AEJ

I am planning a trip for August and was hoping to get thoughts on our planned itinerary before I pull the trigger on the tickets. My husband and I are in our late 20s, love food, wine, the outdoors, history and art. We will have two weeks in the country with a couple extra days for travel. I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions!
Right now the plan is:
Sydney, 5 full and two half days
-probably day trips to Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, Bondi Beach (want to try surfing for the first time) and the rest of the time exploring the city
Darwin, 4 days
-We originally were thinking about Brisbane, but have been reading great things about Kakadu and think we'd prefer to spend more time actively exploring the land. What is the best way to visit the park? Should we plan to spend two days in Darwin and two days at the park?
Cairns, 4 1/2 days
-Great Barrier Reef of course, maybe doing an overnight sailing trip. Any other good day trips? Should we base in Cairns or another city?
Thanks!

stormbird

I would plan to spend the 4 days in Kakadu - there's quite a bit to see.

Have fun with the surfing - at 54 years old (with a fear of the surf)I recently had my first go at surfing. I didn't manage to stand but I did get to my knees - I was pretty happy with the effort.

I'm sure someone will come in re Cairns and Sydney.

len1962

Dear AEJ

That is quite an itinerary. Can you tell me where you live (trust me it is relevant) ? It is a LONG trip from Sydney to Darwin, and the airfare will be expensive. When you lock down your itinerary you can try to book on VirginBlue http://www.virginblue.com.au/ they are a good budget airline. I suggest that you subscribe to their emails, as they have periodic sales. Current sale shows airfare SYD-Darwin as $198 (Australian).

Darwin is extremely hot, and it might be a bit of a culture shock for you. I would suggest maybe less time there and more in Cairns - August in Cairns is absolutely beautiful. If you don't mind backpacking there are some great backpackers there. If you have the time, you can go to the Daintree north of Cairns, there is a retreat up there (catering to backpackers) I seem to remember a 2-3 trip - you are in the wilds there, but beautiful and you'll see lots of crocs as well (as you will in Darwin). Re History, there is lots in Darwin, mainly to do with WW2, the Americans were based there, and it was bombed repeatedly by the Japanese, though that was suppressed at the time, and now most people here aren't aware of the extent of the bombing and the number of dead (there were so many, they had to be buried at sea). Same goes for Cairns & Brisbane which was Douglas Macarthur's base of operations.

If you are interested in Art, you might enjoy discovering Aboriginal Art - there is a REALLY good gallery in Cairns - it is very interesting, but you either love it or you hate it. Look it up on ebay and you will see lots of photos, some of them are even genuine

I live in Brisbane, and have travelled to all the places on your itinerary, so please don't hesitate to ask any more questions.

Len from OZ

AEJ

Thanks for the feedback so far! To answer your questions, we live in the southern US, but will likely catch an airtran flight to LA and then go from there. Quantas is quoting me $1518/pp for all the flights listed and in and out of LA, so I'm not sure I'd beat that putting together trips from different airlines based on my research so far, but I will double check before booking.
Is this all going to be doable? We probably won't be back so we want to experience a lot, but don't want to be rushing around the whole time.

len1962

AEJ

When you are looking at a map of Australia, just remember that OZ is about the same size as the continental US. Flights from SYD to DARWIN would take around 4-5 hours (its like flying Miami Calgary). The fares quoted to you by Qantas sound good, I dont think you will get any cheaper. Re Darwin, I am not sure what you expect to do in Kakadu. You can't swim there, there aren't any cultural sights to visit (apart from the Aboriginal rock paintings). Remember you are almost at the equator. To give you an idea, I came down from my hotel into the lobby at 5.30 am for breakfast (I was taking a day trip to Kakadu) the lobby was all glass, and there was water running down the glass, I thought it must be raining (heavily) then I went outside. it wasn't rain, it was condensation. It was 38 degrees (thats 100F) and the sun was barely up. Anyway... I don't think there is enough to do in Darwin for 4 days. However, there was a good day trip to see the Tiwi people (by light plane) which I think would have been good, but I didnt have time to do it. For gods sake, dont go swimming, the place is teeming with crocs.

Might I suggest 4 days Syd, 3 days Darwin, Ularu 2 days (try to visit an Aboriginal community & see their painting) you will see the real Outback there, then maybe Brisbane (I am sure you can fly out of Brisbane, rather than backtracking through Sydney).

Hope this helps.

Any questions please let me know.

Len

longhorn55

I think you've got a pretty good plan based on your stated interests.

I've been to the Top End (Darwin and environs) twice and Darwin and it is one of my favorite parts of Australia. I would spend no fewer than 4 days up there. (I also hail from the southern U.S. and you won't have any problem with the weather in/around Darwin in August--it'll feel like home!) If you can arrange to be in Darwin on Thursday evening, the Mindil Beach Sunset Market is not to be missed.

I'll admit that Kakadu wasn't my favorite area in the Top End, but if it interests you, then plan to spend at least 2 days there. Spend one day in Darwin itself--the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is excellent and there are other interesting places to visit too. Then, instead of spending a 2nd day in Darrwin, take a day trip to Litchfield National Park, which I consider a "don't miss" site. Swimming in the various natural pools with waterfalls is wonderful and the magnetic termite mounds are fascinating.

Should you want another destination in lieu of Kakadu, take a look at Katherine which is 4 hours from Darwin (just slightly longer than the drive from Darwin to Jabiru in Kakadu NP). Stop on the way to Katherine at Edith Falls (Leilyn) National Park for some more swimming in natural pools and good hiking with excellent views over the area. Then continue to Katherine and plan on doing the Crocodile Night Adventure where you go croc-spotting on the river and enjoy a BBQ under the stars. On the next day, drive out to Katherine Gorge(Nitmiluk) National Park in the morning and either rent canoes to paddle through the gorge or arrange to take a boat trip through the gorge. Then leave by mid-afternoon for your drive back to Darwin to get back by dark. You should pre-book any of your activities in Katherine/Katherine Gorge because they do sell out. We used Travel North: www.travelnorth.com.au

Finally, while Cairns is a perfectly fine place to base yourself, we prefer Port Douglas because it is closer to the GBR, Mossman Gorge and Daintree National Park and has the lovely Four Mile Beach.