MC04

I'm looking at doing a solo trip to Australia mid Nov to early Dec - probably 25 days in total. This will be my first major trip by myself but I'm not really interested in joining a formal, "escorted" tour since I like to set my own schedule. Being female (early 30s) I'm a little concerned about safety and prefer to stay in clean, safe, reasonably quiet motels/hotels rather than hostels. I'm thinking about a week each in Sydney, Cairns/Port Douglas area and Melbourne (flying between each city). My initial plans include snorkelling the reef, a tour of the Daintree, Kuranda (maybe?), the Great Ocean Road and Phillips Island (Melbourne), hiking in the Blue Mountains and sightseeing in Sydney. Would a few extra days in either Brisbane or Tasmania be worthwhile (without blowing my budget)? What is the best way to explore the Blue Mountains if I want to do some hiking - organized day tour or taking the train and bus from Sydney? I keep hearing that December gets hot and humid (which I'm not used to in Canada) and hope that my plans are realistic for that time of year. Any other itinerary or hotel suggestions would be greatly appreciated! For hotels my budget can accomodate AU$100 to $140 a night but they need to be near good public transportation or within walking distance of the sights since I won't have a car (and preferably in a safe neighbourhood).

Thanks!

Alan

Hi, MC04!

Lots of questions here -- but first, yes, I think you could well spend a few days in either Brisbane (nice town, sunny, slower pace of life than the other cities you've chosen) and Tasmania (a bit of a relief from the heat of the rest of Australia; Melbourne, in particular, has a difficult summer, and I think a week there may be too long).

The best way to explore the Blue Mountains would be to take a train to the lower Mountains (maybe Valley Heights), rent a car (there's a rental car company right at the station; to be honest, there's not much else at the station at Valley Heights!) and drive. To places like Euroka Clearing at Glenbrook, Echo Point at Katoomba, Blackheath and Govett's Leap, and even Jenolan Caves. There are many, many interesting walks to go on, ranging from an hour or so to a couple of days. Practically every township west of Valley heights has such a walk, and the locals will be glad to direct you. You will see lots of waterfalls and tree ferns, but not much wild life (except for Euroka Clearing, which is only accessible by road -- you can't walk in from the train).

If you don't fancy driving on the "wrong" side of the road, then stay on that train all the way to Katoomba. Get a couple of maps from the Tourist Information Office at the station. From there hop on the trolley which takes in all the major scenic spots in the area. Get on and off as you please. Make sure you take at least one walk down into the valley. The easiest walk is down the Giasnt Stairway at Echo Point.... because when you get down there, you don't have to walk all the way up again. You can walk along the valley floor for twenty minutes (or longer, if you please.... there are numerous well-signposted trails)and come upon the lower platform of the Scenic Railway, which will take you back to the top in five minutes (You won't, of course, finish up where you went down, but if you're not driving, that isn't a problem. The trolley will stop where you come out, too.)

Yes, December is hot -- even in the Blue Mountains. Not always hunmid, however -- that depends on where in Australia you will be spending your time (Melbourne is more hot and dusty). You'd be wise to stay fairly close to the coast, where the sea breezes keep things temperate. Wear a hat and sunscreen.... you will be shocked at how easily you will burn.

You are coming at a peak time, so accommodation prices will be higher than at most times of the year. However, you should find plenty of places within your budget, and, if you want, I can suggest a few specifics. As a general rule, since you are, rightly so, concerned about safety, when in Sydney do NOT consider any hotels which are situated in King's Cross, Pott's Point, or Rushcutter's Bay (they're all just synonyms for King's Cross, in the hotel world; and that means sex and drugs). Also, stay away from the Darlinghurst/Wentworth Avenue area. These are not really dangerous places -- Sydney is really a fairly safe city, compared to most places in the world -- but they are dark and just a bit creepy when it's late.

