Shianne

So I've decided to not do New Zealand and just focus on Australia, I feel as though I can't see all New Zealand has to offer in the short amount of time I have to be there. So I am now thinking about doing this:

3-4 days in Melbourne
3 days in Perth
3 days in Broome
2 days in Uluru
Possibly 1 day in Alice Springs otherwise just go to Carins for 4 days
3-4 days in Sydney

Any thoughts??

stormbird

I note from your previous post that you will be here in November/December. Personally, I don't think I could stand Uluru, Broome, Alice Springs at that time of the year. Of course, each to their own but it will be very, very hot and the bugs will be about. I'm not saying don't do it but just be aware that there will be flies and heat.

I'm thinking perhaps just stick to the East Coast for this trip. But it would be helpful now to let us know what your interests are and I think we can offer more input then Shiannne.

Melnq8

Good idea to leave NZ for another time. It's still alot of moving around and covering large distances, but I assume you realize that. I also assume you plan to fly from Perth to Broome.

Flights from Perth to Broome are limited and expensive...you might want to crunch the numbers first to see if it makes sense from an economic standpoint.

As an alternative, you might consider Perth and the SW of WA -easier to reach and the SW is a real gem. Six days still isn't much time to see both though. WA is a third of Australia, and it's a four hour flight from Melbourne.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

Just back from a nice overseas holiday myself so checking out Fodors where I got some great ideas on the other forums.
Agree with the above poster who is saying that Broom/Alice Springs/Uluru will be too hot Nov/
December time. You are much better staying on the eastern side of Australia at that time and not going anywhere near the centre. Also you would lose an entire day getting from Broom to Uluru because there are no direct flights and the cost would be dreadful as are the ones from Perth to Broom.
There is plenty to do and see on the Eastern seaboard that you won't be short of places to go - perhaps Tasmania would be a nice trip too as well as the GBR.

Shianne

Thanks for the input. Would early November be a better time as far as temperatures and weather for visting Uluru?? If I don't go to Perth or Broome and focus more on the Eastern side/coast, do you have any recommendations for places to visit or to do?

Shianne

I forgot to add my interests in the last post to see if that helps at all. I like photography, I want to see some wildlife, I like to see different landscapes, and I want some sort of aboriginal experience. I don't know if this helps at all.

AlanJG

See this site for accurate information about climate http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/data/

Much of the centre of Australia has been experiencing a heat wave of late and visitors are dehydrating as they are not aware of how much water they are loosing.

In Cairns visit Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park www.tjapukai.com.au as they do a great job of presenting their stories and history. Dance, demonstrations of bush tucker and medicines and spear and boomerang throwing are all included.

In the Cairns hinterland there is the Daintree area and the Atherton Tablelands. The latter is the place to go for wildlife and has a wonderful landscape. Undara with its lava tubes and a wide range of kangaroo species and Chillagoe with its limestone caves and kast landscape may give you the outback experience you want without the distance and expense of going to the west.

Don't get me wrong, I love Broome and the Kimberly but it is a long way from the other places and if going you should have a couple of weeks to explore as one needs to travel between the spots and have time in them.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

This is my third attempt not to have my reply disappear! I agree with Alan above about needing much more time in the Kimberley region and preferably in June/July August time when it is not so hot. Looking on the BOM weather site Broome does not look too back in terms of temps but it is on the coast and inland the temps skyrocket.
Check out the Gold Coast and Hinterland on http://www.goldcoastinformation.com.au/
Tasmania on
www.discovertasmania.com
Then there is Sydney are surrounding areas which can include a trip to our Capital, Canberra.
Those three areas alone and including the GBR area will give you some really interesting landscapes, animals, flora, birds. In Sydney if you do the Spit to Manly walk you will see Aboriginal cave paintings.
So start with those areas and get back to us for details.

Shianne

AlanJG, thanks for the info on the Carins area. Just wondering am I going to need to have a car to get around there or just do tours?

