Sydney and GBR itinerary and questions
 

Hubby and I are planning a trip for November for about 10 days or so. Anyone have any feedback or comments on the following initial itinerary?:<BR><BR>Sydney ~ 4 days, to include city sightseeing/tour & harbor cruise (1 day), day trip to Blue Mountains, day trip to Hunter Valley wineries, and 1 day for shopping/misc.<BR><BR>GBR ~ 4 days on Hamilton Island, to include snorkeling, day trip/excursion to another island, relaxing on the beach, and water activities.<BR><BR>Then we need a couple of days for arrival, departure, and traveling from Sydney to the GBR.<BR><BR>We also have a few other questions:<BR><BR>1. If we don't fly from Sydney to the GBR, how long does it take to drive (if we have extra days)? Or is there a train we can take to a coastal town and then a ferry or short flight to the island?<BR><BR>2. Is there a major international airport in the GBR, near Hamilton -- upon departure, is there a (direct) flight we can take back to CA where we won't have to fly back to Sydney first?

The drive or train to North Queensland from Sydney is very long, you'd be much better to fly. If you're expecting the Reef right at Hamilton Island you may be disappointed. The Island is close to the mainland and to get to the Reef you will need to take a day trip from there. <BR>The nearest international airport is Cairns - a good bit further north. <BR>Another option, if you're not hooked on staying on an island, would be to stay on the mainland in the Cairns area, say Port Douglas. You can access the Reef from here and also have more options for touring on the mainland, plus the international airport is close by.

We did a similiar trip last year (Sydney & Port Douglas) and I looked at a lot of alternatives for getting my family (5 adults) from Sydney to Carins (the nearest major airport). And what I ended up finding out was that we could get round-trip tickets to Carins (with a up to 99 day stop-over in Sydney) for the same price as our round-trip tickets to Sydney. So, basically we got our Carins flights for free, a much better option for us, versus driving a day & half each way or buying 5 Sydney-Carins tickets, etc. Maybe that could work for you as well, I know transportation is available from Carins to Hamilton Island.<BR><BR>BTW we had a wonderful time and I'm sure you'll love your trip also.

I read that on Heron Island you can walk out onto the reefs. Are there any other resort islands where you can do this?<BR><BR>I realize it is a long trip from Sydney to the GBR if we don't fly, but if we do have extra days, we were thinking about a drive or train so we could see more of the countryside. That aspect is lost if we fly.

I would definitely skip Hamilton Island. It is just like a big resort with a lot of hotels or condos. If I remember correctly the beach was mostly mud. Go to Port Douglas and make that your base at a place on the beach. You can make day trips to many places including Cairns with no problem. I am sure you will love the area. As for Heron Island - it is lovely but I didn't like the reef walking. I kept feeling as though I was killing something by stepping on it and it was hard to avoid doing that. Another thing, with your time being short, flying from Sydney to Cairns would work out better. You won't miss too much which you can save for another trip. I am sure you will want to make that other trip too. Oz is great.

We just came back from Australia. Our daughter lives in Manly and it is absolutely wonderful. We arrived Sydney 8 am on Friday morning, went to the Periwinkle, showered and then had a fabulous time with our daughter and friends and stayed up until about 10 that night. Saturday just vegged at the beach which is beautiful, Sunday, went to Blue Mountains..spectacular and Monday flew to Hamilton Islands. If you think Manly is heaven, you won't want to return from Hamilton Island. We want to sell everything in the states and move there!! The beach is unbelievably beautiful and definitely not muddy!!! and there is lots to do but you can do nothing also. The tour to Great Barrier Reef was outstanding and we had spectacular snorkeling and scuba diving. We stayed there for four nights then flew back to Sydney/Manly. We rented a car and drive to various places but really just played the rest of the vacation by ear. Of course, toured Syndey...Darling Harbour..Opera House...THE ZOO was great. Forget the wine tasting. You will get all the amazing Australian wine anywhere and the trip was long and boring. Actually, we didn't take it, but our friends did and told us to skip it. Definitely do the Blue Mountains. If you are like we are, don't overdo. There is just so much to see. Wait and schedule another trip another time. You will want to return, believe me. We had 12 days and saw plenty. We also had the advantage of having our daughter and friends living there so it really added to our holiday. Good luck and enjoy.

Hamilton Island has its own runway and flights go in there direct. The beach is not mud - its sand. <BR>What about flying from Sydney to Brisbane and then driving up to the Whitsundays ( where Hamilton is). The only drawback about that is that the drive from Rockhampton to Mackay is about as boring as you can get. Alternatively do the drive from Sydney - Brisbane and then fly either to Hamilton or further up to Cairns. Some flights to the Whitsundays go into Prosepine where you get a bus into Airley Beach and out to the Islands. Plenty of tranfers to wherever you want. <BR>The Sydney - Brisbane drive would be nice and takes about 12 hours with short breaks so you can work on that time. <BR>Another alternative is to fly to Brisbane and get the rail motor from Brisbane to Rockhampton. This is a particularly nice train trip through some lovely countryside. It takes about 8 or 9 hours and you have aeroplane seats with food and bar service coming through the train. Alternatively there is the Sunlander train which will do the same thing for you and you could get it right up to Prosepine. The Sunlander is a convential train and I think you would need to book a sleeper for that trip, but of course that is well worth it. So remember that the rail motor only goes to Rockhampton and the Sunlander goes right up to Cairns. Booking early is very important on the Sunlander particularly because its part of the service of one free trip per year for Senior Citizens for Queenslanders and of course everyone avails themselves of that whenever possible. However November should be quieter.<BR>For information on Train travel you would need to contact Queensland Tourism Board I should think, though I am going on what was available back in the pre-computer days.

Just took a look myself and here is the train information for Queensland <BR>http://qroti.bit.net.au/traveltrain/<BR>Mind you the train from Sydney - Brisbane is nice too.