Hope this has at least started the ball rolling... good luck with your planning!

alice13

Hello MC,
Your overall itinerary sounds great and you will have a fabulous time. It's your choice to stay in hotels/motels and who am I to demur. But you will perhaps miss out on one of the pleasures of travelling and that is meeting other folk.

Don't worry too much about safety - just don't do here what you wouldn't do at home - simple as that. Australia is an absolute doddle to travel in - all laid on for you - but it's easier to plug into it all if you do stay in a hostel occasionally. That way you also get to enjoy the pleasure of meeting other travellers - some hostels are lovely - you just need to tailor your choice of which one to you own needs. I'm female, have travelled alone here and elsewhere. You are young - the best advice I can give you is to stay in a hostel once in a while, and not just for financial reasons.

Re itinerary - suggest some time at Cape Tribulation while you are up in FNQ. A week in MLB is too long IMHO out of 25 days - u could fly to Tassie for a few days (and that is where it is well worth hiring a car), and then return to Sydney on the ferry.

The Blue Mtns? Do you mean serious hiking?

MC04

Thanks for the tips so far - much appreciated since I'd had some leads on accomodation in Potts Point! I'll also rethink my position on hostels - my instinct was to avoid them because people I've known had bad experiences in Europe (theft etc.) and I figured I was getting a little old for them.

I'm not sure how I feel about driving on the other side of the road - is it hard to get used to? If you're driving a manual transmission does that mean your shifter and clutch switch sides too?

As for hiking in Blue Mountains I likely won't have time for any serious trekking but wouldn't mind doing a couple of short walks (maybe a couple of hours in length).

Thanks for the tip on Cape Trib - it sounds wonderful but I've heard that it gets washed out in the summer. I know that the weather over most of the country is a more moderate in October but the earliest I can get away from work is November 15th (unfortunately).

OneWanderingJew

Hi,
I spent a month on a semi-solo trip to Australia 3yrs ago. I visited friends in Sydney but pretty much the rest of the time I was on my own. Like you, I am a female in my 30s who had done some travelling on my own. I also pictured myself too old to stay in hostels so I stayed in hotels. In retrospect, I think I could've stayed in some hostels because I met up with some travelers my age. I'm not much of an escorted tour person myself but did take advantage of day trips on occasion for the mere convenience. Some places are just too hard to do on your own--and even if you can, you sometimes lose out on history/science/animal spotting, whatever...

I never, and I mean never, felt unsafe in any of the places I visited. I saw a lot; I spent time in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Kangaroo Is. (did a 2 day small group tour there which was outstanding) Darwin and Kakadu. Pt. Douglas and a night in Cairns. I liked it all although I must admit I liked Pt. Douglas a whole lot more than Cairns. That was a town where I felt old. Tons of backpackers in their late teens/early 20s and just not as special as Pt. Douglas.

I was there during the month of July so it wasn't brutally hot anywhere, but then except for the Blue Mtns. and Melbourne, it wasn't freezing either. Listen to Alan, he knows what places are going to be hot and crowded ;-)

Australia was the easiest of all my solo trips. The people are amazing, it's nice not to struggle with the language and it's not an overly expensive country in which to travel.

Have fun!
Debbie

lizF

May I suggest that in some places you stay in B&Bs. Having been an avid fan of the "specialness" of B&Bs and the fact that it is more like staying with friends than in a hotel I am sure you would get a lot from that and not feel lonely or left out.
There are lots of different modes of accommodation depending on where you are in Australia. I was driving through Southport the other day ( near Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast ) and was amazed at the quality of a particular back-packers hostel. Not only did it look more like a 4 star hotel it had transport laid on and was lovely and clean, close to everything and really modern.
There are also the hotels which serve beer ( as opposed to hotels that are for accommodation only ) which also have cheap, clean and comfortable rooms. Take a look at some of those hotels and ask to look at the accommodation first as they don't mind. You can usually get a room for about $40 single and that can save you money which you can splurge on other things.
One particular great hotel like this is one that I have recommended a number of times and that is in Urunga - 17 klms south of Coff's Harbour in NSW. right on the coast with everything you might need. Prices are from Au $25 per night and they have a website which you can look up to see what a pub accom. is like.
Then a lot of Caravan parks have cabins. This again is a great way to stay as they are abou $60 per night and often the facilities there are just as good as any more expensive resort.
No problem, as others have said, with safety and being on your own. Just don't do anything you would not do at home.
Have a great holiday and I am sure that you will get "adopted" by someone else doing exactly the same!

