Please critique my plan for 2 weeks in Australia (first trip)
Oct 13th, 2014, 07:27 PM
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Please critique my plan for 2 weeks in Australia (first trip)
For over 10 years, I have never planned a single trip without Fodorites help. And every time, I get invaluable advice that makes my trip special.
So, this time, we are planning a trip to Australia for May, 2015, and looking for your input and critique. We have international ticket booked (round trip to Sydney), but nothing else.
We will have 14 full days (not counting arrival/departure dates) - leaving on May, 8 and returning on May, 24.
We are a middle age couple, mostly interested in seeing national parks, wildlife, culture, and love good food. On that specific trip, we prefer not to spend much time in cities or museums.
We do not have much vacation time, and therefore do not mind if our travel schedule a little hectic.
With that in mind, I put together a preliminary plan, and looking for your advice:
Day 1. Arrive to Sydney in the morning, and connect to Adelaide. (not sure if domestic terminal is far from international, need to figure out connection time)
Day 2. Around Adelaide (possibly drive to Barossa Valley)
Day 3, 4. Kangaroo Island (The goal is to see wildlife, so I think we may have a better chance with a private tour rather than driving. Looking for your suggestions here).
Day 5 – Direct flight to Cairns, rent a car, drive to Port Douglas, stay in PD
Day 6 – GBR snorkeling with Quicksilver (helicopter over GBR?)
Day, 7,8, 9 – I am not sure how to spend, and looking for suggestions
I was thinking Day 7 – Mossman Gorge (interested in swimming), Daintree/Cape Tribulation (I am not sure if this is doable in one day, or better overnight)
Day, 8 and Day, 9 – spend with a private guide in Atherton Tablelands (including night time tour).
Here too – would like to see wildlife and birds… We have been to Amazon forest in South America previously.
Day, 10 – Early direct flight from Cairns to Uluru (camel sunset tour, sounds of silence dinner)
Day, 11 – Uluru/Kata Tjuta
Day, 12 – Afternoon flight to Sydney
Day, 13 - Sydney, Vivid Sydney
Day, 14 – Sydney, Vivid Sydney
Day 15 - fly home
Since we spent some time in rain forest in Ecuador on one of the previous trips, I would rather include Kakadu/Litchfield parks instead of Cairns area, but due to distances and flights schedule, it does not seem feasible. Looking for your perspective on Daintree vs Kakadu.
Sorry for such a long post!
Thank you in advance for all your advice!
So, this time, we are planning a trip to Australia for May, 2015, and looking for your input and critique. We have international ticket booked (round trip to Sydney), but nothing else.
We will have 14 full days (not counting arrival/departure dates) - leaving on May, 8 and returning on May, 24.
We are a middle age couple, mostly interested in seeing national parks, wildlife, culture, and love good food. On that specific trip, we prefer not to spend much time in cities or museums.
We do not have much vacation time, and therefore do not mind if our travel schedule a little hectic.
With that in mind, I put together a preliminary plan, and looking for your advice:
Day 1. Arrive to Sydney in the morning, and connect to Adelaide. (not sure if domestic terminal is far from international, need to figure out connection time)
Day 2. Around Adelaide (possibly drive to Barossa Valley)
Day 3, 4. Kangaroo Island (The goal is to see wildlife, so I think we may have a better chance with a private tour rather than driving. Looking for your suggestions here).
Day 5 – Direct flight to Cairns, rent a car, drive to Port Douglas, stay in PD
Day 6 – GBR snorkeling with Quicksilver (helicopter over GBR?)
Day, 7,8, 9 – I am not sure how to spend, and looking for suggestions
I was thinking Day 7 – Mossman Gorge (interested in swimming), Daintree/Cape Tribulation (I am not sure if this is doable in one day, or better overnight)
Day, 8 and Day, 9 – spend with a private guide in Atherton Tablelands (including night time tour).
Here too – would like to see wildlife and birds… We have been to Amazon forest in South America previously.
