1st Visit to Australia: Itinerary Help
 

Hello,

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Australia and are very excited! We are city-dwellers but love experiencing nature and the outdoors on vacation. We enjoy exploring off the beaten path gems, getting to know local people and customs and immersing ourselves in the culture of a place as much as possible. We are hoping to finalize our airfare this week for a trip in July. We are just beginning to sketch out an itinerary and would love some feedback!

Day 1: Arrive SYD early morning. Spend 4 nights in Sydney.
Day 2: SYD
Day 3: SYD
Day 4: SYD
Day 5: Depart SYD for Blue Mountains* Spend 3 nights in Blue Mountains
(*I was originally thinking to depart Sydney for Fraser Island but am reconsidering because of the time involved in flying and ferrying on the way there, then ferry and a connecting flight through Brisbane on the way to Cairns on the way out. Please let me know if Fraser Island is worth these complications or if you have a different suggestion of where to spend these 3 nights).
Day 6: Blue Mountains
Day 7: Blue Mountains
(Is this too much time in Blue Mountains? Should we do 2 nights and a night to Great Barrier Reef or somewhere else?)
Day 8: Depart Blue Mountains for Cairns. Spend 4 nights Great Barrier Reef
Day 9: GBR
Day 10: GBR
Day 11: GBR
Day 12: Depart Cairns for Ayers Rock. Spend 3 nights Ayers Rock
Day 13: Ayers Rock
Day 14: Ayers Rock
Day 15: Depart Ayers Rock for Melbourne Spend 3 nights Melbourne
Day 16: Melbourne
Day 17: Melbourne
Day 18: Depart Melbourne, return home.

-DH and I have not been scuba diving before. Is it necessary (or even possible!) to get certified before we leave?
-We are looking at flights home from Melbourne but I am not necessarily wedded to spending 3 nights there so am open to other suggestions.

Looking forward to your input, thanks!
Michelle

Hi Michelle -

I'll leave your itinerary questions to the local experts, but in regard to scuba diving you might consider doing the course work in your hometown and then do the open water dives to get your certification once you're in Australia.

Or you could just do an introductory dive in Australia.

You have one plenty of time to get PADI or other scuba Open Water certification before you come. The base level course is only about 5-6 days, from memory. Alternatively, you could just snorkel - or do an introductory course in Cairns. Have a chat with Pro-Dive and / or Wavelength & see what's on offer.


Personally, I'd do it at home if it's practicable, so you're not wasting holiday time here & you will have some experience under your dive-belt by the time you arrive.

I love Uluru, but I might be tempted to cut a night there & add it to Melbourne or Cairns. There is a lot of interesting stuff in the Cairns hinterland - and in & around Melbourne.

Plenty to see & do around the Blue Mountains. You might even venture an hour or two to the Central West.

I'll leave Fraser Island to the Qld experts.

You have a very workable itinerary--a variety of locales and not too much traveling around for the amount of time you'll be in country.

If you are avid hikers, then 3 days in the Blue Mountains would be nice. If you are not that interested in hiking, I would reduce your time in the Blue Mountains to 2 days and add time to the GBR portion of your trip. There are many other ways you could spend these 3 days as well, e.g. visiting the museums and bushwalking in Canberra (where you can encounter kangaroos in the wild) or making a loop through some of the country towns west of Sydney (Dubbo, Parkes, Cowra, Orange).

As for the GBR portion of your trip, you might want to consider staying in Port Douglas, which is a smaller town than Cairns and which has a very nice beach. (You have to go to the northern suburbs of Cairns to find a beach.) Also, while you could get certified for diving, you don't have to do so to enjoy the GBR. Snorkeling is a great way to see the GBR and if you really want to try diving, many boats offer intro dives. My personal favorite boat to the GBR is Wavelength out of PD and they are a snorkel-only boat.

