Hi - We'll be coming to Australia on a tour beginning the first week of November. We have 2 "leisure" days in Sydney and in Melbourne. Any suggestions of great things to do? ( The tour will provide a 1/2 day "city tour" )<BR> Thanks

2 days in Melbourne including a half-day city tour! Not enough.<BR>Depends what you like, museums, art galleries, shopping, scenery etc.<BR>A full day I can recommend would be to hire a car, drive from Melbourne to Sorrento following the coastline, take the ferry across to Queenslciff, wander round that historic town then drive back to Melbourne via Geelong.

2 days in Melbourne is OK but 2 days in Sydney is no time to see anything at all. You need about one week in Sydney as its not been voted the World's best destination for nothing. <BR>

Hi and thanks for your thoughts. That Melbourne drive sounds nice. Someone told me about the Bridge Climb in Sydney. Any thoughts about that?

Hi, Sandy!<BR>Just one thought on the Bridge Climb... do it! Everyone seems to vote it as one of the highlights of their trip. For best effect, do it in the late afternoon, so that Sydney turns from day to night while you are up there. Then, when you come down, spend the evening at a concert in the Opera House.<BR>As one of the posters above said, two days isn't much for any city, but Sydney is a fairly small area to cover (someone on this forum once took me to task for saying that, and pointed out that it goes for about forty km in three directions, but most of this is dormitory suburban area which you wouldn't want to visit... the "sights" are all easily walkable in a few hours) and you can, actually, do a lot in two days. Sleep as close to the Rocks area as you can get, and you won't waste any time travelling to the sights. You will need a couple of hours to walk around the Rocks, and then it would be worth your while walking around the harbour to the Opera House (buy your tickets in advance), and then go up through the Botanical Gardens to Macquarie Street (several historic and important old buildings) and Hyde Park. St Mary's Cathedral, with its newly-erected spires, is opposite the park and is worth a quick look-in. If you still have any energy left, you could stroll through Sydney's two main department stores, Grace Bros and David Jones, and from there go through the grand old Queen Victoria Building... some nice eateries on the lowest floor. At the western end of the Queen Victoria is the Town Hall, and underneath is a subway that will take you back to the Rocks in a few minutes (two stops). There's your first day gone.<BR>On Day Two, take a few ferry rides around the harbour... maybe to Manly or Darling Harbour (stop at the Aquarium) or Watson's Bay (a great seafood restaurant at the pier for a picturesque lunch), or even all three, as you can buy a Day Rover pass which will let you ride for a full day for around $AUD13. Make sure you're back in time for that Bridge climb and the evening at the Opera House. I guess that if that's the end of your stay, you've missed a lot of great sights, but you have seen a lot, too. Have a wonderful time!

Alan - Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your reply was terrific. You really gave me great suggestions. The Bridge Climb is going to be a definite for us. Thanks again.

Sandy, Alan is right on althrough we spent 6 days in Sydney wishing we had more time there but you can see a lot in a short period. Downtown Sydney is an easy walk. The walk he describes is great & is easy. As you go you spend time in each place such as maybe a brew in an atmospheric pub in The Rocks, etc. We added to the stroll, he describes, a walk to Harry's on Wheels, a short diversion from the park. The Royal Botanical Gardens are absolutely beautiful. We stayed at the Rydges Wentworth Hotel on Phillips Street. We thought it was a great location. The Royal Botanical Gardens and Macquarie Street were one block away, Hyde Park, Queen Victoria Bldg, etc were just down the street, & Circular Quay was just a short stroll (around the corner from the hotel you could see the water). You do what you can with the time you have & Alan lays out a good plan. You will love Sydney & I bet you go back for another taste later. As for Melbourne we stayed at the Rydges Melbourne on Exhibition Street just around the corner from Chinatown. The parliament buildings & gardens are nearby. We were most impressed with the Shrine of Rememberance & that surrounding area. In Australia they do great honor to their military veterans - it was very impressive. I don't know were else your tour will take you but I know one thing where ever you go in Australia you will have fun. Do the tour this time & next time I recommend you do it on your own. Australia's absolutely an easy place to navigate and you will find the people very friendly & helpful folks.

Hi Bill - Thanks for your reply and for seconding Alan's suggestions as well as offering your own about Melbourne. The tour we're on will be 22 days in New Zealand and Australia and we hit many of the main tourist sites, but there is built in time to "relax" in Sydney and Melbourne. We're not relaxing types when we tour. (We save that for the beaches of the Caribbean or Mexico.) I think we're going to have a wonderful trip. Thanks again.

MELBOURNE<BR>I love the Dandenong Ranges and a ride on Puffing Billy http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/<BR>the scenery is wonderful, mountain ash trees, enormous tree ferns and a glorious timber bridge.

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