Hi, I am planning to travel to australia this fall and I am wondering if any of you would have any valuable information on certain things that you wish you could have known about before you left that would have made your trip a bit easier, or maybe something that would have saved you more time. Anything would help and would be interesting to hear. Thanks.

Dear Jennie: <BR> <BR>Here's my advice. Don't sweat it. The Australians and the New Zealanders love Americans and all people as far as I observed. Spent 10 days in OZ and 10 days in NZ last November. Everything was arranged for us by a travel agency. Next time, (this October for a month) we're booking our own flights and accommodations and winging it! We'll land in Melbourne and work our way thru Sydney, Tasmania, Queensland and Christchurch. No plans, just great expectations. When we get there we'll depend on the locals for suggestions as to what to see and do and where to eat. Whatever. <BR> <BR>They are absolutely wonderful people and take genuine pride in assisting visitors to their countrys. <BR>So relax. Put yourself at their disposal and you'll have the time of your life! <BR> <BR>Bon voyage. <BR>John <BR>

Hi Jennie, we have not been yet, but have been planning a trip for November since January. We booked our flights to and from then (flying on frequent flyers). Afterwards we started working on the details ending up with 9 nights in OZ and 11 in NZ. The only problem we had was getting from OZ to NZ from Cairns which on the day we selected required flying through Brisbane, where we had not planned to go making for a very long travel day that started early (6am flight from Cairns). So that was the only logistics that cost us some time and possibly slightly more money. So when developing the itinerary I would go online and check out the flight schedules in more detail. It is relatively easy within OZ or NZ, it is only flying between them with their time differences that can cause a problem. <BR>Also, we usually like to stay in smaller accomodations with atmosphere. We began making reservations in April. The last ones were made earlier this month and some we selected were already booked (in NZ). NZ is really popular with tours and independent travelers, since we are going with another couple and require two rooms, some B & Bs could not accomodate us and some motor Inns were just full! <BR>We limited our OZ visit to Sydney, Palm Cove and Daintree, and in NZ to various locations in the South Island (there is just so much diverse places to see and things to do). have fun planning, it is alot of work but half the fun!.

Mary Ann, <BR> <BR>That was good advie to check on ALL of your internal flights. We had the same problem as you. We had our tickets from the US to Sydney and from NZ back to the states. We tried to book Cairns to Christchurch, and found that flights went through Syndey, Melbourne or Auckland and seemed to be red-eyes...which we really didn't want to take. <BR> <BR>We solved it by reversing our dates to visit Sydney. We landed in Sydney and drove south...stayed in a great B&B, unwound, toured the valley and then flew to Cairns. After 5 nights in Port Douglas we flew to Sydney....stayed there..and after several days flew non stop to Christchurch. <BR> <BR>Bt we loved OZ and NZ. <BR> <BR>

My flight to Australia was the longest flight I've ever taken. Because of problems with the plane, we were delayed and basically in transit about 45 hours! It was a nightmare. The last leg of the journey was from Honolulu to Sydney. When we boarded the plane, we noticed a lot of empty seats. It seems self evident now, but we thought we would move when the plane took off. We didn't realize that everyone else moved before we took off and basically many passengers had 3 or even 4 seats to themselves. We were seated next to another couple and I thought I would go nuts crammed into the seat. After a couple of reasonably polite conversations with the flight attendants, we ended up getting 3 seats for the 2 of us. That really helped a lot. (At this point, we had been travelling for about 30 hours so I was exhausted.) On the way back, we made sure that we were able to 'spread out' a bit before the plane took off. Like I said, it seems pretty obvious, but getting that extra seat really made a difference.

Jennie - <BR> <BR>The one thing I wouldn't have done was rent a car. Driving in Melbourne and Sydney is madness, especially if you haven't driven on the left side. If your planning to just stay in the city, public transportation and walking were more than adequate. I also took several bus tours.

Hi there Jennie, Im an Aussie from Sydney. Hope you don't mind a few suggestions from a local... <BR>1) Definately don't bother hiring a car (even I hate driving in the city) most hotels or travel agents in the city can organise day tours on coaches to the major sights here. And our public transport system is fairly good and very safe by world standards (although our taxi drivers are pretty mad). <BR>2) If you're coming to Sydney for a while, try and do a day tour to our Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands, in early autumn(fall) they are lovely with the colours of the trees changing. <BR>3) Our beaches are magnificent, and while it will be a bit too cool to swim in the fall, they're lovely for a walk. <BR>4) Our harbour is magnificent and you can spend an entire day, just walking around it seeing the Opera House, The Historic Rocks area and our Botanical Gardens. You can also take a guided walk up and over the top of the Harbour Bridge now... ask your travel agent about bookings if you want to do that. A day on the harbour is also recommended for visitors to Sydney and very reasonably priced. <BR>5) We have ATMS on almost every street corner here in Sydney and throughout Australia credit cards (fantastic plastic) is accepted just about everywhere... <BR>If you're touring to other cities like Melbourne, Brisbane etc.... the same would apply, look for Day Coach tours to see the best of the sights for a good price... <BR> <BR>Are you going to Tasmania? It's a beautiful state full of history. <BR> <BR>Will you be travelling alone or with your family? Email me if you would like to know more... ie: Clothes tips etc.... <BR>Hope this helps, hope you enjoy your trip here. <BR>Kerryanne... Sydney.