Fraser Island is worth seeing . I've done a day trip to there out of Sunshine Coast and even one day was worthwhile. It's so different - dingoes, beautiful lake and more.

What did you plan to do for 4 days at GBR? Staying where?
What ideas do you have for Melbourne? Penguins, GOR, wineries,Healesville wildlife sanctuary , ?

Thanks so much for your quick and helpful responses.

I will look into doing an introductory scuba class before we depart but it is good to hear that the GBR can also be enjoyed by snorkel.

Northie, in regards to GBR I would like to stay either on one of the islands or in Port Douglas. I would be happy to hear some recommendations. I have not yet begun planning Melbourne yet!

I understand that 3 nights in the Blue Mountains isn't totally necessary but I do like the idea of possibly doing a day trip out West. Bokhara2, is there a particular spot you would recommend?

Thank you!

Hi michmich,

we stayed here in PD and thought that it was very good for the price and very convenient both for the town and the beach:

http://www.bytheseaportdouglas.com.au

I think that other federates stayed there too and were very happy with it.

As well as a visit to the GBR there are plenty of other things to do in the area - Mossman Gorge, a trip north to Daintree, etc.

“We…. love experiencing nature and the outdoors…enjoy exploring off the beaten path gems, getting to know local people and customs and immersing ourselves in the culture of a place as much as possible”

Hi – Agree with longhorn that your proposed itinerary is well planned. However I would propose the alternative itinerary below, which I think better takes account of your stated interests as well as the time of year (winter). I suggest spending time in Southeast Queensland in exchange for the Blue Mts and Melbourne, which will likely be cold or overcast at that time of year. Fraser Island really is a gem, and would qualify, at least from the perspective of an overseas visitor, as “off the beaten path”. Lamington Nat’l Park is one of my favorite places in Australia, with a extensive trail system, a plethora of wildlife and birds, and beautiful scenery. If you avoid the main hwy, the drive from Lamington to Hervey Bay will give you a chance to see some lovely out of the way places – the Sunshine Coast hinterland, for example.


Day 1 arrive Sydney, o’nite in Sydney
Day 2 Sydney, o’nite Sydney
Day 3 Sydney, o’nite Sydney
Day 4 Early flight to Brisbane, rent car, drive to Lamington Nat’l Park, o’nite in Lamington (O’Reilly’s, Binna Burra?)
Day 5 Lamington NP hiking, o’nite Lamington
Day 6 Drive to Hervey Bay, on the way explore Sunshine Coast or Sunshine Coast hinterland, o’nite Hervey Bay
Day 7 Barge to Fraser Island, o’nite Fraser
Day 8 Fraser Island, o’nite Fraser
Day 9 Fraser Island, o’nite Fraser
Day 10 Barge to Hervey Bay, drive to Brisbane, o’night Brisbane
Day 11 Fly to Cairns, rent car, o’nite Port Douglas
Day 12 GBR day trip, o’nite Port Douglas
Day 13 Mossman Gorge, Cape Tribulation? O’nite Port Douglas
Day 14 Tour Atherton Tablelands, o’nite Port Douglas
Day 15 Fly to Alice/Ayers from Cairns, o’nite Ayers
Day 16 Ayers Rock, o’nite Ayers Rock
Day 17 Olgas, o’nite Ayers Rock
Day 18 Fly to Sydney, then home

Just don't book with AATKings!! You will be disappointed. Our itinerary went great until they (AATKINGS) came into the picture. They were either an hour early or 1.5 hours late.

We could never get a time nailed down for pickup until they showed up to pick you up.

I agree with RalphR, Fraser Island is a beautiful place.

You need a 4WD For FI. Most rental car companies specifically prohibit taking their cars to FI, although there may be specialised firms that rent 4WDs for Fraser.

An alternative to self drive could be Kingfisher Bay resort. It's accessed by ferry from Hervey Bay, and is on the western side of the island. From there you can take tours to the ocean beaches or the various lakes (Lake Mackenzie is special).