1 Month in Oz!! Help please :)
 

Hello!

My boyfriend and I are travelling to Sydney middle of March, we then return back to the UK from Cairns a month later. Our plan is to initally spend a few days in Sydney then head to the Blue Mountains and then back to Sydney to pick up a hire car/campervan and travel up the East Coast. I was wondering if anyone could help with a few questions....

1. Is it best to fly Sydney to Brisbane? We love the outdoors, mountains, national parks etc...and I know they are a few en-route to Brisbane.
2. Would it be best to travel hiring a campervan or a car & motels? We do not want to be restricted in the amount of time we have in anyone place .
3. Is it easy to book into a motel/campsite last minutue, ie. that day?

Any help would be much appreciated, thank you :)

Last first

In March (shoulder season) it should be possible to find both motels and campsites without pre-booking - even at popular destinations. (Schools are all back at study; companies hard at work, it's not winter, when tourist numbers in Queensland rise exponentially.)

Campervan or.......

My belief - car and motels. The cost of hiring a campervan is usually 2 to 3 times the cost of a small cheap rental car; and you still have to pay for campsites with facilities - often in popular destinations nearly half the price of a motel for the night!

Research the routes - there is much to see between Sydney and Brisbane, but it's also heavily settled. If you decide to drive the route - I'd use the inland New England Highway. You'll get to see more rural areas on that route. Traffic density is roughly the same on either route - with heavy truck transport generally preferring the inland route. Air fares on the Sydney - Brisbane route are cheap (Qantas, Virgin, Tiger, Jetstar all service the route - Qantas and Virgin each have flights every hour); and services very frequent. You might consider Sydney - Gold Coast by air - again frequent and cheap flights. Gold Coast is only 90 minutes drive from Brisbane - and rental cars are just as readily available - as the Gold Coast is a major resort area.

Enjoy planning it all!

If you drive up the pacific highway which is the coast road there are lots of lovely beach towns along the way. The drive itself isn't memorable.

We also prefer the New England Highway, it's a prettier drive.

If you go bush walking in the Blue Mountains please do be careful and let the authorities up there know where you are going. It's VERY easy to get lost or be injured and no one will have the faintest idea where you are. Phone reception can be absolutely zero.

The Queensland hinterland is gorgeous. Research Maleny and Montville which are very pretty towns with views across to the sea.

In answer to your question versus transport, I would say a car and motels for more flexibility. Just check the calendar for school and public holidays and book well in advance for those particular days.

I would fly from Sydney to Brisbane as someone else said, the drive itself is not that exciting.

If you love the outdoors, national parks and mountains (like myself), the Gold Coast Hinterland is magic.

Many people just go there to picnic or do a short 20 minute stroll. But parts of the hinterland are like Amazon rainforests, however, you need to do some hiking to get to those parts and it is well worth it. I have done the Blue Mountains in NSW plus wonderful places all over Victoria and my favourite mountains and hikes are still in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

Green Mountains (O'Reillys) - hikes to the following areas will show you the true beauty of this place: Blue Pool, Stairway Falls, Box Forest Circuit, Picnic Rock. (Combine Stairway Falls with Blue Pool and pack lunch &drinks).

If the weather is crazy hot, head to Cedar Creek Rock Pools in Mt Tamborine (Gold Coast Hinterland) - it is like a cold bubbling tub) and explore the forests and quaint town of Mt Tamborine.

Have a look at the following articles on the Gold Coast Hinterland (with pics):
http://www.weekendnotes.com/the-green-mountains/
http://www.dreamhorsemedia.com/gold-...it-springbrook

Finally, if you want isolated white sandy beaches with some of the best reef snorkelling in the world right off the beach and turtles going by, I recommend Lizard Island (a very short flight from Cairns over the Great Barrier Reef) - it doesn't get much better than this.

http://www.weekendnotes.com/lizard-i...national-park/

Agree with the car + motels or cabins in caravan parks, which are often in spectacular locations, or staying in country pubs. At worst, it would be cash neutral with a decent campervan and a lot less hassle.

Whatever you do, don't be lured into any of those "cheap as chips " camper van companies. They're dirt cheap for a reason and the most rudimentary check on the Internet will bring zillions of tales of woe.

Good to hear someone extolling the virtues of the Gold Coast hinterland. Springbrook is another outstanding natural beauty and waterfalls should be flowing well in March.

I also support a car and motels, it will be cheaper than a campervan, and you will be able to drive at the speed limit - we hired a campervan once which could barely manage 90 kms ph going downhill !

Bogans, drugs and tattoos can be found in all major cities, Gold Coast City is the sixth largest city in Australia, and has it's share.
It also has 60 km of white sand beaches, some fantastic surfing breaks, a lively coffee and food culture, and near perfect weather.

Thank you so much everyone for your replies...I did think car + motels might be the best way forward!! I will have a look at all the links you have suggested!

Bokhara2 - I have read up on some companies and like you said have read some horror stories! Who would be best to hire a car from? Britz/Apollo?

cathies - Thank you for the advice to be careful :)

Thank you all again...I am so excited!!

Cars from any of the majors - Avis, Thrifty, Hertz, Budget, especially if you want to do a one-way rental.

Others use vroom vroom & other consolidators with good results

On the Gold Coast, I use Economy Rental Cars, a small family run company with great rates, low insurance excess and superb service. In Sydney I use Bayswater Car Rentals in William Street.

Britz & Apollo specialise in campervans.