Need help with Atherton Tablelands / Daintree portion of trip planning
 

Hi everyone,

My husband and I will be in Australia for 2 weeks (1st time visit) end of June / early July 2009. After a 5-night stopover in Fiji, and 4-5 nights in Sydney, we will be in Cairns for 4-5 nights before taking a 3-night Spirit of Freedom GBR trip. After that we will fly back to Sydney for 2 more nights and then fly home to California.

I'm trying to plan the Cairns portion of the trip. We had originally planned to stay all 4-5 nights in Port Douglas at the Sheraton Mirage (using points) and take day trips from there. Hubby doesn't like to move around / change hotels too many times, but I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to stay in the Atherton Tablelands area for 2 nights, then go up to Daintree for 2-3 nights, prior to our GBR trip? Would you recommend this over staying in Port Douglas for all nights?

We'd like to do a few tours... Allan Gillanders for Atherton Tablelands and either Peter Baxendell or David Armburst, plus Dan Irby's sunset Daintree River Cruise, up in that area.

Not sure where we'd stay in the Atherton Tablelands area (Yungaberra? Specific suggestions?). As for the Daintree area, I've been looking at the Red Mill House B&B.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you.

Carole

Yungaburra is a good place to stay if linking up with Alan as that is where he lives.
There is a wide range of accommodation depending on your budget and desires. Quincan Retreat is not far out of town and very nice. Chambers Rainforest Lodges are like standard motel rooms. For more luxury try Eden House or Allumbah pocket cottages. I suggest that you have a look at www.yungaburra.com for a better idea.
I recently overnighted at Red Mill House and really enjoyed it. Trish and Andrew are soo helpful, have all the contacts off pat to make sure your stay goes really well. They organised the payment of my cruises with "Sauce" of Daintree River Experience. I did both the sunset cruise and the early morning one and did not regret it. While we covered basicly the same area we saw different birds and animals. A low tide will get you more kingfishers and at that time of year the crocs will be out of the water a lot.

Sounds like Saltuarius has got it all dwarfed down to size for you Snowhite and my only tip for you to round off a great trip would be to prune a couple of days off Sydney and one off Cairns and fit the Whitsundays in for a two/three day sail - http://www.ozsailing.com.au/ making sure you check out Whitehaven Beach - talcum powder sand.

And do check out the Yungaburra Pub - it's different!

And if you like the looks of things downunder downunder, I know of a great historical harbour side hotel you can buy for well less than one million and nearer to if not less than half a million of yours.

Thanks Saltuarius. I looked briefly at both Eden House and Allumbah Pocket Cottages last night. Will check out the other two as well. I looked at the early cruise too... just wondering if we can get anywhere on vacation @ 6:30!! :-)

Bushranger - We would LOVE to see the Whitsundays but didn't think we could fit it in... that means another flight too... just looking at Virgin Blue... we'd fly into Proserpine?

So our itinerary would look like this:

Sat (late p.m.) - Arrive Sydney
Sun – Sydney
Mon – Syndey
Tues – Flight to Propserpine (Whitsundays)
Wed – Whitsundays
Thurs – Flight to Cairns - Drive to Yungaburra
Fri – Tour Atherton Tablelands
Sat – Drive Yungaburra to Daintree
Sun – Daintree
Mon – Drive to Cairns - Board Spirit of Freedom (11:15)
Tues – SOF
Wed – SOF
Thurs – Disembark SOF (11:30) - Flight to Sydney
Fri – Syndey
Sat – Fly back to California

That's not too much? My husband says I always "overplan" so I was trying to be realistic... but if you folks think this is doable, I'll definitely consider it!

Thanks again.

Carole

Yes, I think it is too much because of the flights. The only flight direct to Cairns leaves Hamilton Island (and is expensive) so you have to get there by ferry from Airlie Beach. Only having one day in Airlie is a problem if the weather doesn't cooperate, and June/July IS the Australian winter. . . I don't think you'd be doing the Whitsundays justice and have a lot of transfers to worry about in a really short time. We have been to Australia twice, in 2004 in July and in 2007 in October. The problem with trying to find one place to stay for the things you want to do in the Cairns area is that the road up to the tablelands is QUITE windy and slow, so it adds to your drive times. In fact, the one we came down on which is the one to the north of the Tableland we NEVER want to do again (I know that people drive it every day for their work, but I was quite, quite motion sick and DH was on edge from all the curves.) You and your DH won't regret staying in Yungaburra for a day or two and then moving on. We stayed at a servicable and cheap B&B (actually an apartment) called The Gables. It's an historic house in the downtown area.