Day, 10 – Early direct flight from Cairns to Uluru (camel sunset tour, sounds of silence dinner)
Day, 11 – Uluru/Kata Tjuta
Day, 12 – Afternoon flight to Sydney
Day, 13 - Sydney, Vivid Sydney
Day, 14 – Sydney, Vivid Sydney
Day 15 - fly home
Since we spent some time in rain forest in Ecuador on one of the previous trips, I would rather include Kakadu/Litchfield parks instead of Cairns area, but due to distances and flights schedule, it does not seem feasible. Looking for your perspective on Daintree vs Kakadu.
Sorry for such a long post!
Thank you in advance for all your advice!
Oct 14th, 2014, 06:02 AM
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At first glance, I would say that you are giving short shrift to Sydney by only allotting 2 days of your vacation there, but it seems clear that you are the sort of people who enjoy nature more than cities. So, only 2 days in Sydney should be enough for you.
I absolutely love Darwin, Litchfield and the Top End of Australia, but it does take a lot of time to get there. You would want to devote at least 5 - 7 days to a visit to the Top End which would mean eliminating all of your Far North Queensland visit, including the Great Barrier Reef. Also, May is at the end of The Wet in the Top End, so the weather there might not be the best. It's a tough call, but I would probably choose the GBR and Daintree.
We've made day trips to Daintree NP twice and felt that we saw enough without going all the way to Cape Tribulation. But if you want to include Cape Trib, it would make some sense to overnight there as you would probably be rushed to see/do everything before sunset, which will be around 6pm in the month of May. I would not want to drive that road all the way back to PD after dark.
Finally, why have you chosen Quicksilver for your GBR trip? Quicksilver is great for people who want to see the Reef without getting in the water, but if you plan to snorkel, there are much better options. My recommendation, based on many trips with this company, would be Wavelength, a boat that carries a maximum of 30 passengers and does snorkel-only trips.
I absolutely love Darwin, Litchfield and the Top End of Australia, but it does take a lot of time to get there. You would want to devote at least 5 - 7 days to a visit to the Top End which would mean eliminating all of your Far North Queensland visit, including the Great Barrier Reef. Also, May is at the end of The Wet in the Top End, so the weather there might not be the best. It's a tough call, but I would probably choose the GBR and Daintree.
We've made day trips to Daintree NP twice and felt that we saw enough without going all the way to Cape Tribulation. But if you want to include Cape Trib, it would make some sense to overnight there as you would probably be rushed to see/do everything before sunset, which will be around 6pm in the month of May. I would not want to drive that road all the way back to PD after dark.
Finally, why have you chosen Quicksilver for your GBR trip? Quicksilver is great for people who want to see the Reef without getting in the water, but if you plan to snorkel, there are much better options. My recommendation, based on many trips with this company, would be Wavelength, a boat that carries a maximum of 30 passengers and does snorkel-only trips.
Oct 14th, 2014, 06:05 AM
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Kangaroo Island must have great advertising. It is an awfully long way to go if you just want to see wild life. What specifically do you want to see. If it is the sea lions then by all means go. If it is Koalas and Kangaroos then there are other places to go.
You will lose the best part of a day getting there and another day getting away, by the time you get to the airport, wait, fly, wait, get bags, get car or tour.
We are going there for ten days in January if you want us to do some research for you. It is about 10 years since we have been and unless they have GREATLY improved the roads it takes much longer to get from A to B than just about anywhere else. The roads are like driving on ball bearings.
Personally we were disappointed with Kakadu, but we live on a Ramsar wetland and are spoiled. Lichfield was much better.
I would suggest skipping Kangaroo Island and doing a loop of Sydney - Ayers Rock - Lichfield/Darwin - Cairns and home or back to Sydney if you can't change your ticket.
Remember it is entirely up to you whether you climb Ayer's Rock. I thoroughly recommend that you do. The top is one of the most spectacular places I have been (I spent 5 hours on top wandering around). Others here will vehemently encourage, if not demand, that you don't climb. The choice is yours. At least fly over it.
May is getting close to winter and the weather will be lovely in the centre and up north, but can go either way in Sydney and down south.
Are you particularly passionate about wines? If not, skip the Barossa. If you go to Kangaroo Island by road and take in the Fleurieu Peninsula.
As I suggest to all people. Make a "Must Do" list then fill in the gaps with "Would be Nice". You don't seem to have a "must do" list.
Again, unless you are particularly passionate about jungles and their comparative biology, skip the rainforest and focus on what things you have not seen before.
