My husband is in Melbourne on business, but will have a break at the beginning of April. I plan on joining him for 1 to 2 weeks starting on April 1st. <BR>We have very little time to research and I'm at a bit of a loss for how to start building our trip. I've done some reading here and hit on a few posters' favorites. Can anyone help me flesh out our itinerary? I've included specific questions below. <BR><BR>Generally, I'm thinking I'll join him in Melbourne and spend a couple of days recovering from the flight and seeing the sites. Are there specific must-sees in Melbourne? <BR><BR>Drive the Great Ocean Road. Stop in Port Fairy? Other stops?<BR><BR>Visit Adelaide: How many days? <BR><BR>Return to Melbourne via Grampans National Park or Wilsons Promontory. <BR><BR>Visit Kangaroo Island? Visit the Dandenongs? <BR><BR>I just don't know what's reasonable for this amount of time as it is my first trip to Australia. We are in our late 20s and our interests include history, architecture, mild to moderate hiking, and I would love to get some quiet time. <BR><BR>Many thanks,<BR>Ellie<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Hi Ellie--<BR>My vote is a resounding YES for Kangaroo Is. If you have the time, try to spend one night over there and 2 should do it for Adelaide. <BR><BR>I spent 3 days in Melbourne--it's ok but for some reason I liked Adelaide better...<BR><BR>If you have 2 wks in Oz, I recommend you fly up to the Great Barrier Reef. It's wonderful! YOu won't get a feel for Australia if all you do is spend time in their cities <BR><BR>There's tons of info on this board on all the places you're considering. Just do a keyword search &quot;Melbourne&quot; &quot;Adelaide&quot; &quot;KangarooIsland&quot; and loads will come up.<BR><BR>Debbie<BR><BR>

Must sees in Melb: Visit Botanic gardens - there are regular tours with guides which are great. Visit Federation Square (for the architecture and art gallery), Southbank and maybe Williamstown (for the history). The beginning of April is the Melb Food and Wine Festival www.melbfoodwinefest.com.au and they have lots of great stuff on - I can highly recommend The Hawkers Market.<BR><BR>Do the Great ocean Rd and yes- do stop in Port Fairy.<BR>Come back via The Grampians( there are a number of really good short walks) - unfortunately Wilsons Prom is in the other direction - but if you have time it's worth a trip in itself (you'd need 3 days - and you'd need to book accom at Tidal River - I think it's through Parks Victoria - as it's quite a long way).<BR><BR>I'd probably skip the Dandenongs unless you wanted to go to Healesville Sanctuary - maybe go to Mount Macedon instead for a short day trip.<BR><BR>

Thank you for the great recommendations. The food and wine festival sounds like great fun. <BR>Have you heard anything about the chocolate tours in Melbourne? <BR>And, are there any specific stops we should make on the way to or from Adelaide?<BR>Many thanks,<BR>Ellie

go to melbourne from adelaide through the great Ocean road and you will have no shortage of things to do. Apollo bay is a must.Melbourne is a historic place in itself which lots of things to do. Next to the botanical garden are the Alexandra gardens in which you will find the shrine of remembrence and overall is a nice walk in which you will also see many other things and walk along the Yarra river all the way to south bank where you can enjoy a nice meal, check the casino out. Also across the road you will find the art gallery. There's also the melbourne museum across the street from melbourne central station (which is part of the underground city loop)Adelaide is a quieter and smaller city.

G'day Ellie, <BR>you got some good info in the other messages. <BR>Here is a link to the Melbourne Greeter Service: <BR>http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/con...Document_ID=76 <BR><BR>Even if your husband has been in Melbourne for a while, it may still be of interest to him also. <BR><BR>If you are interested in History, take a drive to Ballarat and visit Souvereign Hill..... It's only just over an hour away and you could include it on your way to the Great Ocean Road. You can even try your hand at panning for gold. <BR>http://www.sovereignhill.com.au/flash.shtml <BR><BR>I run tours and it's always a favorite with my customers. <BR>Enjoy your time in Australia, <BR>Mike. <BR><BR><BR>

Take a couple of days to do the GOR - see the surfing museum in Torquay if you like to surf, stay in great B&amp;B's in Apollo Bay, Lorne, visit the Otway lighthouse, a few walks right off the GOR to waterfalls. Nice B&amp;B's in Warnambool too, but Port Fairy is fairly close, so you could stay there. Try www.visitvictoria.com.<BR>A trip to the Great Barrier Reef would be good too - you could go to Heron Island for off the beach snorkelling at the bottom of the reef, or stay in Port Douglas north of Cairns and go out to the reef for a day trip, and do rainforests as well.

Hi Ellie, try searching for the National Trust website, they offer walking tours of Melbourne which would be of interest to you, showing the history and architecture of the city. There is a magnificent old bank (ANZ) on cnr Collins &amp; Queen St in the city, well worth a look, don't miss the gothic cathedral ceiling of the inner chamber (open banking hours only).<BR><BR>If you look on www.citysearch.com.au you should find the details of the chocolate tours in the city - I know they exist but am not sure who runs them.<BR>The Grampians is a beautiful area, usually quiet, guaranteed to see wildlife, with lots of great walks. Most accommodation is in Halls Gap, the small town in the valley. If you like walking, try the easy walk that starts from behind the Visitors Centre, if you go at dusk you're pretty sure to see wildlife. For a harder walk with a wonderful view at the top, try the Wonderland Walk combined with the Pinnacle. Take some drinking water with you and maybe a small snack to eat at the top. If you hear a terrible grunting sound while you're out hiking, it's a koala!<BR>Hope you enjoy your time here. For cheap last minute deals, try<BR>www.lastminute.com.au<BR>www.wotif.com.au<B R>www.wheretostay.com.au<BR>Kay