eliztravels2

We are tentatively planning a trip 'down under' for several weeks in March and April 2014. We have been fortunate to visit much of W.A. during annual visits to our daughter in Margaret River, but other than a few days in Sydney and the Blue Mountains haven't seen anywhere else in Oz and nothing at all of NZ. We are interested in what the best areas would be to explore at this time of year.

We are active seniors, Canadian, who enjoy the out of doors, moderate hiking, wildlife, walking tours in cities, Aboriginal culture and historic sites. I love to snorkel but DH doesn't so if we do GBR there will need to be other things on our agenda. We enjoy an occasional special meal but are not foodies by any means and are not interested in wineries as we can see them in WA and DH doesn't drink. We don't feel a need to cuddle a koala and shop only for necessities.

Our time and itinerary can be flexible. We might fly Cathay Pacific HKG to Perth and then use Qantas points to get around the country for about 2 weeks. Or we could fly into an east coast or NZ city and make our way from there. We have an offer of a place to stay in Melbourne which sounds appealing. Also have considered caravaning in NZ but not sure if several days of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road would be too taxing.

What are the weather/seasonal considerations we need to take into consideration? Our budget could probably be termed 'modest' as we find prices in Oz high and luxury isn't our style.

Your thoughts and suggestions?

peterSale

You sound Like an older version of us except I drink and DW doesn't and we both snorkel.

Tasmania will be lovely and give you a variety of things to see and do in a small area. It really is the gem of the country.

The tropics will still be hot and steamy with the wet season.

NSW, Vic and SA will all have lovely Autumn weather - warm days cool nights.

I'm biased but Tas would be my choice or Eastern Victoria (where I live) and Southern NSW.

Patty

I also vote for Tasmania and it's easy to combine with Melbourne. You'll need a car on Tasmania but we didn't find it difficult to adjust to driving on the other side. Very little traffic on Tasmania which helps. You do need to watch out for wildlife at dawn/dusk/evening.

eliztravels2

Thank you both for the Tasmania suggestion. I'll look into it in more detail. Wasn't sure about the weather there at that time of year but sounds like that shouldn't be a concern.

Any recommendations for small group nature tours?

Keep your thoughts coming. I'll check in regularly as our plans evolve.

margo_oz

Pretty much anywhere in Oz is OK in March - April. It may still be a bit humid in the north, but bearable.

If you're from Canada, I wouldn't think that the weather in Tassie would give you any challenges.

Patty

We haven't done any tours. Places we found in Tassie with good wildlife viewing were Cradle Mountain, Narawntapu, Warrawee (for platypus) and Bruny Island. We haven't been but I understand Maria Island is very good for wildlife as well. You'll probably be interested in Port Arthur and Hobart is a nice small city.

Melnq8

Another vote for TAS, which is wildlife nirvana. Do be aware that if traveling over the long Easter weekend (April 18-22), you'll need to book well in advance and expect high rates. Easter is a very busy travel weekend in this part of the world.

If you do visit TAS, do yourself a favor and take your time. It seems many visitors think they can 'do' the whole island in less than a week, but while small, there's absolutely loads to do there.

If interested, I have a couple of trip reports for TAS posted here, which might give you a few ideas. Which reminds me, we need to go back!

peterSale

http://www.tasmancruises.com.au/
These are brilliant and they also do a cruise along the Bruny Island Coast. Remember YELLOW boats.

http://arthurrivercruises.com/
This trip is also excellent. They have trained sea eagles to come an collect fish from the shore. They only give them one fish so they are not dependent.

The Maria Island Cruise is well worth it as well.

These are the only tours we have done. We spend the rest of the time walking.

eliztravels2

Thank you all for the suggestions so far. In my experience it is not that often that veteran travellers on Fodors are unanimous in their choices, so it looks like Tassie wins the day. I'll look into your recommendations and see what kind of travel arrangements I can make and will post again later as we begin to firm up our plans.

eliztravels2

Just topping this up to let the kind Fodorites who gave suggestions that our trip to Oz has been postponed, as our daughter will be coming here June--yay! Hope to get back Down Under later in the year, and see Tasmania then.

cultures

I am leaving for New Zealand in two weeks ( a very recent plan), but as always, check in with Fodors Forum where I get the best suggestions. My trip is with a travel company ( for seniors). I'll follow NZ with two weeks in OZ on my own with a stay in Sydney with a friend. There I'll wander on day trips for a week and then off to ' somewhere ' ( another posting).

First, I was warned against Tasmania as being cold and needing warmer clothing March/April, so I'm not going although I know of its beauty. Too much heavier clothing .

I need help re: clothing at this time--we travel on the No. and So islands, boots vs sneakers, jacket weight,since our tour takes us to the glaciers and surrounding areas, but also to volcanic areas.

There'll be lots of hiking--an active senior group.
I figure that clothes for OZ and North NZ should be similar. I live in New England where we also know freezing like the Canadian, but we also know lovely Fall where summer clothes with a light sweater will work.

Any suggestions accepted. I'll talk about OZ/accomodations etc in another posting. First I need to start packing.

peggionthego

"Cultures" I do not think you will get the packing tips you want on this thread. You need to start a different thread.

Bokhara2

Tasmania will not be as cold as New Zealand. I, an Australian, would not need heavy jackets in Tasmania in March or April. I very much doubt a North American would.

Last time I was there in late April, we only needed light jackets & occasionally a jumper (sweater for the Americans).

IMO, Autumn is prime weather in most places in Australia. And NZ.

Have a look at www.bom.gov.au for weather information for Australia.

As others have said, better to start your own thread when you have a
Different topic.

Patty

Even in July/August, I don't find Tasmania to be very cold. Certainly not compared to northern US winters.