In & Around Melbourne & Sydney

Old Oct 18th, 2016, 09:08 PM
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In & Around Melbourne & Sydney

Planning family vacations in Melbourne & Sydney in July 2017. We will be having around 2 weeks in Melbourne & Sydney and now looking for ideas and suggestion for "Things to do" and "1Day or 2 Day' trips in and around these 2 cities

Its our first tirp to Australia

We are more towards city life, natural beauty, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, wildlife, maybe some snowfall near by, some architecture

Thanks a lot
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Old Oct 19th, 2016, 03:18 AM
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Start with the destination tags here and the Visit Sydney & Visit Melbourne websites.
Check thr " What's in in ..." Websites for theatre, markets & festivals which may appeal to you.

Both cities have excellent public transport with multi-use cards - Opal in Sydney, Myki in Melbourne. And some stand-out restaurants, bistros & pubs showcasing our fabulous food. Zomato is a good reference - as is The Age ( Melbourne) & the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guides.

Sydney obvious attractions include ferries on the harbour, the Opera House & walk or climb the Harbour Bridge.

Both have very good art Galleries & museums.

Out of town jaunts might include Blue Mountains, Canberra (2 days) from Sydney;
The Yarra Valley, Great Ocean Road (2-3 days); Mornington Peninsula from Melbourne.

That's a start. Plenty of resources for you to research &'make a rough Itinerary. Come back when you've done that & we can help you refine it.
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Old Oct 19th, 2016, 08:43 PM
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The days will be very short, so some items on your list may be a bit hard to attain.

The nearest snow, from both Melbourne and Sydney, is a good five-hour drive away. You might want to spend time in Canberra, an interesting city for a short visit, and from there it's only 2 hours so you could go and come back in the same day, just to get a sniff of snow.

If accommodation in Canberra is on the expensive side (it tends to be, politicians and lobbyist-business types are on lavish expense accounts...), look for lodgings in nearby Queanbeyan, it can cost just half and still be fine.

It gets wet and chilly at that time of the year, often, and then again you can have sunny days that are short but fine, although the sun is a bit pale and it never gets to beach temperatures. Be ready for anything and always have a plan B, like a museum or such, if the outdoors are no fun.

Otherwise there is so much info on the web, and at your local library I presume, that I encourage you to start there, and come back with specific question if the come up.
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Old Oct 19th, 2016, 10:39 PM
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I live in Melbourne & have my whole life... I have been to both Sydney & Canberra & honestly - though Canberra is pretty & full of history etc I would never ever go there again in winter. I have lived through a European winter & many in Melbourne and I have never been as cold as I was in Canberra - my accommodation had central heating & heated floors and it was somehow still in our bones! But hey... some people like that kind of thing!!!

If you want more nature etc I would recommend getting a car, even though you can get pretty much anywhere via public transport if you are going outside the city for nature etc it is much easier & more direct via a car. For example in Melbourne city I would recommend the botanical gardens and a walk along the Yarra river - very pretty no matter what time of year.
Outside of the city i would recommend you see & hike the Kokoda trail "the 1000 steps" near Fern Tree Gully. It has plaques along hte trail so you can learn about WWII & the trail is through a rain forest - it's very beautiful & even if it's raining it's fun to do because you get the blood pumping!!!

Beaches I would recommend heading down the coast towards the Mornington Peninsula which is actually right on the Frankston train line. The beaches down there are much cleaner & feel more secluded though as the others mentioned don't expect to be able to swim it'll be way too cold!

If you go past Mornington there's also the Hot Springs - between $30-$45 entry each & I highly recommend booking online but it is beautiful there & especially during winter! There's many spring pools there, all varying temperatures and it is truly bliss! There's also a lot of really beautiful restaurants in that area too - one that comes to mind is Two Bouys in Dromana.

In the Dandenong Ranges you can get on Puffing Billy. It's an old steam train that takes you through the ranges & you can have a lovely picnic etc.

I would avoid any accommodation below 3* if I were you

Both cities are also great to just strap on your runners (sneakers) & wonder around, both offer great sights & you're bound to stumble upon a restaurant, museum, park land etc that you like.

That's also the middle of AFL ("footy") season. It's very popular, particularly in Victoria. I don't like it personally (or any team sports!) but I've been to a few games & the atmosphere is fantastic

I hope that helps!
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Old Oct 19th, 2016, 11:45 PM
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Thank you all for your kind suggestion and will be doing our reseach on them

In Melbourne, my sister brother lives, so we dont have to worry about hotels. It would be chilly in Melb in July so maybe only we go to beach for a stroll and thats it

I have never seen snow falling as we go on vacations in July only and that the summer almost in all countries, so this time we since it will be aussie winters so we are more inclined to go to a spot where we can enjoy some snow fall. Which is the best recommended place, perhaps we can stay 1 night.

