Message: My girlfriend and I will be travelling for 2-3 months (Jan - March) thru Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, and Fiji. We arelooking for advice regarding: 1.Best airfare sources. 2. Using flyer miles to upgrade to business class. 3.Good dive resorts or operators. 4. Nice accommodations and must see places. 5.Horse back riding in the outback. 6. Any negative situations you are aware of, i.e. unrest, scams, etc. 7. Any info you think would be helpful. THANKS! <BR> <BR> <BR>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Saw you posted on the Asia forum, but how about the Australia/Pacific forum...seems more people were answering those. Good luck...never been that far east.

That's too big a question for me to address here, so I'll try to email you. However, the best place to get first hand reports on these kinds of issues is to read the discussion boards on the various areas. After reading the boards here at Fodors, try the Thorntree at www.lonelyplanet.com. <BR>Bruce <BR>Traveling Buddies--A free club for people who love travel <BR>http://www.travelingbuddies.com

Ansett & Qantas both have frequent flyer points in Australia and have connections with other airlines. There are many small islands off the coast in Queensland where you can go diving. Queensland Tourise Bureau should be able to help (especially around the Great Barrier Reef). If you stay at Airlie Beach and get boats or catamarans out to the islands each day from Shute Harbour or stay on one of the islands (ie South Molle, Daydream, Hamilton (expensive) Hook Island etc). Plenty to see all around Australia - each State has a tourist bureau. Sydney has a beautiful harbour. Blue Mountains in New South Wales are pretty. In South Australia there are various regions (wine areas) (opal mining - Andamooka and Coober Pedy - plane flights each day to these towns, Port Lincoln is for tuna fishing and also diving. Victoria has some very pretty scenery and lovely coast line some parts very rugged - Portsea and Portland and good for fishing and also diving. Kangaroo Island off the bottom of SA is only a small island but worth having a quick look at. Plenty of seals, Kangaroos and Emus - they'll love you to death at Flinders Chase. These are all the states that I have visited. I live in South Australia. Have relatives in New South and Victoria and friends in Queensland. Hope that you enjoy your time in Australia when you arrive. You are travelling at the hottest time of the year too. Andamooka and Coober Pedy will be over 100 every day and not a cloud in the sky. Although it gets very cold at night. If you are interested there is also Roxby Downs (uranium mining area)

Fiji has the nicest people I have ever met. In Australia, try and get to Tasmania if you have the time and the money, particularly Cradle Mountain National Park. Hit the Whitsunday islands in Australia, as well as the diving around Cairns (best visibility we saw.) The diving around the Capricorn Coast was also very good, with the most marine life we saw anywhere, particularly around the Keppel islands. Try Capricorn Reef divers in Rockhampton for an outfitter. <BR> <BR>Good luck and enjoy!