Family Itinerary May 2006
 

We are a family of 5 with the following planned for May 06. Nothing finalized as yet but getting close.

We would appreciate any feed back
( positive or not ) especially from others with experience with any of the destinations.

We start with 2 days in Sydney staying at the Rocks. Harbour Rocks Hotel.

Day 3. We travel to the Hunter valley. Pokolbin Hill Chateau. Wine tasting.
Day 4. The Hunter Valley. Pokolbin Hill Chateau. Horse Riding.
Day 5. Byron Bay. Surfing day, Overnight Bundaleer Retreat. Day 6 Hamilton Island to meet boat for three day sail through the Whitsunday Islands.
Day 7 Whitsunday's. Solway Lass.
Day 8. Whitsunday's. Solway Lass.
All day Whitehaven Beach.
Day 9 . Cape Tribulation Lodge with a night walk through the rainforest. Day 10. Full Day Lizard Island for the reef experience. Over night Cooktown.
Day 11. Karumba on Cape York for fishing. Karumba Van Park Day 12. Lawn Hill Canoeing and wild life. Over night Adels Grove.
Day 13. Kakadu National Park. Crocodile hotel. Visit Yellow waters and Nourorlangie National Park. Day 14. Arnhemland. Seven Spirits Bay. Spend a full day with Aboriginal elders trekking through the outback.
Day 15. Seven Spirits Bay. Day 16. Exmouth, Swim with whale sharks.
Day 17. Ningaloo reef, drift snorkel with Manta Rays. Day 18. Mt, Augustus. Hike over the worlds largest rock.
Day 19. Uluru. Day 20. Uluru / Olgas / Kings Canyon. Day 21. Return to Sydney. Mecure Sydney airport.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on the above.

I can't help thinking this itinerary is a big unrealistic wish list. Are you joking?
If you are serious, there is no way you could connect between these places in your time frame.

I can't believe this either. Tell us how and when you intend to make the connections and we might be able to help you come up with something more realistic. As it stands - no offense intended - it just looks crazy, unless you're a big fan of Phineas Fogg. Tell us more!

Hi Neil, No Neil we are not attempting to go around the world in 80 days as you have suggested although as seasoned travelers we desperately try to avoid wasting time while on vacation so plan to make the very best of every day.

I was hoping for some feed back on some of the places we have chosen to visit ( or have been advised on )We are unable to find much information on Byron Bay, Karumba, Adels Grove, Cooktown, Exmouth , and no one even seems to know where Mount Augustus is.

Our dilemma is this; we can delete Exmouth out of the Itinerary and do the Prince Regent river followed by 2 days in Far a way bay followed by 2 days in Kalumbaru instead.

We could then do El Questro on the way to Uluru.

The Bonaparte Archipelago also looks great with it’s hundreds of Islands bush camps and Bradshaw artwork.

We have been advised these are very interesting destinations for the children and for us.

Thanks again Neil and any help you could offer would be appreciated.

OK NOW START AGAIN!

2 Days in Sydney is not neally enough. The Hunter Valley is only for those with heaps of time on their hands as its not particularly beautiful and you can buy the wine anywhere else and it will be cheaper! There are many, many things to do in Sydney which you will find when you get there.
Byron Bay - do a Google search on Norther New South Wales and you will get the "feel" of Byron Bay. However I feel that if you want surfing there are many other places that offer that which are easier to get to from your point of view and probably better surfing too. Although there are direct ( infrequent )flights to Byron Bay as they are not on a major route they are expensive then you have to either go back to Sydney OR get yourself to Brisbane to fly to the Whitsunday Islands - Byron Bay to Brisbane is either by bus or by bus to Gold Coast and then by train to Brisbane Airport and will take approx 3 hours as it again is not direct but through the Gold coast.
Once in Brisbane you are OK. there are direct flights to Hamilton Island.
It is not that easy but is doable to get from the Whitsundays to Cairns then onto Cape Trib. but again this will take at least half a day if not more.
I presume you will drive to Lawn Hill National Park ? If so that will take at least one full day of driving but you could get there by flying from Cairns - Townsville - Mount Isa then rent a car and drive and that would cut your trip down to half a day. Worth visiting though. From there back to Mt Isa where you "should still be able to" get a flight to Darwin. Darwin to Kakadu is best done with a small 4 wheel drive operator as you will see much more that way and camp overnight with them.
Are you intending to drive from Darwin to Exmouth? I expect you are as that is about the only way to get there from Darwin although there maybe some small operators who will fly you there - expect to take about 2 days full driving.
Mt Augustus is about twice the size of Ayers Rock and the only reason people are not treking there in droves is that it is very expensive to get there and of course unless you are the most hardy person is too darn hot most of the year. The Bungle Bungles should not be missed if you are in that part of the world so I would be heading for El Questro Cattle Station which is a 5 star + accommodation and destination and they do also offer some really good treks around the NW particular by helicopter I think.
If you are going to go to that area then I would leave out Ayers Rock as you would have to fly to Perth then Perth to Alice Springs then drive from Alice to Ayers Rock and it does seem like a lot of duplication really.
Perhaps a stop-over in Perth and a trip to either the Swan Valley wineries or the wonderful Margaret River wineries would be a great end to the trip to my way of thinking.
Hope this helps somewhat but your ideas, although great ones and fantastic destinations are not as easy as looking at a map!
Cheers Liz

