Australia and Hopefully NZ
 

Hello,

I will be in Australia in 2009 for the Australian Open. I have three weeks and have been working with travel agents that keep telling me that my budget is too small and I don't have enough time. I'm not a fool I realize I won't be able to visit all of Australia but I'm trying to narrow down my trip to the things that would interest me the most. Any help with the following questions would be greatly appreciated.

1. I will be in Melbourne from Jan.28th - 30th. any recommendations on budget hotels would be great.

2.There will be two of us and considering we are short on time we have both selected one other area each. I have picked the Port Douglas/Cairns area because I would like to fit in a tour of the Great Barrier Reef. We have put aside four days for this location and my friend has picked Alice Springs for about two or three days. Again any suggestions on budget hotels or B&B's would be great.

3.If possible we would like to try to go to NZ for a week. Am I crazy for thinking this may be possible? We know we won't have enough time to see both islands but I would hate to plan this amazing trip and not attempt to see NZ.

4.Do I need to use a travel agent to make this trip happen? If so any recommendations on TA's.

Thanks

I think you could fit in NZ, and still see a lot of Australia if you do a tour. Tours eliminate all the down time that comes with traveling on your own (time spent trying to figure out where you are, where you're going/how to get there). I studied in AUS in 2006 for a semester, and I think 4 days in Cairns is too much, especially if you want to fit in a lot of things into your time. 2 days would be plenty, I think. I am going back to AUS this summer, and I am going to be on a Contiki tour. Here's a link to the tour I'm doing http://contiki.com/tours/35-beaches-and-reefs
I was thinking of doing a stopover in NZ after the tour for a few days. A similar plan might work for you too.

Thanks april85s I will check out this site and thanks for letting me know about cutting my days in Cairns.

Hi Chi_Girl,

We just got back from three weeks in NZ. We've never been to Australia so no comment there. We did not take a tour or use a travel agent and while there are advantages to both, sometimes you can get what you want for less on your own. It depends on how much time you have to spend on doing the leg work and how much money you can spend on your trip. Also, the time you'll be there is high season so you should try to pre-book your accomodation.

Because of the time it takes to get places in NZ, I would recommend, like the experts here always do, that you don't try to see too much during your time there. We're American and are used to covering lots of miles (easily 300-400) in a day but it really does take longer in NZ. They have very good roads but they were always two lanes, most were twisty/windy and the scenery was so beautiful we just had to stop!

We enjoyed both islands but if I had to choose, it would probably the South Island because it's so scenic. We loved Fox Glacier, Mt Cook, Doubtful Sound, Oamaru/Moereki for the penguins, Christchurch, Dart River Safari in Glenorky (around Queenstown), etc.

Good luck with your planning.

I'll start with your last question first and work backwards--
4. No, you don't need a travel agent to do this trip. If you have the time and the interest in planning your own trip to Australia and New Zealand, it's quite easy to do with the help of a guidebook or two and the Internet. You can also probably do the trip less expensively as well because you can choose what "frills" you don't need. And if you are good at planning and scheduling, you won't find yourself with any "down time" trying to figure out where to go and how to get there. Finally, the best reason to arranging your own trip is that it becomes "your own". You don't have to go or stay where the tour wants you to go or stay.
3, No, you are not crazy to try to visit New Zealand as well. I think you can have a very satisfying trip by spending two weeks in Australia (especially since you appear to be limiting your trip to 3 locations--good idea) and one week in New Zealand. Of course, you will want to choose only one island in New Zealand to visit if you have but one week.
2. I think the Cairns/Port Douglas area deserves at least 4 days of your vacation. I wouldn't trim a single day off that. I have been to Port Douglas 5 times and the least amount of time I have spent there is 4 days--generally we stay a full week. While I prefer Port Douglas as my destination, you might find Cairns more to your liking because it may fit your budget better. (For example, you wouldn't have the cost of a bus transfer up to Port Douglas; you may have more choices for budget accomodations since it's a bigger town, etc.) But I suggest you look at both places and decide which one would work best for you.
The activities I recommend for this area are 1) day-trip to GBR, 2) day trip to Daintree NP (rainforest and World Heritage Site), 3) a day on the beach (If you are in Cairns, you'll want to catch a bus to the Northern Beaches. Also, in January, you can only swim off the beach where there is a stinger net.) Then you could spend a day sightseeing at one or more of the many area attractions--Kuranda, Cairns Zoo, Rainforest Habitat, Mossman Gorge, etc.
1. Sorry, no recommendations on budget accomodations. But if you plan to be there during the Australia Open, I suggest you find something and book it now.
Good luck, happy planning and have a great time in Australia and New Zealand.

No problem, Chi Girl. If you think a Contiki tour might be good for you, you can email me at [email protected]. I went on a tour with them last year in Europe, so I can give you some feedback.

Hi, I spent 3 months in Australia and 2 months in New Zealand (North & South Islands) last year. In answering your questions:

1. Try Travelodge Southbank in Melbourne. Excellent location for a budget hotel. Great restaurants nearby, but rooms all come with fridge, sink & microwave if you want to save money and buy groceries for breakfast or pack a lunch.

2. Port Douglas is great. I assume you are going on a QuikSilver tour of the Reef from here, but I highly recommend you take a day to sail on this Chinese Junk which is owned by a local couple (info at tourist office in town). The sailing was fantastic, they take you to a private island and the snorkeling was far better than what you get out on the reef. I was with a friend for this part of trip and she wanted to stay at a resort, so can't recommend budget for Port Douglas. For Cairns, try The Balinese Motel. Cheap, clean, lovely pool, free breakfast, free internet and on-site laundry. I will say, Cairns is fairly dull. I liked Port Douglas much more. I'm assuming your friend chose Alice Springs mostly for Uluru/Kata Tjuta. If this is the case, I really recommend you spend the extra money to stay at one of the properties right next to Uluru. Alice is an extremely long bus or car ride through the Outback to get to Uluru. It's great to be able to see Uluru and Kata Tjuta at sunrise and sunset. I would actually cut back my time here to just 2 days/2 nights. It is extremely hot and the flies are horrendous until the sun goes down. I highly recommend the sunset Harley ride around Uluru.

3. I originally planned on NZ only as an afterthought to Australia, but found I absolutely loved it (even more than Australia). As you are short on time, I would recommend you go straight to the South Island and focus on the southern half of that island (Milford Sound, Franz Josef/Fox Glaciers, Mt. Cook/Mt. Aspiring/Stewart Island/Queenstown).

4. I don't think you need a travel agent to plan your trip to NZ - but limit your destinations as roads are narrow, winding and it can take awhile to drive from one point to the other.

I agree that you won't need that long in Cairns, you can but if you want to see everything on your list you won't fit it in with NZ. Don't get me wrong it is lovely. My Father lives there. But given the limited time and budget you will be better spending more time elsewhere. Hopefully this will give you more time to see NZ. Don't worry about a TA for the flight to NZ. You can get online and book it yourself. Not sure if the fares now will reflect what they will be next year but here are a few airlines that fly there.
http://www.freedomair.com/en/
http://www.jetstar.com/au/index.html
http://www.virginblue.com.au/

I agree with longhorn55, you will need to book something soon. don't leave it till you get here.

This site might help you with budget hotel.
http://www.ozhotels.com.au/cairns.php
Good luck planing. Hope you have a great time.
Tracey
Busy Buses - Sydney Airport Transfers Shuttles, Charters & Tours.
www.busybuses.com.au