Australia Trip August 2006
 

Hi, I'm new here. My wife and I are planning one last big trip before our family expands beyond the two of us. We've both always wanted to go to Oz so we are. We have 3 weeks this coming August and here is a proposed iteniary. Comments are welcome:

We have 21 days only due to the restriction on our Aussie Air pass so here it goes:

Day 1 - Depart Canada for Sydney
Day 2 - Arrive Sydney
Day 3 - Full day Sydney
Day 4 - Full day Sydney
Day 5 - Spend full day getting to Canberra
Day 6 - Full day Canberra
Day 7 - Spend full day getting to Melbourne
Day 8 - Full Day Melbourne
Day 9 - Full Day Melbourne
Day 10 - Great Ocean Road to Warrnambool
Day 11 - Return to Melbourne - Fly to Uluru
Day 12 - Full Day Uluru
Day 13 - Fly to Cairns
Day 14-18 - Drive down coast to Brisbane
Day 19 - Full Day Brisbane/Gold Coast
Day 20 - Full Day Brisbane/Gold Coast
Day 21 - Depart Brisbane for Canada

Does this look reasonable? Am I spending too much or too little time anywhere?

Also, my wife and I are not luxury type folk, when we travel we don't spend a lot on accomodation (we're just sleeping there). Are there many Motel 6 type places in Australia that are clean rooms with private bath? How about gas prices? Here in Canada we are just less than a CDN dollar a litre.

Thanks!

I have to shave a day off Melbourne as the flight from Mel to Ayers Rock only goes direct on the Monday. I figure I can see the highlights of Melbourne in a day, plus it is the middle of winter so the weather will be not as great.

Am I wrong?

Hi DasFX
Welcome, I am fairly new here too. I am plaining my Italy trip with the help of other Foders comments.
I live in Australia and pop in on this forum to see if I can assist anyone.

I don't want to sound negative but you will spend your whole time driving and you won't get to actually enjoy anything. The distances you are planing on taking are very vast. We have covered just about all the places your planning on driving and we did this over many trips.

Can I sugguest you tell us what your interested in seeing and doing and we can help you from there.

We to are like you, don't like to spend much on accommodation because it's just somewhere to sleep and shower. I don't know what Motel 6 is but we have plenty of 3 star motels that are clean and comfortable, prices depend on location of course. Fuel prices here is Aus are expensive at the moment around $1.20 aus a litre again depends on location.

Love to help you some more .. cheers

"I don't want to sound negative but you will spend your whole time driving and you won't get to actually enjoy anything. The distances you are planing on taking are very vast"

Thanks for the comments, I understand the distances are vast. Living in Canada I can relate to having to drive great distances to reach anywhere.

Sydney to Melbourne is about 1000 km, that is a piece of cake, especially over 3 days. Cairns to Brisebane is about 1700km. Over 5 days, that should be easy. I mean that is less than Toronto to Halifax which I have done in a day, so doing it over 5 will be quite easy. I'm not worried about driving, I quite enjoy it.

Do you think Perth is worth going out to, if I had more time? I read a lot that it isn't worth the trouble.

No Motel 6 in Australia but you could try the Budget Motel chain - their website is www.budgetmotelchain.com.au
You could also check out the camping/caravan parks as most have self-contained cabins which are quite comfortable. Two websites to have a look at are www.big4.com.au and www.toptouristparks.com.au
I have driven in Canada so can understand your comments re driving times etc. However Australian roads are not as good as Canadian/US roads, for example the road from Cairns to Brisbane is two lanes nearly all the way and I mean one lane going south and one lane going north. The road carries quite a lot of traffic so you may not be able to travel as quickly as you think.
Let us know what your interests are and I'm sure we can suggests lots of places to visit.

