Winston

My wife and I are planning 2 weeks to Oz the first of May. Will spend 4 days in Sydney, 4 on Lizard Island, and 3 in Daintree rainforest. We have 4 days left and cannot decide where to spend it. Choices are (1) Tasmania, (2) Kangaroo Island, (3) Fraser Island, (4) Darwin and Kakadu, or (5) short trip from Sydney such as Blue Mtns or Hunter Valley. We don't want anything TOO touristy if at all possible but would like to see wildlife, hike, etc. Thanks for your advice in advance. Also, anyone have any insight on Lizard Island Resort and Daintree Eco Lodge?

leslie

Hi Winston - <BR> <BR>Not sure of the order of your travels, but assuming your last stop will be the Daintree - it seems to make sense to choose either Fraser Island or Kakadu as the destination for the last 4 days. Tasmania is a great place, but really requires more than 4 days, Blue Mts. (in my opinion) wouldn't keep you occupied for 4 days unless you were a serious hiker. I also think 4 days is too much for Kangaroo Island, unless you decided to add a bit of Adeliade/Barossa to the trip. I think Fraser Island is fantastic. Friends & I rented a 4wd jeep (only 4wd vehicles allowed on island) near Maroochydore (apologize for the spelling, but that is the closest airport to Fraser) & took the ferry over. We stayed in one of the many cabins on the island, but there are also camping grounds as well as one resort on the Island. There is tons to do on the island if you enjoy the outdoors, and it probably is the least touristy place I have ever been. <BR> <BR>I've never been to Kakadu, but have never heard anything but raves about the scenery, wildlife (esp. the crocs), etc. You are travelling around a lot for 2 weeks, so Kakadu might be a bit easier to get to..... Good luck & enjoy.

marg

By May Tasmania will be pretty cold, as will Kangeroo Island. On the other hand, Darwin weather should be great. Why not finish your holiday there doing day trips to Kakadu, Litchfield Park, the Territory wildlife park, feeding the fish at Doctor' Point etc. A must is Mindil Beach market for great food and atmosphere plus sunset watching from the beach. Hope you have a great time wherever you go.

Hans

That's a really tough call and you probably can not go wrong with any of your choices. I can not speak about Frase Island because I have not been there, but I have been to Taz and KI and loved both. My concern with KI is that I am not sure if there is enough to do for 4 days--we spent two days there and although we loved it, I think that was enough time. KI is truly spectacular and there are some great opportunities to mingle with the wildlife. With that said, we also spent five days in Taz and loved it. We spent a day and a half in Hobart including a trip to Port Arthur which was very interesting. We then drove across the isaldn to Strahan--a very nice little town for a cruise on the river and then continued on for three nights at Cradle Mountain where we had a wonderful stay hiking in the region/ Finally, we made our way to Launceston which is a nice litle city and where we flew out back to the mainland. All of our drives were really pretty and we loved the fact that there were so few people around. It was a special couple of days. Have a great trip!

kiwikermitt

we have been to Fraser Is and very nice but enjoyed Moreton Island, stayed at Tangalooma Resort, feed to Dolphins. <BR>Really nice and friendly. <BR>You catch the ferry from Brisbane

Sandi

Hi Winston - have you looked at how far apart some of the places are that you have mentioned. You are looking at Thousands of kilometres. For example it will take you a full day with flights and transfers to go from Daintree/ Cairns airport to any of your destinations except Fraser Is. and the same back to Sydney. It is truly a unique island by the way.I presume you are leaving from Sydney and would suggest go with Fraser Is or hire a car and drive out of Sydney for your last few days either north, south or west! Enjoy your holiday and drink lots of Oz wine.

phil

go to the sydney herald web site . <BR>go to travel specials . <BR>you will find a couple of incredible deals that you can't pass up. We did Tasmania from Sydney , last year for a joke price . But at any given point in time their are super deals to be had. 10 years ago there were no tourist deals to be had in Australia , esp for north americans , but that has changed now . Wait until you get there and you will get a deal to a great destination - absolutely guaranteed. If you can't get a great last minute deal when talking to an agent in Australia , get on line and you will one!!