GovernorPhil

Hope someone out there can help with our proposed itinerary for this November. All contributions gratefully received!
The plan is to fly into Cairns (via Brisbane), pick up a hire car and then spend the next 17 days heading south towards Sydney. We have pencilled in the following stops:

Drive to Daintree NP, 3 nights at Cockatoo Hill Retreat
Drive to Ingham, 1 night at Noorla Boutique Hotel
Drive to Mackay, 2 nights at Hotel Ocean International
Drive to Town of 1770, 2 nights at The Beach Shacks
Drive to Noosa, 2 nights at Lake Weyba Cottages
Drive to Byron Bay, 2 nights at Byron at Byron
Drive to Port Stephens, 1 night at Nelson Bay B and B
Drive to Sydney, 4 nights at InterContinental, Sydney

My wife and I are keen on seeing some of the National Parks,as well as the wildlife. We are not late night revellers, but do enjoy good food and wine.

Please advise on both the number of nights in each location and the choice of accommodation.
Thanks,
Phil

prue

I can only comment on the Intercontinental Hotel in Sydney, which I have stayed at a number of times and always found to be excellent.
The position at Circular Quay is very central and you will be within walking distance of a great number of sights.
If you can spring for the Club Floor the view from the Executive Lounge is just magical both in the evening and at breakfast.

wallos

you have a long drive from Byron to Port Stephens which is a beautiful area in itself. The Hunter is one of our best wine areas. Can you spare an extra day in this area ? It is then an easy drive to Sydney.

johhj_au

well Phil it's 2,700 km (1600 miles)from Daintree to Sydney and a lot of that road is NOT at motorway or interstate standard.

Several of the places you intend to visit have similar attractions...you could see reef, rainforest etc in a leisurely considered loop ex Brisbane in the area from 1770 to Byron to save many hours of watching the white line flash by.

pat_woolford

It is a long way but for 17days its quite leisurely. Recently drove Cairns-Byron Bay with only 2 overnight stops, and no night driving but that was pushing it a bit and I wouldn't recommend it. johnj is right about the roads, most are two lanes (one in each direction) with overtaking lanes only here and there.

If you can bear to drag yourself away from Cockatoo Retreat which is in a glorious part of Daintree, try to include the Atherton Tableland loop as you head south. This is a top area for wildlife and scenery. You can take the Julatten Road (Rex Highway) just north of Port Douglas, or the Kuranda range road

pat_woolford

(whoops), just north of Cairns. Rejoin the coast by descending the very scenic Gillies Highway which brings you out at Gordonvale or the Palmerston Highway which brings you down to Innisfail.

Do you have a special reason for 2 nights in Mackay? Most Whitsunday trips leave from Airlie Beach, north of Mackay. The most tedious stretch of the whole trip is from Mackay to Rockhampton, try to get that over with early in the day.

GovernorPhil

Thanks for the replies - very useful and we will re-look at the itinerary based on your comments.

Phil

di2315

Hi Phil
I second the response re Port Stephens.
I live here, and most visitors are surprised at how much there is to see & do that is quite unique to the area.
Nelson Bay B&B is quite lovely, and I think you'll be disapointed if you only stay 1 night. By the time you arrive, then need to move to your next destination the next day, you'll hardly have time to catch your breath!
In November you'll have the best of the warm weather, without the summer crowds.
Please contact me if you need any more local info, or take a look at www.portstephens.org.au - the local visitor centre website. Cheers, Di

Tassietwister

I agree with Pat regarding the drive from Mackay to Rockhampton. We did it today and you do get sleepy behind the wheel from boredom. The warning is for a driver fatigue crash zone of 250km! They do have free coffee stops thank goodness!

While we were in Mackay I saw a few beaches but not Illawong. I would question the hotel if there was a view of hay point and/or aircraft noise as it is close by the airport. Hay point is a huge coal terminal south of Mackay and from the town beach you have a view of a line of container ships that somewhat takes away from the otherwise pretty view. It could possibly be the same that bit further south at Illawong.

The marina area iself maybe a nicer location to stay at. Though much building and carryon in that area. Mackay is experiencing huge population growth.

We have just been several weeks in the mackay area and we loved Bucasia Beach and also we stayed about 5 nights at Finch Hatton which is right by Eungella national park, known for the platypus. We did trips out to Finch hatton Gorge, forest flying was fabulous. First you had to navigate low water crossings (had been heavy rain in the weeks before), then open and close gates through private rural properties to arrive at where some wonderful expat Brits have set up the forest flying. It is not hard to do but you see the rainforest canopy and maybe some pythons wrapped around the branches. Excellent adventure. The walk to gorge itself was nice and here was good waterfalls and swimming holes.

Up the mountain itself some great walks then on to Broken River where the main platypus viewing patforms are located.

Another option would be to stay at Airlie Beach itself as was mentioned. Very pretty and more to offer a tourist than Mackay. Mackay is based on business rather than tourism though I do think it has some potential in that area, depends which way they go.

pat_woolford

Hi Tassietwister, last time we did that Mackay-Rocky trip (Feb) the country was unusually green, every other time I've done it just brown and dusty - how was it today? That section is as boring as batshit, but not as bad as it was once, when the old road further inland took forever. Did in many years ago in a VW Kombi with little kids in summer, it was ghastly. People used to disappear on that road, you were supposed to check with police at either ends in Rockhampton and Sarina, just to let them know you'd made it.

Yes, Eungella national park shouldn't be missed and Governor Phil, if you're still reading this don't forget Wallaman Falls, not far from Noorla near Ingham, the highest single drop waterfall in Australia. Was talking to a Cairns local last night who's just come back from staying at Noorla Hotel, she says a wonderful restoration job on an old Qld pub which also maintains some of the old features which you don't see these days.

Tassietwister

Hiya Pat,

Not green but not dust either but all the creeks are as dry.

Such a contrast to our trip to Eungella which was soaked to the point of muddy. Futher north again say from Bowen to townsville very dry also, then impossibly green Ingham and all points north.

It is hard to understand how since Larry such huge amounts of rain have continued to fall and yet avoid some bands all together. I know that normally these areas are in some rain shadow of sorts but when it is so wet you would think they would get lucky, if not now when?

Tomorrow back to Bargara Beach, Bundaberg for a week. Hard life!

pat_woolford

Hi Tassietwister - all the rain in northern tropics since Larry and Monica, most of it flowing out to sea and much of the rest of the country in drought. Unpopular decision of Beattie government for more dams in SE Qld, still, don't know what else they can do.

Enjoy Bargara Beach, great little spot.

RalphR

Phil...my concern with your proposed itinerary is that you are going to bypass by a number of places that you would seemingly love to see based on your interests. Many of the best parks down the east coast lie well off the main highway, which I think you will find, is not always the most interesting or scenic. They take significant extra driving and time to see. A few such places that come to mind, that you might miss are the Atherton Tablelands, Undarra, Eungella Nat'l Park, the gorgeous Gold Coast Hinterland (Lamington Nat'l Park, Springbrook, etc,), not to mention some of Queensland's islands (Fraser Island for example).

Cairns-Mackay is a nice drive and there are a number of great places to see in-between (for example Wallaman Falls inland from Ingham). But Mackay-Byron could get tedious, as has been previously mentioned. Why not fly part way (e.g. Mackay-Brisbane) and save some time for further exploration around Cairns-Mackay and inland from Byron (Lamington NP etc)?

etonbeach

All I can add is that your accomodation in Byron Bay (the Byron at Byron) is first class. My wife works there. Have a great holiday.