I wonder if all you nice people out there can advise me please , I've started to arrange a holiday tagged on to my nephew's wedding in Adelaide late Jan 08 , so the first week: have a look round Adelaide and S.Oz , Now here is my problem for the next two weeks: snowy or blue mountains? ,a bit of the coastal route maybe Port Campbell, visit melbourne we are flying out of Sydney Could be 8 of us or just me and dragon lady
Many Ta's Derek

Derek, are you interested in snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef? A trip to Cairns would be awesome. Jan is hot in Australia (their summer) so plan accordingly. Others on this board rave about Tasmania, so that is an option if you want to stay in the south of Oz.
Sally in Seattle

A week in Adelaide with trips to the Barossa Valley etc. will be hot but enjoyable at that time. Melbourne and Sydney are great cities to visit and the Great Barrier Reef and tropical Queensland are musts so think in those terms. Ayres Rock is accessible from Adelaide, but Jan. is not a good time to visit. Tassie is OK for Wilderness etc. but it is a quiet place and having once lived there for two years I really don't know what the fuss is all about. In my opinion the above are much more interesting places to see.
The Blue Mnts. can be seen as a day trip from Sydney and the Snowy is best in Winter.
However January in Australia is the height of the holiday season so it would be wise to book well in advance once you have made your decisions. Happy New Year!

Hi - so you have 2 whole weeks after exploring adl and surrounds. Australia is a big country and it's wise not to attempt too much. But there are so many options.

Not a good time of year for FNQ - but doable if you are snorkelling or diving people. And if you are water people there are places further south less impacted by stormy weather. Not the best time of year for the Centre - but doable if you want to see some amazing landscapes and learn a little about Aboriginal culture.

But Tassie would be good, Sydney is always good (though it would be a shame if that's all you saw in two weeks).

Tell us more about what your interests are. Does hot put you off? Are you adventurous or want as close to home style as possible?

Cheers

Many thanks down under and fuzz ,(I've already e mailed Sally)Yes Fuzz you hit the nail on the head , Do not like the heat is an under statement ,I've even taken to bribing the nephew into moving the wedding (pronounced Wudden in Scotland )back to Feb .And I may have some of the senior members of the Clan to keep happy. (Big bottle of whisky in every suitcase is a good start )
Many Thanks Derek
PS If you need any tips on Scotand UK Europe I'll try and help

Sorry Fuzzy , interests , love any kind of rugby,Aussie rules , but it will be out of season, As we're from a fishing town love to stay around working fishing ports,eating drinking ,hill walking ,but remember i will, if they come, have senior family members with me, so if we base ourselves somewhere say a week at a time everyone can do their own thing and meet up
Many thanks Derek