Laura

We will arrive in Brisbane the third of April and fly back out of Brisbane three weeks later. At this point we are looking for transportation recommendations as well as must sees, and cool eco places to stay and hang out for a few days, etc. We are flying to Australia using miles, and have enough miles left over for 1 round trip within Australia.<BR><BR><BR>We are adventorous and love to explore slightly off beat and uncrowded places. <BR>We like to hike, but I've got bad knees, so have to limit elevation gains to around 1200 feet. <BR><BR>We'd love to hear from those of you who have found great eco-lodges, camp sites, earthy resturants, etc.<BR><BR>While around Brisbane we thought about going to Fraser Island. Anything else around Brisbane that is a must see?<BR><BR>Then somehow we need to get to Cairns. Is there train or must we fly or drive? I read that renting a little camper RV is a good option, since you don't have to pay a one way charge.) Recommendations? <BR><BR>Is Townsville cool or should we skip it? We'd like to see Daintree park, Lava tubes, do some scuba diving, and learn about the aboriginal culture. <BR>The third week we are thinking about seeing Kakadu National Park (fly to Darwin from Cairns?) and doing some hiking, exploring, etc. Not as interested in Alice Springs. Recommendations for getting to Kakadu Park? How long should we reasonably plan to stay? (I'm guessing 5 days, but maybe more or less are in order). <BR><BR>Many thanks in advance,<BR>Laura and Dan

liz

G'day Laura and Dan<BR>Firstly you would have to pay for a one -way rental for an RV and really because of the distance between Cairns and Brisbane you are much better flying, especially because you don't really have that much time and secondly because of the cheaper cost of flying - see www.qantas.com.au and www.virginblue.com.au for prices with e-fares. <BR>Brisbane itself is a rather laid back, easy living city ( big town really) and semi tropical. There is nothing spectacular about it and nothing to see in terms of fantastic buildings etc. However there is plenty to see around the area. My idea would be to stay in Brisbane for a couple of days and get over jet lag and perhaps do the trip over to Morton Island where you can play with the dolphins and snorkle in the nice lakes etc. <BR>Then perhaps rent a car and head south through the border ranges to O'Reilly's and/or Binna Burra where you can hike to your hearts content. Continue, with a small back track over the range to Murwillumbah and then take the road along the Tweed River to Nimbin - all this is lovely countryside. Nimbin is a time warp and a bit of an eye opener 1960's village still unchanged since then. From there go to Dunoon and The Channon and drive over to Byron Bay making sure that you don't miss going up to the light house there. You can then go back to Brisbane via the Pacific Highway - do a search under Gold Coast Hinterland and Northern New South Wales. Make it a bit of a trip of say 3 - 4 days and stop where you see something you like. There will be no problem with accommodation. <BR>I suggest flying to Cairns as well as saving time you will need the time there to see all that is on offer anyway, and no, Townsville is not worth actually going to as a destination but Ok if you are driving through. <BR>Fraser Island is a nice place to go and you could do that instead of the southern drive/northern NSW. Again rent a car in Brisbane and drive either to the southern part of Fraser Island and then take a tour over ( you need a tour because there are no roads on Fraser and you have to have either a 4 wheel drive and deflate the tyres or some other type of vehicle. You could also go up to Hervey Bay and go over from there and stay at the Kingfisher Resort - very nice place but again you won't take your car. <BR>In Darwin don't rent a car ( unless things have changed since I was there they had an outrageous excess imposed on rentals for some reason known only to them) because your best way of seeing Kakadu is to take a safari with a small concern so that you get to go where the buses don't and experience camping out there and all the local knowledge. Darwin is a fun place and the Beach markets on a Thursday night are a must - take your own Champers and spend the entire evening sampling the food from the 100 or so stalls as you watch the sun set over the Arafura Sea. There is a very good Government run Tourist Information Centre in Darwin where you can see all that is to offer, however I would pre-book the safari - do a search on this site for previous information about those or post a specific question. <BR>HTH Liz <BR><BR>

Laura

Liz, Thanks much for the advise. I'll investigate the Hinterlands and Fraser further.

LauraCH

Beginning to panic. So much to see, so little time in Oz. Hoping that Darwin in April won't be a mistake and that we should have gone South for the last week instead.<BR><BR>Does Brisbane, Port Douglas, Darwin sound like a reasonable itineary in April? Liz, thanks for your support re: Darwin. From what I've read it sounds like a enjoyable place to spend some time.

lizF

Hello again Laura. Don't panic everything is within reach and nothing needs to be pre-planned with your trip except some on site tours. <BR>If you have any worries my email address is [email protected] then email me direct and I will give you my phone number as I live close to Brisbane and can help you if need be. <BR>I am sure you will not regret Darwin and surrounds - it is quite different from anything else in Australia and Kakadu is a different world. I know all these places well as I have lived there ( not Kakadu but Darwin and north Qld)<BR>Cheers<BR>Liz