2 weeks in Aus all alone
 

Hi everyone,

I am traveling from Canada to Sydney next month to Australia for 2 weeks , so far decided on 4 days in Sydney, 3 in Melbourne , 5 in Cairns/Reef/PD(still cant figure out) and rest back in Sydney . Any suggestions for any cool places not found in travel guides ? I am very confused about how I should explore the reef or QLD coast . I fly in to Sydney on 26th, any suggestions about things I should do during that time of the year or any other places that might be better ? and what would be the best place to go to in QLD?


thanks in advance :)

It's hard to give any useful advice without first knowing your interests. (Do you like animals, outdoor activities, history, shopping, food, wine, etc.?) Also, are your flights to Melbourne and Cairns already set? (I'd probably recommend tweaking them if you can.) And do you fly into Sydney on September 26th or October 26th? (That would affect some recommendations I might make.) And what confuses you about how to explore Queensland?

I'd love to give some advice if I had some more info.

What do you want to do in Cairns / Port Douglas? Are you looking for party time (stay in Cairns)? Relaxation, seeing native animals, visit the reef, see the rain forest (stay in Port Douglas). Are you planning to hire a car?

Hi longhorn and margo , thanks for responding, my ticket is booked for 26 th oct and havent booked anything for inside Australia, I like all the things that u mentioned and would like to do everything, but on top of my list would be nature, water, reef, animals.

@margo-I can rent a car wherever needed but places like Sydney dont think it would be a good idea , maybe in QLD.

@longhorn- About qld I have 5 days and the coast line is so vast I dont know where to go and what place would be best to access reef, nature , historical stuff etc

This happens to me, too, and I find it instructive to check out various tour company itineraries. Those are a good start as far as main places to be. Then, some of the small group companies put together itineraries quite suitable for the type of travel you are looking for, with plenty of time to explore on your own, optional things to do, reasonable cost, and a professional on the tour who always seem to have great suggestions and advice.

About half the time I decide to do one of those rather than heading out on my own for those and many other reasons including the fun of being with a group of like-minded people. And in particular I would recommend checking out the itineraries of both Intrepid Travel and G Adventures.

1. Unless the is some particular reason you have for wanting to visit Melbourne, I'd skip it. You are already planning to visit Australia's largest city, Sydney, so why visit the 2nd largest city as well when, arguably, the best parts of Australia are outside the big cities.

2. In lieu of Melbourne, I'd take those 3 days and the extra days (2?) you were planning to spend in Sydney at the end of your trip and go to Tasmania. With 5 days in Tasmania, you could drive and/or hike through some amazing scenery, see some native animals in one of the wildlife parks and visit one of the most historic places in Australia, Port Arthur. Driving on your own is the best way to see Tasmania.

3. Another option for those 5 days is Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. Five days in these two places would be just about right. Adelaide is a lovely city where you can shop, take a day trip to a winery and/or see native animals at Cleland Wildlife Park. Then head over to Kangaroo Island for lots more animals and scenery.

4. As far as Queensland goes, choose to stay in either Cairns or Port Douglas, based on your interests. (See Margo's notes.) Personally, I like the laid-back ambience of Port Douglas. For those 5 days, I'd plan on 1 day for a snorkeling trip to the GBR. (I recommend Wavelength out of PD), 1 day for a tour of Daintree National Park (either guided or self-guided), 1 day for the Wildlife Habitat in PD + Mossman Gorge, 1 day to relax on Four Mile Beach and go shopping in PD. You might enjoy going to Kuranda via the Skyrail and/or scenic railway, but having done this twice, it's not something I'd put at the top of my list.

Hope these suggestions are helpful.

Thank for responding guys .

@longhorn -you have helped so much with my confusion,couple of questions for you- for PD people usually fly to Cairns or is there another option? I am getting Syd-cairns flight for $99, I think its a good price. For Melbourne it is probably the least important on my list and you are right I rather see something different.

I can do Sydney for 4 days and leave for Cairns/PD on 30th, leave cairns for Hobart on 3rd morning, stay there till 6th/7th and then head back. I checked all the ticket and they are quite affordable right now.

Since I haven't read much on Tasmania(seen a 1000 pics tho) can you suggest some other things that I can do there? I'd like to stay 1 or 2 nights outside of Hobart, is it going to be too cold in November there ?

The gateway to the GBR area is Cairns, so that's where you fly into if you want to stay in PD. You'll either have to rent a car or arrange for a coach transfer from Cairns to get to PD. Having a car in PD is not necessary, but you may want one if you do self-guided, rather than guided, tours to Daintree, Mossman Gorge, etc.

