I have been working with a travel agent to come up with this itinerary for me and my husband (we are in our early 60's). I'm not sure that I want to go to Brisbane to the Zoo. I think by then we will have seen lots of animals. Plus, it adds an extra flight onto a very full day of travel the last day of our trip. I would prefer to add a couple of nights somewhere else. Any suggestions?

May 8/9 travel
May 10 arrive Cairns (4 nights – Rydges Tradewinds)
May 11 Cruise to Michaelmas Cay. Spend day.
May 12 Rail to Kuranda. Take Skyrail for rain forest experience.
Cruise through Melaleuca wetlands
May 13 Free day
May 14 Cairns to Ayers Rock (2 nights – Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel)
Camel ride to see sunset over Uluru National Park
May 15 Aboriginal Uluru Tour, Liru Walk. Kata Tjuta (Olgas), Walpa Gorge
May 16 Ayers Rock to Alice Springs to Adelaide (3 nights – Mantra Hindmarsh Square)
May 17 Barossa Valley Wine Tour
May 18 Free Day
May 19 Adelaide to Melbourne (3 nights – Grand Mercure Docklands Apts)
May 20 Tour to Phillip Island (Penguin Parade), Melbourne suburbs, working cattle farm, Koala Conservation Centre, Nobbies, Cowes
May 21 Free Day
May 22 Melbourne to Sydney (4 nights – The Grace Hotel)
May 23 City Sights, Manly, Captain Cook luncheon cruise of harbor
May 24 Free Day
May 25 Free Day
May 26 Sydney to Brisbane (2 nights – Rydges Southbank)
May 27 Australia Zoo
May 28 Brisbane to Sydney to New York

Yes, I wouldn't want to deal with another flight, especially since it's just to see one attraction. If you feel like you haven't seen enough animals at the end of your trip, while you are in Sydney you can visit either Taronga Park Zoo or Featherdale Park on one of your free days.
I would just stay in Sydney until you return to the States. If you want an extra trip in there, consider doing a day trip or an overnight trip (by train) to the Blue Mountains. There's lots to see and do in and around Sydney that won't require another flight.

Yes, certainly agree that a trip up to Brisbane and back essentially just to see Australia Zoo is not warranted, especially since you have world class Zoos at either Melbourne or Sydney - the name Australia Zoo not to be taken as indicative of it being Australias main Zoo.

Looking at your itinerary, it seems that with the spare City days and cutting out Brisbane, unless cities particularly appeal, you could look at a few variations/additions, eg.
. stay a night somewhere like www.capetribbeach.com.au to be right in the rain forest.
. fit in a return flight Cairns to Hamilton Island for a couple of days Whitsundays sailing and see Whitehaven Beach
. in flying to Uluru and having that roundabout flight to Adelaide via Alice Springs, consider doing a two day road trip back to Alice Springs via Kings Canyon and Palm Valley, check out Desert Park (i/2 day before flight to Adelaide
. Kangaroo Island and/or road trip Adelaide to Melbourne via Southern Highway, Great Ocean Road and finish that by a ferry crossing Queenscliff(delightful heritage town) to Sorrento and then drive the Mornington Peninsula for Phillip Island, stopping in a B&B there overnight before drive into Melbourne.
. Make sure you take in an www.AFL.com.au match (night ones creating a great feel)

The drive would not be a daunting one, very little traffic actually other than about Adelaide and Melbourne, and have a look at www.travelmate.com.au as a guide.

Just feel doing something like that will enable you to experience some of the more relaxed Australia rather than flights and staying in hotels.

Also agree that if you could include the Great Ocean Road either as a day trip from Melbourne or by road from Adelaide it would be worth it. The coastal scenery is superb and some of the best in Australia. It also gives you a chance to see some of the countryside and plenty of native animals in the wild. Koalas at Kennett River and Kangaroos etc. I would definitely skip Australia Zoo. I know it gets the publicity but you will have seen plenty of native animals by then except perhaps for the crocodiles. Go to Taronga Zoo in Sydney the location is fantastic and the ferry ride there a delight.

Nanoosh,
"I'm not sure that I would want to go to Brisbane to the Zoo. I think by then we will have seen lots of animals."
I agree that I would not take this flight just to go to the zoo, see other postings here.

But I cannot see where on your itinerary you will be seeing lots of animals. You obviously have some things in mind for those free days but I suggest that while in Sydney you spend a day with Carol Probets and while in Cairns you spend a day and eveing on the Atherton Tablelands with Alan Gillanders if you want to see wild animals.

If your 14th May flight is not too early I suggest you spend the eveing of the 13th on the Atherton Tablelands after spending a day there for platypus, knagaroos and wallabies, lots of birds and beautiful scenery. Better still, use those spare nights and spend two or three on the Tablelands.

Thanks for your suggestions. I have changed our itinerary to include two nights on Kangaroo Island, one less night in Adelaide, one more night in Melbourne so we can do the Great Ocean Road and skipping Brisbane altogether. We are very much looking forward to this wonderful trip!

Sounds good Nanoosh and hope you enjoy it all, and do go googling now all the place names and you'll get no end of info so as to be able to get the best out of the trip.

And I'd suggest that you look at the possibility of hiring a vehicle in Adelaide to drive out to the Adelaide Hills/Barossa Valley/Southern Vales wine country down Fleurieu Peninsula to Cape Jervis for Kanagaroo Island ferry and either drive about yourself over there or take a tour (and if doing that, leave the car at Cape Jervis) and then motor on to Victor Harbour, Strathalbyn, Wellington and across the Murray by car ferry and then take the Princess Hwy down along the Coorong to Kingston SE and then the Southern Highway via Robe to rejoin the Princess Hwy at Millicent before Mt. Gambier and heading on towards Portland, Warrnambool and the Great Ocean Road.

Other end of GOR, before getting to Geelong, take tourist drive (marked with brown signs, N0. 16 or 17 from memory) to Queenscliff (interesting stop) and ferry to Sorrento on other side of Port Phillip Bay and from there you could drive via Baxter and Pearcedale to Tooradin on the South Gippsland/Bass Highways to get to Phillip Island without the need to get yourself through Melbourne or be taking tours/one day trips out to GOR or Phillip Island - some nice good value B&Bs on Phillip Island to stay there too rather than a long day and late night arrival back in Melbourne.

Have a look at a map via google and google earth along with travelmate and it'll all fall into place.

Nanoosh,
Good advice from Bushranger. That part of the world, Tasmania and the Atherton Tablelands are wildlife hot spots.