Annelli

With the help of Fodorites we have scheduled our flights and accommodation for our trip which is now only 2 weeks away !

It would be great if people could give us their absolute must-dos in the places we are visiting or little querky unusual things to see / do. Our time in Sydney / Atherton Tablelands / Tasmania and Blue Mountains is quite flexible.

Our trip

15 Dec Arrive Sydney from UK - staying Shangri La. We know that we must stay awake so thought perhaps the zoo / Sydney Tower

16 Dec Maybe Manly. We have tickets to the ballet at the Opera House

(We return to Sydney for a few days at the end)

17 Dec Fly to Cairns

18-21 Dec - Spirit of Freedom Liveaboard

21 Dec Sea Temple Palm Cove

22-26 Dec Peppers Bloomfield Lodge

26 - 29 Dec Atherton Tablelands staying in Yungaburra (Mt Quincan Crater Retreat. Going on a nocturnal tour with Alan as recommended here). Is Undarra worth the drive? There already seems like plenty of walking and things to see around the Tablelands without the drive. Any favourite spots ?

29 Dec Fly to Alice Springs and drive to Kings Canyon (we wanted to do some driving to get a feel for the size of the red centre)- stay at Kings Canyon Resort

30 Dec - 1 Jan Drive to Uluru - stay Sails in the Desert. Try to see sunset. We do not want to climb the rock and will have our own transport so any tips on good guided walks most welcome. We have booked for the Sounds of Silence dinner on NY eve

1 Jan - nightmare travel day - fly to Melbourne and on to Hobart with 3 hr stop at Melbourne. Then drive to Swansea to stay at Piermont Retreat.

1 - 4 Jan Piermont Retreat. We have booked a Penguin Tour from Bicheno for one of thge nights. We hope to see Freycinet, perhaps some of the little villages, maybe Port Arthur, walk, relax

4 - 6 Jan Cradle Mountain Lodge - we wonder whether we could visit The Nut at Stanley from here - is it worth the drive? Any recommendations for our time at the Lodge

7 Jan - Drive to Hobart (maybe do the Eagle Slide thingy in Huon?) Stay at the Henry Jones Hotel - any suggestions for dinner ?

8 - 10 Jan - Fly to Sydney & drive to Blue Mountains (Staying in Blackheath) Is a Harley Tour worth the money? Best walks ? Jenolan Caves? Tips for dining out in Blackheath

11 - 13 Jan Sydney Shangri La - Take a Hunter Valley tour? Where to go, what to see? Doyles for Fish & Chips?

13 evening - Fly home.

Any tips to help us to make this trip extra special much appreciated.

Thanks

Annelli

Annelli

OK so the title was supposed to be "1 month IN Australia - any final tips!" Those pesky keys !

Annelli

lizF

You are game going to the centre in the middle of summer!
I will leave comments on North Queensland to those in the "know"up that way but there are a few must dos that you are not doing so far as I can see.
As for Tasmania I am not able to comment on Swansea other to say that its about as quiet as you will find anywhere but the penguin tour is cute. A MUST DO is Port Arthur, a pretty well must do is Richmond if not Ross in the midlands. I do not think the Nut is worth going to but others may disagree. It is only a hill and little else to take in really. I would prefer to go to the Mole Creek caves which are really interesting and fairly close to Cradle Mountain on your return journey. Saturday in Hobart at Salamanca markets is a MUST so is a trip up Mt Wellington on a nice day for the view. You will love the drive through the Huon Valley to the Tahune Air Walk and suggested lunch at the "Court of Petty Sessions " in Franklin which must include the mixed berry in chocolate desert. Its right on the river and a nice spot.
For dinner in Hobart you cannot beat Fish Frenzy for a casual sea-food meal be it lunch or dinner. For a bit of ambiance then the Drunken Admiral which is just about beside the Henry Jones Hotel. Eating in Tasmania is delightful and different and if you have the time then perhaps you could try Fleurtys 3866 Channel Highway Woodbridge, Huon Trail. I went there about 3 weeks ago and I am hard put to say what kind of food it really is ( except very nice) we had a Fleurty's platter for two which consisted of a fabulous selection of items including salmon, pepperberry cream with fritters, salad with of course rasberry vinigrette....YUM!, Tassie cheese and a host of other lovely stuff. Our friends finished off with pepperberry icecream and home made fruit pies or something and everyone had a really lovely meal. Of course if you are in a hurry then there are scores of places where you can get a scallop pie ( Tassie speciality) and many other lovely things that are not found in most other places i,e try some fresh crayfish as the season has just started.
Well over to the other experts now but do ask any questions if you need to.

johhj_au

My tip....get yourself a thick skin to cope with comments on the inadequacies of your cricket team.

