areinert

My wife and I leave for AU on Sept 3rd and still have few ideas of the "must see" or "must dos" in the areas we are staying. I have read through the forum and still am lost. We would appreciate your ideas in the different areas. Here is our current schedule:

MON 03 SEP 2007
Depart Home

WED 05 SEP 2007 Arrive SYDNEY
THE MENZIES SYDNEY ACCOR HOTEL For 4 nights
SUN 09 SEP 2007 Depart SYDNEY Arrive ADELAIDE
Hotel DIRECTORS STUDIOS HOTEL For 2 nights Kangaroo for 1 night
Provided by KANGAROO ISLAND SEALINK

WED 12 SEP 2007
Hotel DIRECTORS STUDIOS HOTEL For 1 night
THU 13 SEP 2007
Depart ADELAIDE Arrive CAIRNS
Hotel MANTRA TRILOGY For 5 nights
Tulsa Scuba Diving, 4 days trips

TUE 18 SEP 2007 Depart CAIRNS Arrive TOWNSVILLE
Hotel Jupiters Casino For 4 nights

SAT 22 SEP 2007 Depart TOWNSVILLE Arrive HOME

moxie

I am just in the stages of planning myself but there are tons of sights to see in Sydney.

First there's the Sydney Explorer and Bondi Explorer Buses to give an overview of the city.

Then there are tons of things to do. Look at the discounts offered with the bus and you will get a good idea what would appeal to you.

I'll leave the specifics to the qualified ones!

Bon voyage!

areinert

Thanks for the tip about the buses, we will look into that. There was also a recomendation on "Alan's self guided walking tour" which was suppose to be found in the forum, I couldnt find it.

Thanks for the info, any additional ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

resipsaloquitur

I can't say if it's a "must do", but something I would suggest you do is determine the what impact the APEC conference is going to have on your plans in Sydney. You aren't going to be sharing the city with an average group of tourists.

Try the apec2007.com website, specifically Sydney Bulletin No. 5 (in Announcements).

Bokhara

Areinert, unfortunately, you're in Sydney at the worst time with APEC here instead of Hamilton Island where they might provide some impetus for improved service and not the disruptive nuisance they will be here.

That said,

Bokhara

... as I understand it, the greatest disruptions will probably be on the 7th and 9th when the delegates leave, so you may need to leave early for the airport for your own departure.

A Public Holiday has been declared for Friday 7th September.

Around town, there will be charming concrete blocks holding 3metre fencing along some streets,security checks, the Opera House, Art Gallery and other prominent buildings will be closed for at least part of the time. This appears to be a moving feast, and it now appears the southern end of Bondi Beach will be closed/limited access so the wives can lunch at Icebergs.

There will, of course, still be lots of things you can see & do within the city itself - and in day trips out & about.

You might like to go to the Blue Mountains for a day - take a train. There are charming villages, fantastic scenery. Alternatively, take a ferry across to Manly and a bus from there to Palm Beach. There are small local ferries doing short trips around Pittwater where you could stop for lunch, go for a walk etc.

For cosmopolitan shopping, eating etc - head east to Paddington/Darlinghurst/Woolahara.
You may find the area around The Rocks (the Harbour end of George Street) is accessible and if so, that's a popular spot.

Apologies for my negativity today: this whole APEC nonsense has rather skewed my normally sunny disposition.

The rest of your trip looks great and I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

Suelynne

Unfortunately, George Bush is arriving in Sydney on the 5th, two days earlier than expected!

chimani

The whole lot of them have gone completely over the top with this APEC thing. I feel sorry for any tourists visiting at that time. I feel mega angry for the citizens of Sydney.

Now I know I should know - but who's in charge of the whole shebang? Is it the Federal Government or the State Govt?

One assumes Federal as invitations for this kind of thing would be issued by Canberra?

One assumes, therefore, that the Federal Govt carries the cost - and the can for all the bad feeling.

It wouldn't be so bad if these events actually achieved anything. But it's just a talkfest. And can someone tell me why Dubya is even invited - I never knew that the USA was part of Asia. And if it's because they have a Pacific coastline then personally I would much rather spend my taxes on inviting the president of Chile.

Why is he coming?

areinert

Thanks for the information, are there other ideas about the other cities, like Adlaide, Cairns and Twonsville

pat_woolford

You seem to have your Cairns' time pretty well tied up with 4 day dive trips on Tusa; try to go to Reef Teach in Cairns city prior to your first day reef trip. Open every evening from 6.30pm (except Sundays).

Mantra Trilogy is new (in fact I didn't even know its completed) and is within an easy walk to anywhere in Cairns city. Heaps of restaurants, cafes, bars, a casino, live theatre, museum, art gallery etc.

