Hi folks. Where are really fun and unique places to visit in Australia. Going to Melbourne on a 3 day business trip, but want to stay a little longer in Australia since I have never been there before. Any tours/cruises people can recommend?

Hi Skigal,

Could you tell us when you're going, how much leisure travel time you would be able to tack onto your business trip, and what kind of budget you'd like to use for accommodation?

All of these factors would make a difference to the responses you would get.

I think most people would agree that, while Australia has countless outstanding features, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney are the most outstanding of them all. If there is any way you can carve out the time to see them, I highly recommend that you do.

You say you want unique places to visit (and I assume that doesn't just mean unique places but also unique activities). An activity that was relatively close to Melbourne, that I found really fun and different, was half a day's camel ride. But driving there from Melbourne, going on the camel ride, and driving back again turned it into a full day's outing.

Please note, I don't recommend camel riding instead of seeing the GBR and Sydney. I recommend camel riding only if you can afford to add it to the other two things.

Steve, the camel guide who took our extended family of 10 for the half day excursion, also offered longer outings of 3 days or so, which involved camping outdoors. I would love to go on one of those longer camel rides.

Here's a website about Australian camel safaris. The outfit we went with was High Country Camel Treks outside of Mansfield, Victoria but, as you'll see, there are several others throughout Australia:

http://www.austcamel.com.au/tour_sa1.htm

Skigal, it would also help to know something of your tastes (only those you're prepared to share with us, of course!) Australia is very big place encompassing multiple time zones and climatic regions, and we've got a lot of unique things - but which ones you might find "fun" is a matter of personal taste. So this one is a little tough to answer (try substituting "the USA" for "Australia" in your post and you'll see the problem!)

If you're starting cold from an information viewpoint the Australian Tourist Commission site (www.australia.com) would help to get a feel for Australia and what you can do where. But feel free to ask away on this forum anyway.

For more clarification... I am going sometime in November, and am planning on spending around a week or 10 days after work to explore some part of Australia, most likely on the east coast just to minimize travel time. As for a budget? No more hostels or backpacking, but not four star hotels, spas and business class either. Just something in the middle where I can get a decent, comfortable place to sleep.

As for defining something fun and unique, I know this sound like a cliché, but I am looking for something that can only be experienced in Australia. Something unforgettable and possibly amaze the teenagers that may be going with me, (but that depends on when this trip is finalized and if that time conflicts too much with school). Something other than just shopping, museums and wandering around city buildings, and something not overly commercial.

The only thing I can't do is swim, so snorkeling and surfing are not at the top of my list, but maybe an outing on a glass bottom boat to view the reef?

Overall I guess I am looking for those unusual places and activities that other people stumbled upon and really enjoyed while in Australia? Any information on Kangaroo Island and Penguin Island?

The Great Barrier Reef is the most stunning place - and your teenagers will love it. I presume they can snorkel.

There are theme parks on the Gold Coast, just south of Brisbane - if that's your style (ho-hum for me!)

Kangaroo Island is fun, but just for 2 days or so.

Sailing in the Whitsundays might attract some enthusiasm from the kids - I think there are some tall ships sailing around there - they'd have a ball.

I had to look up Penguin Island - found it was near Perth, Western Australia. A great place, but my advice is that unless you have another (and bloody good) reason to be in WA, forget about it. Melbourne to Perth is like Miami to Los Angeles.

OK, I'm biased about Kangaroo Island, and as an Australian I guess I'm a bit blase about smelly marsupials and bad-tempered sea lions. KI is a pleasant enough place but IMO not terribly interesting. There's only so much time you can spend watching kangaroos, and you can find them in zoos anyway. But, as the French say, "chacun a son gout".

Look, if you have one shot at Oz, I'd go for Far North Queensland. Sydney is one of the world's great cities and a load of fun, but it's still a city. If you can fit in 2-3 days there, do it by all means. But run a search on this forum on Cairns, and GBR, and FNQ amd see what you think. There's no shortage of reasonably-priced accommodation and a lot to do, including getting up close and personal with native wildlife. seeing the Reef, the Daintree Rain Forest, you name it. I'd be very surprised if you regretted going there.

The odds are that your curiosity will be whetted enough to schedule a return visit some day, and then you can see some other aspects of this very diverse country. Maybe even Kangaroo Island.

