Itinerary Help for Australia in January
 

I'm planning a trip to Australia during the first three weeks of January 2006. We don't want to squeeze in too much, but we are interested in seeing a variety of city, country, great scenery, good food/wine and wildlife.

So far, we plan to spend 5 nights in Sydney and 5 nights in the GBR area. We are having trouble deciding (i) whether to do Cairns (Kewarra Beach Resort) plus day trips to the reef and rainforest, or a resort in the Whitsunday Islands with a 3 day reef cruise (e.g., Reef Odyssey); and (ii) where to go for the final 5 days between Tasmania and Adelaide/Barossa/Kangaroo Island. Would appreciate any guidance you could give. Thanks.

Hi Sportin,

I don't know if this will influence your decision, but the manager of Kewarra just sent me an email yesterday telling me that they'd been chosen as one of the top resorts in Australia by Conde Nast..(that puts them in the company of Lizard, Hayman).

Hmmm....for your final 5 days I'd say Adelaide (as you mentioned good food and wine); you could do quite a bit of damage :) in both areas in 5 days. While Tasmania is one of favorite areas, and you could see some of it in 5 days; I'd save that for another trip and do it right!

Hope this is helpful!

Melodie
Certified Aussie & Kiwi Specialist

Is your itinerary set in concrete yet? Can you possibly organise things so that you do everything else first and wind up in Sydney for January 26? This is one of the best days of the year to be in Sydney.... the fireworks are some of the best in the world (except for last year... don't know what happened then, but I bet next year's will be bigger and better than ever to make up for that!) As well as the fireworks, there are a host of other exciting and colourful activities on that day (which is the mis-named Australia Day; it SHOULD be called 'Sydney Day', and 'Australia Day' ought to be January 1), and I would bet that this will be one of the highlights of your Aussie holiday. If you DO make this change, however, don't wait too long before booking your Sydney accommodation... many of the hotels, knowing they're on a good thing, charge outrageous prices to accommodate desperate tourists.

If I had to choose between Tasmania and Adelaide, I think I would choose Tassie, only because you are going to the Reef, and Tasmania makes a great contrast to that tropical area. Tasmania is a bit like going to Scotland!

Alan -- Thanks for your responses and the suggestion about coming later-- but I can't change the itinerary but will be in Sydney for New Years which should be good. Already got a reservation at the Intercontinental (which while a beautiful hotel was ridiculously expensive and required a non-refundable full payment for a minimum of 5 nights!)
Wltzmatilda -- Thanks to you too.

Sportin, next time I will keep my big mouth shut... I didn't realise you had planned New Year's Eve in Sydney, which is, of course, an even more spectacular sight than January 26. I bet the Intercontinental asked you for the deeds to the house for THAT night!

i would suggest do the final 5 days in Adelaide. 1 day can be spent at the wineries in the Barossa, one day up in the Adelaide Hills (Hahndorf, Murray Bridge etc), maybe 1 day at Victor Harbor (beautiful seaside town), and 2 days in Adeliade itself. lots of shopping, lots of sightseeing even catch a train down to Glenelg and spend the day down at the beach!

January is in the WET season in Northern Australia. It is normally hot and it rains a lot. The humidity in Cairns at that time might be just a bit spectacular! Few Australians would consider a holiday in Cairns in January: it is more a southern Winter destination, when the weather is warm and dry.

I went to Adelaide for business last year in late December. I was able to add a few days at the end for sightseeing and went to Kangaroo Island. I was not sure what to expect as it seemed to get pretty mixed reviews on this site. I stayed there for three days and rented a car so I could do whatever I liked. I stayed at the Kangaroo Island Wilderness lodge and went on some lovely walks in Flinders Chase. "Kangaroo Island on foot" by J. Gates describes some great trails. Many of the walks ended beautiful little beaches that I had all to myself. The best wildlife viewing is in the early morning or around dusk. If you are out then, drive carefully. The kangaroos seem to pause for a moment on the edge of the road and then throw themselves in front of the car.
Some of my co-workers also went to the island but went with one of the main fly and tour packages (sorry, I can't remember the name). They did not enjoy themselves and said they felt like they spent most of the time in the car.
The little bit I saw of Australia was wonderful, and I can't wait to go back when I can spend more time. Have a great trip!