We have only been to the southern most island of the GBR and so can't fully comment, but generally speaking of the ten or so countries we have snorkelled in, they all look much the same under water.
Sorry if I sound a bit jaded or rough. Australia, as you no doubt know, is full of spectacular stuff. I just want you to focus on the stuff that is like nowhere else you have been, eg Lichfield and Ayer's Rock. Kangaroo Island too, for that matter, as the island itself is geologically fascinating having been carved by glaciers.
Let us know if you have any specific questions.
You will lose the best part of a day getting there and another day getting away, by the time you get to the airport, wait, fly, wait, get bags, get car or tour.
We are going there for ten days in January if you want us to do some research for you. It is about 10 years since we have been and unless they have GREATLY improved the roads it takes much longer to get from A to B than just about anywhere else. The roads are like driving on ball bearings.
Personally we were disappointed with Kakadu, but we live on a Ramsar wetland and are spoiled. Lichfield was much better.
I would suggest skipping Kangaroo Island and doing a loop of Sydney - Ayers Rock - Lichfield/Darwin - Cairns and home or back to Sydney if you can't change your ticket.
Remember it is entirely up to you whether you climb Ayer's Rock. I thoroughly recommend that you do. The top is one of the most spectacular places I have been (I spent 5 hours on top wandering around). Others here will vehemently encourage, if not demand, that you don't climb. The choice is yours. At least fly over it.
May is getting close to winter and the weather will be lovely in the centre and up north, but can go either way in Sydney and down south.
Are you particularly passionate about wines? If not, skip the Barossa. If you go to Kangaroo Island by road and take in the Fleurieu Peninsula.
As I suggest to all people. Make a "Must Do" list then fill in the gaps with "Would be Nice". You don't seem to have a "must do" list.
Again, unless you are particularly passionate about jungles and their comparative biology, skip the rainforest and focus on what things you have not seen before.
We have only been to the southern most island of the GBR and so can't fully comment, but generally speaking of the ten or so countries we have snorkelled in, they all look much the same under water.
Sorry if I sound a bit jaded or rough. Australia, as you no doubt know, is full of spectacular stuff. I just want you to focus on the stuff that is like nowhere else you have been, eg Lichfield and Ayer's Rock. Kangaroo Island too, for that matter, as the island itself is geologically fascinating having been carved by glaciers.
Let us know if you have any specific questions.
Oct 14th, 2014, 07:49 AM
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We were on Kangaroo Island in 2008 and found the roads to be fine (we did have an SUV and have been to Africa many times). Most are unsealed and you have to be careful of wildlife. We flew to Kingscote and split our stay between Hanson Bay and Penneshaw. I'm not sure which car hire companies allow you to take their cars on the ferry and onto KI if you choose to drive from Adelaide. We did our own touring so I don't have any guide recs. We found wildlife viewing on the island to be relatively easy unlike trying to spot wildlife in a rainforest setting.
Our heli trip over the reef was spectacular and included landing on and snorkeling from Vlasoff Cay. We skipped Daintree/Cape Trib due to time constraints and opted for the Tablelands to focus more on marsupials. Do you have a guide lined up there?
Any particular species you're interested in seeing? Our favorite place to wildlife watch is actually Tasmania but it's big and takes time. It also happens to have good food.
Our heli trip over the reef was spectacular and included landing on and snorkeling from Vlasoff Cay. We skipped Daintree/Cape Trib due to time constraints and opted for the Tablelands to focus more on marsupials. Do you have a guide lined up there?
Any particular species you're interested in seeing? Our favorite place to wildlife watch is actually Tasmania but it's big and takes time. It also happens to have good food.
Oct 14th, 2014, 08:52 AM
#5
With your interests I'd include a day tour from Sydney to the Blue Mountains.
I liked my tour to the GBR with Quicksilver. The semi-submersible ride was INCREDIBLE. You were able to see a much a larger area than you'd see only snorkeling. But I also snorkeled which was quite good -- and others did some diving.
I did the drive to Cape Trib and back to PD in one very long, tiring day. It's do-able, but not necessary.
