12 day Australia Itinerary
 

Hi, I am planning a trip to Australia end of May for about 12 days. Flight lands in Sydney. This is my first time to Australia with my wife, can you please suggest a 12 day itinerary which includes the best of Australia.

I have heard a lot about Gold Coast, Great Barrier Reef, Great Ocean Road and would like to cover these.
Please suggest if I may be missing out on something.

Thanks

Australia is a very large country and the places in which you've expressed interest are all located in different parts of the country. With 12 days, I would go with three locations at most and two for a more leisurely visit. You could easily spend all of your time in Sydney, but 4-5 days would give you a nice overview. The Great Ocean Road is easiest done out of Melbourne and it's another place where you could allocate 4-5 days, perhaps more, depending on your interests. I haven't been to Queensland, so cannot comment on Gold Coast and GBR.

A common itinerary is city--reef--rock (Sydney, GBR, Uluru). As you are coming in winter, visiting central Australia might be a good idea, but it would depend on your interests. Uluru would only need two days with an overnight stay, with the rest of the time divided between Sydney and Cairns.

What are your interests, ie what do you consider "best of Australia".

Agree with above that Uluru would be good weather wise for May.

I live on the Gold Coast, so am perhaps biased, but May is the best time of the year here.

Do you like theme parks (we have many) beaches or surfing (60 km of white sand beach) mountains and hiking (the hinterland is beautiful) ?

The Gold Coast has a lot to offer - far beyond the theme parks & Cavil Avenue. It's popular to knock the GC but those who spend a little longer usually have a different view.
( but then I like Melbourne too, so must be weird :) )

I've been a visitor to friends there for many years & always enjoy it. The hinterland - Mt Tamborine & more is only a short drive away and offers wonderful walks, little villages.

The choices for travelling Australia are as diverse as the country itself. If you’re seeking nature, adventure, art and culture, food, wine or inspirational holidays, you will find everything you need here. I would like to suggest the Gold Coast Surfers Paradise, which is very popular for its Queensland beach lifestyle and nightlife the year round. Beach is surrounded With lots of attractions, activities and things to do.

QLD: Beaches, rainforest, reefs, shopping, etc.
NSW: more beaches, bushwalking, history, shopping, etc
Vic: history, art, culture, food, Great ocean road.

Take your pic! :) I agree with the others that as you don't have a lot of time, maybe base yourself somewhere, or just spend a few days in 2-3 places, so you have enough time to enjoy each location.

Just came back from a trip that was just a little shorter (9 nights). We flew into SYD, spent 3 nights exploring the city, Manly via ferries, and getting adjusted. Then flew to Melbourne and picked up a car to drive to Port Campbell and up the Great Ocean Road, spending the next 3 nights hopping up the coast enjoying the small towns and koala spotting. Then spent the last 3 nights in Melbourne itself. It was a great mix of city and small towns, and were very impressed with Melbourne. If you have the few extra days, maybe fly a bit farther (SYD to Adelaide?) and take your time seeing more of the coastal towns... or take a longer route to the Grampians and around. The small towns are sometimes very small, but have a relaxing vibe and always friendly. Have fun!