I have already posted but I have some more questions and I have made some decisions. I am planning to visit Australia next year in March or April. My boyfirend and I are 23. We want to go somehwere where there is alot of wildlife, outdoor activities and really good food. Neither of us are fans of the beach. I have been doing some research and have narrowed it down between Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. Can I get some opinions and some suggestions as to which to choose? I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

You pose an interesting dillema becauase each of your locations offer some terrific opportunities. The least desirable of the options, in my opinion, is Melbourne. ALthough the cultural capital of Melbourne and the home to some of the best restaurants in the country, my wife and I (who spent 6 weeks travelling around Australia about 5 years ago) found the sites to be less appealing than those in Sydney. Sydney is an amazing place but I am not sure if it satisfies all of your concerns. While you can certainly see the wildlife in the zoos, walking around the city is amazing, and the restaurants first class, I am not sure if city life meets your goal of outdoor activities. Adelaide is a very nice city--we enjoyed it alot--but there is not a lot to see in the town. With that said, however, Kangaroo Island, which is about an 1 hr. flight off the coast, is an amazing place where you can see the wildlife in their natural habitat, hike and enjoy amazing scenery! I do not recall, however, food being a highlight. Hobart is a very cute city and worth a day or so. From Hobart you can take a day trip to Port Arthur to visit the historical sites and also travel around the island. One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to Cradle Mountain and the Cradle Mountain Lodge. We stayed for three nights in one of their cabins and hiked around the World Heritage Center--amazing hikes! The wildlife is not as diverse as Kangaroo Island--there are tons of wallabies! The food at the lodge is also quite good. I'm not sure if I have helped out all but my best suggestion might be to combine a trip to Sydney and Hobart--the idea of travelling all the way to Australia and not seeing Sydney does not make much sense to me. Likewise, I think you can satisfy most of your goals by visiting Tasmania--we spent six days there and loved every minute. I hope this helps! Best of Luck!

The Grampians, north west of Melbourne is one of the most interesting places for you to consider. There are wonderful walking trails, caves with aboriginal paintings, koals, kangaroos, emus and numerous birds throughout the area. Halls Gap as a wide range of accommodation from caravan parks to B&amp;Bs. Luckily it hasn't become too commercialised. Here is a web site that may interest you.<BR>http://www.bigbenpublishing.com.au/victoria/grampians/index.html<BR>Good luck and enjoy your visit no matter where you go.<BR>Peg.

Tonya:<BR>Been to Melbourne and Hobart. Missed Adelaide. Loved Melbourne. Great place to visit. Has everything. Hobart is beautiful. Lots of what you're looking for. Peaceful and serene. Don't miss Salamanca market on Saturday. Port Arthur Historical area is also a must. Sydney is beyond description. However, inhabitants number 4-5 million in the metropolitan area. Lots of traffic and big city stuff. Also lots of great sights and eating places. Loved Darling Harbor.<BR>Where ever you go down under, you won't go wrong.<BR>John

Hi Tonya,<BR><BR>Wow, I am sure glad you narrowed it down. <BR><BR>I go to Adelaide quite a bit and it is a great place to get around in. Lots of good eating places especially in Gouger St and in North Adelaide. For wildlife there is Kangaroo Island with its seals, Koalas and Kangaroos. There is also a terriffic wildlife park up at Mt Lofty which is Cleland Wildlife Park. You can walk amongst the Kangaroos and feed them etc. Also you can do day trips out to the Barossa Valley Wineries which are superb.<BR><BR>Melbourne also has great dining experiences and for wildlfe you can do any number of day tours to see various parks and exhibits like the Fairy penguins at Phillip Island. You could even do a tour of the Great Ocean road.<BR><BR>Hobart again is good but I personally would not think about going there in April as it will be getting on the chilly side. <BR><BR>Sydney is a top city to visit absolutely oodles to do, Darling Harbour is one of my favourite places when I go to Sydney. There are literally hundreds of great restaurants and one not to be missed is the Al-a-Carte restaurant at the Sydney Tower. The view is unsurpassed in Sydney.<BR><BR>I hope I have helped narrow it down further for you. <BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Paul

<BR>*If you are looking for isolated outdoorsy things, Hobart is the best bet for you. Think Alaska.<BR><BR>*Sydney or Melbourne have outdoorsy things outside of the city -- Think San Francisco.<BR><BR>*Never been to Adelaide.

Isn't it interesting that everyone likes something different. I stayed outside of Melbourne, and thought it was the perfect place. Close to the Great Ocean Road (a must), Phillips Island, Tasmania, and Adelaide is 9 hours away one way--Sidney is 9 hours away the other way. I really loved Melbourne for shopping, restaurants and the arts. Sydney is a more exciting touristy city and more beautiful, but I think the Melbourne area has more to offer. The Grampians National Park is great for hiking and more, as is Port Campbell National Park, and Wilson's Promontory National Park. Good Luck!

Why not combine the best of both worlds? Sydney city life and Blue Mountains to escape. Fantastic scenery, great trails, abseiling, climbing, riding all available there with quaint old guest houses and hotels.

Tonya, I'm from Adelaide and now live in Darwin. To see some real Australian wild life and some endangered species book an overnight stay at Warrawong Sanctuary in the Adelaide hills.They have a dawn walk and a dusk walk through the sanctuary, including a rain forest, where you get to see the animals in their natural habitats. We stayed in the cabins a few years ago and it was a wonderful experience. There's also a platypus breeding section which is worth a visit.

I too am 23 and can tell you that Hobart will not have the most fantastic food of the lot but the wildlife within close proximity will be the best. Tasmania is relatively small and accessable. Adelaide is pretty but does not sound like you (food only ok/a bit of wildlife). <BR> <BR>Melbourne and Syd will have the best food, however, it will take you longer to branch out to find any wildlife. The Blue Mountains are about an hour and a half out of Sydney and have great walks and spectacular scenary. There is not the abundance of wildlife as you would find near Hobart simply because Hobart has about a tenth the pop. of Sydney. <BR> <BR>Melbourne is much the same in this sense as Syd but loses simply because of the Harbour in Syd which is absolutely beautiful. <BR> <BR>My choice: Syd or Hobart.

OK so I am a little biased but Melbourne is great in March - heaps going on with the Formula One Grand Prix and Moomba festival on the river. Food is the best anywhere, great countryside, wineries and plenty of outdoor activities. And you can't miss he fairy penguins! Saying that though - you really can't go to Oz without seeing Sydney!