If you go to Tasmania, I would definitely stay until the 7th (and even that is cutting it a bit short as 5 days is, I think, a minimum amount of time for the island). With the short amount of time you have, you might just want to stay in Hobart and take day trips from there. If you want to stay someplace outside of Hobart, I would probably recommend Launceston/Mole Creek. There are some cool caves to explore in Mole Creek and the Trowunna Wildlife Park. In Launceston, you've got scenery and hiking in the Cataract Gorge Reserve.

Not a show-stopper but weather in Tasmania in October could still be pretty dicey. And while you are in Sydney, why not make the most of your location to see more of SE Australia? Four days IN Sydney seems a bit long if you're more interested in nature and wildlife. Why not rent a car in Sydney to explore outside the city - the South Coast, the Southern Highlands and the Blue Mts - over a few days? Then fly up to Cairns and spend the rest of your time in North Queensland. A week or more up there is not too much time and may give you the opportunity to see some of the more out of the way and less spoiled places like Cooktown and the Atherton Tablelands.

@longhorn- thanks for the info, been reading more about Tasmania and it looks pretty exciting. Mole creek looks fascinating, if the drive isnt very difficult I could definitely stay theere for 2 days and explore the norther part


@RalphR- Thats my plan= my 3-4 days in Sydney wont just be the city I definitely have to go to Blue mountains and in PD I am thinking after I am done GRB I will take a day trip to Atherton and maybe another place within 2 hours drive if I have time . And the weather part is tricky i hope its not uncomfortable. I should know that when I leave Canada it would probably be snowing with sub zero temperature so anything in Aus would be summers for me :P


How are the roads/highways in Tasmania? And whats better highlands in NSW or Tasmania, keeping in mind I am going alone.

thanks again guys

4 nights in Tasmania is pretty short and if you're flying into and out of Hobart, I'd stick with southern Tasmania and not try to do both north and south. There's plenty to see and do around Hobart. Or if you're really set on seeing the Mole Creek area, I'd look at flying out of Launceston.

The roads and highways in Tasmania are fine. We've been there twice in winter. Watch out for wildlife especially after dark.

Comes down to quality vs quantity. And flying Cairns-Hobart will cost you a precious day out of the very few you have.

@ Patty and Ralph, I am so confused, I wonder if every one else also gets confused or its just me indecisive...lol

You are right the flight is 5+ hours, travel time is probably he worst thing about Aus, going anywhere is so far...oh boy this aint easy

I'm sure somebody here would have told you Australia is the same size as Canada, just with different climate zones.

Two weeks is enough for Sydney, Cairns/GBR and Hobart, but not much else, owing to extreme distances and the wasted time one must spend in airports these days.

Re Sydney, 3-4 days, go public transport, Notably ferries and trains. There are daily and weekly excursion tickets that cover all public transport at exceptionally reasonable rates compared to private tours.

You can spend all day on and off ferries from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay, Taronga Park Zoo, Darling Harbour, Balmain, Manly, Neutral Bay, etc etc for a few dollars.

You can take the train from Central to the Blue Mountains for less than $10, hopping on and off if you like at places like Parramatta.

For Cairns, at least a week to visit the reef, Daintree, the Atherton Tableland, Port Douglas.

Tasmania, for the time you have, Hobart, Port Arthur, Bruny Island and Mt Field National Park will take up all of the time you have, but will be most rewarding without having huge travel distances. All very different, all easily reached from Hobart via hire car.

Happy travels.

Hi marees55 , thanks for your ideas, i have booked my flights since they were getting expensive everyday, I have 4 days in Sydney then full 4 days in cairns and another 4 in Hobart, might not be enough for everything but I can still cover a lot without rushing.

hey guys , I 'm back here again for some suggestions, I have booked my flights for inside Aus. You were all right travel(flight) is going to take a lot of my time. I will have full 4 days in each place- Sydney-Cairns-Hobart. I have booked my hostels for Syd and HBT but still haven't booked for Cairns. I'm not sure if I should stay in Cairns or PD, so far what i think I am doing is Kuranda (cable car), Atherton (seems so vast i dont know where I should go) and a day(or 2) snorkeling /swimming. Please suggest which would be the best place to stay if I want to go to these places and also best places to enjoy reef and atherton. Thanks !

Also is there anything in Syd-Cairns-HBD that I should book in advance?

Hey, I would suggest you go for an apartment if you are travelling alone. Its safer that way. I would say Moranbah if you are thinking of QLD. Maybe you can take a look at the Oaks Moranbah. Pretty good 1 bedroom apartments available