Just a few comments--
1. It should only take you 3 hours to drive to Canberra, so you can actually have 1 1/2 days there if you get an early start. I would not shave any time off here as Canberra is a fascinating city and worth as much time as you can spare.
2. Melbourne is not that interesting to me, especially if you have already been to Sydney. So I don't think it will matter that you shave a day off here.
3. Can you get the AirPass that allows you three flights within Australia? That's what we got last August and it worked out great. If you can, you might want to consider this itinerary:
Fly from Canada to Sydney
Drive one-way to Canberra
Fly from Canberra to Melbourne
Fly from Melbourne to Uluru
Fly from Uluru to Cairns
Drive from Cairns to Brisbane
Fly from Brisbane to Canada

This would eliminate the drive from Canberra to Melbourne which isn't particularly scenic. (I've done it several times.)
As for your question about Perth--if you had time (which you realize you won't on this trip), I would definitely go to Perth. I loved Western Australia and Perth is a lovely, laid-back city.
Now a question from me--any reason you are chosing the Gold Coast as opposed to the Great Barrier Reef (Cairns or Port Douglas)?

RE: " last big trip before our family expands" I can't think of a better place to visit for your big trip. My first trip to Oz was to visit our last "family expansion" when she decided to live in Sydney (Bondi) for a year after college. I agree with other posts that you are spending too much time driving. I suggest also that you stay a few days in Cairns (Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda, Rain forrest, etc.) and fly to Brisbane. As for Melbourne since you have to lose a day, you can do the great ocean road as a day trip (several tour companies) save the day driving back from Warnambool for time in Melbourne which is distinctly different from Sydney. Two days in Sydney, btw, is way too little time, I wouldn't suggest missing (as day trips) the blue mountains, the ferries to Taranga zoo and to Manly, Hunter valley (if you're into wine) all this in addition to the things you wanted to see in the city. I better stop, I can't wait to go back in May, it is one of my favorite cities.

DasFX
"Sydney to Melbourne is about 1000 km, that is a piece of cake, especially over 3 days. Cairns to Brisebane is about 1700km. Over 5 days, that should be easy." As Marg has pointed out the roads here in Australia are not like America or Canada, they are mainly single carriage road ways. I assure you that driving from Cairns to Brisbane will not be easy and nor will it be interestingas you won't have time to stop off and see anything that is worth seeing . As for Sydney to Melbourne, wake me up when you get there, 10 hrs of solid driving and nothing worth seeing along the way. I just don't see what your trying to achieve by doing so much driving.

Also curious as to why you're flying into Cairns and immediately driving south to Brisbane. August is winter, the further north, the better the weather at that time of year. In fact you'd think half the population of Melbourne is in Cairns area in August, here to escape the chilly southern winter. Think you'd be far better off allocating those driving days south to Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Daintree, etc (where the daily average high is 79F and nights are quite cool) then flying Cairns-Brisbane.

Gold Coast is only a short drive from Brisbane, but its 1750km south of Cairns and significantly colder in August, not beach weather.

"As for Sydney to Melbourne, wake me up when you get there, 10 hrs of solid driving and nothing worth seeing along the way."

- Only true if you take the most direct route, the Hume Highway, which is indeed boring. However, with 3 days to spare there's no earthly need to do that, and there's a choice of alternative routes taking in coastal scenery, mountains and farmland.

However, like Pat I can't see the sense in flying all the way to Cairns, where you really should spend several days, and then getting into a car to drive long stretches of unrelieved tedium. If you had more time it wouldn't matter so much, but three weeks is not all that long and I don't see the sense in spending a quarter of it doing that.

By the way, if you're a member of a Canadian car club with reciprocal rights you can get free maps and accommodation directories from the National Roads & Motorists Association (NRMA) - head office 388 George Street, Sydney. (As a fine example of state parochialism the "national" in their name is a misnomer, their Queensland and Victorian counterparts being the RACQ and RACV.)

Hi DasFX,
Unless you're absolutely fixed in Bris & Gold Coast, I'd leave them out and fly home from Cairns. That way, you'd have time to explore the Great Barrier Reef, the hinterland and north to Daintree & Cooktown if you wanted to do some decent driving. (As opposed to short hops where you don't really get the "feel" of the place).

I'm used to long drives too (lived 600 miles N-W from Sydney), but the OP's are right about allocation of time:opportunity to see/do in your somewhat limited timeframe.

You might like to check out local "country pubs" for accommodation. Often it's surprisingly good and will give you a different experience to budget motels.

Thanks to everyone who's posted comments. Many of you think I'm crazy for doing so much driving, but with such a large country and only 3 domestic flights, I figured driving was the way to go. I've updated my itinerary as well, adding another week. Some of you may think my wife and I are crazy, but we like to move really fast and cover as much as possible. I realize I may be skimming certain things and missing others entirely, but seeing an entire continent in a month is near impossible. I honestly believe this will be our one and only trip to Australia as we usually never go to the same place twice. Too much planet to see to be going to one place multiple times.