Orlando_Vic

Anneli-

You are going to have a fabulous time, particularly being able to allow an entire month for the trip. We also went for one month last year and visited many of the places where you are going. Here are some thoughts on your itinerary:

On your first day, combating jet lag will be your biggest challenge. Upon arrival in Sydney, first go to your hotel. Check your bags there and go somewhere outside. One of the best pieces of advice I received was through a New York Times travel article. The author recommended going to Circular Quay and taking a ferry ride to Manley. You could also take a ferry to Taronga Zoo but this would be a longer day for you and more physically demanding. See how you feel. The combination of sunlight, motion, fresh air and physical activity is the antidote! Don't allow yourself to become sedentary or the fatigue will set in. Have dinner at dinner time and then, if you must, go to bed a little early or at normal bedtime. We traveled about 15,000 miles from Orlando, Florida to Sydney and this strategy worked very well for us, despite my initial scepticism.

You have wisely identified the Sounds of Silence at Uluru as an absolute "must-do". It is a once in a lifetime experience. You'll probably never have a chance to do it again.

Here is another "must-do" that you won't find in the guidebooks. If you are traveling by ground from Alice Springs to Uluru, be sure to stop at Jim's Place in Stuarts Well where you can see Dinky, the famous singing and piano-playing dingo!

Here is some background info on Dinky and Jim:http://www.australiantraveller.com/i...m?page_id=1234

Contact Information for Jim’s Place:
Phone: 011 61 8 8956 0808
e-mail: [email protected]


In Alice Springs, The camel ride and dinner at the Frontier Camel Farm <http://cameltours.ananguwaai.com.au/> is something to consider. We did this last year and found it to be a very unique experience and were glad we did it. Definitely bring your camera as you'll want a picture or two for next year's Christmas cards. Also, they do pick up and drop off at local hotels.
I do have two words of caution: 1) Be sure to bring a fly net. (A mosquito head net purchased in the U.S. also does the job!) 2) When the Camel Farm offers you a sheepskin for additional padding on your saddle, take TWO. Otherwise, the entire ride may leave a lasting and possibly painful "impression" on you, particularly if you are the "sensitive" type. (You will not find this tip in travel books.) And finally, the dinner they serve after the ride is excellent!

margo_oz

Sounds a wonderful trip. (and take John's advice about the cricket team! )

At Blackheath, Vulcans is supposed to be THE place to eat (although I've not been there):

33 Govetts Leap Rd
Blackheath NSW 2785
Phone (02) 4787 6899

http://www.eatability.com.au/au/sydney/vulcans.htm

It has limited opening hours, so you may not make it.

I don't know of any other recommended restaurants around there - although there is supposed to be a really good pie shop. We've eaten several times at a cafe (I think the Waratah) on the highway, and, while the food is OK, it's certainly nothing brilliant.

Avoid the Hydro-Majestic, which should be (and used to be) brilliant, but surely isn't now!

Annelli

Thanks for the suggestions. Any thoughts on North Queensland, Sydney and Blue Mountains sections gratefully received.

We are hoping, for our sakes, that the England cricket team can at least put in a performance before we get to Australia - but the thick skin will, I fear, be needed !

Annelli

Betsy

Annelli! We stayed at Piermont Retreat in October and loved it. The resort is a "work in progress." Their new restaurant was almost ready to open when we were there. The cottages and grounds are rustic and beautiful. We had a lovely breakfast at Kate's Berry Farm, which is close by.

I second LizF's recommendations to eat at Petty Sessions and Fish Frenzy. We enjoyed both.

Finally, I'd not try to see the Sydney zoo on your first day there. I think you'll be too jet-lagged to enjoy it. Also, I'd skip the Tower entirely, IMHO.

Orlando Vic outlined a first day strategy that seems ideal.

Betsy

A word about the drive from Hobart to Swansea. We drove the A3 because we wanted to stop at Richmond. We found the A3 narrow and difficult, with many trucks and poor shoulders. I would look for an alternate route, particularly after your "nightmare travel day." A better route may be taking Route 1 north from Hobart and then B34 over to Swansea. We drove B34 from Swansea to Longford and found it to be an easy drive.

Maybe one of our Tasmanian Fodorites could advise you further.

lizF

Where is that trip report Betsy :0)
I don't think that the bad travel day will be too bad at all really and it may be a good day to to the rest of that drive to Swansea.
Have to agree with Betsy about not doing Taronga Zoo on day of arrival. There are plenty of little walks in the botanical gardens or a ride on a ferry which is less strenuous and even perhaps a short nap would be good in the afternoon too. Stability will come in its own time and you cannot help it along too much so don't over do it but enjoy yourselves.

