Shellyinokinawa

Hi! Thanks for all the advice so far! So, here's what we have so far...I'd welcome any more advice. We plan on hiking, beaching, checking out wildlife along the way.

2/21 arrive sydney 11am..stay in sydney
2/22..explore some of sydney
2/23-drive to Mollymock and bannisters lodge (around jervis bay marine park)(3 hr drive?)
2/24 stay at Mollymock
2/25 drive to Karbeethong lodge(around mallacoota) (3 1/2 hr drive?)
2/25 stay at karbeethong lodge again
2/26 maybe drive to around Phillip island and stay for penguin parade, etc (drive time unknown)
2/27 stay phillip island again
2/28 stay phillip island again
3/1 drive to melbourne..stay the night (drive time unknown)
3/2 fly out of melbourne in am

Any advice? stay longer or shorter somewhere? Any recommendations on where to stay around Phillip Island?

Thank you so much!!!
Shelly

tropo

Shelly, could I suggest not spending so much time on Phillip Island, and allowing more time on the south coast of NSW, for instance, when leaving Sydney, driving south on the Hume Highway, via Liverpool, then turn off for Mittagong. Drive through these southern highland villages/towns, then take the road signposted Robertson, then half way to Robertson, turn off, to Fitzroy Falls & KAngaroo Valley, pass through the quaint village of Kangaroo Valley, then up Camberrawa Mountain, and down to the village Jamberoo, then to Kiama (stay a night)
Then from Kiama, drive south down the Princes Highway, visiting enroute Jervis Bay National Park (ACT one that is), then back to main highway, heading south, to Narooma. (if you stay the night at Narooma, drive around to the inlet behind the town, and check out the little cafe/restaurants built on jetties over the water. Hard place to beat, late afternoon, eating fresh seafood, and knocking down a nice white wine)
Further south, is the nice town of Merimbula, then south again is the old whaling town of Eden, with its beautiful harbour. After you cross the NSW/Victoria border, you will come to Malacoota (very quite town).
There is a nice "inland" drive away from the Victorian coast, where a lot of fruit/vegetables come from.
Sorry to throw a spanner in the works, I just feel that there are some magic coastal towns & sights, other than Mollymook, and Malacoota.

Judy_in_Calgary

Hello Shelly,

I second Tropo's advice. As he says, Narooma is a delightful town. Nearby Bermagui is a nice place to stay too.

A short way inland from Narooma and Bermagui, and worth the detour, are the villages (or townships, as Australians call them) of Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba. Tilba Tilba is a heritage site because of its old buildings. Obviously they're not old by Asian and European standards, but old by Australian standards. A most charming spot.

Check out the war memorial in Central Tilba. Count the names of the WW I dead on it (two or three dozen, as I recall). Reflect what that loss of life represented in such a small community. Multiply that across Australia and New Zealand to get some sense of what Gallipoli means even to this day.

I also agree with Tropo that you're planning to spend too much time at Phillip Island.

Wilsons Promontory is a delightful spot, and worth exploring. There is no accommodation at Wilsons Prom itself. The nearby towns are small, but the largest of them is Leongatha, and probably would have the most reasonable selection of accommodation.

Between Mallacoota and Leongatha is the beautiful area of Lakes Entrance. Although it is a worthy vacation destination in its own right, at least stop there for lunch en route from Mallacoota to Leongatha.

If I were you, I would spend no more than a day and an evening on Phillip Island. A daytime activity you could do there is a visit to the Koala Conservation Centre. The Penguin Parade, of course, is always in the evening, because the fairy penguins come ashore at dusk. Sunset on Feb 28th will be around 8.00 p.m. Someone here mentioned a more exclusive viewing area. Whatever it costs, I'm sure it's worth being away from the busloads and busloads of other people who go to see the Penguin Parade. If you don't want to pay extra, then at least go really early so you can get a good seat, otherwise you won't have a good view of the beach that the penguins cross. Warning: The sea breeze can be really cool at dusk. We went on what had been a hot day, between Christmas and New Year, and it grew really cool when the sun sank below the horizon. Fortunately we'd been warned of this, and had brought jackets with us. Here is a website with links to PI accommodation in which you can stay after the Penguin Parade:

http://www.phillipisland.net.au/

Here is a website where you can find out distances, driving times, and directions in Australia:

http://www.travelmate.com.au/MapMaker/MapMaker.asp

Judy_in_Calgary

Postscript.

In driving from Mallacoota to Phillip Island, you face a tough choice.

As I said, Wilsons Promontory is a beautiful place. By the way, just as a point of interest, it's also the most southerly point on the Australia mainland.

However, the inland route, via Traralgon would give you access to the delightful temperate rainforest in Tarra-Bulga National Park where, if one is lucky, one may see a lyrebird. This too is a special place.

I am at a loss to recommend which one is preferable. I guess it may help you if you weigh up what you already will have seen by then. You will have seen beaches, and Wilsons Prom will offer more seascapes, but I think Tarra-Bulga National Park will offer something different.