Cairns Night Zoo near Palm Cove might be fun for you, it includes a bbq dinner and you get to see some of our nocturnal creatures; they'll pick you up and return you to your accommodation.

From Townsville its an easy hop over to Magnetic Island on the ferry. Lovely beaches, large colony of koalas, and other wildlife and some great walks and hiking. Are you driving or flying Cairns-Townsville?

areinert

Great info, thanks

We are flying from Cairns to Townsville

Still really confused about Sydney. I just havent had time to read the travel book yet, something for the flight over I guess.

Anyone know of wine tasting tours from Adelaide. We would love to take a bus or guided tour so we can drink and drink and not worry about the driving

Diamantina

Forgive me. please, if I have posted this twice. Sometimes I find this board a bit confusing.

Anyhow, I can offer some suggestions and links for Adelaide:
South Australian Museum, a terrific museum.
http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/page/default.asp?site=1
The National Wine Center of Australia
http://www.wineaustralia.com.au/
The Central Market (on Gouger Street, just a couple of blocks from Directors Studio Apartments)
We also stayed at Directors Studio Apartments and found it very centrally located. You'll find some good Asian restaurants in Chinatown next to the Central Market. Our favorite splurge restaurant was The Grange at the Adelaide Hilton (Asian-Australian fusion). Please stay away from their Shark's Fin.
Adelaide offers a free downtown bus service that takes you to to major attractions:
http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/adfree.html

If you get started early you can take in a one-day driving tour of the McLaren Vale and/or Barossa wine regions. You can easily do both if you just visit three to four wineries in each of these regions. McLaren Vale is more scenic. In between you can have lunch at Petaluma Winery's Bridgewater Mill in Adelaide Hills (very pretty).
You might have your own ideas of what wineries you like, but when we were in McLaren Vale some of the ones we visited and enjoyed were d'Arenberg, Wirra Wirra, Tatachilla, Coriole, Chapel Hill, and Rosemount McLaren Vale (all of these wineries were close to one another). If I were to visit McLaren Vale again, I might check out Piramimma, Kangarilla Road, Tapestry, Mr. Riggs, or Edwards & Chaffey.
In Barossa some of the wineries we visited and enjoyed were Seppelt, Richmond Grove, Peter Lehmann, Penfolds (which is rather large and industrial looking but has wonderful wine), and Henschke (a little out of the way with good but expensive wines). We ran out of time in Barossa but if we were to go back we would definitely visit Turkey Flat, Two Hands, Torbreck, Rockford, Charles Melton, Saltram and Grant Burge. There are many more wonderful wineries than this, but maybe this can be a starting point for you.
You can have a look at these links:
McLaren Vale Wineries
http://www.winediva.com.au/wineries/mclaren-vale.asp
Barossa Valley
http://www.winediva.com.au/wineries/barossa-valley.asp
Petaluma Winery, Bridgewater Mill
http://www.bridgewatermill.com.au/
From their website:
"The Bridgewater Mill is 25 minutes from the city in the beautiful Adelaide Hills. Set amid a grove of colourful trees, the restaurant is open for lunch from Thursday to Monday, 12.00 to 2.30pm.
Diners may sit outside, overlooking the spectacular waterwheel, or inside the elegantly renovated historic building. Dinner is available for functions and special events only."

Sydney is one of the world's most beautiful and enjoyable cities. We enjoy art so always stop at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which has an excellent Aboriginal art collection, interesting early Australian art in the European landscape tradition (these collections really give you a good sense of place). The art gallery also has a lovely setting, a good bookstore and cafe. After a visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales you can walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Sydney Opera House.
Here's a good map of the Gardens:
http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/royal_b...ens_and_domain
Sydney has one of the best aquariums in the world. It is located at Darling Harbor:
http://www.sydneyaquarium.com.au/
Sydney's Taronga Zoo is also quite good and has a stunning location on a hillside overlooking the water:
http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/content/view.asp?id=39
The Harbor Bridge Climb looks like great fun though we have never had the time to do it.
http://www.bridgeclimb.com/default2.htm
A trip on one of Sydney's ferries from Circular Quay is a must. Our favorite is the one to Manly. The trip is enjoyable night or day.
For many, a trip to Bondi Beach is also a must. Although we enjoyed having lunch at Ravesi's Restaurant overlooking Bondi, the bus trip from Circular Quay took so long that we never returned to Bondi on subsequent trips to Sydney.
We generally stay at The Rocks and while it is very touristy it is also a fun place to visit during the day, many shops and restarants, some museums. lots of history and atmosphere.
Other good shopping areas in central sydney include the Pitt Street Mall and the elegant Queen Victoria Building. Other shopping options:
http://www.discoversydney.com.au/sydney/shopping.html
We also enjoy the shops and galleries on Oxford Street, but this not as centrally located.
Our favorite Sydney restaurant is Tetsuya's (Japanese/Australian/French fusion). It has a set menu and can be pricey. It is advisable to book at least three weeks in advance.
http://www.tetsuyas.com/
Our second favorite is an Indian restaurant called Oh Calcutta.
http://www.ohcalcutta.com.au/index.html
For simple but hearty seafood, there is the popular Doyles on Watson Bay:
http://www.doyles.com.au/12199+0+doy...-the-beach.htm
There are so many good restaurants in Sydney. So many...
You might want to check out these links:
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/A...ey/Default.asp