JohnFitz

It is a lovely intinerary. I recommend that you eat at NuNu in Palm Cove. It does a wonderful breakfast and the dinner menu is exceptional . The Thai restaurant 2 doors along from it ( can't recall its name )is also very good . As you are there for just 1 night then time will be tight .Stayed at The Henry Jones in Hobart - lovely pub - and you cannot do much better in terms of food quality for dinner quite frankly than at the hotel but you may prefer to go for a walk somewhere to eat.Don't go to Mures for a seafood dinner if anyone suggests it - lost its allure years ago I think .Liz offers a good alternative .As for eating in Sydney it depends on whether or not you want to spend $$ . If so ask concierge to book at Icebergs - lunch or dinner .It is on the water and really good . Have a lovely and safe trip .

Melnq8

If you make it to Freycinet and want a nice walk, I suggest not only the walk to the Wineglass Bay overlook, but continuing on to Wineglass Bay, crossing the isthmus to Hazards Beach and following the coastline around the base of Mt Mayson - great 11 km walk - maps available at the Visitor's Center.

Also recommend the Iluka Tavern in Cole's Bay for dinner - we had some good meals there.

As for Cradle Mountain, the most popular walk is the Dove Lake circuit, a 6.5 km ciruit of the lake.

If you want a bit more, suggest you try the Overland Track as far as Marion's Lookout where you'll see Crater Falls and Crater Lake. Sections of this walk are steep, but it's worth the effort. Park in the Ronny Creek carpark to access the trail.

The Cradle Mountain Lodge Tavern has good casual meals as well - we ate there three nights in a row.

We drove from Cradle Mountain to Stanley (where we stayed two nights) and although I didn't note the driving time, it seemed to take us forever to get there, so not sure it would make a good day trip. The walk to the top of The Nut only takes 10 minutes (it's steep though) and then you can spend some time walking around the top. Great views from up there and we really enjoyed our stay in Stanley.

The best meals of our Tassie trip were at Stanley's on the Bay and the Dovecote Motel Restaurant.

Have a great trip!

Annelli

Thanks - we have taken note of all the great suggestions and will think again about the zoo on day 1.

LizF mentioned that there were some things in North Queensland that we were missing out on - anyone have any thoughts?

Annelli

SnRSeattle

Hey, Annelli, RE the tours at Uluru, we took two and they were great: the Anangu Aborigine-led tour "Liru Walk" was very interesting and unique and the interpretative ranger-led Mala walk, ditto. We got upgraded to the Sails of the Desert and loved the huge rooms and lovely bathrooms and the sheets were very comfortable. We even had a peek-a-boo view of Uluru! Be sure to ask for a room with a view if they have one. The shop there had some fabulous pieces for some fabulous prices. We had a car and drove for the sunrise (not spectacular that day) and the sunsets (one evening nice, one evening so awesome we could hardly stand it.) We wanted to go to the star watching "tour" to the observation place with the telescopes, but the person in charge had a death in the family and couldn't do it. I would recommend it because the stars out there are so close you can touch them. and night would be cooler, I would hope. In Cairns, if you don't have time for Kuranda, don't cry because it is one big shopping place (if you don't go outside the main area). The skyrail is cool and the shopping is fun, but other places are less touristy. Please post about your trip! We want to do the Atherton Tablelands, too, but in October. To do's in Cairns: Reef Teach is entertaining, unique and educational; walking around is interesting; one day trip to Lizard with Daintree Air (www.daintreeair.com) is fantastic, although with SOF you'll have fantastic snorkeling and maybe even the flight, depending on your trip. PLEASE post about your SOF experience, we're doing that, too!! If you have some time, the Cairns Botanical Garden is worth a walk-through, especially the walk through time part, which is a special interest of mine, being a Montessori elementary teacher (retired.) Night tour on the Daintree River with Dan Irby was a feast for the soul, even though we didn't see too many animals and he didn't get close to the huge croc (for obvious reasons). You'd have lots of animals, I would imagine. Happy travels!
Sally in Seattle

nbujic

hi,
Melbourne is a great city - give it more time than a few hours!
nela

Mucky

Hi Annelli,
My first impression of your itinary is crikey, you will need a holiday after to get over it.
My 2nd is forget the negativity about the busy itinary, I am completely jealous and wish I was doing it too.

Enjoy it it will be fabulous.

Muck