The choice between staying in the Daintree area (which we havent' done, but sounds really great and is closer to your Daintree trips) and Port Douglas (which we have done and absolutely loved) is like between apples and kumquats---soooooo different! In PD you have the restaurant choice, the shops, and the ambience of a nice botique town--with the downside of being farther from your tours, and in the Daintree you have the rainforest all around, a unique environment--with the downside of being away from choices and a loooooooooong way from Cairns where the SofF takes off at I believe 11:45 am. You COULD stay in Cairns for the whole time (Pat W. has a great B&B that is centrally located called Lilybank) if you want to stay in one place. You'd still have the windy drive to and from the Tableland, long drive to Daintree, but be closer to getting to SofF on time. They won't pick you up from Pat's (or anywhere out of downtown Cairns) but we dropped our car at the town outlet of Dollar and the SofF people picked us up there.

Whatever you decide, be assured that you will have a great time!
Happy planning,
Sally in Seattle

It really depends on your interests, like how much do you want to see another city, Sydney not being too bad a one by any means, but think jetlag and how enjoyable it'll be dragging yourself around city sites while feeling a bit stuffed, and if it was me in your boots, I'd tweak a little (saving in and out of Sydney time for starters), and Sydney can be starting to get a bit bleak weatherwise towards July (winter here afterall though nothing like a northern US one)

Maybe even cut a day of Fiji(and have you decided on what you'll do there - some places are that third world grotty culture shock)

And just remembered I flew Brisbane - Fiji, so a bit more time to be saved there and you can even fly Nadi to Cairns (Qantas) - http://travel.webjet.com.au/webjetts...ryPoint=Flight but Brisbane may provide for better open jaw flight options, in at Brisbane and out from Sydney if that is possible with your carrier.

Get a connection ex Brisb.(short train ride between international and domestic) to Proserpine or Hamilton Island and do your anti jetlagging somewhere peaceful and balmy (and give yourself an extra day there - www.hookislandresort.com ), then head onto Cairns, the reef, daintree etc.

For a hinterland tour option, check out www.onthewallaby.com if you're up to a canoe paddle, maybe spotting a platypus at night.

With the time in transit you've saved, you ought to still have a few days for Sydney and be full of beans for it.

When we visited the area in mid-June, we stayed 3 nights at Eden House in Yungaburra, and 3 nights in the Daintree at the Exotic Fruit Farm. Both were great. The cottage at Eden House was very nice, and their restaurant was excellent (both for dinner and for breakfast, the latter included in the price of the room). They have a spa adjacent to the inn, where I treated myself to a wonderful hot-stone massage...mmm, wish I were there right now. Yungaburra was a good base for exploring other parts of the Tablelands. Temperatures were kind of cool and we did get some rain, but nothing that stopped us from doing what we wanted to do.

The Daintree was magic, and I would recommend staying at least 2 nights there, preferably 3. Exotic Fruit Farm was a great place to stay. Lots of things to do in the area.

Didn't get to Port Douglas, but we did spend a few hours at Palm Cove on the way north--very nice, right on a beautiful beach with lots of little kids learning to surf. Fun to watch!

I think your decision should be based on what you're looking to do -- both the Tablelands and the Daintree have wonderful opportunities for adventure.

The time you've scheduled for Sydney seems just right.

Thanks all, for the additional information! Actually, the International flights are set (FF mile tickets), SAN - SYD with a stopover in Fiji. I might be able to cut off a day in Fiji if FF seats are available the day before... should I look into that? Since, once there, we're flying to an outer island (90 min. flight each way) I thought the extra flight time would warrant us staying 5 nights.

By the way, Bushranger, we're planning to stay on Taveuni in Fiji... have you been there? Would love to hear input on that as I have not yet purchased the domestic airline tickets yet. The diving there is supposed to be superb off Taveuni and it looks like they have some nice hiking (waterfalls, coastal walks, etc.). How 3rd world is Taveuni?

