Great Barrier Reef and more
 

We're planning a 3 week trip to AU from Los Angeles Christmas 2011. Thinking of flying to GBR for a few days and then down to Adelaide to spend Christmas with family. After that they'll take over the itinerary. What do you suggest for the GBR itinerary?

A week cruise along the reef would be great!

How about you tell us a little more about your interests but I'd say a two day live aboard, two days north of Cairns and four days in the hinterland visiting the Atherton Tablelands and either Undara or Chillagoe. That way you can cover history, nature and sight seeing.

Leaving LAX on 12/15 or 15. Will head to Brisbane then want to visit GBR for a few days and leave for Adelaide on 12/22. Not divers. Understand weather can be dicey that time of year. Would like a tour - not interested in driving in AU.

From Brisbane, I'd fly up to Cairns. Since you don't want to drive, you can either stay there or arrange for a bus transfer to Port Douglas. In either place, you can do snorkeling tours to the GBR. (Wavelength is a great snorkel-only boat out of PD, but you can snorkel on any of the GBR cruises.) You can also arrange other tours out of Cairns or PD, e.g. Kuranda and Daintree.

Can we do anything out of Brisbane? Hamilton Island for instance? Or would Cairns be the best.

Hamilton Island is in the Whitsunday group, it's not close to Brisbane. The lowest end of the Barrier Reef is near to Gladstone. Gladstone is about 1.5 hour flight from Brisbane

Not a fan of Cairns or Brisbane but Daintree & GBR are fabulous

It rains very heavily in the Cairns/Port Douglas/Daintree area in December and touring in the Cairns hinterland during the wet is also not a fun time. I'd go no further north than the Mackay/Whitsundays region. You can either fly into Hamilton Island which is self contained but a little expensive and take a number of boat tours from there or fly into Mackay to go to Brampton Island or up into the Eungella region where there is the opportunity to see a Platypus habitat. There is much to see and up our way I hope you have a great time Down Under.