Can we go for a Day trip to Blue mountain from Sydney or should it be a 2 day trip ?

and also how about Fraser Island. It it worth going from Sydney

The day trips and excursion are quite expensive in Aust so we would be carefully selecting them with your suggestions.
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Old Oct 19th, 2016, 11:48 PM
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& Offcourse the
*GOR (from Melb) - should this be a 1 day trip. As we will have a shorter time due to winters, how early should we leave for this trip
*Yarra river (Melb)

*Opera (Syd)
*Harbour bridge(Syd)
*Coogee to Bondi beach walk (Sydney)

i guess these are the essential
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Old Oct 20th, 2016, 07:49 AM
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2 best places in Australia to visit Melbourne and Sydney.
2 different specialty of those 2 places are Melbourne famous for various Live Music concerts and Sydney famous for various Seafood joints.
keep this 2 things in your thing when you will plan your trip in around of those places.
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Old Oct 20th, 2016, 12:55 PM
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Yes, you can do a day trip to the Blue Mountains, but if you have thr time, I'd stay overnight. Days are short in July & the extra day would give you more time to explore.

I understand your preference is for public transport - but is renting s car an option for you? Much of what makes Australia unique lies outside metropolitan areas. Some of these areas have sparse or no public transport & having thr use of a vehicle gives you access/flexibility.
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Old Oct 20th, 2016, 02:42 PM
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From Melbourne for snow Mount Bulla and closer Mount Donna are quite popular. Mount Donna can be a day trip whereas Mount Bulla Would be a couple of day & accommodation there can be quite expensive.
You need a car to get to both.
THe Great Ocean Road is just a big long coastal road. So you can go there for a day & back, but you won't be able to drive the entire road. I would recommend taking the great ocean road from Melbourne to Anglesea or Lorne for a day trip. They're small coastal towns & very pretty. You can get accommodation there too if you want to stay. But again these things require a car.
There may well be tours that do them but you'd have to google it.
The Yarra River runs right through Melbourne city. It is surrounded in the city by lovely restaurants and there's lovely walking trails that go through nice gardens etc. If you have some time the Murray River is quite nice but is several hours drive from Melbourne and if you choose to go there you will need accommodation and also to check to ensure it hasn't flooded as the national parks in the area get closed!
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Old Oct 20th, 2016, 02:52 PM
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From Melbourne for snow Mount Bulla and closer Mount Donna are quite popular. Mount Donna can be a day trip whereas Mount Bulla Would be a couple of day & accommodation there can be quite expensive.
You need a car to get to both.
THe Great Ocean Road is just a big long coastal road. So you can go there for a day & back, but you won't be able to drive the entire road. I would recommend taking the great ocean road from Melbourne to Anglesea or Lorne for a day trip. They're small coastal towns & very pretty. You can get accommodation there too if you want to stay. But again these things require a car.
There may well be tours that do them but you'd have to google it.
The Yarra River runs right through Melbourne city. It is surrounded in the city by lovely restaurants and there's lovely walking trails that go through nice gardens etc. If you have some time the Murray River is quite nice but is several hours drive from Melbourne and if you choose to go there you will need accommodation and also to check to ensure it hasn't flooded as the national parks in the area get closed!

Oh also Fraser Island is off the coast of QLD near the sunshine coast (North of Brisbane city) It is about a full day of driving or about a 1 hour plane ride and then about 30min more driving from the Sunshine coast airport (from memory). It is recommended that you only go onto Fraser Island with a tour guide as it can be quite a volatile place with various wildlife that are not your friend! Especially if you don't know what you're doing.
It is stunning though, I went there once (with a tour), they have big 4 wheel drive bus. We were picked up from Noosa, You go across on a barge (flat slow boat) and then they drive along the beaches because the island doesn't really have roads. They supply all snacks and meals through the day. They know the most beautiful areas & try to ensure you see a dingo though they can be quite shy. They stop for lunch at a beautiful lake and you have 1-2 hours to swim. You also visit Rainbow beach with has cliffs of varying colours and is very beautiful & an area of old farming & settlements. In other words it's a full 2 days trip from Sydney with a lot of travel & honestly I wouldn't do it on this trip.
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Old Oct 21st, 2016, 10:48 PM
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Make sure you visit the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, beautiful coastal walks, both rugged ocean and calm bay beaches, wineries, great food, a lot of local produce here with cheese places, orchids, olives, The peninsula Hot Springs, horse riding, golf, there is a lot to see and do, it is just over an hours drive from Melbourne and worth spending a couple of nights here. Have a look at www.visitmorningtonpeninsula.org it will give you lots of ideas.
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Old Oct 25th, 2016, 09:54 PM
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Thanks a ton for all the suggestions

Renting a car and driving is not a problem at all and i we would rent a car for below day trips like
GOR
MOUNT BULLA OR MOUNT DUNNA (1/2 Day)
Blue mountain

Someone said Mount Dunna accomodation is quite expensive, can i get an idee what will it cost for a Double bed nice comfy rooms

