What do you think? It is just me and my husband.Would it be crazy to go for such a short time? Thanks!

Where are you coming from? Does the 10 days include travel time?

August
yes

Not much.
Yes, but don't let that stop you!

You're coming from August? Ahem, what part of the world will you be coming from?

Honestly kate, if you want us to help you, you're going to have to give us some more information.

No, I don't think it's crazy, If ten days is all you've got. You can see a lot.
I take it you'd be flying into Sydney? Stay somewhere near Circular Quay, spend one day walking around getting a feel for the place and maybe catch a ferry out to Watson's Bay or over to Manly for a different atmosphere.
I'd hire a car and drive down to Melbourne, spend a few days there plus a day on the Great Ocean Road.
Perhaps you could find discount fares at that time to travel up to the Great Barrier reef for a few days.
It's a great place, you'd enjoy it.

Depends on what you really expect to see in ten days including travel.
Personally, I could do more with my time and money.

Ten days is fine as long as you don't try to see it all. Maybe Sydney (and surrounds) and ONE other area such as North Queensland (including the Barrier Reef), Tasmania, the Top End (Darwin, Kakadu Nat'l Park) or the Red Center (Uluru, Olgas, Kings Canyon, etc)

It's not much. If it includes travel time, it's really nine days (assuming you're American, not a Kiwi or Fijian or from someplace relatively close to Australia). And you'll need additional flights in the country to get to major areas other than your point of entry (Melbourne or Sydney).

I'd take the Red Centre over the GBR and Northern Queensland. The main point of the Reef is to go diving or snorkling and if you've been to the Caribbean, you've had just as good or better experiences. I know I have. Further south in Queensland you'll have some interesting areas but nothing that compares to the Red Centre.

I've done a trip that had 2 nights in Sydney, 3 in the Red Centre and 5 in Cairns. The last total was too much (and I spent far more time in Sydney on a second trip), but you can work within certain parameters to hit some high points. I did that trip on AA miles, so I didn't pay anything for the internal flights.

BigRuss - You say the Caribbean is just as good or better than the GBR for diving / snorkeling? We're going to Australia for the 1st time in August. We've been to the Caribbean a few times for diving and snorkeling (Grand Cayman, US and British Virgin Islands, Cozumel on the Caribbean side of Mexico) and assumed the GBR would be as good if not better.. no?

The Barrier Reef is over 1600 miles long, so sweeping statements comparing it to the Caribbean and elsewhere should be taken with some skepticism. I've snorkeled the GBR in various locations from Heron Island on the southern end, to the reef near Cape Tribulation in the far north. Some locations are inevitably better than others, though I have hardly ever been disappointed. Last year we took a boat out to the reef from Cape Trib. The snorkeling was absolutely magnificent - hard to believe it could be that much better anywhere else. BigRuss's statement about 5 days in Cairns also needs to be taken with a grain of salt. If he's talking the city itself, he may be right. But taking the region as a whole, the statement is ridiculous - from Hinchinbrook Island in the south, to Cooktown in the north, to Undara in the west, it is easily one of the most beautiful and natural-attraction-packed areas on the continent.

That being said, the Red Center isnt a bad choice either.

I did four dives off the coast of Cairns and was more impressed by the dives I did off St. Thomas and Providenciales. And when I visited Oz for the second time, a British visitor who was on our New Year's Sydney Harbour Cruise had the same reaction to the GBR diving.

So yeah, it's a lotta reef and a sweeping claim is broad. But if I could hit just two areas in Oz -- Sydney/Melbourne and another (like the OP) and had to choose Red Centre or the Reef, it'd be Red Centre ten times out of ten. Not even close.

Cairns is lacking in charm and unless you're renting a car and driving about, you won't be going all the way from Hinchinbrook Island to the tip of Queensland at Cooktown and also doing diving and reef trips (and Daintree) in 5 days. It just won't happen -- the reef is about two hours' boat ride off the coast of Cairns. A two-dive trip will take all day, unlike in the Caribbean where you can do two dives by lunch and do as you please thereafter. And if you're going to the reef to dive and/or snorkel, you don't just do one day on the reef.

I did two days diving, one in Daintree and another in Kuranda (as I remember it) and although Daintree is nice, neither it nor the diving are reason to go to far north Queensland. As for beautiful and natural-attraction packed areas, much of the country is comprised of those but I can think of about four or five areas that would be higher on my list from the Great Ocean Road to the Red Centre to Kakadu to any number of areas in Western Australia either up the coast from Perth or the Bungle Bungles in the north.