I liked my tour to the GBR with Quicksilver. The semi-submersible ride was INCREDIBLE. You were able to see a much a larger area than you'd see only snorkeling. But I also snorkeled which was quite good -- and others did some diving.
I did the drive to Cape Trib and back to PD in one very long, tiring day. It's do-able, but not necessary.
Oct 14th, 2014, 02:38 PM
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Longhorn, Peter, Patty, Songdoc,
Thank you so much for your responses!
I have even more questions now ….
I will try to clarify a bit.
1. Actually, we love cities – museums, theaters, opera, restaurants, and all… It is just for Australia, due to very limited time, we wanted to focus on outdoors sightseeing.
I planned to be in Sydney on last two days of the trip, so we can do some sightseeing, and catch Vivid Sydney that looked amazing on pictures I saw. With that, we may not have any time for Blue Mountains (unfortunately).
We have to do roundtrip to Sydney, because tickets are bought for United miles, and I did not have much choice.
2. My biggest question is about Kangaroo Island. I read so much about it, and put it on Must-Do list.
To me, it seems uniquely Australian, and I was hoping to see beautiful rugged landscapes and wildlife, including kangaroo and koalas (koala’s walk?). We do not have much interest in sea lions, because we have seen a lot of them on previous trips. We were planning to fly there, and probably take 4WD small group/or private tour, which I would hope increase our chances of seeing wildlife.
Will we be disappointed? We plan to fly to Adelaide to only see Kangaroo Island.
I am not sure what would be a better place to see kangaroo/koalas/etc… I am open to any suggestions. I really want to see kangaroo in the wild…
3. We are not particularly into wine tasting, so Barossa Valley is not on Must-Do list. I just thought it would be a nice way to spend a day after a long flight.
4. As I mentioned, we have seen a lot of Rain forest on previous trips (I cannot judge how different Daintree from what we have seen). This is why, I was thinking of doing Kakadu/Litchfield instead. However, I cannot figure out logistics. There are no convenient direct flight between Darwin and Uluru, so we will be losing a lot of time in this journey, and would have only around 3 days in Darwin area.
5. Uluru – is a must.
6. Now, about GBR and Daintree. I picked Quicksilver because my husband does not snorkel, so Quicksilver offers some activities for him. I was even thinking to take two trips with Quicksilver and a small boat. However, he would have to stay on a boat in latter case.
7. If we go to Daintree/Cape and Tablelands, we can only stay overnight in one place.
I am inclined to stay in the Tablelands, because they do nocturnal tours in there. In addition, seems like people see a lot with a private guide. Looking for your opinions here
8. No, I do not have a private guide lined up, and looking for suggestions. I did see one name on one of the trip reports, but I would appreciate any suggestions.
We are not interested in seeing specific animals or birds; we will get excited to see anything. However, it would be nice to see platypus or cassowary… Or anything…
So, basically trying to figure out 3 things – Kangaroo island or not? Daintree or try for Kakadu somehow? If Daintree, then spend more time around Cape or Tablelands?
And recommendations on activities/private guides will be really appreciated.
Thank you again!
Thank you so much for your responses!
I have even more questions now ….
I will try to clarify a bit.
1. Actually, we love cities – museums, theaters, opera, restaurants, and all… It is just for Australia, due to very limited time, we wanted to focus on outdoors sightseeing.
I planned to be in Sydney on last two days of the trip, so we can do some sightseeing, and catch Vivid Sydney that looked amazing on pictures I saw. With that, we may not have any time for Blue Mountains (unfortunately).
We have to do roundtrip to Sydney, because tickets are bought for United miles, and I did not have much choice.
2. My biggest question is about Kangaroo Island. I read so much about it, and put it on Must-Do list.
To me, it seems uniquely Australian, and I was hoping to see beautiful rugged landscapes and wildlife, including kangaroo and koalas (koala’s walk?). We do not have much interest in sea lions, because we have seen a lot of them on previous trips. We were planning to fly there, and probably take 4WD small group/or private tour, which I would hope increase our chances of seeing wildlife.
Will we be disappointed? We plan to fly to Adelaide to only see Kangaroo Island.
I am not sure what would be a better place to see kangaroo/koalas/etc… I am open to any suggestions. I really want to see kangaroo in the wild…
3. We are not particularly into wine tasting, so Barossa Valley is not on Must-Do list. I just thought it would be a nice way to spend a day after a long flight.
