suggest an Australia itinerary for me
 

planning on about 4 weeks in Oz...Sydney, Melbourne, & GBR area are what we want to focus on. Mostly site seeing, (we aren't divers).
Any suggestions as to where to start and how long in each area. How's the drive from Sydney to Melbourne?
We figured we'd have to fly to Cairns to see GBR, but thought we could drive to Melbourne from Sydney. Any help would be appreciated.

The GBR is not just a place for divers. You can take glass bottom boats, semi subs, underwater viewing rooms, snorkle, stick a mask on and just view to underwater world while sitting on something, Enjoy the rain forest, take a night tour of the Heritage listed rainforest and check out the wild-life. Visit the lava tubes, go on a croc spotting trip, fly or go by boat out to one of the islands plus a lot more- and that is just for the area around Cairns.
Why Melbourne and not say, Tasmania?
You don't say when you are coming and that makes a difference on where we suggest you go.
You gotta give us some help before we can help you.

Sorry, coming in March,2004...dates are very flexible for us. Could come sooner in Feb or later in April, but in that time frame.

March is a great time weather wise. Summer is over - well neally anyway and the GBR would be great at that time. Nowhere is too cold either. Tasmania is lovely then too as are most parts of Australia.
Go to Melbourne but don't forget our little treasure with Tasmania - so much to see and do and such as little place.
As I said somewhere else read Bill Bryson's book and then make some plans. I think he gives a great overview from an American perspective and with a great deal of wit as well. Also when you want information about a specific place do a seach of this site for previous answers which will give you a lot of information.
Have fun planning

My first trip to OZ was in '88 for 5 weeks. It started at Cairns (GBR) and then to Brissy (Brisbane) by plane (for the worlds fair), then to Melbourne by plane, Adelaide by train, and Alice Springs by train (the Ghan). I caught up with a tour group for 13 days in the outback (WONDERFUL) at Ayres Rock and traveled by bus with 42 Aussies to Darwin.

After Darwin, I flew to Sydney for my last few days. It was a wonderful tour of OZ and I learned a lot and met a wonderful bunch of great folks. I've been back 4 more times and have now visited all of the capitals, including Tassie!

If I were to go again for a month, I'd do Sydney for sure, GBR for sure (and I'm NOT a swimmer), and perhaps take the Indian Pacific once again from Sydney to Perth with a stopover in Adelaide. I've tried to climb Ayres Rock once and don't plan to do that again. I enjoyed Darwin very much as Kakadu is nearby. This is the place where the Croc Dundee movies were filmed.

I might also go back to Tassie to see a little bit more of that state. OZ is a wonderful vacation sight. I'm sure you will have a great time.

PS I would not go back to Melbourne either. It just didn't impress me all that much... sorry Melbournites. My trips have all been during our US summers (OZ winters). As my friend in Sydney says, on a winter day he can sit in shorts with the heater turned off and surf on his computer. If I do that in an ILLINOIS winter I'd either be crazy or dead! In other words, OZ winters are really not bad.