Denise1

A friend and I are planning a two week trip to Australia in August. We will fly into Sydney. Where do you recommend that we go and for how long? This is our first trip and we lean towards natural attractions vs. shopping. Thanks for your advice!

sandi

Question - Why are you going to Australia if you have no idea what it has to offer. I posted a few options on another thread, but still wonder why people decide to go somewhere before they have any idea why? It's like throwing a dart at the map and where it lands "that's where we're going"

That said, Australia like the US is a big country. Flying into Sydney is like flying into NYC or LAX and then figuring out what to do, why, how to get there, where to stay, what to see, how much will it cost.

Stop in a bookstore and browse thru a few guidebooks to get an idea of what strikes fits your interests. Australia is a long way to fly if you don't know why you're going there.

When it comes down to it, my idea of a trip is likely not going to be yours. So do a bit of research and then return here with some idea of what you would like to do/see and I'm sure there'll be those who can help.

Pumblechook

Denise, as Sandi says, Australia is a very big country. It feels even bigger when you're here because there's a lot of empty space, which means there are often long distances to be travelled between the things you want to see. You need to decide what type of thing you want to see, but here are a few things to consider:

1. Sydney - Australia's biggest city, based on a beautiful and spectacular harbour.
2. The Great Barrier Reef - in my view the one must-see thing for anyone coming to Australia.
3. The Daintree rainforest, near the GBR.
4. Uluru and Kakadu in the Northern Territory.
5. At least one of: Flinders Ranges (SA), Great Ocean Road (Vic) or the Blue Mountains (NSW).
6. Perth is a beautiful city on Australia's west coast, best seen in summer.
7. If you go to Perth, stop at Kalgoorlie - a really interesting gold mining town.
8. Tasmania - a drive around Tasmania exposes you to some amazing untouched bushland but if you're only here for 2 weeks you won't be able to squeeze it in.

The list goes on ...

mrsfletcher

If I only had 2 weeks to visit and wanted to focus on natural attractions, I think I would stick to Sydney (incl. Blue Mountains), Pt. Douglas (Great Barrier Reef), & then either Kakadu/Darwin or the centre (Uluru/Alice Springs area). I'm estimating here, but I would think approx. 3 days each would suffice - and then travel days would get you to your two weeks. Keep in mind that August is winter here, so w/ the exception of Queensland & Darwin, the rest of the places mentioned will be cool (Sydney) or downright cold at night (Alice/Uluru).

alliegator

Since you are into the natural attractions, I would suggest:

2 nights Kangaroo Island
2 nights Ayers Rock
4-5 nights Port Douglas (GBR/Daintree)
3-4 nights Kakadu/Darwin
Leftover in Sydney

The weather is really nice in August and perfect from Central Oz on up. You don't have to worry about bugs, jellyfish or rain either.

Have Fun.