4. As I mentioned, we have seen a lot of Rain forest on previous trips (I cannot judge how different Daintree from what we have seen). This is why, I was thinking of doing Kakadu/Litchfield instead. However, I cannot figure out logistics. There are no convenient direct flight between Darwin and Uluru, so we will be losing a lot of time in this journey, and would have only around 3 days in Darwin area.
5. Uluru – is a must.
6. Now, about GBR and Daintree. I picked Quicksilver because my husband does not snorkel, so Quicksilver offers some activities for him. I was even thinking to take two trips with Quicksilver and a small boat. However, he would have to stay on a boat in latter case.
7. If we go to Daintree/Cape and Tablelands, we can only stay overnight in one place.
I am inclined to stay in the Tablelands, because they do nocturnal tours in there. In addition, seems like people see a lot with a private guide. Looking for your opinions here
8. No, I do not have a private guide lined up, and looking for suggestions. I did see one name on one of the trip reports, but I would appreciate any suggestions.
We are not interested in seeing specific animals or birds; we will get excited to see anything. However, it would be nice to see platypus or cassowary… Or anything…
So, basically trying to figure out 3 things – Kangaroo island or not? Daintree or try for Kakadu somehow? If Daintree, then spend more time around Cape or Tablelands?
And recommendations on activities/private guides will be really appreciated.
Thank you again!
Oct 14th, 2014, 04:40 PM
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We love cities too but for us that wasn't the focus of our Australia trips either and were very happy with our decision to spend 3 nights in Sydney as any more would've meant reducing time elsewhere.
We used Jonathan Munro www.wildwatch.com.au for our guide in the Tablelands. We only did an afternoon/evening tour (our first trip was a bit of a whirlwind!) and were able to see 7 species of kangaroo/wallaby/tree kangaroo, 4 species of possum, a bandicoot and platypus plus a number of birds. We also found good birding along the Cairns Esplanade and at the botanic garden which we did on our own. Here are my pics from our 2.5 days in the area http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...ZNnDlk5YtmbHtA
You will definitely see kangaroos and koalas on KI. The koalas are at Hanson Bay and you can't miss the roos. What I found most fascinating on KI were the echidnas. We enjoyed seeing the fairy penguins in Penneshaw too. The island itself is actually fairly flat but more dramatic on the western end. Pics from KI http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...ZNnDlk5YtmbH0g
I don't know where else is better for kangaroos and koalas as most of our other time has been spent on Tasmania and there are no koalas there. I also tried to work in the Top End somehow and gave up due to logistics/time.
Good luck your planning!
We used Jonathan Munro www.wildwatch.com.au for our guide in the Tablelands. We only did an afternoon/evening tour (our first trip was a bit of a whirlwind!) and were able to see 7 species of kangaroo/wallaby/tree kangaroo, 4 species of possum, a bandicoot and platypus plus a number of birds. We also found good birding along the Cairns Esplanade and at the botanic garden which we did on our own. Here are my pics from our 2.5 days in the area http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...ZNnDlk5YtmbHtA
You will definitely see kangaroos and koalas on KI. The koalas are at Hanson Bay and you can't miss the roos. What I found most fascinating on KI were the echidnas. We enjoyed seeing the fairy penguins in Penneshaw too. The island itself is actually fairly flat but more dramatic on the western end. Pics from KI http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...ZNnDlk5YtmbH0g
I don't know where else is better for kangaroos and koalas as most of our other time has been spent on Tasmania and there are no koalas there. I also tried to work in the Top End somehow and gave up due to logistics/time.
Good luck your planning!
Oct 14th, 2014, 05:47 PM
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#2. Kangaroo Island was actually one of the destinations I chose for our first trip to Australia many years ago. And then we went again for a longer visit once we moved to Australia because we enjoyed it so much. I would encourage you to go and you will probably get more out of your visit with a private guide. [We did not use a private guide and were able to see all kinds of wildlife, but we were 1) lucky and 2) there longer than you will be.]
#3. Adelaide is a very nice city to visit on its own, so I see no reason to do a Barossa Valley tour if you aren't into wine-tasting. One place you might enjoy visiting in Adelaide is Cleland Wildlife Park where you can see some native animals such as wombats and Tasmanian devils that you are unlikely to see in the wild anywhere during your trip. And if you enjoy museums, go to the South Australia Museum which has some excellent exhibits on Australian (and non-Australian) topics that you should enjoy. Admission to the museum is free.
#6. It makes sense to book Quicksilver if you husband does not snorkel so that he can experience the Reef without getting in the water. (BTW, if you husband can swim, I would urge him to give snorkeling a try. Quicksilver would be a good place for him to try it because if he doesn't like it for any reason, he can still see the Reef in other ways.) On the other hand, it makes NO sense for your husband to accompany you on a small boat if he has no intention of snorkeling. There would be absolutely NOTHING for him to do but sit on a bench on the boat (they are small boats) and wait for you. Why not encourage him to find something to do on his own on land while you make this 2nd snorkeling trip?
#3. Adelaide is a very nice city to visit on its own, so I see no reason to do a Barossa Valley tour if you aren't into wine-tasting. One place you might enjoy visiting in Adelaide is Cleland Wildlife Park where you can see some native animals such as wombats and Tasmanian devils that you are unlikely to see in the wild anywhere during your trip. And if you enjoy museums, go to the South Australia Museum which has some excellent exhibits on Australian (and non-Australian) topics that you should enjoy. Admission to the museum is free.
#6. It makes sense to book Quicksilver if you husband does not snorkel so that he can experience the Reef without getting in the water. (BTW, if you husband can swim, I would urge him to give snorkeling a try. Quicksilver would be a good place for him to try it because if he doesn't like it for any reason, he can still see the Reef in other ways.) On the other hand, it makes NO sense for your husband to accompany you on a small boat if he has no intention of snorkeling. There would be absolutely NOTHING for him to do but sit on a bench on the boat (they are small boats) and wait for you. Why not encourage him to find something to do on his own on land while you make this 2nd snorkeling trip?
Oct 15th, 2014, 01:35 AM
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If you're interested in wildlife tours in the Atherton Tableland, outside Cairn, then have a look at Alan Gillanders
http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/
http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/
Oct 15th, 2014, 05:26 PM
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If KI is a "Must do" then do it. You will kick yourself forever for not going.
Now that you are going. Try and give yourself more time.
If not, you will still see the highlights in a couple of days. You just want be able to do some of the longer walks.
Walking along the beach with sea lions is great but if you have seen them close up - then it is not so great.
The remarkable are - remarkable.
As said before - we are going in January for ten days if you have any specifics you want us to check for you while we are there, we would be happy to oblige. We have no set itinerary.
So my advice then, is Sydney - KI - Ayers Rock - Lichfield - Sydney.
Skip the GBR unless you particularly want to go snorkelling.
Now that you are going. Try and give yourself more time.
If not, you will still see the highlights in a couple of days. You just want be able to do some of the longer walks.
Walking along the beach with sea lions is great but if you have seen them close up - then it is not so great.
The remarkable are - remarkable.
As said before - we are going in January for ten days if you have any specifics you want us to check for you while we are there, we would be happy to oblige. We have no set itinerary.
So my advice then, is Sydney - KI - Ayers Rock - Lichfield - Sydney.
Skip the GBR unless you particularly want to go snorkelling.
Oct 15th, 2014, 06:59 PM
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Once again, thank you for all these recommendation!
Patty, your pictures are amazing! We would be really happy if we saw all of these animals and birds (or even close to this). Vlasoff Cay looks stunning! I noticed you snorkel without any wet/stinger suit. Were you in there outside of jelly fish season? Whom did have a helicopter ride with?
Longhorn, I appreciate your opinion on KI, GBR, and how to spend time in Adelaide. We will probably skip Barossa Valley, and spend time around Adelaide. We may even fly to KI a little earlier.
Margo, I saw Allan's name on one of the trip reports here on Fodor's, and I was going to email to him when we finalize our plans on where to go (Cairns or Darwin). So, I am glad to hear the same recommendation from you.
Peter, you are making me think again... It is not easy to skip GBR when going to Australia.
If we go with Lichfield - we will need to do Adelaide - Darwin (non stop) - Uluru - Sydney.
