Mel/Syd for 18 days
 

Hi, <BR> <BR>Me and my boyfriend will be going to Mel and Syd for a total of 18 days but not much time is left after all the travelling n stuff. So what's advisable for our itinerary? was thinking of phillip island, great ocean road and a skiing trip in Mel and Blue Mountains, Hunter's Valley for Syd...is it possible? seems kinda tight..so what's really worth it n what's not?? any other information on how to get to these places via public transport would be wonderful as we don't intend to drive. Thnx!!!

You can get to the heart of the blue Mtns in 2 hours by train from the city, but you really need your own transport to get around or pick up an organised tour fom Sydney. The Blue Mtns can be seen as a day trip, but its much better to stay a night or two. That will allow to get to some great places like Jenolan Caves and Mt Wilson/Mt Tomah. Try to avoid weekends. <BR>The Hunter Valley is too far for a comfortable day trip. Best to spend a few days in the area - combing it with a trip to neraby Nelson Bay.

THnx Matt! <BR>Heard that in July its too windy to go down to Great Ocean. Is it true? Does anyone know of any tours to recommend?? How long does it take?? I know of Wonderbus which organises trips to Hunter Valley n Port Stephens as well as Blue Mountains...any others?

If you are looking for some good backpacker type bus trips you should check out the Wayward Bus, www.waywardbus.com.au. They have three day trips between Sydney and Melbourne, via Canberra, and also between Melbourne and Adelaide, via Great Ocean Road. I did an 8-day Wayward Trip from Adelaide to Alice and it was fantastic. Economical, youngish (20's and 30's) crowd, and more time to stop and explore.

Hi, <BR> <BR>I was in Melbourne (4 days) and Sydney in (5 days) a few weeks ago. Limited in time, I took day tours to Phillip Island to see the penguins come ashore at night. That was fantastic! Well worth it. Also took a separate day tour to Great Ocean Road, and saw 12 Apostles, London Bridge, excellent scenery. Hopefully you will have more time to do it than I did. I believe they had multi-day tours. In Melbourne and Sydney it seems that they're 4-5 tour companies, but they all share the same office and even use each other's buses, so you can pick from any one of them. Driving is truly madness, especially in Melbourne with the trams, but both cities have excellent public transport. I just drove the car to the hotel and left it there for the entire trip. <BR> <BR>Mike