Hi! I'm trying to nail down this trip and need some advice from you wonderful, helpful Aussie's! <BR>May 30 Arrive in Brisbane<BR>June 1-5 Gold Coast for Conference<BR>June 6 Fly to Adelaide for "Great Aussie Pub Crawl" ( Spending a night on each end in Adelaide.)<BR>June 10 fly to Sydney... stay a few nights (3 or so)and then home.<BR>I'm open to any and all suggestions! A total of 15 nights or so. Is this too ambitious?

Yep, its too ambitious, you would need a holiday after the holiday. <BR>I would leave out the Adelaide Great Aussie Pub Crawl and perhaps do one yourself because there are publications which have great ideas and which you could track down when you arrive for the conference. I have one which is called ( this from memory) "Country Roads, Bush Pubs and Beaches in Queensland". <BR>As you are coming in May/June which is winter you could have an absolute ball doing your own pub crawl and see some really interesting country at the same time. <BR>I have done Queensland and New South Wales pub stays over the years and have taken overseas rellies on these trips with me and they loved it. <BR>One in mind is from the Gold Coast you could head out west stopping at places like Toowoomba - Mitchel - Roma for a look around and head then for Injune which is about as far into the "country" as you can get. The Pub there is an old outback one and it's terrific! From Injune you then go to Carnarvon Gorge where you will be bound to see plenty of wild-life and the Gorge which is really lovely, then head for Emerald and all the little gem fossicking towns like Saphire, Rubyvale etc and have a look at that industry and maybe try your luck. You could then come back via the coastal route or back the way you went. OR you can take a drive from the GC along the border range towns and stay at just about any pub that takes your fancy and get as far as Lightning Ridge where they mine for Opals - thats a great trip too. Then again so is just spending time in and around the border ranges of northern NSW and southern Qld in little pubs and clubs. <BR>Perhaps add a day to Sydney as well. <BR>Anyway those are my thoughts. <BR>I will be off line for a while now because I won't have access to a puter as I am writing this from France on a friend's p. but I think John from Byron could pick up where I left with suggestions.

Thanks liz! great suggestions... I'm going to look for that book straight away!<BR><BR>Lynette

I think it sounds great.<BR><BR>Now all you have to do is sell that place by the beach and move to a trailer park in Bakersfield.<BR><BR>That should just about pay for the trip.<BR><BR>

Lynette,<BR>Don't you just hate it when you have decided on something - ie your Pub Crawl Tour and someone comes up with an alternative!! Liz's ideas are usually pretty sound so I am sure it would work doing it independently, I guess it is up to you which way you go.<BR>Obviously, doing a trip as Liz's suggests in Queensland would eliminate the need to fly to Adelaide and back, and give you a little more time.<BR>Sorry I can't be of more positive help, I am certain though that whichever way you do it, you will have a great time.

I will try and remember to reply to this question with the absolute correct name of the book, when I get home. The others were correct when they said that it would give you more time AND it would save you a lot of money because the Pubs charge only about $60AU per couple per night - at the most, you can usually have a Pub dinner and also, although not always the 5 Star accommodation - not even 2 star, the Pubs are always clean. The old one at Injune I was talking about still charges about $20AU pp and was the highlight of their Australian trip for my American friends even though the Aboriginal cook got drunk and spoiled their dinner and stormed out of the kitchen in a huff. Someone else got into the kitchen and cooked up a storm for them. When I was there we stayed up and played darts with the locals. They took the flights of my darts so that it was harder to play or win... we did though and the locals invited us to their place the next day and night to watch and get into the sheep shearing and have a real outback b.b.que. <BR>Till then, have fun in the planning!!

Hi, Lynette!<BR>I fully agree with Liz's suggestion of a do-it-yourself pub crawl. Just about any country town you could choose would have several likely sites for this, but if you want some help on the net, try www.users.bigpond.com/ito/resources.htm, and hit the "pub" link. These will start you off (one is cited as charging $AUD15 a night!) but don't limit yourself to these.... they're just a sample. Good luck!

Thanks to you good people, I have come to the realization that the Adelaide/Outback pub crawl IS too ambitious... and as John keeps reminding me... a ridiculous amount of money! ( I am willing to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the nexy six months... I am NOT willing to move to a trailer in Bakersfield!(No offense to those readers who might live in a trailer in Bakersfield! John, how do you even know about Bakersfield?) SO, it's been decided that we will fly into Brisbane for the conference... stay 5 nights(not at the Jupiter's on the Gold Coast, but either in downtown Brisbane or a different place at Broadbeach. I am thankfully checking out the referrals made to me on this board.) Then we will either drive to Cairns, spending two nights on the road, preferably as Liz suggested at some outback pubs! or fly to Cairns and stay two nights (perhaps at the Thala Beach Lodge) before checking into the timeshare that our friends belong to. I forget the name. Worldmark? Then we will fly home from Cairns after a week or so taking in the rainforest etc.. As you may have guessed by my other posts, I didn't want to spend my time with other tourists! I wanted to get to the places where the "real people" are. My husband promises me that he will be happy to take me to Australia again.. next time, my pick... which will not be the beach! You guys are the best... I let you know where we actually end up booking!<BR><BR>Lynette

I have the use of another computer....whoppie!! and now I can send all my friends e(nvy)-mails.<BR>Good thinking Lynette with the last idea. If you are driving to Cairns you can still go the back route through Roma and Emerald ( stopping in at Carnarvon Gorge ) and see some of the outback en route to Cairns - this way is no longer in mileage than the coast and you join with the coast road at about Mackay anyway. It is probably quicker in time terms as there are fewer people on the road. <BR>I live in the hills behind the Gold Coast and its a local phone call so when you get to OZ you can give me a call if you like to talk about various places etc because you will not need to plan any part of the trip to Cairns until you get here and accommodation anywhere won't be a problem. <BR>Don't stay in Brisbane because that is too far from where the conference is and Brisbane does not have enough interesting things to do and see that would keep you busy for the time you are here. Brisbane people come down to the Gold Coast and surrounds for their holidays.

Hey Alan, Why did you jump in ....she didn't ask for your help- only John, Matt, Prue, Liz, Margo, and Mary! ;-)<BR><BR><BR>

Lynette<BR>In oz jelly= jello<BR><BR>we call the stuff you put on sandwiches jam.<BR><BR>As for Bakersfield...I lived in sthn. california for several years.Hell I was even married to a yank.<BR><BR>I would say that the ca coast around S Barbara<BR>would be in my "top ten places in the world to live" list. Bakersfield doesn't quite make that list.

xxx: Don't pick on my man Alan, he is a true gentleman! I knew I would leave someone off.. and cause a problem! <BR><BR>John: You've got me stumped! Where is Sthn? Strathmore? Saint somethin? A typo? Do tell! Yes , the central coast of California is spectacular and if any of you good people are coming over this way, I'll happily return the favor of helpful travel advice that you've so graciously extended to me!<BR><BR>Lynette

Southern california...actually i lived<BR>in the Hollywood hills..next canyon over from Beechwood(where the hollywood sign is) The canyon with lake hollywood dam...it was in the movie Chinatown with Jack Nicholson