Day 1: Depart LA
Day 2: In Transit
Day 3: Arrive Sydney early morning,
Day 4 & 5: Full Days in Sydney
Day 6: Drive to Canberra via Jervis Bay
Day 7: Full Day Canberra
Day 8: Drive to Melbourne via Wagga Wagga and Bendigo
Day 9: Full Day Melbourne
Day 10: Great Ocean Road – drive to Mt. Gambier, SA
Day 11: Mt. Gambier – Adelaide (early start) Check out Adelaide
Day 12: Fly Adelaide to Uluru in the early morning, check out Ayers Rock and Olgas
Day 13: Fly to Darwin mid day, check out Darwin
Day 14: Organized Day trip to Kakadu
Day 15: Fly to Cairns in morning
Day 16 – 25: Queensland Coast (Including, Cairns, Port Douglas, GBR, Rainforest, Fraser Island, Brisbane, Gold Coast, etc..)
Day 26: Fly out of Brisbane to LA

I've allocated almost 11 full days to see the Queensland coast. If I focus my time near Cairns, how long should I allow to get down to Brisbane? There must be things to see in between Cairns and Brisbane. Is this too much time?

As for Kakadu, I know one day isn't enough, but I'm sure there are some good organized tours out of Darwin, or should I stay two days?

Other folks who have been to Uluru have told me that a day is all one needs, see the Rock and the Olgas and leave. I'm not too keen on Kings Canyon or Katherine Gorge near Darwin. I was at the Grand Canyon last March and that was enough canyon for me. Is Alice Springs worth going to (not that I have the time)?

Finally (for this post), what are your thoughts on Kangeroo Island near Adelaide? Is it worth spending another day in SA to go here?

On your drive from Cairns to Brisbane, can I recommend some of our favourite places to visit.
The Boulders - turn off the highway about 60 km south of Cairns at Babinda and head inland for about three km. Lovely little spot with a few short walks and good for a morning tea/lunch break.
Paronella Park (between Innisfail and Mission Beach) - unique and interesting - their website is www.paronellapark.com.au
Mission Beach - this is a typical tropical beach with palm trees, beautiful beach and islands in the distance.
Eungella National Park and Finch Hatton Gorge are inland from Mackay - about an hour's drive. Beautiful scenery and a good chance of seeing platypuses.
Cape Hillsborough National Park - just north of Mackay - beautiful beach in a natural setting.
Turn off the highway just north of Rockhampton and take the road to Yepoon (about 30 minutes) and then take the coastal road to Emu Park and back to the highway - beautiful scenery and a good place to stop overnight.
Eumundi Market (Saturday and Wednesday) on the Sunshine Coast is great, both for the food/goods on sale, and people watching. Also take the road to the Sunshine Coast hinterland through Mapleton, Montville and Maleny for great scenery and pretty little villages.
Hope you have a great holiday.

Just some insights based on a family trip to Australia in August 2004 which involved a drive from Cairns to Sydney over 11 days.
a) You should be aware that this is Australia's winter, so daylight is not terribly long. You will be in the daylight from roughly 8 am until 5:30 pm. You won't see anything in the dark if driving.
b) We spent the first two nights on this drive in Townsville, with the day between including a wonderful day on Magnetic Island (a short and reasonable ferry trip) swimming, picniking and relaxing on 3 different beaches. We then drove to Mackay (found accommodation near the water and walked along the shore for about 3 hours evening and next morning). Next stop was Rockhampton (an interesting and inexpensive zoo), followed by Bundaberg, then Brisbane. We were pushing it after Townsville, with 6 to 8 hours of driving each day.
c) You will see more sugar cane than you ever imagined existed, but not much else for large portions of this drive. Don't expect to see the ocean except for brief glimpses. The road is two lanes and slow in spots. Since your driving will take most of the daylight hours, you won't see much scenery between Townsville and Brisbane.
d) Other postings have recommended staying longer in Cairns area -- this is great advice. You would be foolish to miss opportunities to view the reef and rainforest. You should try to spend at least 4 nights in north Queensland before heading for Brisbane.
e) You may regret your short stay in Sydney at the start of your trip. Sydney is the most interesting city I have ever visited. Try to spend some time just absorbing Circular Quay and the Rocks area, and try to book tickets for an Opera House production weeks before you leave for Australia. The Sydney Aquarium is superb. Expect to do a lot of Sydney walking, and use the fine transit system to your advantage.

Enjoy your trip.

Finally booked my tickets with the Qantas Airpass. Have a good idea of what I'll be doing inbetween my flights. I have a few questions still though.

Day 1: Fly Toronto – LA via Calgary
Day 2: Depart LA for Sydney
Day 3: Arrive Sydney @ 7:30 AM, rest of day in Sydney
Day 4 Full Day in Sydney
Day 5: Full Day in Sydney
Day 6: Blue Mountains and onto Canberra
Day 7: Canberra
Day 8: Drive Canberra to Melbourne
Day 9: Full Day Melbourne
Day 10: Melbourne with Phillip Island
Day 11: Great Ocean Road – Overnight in Mt. Gambier, SA
Day 12: Drive Mt. Gambier to Adelaide, rest of day in Adelaide
Day 13: Fleurieu Peninsula or Barossa Valley
Day 14: Depart Adelaide for Alice Springs @ 9:30 AM, rest of day in Alice
Day 15: Escorted day trip tour to Ayers Rock and the Olgas
Day 16: Depart Alice Springs for Darwin @ Noon, rest of day in Darwin
Day 17: Escorted day trip tour to Kakadu National Park
Day 18: Depart Darwin for Cairns @ 6 AM, Cairns and onto Port Douglas
Day 19: Great Barrier Reef
Day 20: Daintree Rainforest
Day 21: Drive Port Douglas to Townsville
Day 22: Drive Townsville to Rockhampton
Day 23: Rockhampton to Hervey Bay
Day 24: Fraser Island
Day 25: Australia Zoo
Day 26: Dreamworld / Movie World
Day 27: Gold Coast
Day 28: Brisbane
Day 29: Depart Brisbane for LA @ 11AM

Questions:

Regarding Sydney:

Are 3 full days in Sydney good?
I have incorporated the Blue Mountains with the day that I head out to Canberra. Should I rather do the Blue Mountains on one of my Sydney days (leaving more time in Canberra as I currently have only one day) or should I skip the mountains all together?

Regarding Canberra to Melbourne:

Is there anything to see along the inland route? What about Wagga Wagga and Bendigo? Sounds like cool places?
What are the must sees in Melbourne?

Regarding South Australia:

Fleurieu Peninsula or Barossa Valley?
Are there any must sees in Adelaide?

Regarding Queensland:

Is there anything worth seeing in Cairns itself or can I land and head straight to Port Douglas? If I go to Daintree, can I skip Kurunda?
Is the drive from Cairns towards Brisbane that bad? I have split the bulk of the drive into three days, making stops in Townsville and Rockhampton. I’ve found that PD to Townsville is about 420 km, Townsville to Rockhampton is 730 km and then Rockhampton to Hervey Bay is 400 km; it all sounds reasonable.

Is there any must does or sees in Brisbane or Gold Coast?

1. I would not try to do the Blue Mountains and drive to Canberra in one day. I've been to the Blue Mountains a couple of times and they are nice, but I am sure you have seen much more spectacular mountains in Canada. I think Canberra is fabulous and I would spend the extra time there. The museums are great, but the don't call it "The Bush Capital" for nothing. If you have a car and enjoy hiking, go out to Namadgi National Park just outside Canberra and do the Yankee Hat Hike. You will see hundreds of kangaroos out there, no people and at the turnaround point for the hike (6km RT) is a rock with Aboriginal drawings that you can see up close.
2. As for Adelaide, you can book a great day trip to Kangaroo Island that flies you over there, takes you on an escorted tour and then flies you back that night. I've done that and it was great--you see so much wildlife and neat scenery. I would consider that as opposed to the Barossa Valley unless you are big wine aficionados.
3. Finally, don't miss the "Dog on the Tuckerbox" outside Gundagai when you drive from Canberra to Melbourne!