Fraser island seems too far and "Expensive", as you have to take an hour flight and then the trip with a touring company. I understand that this trip shold be taken with a touring company. My questions on Fraser island trip will be
1. Airfare from Sydney to sunshine coast/closest airport to fraser island
2. What else can be done in and around to make the plane ride cost effective or is this only for Fraser island trip
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Old Oct 26th, 2016, 10:03 PM
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It's Mount Bulller which is a different place from Bulla. The 2 day trip snow places from Melbourne are Mount Donna Buang and Lake Mountain. Mount Baw Baw is another option.
I have done a day trip to Fraser Island from the Sunshine Coast where we were staying. To me it would a waste just to fly to Sunshine Coast and then just do the day trip - it's a very long day.
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Old Oct 27th, 2016, 06:01 AM
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Hi mate,

I hope you have a good time when you arrive here.

I'll start with some one and two-day trips you can take from Sydney.

- Blue Mountains National Park
- Belmore Falls & Nellies Glenn in the NSW Southern Highlands
- Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley Wine Region for some wining, dining, and relaxation
- Thredbo will have you covered for snow and skiing, though you may even experience snow in the Blue Mountains

To cover city life in Sydney, you should visit the following:

- The Rocks, it's where Sydney began
- the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, plus the Royal Botanical Gardens
- Darling Harbour

With regard to Melbourne, in the same order:

- the Great Ocean Road
- Grampians National Park (base yourself in Halls Gap)
- the Great Otway National Park

You could do the above over the course of seven to eight days in a camper van if you wish. Otherwise two-to-three day trips for each would suffice.

For Melbourne City life, visit the following:

- the city's laneways
- South Bank
- St. Kilda is great for bustling cafes
- Catch a game of AFL during July to see Australia's most-loved sport

What I've provided you with above is probably a small start. There's plenty to see. You could plan out your whole itinerary and get some more ideas with this Australia Itinerary Planner: https://www.inspirock.com/australia/...nner-d49693459
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Old Oct 28th, 2016, 10:34 PM
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It's best to fly to Hervey Bay for a Fraser Island tour. Both Qantas and Virgin fly there.
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Old Oct 31st, 2016, 09:35 PM
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Thank you all for your suggestions and advise which is surely helping us in making a wonderful trip.

Seeing the distance to travel for Fraser island, we have decided to drop it from our list of trips

Few questions that come to mind are

1. In order to see a snowy place and probably snow falling around Sydney or Melbourne, which of the places should be given preference keeping in mind that we are not into skiing, but want a natural scenic place with some good cable ride options. So which should we select for a 2 day trip
*Mount Douna Baung
*Lake mountain
*Mount Baw Baw
*Thredbo

2. Should i do the Blue moutain and also the Skyrain/Kurnada trip in Cairns + Daintree. Wont they all come out similar ?

3. Which would be better to stay PD OR CAIRNS

thanks again
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Old Nov 2nd, 2016, 01:05 AM
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Lake Mountain and Donna Buang do not have either accommodation or cable rides. They are sight seeing areas with lake mountain having cross country skiing so you you would have to stay in nearby towns .
Mount Baw Baw does have accommodation and ski lifts .
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Old Nov 3rd, 2016, 08:55 PM
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Would appreciate few more replies and suggestion on above queries
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Old Nov 4th, 2016, 12:33 AM
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The Blue Mountains & Kuranda have absolutely nothing in common, with the exception of both having a cable car.

Have a look at the FAQs & you will see what I mean.

Can't remember seeing specific mention of the ferries in Sydney. An absolute must! Manly is the longest trip st 30 mins each way & has a lot to offer in walks, restaurants, a good art gallery - and of course, Manly Beach.
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Old Nov 4th, 2016, 09:04 AM
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I agree with the suggestion to take ferries in Sydney - no particular target necessary, just hop on one or the other, those ferry rides may become the most lasting memories of your trip, as long as you pick a ferry where you can be outside! But by all means go to Manly, then make sure to walk from the ferry landing (on the harbor side) to the open-ocean side, along the pedestrianized Corso.

Just before you reach the other end, on your right, is a hole-in-the-wall seafood place (take-out only, in AU called take-away) I can recommend.

Also in Sydney, from the "Rocks" historic area (near Circular Quay where all the ferries pull up, also trains and buses), walk up to the Harbour Bridge level and go up on the Pylon for fabulous 360 views - easy and much cheaper than the expensive and time-consuming bridge climb.
See www.pylonlookout.com.au

And in the Blue Mountains consider visiting the fabulous Jenolan caves, all different in terms of length and hiking difficulties. Drive yourselves or go by coach. If you drive, you can be back in Sydney the same night (late), but it is better to make it a portion of a multiple-day Blue Mountain trip.

There is some accommodation by the caves. We liked the Titania motel in nearby Oberon (Shakespeare, anyone?).
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