Good post - thanks Pat!

Mmmmmmmmmmm elaineobermann I think you have slipped into the "Ugly American" image without even trying too hard. Your comment " Well we missed a lot. Everything to them is just a short distance up the road. It isn't "just up the road". They will also tell you how to get somewhere, but they have no clue. A French tourist expressed that opinion to us, while we were in Port Douglas. We didn't believe her at first Then after that everybody was telling us where to go, but they really didn't know." Let me tell you that one thing that Australians do know is WHERE anything is in their own country and a lot of the time in other people's countries as well. Perhaps you didn't "listen" or you think you know better - how rude you sound with your overall comment that Australians " have no clue" and "really don't know" . Coming from one of the World's most geographically challanged people that is rich!
FYI Cairns is a port and a working city in that commerce and agriculture is its main reason for being. If you don't like that then, stiff, everywhere cannot be geared to tourists otherwise now that your dollar is stuffed and you cannot afford to go anywhere we would be as badly off as your country is and probably will be for the foreseeable future.
Just think a minute how insulting you are from out point of view. From someone from a country with some of the most ugly cities on this earth you are too much!

New Orleans has a rubbish beach as well.


Soooooooooooooshallow. are some horrid people,

As it takes ages to get to Ayers Rock, if you really want to see it and surrounds - do some Aboriginal guided tours. Quite interesting. Also fly out of there due North as you are already in the centre of Australia. You can then just go upwards to Kakadu and the gorges. Absolutely stunning (yes, I'm an Australian, so biased), but just look at the pictures. I've been to the Daintree and beyond. Walking the tree-top canopy at the Daintree is easy and spectacular. STaying there is good too, but you can go as far as Coconut Beach near Bloomfield. This is where the sea meets the rainforest,truly, and spectacular sunsets. Can do night tour to look at bugs that glow in the dark etc. After this point, it is a very back-breaking bumpy drive for 4-6hours in a a 4wheel drive to get to the tip. Great to say you've done it...but...if take a helicopter out of Cairns or Port Douglas if you really want to visit the tip.
As Australia is vast, look at taking small aircraft (4-6-12 seaters) to travel across the top and any other points of interest. Weigh up the cost. It could be worth it.
Don't do the Sunlander.
Do go to Hamilton Island and stay and snorkle. As Hamilton has an airport it is a good place to arrange small plane flights. Check it out. Another good place to snorkle the Barrier Reef is on a big, commerical boat out of Port Douglas. I snorkled there. The trip is only for a couple of hours so it was a bit short.
Australia is huge, so it always makes you decide..do I go North or do I go south and take in Melbourne and TAsmania. Bushwalking in Tasmania is spectacular and travelling along the river system. But Kakadu up North is also spectacular. You have to choose I'm afraid. You will love it all it is so diverse. Enjoy.

Hi Susie,

I think you've got quite a good itinerary to suit your interests.
Just a couple of thoughts:

Central Australia - April is a great time to go and if you could tweak an extra day or so, I'd be tempted to add Alice Springs to your Uluru & Kata Tjuta leg. http://en.travelnt.com/explore/alice-springs.aspx

It's interesting from historic,cultural & environmental aspects. Architecturally, the original hospital just off Todd Mall, is well worth seeing. School of the Air, Royal Flying Doctor give a glimpse of life in the outback today. The Desert Park has a wonderful collection of Australian natives, including many indigenous to Central Australia.

Depending on your inclination/budget/timing - you could drive (about 4 hours) or fly to Uluru.

If you can, go to the Cultural Centre at Yulara first. It's an excellent source of information on the area; has a very good interactive exhibition and collection of Aboriginal artefacts.
You can arrange to join a guided walk with an Aboriginal guide and/or rent a car and drive yourself/join a tour.

Whichever you choose, I am sure you have the vision, wit, acuity & sensitivity to see what many thousands of visitors & Australians regard as a unique part of Australia. It's a good thing that some others are aware of their limitations and stay away.

Take a jacket/coat as it can be very cold early mornings & nights. And Rid/Bushmens insect repellent, hat, sunscreen & lots of water.

If you decide to rent a car, book it in advance because there are a limited number available, as you'd expect.

Qantas (QF) has direct flights Sydney - Alice Springs (0955 - 1250) and Alice to Uluru (1355- 1445). Leaving Uluru, make sure you're on a direct flight to Cairns. Qantas' budget subsidiary (QF1854) leaves 1525 - ETA 1825

Whitsundays: Suggest you fly out of Hamilton Island (more flights than Proserpine) QF has a direct flight to Sydney 1455 - 1710. Those "white sand" beaches in the Whitsundays are mostly coral. Whitehaven is the sandy one.

Adelaide/Kangaroo Island - you don't have time & will see plenty of wildlife in the FNQ (Far North Queensland) hinterland, Daintree & Cape York.

I love Melbourne, but unless the weather closes you out of some of your FNQ /Whitsunday activities & you re-schedule, I don't see that you have the time, really.

elaineobermann - Oct 14 at 11:40am: "We hadn't any interest in seeing Uluru. It is a long way out there and there is nothing to see but the monolith."

