Australia itinerary help, please.
 

hello,
my husband and I are active, and adventerous, and looking to take our first trip to Australia.

We are interested in:
1. seeing wildlife (kangaroos, koalas, etc)
2. wine tasting
3. hiking
4. visiting rainforest areas (Daintree?)
5. staying on an island in the GBR
6. visiting an area that is known for aboriginal culture
7. Attending a rugby game (if possible)

We are not 'big city' travelers, and would prefer to stay in more rural areas. However, I do want to stay in Sydney for a night or two so we can do the bridge climb.

We will only be able to stay 14 days. We are interested in small lodges, cabins, etc. Anywhere with a kitchen is a bonus.

Suggestions? THANKS!

PS: We are looking to travel in March 2008.

Do you mean rugby league or rugby union? League is big in Sydney, but AFL is more popular in Victoria and South Australia. I don't follow either, but I think AFL is more dramatic to watch. League seems to me a battle of brute force and not a huge amount of skill. (I'm get flamed for this comment I'm sure, LOL).

In terms of Aboriginal culture it's pretty much everywhere, you just need to know how and where to look. For example, in Sydney (where I live) there are ancient rock carvings (Kuringai) as well as a contemporary manifestations of Aboriginal culture such as Bangarra Dance company and Boomali (a visual artists collective).

There was a very confronting tour called the Redfern Tour of Beauty (google it with Squatspace who ran it) which looked at two urban Aboriginals areas, Waterloo and Redfern (they periodically indicate on their website when the next tour will run). If you are adventurous, that would provide a good insight into some of the issues facing urban Aboriginal communities.

In terms of Aboriginal Australia, the country has been divided roughly in half horizontally by what is referred to as the Rowley line, essentially it's a divide between remote and urban communities. You could contrast an urban experience of Aboriginal culture with a remote area tour.

Try "Message stick: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on line" on the ABC website for ideas about indigenous tourism.
http://www.abc.net.au/message/news/s...1702616.htmrun

The standard north american, "clark griswald",two week, trip to australia includes-

-sydney
-reef (usually cairns)
-outback (usually ayers rock)

In march the tendency is to "stay south".

A three base plan is the best plan for a short trip.

You can see a rugby game,hike,taste wine,see koalas and roos and get a good intro to aboriginal culture in sydney and surrounds.

http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_...y.cfm?park=109

Check out this website for the Grampians in Victoria. It certainly includes items 1,2,3 & 6. There are wineries near the Grampians at Great Western and heaps more for tasting in the Yarra Valley and Mornington Penisular also in Victoria. "The Melbourne Storm" is one of the countries top Rugby League teams and many of their matches are played in Melbourne although that city is the home of Aussie Rules.

You might want to check out the book from AAA (American Automobile Association) on Australia. It has itineraries for several days in different places. I would strongly recommend you look at some trip reports in the archives of this site to see what people have done. Researching the great places and imagining yourselves there is half the fun. For a few ideas of places to google and search:
1. the most famous (to americans) wine places in Australia are the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley outside of Adelaide, but there are lots and lots of places to do wine tasting, so it depends on how important it is to you whether you want to make it the point of the destination or a sidelight of a destination.
2. Daintree is great! Do it!
3. Islands with snorkeling/diving are very expensive, but people who go there report a fantastic time, especially on Lizard Island. The most affordable one we could find that still had nice accommodations was Heron Island, but they have a lot of birds and I am allergic so we didn't stay there. There are some that have rustic accommodations. For non-snorkeling island (although they apparently have a trip you can take) some people rave about Hichenbrook and it sounds wonderful with rain forest, hiking trails, beautiful accommodations. If you are very keen on diving or snorkeling, there are live aboard boats as alternatives to staying on an island. Also sailing boat trips in the Whitsunday Islands.
3. Aboriginal culture can be found in all sorts of places. We learned a lot in Uluru from the aboriginal guide and in Kakadu from the Aboriginal rangers and the ranger talks in the evenings.

Let the research and the fun begin!
Sally in Seattle

March is a good month for Rugby Union in Sydney as we are in the midst of what is called the Super 14 Series at that time and there are matches most weekends.

thanks for the helpful responses. Some funny ones too, I hope not to take the 'clark griswald' standard trip! We like to go off the beaten track, camp, hike, see things most people aren't interested in, etc.

keep the suggestions coming :)

I would highly recommend Heron Island - we were there in late May & loved it. It's beautiful, the snorkeling is great (we don't scuba), and staying on an island in the GBR is a phenomenal experience. The hotel itself is very comfortable, but not over the top (in keeping with its eco-friendly pledge) and the people (staff & guests) are very friendly.

My other suggestion is to check out South Australia, which hits on #1, 2, 3 & 6 from your list of interests. We spent 2 days in Adelaide (great university town vibe, museums, gardens, etc.) then drove up (inland) to the Flinders Range. Great hiking in the Flinders Range national park & a super outback hotel in Parachilna at the Prairie Hotel, then up to Arkaroola (observatory & more hiking - although it's considerably farther into the outback than the Flinders Range park). This whole area has lots of kangaroos! On the way back down, we stayed two days in the Barossa Valley for some great wine and food before flying out of Adelaide.

Another option for hiking & wine tasting would be to stay closer to Sydney and check out the Blue Mountains (easily accessible by train from Sydney) & one of the wine areas near Sydney. We really enjoyed the Blue Mountains, although my own opinion is that the outback setting was more striking.