I'll be doing business in Sydney next June for five days. As I'll be coming so far (from Nashville, USA) and don't know if I'll ever get to return, I'll add some vacation time (starting in late May).

I'm guessing the total trip will be about 3 weeks -- and I'd love to see NZ while I'm there, as well. Here's what I'm trying to juggle ....

On a recent trip to Ireland, I was exhausted from doing soooo much driving, with much of it being stressful -- on incredibly narrow, winding, sometimes slippery roads, where I had to be vigilant every moment. Drove at least 1,200 miles during a ten day trip. We chose three cities as bases and took daytrips from them. I loved every thing I saw -- but was tired and frankly, sick of driving.

I had a similar experience on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was gorgeous and I'm glad I got to see so much, but every day seemed to be at least another 3 or 4 hours of driving, which is not my idea of fun.

My primary interests are seeing natural beauty and hiking (but not more than moderate difficulty). The idea of group tours don't appeal to me; I want to be able to hike, picnic, explore, and enjoy at my own pace--and my budget won't allow for a driver or private tours.

I just don't want to feel like I'm spending my vacation constantly packing and unpacking and dealing with airports and rental cars every few days. So ... I'm thinking I should limit myself to only a few areas.

FYI, we're not divers or snorkelers, so I'm guessing the Great Barrier reef won't be on the list.

What would you suggest?

I wouldn't write off the Great Barrier Reef just because you're not "divers or snorkelers". It's a real natural wonder of the world and shouldn't be missed. You certainly don't have to be a diver to enjoy the reef. If you are comfortable in the water, you can snorkel--it doesn't take any special training--and you can see so much coral and sealife just by snorkeling! If you are not comfortable in the water, you can always go out on a boat such as Quiksilver which offers glass-bottom boats and semi-submersibles which offer you the chance to see the reef without getting wet.
Also, there are wonderful opportunities to enjoy hiking, exploring, picnicking, etc. in Far North Queensland. Daintree National Park and Mossman Gorge are just two places you would enjoy. You can do both places on a self-drive tour, and the driving is not nearly as stressful as Ireland sounds!

Songdoc,
I've driven in Ireland, Hawai'i, Australia and NZ and nothing is as narrow as Ireland, except perhaps in Tasmania, but there it is more a question of twisty roads rather than narrow ones. You are right - pick a few areas to see and just stay within want you can comfortably do. If for example you decide to see Sydney and N. Queensland, or Sydney and Adelaide, you will FLY between them, not drive. You have to build in that travel time, but the country is too vast to consider driving unless it's a vacation in an RV.

I think you will need to pick a couple of quality areas and do short hops on flights to give you closer access to the 'wilderness' that you like. trust me on this one (I'm an aussie) Our country is huge and driver fatigue is a number one problem. not so much because the driving is technical...just long hours to get from a to b. some excellent choices for true aussie wilderness would include;
1. blue mountains - near sydney
2. red centre - northern territory (real aussie outback)
3. daintree forrests - queensland

all areas mentioned are in complete contrast with one another, so it is really a personal choice as to what appeals to you...the red centre is unique and would be my choice..very harsh but beautiful landscape.

Songdoc,
For the greatest range of habitats within an easy drive in north Queensland base yourself at Yungaburra or Julatten. The advantage of Julatten is its proximity to the Daintree River area and Port Douglas. The advantage of Yungaburra is there is so much to do within 50 kilometres. see www.yungaburra.com.au and www.athertonsc.qld.gov.au/information_centre

So it seems, Songdoc, that you need to find areas with a high density of things to see/do every day without having to spend that much time traveling in-between. That's why I like the good suggestion from Saltuarius re Yungaburra on the Atherton Tablelands. SE Queensland (particularly the Gold Coast Hinterland) is similarly a beautiful area with a high density of natural attractions and walks. I wouldnt miss staying 2-4 nights at O'Reilly's Guest House in Lamington Nat'l Park, with it's access to some very nice rainforest/waterfall walks and great views.

Also, why not stay on one of Queensland's islands for several days? There are a few islands off the Queensland coast that offer really good opportunities for hiking and exploring and which provide good accommodation. I've spent 5 days on Brampton Island and 4 days on Fraser Island (further south). Neither have paved roads, though on Fraser there are 4WD tracks and the main "road" is the eastern beach. On Brampton, hiking is limited in length but what there is very, very (!) good indeed. Fraser is much larger in size and has quite an extensive trail system and a lot more to see overall. We could easily have spent a week on Fraser and would like to go back to see parts we missed.

I think the Red Center is great but, unless you want to jet in and out to see Ayers Rock, you've got to invest some serious time in driving between the major attractions.

Hi Songdoc,

You gave a really good description of what you wanted, which is always helpful, but I'm hearing some "discrepanies" in your post that you may not be aware of.

Apparently you don't want to do alot of driving on this trip; understandable after your other experiences! The best way to get around NZ is to drive, and while you can get from Point A to B without driving 1200 miles, even though it looks small on a map, driving from Point A to B will take you more time than you'd think, because, as you mentioned, the roads are twisty in some areas.

In Australia, you could enjoy Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef area, and Ayers Rock (if that's of interest to you) by doing day trips with a tour operator and never setting foot in a car. Plunk yourself down in Sydney, walk the city, maybe take a day trip out to the Blue Mountains, then fly up to the GBR, do some day trips from there, etc.

And then, if you wanted to go to NZ, maybe limit yourself to the South Island? You could take some train trips there and cut down on the driving factor?

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie & Kiwi Specialist

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I've gotten some books and with your help am starting to narrow things down.

O'Reilly's Guest House in Lamington Nat'l Park looks FANTASTIC -- although a little bit pricey.

Re: the GBR ... this may sound crazy, but to me, looking at fish is sort of like looking at cockroaches. Yuk! I don't want to swim anywhere near them or look at them -- either in the water or on a plate

So ... with that in mind would you still recommend the Great Barrier Reef? Also, it'll be late May/early June -- so I'd imagine it would be cold even if I did want to be in or on the water.

Also ... please don't think that I'm not willing to drive (or fly) at all. I just don't want a grueling experience of what feels like nonstop traveling once I get there. I'm fine with a few hours of driving. I just don't want to do it every day or two.

PS. I love this website ... but I think I'm addicted

Songdoc,

Fish = cockroaches - you crack me up! Hey, to each their own - you don't want to look at fish, you don't have to! I could mention the beautiful water and coral formations, but I'm getting the fact that this particular area isn't going to be of interest to you.

That said, just eliminate that from the itinerary and it gives you more time in New Zealand! It's very easy to break your trip up and have you stay in one area for several days so you're not logging in hundreds of miles in one stretch.

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie & Kiwi Specialist

Songdoc, fish=cockroaches also cracks me up! Yep, I'm going to guess a GBR trip might not be for you

We are going back to O'Reilly's for four days after having spent 3 days there on our last trip. While pricey, as you say, we really thought it was good value. We are staying in the slightly less expensive rooms this time around as we spent most of our time out of the room anyway.

The guided walks are really fantastic, the people working there really know their stuff so you can learn a lot along the way. Lots of walking tracks you can also just go out on your own.

I wonder, in May/June will it be a little chilly? It is after all on a mountain top.