Alan

Hi, MC04!

If you are going to stay in youth hostels, you should make sure they are upmarket ones -- some of the YHAs are excellent by any standards (I'll bet Liz's one in Southport was one of these), but I have seen some private ones which don't look at all well-run and which I would not recommend (e.g. one in King's Cross, another in George St Sydney, near Chinatown).

If you do stay at a youth hostel, here are two beauties:

in Sydney, Central Station Youth Hostel (YHA). Pricier than many, but the quality and location are a big plus. A grand old building nicely retored, main railway station opposite.

In the Blue Mountains (at Katoomba), Blue Mountains Youth Hostel, 207 Katoomba St. Nicely placed about half-way between the shops/station and Echo Point (where all the scenery is). A 1930s National Trust building, nicely restored. Directly opposite a swank hotel which probably charges four times the price... boy, they must have been angry when the YHA bought the old building across the street!

At each of these expect to pay $AUD60 a night if you want a room to yourself, $AUD25 if you want a dorm bed. Both are close to supermarkets where you can stock up on food and cook for yourself, which I found a BIG plus last year in Europe, when we stayed exclusively in youth hostels (YHAs)in Great Britain -- and, at 62, I'm a few years older than you!

You have received some excellent advice from the posters above, and I think you should have a great holiday. Good luck!

Kimbis

I second the recommendation for B&Bs and would add "boutique hotels" as well. I stayed at Lilybank near Cairns and loved it. (Not close to town,but walking distance to restaurants ... and downtown Cairns isn't such a much anyway. All the tours pick you up at the gate in any case.) In Sydney I stayed at a place called Simpson's of Potts Point. I'm a 40-something woman traveling alone, and if it doesn't scare ME you should be able to handle it. Lilybank was like staying with good friends. Simpson's was like staying with rich relatives.

MC04

Thanks for the tips everyone - they are really helpful! I'm starting to get pretty excited about this whole trip.

Judy_in_Calgary

Hello MC04,

You have received good advice.

Although the steering wheel will be on the right hand side of the car over there, the positions of the gas pedal, brake and clutch stay the same in relation to each other.

The handles for operating the windshield wipers and turning signal usually are the other way round, though. If you're like me, you'll spend the first couple of days turning the windshield wipers on when you want to signal a turn.

Also, you're not allowed to turn on a red light there.

I found it really easy to drive on the lefthand side of the road in the countryside. I found it difficult in the cities, at first. But then Australian cities are not convenient for driving anyway. They have heavy traffic, and parking is difficult to find and / or expensive.

Given that the public transporation systems inside of the cities are good, it really makes sense to use public transportation in urban areas.

In Far North Queensland, the pros and cons of renting a car are somewhat even. It's not difficult to drive, because a lot of the driving is through the countryside. On the other hand the snorkelling trips to the Great Barrier Reef, the guided day tours of the tropical rainforest, etc., all pick you up from your accommodation if you wish.

You can explore the rainforest on a self-drive basis, but it really adds to the fascination to have someone explain the ecosystem to you.

I'll post another message with thoughts about your itinerary.

Judy_in_Calgary

Suggest you start in the north and work your way southwards, as that will help you to make the best of the weather.

When you plan the distribution of your time, take into consideration the travel time to and from Australia, and the flying time from one destination within Australia to another. Oz is the same size as the Lower 48 States, so distances are considerable.

Sydney to Cairns is 3 hours' flying time, for example. When you take into consideration your driving time to the airport in Sydney, your waiting time at the airport, the flight itself, collecting your luggage at the other end, and transferring to your accommodation, it likely will be mid-afternoon before you can go for a walk on the beach.