Some quick suggestions for Melbourne. If you are into art galleries, the Ian Potter gallery at Federation Square is full of good Australian art, and the Victorian National Gallery just across the road has another good collection. If you like walking and gardens, there are some good parks in and around the CBD. Queen Victoria market is good for clothes, souvenirs and food.
If it's a nice day, take a ferry down the river to Williamstown - old port area, lots of places to eat and wander.
St Kilda esplanade is another good place to eat and wander, particularly on Sunday for the art and craft market, and if you do go to St Kilda, check out the cake shops in Acland Street.
There is a free tram around the CBD - look for the brown vintage trams.
Melbourne Zoo is a few minutes by tram from the CBD and has a good range of Australian and overseas animals.
Further away, Healesville Sanctuary (Australian birds and animals) and the Yarra Valley winery area can be done in a day trip.
Try Little Bourke Street for Chinese food, Lygon Street for Italian food, and Southbank for a good range of places to eat.
Hope you have a great trip. Don't envy you the flights - last time we flew Toronto to Melbourne and boy! was I glad to get off that plane!

I live behind the Gold Coast up in the hills. I would not, under any circumstances, drive from Cairns to Brisbane 1/ is about as boring as the drive from Edmonton to Winnepeg, 2/ its about as safe as doing the E - W in the middle of winter at -40. Most of the roads are single lanes and are taken over by trucks and/or caravans and it actually gets worse from Townsville to Rockhampton with the exception of a detour to Eungulla Gorge and/or the Whitsundays. From Rockhampton to Hervey Bay there is absolutely nothing to see and as Pat said previously it will be winter and therefore colder the more south you go. Fraser Island in winter would not be be choice of destination and there are NO roads on Fraser Island. You have some of the most interesting rainforest areas around Cairns, Savanna country, islands etc etc that time wasted on the road south is a crying shame.
Dream World is near where I live and it is really for kids/teens who love scary rides and as for Movie World it is the biggest waste of money imaginable. If you have been to Universal Studios then you are in for a big let down. I would be flying everywhere and spending the time seeing the interesting things in each location.
I have driven the trip to Cairns many times there and back but that was because I had to and not from choice.
I would change things by staying around Cairns for a while then fly to the Whitsundays - get a car and have a look around that area then fly to Brisbane. Australia Zoo is only 40 mins up the highway from Brisbane so that is doable either by driving or save your money and go on the train.
Also check out pubs for accommodation which is usually very cheap and also clean. They always let you check out the rooms first anyway.
As someone else has said, the Blue Mountains for Canadians should be renamed Blue Hills as they are not mountains per se in comparison to yours in Ca and the US. They are beautiful for other reasons but those reasons and not really that wonderful in the middle of winter.
There is heaps to see but not on the road you want to drive on. If you are going to do the drive the detour from Mackay down to Emerald - then to Carnarvon Gorge then Injune - Roma, Mitchel, Toowoomba Brisbane. That way at least you are going somewhere different and interesting.

Hi Everyone ,
I need your ergent help
I'll be with my wife for honeymoon in Australia for about 13 days.We'll start with Sydney and want to get to Whitsundays islands by car and back to Sydney by plane .
How would you suggest me to plan the trip? How many days are enough for Sydney and How long will it take us to get to the Islands with stops of course during our trip,where to stop?What are the highlights on the road to the north ?

Thanks for your help I need it realy as soon as possible

bye for now .

Koby--
You need to start your own thread if you want some immediate help on your question as more folks will see it. Also, it helps to be specific as to what time of year you are going and what your interests are.

I'm planning to be in Sydney on 3rd of March 2006 and leave on the 15th to New Zealnd ,therfore I want to know where are the best places to stay and enjoy the beautiful land of Australia in those days .I know that there is a lot of drive but with few breaks in the middle on some cities I know I'll make it and get to Whitsunday Islands ,I want to stay in the Islands for 3 nights and then go back to Sydney as I mentioned before with plane because of lack of time .

Thanks

The drive Sydney to Whitsundays is as boring as batshit (not to mention a bit soggy towards the end - they are islands, you know!), and can be dodgy as well. I'd very strongly recommend anyone even thinking about it to think again, and promptly.

FLY to Hamilton Island or Proserpine - and actually enjoy your short stay here - rather than spend half your time grinding your teeth behind a semi-trailer on a narrow road! Highways here are not as in US, you know. We just don't have the population to support them.

