Stephania

Dear all,

I'm planning to have a 6 week holiday in Australia starting in mid October. My plans are to travel from sydney all the way up to cairns. Can anyone suggest whether it is best to start with Sydney and go all the way up to Cairns or else start from Cairns and go down to Sydney?

longhorn55

Conditions weather-wise and stinger-wise will be better in Cairns in mid-October as opposed to late November/early December. So, I'd start in Cairns and end up in Sydney.

Also, you used the "Trip Report Flag" on your title. You will probably get fewer replies with that because some folks skip reading trip reports.

AlanJG

Stephania,
If you state your interests we can give you a better answer. If it is just general tourism then go with the advice above.

Stephania

I would like to try scuba diving and sky diving in Cairns .. so do you think that the weather conditions in mid-october permit these activities?

Mike_Reeds

I would advise to drive to Cairns and then fly back

AlanJG

Prime time for those activities in Cairns. This is the time of low winds. Of course averages don't predict a particular day's weather.

Robynhar

I am starting a 4 week holiday in Oz starting Sept 20 to Oct 18. that was my question, I wanted to start in Cairns since it sounded so much more like my kinda place. I checked flights from Seattle to Cairns, there were very few, and they were spendy. It was cheaper to get into Sydney and then do my own flight from there. So I am flying into Sydney, only spending a few days, and then off to Cairns one way because I dont know where I am going to fly into Sydney again from (maybe make my way into another area and fly from there. That is why i did the one way instead of commiting to time on a round trip. The one way to Cairns was very cheap compared to the flight from Seattle to Cairns and I have a bit of rest and looking around in Sydney before I venture off, then if I want to see more I can come back a bit earlier. Those were my decisions, hope they help.

Bokhara2

Good thinking, Robynhar. Flights from Cairns, Brisbane, Gold Coast & other points between there & Sydney are frequent and often quite cheap. I like maximum flexibility, too.

RalphR

I like Robynhar's plan too. I'll also add that with 4-6 weeks you should have plenty of time to explore not just the well trodden and relatively commercialized coast, but also some great inland areas as well - not just the Blue Mts (near Sydney) and the Atherton Tablelands (near Cairns) but places like Undara ("a taste of the outback"), Eungella National Park, the Gold Coast Hinterland (including Lamington National Park), Carnavon Gorge, the New England region or maybe even Winton or Longreach for a real outback experience.

MariaAP

I agree with Robynhar. That's exactly my plan for next september. Flying to sydney and then my own flight to cairns, because of the weather (near December will turn into too hot). And then go by myself to sydney. I think is better than the other one.