If you didn't go, how do you know this to be true? Of course, one has to have the ability to appreciate an ancient landscape, indigenous traditions and many other subtleties of Central Australia. Or at least to be curious enough to find out.

Your assessment and that of your travel agent may well have been correct - nothing there for you to see. Central Australia doesn't appeal to everyone, but damning what you haven't seen or experienced does not do much for your credibility.

Has your travel agent been there? They saw nothing either?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of Australia, but let's just inject a fact or two, shall we?

SMOKING: "Sydney is loaded with young people like yourselves. I mean really loaded. Everybody is into jogging. The only problem is that they all smoke. The smoke was really bothersome too. Sydney-ites look skinny and healthy. They can't be though with all their smoking"

FACT: 19% of Australians smoked in 2008 and the figure is decreasing. http://www.dassa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=118.

One cannot smoke in restaurants, hotels, clubs, public buildiings, airports, shops, theatres, cinemas, shopping centres, offices or any other indoor venue which does not have a designated smoking area. It is also banned on some beaches, in all forms of public transport; in seated areas of outdoor sporting venues and within a proscribed distance from schools.

Begs the question as to where you were to be so bothered by all these smokers. One can only suppose you have not travelled in Europe, South or Central America.

OTC MEDICATIONS & DOCTORS: "Make sure you take any kind of cold medicine or regular day to day meds with you. Meds are in short supply. It is hard to find a doctor over there also. "

What nonsense - cold & flu, headache & many other over-the-counter medications are sold in supermarkets, convenience stores as well as in pharmacies/chemists. Your husband could have bought cold tablets at the Hamilton Island supermarket or pharmacy.

There are Medical Centres and/or Doctors in private practice all over the cities, metropolitan suburbs & all regional centres. Where was it that you had difficulty finding a Doctor?

" It is terribly prohibitive to get sick over there and have to be flown back to the U.S."

It is prohibitively expensive to be flown home as a medical emergency from anywhere in the world. At least the Australian medical system is not as expensive as the US, as no doubt you would have noted by the cost of your husband's Doctor's appointment.

Elaine,
I am glad you had some pleasant experiences in Australia also though.

When one has specific expectations despite failing to do one's homework, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Your agent is not the first person unable to 'see' Australia, not because of lack of eyesight but lack of knowledge. Next time get yourself a local guide and recommend to her she does too. I am heading out to the Great Victoria Desert soon and am a little sad that I'll only have a few days. So much to see!

Some people are not very good at giving directions but some are also very poor at listening to them and yet others don't ask properly through ignorance of local geography or custom. A little tip for anywhere in the world, "How will I know if I've gone too far?" In many languages, including this one, the word, 'right' can be used idiomatically to mean 'straight' rather than the opposite of left.

Alan you are a nice person and diplomatic too but I am glad to see that Bokhara picked up on the issues that I did not address, particularly regarding "OTC MEDICATIONS & DOCTORS".
I could ask that poster if she thought that all medications are called the same in all countries. For instance we do not have Tylenol, (sp??) unless of course it has been introduced with that name in very recent times, but we have another product which has exactly the same ingredients but a different name, that is what is called "generic" naming of drugs. Another instance where it could pay to "ask" a Chemist/ drugist ( you see we don't even call them the same here). As for doctors being difficult to see, what a crock of c..p. Our doctors and our hospitals are some of the finest in the World, they are also a lot cheaper than in the USA and will not bankrupt people with their fees.

Elaine, Elaine, Elaine! I'm afraid you've really stepped in it.

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

elaineobermann. I agree with the other posters.

Try using some paragraphs as well.

Bokhara2. You don't need to be able to appreciate indigenous culture to enjoy the outback.

Culture of any sort is at the bottom of my list of reasons to travel.

Each to their own.

SMOKING: "Sydney is loaded with young people like yourselves. I mean really loaded. Everybody is into jogging. The only problem is that they all smoke. The smoke was really bothersome too. Sydney-ites look skinny and healthy. They can't be though with all their smoking"

"FACT: 19% of Australians smoked in 2008 and the figure is decreasing. http://www.dassa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=118.

One cannot smoke in restaurants, hotels, clubs, public buildiings, airports, shops, theatres, cinemas, shopping centres, offices or any other indoor venue which does not have a designated smoking area. It is also banned on some beaches, in all forms of public transport; in seated areas of outdoor sporting venues and within a proscribed distance from schools.

Begs the question as to where you were to be so bothered by all these smokers. One can only suppose you have not travelled in Europe, South or Central America."


I wondered about elaineobermann's perception of smoking in Australia too - we don't seem to smoke as much here as some countries in Europe, especially given the prohibitive costs of smoking here. It then struck me that if you are walking through city streets, of course there is no smoking in offices allowed and everyone smokes on the street outside the building. It's very visible. I used to work in an office where the building was shared with an English-language school and all the students used to gather outside in big groups and have a ciggie. I was pregnant at the time and could only try to hold my breath as I picked through the smokers and their clouds of smoke. So if you are suddenly confronted with an image like that, of course you'd be thinking Australians smoke a lot, even if we don't think it too.

