What to pack
 

Three ladies heading to Australia Nov 2004. Will be visiting GBR, Sydney and Adelaide. What to pack? What to wear to resturants, sightseeing etc. Can we were shorts in Sydney to walk around in? Don't want to over pack will be gone for three weeks. Any suggestions would be helpful.

thanks

Australia tends to be a casual place overall. Jeans and T-Shirts are fine for sightseeing or even your shorts. You will not feel out of place wearing them. Would have at least one good casual outfit for eating out unless you are intending to go somewhere really swanky in which case pack something good, even if it be just a classy top and good pair of shoes to dress up your normal wear. Don't forget that November along the GOR can quite possibly be cool, even cold if there is an offshore breeze so pack accordingly

shandy,
thanks for the info.

Adelaide is much more conservative than Sydney - my husband was not allowed into a not very pukka restaurant once for wearing a parka or some such - a long time ago, I admit. I remember seeing a sign near the river once, where the street led to the city - "no swimming costumes permitted beyond this point".

I wouldn't wear shorts in the CBD of Sydney or Adelaide. Long shorts maybe.But then, I don't have eye-catching legs anymore.! I find linen or cotton slacks are as cool as shorts. November can be cool even in Sydney, but also boiling. Just have one warm and comfy jacket, which can double up for a restaurant if necessary. Comfy shoes. Buy a hat and suncreen and bring sunglasses.

Tourists (and locals) in Sydney and GBR are very laid back - your shorts would be fine. Jeans for a night out would be acceptable in most places. It might be a bit chilly for shorts in Sydney and Adelaide (or not! Who knows??) Whenever I travel I take one pair of jeans, black pants, shorts, good walking shoes (preferably black), sandals, 3 tops, a wrap and a denim jacket. Black will usually get you in anywhere and all this will fit in cabin luggage. Remember too, there is some great shopping - if you need a dress to go somewhere, buy one on holiday!

In northernish part of GBR (Cairns/Port Douglas) weather will be hot in day and warm at night - min 70F-87F max. Ideal weather for reef. Just about anything goes in restaurants - sleeveless cotton or linen loose fitting (NOT synthetic)dresses are the coolest.

It all depends on where you're going. Some of the fancier restaurants/bars, like in any city, are quite trendy and you should definitely dress for the occasion. Other are not. During the day, pretty much anything goes.. but at night, I would wear nice clothing and for men- regular dress shoes. (Somebody in our group was once not allowed into a bar because he was wearing flip flops). BUT, the greatest thing about Australia is that the shopping is AMAZING and CHEAP compared to many US cities. I completely overpacked when I went there, yet still ended up buying an entire waredrobe. It is easy and affordable to shop there to dress like the Aussies. My recommendation: pack light!

Thanks everyone, I am really thinking twice about what to back. this is a great opportunity to do some major shopping. We always pack two nice outfits that can be dressed up or down. We really like to dress up for dinner so that is no big deal. Just wanted to make sure walking shorts were ok. Sounds like our gear will be ok and I will have to make sure to go with a credit card to burn.