There is a cruise that I would really love to do. It is from Cairns and only sails in May and November and goes all the way to Thursday Island with stops every day somewhere. I think it would be totally fantastic but everyone has different ideas. Also it is pricey, actually cheaper if we went on a cruise to the South Pacific! However I met a fisherman type of guy who lived on his boat and sailed all the way up around there on his own. He was saying how you can't get radio contact or mobile contact with anyone in some parts. You are like totally cut off from civilisation. However I am sure a bigger cruise boat would have satellite communication system!

Aside from that I tend to look for the unusual for weekend aways from Sydney. This is because I am very familiar with the main attractions though and I feel I can't recommend giving these a miss in favour of some different things.

However some things that may interest are staying in National park accomodation or lighthouse accomodation. These add some spice and something different to the normal hotel often at same prices.

There is some rental accomodation on the south head of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. If you have some teenagers you will have some space for them to move and explore the surrounding cliffs and beaches with a great view of Sydney and only a very relaxing ferry ride or interesting bus ride of about 10km downtown.

Also something we will be doing soon (will post a report if any good) is staying at a Buddhist monastery near Wollongong south of Sydney. Very reasonable price and would be something different. (you don't have to be a buddhist to stay). wake up to gongs and drums or something, sounds cool!

Anyways hope it gives something to ponder along with other contributions. It is a vast land that is very poorly populated in most parts so transport tends to be between the major cities so harder to get to the out of the way places.

links for my suggestions

the cruise

http://www.paradiseadventures.com.au/sydney.htm

the National Park accomodation

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/...039&Type=L

lighthouse accomodation (out of the way places, please note)

http://www.lighthouse.net.au/Holiday/Accommodation.htm

buddhist monestary

The pilgrim lodge
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nanti...s/shortcut.htm

Hi, skigal!

Something unique that you can only experience in Australia, and that teenagers would love, and accessible from Melbourne? Well, check out this site and see what you think: http://www.outbackfarmstay.com/

You might also hire a car and go opal digging out at Lightning Ridge. In this case, your accommodation would be the various country pubs you would come across on your travels -- there's one or two in every country town, and they are so unique -- the REAL Australia, I always think -- that you might just find that experience the highlight of your whole trip (after all, in Sydney and Melbourne, the hotels are mainly Marriotts and Mercures and the like).

You should not be concerned about driving on the wrong side of the road if you plan to get out of the main cities -- the highways of Australia are largely empty, and most times you can see for miles in every direction. I think that by doing one of these two suggestions -- or even both, if you can squeeze eight or ten days out of your business trip -- would make you an authority on Australia in a way that could never happen if your visit was confined to the tourist areas and state capitals.

Hi Dropbear - if you don't mind "roughing it" a bit you can take cargo ship with passenger facilities,MV Trinity, out of Cairns - passing through Barrier Reef to Cape York ports and Thursday Island for AUD$1275 return. This is peak season rate and includes private cabin and en-suite. Website is www.seaswift.com.au

Hi Skigal,
Just spent a couple of days last month at Kangaroo Island. I feel you could find better places to go to enjoy Australia.

While in Melbourne you could do an early morning hot air balloon ride. Dinner on the Tram car restaurant (or Sunday Lunch.) Don't forget to take the City Circle Tram. Maybe visit the Old Melbourne Jail.
Hire a push bike & pedal around St Kilda. Cruise our lovely up side down river The Yarra.

Camel ride resulted in a very sore behind for me..not enjoyable.

The teenages maybe impressed if you try eating Witcherty Grub soup, Kangaroo & Emu Sausages, Crocadile burgers (this is not a joke.)

People love to go to Phillip Island at dusk to look at the Fairy Penguins (1. 1/2. hours drive from Melbourne.) but you can also see a very small lot of them in Melbourne. Teens are very hard for us oldies to impress!

Hi Skigal,

Well, "fun and unique" are subjective arent't they?...as we can see, some people's idea of fun / and /or unique are not others....Judy wants to put you on a camel and AussieJo is concerned about a camel-backside condition!

I laughed out loud at Neil's comments about marsupials and sea lions -- again, this is personal taste and where you're from -- being from California, seeing sea lions is not that big of a thrill, but if you're from the Midwest, it might be.

And now we come to non-toursity things and keeping teenagers amused..yikes! Tall order!

In Sydney, a touristy thing, but which I find amusing and fun and even, dare I say, a tour you could actually learn something...is the Sydney Duck. If your teenagers would like travelling around Sydney in an absurd, amphibious vehicle while the hostess is catcalling to people coming out of McDonalds "oy..can I have some of your fries?" and then driving from dry land into the Sydney Harbour, this is the tour for them! (did I mention the kazoo playing? The office is easy to find, right in the Clocktower in the Rocks.

