TamIAm

Here is our trip report from our Honeymoon in September, 2006. We visited Heron Island, Port Douglas, Uluru/Ayers Rock, Sydney, and Tasmania.

Before we start, we want to thank everyone on the board for their invaluable input – a lot of the highlights of the trips were things we learned on this board.

Part 1: Heron Island

We LOVED Heron Island. What a wonderful place. We took the helicopter trip over there, which was fantastic – great views of the reef (and we even saw whales on the return flight!). We stayed in a Heron Beachside Suite – which was comfortable and had a nice view of the beach and water. The rooms, as with everything else at Heron, are very nice but not “luxurious”. If you are looking for a 5-star place this isn’t it. But everything was comfortable and very well done, from the rooms to the restaurant to the bar to the pool area. High points:
* We are divers and had a great time on the dives. The dive staff was great and very helpful to two inexperienced divers. Saw lots of great things on the dives
* Because we were diving we didn’t snorkel, but you clearly can just walk off the beach at high tide and snorkel above the coral. From the beach you can see the rays and reef sharks. At low tide you can walk out in knee-high water and see the coral (they give tours as well).
* Staff – we were blown away by how universally helpful, enthusiastic, and genuinely eager to please we found everyone we encountered on the island. (NB this is a Voyages-run resort, and between our experiences here and at Uluru (see below) we think Voyages must be doing some very smart things in their recruiting/hiring/training).
* Food – The food was plentiful and good, though not amazing. The Saturday night Seafood Buffet was definitely the high point. If you are a “foodie” you may be disappointed – but they try hard and with the variety available there were always plenty of good options.

Part 2: Port Douglas

We stayed at the Sheraton Mirage (using points) and had planned to spend a lot of time just relaxing by the pool. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. We had some issues with the hotel (they screwed up our airport transfer and the toilets in the room were broken), though management did its best to make up for the problems. The hotel is a large, impersonal resort – beautiful pools & lagoons and a lot of expensive dining – our style is more casual so it wasn’t ideal but did the trick. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but if you are using Starwood points it’s a good deal and we wouldn’t avoid it either. Some other highlights/notes:

* Following the advice on this site we took Pete Bexendall’s tour (http://www.nqhit.com.au/). The tour was everything it’s been described to be on these forums (do a search under his name – we won’t rehash all of the details shared by other posters). We would recommend him – we had a lot of fun with Pete on the tour and enjoyed hearing his stories and experiencing his “surprises”. Also, extra kudos to Pete for being flexible with a medical issue that delayed the start of the tour.

* We had a beautiful dinner at a restaurant called Nautilus (http://www.nautilus-restaurant.com.au). Stunning outdoor rainforest setting with delicious French-style food. If you are looking for a nice, romantic (and not cheap!) dinner, we highly recommend it.

* One other sidenote – we were planning to do a reef tour, but with the unusually-heavy winds and rough seas we decided to skip it (having just come from Heron). Kudos to Quicksilver, one of the main tour operators, for being very honest with us about the sea conditions rather than trying to talk us into the trip.

Part 3: Uluru/Ayers Rock/Yulara

If you’ve done any research at all on Uluru, then you know that one company runs the resort (Voyages). As with Heron, we were impressed with the attitude of the staff. The resort, while over-priced, is very well done, with different classes of lodging as appropriate. We stayed at the Lost Camel, and the room was exactly what we expected from the website. Small but very comfortable, it was just right for us.

Not much to say about Uluru that hasn’t been said before. It’s beautiful, and it is cool to see the sunset colors on it. We actually liked the Olgas/Kata Tjuta even more. The Valley of the Winds hike was absolutely spectacular – we can’t recommend it enough. It is a challenging hike and would have been more so in hot weather.

The other highlight for us was the Sounds of Silence dinner. Yes it’s expensive, but we thought it was worth it. The star-talk alone was worth the price of admission! We also had a great meal at one of the restaurants at the Desert Gardens hotel (the one that isn’t a buffet!).

Part 4: Sydney

We made a short stop in Sydney to see some friends – we’ve done the sightseeing bit before. The Westin hotel was beautiful, and we had a fantastic dinner at a restaurant called Quay, with a fantastic view of the Opera House and Bridge.

Part 5: Tasmania -- Freycinet

We didn’t really know what to expect, and we had a wonderful few days. We spent the first couple of days at the Edge of the Bay Resort in Coles Bay (by Freycinet National Park). The cottages were a little more “rustic” than we expected, but they were well appointed and we liked the feel of the property. They have cheap DVD rentals at the front desk, which was a nice touch. We had a very yummy meal in their restaurant. Some highlights of the area:
* Penguins! We did the Bicheno penguin tour and loved it! They were soooooo cute!
* Wineglass Bay: we did the hike to Wineglass Bay and then took the long loop around via Hazards Beach – it was a 5-hour hike but with beautiful scenery. Well worth it. The hardest part is getting up to the lookout, which is the first thing you do.
* Kate’s Berry Farm (near Swansea) – a worthwhile stop for some breakfast or ice cream or a snack. Kate is delightful – literally built this place out of nothing. We had crepes and scones and they were delicious!

