How to split up Australia?

Old Feb 17th, 2017, 01:35 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
How to split up Australia?

Hello,
I am looking to travel to Australia but because it is so large I would like to take multiple trips. Around 3 or 4 trips 10-14 days each sounds about right to me. In terms of when I can travel, I am not limited as long as there is a school holiday at that time (Summer Break, Winter Break, Spring Break). My family and I love nature and sightseeing but would not dare miss big cities like Sydney either. My question is how should I split up Australia into multiple trips?

Here are some of the places I would like to visit:
Cairns Region
Brisbane
Sydney and Blue Mountains
Red Centre (Uluru, Alice Springs, West MacDonnell)
Canberra
Melbourne (Including Great Ocean Road)
Tasmania
Greater Perth Area
Greater Adelaide (Plus Kangaroo Island)
Top End(Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu, Katherine, Jabiru)

I appreciate any help with this seemingly daunting task.
somu13 is offline  
Old Feb 17th, 2017, 08:14 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,963
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts


Aaaah, for once the voice of reason speaks! Congratulations on this wise decision!

Here’s one way to slice and dice it:

A) The southeast, Melbourne, the coast roughly from Lakes Entrance to Port Fairy (Great Ocean Road), and some inland, for maybe a week, plus a week or so around Tasmania.

B) Sydney and greater environs, from roughly Batemans Bay to Canberra to Blue Mountains (Jenolan Caves!!!) to Hunter Valley and Central Coast

C) Greater Brisbane area, roughly from Tamborine mountain to Noosa Heads, then fly to Uluru and on to Cairns

D) Perth and south of there to roughly Albany, maybe a quick stint north to the Cervantes area for a sunrise visit to the incredible Pinnacles (http://www.australiascoralcoast.com/..._National_Park)
michelhuebeli is offline  
Old Feb 17th, 2017, 10:48 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 854
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I agree, it makes sense to recognize from the outset that you will not be able to do such a vast and wonderful country justice in just one trip. I must warn you though, wherever you start you will find so much to explore and enjoy you will be torn between coming back to that area or trying someplace new.

I’ve been to Australia about 10 times and inspite of best intentions haven’t often gone too far afield from Western Australia where we have family. A road trip north from Perth took us to the Ningaloo reef and some amazing countryside and small communities along the way--that was about 2 weeks in a caravan (RV) and had some long driving days. Further north yet, Broome requires a flight of several hours--I still have trouble getting my head around the distances involved.

East of Perth there is Kalgoorlie with the history of the gold rush and frontier days, plus the fascinating spectacle of modern day open pit mining. You can get there by train if you wish and it is worth 2 or three nights. I don’t think there is a lot to see in between there and Perth but I could be wrong.

About 3 hours south of Perth is the Margaret River region: wineries, festivals, forests, hiking, countless beaches, surfing, kangaroos ...I could go on.

Are you from North America, and are you referring to school vacations in your part of the world? You will probably want to visit different areas at different times of year in accordance with the climate. We’ve been north of Perth in October--Aussie spring, and expect it would be comfortable in their winter. Margaret River region is lovely at the peak of their summer. our recent 3 weeks in early January were almost perfect summer days, cool nights, while Perth was a sizzling 40 degrees. October through December and March through April is great for hiking and possibly some beach time.

Our visit to the Cairns area took us to the Atherton tablelands for a customized nature tour with Alan Gillanders. It was such a special time I like to mention him here any chance I get. That was in March/April and pleasant temperatures. You will find many many post here re GBR so no need for me to add to that.

Sydney of course can be enjoyed any time of year and is an easy stopping off point for many international flights so you might want to do short stays enroute to other parts of the country.

Western Australia is not top of mind for westerners, or many Australians for that matter, because it is so far removed from the more populated parts of the county, but in my (admittedly biased) opinion you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t include it. Depending where you start from it can be a more direct route through Hong Kong rather than eastern Australia.

No matter where you go, 10-14 days will be filled up quickly. Be sure to account for travel time (including crossing the date line) and allow at least a couple of days to recover from fatigue and jet lag before you start out on a road trip.

Enjoy your planning and check back often. There will be lots of suggestions forth coming.
eliztravels2 is offline  
Old Feb 17th, 2017, 12:52 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,241
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The north and south of Australia are exposed to different climates.

"Top End(Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu, Katherine, Jabiru)" has a wet season from November until April. It's also cyclone season. I've avoided visiting the Top End at this time. I traveled there in May and October and it was pleasant, not humid. though a bit hotter in October.
http://northernterritory.com/plan-my...er-and-seasons

"Cairns" and, I assume you also mean other parts of Tropical North Queensland, such as the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree and Cape Tribulation, so on, will also be in their cyclone season November until April, but this doesn't necessarily mean cyclones will occur. They're just more likely to occur at this time of year.

More details about Australian weather here:
http://www.australia.gov.au/about-au...nd-the-seasons

I was wondering, too, about which school holidays you were referring to.
Diamantina is offline  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 01:15 AM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi,
Thanks for all the replies. For school holidays I am referring to Summer break(Beg of June- End of August), Winter break(Mid Dec - Beg Jan), and Spring Break(Last Week of March). I am from the U.S.
somu13 is offline  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 10:53 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,741
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Because of the weather variations mentioned above, ideally you could visit Victoria and Tasmania in our spring or summer time. Then Queensland in our winter, Perth and the west in the winter and the Northern Territory in the winter. NSW and ACT could fit in with Victoria or or Queensland, I'd suggest it would work with Victoria better. Canberra gets pretty cold in winter but can be extremely hot in summer.

Be aware that Christmas holidays - roughly December and January are the main school break for the year and lots of places will be full and it's also more expensive. Easter is the other very busy time of year when you will need to book ahead.

I'd do a bit of reading, guidebooks, tour brochures, blogs etc and see what appeals to you most and do that as a first trip.

Do you plan to fly between the major centres then hire a car to get around? The distances are vast so if you can reduce the number of places you visit in each trip you'll spend less time in airports and checking in, checking out.

Kay
KayF is online now  
Old Feb 19th, 2017, 03:06 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,758
Received 83 Likes on 5 Posts
>

All the more reason to go!

We spent seven years in WA and loved it. Happy to help with specific as your plans gel.
Melnq8 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
obourke
Australia & the Pacific
4
Mar 10th, 2017 11:57 AM
Keith
Australia & the Pacific
7
Jan 22nd, 2014 11:28 AM
travelmad15
Australia & the Pacific
12
Jan 16th, 2013 12:11 AM
ksp2001
Australia & the Pacific
10
Sep 27th, 2012 10:58 PM
pfd104
Australia & the Pacific
6
Jul 21st, 2006 02:47 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -