suzie

We have about 5 extra days in Australia and would like to go to a beach area. Have a rental car, arrive in Sydney by air and will leave from Sydney by air. Suggestions on where we can get to by car without driving for days??? Thanks in advance for responses.<BR>Or what about Blue Mtns? is it cold there now? We go on Tuesday next.<BR>Currently in Christchurch, NZ and its VERY COLD HERE and Rainy!!<BR>looking forward to Australia and some warm weather!

kent

I don't know about the beach situation, but my wife and I loved the three days we spent in the Blue Mountains on our first visit to Sydney from the USA five years ago. We stayed in a lovely B&B in Leura and did the usual touristy things (see the Three Sisters, ride the Katoomba Skyway and the Scenic Railway, etc.) and also spent time on our own hiking down partway down into valleys.<BR><BR>A check of au.weather.yahoo.com shows the high temperature in Sydney today to be 9 degrees-C warmer than in Christchurch, but with rain predicted for the next 4 days. Oh well, better warm and wet than cold and wet!<BR><BR>Best of luck with whatever you choose.<BR>

LizF

Why not ditch the rental car and take a cheap flight from Sydney to Gold Coast where there are some incredible deals going on at the moment ( schoolies will be over too) right on the beach and within walking distance to just about everything?<BR>Virgin Blue flies into Coolangatta and let me tell you the weather up here is lovely. Today is cooler but mostly its been about 25deg celcius - 28 deg Cel. If you do this get something around the Broadbeach area and the Oasis centre. <BR>Otherwise the Blue Mountains won't be that cool at this time of year but I would have thought that after the South Island of NZ it would be a bit of a let down. I know its different but if you are after warm then come on up - if you are lucky you may be a flight for about $88 per person ( worth getting rid of the car for)

marg

Why not drive north to Port Stephens. It is only about 2 1/2 hours from Sydney, freeway much of the way. Lots of nice beaches, dolphins in the bay and plenty of places to stay. You could visit the Hunter Valley from there for some wine tasting.

Alan

Suzie, there are loads of pleasant beach areas both north and south of Sydney, so why not just head in either direction until you find somewhere which pleases you? I assure you, you won't have to go too far. Just get a map first so that you take the coast roads and not the freeways (which manage to miss everything), and I don't think you'll be disappointed. Going south you might like Kiama or Merimbula or Bermagui, probably a little more peaceful and less crowded than the beaches up north. <BR><BR>If you decide on the Blue Mountains, don't give the weather a second thought. At this time of year the people there are worrying about bushfires! There's hardly any difference between the climate there and in Sydney, at present... and when you see them, you'll know why. While they are quite lovely, if you have travelled into the great mountain ranges of the world, you may feel that these ones should have been called "Blue Hills"! Even in winter, it snows only rarely.