Hi,

We are a family with a 12 yr old and will be coming from a 12 day trip in NZ South Island and landing in Melbourne around Christmas. Here is what we are thinking about for the 10 days that we have - Melbourne - Port Douglas - GBR - Melbourne. The drive along GOR is a must do and would love to do snorkelling in GBR if weather permits. Since we have a pretty packed trip in NZ, would like this leg to be relaxed. We are flexible on the exit point.

Seeking your advise and suggestions on the following -

1) Does the above route do justice at least in part to this side of this wonderful country?

2) I read in another post here for a 2 week travel in Dec about Tasmania which I agree is beautiful. Is there a way to do Tasmania after spending 2 nites in Mel and doing the GOR drive? We can skip the GBR for now and come back later.

3) Along the above route, which is the best place to spend the NYE?

4) We would like to do a winery stay or tour. Any recommendations would be very helpful.

Much thanks in advance..

Considering the weather conditions (hot, humid, rainy with a chance of cyclones) and the fact that it's stinger (deadly jellyfish) season at the GBR in December, I'd give it a pass.

Tasmania will be very nice at that time of year, but also VERY busy. You'd be pushing it to try to visit Tasmania in addition to Melbourne and the GOR. You'll want to devote a minimum of 5 days for Tasmania and 7 days would be better.

Another option, which we did with our kids when they were 10 and 13 years old, would be to start in Adelaide and visit Kangaroo Island before driving the GOR to Melbourne. This would make an excellent 10-day trip. There are a number of wineries in the area around Adelaide as well as the area around Coonawarra in South Australia (which you would pass through on your way from Adelaide to the GOR).

Thank you longhorn55.. You echo what I heard and read on this forum about the stinger season. I will surely explore your suggestion of starting off in Adelaide. Thanks again!

longhorn55 I saw your recommendation on PD in another thread here.. Since PD is on our itinerary, I was wondering if we would be better off doing Melbourne and PD via GOR? This will give us ample of time to potter around Melbourne and do some sights around it?

Additionally even if we can't snorkel in GBR, is it worth while visiting the Reef by a boat?

Love to hear your thoughts on this..

Indiewanders, do you mean doing Melbourne and Kangaroo Island (KI) via the GOR? Port Douglas (PD) is 3000 km from the GOR.

As I previously mentioned, there's a lot to see and do for families on KI and Melbourne/GOR/KI would make for a good 10-day trip.

You can still snorkel on the GBR in December, but it's just not an optimal time to be in Far North Queensland due to the weather and stingers. You would wear a stinger suit (provided by the boat) when you snorkel but the stingers are more of a problem at the beach and not so much at the Reef.

If you can, in fact, come back later to the GBR, I'd recommend doing it sometime between June and September. That's the best time of year to be there.

I've done the GBR in Dec and box jellyfish on the reef has never been an issue in my 25 years of visiting it. Obviously at the beaches it's a different story but can you provide some link to back up your claim that it's a problem, perhaps some stats on how many people get stung on the reef rather than the boat operators who suggest you use one of their suits for a fee

I can understand using a suit to protect yourself from the sun, but from jelly fish out on the reef..

Thanks longhorn 55 and Geordie.. We are rethinking about GBR since we want to experience it at its peak which gives us another reason to come back .. I am in the process of drawing up another itinerary which I will share here for your inputs. Very grateful for taking time to help us get this right. Cheers!