Lavandula

Or much of Asia, and Emirates where there are smoking restrictions in some areas, but nowhere nearly as strictly enforced as in Australia. I've seen smoking office workers clustered outside office buildings in streets of Manhattan, so this should hardly be a surprise in Sydney or Melbourne.

Not to mention the prohibitive cost of cigarettes here, a packet of 25 B&H filters where I live is $16.10. Anyone know the equivalent cost in US these days?

Hi, SusieR,

I would like to add my tuppence worth as a non-Australian who has had many wonderful trips and times in Australia over the last 22 years.

It is sad that elaineobermann had some disappointments that she felt she needeed to warn people about. I hope her next trip is a much more positive affair, organised through a travel agent who has experienced Australia and enjoyed her many faces.

Cairns is a great place to visit and relax. The Undarra Lava Tubes are worth a visit, and the Tablelands are amazing, to name just two of many places. Sadly I have still not managed to see a platypus in the wild, so will have to return for a third visit to try again!
We used Cairns as our base for day trips around, as well as enjoying nightly strolls along the boardwalk promenade. The cafes, etc along the Esplanade are a wonderful place to soak up the atmosphere of an interesting place.

In my opinion, Alice Springs is most definitely worth a visit combined with a trip to Uluru. We were there in July for a week, and loved it so much we are going back for another week next July.

Some years ago when in Adelaide we enjoyed a trip to Kangaroo Island but because of the distance to get there I would suggest leaving it out of your itinerary. There are many places in where you can see wild animals
I cannot comment on Sydney as I have not been there for over 20 years.

There are some very informative people amongst the responders to your message, some of whose advice I have taken. Use their collective knowledge to guide you.

Whatever you decide make sure you research the areas well, so you don't miss those things offered that are of most interest to you.

Dotty - high time for a return visit to Sydney! Some of the streets are paved now ;)

Something you might consider for next year's Alice Springs jaunt - a helicopter trip for a bird's eye view of some of the ranges & gorges. You can see a lot in a short time and it certainly gives a unique perspective.

Dotty you are the "Dotty" who visited me in Margate, Tasmania arn't you. If so, how are you and nice to hear that you have returned to OZ. Liz

Hey, Bokhara2 - Now that is great progress!!

As to the helicopter ride - would love to but hate anything smaller than a 747! We took the gondola from Mt Faber to Sentosa Island in Singapore in 1989, and I was a cot case when we landed. Even told the poor people sharing our space to stop moving!! I did take a 10-seater plane to Atiu from Rarotonga last year but needed valium to help me! I promise I will give it some serious thought as I know DH would love it.

Liz, sorry, I am not the person you know. Lamentably Tasmania and WA are the two states we have not yet visited. They are on the longterm plan, though probably now not for another 2 - 4 years.

Dotty, when you come back to the Tablelands I'll promise you a Platypus, guaranteed!

Suzie seems to be too busy planning her European Xmas to visit this thread.

Hi everyone,

A belated thank-you for your replies, which I'm going to read now.

AlanJG is correct - we decided to have a short break at Christmas so the planning for that trip was being prioritised!

Susie

I've now had chance to digest your very helpful replies and think we will miss out Adelaide and the Sunlander train and allocate an extra day to Ayers Rock or Alice Springs. See revised itinerary below!

I hadn't appreciated that 25th April was Anzac Day (although I knew it was Easter Sunday) or that 26th is a holiday. It will be a pity that things are closed but we will have to make the most of it! Also, we have a day there at the end of our trip.

I'll look into the Royal Easter Show, Cape York and the Atherton Tablelands in more detail. What's the name of the company that runs the glow-in-the-dark night tour in Bloomfield? That sounds interesting. And is there anywhere on our itinerary that we might be able to do a hot air balloon ride?

25, 26 April: Sydney [Anzac Day / National holiday]
27 April : Blue Mountains day trip [or do this on 26 April if not too jet-lagged?]
28 April: AM Fly from Sydney to Ayers Rock [3.5 hours]
29 April: Ayers Rock / Kata Tjuta National Park
30 April: Ayers Rock / Alice Springs
1, 2 May: PM fly to Cairns then bus to Port Douglas
3 May: Cape Tribulation
4, 5 May: Daintree Forest and Cape York Pensinsula
6 May: Great Barrier Reef boat trip?
7 May: Bus [or hire a car if the one-way rates aren't too bad] to Airlie Beach
8, 9, 10 May: Airlie Beach / Whitsundays
11 May: PM fly back to Sydney
12 May: Sydney
13 May: PM depart from Sydney

Hi Susie,

You can do a balloon ride at Uluru but I'm happy to recommend our young friend Ben who is a pilot for Hot Air at Cairns - www.hotair.com.au.

Having said that though I'm sure there are hot air balloons out of Sydney as well. It's a matter of personal preference.