The only other way to add in the Whitsundays would be to not include a GBR liveaboard diving trip (Spirit of Freedom, which I was planning to book this week), and instead do, say, a one-day trip to the reef. That would suit my husband fine (he's a diver, I only snorkel), but I've read to get to the really good reefs you have to do a liveaboard (but please let me know if otherwise). Our SOF trip goes to Cod Hole and the Ribbon Reefs. We may never be back to Australia so I want us to see the best of the best.

Sally - I read most of your 2007 trip reports and I know you loved the SOF, which is actually one of the reasons I kept it in the itinerary (since you said you enjoyed it as a snorkeler).

Also, I did not know about the road conditions up to Daintree, maybe it would be good to stay up there and only deal with them once?

Bushranger - I'll look into some of your suggestions (other than the flights that are already set). How much jet lag do you think we'll have? I was hoping that the Fiji stopover would help with that.

Aprillilacs - looks like you would recommend less time (1 night?) in the Tablelands and more time (maybe 3?) in the Daintree (assuming I have 4 nights)? Thanks for your recommendations. I did see the Exotic Fruit Farm, but haven't looked into it yet.

I'm glad to hear further recommendations... just trying to fit things in nicely so it doesn't become a race to get everywhere. I promised my hubby I would not do that to him again, as I've done in the past...2 nights here, 2 nights there, a flight here, a flight there. My hubby works 2 jobs (he works at night from home from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. as a software developer.... then he also is a flight instructor from mid-day to early evening most days and on the weekends too) so he needs some amount of relaxation! I work long days as well, so we'd like to tone it down a bit for this trip.

This is our first trip in ages without kids, by the way!

Thanks everyone. I look forward to further advice.

Carole

If you're looking at http://www.taveuniislandresort.com/ the culture shock ought to be quite pleasant for I was thinking of Nadi itself and some places on the main island, but any outer islands are the place to be, my time having being spent north of Viti Levu, and yes, kind of forgot the Fiji stop re jetlag in Sydney, and should not really be an issue on arrival there.

I'd still look though at whether you can get a good connection to the Whitsundays Vs additional in and out, and then one way of getting to Cairns/tablelands you may want to consider is hiring a car at Airlie Beach for when you look at the ferry to Hamilton Island, flight to Cairns and then a backtrack drive to the Yungaburra(southern end of the tablelands), that'll take up the best part of a day and it would not be much longer to drive from Airlie Beach, perhaps even doing a couple of hours of it the afternoon before.

Put that into the context of the SOF liveaboard trip being for serious divers prepared to spend a seriously big fist of dollars, and to me a great waste if you're only going to snorkel and if Hub ain't too fussed, though I would be seeing the Cod Hole is renowned as being one of the worlds best dive spots - only the dollars being what stops more of us getting there.
But anyway, what I meant by context was if he was happy to save a heap and do a couple of dive trips, there being heaps - http://www.thetourspecialists.com/tours-reef.html, you'll get plenty of great snorkelling in at other places too, and then stopping at Townsville between Airlie Beach Hub could also dive the http://www.yongaladive.com.au/ and Townsville also has http://www.reefhq.com.au/ and http://www.magnetic-island.com.au/ for overnighting there.

Hope that helps and with husband not ever sleeping! he does need a break and that'll be best not having too much in the hustle and bustle of Sydney.

Hi Carole

the 'Daintree' is an area which covers the Daintree Coast and also Daintree Village which is furthest south and closest to Port Douglas.

You asked about road conditions to the Daintree. To enter the Daintree Coast, you cross the Daintree River on the car ferry, and then follow a winding sealed road through the Daintree National Park all the way to Cape Tribulation - a spectacular drive in its own right. This road is now fully sealed and in July you could expect to drive from Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation in about 90 minutes. This road crosses 2 causeways which can flood in the wet season - this means about 10 days out of 365 - and the possibility of this happening out of season in June July is VERY small. Even when the causeways flood, they are usually open again within a couple of hours.

If you are looking to experience the Daintree Rainforest, then I would recommend the drive to Cape Tribulation and a walk with Prue from Cooper Creek Wilderness.

For more info on the Daintree Coast and places to stay visit www.daintreecoast.com

Save the Whitsundays for your next visit and do them justice OR go there and forget the greater variety in wildlife of the Atherton Tablelands and Daintree.

