Leaving for Oz in 2 weeks! Please review our itinerary - suggestions welcome
 

This itinerary reflects 5 months of reading the boards here (thank you!) and exhaustive research. The hotels I have chosen don't have many great reviews so I am a little nervous. I would love to hear any further suggestions (if you aren't sick of me yet!!!!!)

Nov 16: Arrive Melbourne at 9 AM. Spend Day exploring Melbourne. Sleep at the Pensione Boutique Hotel. (105 AUS/75 US)

Nov. 17: Pick up rental car, drive to the Monrington Peninsula. Maybe see a winery? Head over to the Peninsula Hot Springs in afternoon and then to Portsea. We have booked a night at the Portsea Hotel (140 AUS/ 95 US)

Nov 18: Leave in mid-morning, take the car ferry to Queenscliff and hit the Great Ocean Road. Spend the day meandering along the coast, stopping here and there along the way, and ending up at the Great Ocean Ecolodge in Cape Otway, where we have booked one night at $300 AUS/240 US per night (including a 2-hour dusk walk guided by the people there) plus full breakfast in the AM.

Nov 19: Depending on the weather, either continue along the GOR towards Port Campbell, Port Fairy, etc. then head straight up to Dunkeld to check out the Grampians. Or head straight up there from Otway. Either way, we'd like to see the lighthouse. One night in the Royal Mail Dunkeld Hotel ($130 AUS/90 US per night, includes breakfast)

Nov. 20: Dependingon the weather:
Option 1: drive to Mt Gambier & Robe and then head up the coast to McLaren Vale.
Option 2: putter around the grampians and then drive straight to McLaren Vale.
Either way, end up in McLaren Vale where we've booked two nights at the Amande B&B (right on Maslin beach, includes breakfast, parking, etc - $210AUS /140 US per night)

Nov 21: McLaren Vale!!! I would like to go to Coriole Vineyards and experience their amazing lunches, hit up the wineries, relax at the beach, whatever.

Nov 22: Depart from Adelaide Airport around noon; arrive in Sydney around 3 PM. We have booked five nights at the Storrier Hotel in Sydney for around $140 AUS/ $90 us a night - however, we are thinking to transfer to Ravesi's for three nights so we can stay both in central sydney AND the beach. We are not sightseers - we like to watch people and experience the modern culture of a city .

Nov 23: Explore Sydney

Nov 24: Transfer to Ravesi's on Bondi. (240 AUS/150 US) Beach!!!

Nov 25: Sydney - maybe get a way by doing a short daytrip?

Nov 26: Sydney - more beach

Nov 27: Leave at noon for LA

Nov 27: Leave Sydney at noon, fly home

Seems a good enough mix of touring about and city time though not too much in Melbourne.

Not that you have a heap of time to dawdle about in the GOR/Grampians and beyond travelling but in addition to accommodation places having info, if you have a few hours up your sleve here and there, check out Visitor Information Centres (you'll find one in just about every town, usually staffed by helpful friendly volunteers) and in a few minutes you'll be able to find what may interest you locally.

See you've asked about ravesi's at Bondi and no help there, and though you can people watch there, my own favourites would be Rocks area, or around near Opera House or over at Manly (the Corso with a few drinking decks, and Ocean Beach promenade, and certainly get a ferry there as great way to see the Harbour.

We have just returned from attending a wedding held at Morning Star Estate in Mornington - a very distinguished old mansion with the most beautiful rose gardens which should be at their peak when you are there.
It is easily reached off the Nepean Highway close to Mornington - well worth a look.

The other thing that you're probably aware of is recovering from jetlag if you arrive straight from a long flight and as much as you may feel tired during first day - stick with being out and about - there's a free city circle tram that goes around the CBD, a burgundy/maroon coloured one and hard to miss, and great interlinked gardens to east and south of CBD across the Yarra river (Botanical Gardens one of worlds best) and then plenty of eateries and shops/casino on south bank and eateries and shops all over the CBD, a Chinatown, little Italy, and a Greek Quarter all easy enough to be reached on foot or the CCT and foot - so stay active and not drop off until at least 8-9pm and have a good 10-12 hr. sleep.

And driving down the Mornington Peninsula is not a huge drive first day, so that's good planning and many years sice I went dring at the Portsea Pub - it's a great location, older building and not too sure on accommodation facilities but it has probably had a few upgrades over the years - with daylight saving, it'll not get dark until about 9-9.30 pm., so plenty of tinme to sit out in the beer garden and watch the sun go down over the bay.

Also check on driving right down to Point Nepean,has WW1 gun placements, has been used for quarantine and also the army (gates and gardhouse could still be there) and it is only open between 9-5 (a pity, because it'd also be a great place for sunsets) - http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1proce...128&page=3 and the parkweb site is a good one for finding out about a heap of great historical places and nice gardens etc. in Victoria.
http://www.visitvictoria.com/display...480C476A90000/ also great on Point Nepean - not so good on the people watching down that way on a Monday!

One of the best wineries for lunch on the Mornington Peninsular is this one: http://www.tgallant.com.au/brands/tgallant/index.html wine is not bad either.
Another useful site http://www.visitvineyards.com/