Hi Liz, Thank you so much for all of that. Your advice is welcome.

We have the itinerary all worked out in terms of time. We were more interested in finding out about the actual destinations.

We were offered a nights camping in the bungles bungles and can easily fit it in.

Do you think the two days in Kakadu at the Crocodile Hotel would be worth while or is this a bit of a tourist trap.

Thanks again.

I can understand your need to cover as much ground as you can during your holiday but perhaps you misunderstand the long distances in Australia.
For example on day 18 you are talking about hiking at Mount Augustus and then being at Uluru the next day. Mount Augustus is at least 300 km by dirt road from Carnarvon in West Australia, so you would have to drive back to Carnarvon, fly to either Perth or Broome or Darwin, then to Alice Springs and then connect to Yalara. From Cooktown to Karumba is over 600 km, most of which would be on 'developmental road' which means one narrow lane of bitumen shared by cars, motor homes, trucks and road trains (which can be up to 50 metres in length. So you can see why Australians are doubtful about your itinerary.
In the time frame you have, I'd suggest you concentrate on either WA plus NT, or the east coast and NT.

Five for fun, This is an interesting itinerary which includes many of the very best destinations in Australia.

You have chosen some remote parts of Australia that few ever get to visit.

Not entirely sure of your mode of transport to all these exotic locations but I guess there are aircraft involved.

I have done most of the East Coast of Australia and much of the Top end but you are talking about places I can only dream about.

Im not sure why you have chosen Byron Bay. You mentioned surf for the children so on that basis I suppose that’s as good a place as any to stop off for a couple of days in the surf. The coastline and hinterland in the area certainly showcases some of the most beautiful rolling hills and beaches in Australia.

You have obviously done your homework. I am particularly interested in your couple of days up in Kalumbaru. I have been trying to get there for years.
From what I gather it is one of the first Aboriginal communities established in the North West of Australia. The district is well known for Bradshaw art the oldest rock art in Australia. Some of the art is reported to be over 20 000 years old.

Regard the swim with whale sharks make sure you are there at the correct time of year as they are only off Exmouth for a couple of months. I have been to the Bungles and think it is a must for you to visit, even for a half day. A camp there over night in such an ancient place would be very rewarding indeed.

Your walk with the aboriginals through Arnhemland will be an unforgettable experience. I would like to know how you organised that.

Lizard Island is by far the best selection for your look at the Great barrier reef which by the way I think is far superior to the Ningaloo reef although the Mantas are much more abundant on the Ningaloo. And you do have the whale sharks. So a visit to both is certainly the way to go if you can do it.
I have been lucky enough to visit several spots on the barrier reef off of Cairns and Port Douglas, which are also good, but the Lizard reefs are amazing. And again not many people.

I will watch for your finale itinerary and if you have any spare room I’ll carry the bags .

Best of luck.

