ok, new[ish] plan:

based around seeing the test match in Brisbane, we could do the following:

Nov 9 - leave LHR and fly to HK. stop over 3 nights.

Nov 13 - fly to Cairns - 3 nights on liveaboard dive boat so DH can dive the GBR [he's an experienced diver so we just need a boat that offers diving, not courses]

Nov 18 - fly to Brisbane. stay til end of test on Nov 25th [hopefully!]

Nov 26 - fly/drive? down to Sydney. spend/stay a week

Dec 2 - fly to Christchurch. spend 2 weeks driving from south to north island

DEc 15 - fly from Aukland to Fiji

Dec 20 - fly home to LHR.

how does that look?

It looks like we will miss each other :-(

Looks like a good itinerary to me. I like Brisbane a lot. Gallery of Modern Art is well worth a visit with a cafe fronting onto the river. I've stayed at a variety of hotels and apartments if you want any recommendations. Miro Apartments in the Valley was where I last stayed, it's well located, near enough to the train to the airport and lots of good cafes in the vicinity.

Looking OK

<<of course I sound like you...I haunt the Europe threads, both here and there!>>

thanks, Susan. i like the look of Brisbane too, which is what made me think that seeing a test there would be a good choice - that and it fitting in which the schedule i have in my head - Sorry Toucan2!

I suspect that in Brisbane we may go with a package that includes tickets for the test match, unless i can work out how to buy them direct.

any ideas?

just got onto the Australian Cricket Board site - tickets not on sale yet.

any idea when they might become available?

Margo - great minds!

Anne, I think you should attend the Boxing Day test in Melbourne. 85,000 Aussies baying for English blood.

Peter - i think you've just told me why we shouldn't be there!

Hi Ann, I saw your comment on an Italy thread that you are coming to Australia so I thought I'd pop over here and have a look. Your trip sounds good, not too rushed, very sensible ;) .

ok, new plan - out goes Fiji, to give us more tim in Aus and NZ.

Nov 11 - leave LHR and fly to HK. stop over 3 nights.

Nov 15 - fly to Cairns - 3 nights on liveaboard dive boat/island so DH can dive the GBR followed by touring area

Nov 22 - fly to Aukland. Pick up car/motorhome [not sure about that, never done that before!] tour NZ for 2 weeks, ending at Christchurch/Queenstown

Dec 7 - fly to Sydney. stay 3 nights, then tour area

Dec 12 - fly to Perth for 3rd test. [13-17 Dec]

DEc 18 - fly from Perth to ? for 3 night stopover

Dec 23 - arrive home at LHR.

How does that look?

would it be better to do NZ first so as to avoid the December high season? that would push Cairns to the end of the trip - is that a good idea?

oh dear - so many choices!

Are you set on Cairns and Liveaboard for diving? I find the humidity in Cairns in December/January quite hard to take. You can do great diving at the southern end of the reef. Heron Island is fantastic and being an island, it's fairly temperate even in December/January. You can snorkel straight out from the island and there are dive boats that go further out. It is a bit of a hike to get there, however, plane from Brisbane then a ferry from Gladstone to the island (2-3 hours).

http://www.heronisland.com/

funny susan - I've been looking at Heron Island, but had the impression you could get there from Cairns! lucky you said.

they've got what looks like a great offer on now [$999 for 3 days all inclusive] - how long would you think was the best amount of time to stay there? we could fly into Brisbane instead of Cairns and then transfer to Gladstone.


however, i think that we are set to put the diving at the beginning of the trip, wherever we do it, so if we were going to be in the Cairns area in mid november, would that make any difference to your advice?

3-4 days at Heron is perfect. The time of year does make a difference. The turtle hatching only starts in December, but the synchronised coral spawining is in November. And the mother turtles will be starting to lay their eggs in November. At night, they come up to the island on the high tide. It's amazing watching them.

If you go to Heron Island it's just for diving and snorkeling (and the natural environment with birds and turtles). Cairns offers a lot more than the reef: Daintree Rainforest and Atherton Tablelands. I haven't been to Cairns in November but I imagine it would not be quite as hot and humid then.

A quick question Re your stop overs. Are you allowing 3 nights each way to see things or just to avoid jet lag? Actually 2 quick questions, which airline are you using as that will affect your stopovers.

Are you allowing 3 nights each way to see things or just to avoid jet lag?>>

a bit of both, really, cathies!

we've never been to Singapore OR Hong Kong and this seems like a good opportunity to take a look, for minimal extra cost. I'm still waiting to hear back from RTW for revised costings, which I hope by jettisoning Fiji will have come down.


Actually 2 quick questions, which airline are you using as that will affect your stopovers.>>

another good question - I'm not entirely sure! i can see that that's something to bear in mind - I spent some time on the internet last night working out routings that didn't involve any indirect flights, but that wasn't something I'd considered.

back to the drawing board!

good job we've got plenty of time for planning.

ok, we're now ontp itinerary no 3 [or is it 4?]


Nov 10th - LHR - singapore [arriving Nov 11th]

Nov 11-14 [4 nights] singapore [or HK if necessary]

Nov 15 - to Brisbane - spend 5 nights including 3 nights on Heron Island - DH's choice of where he wants to dive from

Nov 19 - to Auckland - hire car - spend 15 nights

Dec 5th - fly Christchurch to Sydney - spend 5 nights

Dec 10 - fly to Perth [test match 13 -17th]

Dec 18 - fly to ? 3 nights

Dec 21 - fly home to LHR

comments anyone?

Wow! That's certainly some hopping about. Airfares will be hideous.

Wow! That's certainly some hopping about. Airfares will be hideous>>

is it really a lot? - two places on the way out to NZ, two/three on the way back and we're probably going to come straight home from Perth, so that cuts out another "hop" and we've already "lost" Fiji and Cairns.

as for hideous airfares we've been quoted about £1400 each, which is actually less than I was expecting. we are going to be travelling for 6 weeks so it's bound to be expensive! and if we're going all that way, we'd like to see a few different parts of the area. [I know, I sound like one of those people I criticise on the Europe board, but they are often trying to cram the whole of europe into a fortnight which is rather less time than we've got].

anyway, any suggestions as to how we might streamline this gratefully received!

and Margo, as you obviously know you cricket, which in YOUR opinion is the best Test Match to head for? I started off leaning towards Brisbane, then DH fancied Perth, now we might be coming back to Brisbane. Pros and cons?

<Dec 10 - fly to Perth [test match 13 -17th]

Dec 18 - fly to ? 3 nights>

Why not just spend all that time in WA instead of flying somewhere else? WA is a third of Australia afterall - lots to see and do and if you're lucky it won't get seriously hot until Christmas.

I think it's a lot of hopping around too, but I could easily spend six weeks on the South Island alone.

I completely understand the temptation to make stopovers, but in my experience they can be exhausting.

thanks, Melnq8 - I think that we are leaning towards spending longer in Perth and flying straight home from there, though accommodation there does seem to be rather dearer than in Brisbane - or is that my imagination?