Koby,
I like your itinerary and suggest you spend at least 4 nights in Sydney. When you head north, spend 1 - 2 nights in Coffs Harbour - there are plenty of nice resorts there (e.g. check out Pacific Bay Resort or Pelican Beach Resort). Then spend 2-4 nights at Noosa Heads which is about 100 km north of Brisbane.
With your short itinerary I suggest you avoid the Gold Coast bah ....you can see beach-front hi-rise full of retirees next time you go to Florida and I'd also avoid *yawn* Brisbane.
You could do a day trip to Fraser Island from Noosa.
I would then DROP THE CAR OFF at Brisbane Airport and FLY to Cairns (unless you like looking at sugar cane) - this is where Margo Oz has a point. Use Cairns (or Port Douglas) as your base to visit the reef, rainforest, but beware, you are going in 'jellyfish' season.
Cheers
Bob

I heeded all your advice.

I'm now flying from Canberra to Melbourne rather than drive and I'm now just driving from Cairns to Hamilton Island (with a night in Townsville inbetween) in the Whitsundays and then flying from Hamilton Is to Brisbane. Thanks, I now see how I'd be wasting my time.

I think I have the perfect trip. Feel free to rip it apart. I still got time to tinker.

Day 1: Depart Toronto for Los Angeles Day 2: Los Angeles
Day 3: Depart Los Angeles for Sydney
Day 4: Arrive Sydney
Day 5: Sydney
Day 6: Sydney
Day 7: Blue Mountains
Day 8: Canberra
Day 9: Fly to Melbourne
Day 10: Melbourne & Phillips Island
Day 11: Melbourne & Ballarat -> Geelong Day 12: Great Ocean Dr. -> Mt. Gambier, Day 13: Drive to and see Adelaide
Day 14: Adelaide (Barossa Valley)
Day 15: Fly to and see Alice Springs Day 16: Uluru Day Trip
Day 17: Fly to and see Darwin
Day 18: Kakadu National Park Day Trip Day 19: Fly to Cairns and to Pt Douglas
Day 20: Great Barrier Reef Day Trip
Day 21: Daintree Rainforest Day Trip
Day 22: Drive PD – Townsville
Day 23: Drive to Hamilton
Day 24: Hamilton Island
Day 25: Fly to Brisbane-Sunshine Coast Day 26: Australia Zoo
Day 27: WB Movie World
Day 28: Surfers Paradise
Day 29: Brisbane
Day 30: Depart Brisbane for Calgary
Day 31: Depart Calgary for Toronto

Thanks Bob for your advice but don't you think it's a good idea to reach Whitsunday Islands for 3 nights for relaxing and then fly back to Sydney and from there to New Zealand ?
Which place do you recommend me to stay in for relaxing and having a good time for Honeymoon ?

i'm a little confused. with the quanta pass I waas told that because you need to fly in and out of one of the gateway cities thoes don't count as part of your 3 domestic flights. Because nomatter where you are in the country the flight to the gateway city to catch your international flight is included. you may want to look into that. I'm just starting to plan my trip and that's what they said when I called today quanta today. anyone else have any information regarding this?

Sorry Koby, I skimmed over your post and thought for some reason that Cairns was your destination.
The Whitsundays ..YES!, great idea! - stay at CLUB MED, Lindeman Island.
You can break the dew on the golf course before breakfast then return to your bure and shag the rest of the day
...or, better still, hire a small motorised boat, take it to one of many deserted beaches on one of many deserted islands and shag there till you have friction burns.
You can grab a picnic hamper before you leave and DON'T FORGET YOUR SUNBLOCK!

Hi Bob,
Do you have any idea how much will it cost for a night in Club Med?
And how do I get to the Island ? with Ferry? if yes then I have to drop off my car in the Whidsunday coast ,right ?
If you have any other tips for me don't hesitate my friend to send me :-) .

Koby.

