Help with my first time trip to Australia
 

Please help with our first time trip to Australia. We (early 40s, American) have never been and feel lost. Any recommendations for a tour company that can help plan our trip ?

You haven't really given us any information that will help us help you. When are you going? How long will you be there? Where do you want to go? What are your interests?

I always recommend that people start out by reading a couple of guidebooks. Lonely Planet and Rough Guide are my favorites, but any are good for getting you started by giving you the basics. They are also good in helping you focus on where you want to go and what you want to see if you are undecided. Check your library before you buy.

While we can give you info on tour groups, most people here enjoy planning self-guided trips. Australia is a very easy country to travel in on your own.

If you have an interest in natural history then there is an Aussie living in Alabama who is a published naturalist and works to put tours together for semi-independent travelers.

His details are:-
Andrew Haffenden

Australian Natural Adventures

Nature Travel Specialists LLC

1817 D Woodbrook Circle, Alabaster AL 35007 USA

phone tollfree 1 877 VEGEMITE local 1 205 620 5982

Skype: andrew.haffenden

www.naturetravelspecialists.com

[email protected]

Thanks for your replies. We are going to be in Australia the second and third weeks of April. We have taken dozens of trips to Europe and always do the arrangements ourselves. I feel a bit overwhelmed with Australia as I've never been and don't have a good feeling as to the distances between places, how long to spend in each place etc. We usually like to spend some time in a city and a good chunk of time in more rural areas. Tentatively, I figured we spend 3 or 4 nights in Sydney (our arrival point from the US) then fly to Cairnes to see the GBR (two or three nights ?) and then off to Uluru and surrounding areas for 4 nights and back to Sydney for flight the following day.

What you have described is your basic 2-week Sydney, Rock and Reef tour. Assuming that you have 12 nights in country, I'd probably suggest splitting your time thusly:

Sydney--4 nights, including a daytrip to the Blue Mountains
Cairns or Port Douglas (my preference)--3 nights (which includes one day on the GBR, and one day in Daintree or Kuranda
Uluru to Alice Springs-- 5 nights, including 2 nights Uluru/Kata Tjuta, 1 night Kings Canyon, 2 nights Alice Springs

Since you are clearly an experienced independent traveller, all you need to do now is book your airfare, hotels and car rental. You might want to check Qantas for their Aussie Airpass which includes your international and domestic flights. I've used it in the past and it saved us money.

A good guidebook will have lots of info on details such as getting your ETA (the kind of "visa" you'll need as a U.S. citizen), domestic airlines in Australia in case you don't get an Aussie Airpass, customs e.g. tipping, and, of course, things to see and do.

Sounds good but instead of Kuranda or as well as it visit the Atherton Tablelands.

Ok... After further thought I believe we may stick to two regions. Sydney and surrounding area and Cairns and surrounding area. Am I nuts for skipping Uluru ? I want to make sure we experience Australia and not just some generic towns/cities.

Any further thoughts ?

Uluru is great but not essential. Sydney give you access to many of Australia's well know sites and Cairns to the GBR, the rainforests and wildlife on the Atherton Tablelands and the outback of Undara and Chillagoe.

As Alan says, Uluru is great, but not essential.

If you are going to split your time between Sydney and Cairns, I'd recommend carving out 2-3 days from your Sydney portion to do a self-drive tour through Orange, Parkes, Forbes, Cowra and Dubbo. There's lots to see and do in these places (read Lonely Planet New South Wales and get "The Dish" on DVD). It will give you a nice look at real Australian towns. We enjoyed the trip we made through this area very much.

We were very happy that we incldued Uluru in our trip to Australia 2 years ago the same time of year. It is like no other place and gives you exposure to the Outback and the Aboriginal culture and lands that you will not experience in the other places you've mentioned. You can spend 2-3 days there, even take 1/2 day workshops in painting or culture to really get a deeper understanding of what you are seeing. A susset dinner out by the Rock was almost very special. Australia is a long trip and we decided that we wanted to experience what we couldn't anywhere else whle we were there. We went to Heron Island in the GBR which was also magical. It is a nature preserve but also a lovely resort. You can walk right out of your room and into the water and scuba dive and watch animals on the reef or take a boat for deeper viewing. In Cairns you have to take a boat out to the reef.The rainforest in Daintree (go to the Daintree Ice Cream place for the ususual fruit flavors and to see the fruits growing.
We loved Sydney and the 4-5 days there were definitely worth the time......public transportation was easy to use out to the beach and the harbor and all of the ferries gives you access to the many things it has to offer. We rented a car for 2 days to go out to the Blue Mountains for a different experience.
Good luck and enjoy.

If I think of my favorite travel momments in Australia, having lived here for 43 of my 45 years, climbing Uluru and riding camels along the dry Todd River bed in Alice would come in just above snorkelling in the GBR. Sydney is a great city but nothing that I have ever done, on multiple trips there, could compare.

There is plenty to do around Alice Springs and the area around Uluru is like no other place on earth that I have experienced. Nothing is "essential" but I do think you would be "nut's" to miss it.

I'd look at Darwin & then heading down to Kakadu from there. I feel this is the best natural beauty Australia has to offer, better than the reef, the rock and any mountains we have. Definitely worth a visit in a lifetime.

I am going to Darwin and the surrounding National Parks next month and will let you know how I think it compares to Central Australia.

Ideally, one would try and make time for both, but it seems like you will not have the time.

Last year, we travelled around California/Nevada and Arizona. My first post, when trying to draw up my itinerary, asked for help planning a 17 day trip. We ended up with 34 days on the ground and I have never once regretted how much over-budget we ended up on the trip.

Consider adding an extra week.

Definitely consider staying in Port Douglas rather than Cairns. It's a much smaller town, but heaps more character.

Here is a web site that I having been using to help plan my upcoming trip. It is a great source of information about the NT.

If you decide to add a third stop, you should look at either the Darwin and surrounds (natures way) or red centre way drives. You could do either of these with a cheap rental vehicle in 4-5 days.

http://en.travelnt.com/experience/driving.aspx

Did you end up using Andrew Haffenden? Were you happy with him?

spinesrgn - in addition to reading tour books, there is a wealth of information on this site under the TRIP REPORTS. I have been to Australia twice but have learned so much about places I never knew existed by reading Australia Trip reports on this site. Many people submitting the reports provide detail information that really help with lodging, where to eat etc. So, make sure to take the time to read a few trip reports and enjoy your trip - - you will love Australia.

I live in South Australia and I definitely recommend Uluru for a first time trip to Australia. I love Sydney, it is my favourite city in Australia, but for a true "Australian" experience you cannot go past the centre of Australia!

I have never been to this restaurant but have heard it is amazing - http://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/sounds-of-silence/.

I also agree with Port Douglas, or even somewhere in the Daintree area depending on what sort of experience you are looking for (staying in a rainforest or by the ocean).

Sydney you could get away with 3 nights (or 2 nights if 3 full days) and just get a taste of the city, perhaps get a ferry hopper pass one day (you will board the ferry outside the Sydney Opera House) and visit Manly/Taronga Zoo/Watson's Bay (http://www.manlyflyer.com.au/), spend one day in the Blue Mountains and the other exploring either Surry Hills, Circular Quay and/or Bondi Beach. If you provide me some of your interests in your holiday I can possibly assist further.

oops sorry just realised this was an old post!!! Sorry guys!