If you are flying from one city to another, a good chunk of the day on which you fly will be eaten up by travel.

By the way, if you choose not to rent a car and you choose to stay in Port Douglas, remember to book a shuttle for the trip from the airport to your accommodation.

Given your timeframe, I would recommend against Brisbane. I really liked Brisbane, but there are other places that are ahead of Brisbane on the priority list, in my opinion.

I think 6 days is a good amount of time for Far North Queensland. Try to do your GBR outing on your first full day there. In the event of windy weather that doesn't allow the boats to go out, you can switch to a land based activity that day, and try for the GBR later. If you leave the GBR till the end, you don't have any wiggle room.

A day in the rainforest, especially the section from the Daintree River to Cape Tribulation, is very special.

The ride up the escarpment to Kuranda is nice, but I wish I had done an overnight trip to the Undara Lava Tubes. Aside from the fact that the Lava Tubes are interesting in their own right, the drier terrain you get into once you've climbed the escarpment would give you a sense of Queensland's enormous variety, and would give you a hint of what the Outback is like.

And how about Playing Post For A Day (riding in a small plane with the mailman while he delivers the mail to small Outback towns)? Kimbis, weren't you the traveller who took up Pat Woolford's suggestion of doing that when you stayed at Lilybank B&B?

FNQ also provides opportunities for seeing native Australian animals, Aboriginal culture, etc.

More itinerary stuff coming......

Judy_in_Calgary

It would be ideal to have 5 days for the Sydney area (3 full days for Sydney itself and a couple of days for the Blue Mountains).

I haven't been to Tasmania, but I have heard so many great things about it since I've come to Fodors that I have acquired a yearning to see it. It's supposed to have a wonderful combination of scenery, wildlife, history and other super stuff. From what I can gather, it would be a shame to spend anything less than 7 days in Tasmania.

In the timeframe that you have, I think Melbourne is iffy. I lived in Melbourne for 2.5 years, and am really fond of it. But again, we return to your timeframe, and we have to look at everything in light of that.

If you do go to Melbourne, it's a shame to spend less than 4 days there, in my opinion. You need a day for the city itself, a couple of days for the Great Ocean Road, and a day for the Dandenong Ranges and Yara Valley to the east of the city.

If you do go to Melbourne and do drive the GOR, I highly recommend doing that yourself in a rented car. As I said before, I found driving to be easy outside of the cities.

If you take up my timing suggestions re FNQ, Sydney and Tasmania, and factor in flying time amongst them, you'll really only have a couple of days left over.

I think a better use of those couple of days would be a visit to Canberra. I've never been there, but it's another city whose charms I've come to appreciate vicariously since I've been at Fodors. It sounds like a very interesting city indeed, and it's not that far from Sydney.

Hope that helps.

magimay

Another suggestion is to join a hospitality club so you can stay with locals. We live in Darwin and we're members of SERVAS, www.servas.org and www.hospitalityclub.org and www.globalfreeloaders.com. At the moment globalfreeloaders is having a problem with their site. We've been members since 2000 and we've hosted travellers from many European countries, USA, Canada and every other Australian state. Every experience has been positive and enjoyable and we've made many, many friends.

magimay

I meant to say, you should find members of all these organisations in every state in Australia. It's expected that you only stay 2 nights with each host, so if you were able to organise several different stays it would give you a look at places through the eyes of locals, a much different perspective to that of most travellers.

magimay

How could I forget to mention http://www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk/ another organisation with members throughout Australia. For some people it's a daunting thought contacting someone they don't know and enquiring about staying with them. The reason anybody joins these organisations as a host is because they want to meet people from other parts of the world and they are thrilled when they are contacted by travellers. If a host is unable to help with accommodation, it's not a rejection of the traveller, it's just not convenient at that time. Sorry to be so longwinded about this, it's just that we've had such good experiences that I'm keen to spread the word about this form of travel.