Bushranger, there are plenty of snorkellers who appreciate and enjoy liveaboards, a 71yo woman, fit (but unable to dive as is a sometime asthmatic) I know has recently done Undersea Explorer, a 6 night liveaboard (and scientific vessel) out of PD which includes Cod Hole and Ribbon Reefs and was totally thrilled. Never once was she made to feel "out of it" for not being a certified diver.

cawhite, you need more time for Whitsundays to do that justice, and I would be looking at summer or at least later in year for that one. Temperatures for reef and coast in FNQ should be similar to Fiji.

Here's a site for accommodation with local hosts who will be able to help with anything you need to know for both Tablelands and Daintree/Cape Trib - www.bnbnq.com.au

Thanks again everyone!

Bushranger - Glad to hear we'll be OK on Taveuni. We did look at the Taveuni Island Resort but we're saving our pennies so we can do the Spirit of Freedom (you're correct... going on that trip will be a big fist of dollars!). I think we've decided on the Coconut Grove Beachfront Cottages... it's currently #1 rated on Tripadvisor. www.coconutgrovefiji.com.

Capetribber - Thanks for the Daintree Coast vs. Daintree Rainforest information. I think I was lumping them together as one place. The Cooper Creek Wilderness tours look fabulous too. I wonder how they compare with Pete Baxendell's tours?

Salturarius - Yes, I think, unfortunately, we will not be able to do the Whitsundays this time... due to time constraints and the time of year we'll be visiting. We do like to be near the water (hey, we live in San Diego) but we just can't fit everything in.

Pat - That link to the Tablelands & Daintree / Cape Tribulation accommodations is very helpful. I can see I have my research cut out for me!

I'm sure after looking at this wealth of information I'll be back with more questions!

Thanks again.

Carole

Pat,
I've never said that people would neither enjoy or appreciate the SOF or other liveaboards, that be entirely up to desire on experience and $$$ and nor did I say that anyone is going to be made feel like a fish out of water.

When it was mentioned that Carole's hub was not too fussed and that Carole would love to see the Whitsundays, I've merely offered up options for consideration, but you take it anyway you want.

Having been to the Whitsundays and Cairns region a number of times (and not in summer for winter is best time to miss humidity, heat, storms, possible cyclones, flooding, more mosquitoes and stingers in the sea) I have a view and so do you.

Well, I appreciate the responses from everyone... so thanks!

And yes, hubby is only a "vacation diver" (once per year or so)... he would be fine going once or twice... but it seems, in this case, the really good reefs are accessible by overnight / liveaboard stays.

Can anyone recommend an option of flying out for a 1-day dive trip that isn't over the top expensive? I see Daintree Air has an expensive 9-day option... are there other options for just one day?

Daintree has (or had--don't know if they cancelled it) a one day trip to Lizard Island which was fabulous. The thing about the SofF is if you have a partner to snorkel with. If your DH is diving and you are snorkeling by yourself, well, it might be scary. They do go out 4 times a day (plus a night dive which snorkelers can't go on) so it is really all the time in the water. The divers and staff were very nice to us and would have had a staff member go with us if we needed it. The best, most memorable, fantastic snorkeling was when they took us out about 3/4 mile and we drifted back. I would not have wanted to do that alone!! I think you can get good snorkeling on a day trip, just not as much. It depends on how "hard core" you want to be! We wanted a LOT of snorkeling for the time period. Daintree Air's one day to Lizard has great snorkeling plus the flight to and from over the sea and the rainforest. Hard decisions!
Sally in Seattle

I reckon if Hub is only into doing a couple or a few dives at most Carole and you to do some snorkelling, whilst for sure the diving and snorkelling can be more superb further away from where the masses have been, it'll be a toss up between that and deciding on other more general diving locations and you still get some great snorkelling.
I saw one report re fly/dive that if also looking for a flight out and back in one day, that may be impossible owing to the "do not fly for 24 hours after diving" rule.

Further to thoughts about Whitsundays, I reckon being June/July, you could really minimise time in Sydney as afterall it is not as though you do not have cities on harbours, and so then you will have the time for more options up north where it'll be warm balmy weather without being too hot.

Thanks Sally - I did not see the one Daintree Air day option, but will look again.