Koby, I was there 15 years ago (on my honeymoon!) which was before the resort was taken over by Club Med. (my wife and I still remember it being the best holiday we've had).
The island has a small airstrip (for light aircraft only) but I think most guests would fly to Hamilton island and transfer by ferry. I suggest you check the Club Med website for all-inclusive prices which can include flights from anywhere in Oz if you like.
DON'T WASTE PRECIOUS TIME DRIVING UP!!
You'll be there in the off-season and there's likely to be a discounted rate for honeymooners. I'd estimate you'd be paying around $AU500 per night (i.e. $250 each all inclusive)

Both my trips to Australia have been longer than yours, and I didn't cover anywhere near the territory on your itinerary. You are trying to see practically the whole of eastern Australia in three weeks. In your case more will be less, because you will spend most of your time traveling, and not be able to enjoy the laid-back lifestyle of Australia.

Australia is about the size of continental US, and August is the time to go north. Recommend you do a major rethink. See Sydney and Uluru, but spend most of your trip in Far North Queensland, and that third icon of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef. Save Melbourne for another trip, preferably in the Aussie summer when it will be at its best.

Dear DasFX

I live in Brisbane, and grew up in Cairns, so I think I am well placed to give you advice.

I STRONGLY suggest that you do NOT do the drive. It will spoil an otherwise great trip ! Have you heard the saying "Penny wise, pound foolish" ? What you are suggesting will put undue stress on you, cut into time better spent elsewhere, and will be MORE expensive than flying. For example, an internal flight from Cairns to Brisbane will cost as little as $125 each. This would be cheaper than renting the car, and allow you to spend the 3-4 days in Cairns or Brisbane. (I suggest you look at www.virginblue.com.au & subscribe to their emails as they have regular sales).

The only thing of great interest between Cairns & Brisbane is the Whitsundays which are truly beautiful. Flight Brisbane Whitsunday Coast is $99 each way.

Also I may be biased but Cairns is fantastic for the tourist. I recommend that you stay in the city and do day trips and not bother about renting the car on those days. You can get some great deals using the YHA (www.yha.com.au) centres along the esplanade (dont forget to go to Barnacle Bills on the esplanade for seafood meal.

Cairns has a real vibe - for Gods sake allow at least 1 day to see the reef, preferably the outer reef & go snorkling or even better do a Scuba course during the trip- again YHA trips are cheaper.

Hope this helps - I would be happy to provide more info by email if you like

Len from Brisbane

Hi DasFX. Your itinerary has you flying into Alice Springs, then doing a day tour to Uluru. Are you aware that Alice Springs to Uluru is approx. 450 km? I have driven it twice and never again. It is vast and boring. It took over 4 hours one way. Unless you are flying in and out of Ayers Rock you will miss the best part of Uluru and the Olgas, sunrise and sunset. I have been to Uluru and Alice Springs twice. Skip Alice Springs, not worth the time.

Also, you will just skim the surface of Kakadu NP. We took a two day trip and thought it was beautiful but could have stayed a lot longer.

As for Melbourne, I have been there during their winter and during their summer. The winter (August) was cold and rainy. While out at Philip Island to see the Fairy Penquins, it poured rain (with wind) so hard you could barely see the animals. Most people ran for shelter. We stayed out in the rain because we had come to far not to experience it. During the summer, it is a beautiful city to explore.

We adored the Cairns area. We have visited twice and never get tired of it. Snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef is the fabulous. I have snorkled in Grand Cayman, Belize and Hawaii, but the Great Barrier Reef is by far the best. Daintree NP is beautiful. On our last visit we saw a wild cassowary!

I guess my point is that Austalia is vast. You will not be able to see everything. Slow down, try to spend a little less time moving around. I know whatever you decide to do, you will enjoy Oz.

BarbAnn

G'DAY, Hope you see this, the drive from Canberra to Melbourne can infact be a good highlight of your trip "IF" you take the Princess Hwy, here you will see some excellent coastal and bush sceenary, along the way are some great historic buildings ie-Hotel's and pubs, in some very friendly towns, I would head to Batemans Bay from Canberra (Quenbeyan) along the Kings Hwy then South from Batemans Bay along the Princess Hwy places such as Bermagui, Bega, Merimbula, and Eden on this drive are stand outs with Merimbula being a very nice place Eden has the whaling station Historic Site, and a wealth of information can be found at any tourist Information centre in these (bigger Towns) Winter can be particulary brutal and cold the further South you go, BUT non the less it is worth checking out the Southern states at any time of the year, from Eden I would keep heading South along the Princess Hwy through Orbost Bairnsdale (Lakes Entrance) to Traralgon there I would head to a place called Korumburra with the Coal Creek historical village being a worth while excersion, this drive from Canberra to Melbourne can be comfortably done in Two days (I Feel) with plenty to see and do no problem.

I'm sure whatever road you take and whatever trip you do in this great country, you'll have a magic time with experiances you and your wife will treasure for years to come heres to you both for a great trip, and you will injoy Australia, trust me :-)

DasFX, you've had some very good advice here, and I hope you are beginning to realze that driving in Australia with so little time available is not a good idea.

There isn't much to see on the road between Cairns and the Whitsundays. Some interesting things off the road, yes, but you won't have time to stop and see them anyway. Townsville is really only useful as a jumping-off point for Magnetic Island, but you don't seem to be going there.

For the segment of you trip around Brisbane, give Surfers Paradise a miss, and spend an extra day on the Sunshine coast. Noosa Heads is a wonderful place to stay, and you can take a day trip from there to Fraser Island. Hastings Street in Noosa has some fine hotels and restaurants, and from there you can walk into Noosa National Park for koala spotting. Australia Zoo even sends a free courtesy bus to Noosa. The only price to pay is you have to listen to non-stop video clips of Steve both ways. Only go to the Gold coast if you REALLY like Miami Beach, and are willing to go half-way around the world to see its Aussie counterpart.

Well, my wife and I had a fantastic month in Australia. Everything was perfect and we managed to see a lot in the short time we had. I still cannot believe our luck with the weather, we had clear and sunny skies the whole month; we somehow managed to miss all the bad storms.

We kept to our plan:

Day 1: Depart Toronto for Los Angeles Day 2: Los Angeles
Day 3: Depart Los Angeles for Sydney
Day 4: Arrive Sydney
Day 5: Sydney
Day 6: Sydney
Day 7: Blue Mountains
Day 8: Canberra
Day 9: Fly to and see Melbourne
Day 10: Melbourne
Day 11: Melbourne & Ballarat -> Geelong Day 12: Great Ocean Dr. -> Mt. Gambier, Day 13: Drive to and see Adelaide
Day 14: Adelaide (Barossa Valley)
Day 15: Fly to and see Alice Springs Day 16: Uluru Day Trip
Day 17: Fly to and see Darwin
Day 18: Kakadu National Park Day Trip Day 19: Fly to Cairns and to Pt Douglas
Day 20: Great Barrier Reef Day Trip
Day 21: Daintree Rainforest Day Trip
Day 22: Drive PD – Townsville via Atherton Tablelands
Day 23: Drive to Airlie Beach and Ferry to Hamilton Island
Day 24: Hamilton Island
Day 25: Fly to Brisbane-Sunshine Coast Day 26: Australia Zoo
Day 27: Surfers Paradise
Day 28: Gold Coast to Brisbane
Day 29: Brisbane
Day 30: Depart Brisbane for Calgary
Day 31: Depart Calgary for Toronto

Everyday offered us something new and exciting to see. I really cannot pick a favourites place.

Sydney was fantastic, a real treat to finally see the Bridge and Opera House. The Blue Mountains were actually blue; Canberra was okay. One day was good enough to see the highlights.

Melbourne was great, nice place to walk around and the AFL game we saw was a lot of fun.

Ballarat and Geelong weren't spectacular, but it was good to see some of the real Australia.

Great Ocean Road was indeed great.

Adelaide did not compare to Sydney or Melbourne, although Barossa was quite nice.

Alice Springs was interesting, while Uluru and Kata Tjunta was amazing.

Darwin was neat and hot. Kakadu was good.

Port Douglas was interesting, very richy rich. The reef was great and so too was Daintree. The Atherton Tablelands was a nice drive. Townville was good, I like Castle Mountain.

The few days we stayed on Hamilton Island were phenomenal. Everything was so nice, so posh. I wish I was there now.

We went to Noosa which was like Port Douglas, and of course did the Australia Zoo. We actually really liked Surfer's Paradise. It was interesting and things actually stayed open past 5 PM. Brisbane was nice as well, a very pleasant city, but with lots of construction.

If anyone has specific questions, I'd be more than happy to add more details.