We were going to take a cruise but thinking of going on or own to Melbourne and Sidney. Any good land packages? Suggestions on how to do this as far as itinerary? We would go for 10-14 days

Do you have 10-14 days on land in addition to the cruise? What time of year would it be? What are your interests?

How can we suggest an itinerary if you have no interests?

Why are you going there?

And the largest city in Australia is Sydney.

sorry if I was not clear. We are NOT taking a cruise. We want a land package for Sydney, Melbourne and possibly Great Barrier reef. Our interests are history of the country, seeing general sights.

What time of year?

we are flexible but sometime next Dec, Jan or Feb? Are those the best times?

We just came back from our third trip to Australia, in which we visited Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmania. In both Sydney and Melbourne, temperatures can get up to the high-30s / low-40s (90s-100+ Fahrenheit); we live in DC and are used to hot and humid summers so we found the weather pleasant as it was less humid. Of course you may find it cooler too. Also keep in mind that this coincides with school holidays, so you may need to book hotels, higher end restaurants, and some activities in advance, but it's doable.

If you are set on those months I would advise against going up to Far North Queensland (Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, etc.) as it will be hot and humid. It is also cyclone (hurricane) season, not to mention higher probability of jellyfish. Sure, tourists still go this time of year.

Instead I would go south to Tasmania, but it would require some time. We spent 9 nights on the island and could have easily doubled it.

With 14 days (13 nights), I would spend 4 in Sydney, 3 in Melbourne, and the rest in Tasmania divided between Hobart and one other destination that interest you. Or you could spend a week in Sydney and the other on Tasmania.

Both Sydney and Melbourne are easy to visit on your own using public transportation and, if you prefer, on foot. You can get around Hobart proper on foot and by bus and you could take day tours to Port Arthur and elsewhere or you could rent a car and drive.

I just wrote a detailed report on my visit if you want to take a look to help you with some additional ideas; it's titled "Australia: 'Home' for the Holidays". Hope this gets you start thinking.

December - February is probably the worst time to come, especially if you want to go to the Great Barrier Reef. It's the Australian summer, there will be storms, sultry weather & marine stingers with the possibility of cyclones in FNQ.

If that's your only timeframe - stay in the south. If your priority is scuba on the GBR, come in the Australian winter.

You don't need "packages" in Australia. Just book your flights direct with the airlines, hire cars & book accommodation yourself.

Use Booking.com to source accommodation
Vroom vroom.co,.au to compare rental car companies
Book direct.

You MAY save a bit by using airline linked car rental companies & occasionally their "3 day breaks" & similar promotions are worth considering, but generally speaking, I've found I can do as well or better independently.

Thanks!

I agree with Bokhara2 on this 1. Packages are always a waste in my opinion. You have limited freedom once you are there and usually the packages incorporate extremely touristy areas or lame hostels or hotels. When we were traveling Aus we roughly planned out an itinerary so we had the freedom to change plans if something good came up mid travels. This is always the way I like to travel. Melbourne and Sydney are great cities, check out www.hopolla.com for travel ideas while your there as trip adviser have a lot of touristy junk on their list for those cities. Both cities have great outskirt towns surrounding them so if you have the chance to leave the CBD I would recommend this. Even just a few km's out there are some fantastic things to see and do.
Good luck with your travels and enjoy.

As I read "between the lines" it looks like you are not locked into the end-of-year timeframe. If I'm right, can you aim for March instead? Much preferable for several reasons - weather, temps, fewer tourists, etc.

As far as your stated interest in the history of the country - there is one book you ought to read (first among many in my opinion) - it's The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. Most libraries have it.

Between JetStar, Qantas, Virgin Australia and its budget subsidiary Tigerair, you have lots of options for traveling within Australia.

Anytime you're not sure about the location of a hotel you found mentioned somewhere, go to Google Maps and use the map view, the street view option, and the satellite option to get to know the neighborhood.

You'll absolutely love Oz, but it's a huge country, so do a lot of homework and it will pay off!