So, this gives us Adelaide/KI - 3days, Darwin/Lichfield - 3.5 days, Uluru (2.5 days), Sydney - 2.5 days.
Would it be enough for Lichfield? I can increase Lichfield/Kakadu time by 1 day, but then Uluru will have only 1.5 days due to flight schedule.
How is wildlife in Lichfield?
Patty, your pictures are amazing! We would be really happy if we saw all of these animals and birds (or even close to this). Vlasoff Cay looks stunning! I noticed you snorkel without any wet/stinger suit. Were you in there outside of jelly fish season? Whom did have a helicopter ride with?
Longhorn, I appreciate your opinion on KI, GBR, and how to spend time in Adelaide. We will probably skip Barossa Valley, and spend time around Adelaide. We may even fly to KI a little earlier.
Margo, I saw Allan's name on one of the trip reports here on Fodor's, and I was going to email to him when we finalize our plans on where to go (Cairns or Darwin). So, I am glad to hear the same recommendation from you.
Peter, you are making me think again... It is not easy to skip GBR when going to Australia.
If we go with Lichfield - we will need to do Adelaide - Darwin (non stop) - Uluru - Sydney.
So, this gives us Adelaide/KI - 3days, Darwin/Lichfield - 3.5 days, Uluru (2.5 days), Sydney - 2.5 days.
Would it be enough for Lichfield? I can increase Lichfield/Kakadu time by 1 day, but then Uluru will have only 1.5 days due to flight schedule.
How is wildlife in Lichfield?
Oct 15th, 2014, 07:33 PM
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Thanks, helen63! We were amazed with the variety we saw in the short amount of time we spent in the Tablelands. We were there in August. We used Skysafari which is no longer in business. It was an incredible experience. I believe other companies offer the same trip.
Oct 15th, 2014, 07:39 PM
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I found this book helpful http://www.amazon.com/Watching-Wildl.../dp/1864500328 It gives an overview of what can be seen where.
Oct 16th, 2014, 08:19 AM
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Litchfield NP is not a place you go for wildlife viewing. I've been there twice and the only animals I recall seeing there were the flying foxes (large bats) that roosted in the trees near Wangi Falls. Litchfield is best known for its magnetic termite mounds and amazing natural pools.
Oct 16th, 2014, 08:40 AM
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Thank you, Patty! I will take a look what this book suggests. But I am not good in spotting anyway, I need a guide.
Thank you, Longhorn! This is what I thought based on my reading.
I know this would not be comparable to Litchfield, but I was reading about natural pools around Mossman Gorge. Is there waterfall swimming opportunities around Daintree as well?
I have also heard that we can see sort of termite mounds around Mareeba, not that far from Port Douglas.
Just trying to see if we can have somewhat similar experiences as if we went to Northern territory.
Thank you, Longhorn! This is what I thought based on my reading.
I know this would not be comparable to Litchfield, but I was reading about natural pools around Mossman Gorge. Is there waterfall swimming opportunities around Daintree as well?
I have also heard that we can see sort of termite mounds around Mareeba, not that far from Port Douglas.
Just trying to see if we can have somewhat similar experiences as if we went to Northern territory.
Oct 16th, 2014, 08:07 PM
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3.5 days in Lichfield is plenty. Most tourists would spend a day or two - more if you have a four wheel drive or just like camping and swimming. We spent two full days and that was plenty. We didn't feel like we had missed much.
Wildlife is a bit thin on the ground, but we did see wild pigs and buffalo.
A day or so in Lichfield and the rest in Kakadu and Coroboree billabong cruise would be fine.
I forgot to mention KI has now got a boat tour along the coast that looks good. We will be doing it and will let you know.
http://kimarineadventures.com.au/
Wildlife is a bit thin on the ground, but we did see wild pigs and buffalo.
A day or so in Lichfield and the rest in Kakadu and Coroboree billabong cruise would be fine.