They might also enjoy Fox Studios Australia; the Wildlife Park, the zoo and Homebush -- site of the Olympics.

Don't bother with the tram tour in Melbourne - it's a very nice dinner on the tram, but really, that's all it is...there's not really even a good commentary of what you're passing by....don't think teenagers would care about multiple courses and the "ambiance". The Fairy Penguin tour has gotton overrun with tour buses/groups (I mean, they have bleacher type seating now).

For the GBR, even though you can't swim, I encourage you to snorkel. It's a no brainer - you don't need to swim, you have the security of the life jacket. I have some "water issues" myself, which are overcome when I see my first fish whenever I'm snorkeling! You can do it!

I agree with Neil about the Daintree/Mossman/Atherton Tablelands area - lots to see & do there. Do a night spotting for crocs, other critters; have a guide show the rainforest; caves..lots of possibilities.

If you do decide on K.I., I highly recommend a guide, and I'd recommend a day trip instead of 2 days.

Another possibility, since you'll be in Melbourne would be Tasmania. Visiting Port Arthur will give the kids a bit of history as well as all the grisly facts teenagers seem to love!

Hope this is helpful!

Melodie
Certified Aussie & Tasmania Specialist

Night-spotting crocs? Melodie, you must be a tough cookie - those things scare the hell out of me. The only way I want to see them (if at all) is either behind a very stout fence or served as a kebab. I haven't heard of any tourists being eaten up there lately, but I'd be keeping an eye out for one-armed croc feeders all the same.

(Skigal ... just joking, don't be put off North Queensland.)

Pat Woolford

Thanks for the info on the ship thingy. It sounds as if it has my name on it!

Pat, me too - have filed info on ship to Thurs Is away for future reference. To the OP - the GBR is, of course, unique to Oz - so in yr week you could fly up there and see the reef and the rainforest and take a trip to the hinterland too. Or u could fly to SYD and spend some time there - and if you can just put yr being too grown up to rough it on hold for just a little while - there is a trip you can do SYD to Byron Bay that I think sounds just amazing (have on my list to do sometime). Will take you over the Blue Mts and out into rural NSW. 5 days. check out www.outbacktours.com.

As u can see from the above, I haven't done this myself. One that I have is with Wayward Bus along the GOR to Adelaide (enjoyable - and I see now that you can opt for motel accomm instead of backpacker hostel) and on to Coober Pedy (which is camping).
IMHO there are loads of amazing things about this country - but one of the best is being out in the middle of nowhere - for the space; the sky - so if you have to sleep in a tent or a swag, who cares - believe me, it's worth it.
Have fun.

I wouldn't write off Phillip Island entirely. As far as "fun and unique" I think it would be pretty high up there (esp. since it's a day trip from Melbourne). There are bleachers, but there are also other places to watch from (off to the right IIRC).

Neil, kababs are nice too....tastes like chicken!

Melodie

Melodie, the only time I tried crocodile it was actually deep-fried teriyaki style and not at all bad - but yes, so close to chicken that I wouldn't pay the extra money again. I had a similar experience with alligator etouffee in New Orleans - worth trying once, I figured. Not like croc, though, more of a fishy taste. Or did I get shark by mistake? I'll never know. (Come to think of it, was the "croc" actually chicken....?) At least it beat mutton bird, which hails from the islands in the Bass Strait between Tasmania and the mainland and reminded me of a seagull crossed with that old half-eaten can of sardines you sometimes find at the back of the fridge, undetected for months . AND I paid top dollar for the thing.

Neil,

well, there ya go! by the time you deep fry something and add teriyaki sauce to it I think you can pretty much bill it as anything!

This sort of follows the "blackened" whatever phase that swept thru America. Frankly I think this was started by a drunk cook in New Orleans who left something on too long and passed it off as "cuisine"....yes, let's take something that's old and tastes awful and burn it and tell the tourists it's GOOD!

I'm sorry that you were taken in by the alligator etouffee...alot of culinary sins are covered up by spices and tomato sauce!

Regards,

Melodie

Did I say teriyaki? Silly me - I meant tempura, but your comment still applies, Melodie. Yes, I'll bet blackened redfish first saw the light of day in the French Quarter, as did the "Cajun spice mix" that no Cajun had ever heard of. The alligator was OK actually - but then I like almost anything with chillies, and I'm still a jambalaya fan.