and, of course:

http://fodors.com/miniguides/mgresul...ion=sydney@153

You might be interested in this article that appeared in yesterdays's Sydney Morning Herald regarding the APEC mtg.:

Tourists urged not avoid Sydney during APEC
August 24, 2007 - 10:31AM

Australia's peak accommodation body is pleading with tourists not to avoid Sydney while world leaders visit for next month's APEC summit.

Contrary to initial forecasts, the city's hotels will not be booked out during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings and the industry is hoping to avoid a period of low income.

"There is a growing perception that visitors from interstate or overseas should avoid Sydney when APEC is on," Australian Hotels Association manager Hamish Arthur said.

"It's important to inform people that hosting APEC does not mean that Sydney will become a tumbleweed city."

Mr Arthur said security arrangements during APEC would not affect many tourist activities.

"Tourists will still be able to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge and ride a ferry to Manly," he said.

AAP

areinert

AAP, Thanks!!!!!

Wow, such great information and all the helpful links

Are you or is anyone aware of bus tours of the wine region with stops for tours and tastings. We were not planning to rent a car and would perfer for someone else to drive so we can drink, drink, drink.

Thanks

wlzmatilida

Hi Areinert!

Tick Tick Tick...your time is short!

OK, here's some suggestions for Sydney:

1. Take Bokhara's suggestion and go outy to the Blue Mountains, either by train or with a tour company. (it sounds as if getting out of Sydney during this time period is adviseable)!

2. In that vein, if you weren't going to Adelaide, I would have suggested going to the Hunter Valley for wine tasting.

3. Check out the Rocks Discovery Museum - do this at the beginning of your stay so you can learn about the history of Sydney, you'll have a better understanding of the city. It's a great interactive museum and it's free (but please leave a donation).

4. Don't recommend taking one of those "coffee / dinner / lunch" Harbour cruises - just take a ferry and you'll get commentary as well. Highly recommend going to Taronga Zoo and getting the VIP (behind the scenes) tour where you'll get up close and personal with some critters.

5. Walk everywhere and enjoy everything that Sydney has to offer, which is alot. You won't have any problem filling your time; more like the opposite - you'll wonder how it all went by so fast!

6. Plunk yourselves down in an outdoor restaurant in Circular Quay or Darling Harbour with a nice glass (or bottle) of wine for lunch or dinner and people watch! (there's 3 hours right there)!

Cairns: Pat Woolford's suggestions are always spot on, and I'd only add Hartley's Crocodile Farm, if that's of any interest.

Adelaide Wine Tasting: I've just used a "new guy" (for me) for clients here in California, who own part of a winery, and they had a wonderful time, so you know it had to be good! Contact David at "For Wine or Reason". Here's the website:

http://www.forwineorreason.com.au/homepage.html

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

Betsy

I didn't read every reply to this thread, so this may already have been addressed: IMHO, spending four nights in Townsville is about four nights too many. Is there any particular reason you are going there other than to fly home?

pat_woolford

Aww, thanks Melodie - I mentioned Cairns Night Zoo rather than Hartley's because Hartley's closes at 5pm and Tusa gets back into Cairns at about 4.00pm.

areint - if you were driving Cairns-Townsville would have suggested some spots such as Mission Beach and some of the superb rainforests around there.
But Townsville is still a good base, as mentioned before Magnetic Island is easy to get to - ferries run regularly and take about 25 mins. The ferry terminal is next to where'll you'll be staying at the casino. There's a good transport system on the island with buses to run you around the various bays and beaches, none are crowded. Or you can rent a Mini Moke on the island.

Also, if you possibly can, try to take in Hinchinbrook Island, 120km north of Townsville - there's a coach service or you could rent a car. See www.hinchinbrookferries.com.au/daycruise It would be a long day, but worth it.

And divers come from all over the world to dive the Yongala Wreck from Townsville/Magnetic Island - see www.divethereef.com.au/yongala.asp

pat_woolford

You might need to put an "html" on the end of Hinchinbrook website - or just search for Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland.