Recent Australia Trip Report (Ghan, Silky Oaks, Daintree, GBR, Sydney, Intercontinental)
 

Hi Everyone,

I just returned from Australia last Friday after traveling in Australia for two weeks. I wanted to sample different regions in Australia so I chose an itinerary that included Cairns and Sydney, favorites of first time visitors. I also wanted to see much of the country at ground level as well as meeting Australian so I chose to spend two days on The Ghan. I enjoyed myself during the entire time and do not have any regrets in my itinerary.

I thought I would share my experiences after reading the wide range of opinions on this site.

Qantas Airlines

I decided to fly Business Class from New York to Sydney with a 2-hour layover in Los Angeles. For me it was well worth the upgrade especially since my final destination was Adelaide, 26.5 hours from New York. With a Business Class ticket, I had privileges in the British Airlines Club in New York, American Airlines Club in Los Angeles and Qantas Airlines Club in Sydney. I thought the service was far superior compared to US-based carrier on international flights. Prior to and after 9/11, I found that the flight attendants on US-based airlines to be surly. The Qantas flight attendants were helpful and attentive.

I also experienced the same level of service on my 20.5 hour return from Sydney to New York.

Sydney International Airport

I arrived in the Qantas International Terminal in Sydney. The check-in for the domestic part of my flight was confusing. I had to claim my baggage after passing through Customs and proceed to a different part of the terminal to recheck it. I had to first find where domestic check-in was. Once I arrived there, I was very congested. I then had to go through security and then board a bus to Terminal 3 (Domestic).

Adelaide

I arrived in Adelaide and had approximately 4 hours before I had to board The Ghan. The driver that picked me up was very friendly and took me to the railway station to check-in. He then drove me around town for about 30 mins. before dropping me off the explore. Needless to say, I didn?t get a chance to do too much exploration in a few hours.

The Ghan

I thought The Ghan was excellent. I have never ridden an overnight train in the US and didn?t know what to expect. The passengers that I met were mostly Australians from Brisbane, Darwin and Melbourne. They were all very friendly and gave me advice on Australia. The hospitality assistants on the train were helpful as well. The breakfasts and 4-course dinners were excellent. The train also has a lounge car where people gathered to socialize.

The train stops in Alice Springs the next day for 4 hours. A side trip to Alice Springs Desert Park or Alice Springs is provided.

The train also stops in Katherine on the second day for 4 hours before heading to Darwin. A side trip to Katherine or an optional side trip to Katherine Gorge is provided.

The only downside of the 2 day and 2 night trip was that I found it hard to sleep. The side-to-side rocking of the train made it difficult for me to sleep. I got my best sleep whenever the train had to pull off onto a siding and wait for the freight trains to pass us.

Darwin

I only spent the night in the Crowne Plaza before flying to Cairns. It looked interesting though.

Silky Oaks Lodge (Mossman)

The driver who picked me up at Cairns International Airport and drove me to Silky Oaks Lodge was very friendly. She pointed out the Kuranda Scenic Railway and SkyRail as we drove pass it on our way to Silky Oaks. It took about 75 mins. to drive past Port Douglas to Mossman. I would later return to Port Douglas for the trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

Silky Oaks Lodge is a retreat with a spa. The lodge has 60 detached, semi-secluded tree houses and river houses. The retreat is landscaped in tropical plants that provide much of the seclusion. I stayed in a river house that overlooked the Mossman River. The rooms in the river house are rather large with a large bathroom that includes a whirlpool and shower that sprays lots of water overhead.

Breakfast and dinner are included. However, dinner reservations are required. One reason is that housekeeping has to know when the house is not occupied to turn down the bed and change the towels. The food is excellent. The cuisine at dinner is fusion style, but the retreat is willing to prepare just about anything.

This being a spa, I had a spa treatment and it was excellent. The change between water temperatures in the vishay shower is supposed to detach your mind from your body and make you feel good.

The package includes a Daintree Rainforest Tour by a local guide in a small 4WD vehicle. The tour also included a guided boat ride on the Daintree River where the guide pointed out wildlife and vegetation native to the river. I saw a 15-foot salt water crocodile cruising by the banks of the river. In the rainforest, the guide points out the wildlife and vegetation native to the rainforest. Watch out for the stinger plant!