I forgot to mention KI has now got a boat tour along the coast that looks good. We will be doing it and will let you know.
http://kimarineadventures.com.au/
Oct 17th, 2014, 12:36 PM
#17
Helen - we did a 1 1/2 day tour with Alan Gillanders and saw a huge amount in that time, but in no way did it seem rushed. Toucan2 [who is a birder and has been on longer tours with him with her DH] recommended him and we couldn't have been happier. DH was concerned that it seemed a bit expensive but afterwards he agreed that it was worth every penny and was one of the highlights of our trip.
not sure if there are swimming ops in Daintree but there certainly are if you go to Mossman. The only trouble is that everyone else wants to go too so the pools were very crowded. This was however in November - you may have more luck in May. Whilst in Mossman, do have a meal at Mojo's - we had one of our best meals anywhere there.
We too stayed in PD [which is a great place to stay, BTW] and were looking at Quicksilver because DH snorkles but I don't. In the event I had a dose of the runs so I couldn't go and I think he went with a smaller outfit.
not sure if there are swimming ops in Daintree but there certainly are if you go to Mossman. The only trouble is that everyone else wants to go too so the pools were very crowded. This was however in November - you may have more luck in May. Whilst in Mossman, do have a meal at Mojo's - we had one of our best meals anywhere there.
We too stayed in PD [which is a great place to stay, BTW] and were looking at Quicksilver because DH snorkles but I don't. In the event I had a dose of the runs so I couldn't go and I think he went with a smaller outfit.
Oct 17th, 2014, 05:39 PM
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Peter, this boat tour looks really cool. I especially like a swimming part with dolphins and seals. However, it may be too cold too cold for swimming for us in May. It should be great for you in January. I am looking forward to hearing from you on this after your return. And please check out the best kangaroo spotting places for me, I am dying to see them 
I went back and forth on GBR/Daintree vs Lichfield/Kakadu, talked to my DH, and we are thinking to stay with first option for this time. The reason being, this leaves us with more free time, and more wildlife opportunity... Hopefully, this will not be last time in Australia.
Annhig, thank you for another recommendation for Alan. I will email to him shortly and see if he is available on our dates.
Thanks for info on Mossman and good food. Food is important!
I went back and forth on GBR/Daintree vs Lichfield/Kakadu, talked to my DH, and we are thinking to stay with first option for this time. The reason being, this leaves us with more free time, and more wildlife opportunity... Hopefully, this will not be last time in Australia.
Annhig, thank you for another recommendation for Alan. I will email to him shortly and see if he is available on our dates.
Thanks for info on Mossman and good food. Food is important!
Oct 17th, 2014, 06:02 PM
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I also wanted to ask about any helpful tips on domestic airfares. I would like to start booking my internal flights.
Is this good idea to book this early? Are there any specifics for finding a better price on Australian airfares?
How far is international terminal in Sydney airport from domestic one? We will be arriving to Sydney in the early morning on Sunday, need to go thru customs, and connect to Adelaide. So, I am trying to figure out how much time we need for all these procedures, and to make our domestic flight (so I can choose an appropriate flight to Adelaide).
Is this good idea to book this early? Are there any specifics for finding a better price on Australian airfares?
How far is international terminal in Sydney airport from domestic one? We will be arriving to Sydney in the early morning on Sunday, need to go thru customs, and connect to Adelaide. So, I am trying to figure out how much time we need for all these procedures, and to make our domestic flight (so I can choose an appropriate flight to Adelaide).
Oct 17th, 2014, 11:25 PM
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South Australian water is cold all year! A few years back I went swimming with cuttlefish in June near Whyalla. Air Temp 2C water temp 13C! I last an hour and a half. My wife had a cold so she was ready in the van with porridge and tea.
A great swim but they only come in June and July
A good wetsuit and you will be OK. I will ask about May for you.
I have not had to transfer at Sydney for a long time, but we always plan on an hour for customs and baggage retrieval, then what ever you need to get to your next flight.
Domestic is on the other side of the Airport and you will need to catch a shuttle bus.
Others will fill you in on details. But as a rough guess, you wouldn't want less than 2 hours between flights.
A great swim but they only come in June and July
A good wetsuit and you will be OK. I will ask about May for you.
I have not had to transfer at Sydney for a long time, but we always plan on an hour for customs and baggage retrieval, then what ever you need to get to your next flight.
Domestic is on the other side of the Airport and you will need to catch a shuttle bus.
Others will fill you in on details. But as a rough guess, you wouldn't want less than 2 hours between flights.