Shellyinokinawa

WOW, thanks for all the responses..I was wondering if that was too long at Philip Island and judging from your responses it is. Thanks for the websites also, I will check those out while I rework our itinerary..I may pop back in with some follow up questions if you all don't mind.
Thanks again for the wealth of information you've given!
Shelly

Neil_Oz

Sehhly, these websites might be useful too:
www.tourism.nsw.gov.au/home/
www.southcoast.com.au/
www.southcoastleisuretimes.com.au
www.jervis-bay-nsw.com.au
www.naturecoast-tourism.com.au
www.sapphirecoast.com.au/

I found Lakes Entrance a pleasant coastal holiday area by Victorian standards but I wouldn't sacrifice time at the NSW south coast in its favour.

Judy_in_Calgary

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;I found Lakes Entrance a pleasant coastal holiday area <b>by Victorian standards</b>&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;



Meet you at dawn, Neil. Choose your second and name the weapon.

lizF

Troppo's advice is wonderful and one I would do myself if I was going that way. Would make for a lovely drive.
Phillip Island is about as boring as you can get and frankly I would do the tour from Melbourne to a closer venue.

Judy_in_Calgary

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;I would do the tour from Melbourne to a closer venue&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

Shelly, I think Liz probably is referring to other places where one can see fairy penguins. I haven't done this myself, but in the past Fodorites have posted messages about evening cruises that take one to a fairy penguin colony in Melbourne Harbour. If I remember correctly, one even has dinner on the boat.

Liz says Phillip Island is boring, and I have to agree that I did not find it inspirational from a scenic point of view. I went there only for the penguin parade. While the fairy penguins are adorable, I found the island itself to be flat and uninteresting. I must admit, however, that I did not explore the island's other possibilities. There is a Fodorite who has listed PI's attractions once in a while (Koala Conservation Centre, etc.). I think he lives somewhere around there. I'm sure he knows more about it than I do.

Anyway, something you could consider is doing the penguin viewing cruise on the night before you take off from Melbourne.

I get the impression you are not very interested in cities. Although I like the city of Melbourne very much, perhaps an afternoon and evening would suffice for you. The free City Circle Tram that gives you an orientation of the CBD may be as much as you want.

If you want to spend minimal time in Melbourne and if you want to skip Phillip Island, you could consider going to Wilsons Prom and then driving into the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne. The Dandenong Ranges are covered in temperate rainforest, and could provide an alternative to Tarra-Bulga National Park that I mentioned earlier.

From the Dandenong Ranges, you could drive to the Yarra Valley and visit Healesville Nature Sanctuary, where you could see native Australian animals.

Then you could drive into Melbourne from there.

If you do want to go to the Dandenong Ranges, and if you want to use Travel Mate's Map Maker website to figure out how to get there, plug in destinations like Olinda and Sassafras.

There is a really cute, narrow gauge, steam train called Puffing Billy in the Dandenong Ranges. It travels between Belgrave and Gembrook.

Checking out the view of Greater Melbourne from the Mt. Dandenong Observatory is worthwhile too.

Fond as I am of Puffing Billy, there is a place in the Dandenongs that I consider to be even more special than a sweet little steam train, and that is the William Ricketts Sanctuary. If a person was forced to choose only one thing to see in Greater Melbourne, I would recommend the William Ricketts Sanctuary. If you go there, be <b>sure</b> to watch the short movie on Bill Ricketts' life. Bill Ricketts was a talented sculptor who didn't have a minute's formal art training but lived in the forest producing beautiful and inspirational clay sculptures. His belief system, which he expressed in his art, was informed by his extensive contact with Aboriginal people. The place where his small hut and his kiln were located has been preserved as a sanctuary. His sculptures are set amongst the mountain ash trees and the ferns, with moss growing over them and crimson rosellas flying overhead.

margo_oz

Judy
Message: &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;I found Lakes Entrance a pleasant coastal holiday area by Victorian standards&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

I'll second Neil..... it's a fair comment!

Judy_in_Calgary

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;I'll second Neil..... it's a fair comment!&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

Well, Margo, now I know who Neil's second is. Still no news on the weapon.

tropo

Shelly, I had completely forgotten about Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba, one village has old buildings, craft shops, a great bakery (try their fresh bread rolls), cheese factory, and an old pub. The other village has a nice B&amp;B and a nearby nursery/and gardens.
Bermagui is a great fishing town.
Wilsons Promontory is worth visiting, if you like National Park, walking, swimming etc. A lot of crimson rosella birds flock around the cabin/camping section of the National Park headquarters. The last time I was there, the water was quite cold, and we had no alternative but to rush into the water for swim, as the March flies were on the beach in numbers. If you intend to stay at Wilsons Promintory, pick a time outside of school holidays, as it gets quite crowded, with families, kids riding their bikes around the park, etc.
Wilsons Promintory was once a &quot;land bridge&quot; across to Tasmania, before the melting ice from the last ice age, flooded the land, and created Bass Strait. If you look at a map of Victoria, you will see how Wilsons Promontory stretches out like a finger towards Flinders Island &amp; King Island, and Tasmania.

lizF

The best weapon for Neil Judy would be a hot meat pie with Tomato sauce!

Neil_Oz

That sounds like one of those elusive Iraqi WMDs, Liz, and the contents just as mysterious. But surely Canada can have nothing to match the horror of an Adelaide &quot;pie floater&quot;?

Judy_in_Calgary

LOL Liz!