Part 6: Tasmania – Huon Valley

We spent the final 2 nights of our trip at Matilda’s of Ranelagh. Sadly, the “Goldie Gang” (Golden Retrievers who greet you) is down to two (used to be five), but Blossom and Mollie were delightful, as was Pam, who runs the place. It’s a beautiful house with very well appointed rooms. Great combination of an old, classic property but a recent renovation. Pam takes great care of the place (and her guests), and the location is great for sightseeing in the area. We spent our days driving around, enjoying the scenery, wine and cheese. Mediocre weather kept us from some of the attractions such as the AirWalk. The area is beautiful, with tons of cute port towns, inlets, hillsides, and farms. We particularly enjoyed the Grandvewe cheesery and the Hartzview vineyard. If you need internet access in the area, just go to the town library (the one in Huonville is 2 minutes from Matilda’s).

Epilogue – travel notes

We were traveling on an AussiePass, which was a great deal. Very cheap for our flights to/from the US, with 3 internal flights free and the rest just $100. Our flights to Gladstone were not covered, but were about $100 as well. All of our Qantas flights were ontime, and service was consistently good. We had one Jetstar flight, and contrary to warnings they gave us no trouble about our bags exceeding their weight limits (they are supposed to honor the Qantas Int’l weight limits, which they did). Rented cars from Thrifty (Yulara) and Hertz (Hobart) and both were fine.

lisa

Thanks for the report. How was the weather?

TamIAm

Heron: pretty nice -- a bit windy, generally around 20-25c/70-75f

Port Douglas: same temps and tons of wind, plus occasional rain bursts. I'm told that is not typical for this time of year.

Uluru: perfect. Sunny, clear, 80-85f/25-30c

Tassie: 3 days of partly cloudy and one of a bunch of rain. I'm told that it's been unseasonably dry in general. Cool but not as cold as we expected (most days had highs in the 60s

Betsy

Thanks for your informative trip report. We'll be at Matilda's for two nights exactly two weeks from today and at Freycinet area for one night later in the week, staying at the Piermont retreat in Swansea.

Do you have any recommendations for good places for dinner near Mathilda's?

lizF

Betsy, there is a winery just close to Matilda's ( cannot remember the name tho' ) which is open part of the week and which everyone seems to rave about. I have not eaten there but I am sure that Pam will know the one I mean. Then there is Huon Mannor which again is nice and the Court of Petty Sessions in Franklin just down the road. Also I am told that the boat on the river makes great fish and chips. Depending on where you are going for the day there are some nice places for lunch as well. Pam at Matilda's will guide you in the food department I am sure. Best of all fish and chips are in Hobart at Fish Frenzy and I like the Drunken Admiral - not so much for the food but its a fun place.
Weather is beautiful at present and as its daylight saving only in Tassie right now there is more daylight time to enjoy it. Today is going to be about 25deg Celcius and the spring flowers are all coming out and looking beautiful!

SnRSeattle

Hi, great trip report and it sounds like you got a lot out of your days. My question is about Heron Island. I happen to be allergic to birds and I understand that since Heron is a stop off for migrating birds, there are a lot of them. Would you say from your experience that they nested in the buildings where your rooms were? Were there feathers all over the place? I understand that there are nests and birds in the outdoor places, which aren't a problem. Just if their dander is too near my nose. Thanks!
Sally

oliverandharry

Betsy, the name of that restaurant near Mailda's is Home Hill Winery and if you do nothing else, eat there! Absolutely brilliant food in a great setting.

Sally, well, how do you feel about birds in the dining room? Perhaps Voyages has managed to keep the rails out, but when we were there they all snuck in and stayed in until they were shoo'd out after lunch. Don't remember feathers though - even though they would get on the tables when the people left!

Betsy

Thanks OandH and Liz. Home Hill Winery is now on the "don't miss" list!

lizF

Betsy, you had better pop in and see me if you have the time. Pam will tell you how to get here.
LizF

Betsy

Thanks for the invite, Liz. Though I read that you had bought property south of Hobart, I thought you live on the Gold Coast?!

lizF

Betsy, I used to live in Tamborine Mountain which is in the hills behind the Gold Coast but now I have moved to Tasmania and live only about 15 minutes from Matilda's at Ranelagh. I pop in whenever I can to get the goss from the Goldie Gang tho'.

pat_woolford

Sally, now that Voyages are operating Heron I don't know the deal, but be aware that previously Heron was always a place that never interfered with wildlife. Pisonia trees grow on Heron, at certain times of year they exude a sticky substance, designed for birds to do what birds do and transfer seeds about. Sometimes the birds stick to the trees and sometimes they die there. This is obviously a bit of an over-simplification, but some do find the whole thing a little overwhelming.

TamIAm

Betsy -- Well Liz covered it pretty well, and Pam will guide you. Don't expect to need a big lunch after the breakfast Pam will feed you! We ate at the Huan Manor and had a very nice meal (not in the "don't miss" category, but definitely yummy!).

Sally--September is relatively a low season for birds. They do a pretty good job keeping them out of the dining room -- sometimes there'd be a couple flying around but not the nuisance I read about. However, I'm told it is very different at other times of year.

There weren't birds nesting in the buildings (at least from what I could tell), but certainly in the trees around it. You could probably be OK, at least this time of year, but with so many other choices, maybe Heron isn't the best choice for you.