25day planning for Australia
 

Hello
Fodors have helped me a lot in my last 3 vacations planning and here i come again for help and suggestion from all the beloved members

This time its gonna be Australia

We are an active couple aged around 40 with a child girl aged 10 from Pakistan and very passionate about traveling and vacations. We try to plan and book early as this is fun and also saves a lot of money. We are now starting to plan our 2017 vacations for which we have picked Australia due to its beauty and a very close relative living there.

This is just the basic start and may not cover details. Our trip will be for about 25days(excluding arriving/departure days) and we will be arriving at Melbourne as my one & only brother in law lives here with his family. From here on we need to decided where to go

We are very much into nature beauty which may include greenery, waterfalls, beaches but not to forget that we love big cities and shopping as well

My questions
1. What should be our itinerary
2. Which cities or locations should we try to cover
3. Which circuit should we follow
4. Should it be a self driver car or bus or air

Thank you all

We can only visit in June or July as this is where the child has her school summer holidays

Please tell us much more - your question so far is too broad. The continent is as big as the US, end to end and top to bottom. June-July is winter - in some parts, like the alps from NSW down into VIC, are in their ski season, while the far north of Queensland, Cairns for example, has a wonderful sunny time with minimal chances for rain, a good time to visit the Great Barrier Reef.

For people from warm climates, Melbourne and Adelaide and Sydney are chilly, even on sunny days, and often rainy. Days are short, the sun sets around 5PM. Tasmania, being even further south (meaning closer to the South Pole) can get quite wintery and chilly, too.

After you see your relatives, what's the plan? Rent a car and take off? Fly to warmer parts like Cairns?

You need to tell us your intentions, likes and dislikes - beaches? Mountains? Deserts? There's not all that much green to be found at that time, but the continent is so huge, it's hard to generalize.

Sydney is worth a visit not only for its big city feel but the scenery is stunning; spending time on the harbor is definitely a highlight of any trip to Australia, especially a first.

If you're thinking about beaches and greenery, go up to Far North Queensland. As Michel mentioned, June and July will be a great time to be up there. Not only do you have the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest and the Atherton Tablelands will go you plenty to do.

The other place I would suggest is the Top End. From Darwin, you could go to Kakadu National Park and spend a few days for its unique scenery, Aboriginal art, and wildlife. Litchfield National Park and Katherine Gorge are also nearby.

If you like desert landscapes, Uluru and Kata Tjuta may pique your interests. June and July will be cool and good for hiking if that's your thing.

With 25 days, you can get a good overview of Australia, although I would recommend flying as the distances between the marquis destinations are great.

Plenty of family fun at the Gold Coast in Queensland. You might all enjoy the theme parks (Sea World is great), shopping at the malls and a trip to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
When our kids were younger we had many great family holidays there (we are from NZ). It is very touristy but there is a lot to do. Our kids loved the weather in Australia in June and July - warm, sunny and blue skies.
Spend some time in Sydney - it's a big city but very pretty on the harbor with lots of beaches.
It's too far to drive everywhere. Public transport is good on the Gold Coast and you can get the train from Brisbane.

Fortunately or Unfortunately the trip needs to be done in June & July only as this is the time when the kid have their school vacations

I understand that day time is shorter in June/July and some parts may be cold, but we are from a hot city and therefore some cool temperatures would be good for us.

We would like a mixture of
1. Cool and warm temperature places (i think Mel & Syd will be cooler than others
2. Natural beauty which can be in the form of Beaches, coral reefs, national parks,
3. Gorgeous cities and towns
4. Beautiful beach
5. Shopping and theme parks

The trip itinerary is still very vague, but i know that Australia is very big and therefore initially after having a look at the map, i am considering to leave out the Western part i.e Perth etc. Pls suggest

Which would be a better choice for a first trip to Australia
Brisbane/Syd/Mel/Perth and things in between them
OR
Mel/Syd/BrisbaneDarwin and things in between them

Thanks a lot

With about three weeks I would not aim for four major cities. Instead, visit 2 cities - 3 if you insist - and spent the rest of your time exploring Australia's natural wonders. I don't know what you mean by "between them" but if you are looking at driving, then I suppose you can start in Melbourne and make your way up to Sydney and Brisbane, stopping along the way, but you won't have time for much else.

tripplanne

I meant to ask which would be a better choice b/w these 2 routes
. Mode of transportation will mostly be "Air" as australian destination/cities are far apart

Which would be a better choice for a first trip to Australia
Brisbane/Syd/Mel/Perth and things in between them
OR
Mel/Syd/BrisbaneDarwin and things in between them

For a three week trip, if it were me, I wouldn't visit four cities. Given that you will be visiting family in Melbourne and that Sydney is simply unique, I would only attempt those two cities on your trip. I would spend the rest of your time in Far North Queensland (flying in and out of Cairns) given your interest of beaches and reefs and either the Top End or the Red Center but not both. As far as air travel goes, it could be Melbourne-Darwin-Cairns-Sydney or Melbourne-Uluru-Darwin-Sydney.

Look: your travel time is perfect for going to the Red Centre - Uluru, Alice Springs, etc. The days will not be too hot. The nights will be chilly. And the flies that infest the area during the Aussie summer will be sparse. If you have half a thought about going there, do it in June/July, not in an Aussie summer.

After going through few pages on the internet, have developed some interest and itinerary as follows

Arrive in Melbourne and stay for 7 days
Ski resort close to Melbourne 2 days
Sydney 4 days (blue mountain + city)
Gold coast 4 days (should we do Brisbane or gold coast)
Port Douglas/cairns 3 days

Now what else can we add for another 6-8days. Things in mind are
*Fraser Island (will it be done from Sydney)
*Alice spring and Uluru
*kukado park
*Adelaide
*Kangaroo park

We would want a mixture of COLD & WARM climate. but i think Tasmania would be chilly, therefore i am opting to skip it.
Your advise will help a lot

thanks again

We would mostly be travelling by AIR but do not mind renting a car for day/2 trips like GOR or in PD or ski resort etc

Based upon what you've outlined I would add 2-3 nights to Sydney, especially if you are planning to visit the Blue Mountains. You could think about an overnight in Katoomba or Leura to allow you more think in the mountains for hikes, etc.

Fraser Island is north of Brisbane but reachable from Gold Coast as well.

If by 3 days you mean 2 nights for Cairns / Port Douglas it's not enough to enjoy what the area has to offer. Aim for 5-6 nights. June / July will be a good time to be there.

And with this, you have a full itinerary. Leave the other areas for another trip.

Should it be Blue mountain or Kangaroo park or any other similar nature activity

I am not aware of a place in Australia called Kangaroo Park. If you want to see kangaroos and other Australian wildlife there are zoos at each of the cities you are visiting. You may also see them in the wild outside of the cities depending on what day trips you take. By spending a few additional days in the areas you're visiting, you will have more time and opportunities to commune with nature. You could go to the Blue Mountains as an overnight for example. The Grampians or the Great Ocean Road outside of Melbourne are good places to visit. From Cairns or Port Douglas, there's Daintree Rainforest and the Atherton Tablelands.

If you chance you are referring to Kangaroo Island when you say "Kangaroo park" it's off the coast of South Australia near Adelaide. It's another good place to experience the outdoors and see wildlife. To include Adelaide and Kangaroo Island would mean dropping a destination on your current itinerary; otherwise you're trying to do too much.