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I will be in Brisbane for a conference in July. I would like to spend about a week after the conference seeing some of Australia. I get a sense that two good ideas would be Port Douglas (four about 4 days) and Sydney (for about 3 days). Any thoughts?

Tom, I haven't been to Port Douglas, but your itinerary sounds fine. You are not overstretching yourself and 3-4 days in each place is very sensible. Bear in mind Sydney will be quite cool in July (average 15 deg. C), whereas Port Douglas will be warm (maybe 25 deg. C)- Brisbane somewhere in between.

I you are going to be in brisbane why don't you go to the gold coast. Coachtrans travel to serfers paradise every day. It is a 1 hour trip. The gold coast is a beachy place it will be winter but it is never cold. There are lots of theme parks, the beach, hinterland and nightlife

Tom <BR> <BR>You will njoy Brisbane and will definately enjoy Port Douglas, and as a first time visitor to Australia, Sydney as well. <BR> <BR>However, you must be aware of the time that it will take to travel from Brisbane to Cairns (2.5Hours) and then 1 hour (approx) to drive to Port Douglas. Then to fly to Syney from Cairns will take about 3 Hours. I am presuming that you are flying out of Australia from Sydney otherwise there will be another 1.5 hours to get back to Brisbane. <BR> <BR>Australia is a big country so travelling time does eat into your holiday time. <BR> <BR>To check on Flight Schedules on: <BR> <BR>http://www.ansett.com.au for Ansett <BR> <BR>and <BR> <BR>http://www.qantas.com.au for Qantas <BR> <BR>Have a great trip. <BR> <BR>David <BR>

Tom, <BR> <BR>Why do people visit Australia? To see the natural wonders like the Barrier Reef, the coast , the outback etc. The Gold Coast is a wannabeflorida style amusement arcade/shopping center. <BR>Do yourself a favour, visit the Barrier Reef, The Whitsundays, Sunshine Coast. <BR>Have a safe and pleasant trip. <BR> <BR>Nick O'Neill <BR>Travel Nutter <BR>http://www.BootsnAll.com <BR>The Ultimate Resource for the Independent Traveller <BR> <BR> <BR>