mackie

I'm thinking of visiting Australia this Christmas for the first time for about a week (can be a little flexible). Not really sure where to go and would like some advice please.

I'm thinking we fly into one of the main cities (considering Sydney), stay there for a couple of days, then rent a car and do a driving tour. We are a couple of women, so would want to make sure it's safe, not too remote, and would like to avoid dirt roads. Things we like are scenery, mountains, sea, nature, villages etc, would just like to take it easy, take our time to soak in the environment and atmosphere.

I've read in other posts and books that around that time of the year, it's too hot to be in Central Australia, up north is monsoon season, and swarms of jellyfish prevents people from swimming around GBR. So my initial idea is to visit NSW or maybe Tasmania. Any thoughts and suggestions? Greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

scurry

Hi Mackie,

Are you coming from the U.S.? If so, I'd politely suggest that a week is not enough time to visit Australia -- after all, it ususally takes 2 days to get there & another 1-3 days to get over the jet lag! It's a long (and expensive) way to travel to, so I normally suggest a minnimum of ten days.

That said, there are many great short driving trips out of Sydney (Blue Mountains, Wine Country?), Melbourne (Great Ocean Road) or Brisbane (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Binna Burra, even Byron Bay).

Stachi

Hi Mackie,
I sort of agree with Scurry, a week is a bit short, try for a good week and a half.

That said, read my trip report ("Oz Trip Report" by Stachi dated 8/18/03) in the Australia forum. I would suggest either Sydney/Blue Mountains (and maybe Hunter Valley, although I've never been) or Melbourne/Great Ocean Road/South Australia. Both combine city, country, and coast including some of the most beautiful scenery. They are both easy drives and very safe. If you're into wine tasting, you shouldn't miss South Australia!

Alan

Hi, Mackie!
Christmas is the main summer holiday time for Australians, and nearly everyone gets in their car and heads for the coast. The many hotels/motels/caravan parks in the popular coastal towns are stretched to the limit, and expensive!
I think, therefore, that you should confine yourself to away-from-the-coast drives, and, in that case, Sydney would make the best base. From there (after you have spent at least three days on the harbour front), you can take a couple of two-day trips to the Blue Mountains (only two hours' drive from Sydney)and to Canberra (about four hours' drive). Really, that's as much as you should do with only a week to spare. Have a great time -- and don't forget the sunscreen!

mackie

Thanks for your replies. I'm flying to Australia from Hong Kong so it should be a bit better in terms of jet lag and time difference than US. I should be able to spend about 10 days in total.

Most suggestions include the Blue Mountains, and since I've been reading other post about the area, I have other questions. It seems like the only way to enjoy Blue Mountains is to walk / hike around. We're a couple city girls, although we do enjoy the outdoors, we're not very fit. Will it be tough exploring on foot? Since we'll be driving, I assume there will be places where we can leave our cars and go for walks? Any recommendations on hotels around the area?

Great Ocean Road to Melbourne also sounds good, but when you say it'll be packed in the Summer, does that mean the traffic will be bad too? Or just the hotels, if we book well in advance, will we be ok?

As with a trip from Sydney to Brisbane, which route do you suggest? I've read somewhere that the Pacific Highway is not the safest in terms of driving condition, is this true?

Thanks so much!

Heimdall

Even 10 days is a short time to do Australia, especially if you plan to go by road. Sydney to Brisbane is about 1000 km (600 mi), and Sydney to Melbourne about 900 km in the opposite direction. Suggest you stick to the Sydney area rather than do a driving tour - you will find plenty to keep you busy there.

