should spend weekend nights in the city. It takes hours to get in and out from Campbelltown and often there is track work on weekends that slows things down even further. It would also allow you to go to see a performance at the Opera House or one of the other theatres such as the Wharf or the Belvoir. The City Recital Hall also has great concerts and events. http://www.cityrecitalhall.com/

I looked but can't see exactly when you are here but look out for festivals - Sydney Writers Festival May 16 - 22, Good Food Month in October etc

I think the Bridgeclimb is worth every cent of the price. I've walked across the bridge on the noisy pedestrian walkway, which is fine if you can't manage the climb, but the views from the top are something else and some of our visitors claim it was the highlight of their trip.