Great Barrier Reef

I boarded the Quicksilver Jetcat with about 300 passengers. It takes just over an hour to reach Agincourt Reef where the jetcat moors next to a platform. Once on the platform, people can scuba dive, snorkel, etc. for 4 hours before the jetcat returns to Port Douglas. There are also optional helicopter tours of the reef. It seemed a bit crowded for my tastes and I would opt to take a smaller charter to the reef to dive in the future. However, Quicksilver is very safety conscious. In addition to safety in the water, they take multiple head counts before and after to ensure that no one is left behind.

Cairns

I stayed at the Hilton. This Hilton is about the same level of service as most Hiltons worldwide. I spent the day walking around Cairns. Cairns is a bit touristy with a large Japanese presence. From what I was told, it is a favorite vacation spot for the Japanese because it is about an 8 hour plane ride from Tokyo.

Kuranda Scenic Railway and SkyRail

My package included a day outing in Kuranda. The scenic railway is a train about 100 years old that goes up the mountain and overlooks Barron Falls. It is a picturesque ride that terminates in Kuranda one hour later.

Kuranda is a small town where there are many shops and places to see tropical birds and koalas.

The SkyRail is a gondola that travels back down the mountain. It is also picturesque. There are two stop on the descent where you can disembark and get a tour of the Barron Gorge area by a park ranger.

Sydney

I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel. I found the hotel and its staff to be very attentive. I was on the 13th floor and had a view of Sydney Harbor that included the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The room was of average size and well furnished. The pillows and bed were very comfortable. I had no problems sleeping here. The bathroom was about the size of a standard hotel bathroom but it was also well furnished. The fixtures were upscale. Nightly turndown service is by request. The buffet breakfast was excellent although pricey at $32 USD.

The package included luxurious harbor sailing in a 38? sailboat. The captain was excellent. He spent time cruising through the various bays describing the city skyline, mansions and marinas as well as pointing out Nicole Kidman and The Packer residences. We set anchor at this cove for a gourmet lunch before sailing back to Darling Harbor.

The package also included a day trip to the Blue Mountains. On the drive to the Blue Mountains, we stopped at Featherdale Wildlife Park to see kangaroos, koalas, etc. However, that day turned out to be misty and the mist was so low that I was unable to see the 3 Sisters and other scenic vista. We walked through the forest and looked at the wildlife and vegetation. An excellent lunch was provided at a Botanical Garden. On the return trip to Sydney, we stopped at Olympic Park.

Of course, I also did some touristy things in Sydney like going up Sydney Tower, etc.

Well, I hope this helps anyone who is thinking about going to Australia.

Australiabound

australiabound,

Glad you had a wonderful time. How was your compartment on the Ghan. is it large enough to relax in during the day if one wants some quiet time away from other passengers. We will traveling on it's counterpart the Indian Pacific in a few weeks doing the trek from Sydney to Perth and like you I have never slept on a train before.

You also mention the constant movement making it difficult for you to sleep. Did this cause any motion sickness at all. I am very sensitive to rocking etc. so just wondered how it was.

Will also be staying at the Intercontinental in Sydney and I'm glad the service, rooms etc. was fine.

Hi DJE,

I did not get any motion sickness. It's the bouncing up and down like a boat not side-to-side that give people motion sickness. You might want to take some medication with you just in case.

The double room has 2 bunks, one on top and one on bottom. It is small but not that small. Most people on the train leave the door open to give the illusion that the room is bigger. You can always close it for privacy.

I was going to take the Indian Pacific but the scenery doesn't change much through most of the country heading west-east or east-west. I opted for The Ghan because the scenery changes from desert to tropics heading south-north. Besides, The Ghan is 2 days versus 3 days on the Indian Pacific. I wanted to use the extra day for something else.

Hope that helps.

Australiabound

Hello to DJE..hope you don't mind my butting in. Just thought I'd let you know I've travelled on GHAN and Indian Pacific..The compartments are not huge but by day the top bunk folds away leaving the bottom bunk to be used as a settee..when we didn't feel like socialising we used to sit and talk, read , play cards etc and the conductor seemed to be quite often arriving with tea and coffee etc. You will enjoy especially crossing the Nullabor you can look out he window, sleep all night and wake up to the same scenery!