Alan

Hi, again, Mackie!
You don't need to be especially fit, or to have special clothing, to walk around the Blue Mountains. There are signposted walks which can take two hours or two days, depending on your taste. The walks themselves are cool and (mostly)level, but you have to walk down a lot of steps first.... and that means climbing them at the finish!
There are lots of car-parking spaces at the entrances, although you will have to pay to park at Echo Point, the most popular "starting-off" place. Other good ones (with free parking) are at Wentworth Falls and Blackheath, just a few minutes' drive from Echo Point (which is at Katoomba). There are any number of very-cute hotels to stay at in Katoomba and Leura, and one or two huge ones like the Fairmoont Resort... my own pick (although it's by no means the swankest) would be the Grand View Hotel at Wentworth Falls. There's a walk starting from right adjacent to it, it's across the station (so you can leave the car and go to other centres... or better still, go by train and hire a car once you're installed in the hotel) and there are some quaint shops nearby. And -- a few years ago, anyway -- it was considerably cheaper than the hotels in the very-touristy areas, such as Leura.It has a website which I am sure google will find for you.
All of the coast roads, whether Sydney to Brisbane or the Great Ocean Road, will have poor traffic conditions around Christmas, even though it is likely that the volume of traffic is still much less than where you're used to. But around Christmas you will spend a lot of time following caravans (trailers). Also, be aware that the Pacific Highway from Sydney to Brisbane seldom actually looks at the Pacific. It's a boring road for most of its length, although I don't think you should have too many fears about its safety.... its bad reputation stems, I think, from the fact that in holiday time everyone in Australia's east is trying to use it at once.The alternative road, via the New England ranges, would, I think, be preferable to someone visiting Australia, because there you will see the real Australia.... every half-hour there's a country town that hasn't been "gussied up" for the tourist trade. However, there's not much variety in the scenery between towns -- just cattle and sheep farms -- and you might find inland towns like Tamworth distressingly hot in December! Also, there are a lot of flies as soon as you get away from the coast. With only ten days to spend here, I don't know that I would recommend either of these trips.... is there a particular reason why you want to see Brisbane, which is a pleasant but quite unremarkable city which, after Sydney, is likely to seem a bit of a let-down (I know, I will hear from the Brisbanites about that one!). Again, Brisbane in December is HOT. The much-promoted Gold Coast, nearby, is a Miami-type horror of souvenir shops, motels, and tourist buses, with a bunch of mediocre theme parks that will seem awfully small to you if you are coming from the US and have been to Disney World. The beaches there are nice, but about a million other people will think so, too, so you will be sharing your little spot of sand with thousands of others. It is certainly not, especially around Christmas, a place to "take our time to soak in the environment and atmosphere!"
I can't give much information on the Great Ocean Road, as I haven't been there for twenty years... some people who write to this site are very enthusiastic about its beauty, but it would be a long haul from Sydney, so I wouldn't suggest it as a part of your ten-day itinerary. As for booking your hotels in advance, well, you'd probably find SOMETHING as you drove along -- I don't think I have ever had to sleep in the car -- but your pickings might be from the worst of the worst on popular routes like the Pacific Highway..... maybe, if you're set on driving around the east coast, you should hire a campervan instead of a car and make use of the many caravan parks along the road. Just don't leave it too late in the day to check in!
Good luck, and have a wonderful holiday!

marg

Since you have such a short time for your holiday, why not spend two or three days in Sydney (you'll find plenty to see and do) and then head north to the Port Stephens area for a night or two (dolphin watching, nice beaches), then head across to the Hunter Valley for the wineries, then loop around to the Blue Mountains and back to Sydney. This would easily fill in your time. Re your accommodation, the motel chains will book ahead for you from one night to the next. Also consider checking out the cabins in the caravan parks - most are modern and self-contained but check them out before you commit yourself.
The Great Ocean Road is beautiful - better than Big Sur in my opinion, but you may not have time to do this on this holiday - you can always come back again.

mackie

Thank you everyone for your useful suggestions. I think we'll stick to the Sydney area, visit the Blue Mountains and just take it easy. As you all said, there's no point trying to cover too much in too short a time.

Thanks again!

sam2008

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania and numerous other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
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Sam
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