3 weeks to go!! I can't wait...wanted to post this and see if anyone has any thoughts...traveling w/ my dad (my 1st trip, he was in Sydney for 2 days on business years ago). Not much is planned per day - just main things to do - we will be filling things in as we go along.

24th of March - depart Washington Dulles to Sydney (through San Francisco)
26th of March - arrive about 8a - we're staying at the Travelodge Martin Place (165 Philip St) for 6 nights. Plan to take this day pretty easily - we are planning to do the Sydney Explorer bus to get our barrings.
27th of March - afternoon Harboursights cruise and going to a jazz club (not sure which) to see a friend of my father's play.
28th of March - Taronga Zoo
29th of March - Bridge climb
30th of March - Bondi Explorer bust and evening Harboursights cruise
1st of April - fly to Cairns where we're staying at the Radisson Pier Plaza (3 nights)
2nd of April - Quicksilver cruise
3rd of April - Hot Air balloon flight plus Karunda/Skyrail
4th of April - fly to Alice Springs -staying at the Mercure Diplomat (1nt)
5th of April - pickup APT Red Centre Highlights tour - includes 2 nights in Uluru (Outback Pioneer Resort)
6th of April - Uluru/the Olgas
7th of April - back to Sydney - 1nt at Marriott Sydney Harbour
8th of April - fly back home - leave at 245pm

We plan to walk around the Rocks area, Chinatown, Darling Harbour, the parks, possibly go to the aquarium. What do you think?

Much as it pains me to suggest shortening your stay in Sydney, I feel compelled to put in a plug for an extra day in Cairns so you can do a day's excursion to the Daintree River, tropical rainforest, Cape Tribulation and Mossman Gorge.

Could you fly out of Sydney on 31st of March rather than 1st of April (perhaps even the evening of 31st March so as to preserve as much of the day for sight seeing in Sydney as possible)?

Hi Judy_in_Calgary!

We are seeing the Rain forest as part of our Hot Air Balloon package. We are doing the Tabletops, Rainforestation, Tjapukai, Cairns Wildlife Park, and Karunda. We originally were supposed to get to Sydney on the 27th, but due to availability we had to go 1 day earlier

>>>>>>We are seeing the Rain forest as part of our Hot Air Balloon package.<<<<<<

Yes, Mishoe01, I do understand that, and it will be a wonderful day, no question about it. But, while you will see rainforest, you won't find out about the fascinating ecosystems of the Daintree River and the mangrove swamps to which you would be introduced if you did an excursion to the north.

Still and all, it's your trip, so you have to decide.

Glad you're getting to Sydney a day earlier than first planned.

Waaah!!!

Wanna go! Wanna go!!!!!

(and I live here!)

Hi, mishoe01!

That's a great itinerary and I can hardly fault it; I note that you have two harbour cruises planned, one by day and one evening. It seems to me that you could just take the evening one and do the daytime cruises by yourself, on the day you go to Taronga Zoo, for a fraction of the price. A one-day ticket ($15)will take you on any number of the commuter ferries, and you will be able to get on and off as you please -- and there are some great places to get off and just walk around, such as Cremorne, Balmain, Woolwich, Darling Harbour, Rose Bay. The ferries usually run half-hourly, so planning the length of a stopover is easy.... and in places like Balmain, there are some nice little coffee shops which will provide a much nicer experience than the inevitable buffet lunch which is provided (at considerable cost to you) on the cruise. The best of all the ferry rides is the one to Manly -- you must try and fit that in, at all costs, and spend a couple of hours on-shore there, maybe walking around to Fairy Bower.

The thing I like best about the do-it-yourself idea is that you don't have to pre-book; check the weather at 8 a.m. and if it isn't perfect, leave it until another day. The pre-booked harbour cruises will expect you to honour your booking even if the day is as dreary and colourless as it is right now in Sydney. And, really, the harbour NEEDS a perfect day to be truly appreciated.

Apart from that -- everything is great, and I hope you have a wonderful time. You deserve that, with all the threads on this forum which you have initiated over the past few months! Do us a trip report when it's all done, will you?

mishoen - Judy is correct - there's a small amount of vestigial rainforest left on the Tableland but most of the area has been given over to farming and it produces some fabulous crops. The Daintree Rainforest is a World Heritage listed area - part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area - and although you'll have a pleasant enough day it will not be slightly comparable to what you will find in the Daintree. Having said that you'll find the hot air ballooning over Mareeba and part of the Tableland great, just don't expect too much rainforest