hire a car and you can pick up an accommodation guide at the AA AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION.it is easy to find places in NZ. the only times it will be ful is holiday times .most place will help you by suggesting another place to stay. motels can be reasonable price and very comfortable. <BR>hostels are every where. <BR>just come and enjoy , its a grt country, and we dont bite, cheers from a kiwi

Jennie - my husband and I "spontaneously" visited OZ January 1999. We flew in on companion passes, had no arrangements other than a rental car. IT RANKS AMONG THE TOP 3 OF OUR VACATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. You simply cannot go wrong - Sydney has so much to offer (fabulous restaurants, night life, theatre, botanic gardens, harbor views, etc.) - and even driving up the Gold Coast brings you to all these wonderful towns with interesting things to see and do. My husband doesn't care for horseback riding - we went anyway - and got to see a small group of kangaroos hopping along with us! We headed to the interior and saw the Blue Mountains and surrounding areas - absolutely spectacular. On the way back into Sydney from the Blue Mountains and Blackheath, you can also pass by the Olympic Park - worth pulling off the road to look around at the amazing architecture. We did this in 8 days. The only complaint we had - it is very much like driving in the States - i.e. everything is pretty spread out. But there are advantages to having your own car - you can travel at your own pace, and stop off at anything that catches your eye. But you should be comfortable driving, navigating, etc. It can be somewhat disconcerting, especially when you are tired and want to drive on "auto-pilot", only to see cars coming at you in "your" lane. Best of luck! No matter what you do, it will be wonderful.

Break your journey somewhere like Singapore, we flew non-stop ( 2 refueling stops ). 27 Hour flight back after being up all day was horrendous ! <BR> <BR>Acquire a taste for Beetroot. <BR> <BR>Taxi Drivers will not expect to be tipped ( but do so anyway ) & will often <BR>'round down' the fare. <BR> <BR>Sydney Cove Oyster bar has good food & a wonderful location for dining al fresco right on the Harbour. <BR> <BR>Don't forget to go skiing at Ayre's Rock ( See previous thread ! ). <BR> <BR>Don't ( as my Daughter did ) select a croissant at breakfast & then smother it <BR>all over with Vegemite - the combination does not work too well ).

Spent two weeks in Australia in March. A week of which was spent in Sydney. I can't say enough nice things about the place or the people there. Everyone was helpful and friendly. The public transportation was wonderful. The only complaint that I had was that the restaurant at the top of Centrepoint was not that great. Crowded and buffet style food is not my thing. A few must-sees are the Royal Botanic Gardens, Taronga Zoo, Chinese Gardens. The flight over was long but uneventful, the trip back to the US was a nightmare. In like sardines and American Airlines once we got into LA was not the most organized airline. We stayed in a hotel(they are called apartments in Australia) in Darling Harbor, but since my friend booked it, I don't remember the name. I do know that it was an old wool factory if that helps at all. It was beautiful and had a laundry in it. Hope this helps.

Eat Pies! Buy a travel pass (can be used on bus,ferry and train) if you are there for a week. Turkish bread sandwiches are great too. <BR>Enjoy

Hi Jennie, <BR>only a few things that i think you should be aware of; <BR>1. Australia has EXTREMELY strict quarantine rules and do not let you bring in certain things - fruit and vegetables being top on the prohibited things. if you do, the fine's quite heavy. <BR>2. here, you will find that at around 3pm, most of the roads will be empty of taxi's - its their changeover/break time <BR>3.when going to the beaches, bring the sunscreen and swim between the flags! there are so many reports in the news of tourists having bad holidays because of a terrible sunburn or nearly drowning in a rip. <BR>---other than that, you'll have a fabulous time. australians are all very friendly and helpful - tourists especially, so if lost or in need of advice, dont be afraid to ask.

(continuing from above) a little grammatical error, "australians are very friendly - to tourists especially." <BR> <BR>&gt;with the taxis, dont worry, they usually finish their break in 30 mins or so. and even so, there are some on the roads, so dont think that there wont be any at all at that time <BR>&gt;Sydney has 5 free to air T.V channels (cable hasnt taken off very well in australia like it has in US unfortunately) <BR>&gt;standard voltage thruout australia is 220-240 volts AC <BR>&gt;the '911' equivalent in aust. is '000' - ie, the emergency phone# <BR>&gt;might be safer on public transport, rather than risking driving on our side of the road

I would simply add thank goodness cable TV hasn't "taken off" in Australia - presumable you're not going to watch TV - turn the damn thing off and go outside, where the rest of Australia is!