I will be attending a conference on South Stradbroke Island in Nov for 4 days. My husband is going to meet me in Australia and we are going to extend the trip for 7 to 10 days. Our "skeleton" itinerary looks like this:

1 night Brisbane-an Australian co-worker recommended this, but I have heard it is not worth the time??

2 nights in the Cairnes area-maybe an island-not sure which one?

The rest of the time in Sydney(?), cultural stuff, tours, great resturants, Ayers Rock (?), etc.

Is this a realistic itinerary? Any tips, things to see? What is the best way to travel from place to place-my assumption is to fly?
Thanks!

Oh yeah! Any hotel recommendations-we like comfort, convenience, luxury is nice, but value is more important.

You have not got enough time to do much at all let alone go to Ayers Rock. 2 nights in Cairns is not worth going for.
You don't say where you are from either so it makes it hard to give you any suggestions really.
Not sure what you mean by Brisbane ( not worth it)

Why not spend more time on the mainland in SE Queensland and northern New SOuth Wales while you're already there? It's a beautiful area and there is a lot to see and do....rainforests, beaches, wildlife, waterfalls, etc.

So after the conference, take a few days to tour the area (Lamington Nat'l Park, Byron Bay, Springbrook, etc). I'd be tempted to leave out Ayers Rock in Nov as it will be getting very hot in the Red Center at that time of year.

If you'll have as few as 7 days, or even 10, adding Uluru (Ayers Rock) to the itinerary might be too ambitious. Normally I'd suggest that Brisbane could be sacrificed if time is short, but it's a nice city and you'll be there anyway, so a night would be OK.

It would be worthwhile to trawl through previous posts on Far North Queensland/Great Barrier Reef and Sydney (use the Search box above), and a guide book won't add much to the cost of your trip. Consider staying on the mainland, though (Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas depending on your tastes) and take a day tour to the Daintree Rain Forest and other attractions as well as a Reef trip.

Sydney, perhaps with a side trip to the Blue Mountains (2 hours by train) is certainly worth 4 days. Definitely fly between cities, though, as you're looking at big distances. If you're looking for great restaurants check out Tetsuya's, Marque and others mentioned in previous posts, but you'll need to book well ahead (for Tetsuya's in particular, play safe and make it 6 weeks).

Have a great trip.

Thanks Ralph & Neil-I'll keep searching and figure this thing out!

LizF & RalphR are so right, with such little time in Oz, just concentrate on south eastern Qld/northern NSW.
I usually find, that a lot of people from outside Australia, with so little holiday time, try to cover tooooo much of this country, in a short visit.

Aussie Walkabouts staff are helpful, try them. find them online.

Good advice above. Leave Ayers Rock out: too hot, too far, too little time. Give Cairns a miss too at that time of the year. It will be hot, very humid, and probably very rainy. You will only have time for the areas in, around, and between Brisbane and Sydney.

Sorry, have to disagree with last posting - November is a lovely month in Cairns and probably best for reef. I have lived here for 12 years and can tell you that the very worst time to come is right now, howling winds, atrocious reef conditions. One of our beaches just disappeared in foul weather combined with a king tide. November is well after the prevailing SE winter trade winds which can make a reef trip a misery and before the wet season - also time of year when wildlife is breeding and the stunning tropical trees start to bloom. Having said all that, with your very limited time frame, it would be best to stay around the area where you are I agree with the others who recommend SE Qld and maybe northern NSW.

SE Qld and NE NSW are certainly nice parts of the world, but if this is going to be brocketts' only visit to Australia they offer a somewhat limited view. In 10 days it should be possible to do some justice to both Sydney and Far North Qld.

That's true Neil, but 2 days in Far North Qld just isn't enough particularly if there's island transfers involved. Your suggestion of a full day trip to Daintree and one day reef trip would work if brocketts arrived evening or night before on 2 hour flight Brisbane-Cairns for early start reef or rainforest day trips (one full day reef, one full day rainforest). Staying a 3rd night in Cairns with an early direct flight to Sydney(3hours) would still give a bit of extra time for Sydney. Personally I'd make it at least 4 nights in FNQ and with another 4 for Sydney it takes away from the time in a lovely part of the country, easily accessible from where brocketts will already be.

Thanks to everyone for their advice! I'm still hammering some things out. I will be back for more advice, lol. Especially where to stay in the Sydney area that will not break the bank.