Also wondering about the idea of renting a car in Sydney and doing the Great Ocean Road back to Melbourne before flying back to the states. How long should be allowed for that drive and is it worth it?

ivenotbeeneverywhere

For the second para - No. Melbourne is about 10 hours drive from Sydney without stopping to give you some idea of distances.

Susan7

Shianne, the drive between Sydney and Melbourne doesn't include the Great Ocean Road.

You can take the coastal route from Sydney to Melbourne via the Princes Highway, it takes quite a bit longer. Here's the very last bit of it Eden to Melbourne, 745km:

http://www.wilmap.com.au/stripmaps/melbeden.html

Peter_S_Aus

I’ll give an alternative comment on Uluru in November – I’ve visited there in late December.

It will certainly be hot, but not unbearably hot as long as you dress appropriately – hat, long sleeves, light clothes – and take lots of water. The heat can literally be a killer, and the climate is as dry as dust.

Uluru is all about desert, arid terrain and heat, and in some ways it is worth experiencing. You do experience that country differently when it is hot. I’ve been there in July, December, March and April. I enjoyed it most in December when it was pretty hot, but maybe that’s just me. I’d not be planning too many long or strenuous walks if visiting in November.

You won’t see much wild life there, unless you look really carefully or at night.

I would not be discouraged by the heat, but you’d need to take it into account if planning a trip there.

traveller2007

I loved the Margaret River area, but otherwise would think 3 days in Perth might be a bit too much? The city is nice, but 1 days is enough to walk around and enjoy it. why not skip the west coast and stay on the east side?

Shianne

Thanks for the input. I think I am going to just stick with Melbourne, Uluru, maybe a day in Alice Springs, Cairns, and Sydney.

Peter, did you see Uluru on a tour or just on your own? I am trying to figure out what do, just day tours or something like a 2 or 3 day tour. Any input would be appreciated.

Peter_S_Aus

I’ve seen Ularu on my own – and you’d need to hire a car to have a good time. You don’t need a big car – the biggest trip would be to the Olgas, which is about 50 km from the resort. Best to fly into and out of Ularu – it’s a long drive to Alice Springs. I did it on a bicycle fifteen years ago, and wrote something of a trip report. It is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...-road-trip.cfm and if you do a search for Uluru – or maybe Ularu, because my spelling is a bit poor, you’ll find my thoughts about that part of the world. It’s special for me.

I did do a guided walk from the Visitor Centre near the Rock, with an Aboriginal guide, and that was fun. It took about two or three hours, learned about bush tucker, making a fire by rubbing sticks together, spear throwing. Well worth doing, and the Visitor Centre is excellent.

Bamian

I've travelled around quite a bit of this country and the best advice I can give you is TASMANIA. Nature, food, craft, history and quite uncrowded. Don't just stay in Hobart -- although it's a great little city.

Forget Perth, may as well go to San Diego.

Melbourne is one of those cities that isn't great for tourism but is a fantastic place to live. Find someone -- a resident, not a tour guide -- to show you around.

There are beautiful places out of the cities -- the coast between Melbourne and Adelaide is amazing. The Otway Ranges, temperate rainforest, about three hours west of Melbourne runs right up to the coast. Lots of amazing places to camp and swim. A little town named Robe has hidden beaches and jewel-like water.

So my advice, skip the 'usual' places and get outta town!

Shianne

Bamian, Where would you recommend staying while visiting the Otway Ranges?? I was looking on the map and thinking about Apollo Bay, is this close and would a couple of day be sufficient? Thanks for the reccomendation.

jhnrbrts

Tasmania would be best

zinfindel

While in and around Cairnes, you may want to consider going a little north (about an hour?) to Port Douglas - it's very close to the Daintree Rainforest and there is still multiple boat trips for all day snorkling or diving on the reef if you like. Port Douglas also has a very high ratio of Spas to city blocks. *lol*

Shianne

Would you recommend renting a car in Cairns and driving to destinations/Port Douglas or just doing day trips??