Thanks, BigRuss for your opinions on diving in the area. We are scheduled to do a 3-night liveaboard because of the distance to get out to the reef... but this option is quite expensive and it does eat up quite a chunk of our time in the area as well!

Wow, some mixed signals there Big Russ and Queensland used to have its own Big Russ, he was Minister for everything!

Not that I have been to the Carribean for diving/snorkelling but what was it you actually make the comparison with Russ?
for you would be about the only person I've ever heard not think too highly of the GBR or Northern Queensland.

A little Geography too, just so as no one is too confused and I myself have some difficulty in seeing what you attempt to explain re Hinchinbrook Island and Cooktown, the latter btw being well short of tip of Queensland.

Obviously you did not enjoy Cairns and I suppose character is like wine, some places appeal and others do not.
Some people, many in fact do just do single day trips and a few, far less do overnighting two to three day trips as Carole is doing on SOF - could be going to the Cod Hole, one of the planets renowned dive spots and be a shame if you missed it.

You go on to talk of two days diving but did you mean driving for certainly no diving at Kuranda and though you can go on trips from Cape Tribulation or Cooktown, I'm not sure what you meant.

If you did not do a climb of Mt. Sorrow while up that way you also missed out there too and sounds like you did not get much of a feel for a lot od diverse places including the outback in that region.

For sure there are other places that also offer something different just as I would find in the US and have in Europe but one thing for sure about Kakadu and NW of WA you can spend an awful long ammount of time getting through rather monotonous terrain to get to somewhere out the back of whoop whoop.

We'll look forward Carole to your own views of how you find the GBR and Australia.

I can't wait to go to the GBR... just have to remember to buy some kwells before we go!

Russ: I've been to North Queensland four times and know very well that 5 days isnt enough for Hinchinbrook, Cooktown (which is not on the tip by the way), etc. My point was that there is no lack of things to do and see in the area. Naturally you have to get out of the city of Cairns, and renting a car is the best way. I dont think your judging North Queensland based on a short trip to Cairns, Daintree, and touristy Kuranda gives the area a fair shake.

Bushranger, I'm completely perplexed by your post, much of which is nonsensical to me. If you've never been diving in the Caribbean, then I cannot explain the difference to you any more than my previous post did. As for "diving/driving" -- I have no idea what you're talking about. The dives off the GBR were 2+ hours from shore; the ones in the Caribbean off St. Thomas, Provo and Belize were less than 30 minutes away (The Blue Hole off Belize is a different story, but it is unique). And if you've been to Cairns and liked it, well that's your right, but for someone to go to Cairns to vist Cairns would be a rarity.

And for CRIMINY's sake, Ralph, I was NOT judging North Queensland. Get over yourself. I was judging the reef, as my initial follow-up to your post indicated. Most people who have only ten days in Oz (or less) and go to North Queensland would go to visit the reef, not Cooktown (so it's not the very tip, must you be so pedantic?) and surrounding areas. The GBR is the big attraction of North Queensland. The OP is not knowledgeable about Australia. And if the OP was considering just visiting North Queensland for the various areas that did not include the reef, she'd be flat-out barking to eschew the Red Centre in favor of that area.

Well to make it simple enough for you BigR, read your own words: " I did two days diving, one in Daintree and another in Kuranda (as I remember it) and although Daintree is nice, neither it nor the diving are reason to go to far north Queensland. "

Now you would not have dived at Kuranda unless it was off the top of some falls or out of a cable car, and then the nearest dive you would do from the Daintree would have either been ex Port Douglas or ex Cape Tribulation with the Rumrunner.

I ask re the comparison, for off or near island snorkelling/diving is one thing, fringing reef we call it here whereas reefs by themselves either in open sea or enclosed within a lagoon about an atoll are another and your lack of detail in my mind and I suspect others says bugger all about your experiences and worthiness of comparison especially when you think you were diving at Kuranda and the Daintree.

As I said, it sounds like you saw very little of the Cairns immediate area which for the smaller size city it is does have some attractions [and for some character] though people who do head there do go to visit the region including the GBR.

On your reference to the OP I think your own knowledge of NQ based on your post is decidedly lacking as is ability to give a relevant comparison on snorkelling/diving.

And again you're very ignorant of what outback you can see within driving distance of Cairns, so ignorant in fact that the OP if interested could choose several of dozens of GBR options, include some rainforest experiences and also see something of the outback without needing to go to the Red Centre.

Tell us again about the Kuranda dive!!! LMAO!
More perplexed here about your understanding and BS.

Cairns to Cooktown ~ 200 km; Cairns to tip of Cape York ~ 900 km. A trivial difference that should not be pointed out?

"...and 5 [days] in Cairns. The last total was too much" This is not a judgement statement?