Hello,

My wife and I have set up a tentative itinerary for a trip to Australia and I'd be thrilled to hear your feedback. We'll be flying between the major centres and renting cars while we're there. We'll arrive in Sydney from Vanuatu, so we'll already be (mostly) acclimated and ready to sightsee upon arrival!

Sydney: Four days

Cairns: Five days
(We'd like to visit Daintree and go diving for one day. Would you suggest a split of 3 nights in Cairns and 2 in Daintree, or would it be reasonable to spend all five nights in Cairns? It's a bit of a drag to continually switch hotels!)

Darwin: Six days
(Two nights in Darwin, one night at Litchfield NP, one night at Katherine Gorge, two nights in Kakadu NP.)

Alice Springs: Five days
(Two nights in Kings' Canyon, two nights at Uluru, one night in Alice Springs.)

Melbourne: Four days
(Do people usually do an overnight stop on the Great Ocean Road, or just start early in the morning and return to Melbourne at night?)

Thanks kindly in advance.

As a lot of us have mentioned on a previous post - it really depends on what time of year you are coming to give you a clear impression of where to go and what to do. You will be acclimatized to Queensland but not necessarily to anywhere else when you come from Vanuatu - as you did say in your post. You ideas of flying between destinations is a good one for starters and yes you can stay in Cairns for the full time - however if you like animals and Australian wildlife then I would suggest staying at a B&B called Daintree Wild which is a little zoo with guest rooms and staying there gives you access the whole time to the animals that they have. I stayed there a year or so ago and absolutely loved it. Fed and played with the animals, had the most wonderful breakfast with a Black Cockatoo sitting on my shoulder ( you do not have to do that by the way) and over-fed the beautiful Sugar Gliders ( my favourite animals) honey for their breakfast. The website is www.daintreewild.com.au and from there you can explore the Daintree and Cape Tribulation areas and from Cairns you can do the reef and Atherton Tablelands. Make sure you have enough time for that area though as there is a lot to see and do.
When I know what time of year you will be here I will add to this.

<b>"(Do people usually do an overnight stop on the Great Ocean Road, or just start early in the morning and return to Melbourne at night?)"</b>

It is possible to see a big portion of the GOR in one day, particularly if you take a tour. APT did a nice job with the one we took. Alternatively, one could also do a two-day trip by car. You must decide if you want to drive yourself or let someone else do the driving.

Hello grlmopz,
Looks like a great itinerary to me. You've given enough time to explore each place and have a nice diversity. Is this your first trip to Australia?

I like to have an overnight stop on the Great Ocean Road. You can certainly do it in a day trip, but there are some charming places to spend a night,(Port Fairy is one of my favourites) and it gives you the flexibility to explore some of the towns along the way, have a leisurely lunch etc. The coast has a rich marine history of fishing, whaling, many shipwrecks and excellent museums in Queenscliff and (I think) Warrnambool.
www.portfairy.com.au

Something to keep in mind: The Great Ocean road is separated from the ocean in many places by sandhills, and you need to park and walk a little way to see the Apostles and other landmarks. The parking spots are well signposted and there is usually a boardwalk and viewing platform. The weather down there is notoriously changeable, so do take a windjacket, even in summer.

If you decide on an overnight stop, there is a loop you might like to consider: Leaving Melbourne, drive down the Mornington Peninsula to Sorento and take the car ferry across to Queenscliff (about $40) and from there to Lorne etc. On the way back, go through Portarlington, Geelong, to Melbourne.

What time of year are you coming?

Yep, time spacing seems reasonable but "When?" = weather! considerations.
And re as Orlando says about driving the GOR, the driver may miss out or both and the car get closer up to rocks at the bottom of a cliff than they intended.

Two days is sure better than one.

What are you planning to do in Uluru and Alice Springs? You might want to consider one night in the former and two in the latter. We found more interesting things in Alice than in Uluru, and lodging and food are more reasonable in Alice.

Hi again. Thanks for the prompt replies.

Yes, this will be our first foray into Australia. Can't wait.

The information on the Great Ocean Road looks wonderful. I'll rent a car and we'll do a two-day self-drive trip.

This trip will be taking place in June, 2010. Thus, it'll be "cold" in the south (I'm from Canada, thus the quotation marks) and not too unbearable in the Northern Territory!

I haven't much of an idea what we'll do in Uluru. I figure that we'll hike around the exterior one day, then maybe head to the Olgas on the second day.

Keep your advice coming if you have anything to add. It's highly appreciated.

June's a great month for your trip. Our coldest days will probably feel almost summery to you* (LOL) and you'll be here during school term, so possibly some good rates on offer for airfares & accommodation.

Alice Springs is one of our hidden gems IMO & one that can really claim to be in that elusive place ... "the Outback".
www.TravelNT.com/AliceSprings
Lots to do for a couple of days.

At Uluru, I suggest you make the Cultural Centre your first port of call, if you can. It will give you an excellent introduction to the area and the Aboriginal people and add so much to your understanding of what you'll see & experience. You can arrange a guided tour by one of the local Aboriginal guides if you wish. http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/

* My god daughter's married to a lovely Canadian chap and it's practically got to snow to get him into a sweater! He came to do a degree about 15 years ago and we kidnapped him

Lots of good advice here as usual.

However for the Cairns leg of your trip can I suggest that if you are at all interested in seeing wild wildlife then the Atherton Tablelands is the place. You could base yourself on one of the Cairns northern beaches for three nights, drive up into the rainforests north of the Daintree and take a river cruise for the crocs before heading up to the Tablelands for two nights. There you can see kangaroos of many species, Platypus, and many other wonderful things as well as beautiful scenery and the clever work of artisans.