Sydney & Palm Cove in November
 

I will be travelling to Sydney for 6 nights followed by 4 nights in Palm Cove area. I would appreciate any suggestions you Fodorites might offer me.

Sydney:
Sydney Explorer Hop On/Off Bus
Harbour Bridge Climb, The Rocks & Circle Quay, Darling Harbour areas
Bondi-Coogie Beach Trail
Trip to Manly Beach

Possible Day trips:
Blue Mountain National Park and/or Hunter Valley Winery Tour

Would you recommend both day trips? If not which of the two would you recommend? Should we take a tour from Sydney or take the train followed by the Hop On/Off bus? Does anyone have recommendations of touring companies?

Palm Cove for 4 nights.
Any recommendations of boats out to the GBR? Snorkel or Dive? I have snorkeled frequently in the Caribbean but, never dove. The GBR might be the only place I would attempt to dive. Is 1 day enough to go out to the reef?
Any other recommendations in the area or day trips would be greatly appreciated.

Fodorites you have always been immeasurably helpful in planning my trips. I look forward to your responses

Be mindful of the jellyfish - November is stinger season, requiring protective suits and extra caution.

I can recommend Quicksilver day trip to Agincourt Reef. We left from Port Douglas but they do pick ups from Palm Cove.
It's a long way out there and $$$ but it was a bucket list experience so well worth it.
I was snorkelling, not diving. Quicksilver were very safety conscious which was good to see.

November is a lovely time to be in Sydney.

With 6 days, I'd do both the Blue MountainS and Hunter Valley or South Coast/ Southern Highlands as day / overnight trips.

Depending on your interests, there is plenty in the Blue Mountains & South Coast/ Southern Highlands to warrant a couple of days. As an alternative, you could extend the Blue Mountains trip to the Central West & go beyond the usual tourist track.

Have a look at your map & use google maps or Rome2Rio to see locations, distances,travel methods & times.

Personal preferences & capabilities influence our choices - mine is towards independent travel & I would rent a car. You will need to do that or take a tour for the Hunter Valley.

I can't advise you on tours, but google and others here may have some recommendations. There is certainly a range for all the regions I've mentioned.

Heed Gardyloo's warning about stingers! The snorkeling boats will provide stinger suits for free or for a small charge and you have to wear them. If you want to swim at the beach, you will have to get a stinger suit AND swim within the stinger nets.

As far as snorkel boats go--there's a wide choice. The boats depart from either Cairns or Port Douglas, so you will have to get yourself to either place or pay extra for a transfer. Boats range in size from those that carry hundreds of passengers and have ameneties like semi-submersibles and glass-bottom boat rides (Quicksilver and Reef Magic) to snorkel-only boats with a couple dozen passengers (like Wavelength). There are boats which offer introductory dives (generally for an additional charge) if you want to try that. I recommend you read some of the reviews of the various boats on Trip Advisor to find one that suits your style. My only advice would be to avoid going to Green Island for your snorkel/dive trip. The coral there is reputedly in poor condition.

A day trip on the GBR is usually sufficient for most people. Considering that you only have 4 days there, I would not try to do an overnight boat trip. Other day trips in the area include: Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge, Daintree National Park and Kuranda scenic train and/or Skyrail.

I hope you know they are nearly 2000 miles apart, and Palm Cove is going to be hot&humid in November.

Enjoy it, though, the fishing should be good, and cyclone season usually doesn't start until December.

Thank you all for your help. I was not aware of the stinger problem and will be mindful of wearing a suit.
Thanks for the suggestions.

In Sydney, the Spit Bridge to Manly walk is beautiful. You can take the ferry back to the city.

Hi, if you are looking for accommodation around Darling Harbour you can perhaps consider the Oaks Goldsbrough Apartments. Its safe and well known place and offers some pretty decent apartments. Worth a try.

What a coincidence, we are staying at Oaks Goldsbrough Apartments. Thanks