Bushranger - Yes, we have have cities and harbors here... we live in the San Diego area... so maybe we could minimize Sydney. I've just heard it's such a great city! We'll think about that as well.

Thanks Sally - I did not see the one Daintree Air day option, but will look again. My husband and I are both private pilots so we'd really love that!

Bushranger - Yes, we have have cities and harbors here... we live in the San Diego area... so maybe we could minimize Sydney. I've just heard it's such a great city! We'll think about that as well.

Also, our SOF trip does include a low level flight back... so as long as the altitude is low enough, it's supposed to be OK after diving (I don't yet know at what altitude they fly... but I'm going to ask).

oops... I botched up that correction! Sorry for the double post.

I think I had said in anearlier post Carole that as far as cities to visit goes it is not too bad at all but if you put it into the context as one poster suggested of saving the Whitsundays for a second visit, then why not put Sydney, inland and south on the agenda for the second visit, concentrating on the north for this visit which to me would make more sense than coming a second time and then travelling all the way north again.

Great advice, Bushranger. Thanks again. I have not purchased domestic airfare yet (to CNS), so I can arrange the trip as you mention.

By the way, for domestic airfare, should I wait for a sale, book early, or what, for the best price? I'm not familiar with best airfare purchasing strategies for the various airlines in Australia (Virgin Blue, Jet Star, Qantas).

Also, I've booked the Spirit of Freedom so that is set!

Carole

There are regular sales or lets say have been and just how much they continue with the new world order of economics we will just have to wait and see.

But if you have a look at www.webjet.com.au you can get an idea of flight options and standard prices span for any particular flights - the cheaper ones as is probably anywhere usually go first but I've found that you can still get them on most flights a month or two out of from flying date, and any sales would have usually been announced before then.

I find www.bestflights.com.au to be a good site to be registered with for getting notification on sales (though they have slipped up for last couple - maybe economics already) but the saviour is I've noticed that webjet have been carrying sales notifications of late.

On Sydney, even two three days at end will give you a good look about, do a couple of harbour ferry trips, Circular Quay to Manly and to Watsons Bay will allow you to walk to headlands, staying near the Rocks - http://www.therocks.com/sydney-Educa...s_Pub_Tour.htm will have you "right there" and able to walk to all city CBD highlights of any value, climb a pillar of the bridge as against the bridge climb itself as an option and if you would like somewhere different to stay, check out The Australian in that Rocks tour[Oops, it's off their accomodation list for some reason] -http://www.australianheritagehotel.com/ , no ensuite there but terric feel - and ask for a room away from the Harbour Bridge side (there's a traffic counter clunking)or for something of similar style but more up market and about three times the price - The Russel.

Bonus of The Aussie is the loo view!, well view from one at end of corridor on Harbour side.

And whilst webjet is a good site, once having located best flight, best to book direct with airlines.

For your first trip? Sydney is wonderful and should not be missed. In my opinion, the harbor is the most beautiful I've seen, and I've been to many. It's much nicer and more interesting than San Diego's harbor, which of course is beautiful in its own right. When I visited Sydney in May and June, I had just spent several days in San Francisco, where I left my heart (I grew up in the Bay Area), but when I got to Sydney I had to say "Wow, this is the best." Plenty to do there, too. Temperatures in June were cool (60s-70s) but perfect for outdoor activities. We stayed at Sydney Harbour B&B, a very pleasant spot with friendly hosts, and well-located in the Rocks area.

Getting back to the Queensland portion of your trip, if you are going to Atherton Tablelands I'd suggest spending 2 nights there--1 wouldn't be enough, in my opinion.

As mentioned by another poster, the drive to Cape Tribulation is beautiful, if slow. Have you ever been to the north shore of Kauai? The road north of Hanalei to Haena and Kee Beach is kind of similar. I am addicted to the tropics, so if I had to make a choice, I would spend as much time as possible in the Cape Trib area. We did a very fun half-day trip with Ocean Safari (a pontoon boat) out of Cape Trib to a gorgeous reef, with the best snorkeling I've ever done. Cheap, too, comparatively. Remember that the wind might very well be a factor that affects your snorkeling/diving options at that time of the year.

But I'm no expert -- these are just my comments based on a single 5-week trip to Australia. Take them for what they're worth!