Allo again. There is not a lot of accommodation in Kakadu but the Crocodile Hotel is the best of it. I would not call it a "tourist trap" as it is really an essential part of the trip and I think that 2 nights would be much better than one. Kakadu is about the size of Yellowstone National Park but it is expensive for accommodation and food but then so is any other "out of the way" place in the world. There are some amazing things to see there and experience. My two boys were not too keen on seeing two eyes pop up and look at them at the Twin Falls swimming hole and they told me that can actually walk on water but the eyes belonged to a fresh water croc. and they are comparatively harmless. However they regard their trip in a 4 wheel drive camping holiday of Kakadu one of the highlights of their lives. Is is what you make of it I guess. My greatest memory is of seeing fire flies outside my tent in Kakadu and looking at the beautiful sky at night after one of the most wonderful sunsets I have ever experienced.
I was fortunate to have friends who were teaching in an Aboriginal town and I did get to places that most tourist do not and you will feel the same on your trip there. A very enlightening visit I am sure and more rewarding in terms of understanding the culture of some 60,000 years in that most ancient of lands.
If you have the ways and means of getting from A to B on this holiday then I think it will be most rewarding and very, very interesting. You will love Lawn Hill as that is mostly unknown by tourists and I did not hear about it until we rented a house 20 odd years ago which belonged to one of the Rangers who worked there and got some really good second hand knowledge which had to do us until we went ourselves. It is so beautiful to kayak through and so tranquil and just so different.
Welcome and enjoy!

Thank you Liz and Streetsahead.
We thought Byron would be an interesting destination for some surf and fun for all. We have read many famous people live in the area which is usually an indication there is some thing special there.

Does Paul Hogan from the croc show really live there ? we have also heard an other very famous Aussie with a passion for chucking phones also lives just down the road.

The plan is to depart the Hunter at 08.30 arriving in Byron at 09.40. We take off and land from airfields which are within five minutes of our accommodation,so time is not really an issue. I suppose the main objective is for some fun in the surf and a look at the coast in that part of Australia.

Thanks again, From what you have both said Kalumbaru, Kakadu and the bungles should be included.

Are you flying your own light plane?

Hi 5, Yes interesting plan, we have been to a couple of the destinations mentioned. We sailed through the Whitsunday group of islands. You will not want to leave. It's just fabulous sailing. We also visited Lizard for a day which was the highlight of the vacation. So you can not go wrong there either. Best of luck.
And I will also carry some bags.

Wow!

Can I carry some bags too! I make great cappucino as well, almost Barista! Can also bring husband who tells great jokes! So now you have family of 10 lol.

Sounds a great trip, Cooktown is rather beautiful but because the road in is not all sealed not too many tourists head that way. Very beautiful place though. Go up the hill to the lighthouse for a real nice view.

John au / A company in Australia put the itinerary together for us and they fly the aircraft as well. Friends of ours used them a couple of years back and have still not stopped talking about the experience.

Tassietwist, We have 5 spare seats in the plane and your welcome to join us if you are happy to carry the bags.

You might change your mind when you see the bags my wife takes on vacation.

We are now looking at doing Ayres Rock on the way North from Sydney and deleting Byron Bay.

Thanks for your input Liz, seems Lawn Hill and Kakadu are evry thing the operators said it would be.

54fun

Sounds a great trip. Never heard of it before but sounds the way to go, especially for 5 people.

My backs gone out again...about those bags lol

Hi 54fun,
Oh wow! It sounds like a dream trip. I am already looking forward to your trip report, especially the part covering Cooktown, Cape York, Kakadu and Uluru as these are places I plan to visit, too.
I am a really great cook, both meals and baking, if you need someone. Only problem is, I don't fly in anything smaller than a 747!!

We plan to do the bridge climb in Sydney as well as the Zoo and Manly by boat.

Is there some thing in Sydney which really does have the WOW!! factor for which we should put some extra days or a day aside for and perhaps cut one of the other destinations.

Thanks again.

54fun

We recently had a guest from the US and only took them downtown twice. Once was a ferry to Manly where we lucked out because it was some anniversary festival that we were not expecting and there was heaps of free entertainment.

On the other day we went early to chinatown, had some yum cha and then the monorail back around to the central shopping district to show them some architecture like Centrepoint tower, State Theatre, Strand Arcade and Queen Victoria Building. They are all close by each other.

The second trip gave them an appreciation of the operational part of the city rather than just the pretty bit down at the Quay.

I think 2 days will be fine considering you will be seeing so much natural scenery during the balance of your trip.

Also depending on the ages of the children a trip to Luna Park maybe an alternate option to Taronga Zoo as you will see many animals on your trip.

Thank you once more Tassietwister you have been so helpful.

We were advised two days in Sydney would be enough unless we wanted to shop and or visit Museums.

What about the blue mountain area ? will we be missing lots if we do not visit Katoomba. I have seen it advertised every where on the internet and am just a little concerned we will not be visiting that area.

Sorry about all the questions.
We just want to get this wright before we go ahead and pay deposits.

The tour company looking after us has been just amazing sending pages and pages of info about Australia which together with the info from this extremely informative forum has been a wealth of information.