vixabs

Based on various postings in the forums, we formed the following tentative schedule: <BR> <BR>Melbourne :2 days <BR>Ayers Rock/Alice Springs: 3 days <BR>Tasmania: 3 days <BR> <BR>Is this do-able? what would be the best way to get to these places: will i have to transit through Melbourne each time? <BR> <BR>Any hotel recommendations in these places would also be welcome. <BR> <BR>- vixabs

LizF

You don't say where you are from so its hard to suggest anything to you in particular. <BR>Yes your shedule is doable BUT you have not said why or what you have expected to see and why you chose what you did. <BR>You would have to go through Melbourne from Tassie but we don't know where you have come through to tell you if you would have to do that if you went to Alice Springs - you don't say when you are doing this either so here are some FACTS <BR>Tasmania is a destination in itself - 3 days are not enough <BR>Melbourne - why are you going there? <BR>Ayers Rock/ Alice - you wouldn't want be there in summer <BR>It looks like you are spending too much time in the air flying from place to place <BR>More info please <BR>You have said nothing about the Barrier Reef/ Northern Territory/ Sydney/ Canberra/Whitsunday Islands/ Tropical Australia and a host of other places that are MUST SEES

pat

Loved Melbourne. It`s kind of like San Francisco, very cosmopolitan. You need time to see the area out of town around Belgrave in the mountains, and also, to do the Great Ocean Road. I went to Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns, and it is Melbourne I think of most. I think you are trying to do too much.

vixabs

Sorry for the lack of details. We will be arriving from Hong Kong to Melbourne on 19th, returning to HK on 28th. <BR> <BR>We have already done Sydney, and were advised that doing Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock in one week may be too much flying around, hence decided on Tassie which is closer to Melbourne, leaving the Reef for another time. <BR> <BR>any advice on the best combination of places to do would be very welcome. <BR> <BR>

LizF

Ok now we have something to work on. <BR>Tasmania now is in its prettiest time as far as I am concerned and as you are only in HK I would think of doing only that with a stop in Melbourne. <BR>I have been to Tasmania 5 times and still have not seen as much as I would have liked to have seen. Tassie is my favourite R&R destination. Hobart is lovely and you would need about 4 days in and around there to fully appreciate it. Be in Hobart on a Saturday for the Salamanca Markets which is a MUST. Visit Port Arthur and have a wonderful day going around the site which is in a beautiful area. Take a tour of the Huon Valley which at this time of year should be absolutely beautiful. Take a trip to Richmond which is a lovely Georgian village built by convicts. Also see the other villages like Ross, Oatlands and Campbell Town. You will adore Ross. Aside from anything else thats 4 days and you have not even been to Mt Field National park, New Norfolk and Bushy Park. You would need another few days to see the east coast and walk to wineglass bay. Then there is the north and the north west ( Cradle Mountain) not to mention the west coast and the Gordon River trips. <BR>You are trying to do too much this trip so concentrate yourself in the south at this time of year and see Melbourne and Tassie - you will be hooked and be back!! <BR>Leave Ayres Rock/Alice Springs for a trip when you do the Northern Territory which is very special and of course the Barrier Reef which in itself needs a full holiday there. <BR>Tasmania is the best value for money in Australia. Together with that and the fact that our $ is so pathetic you can only have a wonderful holiday. Seafood in Tasmania is supurb. <BR> <BR>

Kay

It would make sense to me if you could fly from Hong Kong to Ayers Rock or Alice Springs (they are about 500km apart) then fly to Melbourne then fly to Hobart. Reverse trip would be Hobart to Melb to Hong Kong. If you can't fly HK to Alice, what about HK to Perth or Darwin then on to Alice. <BR>You are trying to fit a lot in, but we have done the same thing when overseas, trying to see as much as possible in a short time. <BR>In Hobart I would stay close to Salamanca Place or in Battery Point which is very "olde English". <BR>In Melb it depends on your budget. Sheraton Southgate would be great if you have a 5 star budget, if not, there are lots of cheaper hotels and B&Bs in and around the city. <BR>In the red centre, if you flew into Ayers Rock and stayed there and also visited the Olgas and Kings Canyon, you wouldn't need to go to Alice Springs at all. This would cut down on travelling time. <BR>Hope this helps a little. Good luck with planning! <BR>Kay

vixabs

Thanks all, for all the help and advice. Ayers Rock does not seem to be too well connected with Melbourne, so we are still in the process of planning our itenerary. <BR> <BR>Incidentally, if anyone has any special recommendation for a budget hotel (3 star or thereabouts) in Melbourne that's close to city centre, we would love to hear from them.

Kay

The Ibis Hotel is on the edge of the city, close to Queen Victoria Market (a must!). Have not stayed there, but it is quite cheap. A nice guesthouse is Magnolia Court in East Melbourne, about 10 min walk across parkland to the city. Check out www.jasons.com.au for some ideas. <BR>Kay

LizF

You cannot fly HK to Alice Springs without going through probably Cairns and then Brisbane / Alice and they most probably would not connect immediately anyway and would take a whole day to do in Australia anyway. Ayres Rock is some way from Alice Springs in any case and you really need to drive there. To do that would take 3 days

lizF

what I meant to say was that to fly into Alice - get to Ayres Rock and back to Alice and down to Melbourne would take 3 days. It is not well connected with Melbourne and I am sure you could get better deals flying HK Melbourne Hobart Melbourne HK. You might look up babs.com.au site for Bed and breakfasts in Melbourne babs stands for bed and breakfast site. Local knowledge and good value could be the outcome of that exercise.

Ross

My two cents on a couple of items: <BR> <BR>A strong recommendation for spending a couple of days out on the Great Ocean Road west of Melbourne if you do indeed make a stop there. It's magnificent. <BR> <BR>A strong recommendation to *avoid* the Magnolia Court in Melbourne. It's got a pretty good location, and it's relatively cheap in absolute terms, but my wife and I stayed there earlier this year (following Fodor's recommendation, as a matter of fact) and found it charmless and an overall poor value. It puts on a good face, with a quaint exterior and a pleasant breakfast room, but the rooms are musty and dingy and the bathrooms have a chilly 'institutional' feel to them.