Hi Bushranger - Thanks for all the new info. I will definitely register with bestflights so I can be on the watch for airfare sales.

Aprilliliacs - This is our first trip to Australia. I agree that San Diego is no comparison to Sydney... just trying to say that we see a lot of ships / harbors up and down the California coast, but we don't see rainforests like in Australia very often! (FYI, we lived in the Bay area in the 1990's so, yes, we enjoyed the SF pier area up there too.)

As to your other question... yes, we've been to Kauai's north shore several times. It's our favorite Hawaiian island. That's why we decided to stay on Taveuni Island in Fiji... it's the "garden isle" of Fiji, just as Kauai is the garden isle of Hawaii. If Cape Tribulation is similar to Kauai, we should plan to spend time there for sure!

Interesting that you mention the B&B Sydney Harbour... I've been in contact with them as a potential place to stay either when we first arrive, or before we leave (due to our late flight from Fiji on the inbound, and the day of the week our Spirit of Freedom trip returns, we will end up staying in Sydney at the beginning and end of our stay, which is not ideal). But now I need to compare that B&B to the Aussie Hotel Bushranger pointed me to. That place looks interesting too, although I don't know how I'd do with no ensuite. I'll have to think about that one!

Carole

Carole,
You've received a lot of good advice here. Saltuarias has made me jealous by mentioning Red Mill House and going out on the river with "Sauce." I've stayed at RMH in two visits to Australia now, and it's definitely a place I would repeat. Ian (sauce) is fantastic, we went out with him three mornings in a row.

I would take the advice of staying up in Yungaburra or nearby when visiting the Atherton Tablelands. The Gillies HWY is quite winding and would add a lot of time to a day trip. Personally I wouldn't miss the tablelands, and agree that 2 days would be min. We toured with AG and also stayed at Chambers. I do recommend lunch at the teahouse at Lake Barrine(:

So as not to repeat everything, if you want to read details on my impressions of the places above, if you search on the Australian forum under Nabiac you will find my trip report. It's quite lengthy, so you'll want to skip ahead to the pertinent parts!

There are also some pictures from the Tablelands etc. Sally's trip report is great for information, and there is also a really good couple of trip reports on going up to Cape Trib. I believe one is by RalphT? I want to say he did the Cooper Creek tour, or maybe that was Mrs. Go. I'll see if I can find those TRs, they have really good info on driving north.

Planning's half the fun, isn't it? Have a wonderful time.

Maybe you have already read it, so I apologize if I'm repeating something. But, here is RalphR's trip report. You may find it helpful.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35147730

Hi Toucan2 - Thanks... I appreciate the info. I did read a trip report of yours and I read Ralph R's too, but was glad to have it at my fingertips again.

For the Atherton Tablelands, the website of the Chambers Rainforest Lodge seems to indicate a 3-night minimum? I do like the looks of their “evening wildlife commentary”, although it sounds like you didn’t get to do that Toucan2? Eden House and Allumbah Pocket Cottages also look nice. And it sounds like my plan to visit 1-1/2 days (arrive from CNS mid-day, drive to Yungaburra, do an evening tour, then tour the AT the following day prior to heading north) is not enough time… that we’ll need a 2nd night. I guess we would for sure need 2 nights, if we add in the Kuranda Railway / Skyrail trip.

For the Rainforest / Cape Trib. area I’ve already booked Pete Baxendell. I did that before I knew about "Sauce". Right now we’re set to have Pete pick us up in Port Douglas (Sheraton), but I’m still considering places further North. Pete recommended the Daintree Wilderness Lodge, and that looks nice. We’re also looking at the Exotic Fruit Farm and still considering the Red Mill House. These last two are less expensive than the Wilderness Lodge.

Here’s a question… is air conditioning something we should look for at either the Atherton Tablelands or in the Daintree Rainforest? I’m not sure how humid it will be in June, even though it is winter. I will assume we don’t need it, unless I hear otherwise from someone.

OK… thanks everyone. I appreciate all the great info. I’ve received!!

Carole

Hi cawhite,

The people at Chambers were the nicest people. I actually called and talked to them about the 3 night minimum because with the other nights we already had booked we couldn't stay 3 nights, and John let me book 2 nights instead. It was very kind of him

If you are calling from the states, I really found it easy to sometimes just call and chat. Afterall it was evening for me and their morning so it was easy to connect, and by dialing 10 10 987 first, it was really really cheap. For you calling from SD you might have even better luck connecting. But, I don't know if June is considered a more holiday season up there or not where fewer days might be an issue. It never hurts to ask.