Thank you both for your responses. I was just a bit concerned about the motion of the train but it sounds like it will be fine. Another question regarding luggage. Is the compartment large enough to handle one regular sized suitcase and a smaller carry on. Also is casual attire ( not jeans ) appropriate for dining in the evenings. Thanks.

Hi DJE,

The room is small. What Great Southern Railway recommends is that a small carryon be brought aboard. The rest of your baggage can be stored in the baggage car. However, any bagagge stored in the bagagge car will not be available until the end of the trip. You may possible be able to bring a second carryon aboard but it all depends upon how big it is and how much bagagge your bringing with you on your trip.

The dress code is very casual for dinner. I have seen people with shorts at dinner. Jeans are acceptable.

Australiabound

australiabound,

Thanks for the additional info. We only have the one suitcase and a much smaller hardcase that holds shoes etc. so we really need to be able to have both cases with us in our compartment as it will be the 3 overnights. They won't have anything to store for us so I hope this won't be a problem to have these in our cabin.

This may not be a timely reply, but my wife and I just returned from an Australia vacation, which included a full day "snorkeling" trip with Quicksilver to the Agincourt reef. Having already snorkeled many times in Hawaii, and having heard that the Great Barrier Reef has some of the best snorkeling in the world, we had high hopes. Needless to say, we were very disappointed. There were about 300 people on the boat, and probably about 200 chose to snorkel. However, the confined space about the size of 2 or 3 swimming pools with hundreds of arms and legs flailing and virtually no fish and hardly any colorful coral at all left a bitter taste in our mouths. And this cost us almost $200 a person. Of course, having never been to Australia before, and figuring Qantas, who booked our tour, wouldn't steer us wrong (they booked 3 other tours for us and all of those were great), we figured Quicksilver would be a fun experience. In retrospect, we should have waited until we got to Queensland, and then chosen a tour with a smaller boat. I certainly wouldn't recommend Quicksilver to anyone!

Oh dear, Oakland, am sorry to hear of your experience but if you'd read reef trip recommendations on this board, or even asked a local, you would have found many more suitable for you alternatives. Wavelength, which takes only 28 people and goes to three pristine reef sites out Port Douglas is recommended here time after time. The 3 largest cats out of Port Douglas and Cairns are Quicksilver (PD), Sunlover and Great Adventures (both out of Cairns) - they all take 300+ - of course there are many smaller reef trips out of Cairns as well.

Both Oakland and Australiabound have demonstrated the advisability of not booking a tour "sight unseen", but of instead waiting until you arrive, to get a "feel" of the place. Regarding the Blue Mountains tour, there is not the slightest doubt that, on the day that Australiabound took the tour, the organisers knew that the mountains would be so fogged in that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face -- it doesn't happen often, but it happens in pretty predictable weather conditions. So why did the tour proceed? Well, you know the reason, don't you? It's the same reason that drives a Barrier Reeef tour operator to take 300 people out to a small area and let them splash around like a school swimming carnival at the local pool.... hardly what you came to see: hundreds of white legs sticking under the water!(I hope you mentioned this to Qantas, who really ought to scrub this from the list of tours they handle).

Again, I would advise people planning a trip to the Blue Mountains to travel by public transport on a day of THEIR choosing, AFTER they are in possession of all the necessary weather information, and book one of the tours AFTER they arrive in Katoomba (if, in fact, you must be guided around -- actually, it's easy to do it yourself). And a very good idea would be to ring the station master at Katoomba Station from your Sydney hotel room at 7:30 in the morning to get his assessment of the weather. If it's fogged in, postpone for another day!

Glad that the majority of the trip went well! Also, nice to hear a good report on the Intercontinental; about eight months ago it received a tremendous drubbing from someone who couldn't find anything to like about it, from the car park on in. Maybe they've lifted their game! (I hope you were looking at a view of the Harbour Bridge while you were tucking into that $32 breakfast -- by any standards, that's a meal designed for the tourist trade! Probably priced to get some of the money back that they lost after Fodor's people read the earlier negative assessment and cancelled their bookings!)