Mayer0198

I agree about the Sydney Bridge -- just walk the bridge like commuters and save the $200. The views are just a good.

I loved Kangaroo Island --little Blue penguins, plenty of roos, wildlife parks with birds and cassowaries and roos to feed, honey farm, sheep milking farm, and eucalyptus oil factory. Plus Flinders National Park with its rocks and scenery is awesome.

rikked

Been to Australia 3 times now and love it every time. Great ideas for Sydney area - def must is bridge climb/bondi/manly. Try Lord Nelsons Pub for good food and history.
We've been to Port Douglas - were disappointed, too "fancy schmanzy" for us. Too many shops. We always to go the Whitsundays and skip Cairns/Pdouglas altogether now. Sailing, diving, snorkeling in W'sundays is great!! Brisbane is also a really cool city and the drive up is interesting along the coast.
On our first trip we also went to Melbourne and took some winery tours and tours to the bush and had billy tea - yes, I know, very touristy but kind of fun. Blue Mtns were cool, too.
Have fun. The aussies are the best people - super nice!!!

AlanJG

rikked, as a north Queenslander I too do not like Port anymore. A lot more to the area than one tourist dormitory though!

mbloggs

I think you should consider the time it takes to actually get to some of the places you mention in other states - by the time you've travelled from Campbelltown to the airport, waited for the plane, done the flight and got from the airport to your final destination, you're looking at maybe five to seven hours and you've essentially lost a day in travel. Then you lose another day getting back to Sydney.

My advice would be to cut it back and maybe just do one of the out of Sydney things as you only have that week.

Either Uluru or the Daintree region is spectacular. Uluru may be touristy but it is stunningly beautiful and the base tour is fascinating. But with your limited timeframe it is a long way to go to see just one thing. Daintree region offers more variety with reef, rainforest, wilderness. If you prefer cultural things, Melbourne is another great option and you could fit in your penguins and the Great Ocean Road while you're there as day trips with some sort of tour.

Here's a Sydney based list I put together for friends visiting from the US.

• Rocks, markets, Opera House and Botanic Gardens
• Sydney Aquarium and the Darling Harbour precinct (latter quite tacky but a great location and a pleasant stroll, with some nice waterside restaurants along the King St Wharf side)
• Bridgeclimb
• Taronga Zoo
• Manly ferry trip - - you can get a bus to the Spit Bridge and do a bushwalk along a well marked track all the way to Manly if you're active - it is really beautiful scenery and takes about four hours
http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking...tml?groupid=58
• Saturday Paddington Markets and Centennial Park picnic
• Bronte to Bondi walk and reverse (40 mins each way and spectacular scenery)
http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/thing...onte_coastwalk
• City and museums – Strand Arcade, Queen Victoria Building, Hyde Park, NSW art gallery, MCA, Museum of Sydney
• Vaucluse House and Watsons Bay
• Dinners at Newtown for its funky street life

Out of town:
Blue Mountains day trip
Canberra 2 days overnight

I agree with all those who say you should spend weekend nights in the city. It takes hours to get in and out from Campbelltown and often there is track work on weekends that slows things down even further. It would also allow you to go to see a performance at the Opera House or one of the other theatres such as the Wharf or the Belvoir. The City Recital Hall also has great concerts and events. http://www.cityrecitalhall.com/

I looked but can't see exactly when you are here but look out for festivals - Sydney Writers Festival May 16 - 22, Good Food Month in October etc

I think the Bridgeclimb is worth every cent of the price. I've walked across the bridge on the noisy pedestrian walkway, which is fine if you can't manage the climb, but the views from the top are something else and some of our visitors claim it was the highlight of their trip.

jackact

A great freebie in Sydney is the walk across the Harbour Bridge. Get the train to Milson's Point, and ask for the Bridge stairs. You walk along the eastern, Opera House, side.