We really really liked being able to walk out the door and bird/wildlife watch. Oh, I think there are cottages/rooms at Lake Barrine as well, and that would be a nice environment. I don't know what they are called.

I think we just had bad luck and timing for the evening talks and sugar gliders. We would definitely return to Chambers another time, it didn't put us off going. I think it was unusual that the talk didn't occur.

You also have some other good suggestions of course.

Regarding AC, Steve and I never felt the need for it on either trip that we took to Australia. We actually had a few chilly (to us) days. We are used to a very hot and humid environment in the summer (Kansas City, MO) and so the November/December trips we took, (their first parts of the summer)really just felt nice and warm to us. Open windows and celing fans were fine. But I know Sally felt very hot when she visited. I'm trying to think of SD, and I think you are less humid than us in the summer, but I don't really know how hot you get. Gosh, how is this for a non-answer, eh? I'm just trying to think what it might feel like to you relative to your experience(:

Hello cawhite,
If you are booking a tour on the Tablelands your operater may be able to get you into Chambers for a shorter time. The accommodation there is not as fresh as some of the ones you mention but the wildlife advantage is why people keep going back. Yes it is unusual to miss out on the wildlife talk. Must have been a family emergency. At that time of year the sugar gliders are most reliable. You will need two nights if doing this and a nocturnal.

Aitconditioning is not needed on the Tablelands and at that time of year make sure you have a jacket. Ground frosts do occur in the winter but if they do the days are magnificent! Red Mill has airconditioning but you'll not need it because of the location. In some spots it may be an advantage but not one I would base my decision on at that time of year.

Thanks Toucan2 and Saltuarius.

We just made a reservation with Alan Gillanders. I will ask him about the Chambers. If not, I saw a good price for the Eden House on wotif.com. Can you book in advance on wotif, or is that generally a last minute reservation site?

I think we have decided to stay at the Sheraton in Port Douglas after our 2 night stay in the Tablelands in order to save some $$ (we will use hotel points).

Carole

You can book up to 28 days ahead on the Wotif site.

Carole,
June is their peak time. As you have a set schedule I would be inclined to book ahead. 28 days though does give you some time to chase around other listings if yours is not available.

Oh, OK... Thanks for the wotif info. That's what I thought.

Prue - I just looked up the winter holiday dates for Queensland and on this website http://education.qld.gov.au/public_m.../holidays.html it says they are 27 June - 12 July. We'll be in the Tablelands just before these dates, in Port Douglas the first weekend of the holiday, then on the Spirit of Freedom, then back to Sydney July 2nd - 4th. So I guess we will be impacted to some degree.

We originally also considered doing this trip in August... looks like kids are in school at that time! Oh, well.

Hey, another question please. Has anyone stayed at Gumtree on Gilles in Yungaburra? I see it's a bit further out. Is it still walking distance to the center of town (restaurants, cafes, etc.?). That's another place we are now considering.

Thanks.

Carole

oops... Sorry, Saltuarius - you were the one who mentioned that June is peak time. That's what prompted me to check the actual school schedule... thanks.

Carole

Carole,
There is a bit of variance state by state as to when the hols are - http://www.australiatravelsearch.com.au/trc/hols.html

But it's nothing to worry about for most people trekking/flying north from the more populous southern states of NSW and Vic head about as far as Brisbane and Gold Coast for theme parks that kids are interested in.

You get southern Queenslanders who don't like putting cardigans on heading that way and of course the grey nomads, but they are usually filling up caravan parks and the cheaper end accomodation, and if you've got bookings you'll be more than fine.

June is much better a month to go in than August as you'll find that the countryside will have more of a fresher green lushness to it, far greater chance for waterfalls to be flowing etc., if there has been a good wet season and on that note, it is a highlight of the region to do the train trip up to Kuranda for you get to see the falls(if they're flowing1 - I was there one year in May after a dry wet and virtually nothing flowing over main falls), but hopefully nxt year will be better.

Thanks Bushranger. That's great news... now I'm really glad we're going in June instead of August.

Carole