MCGEECNS

Help, mu husband and I are planning to visit our daughter who is studying at U of WOW, we will be there 2 weeks, arriving Sydney, spending a few days there and then going down to wollongong, she will have 5 consecutive days to spend with us. Whay are some recommendations? My husband and I will want to spend a few days at GBR, either from Cairns or south reef -suggestions- without her. (She will have already been there). Should we do a driving trip from Wollongong? To where? or fly North? or do day trips or overnighters from Wollongong or elsewhere?

Thanks

longhorn55

If I understand you correctly, the question is, "What should we do for 5 days with our college-aged daughter who is based in Wollongong?"

A: I would suggest doing a road trip since it is unlikely that, as a college student, she has the ability to rent a car and see the countryside. It's hard to make a suggestion not knowing your interests, but I might recommend driving to Canberra (about 3 hours). It should be especially pretty in Canberra in April since they have deciduous trees there and their leaves will be changing color. Plan to spend at least 2 days there to visit the great museums and hike in the national parks. One excellent hike would be the Yankee Hat Hike in Namadgi National Park because: 1) it's an easy hike, 2) you can see mobs of kangaroos in the wild and 3) you can see Aboriginal rock drawings. From Canberra, you could drive to Thredbo (about 3 hours) and spend a couple of days in the mountains. Be sure to take the chairlift and walk to the top of Mt. Kosciusko (the highest peak in Australia). It's easy to do. Finally, drive back to Wollongong along the coast.

MCGEECNS

Yes, Longhorn, my question really is mostly about how to spend those 5 days with my daughter, although any suggestions regarding our trip to GBR will be appreciated as well. Our interests are much more in the outdoors (natural side of Australia),we would definately enjoy hikes in National Parks, wildlife. As for museums, we are from New York, if we have time we certainly enjoy them, but would rather be outdoors if the weather permits. We would also enjoy a horseback ride, is that possible somewhere? Should we stay overnight in Canberra and then overnight in Thredo? Thanks

RickPorgera

Hello MCGEENS,

Not sure where you are located..(US..?)but the road distance from "the Gong" to Cairns is about 1,500kms (roughly the same as say...L.A.to Seattle)so driving that distance would not be the best option, given the time available.

Flights are pretty cheap now, although April is when a lot of the school holidays are on, so they will be bumped up dramatically during that month.

To enjoy the GBR/Tropical north, you may need to allow for another time, when you can have a longer, more dedicated, visit over here, to fully appreciate the area.

Plenty to see & do in NSW during a 2 week stay, and even the north coast of that state has some delightful spots to enjoy.

It is our Autumn (fall) in April, so it will be only mildly cooler than summer, and certainly not cold enough to get any snow activities in at Thredbo. But that and Canberra are nice parts of the country at that time of the year, so you might be better off focusing on those areas, instead of taking a long haul up to Cairns....much as we'd love to have you here, of course.

Cheers,

Rick
Cairns

longhorn55

McGeens, there's lots of great hiking, scenery and wildlife in both Canberra and Thredbo, so if it were me, I'd spend two nights in Canberra, one night in Thredbo and one night somewhere along the coast on your return to Wollongong. Also, now that I know you like the outdoors and wildlife, be sure to include Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in Canberra.

I think that you should have enough time to include Cairns (or Port Douglas) and the GBR if you aren't spending more than 3-4 days in Sydney. That would still give you 5 days for Cairns which should allow you enough time to see the GBR, Daintree National Park, and some other attractions that interest you. More time in Cairns and the environs is always desirable, but 5 days should work out for you. And, as Rick states, the only feasible way to get up there with your time constraints is by flying.

Finally, I'm not a horseback rider, but I do know that there are opportunities to do it in Canberra, the Thredbo area and in Cairns/Port Douglas. I'm sure an internet search will provide some places you can check out.

MCGEECNS

Thanks again to both longhorn and rick. Yes, to be clear, we will spend 3 days in Sydney, 5 days in GBR (flying to Cairns) and then to Wollongong. Is the suggested route straight down to Canberra? Or should we stop somewhere along the coast? What is the distance in driving time? Do you think we need to pre-book accommodations before we arrive? Or can we just decide where to stay as we go. We will be traveling after the Easter break. What about Jervais Bay?

Geordie

It's actually close to 1500 miles (2500 km) from Wollongong to Cairns, so flying from Sydney is the best option

RickPorgera

Dammit...you're absolutely right Geordie, and my apologies there. Can't tell my km's from my m's nowadays.

The distance is actually the equivalent of say...Boston to Miami...quite a spell behind the wheel in anyones lingo.

It's easier to drive from Cairns to Wollongong, because it's all downhill, obviously.

Cheers,

Rick
Cairns

dkw

One company that provides horseback riding in the Thredbo area is here: http://www.snowywilderness.com.au/ . We have not been horseback riding with them, but have been quad biking for an afternoon and enjoyed it immensely. The property explored on these treks is just gorgeous!

MCGEECNS

DKW, I just looked at this website for the snowy mtns, thanks so much, it looks great! Can you tell me if you actually stayed there overnight or slept elsewhere? And how did you get to this area? (Driving? from where, and the time/distance) Thanks

dkw

Hi There...You may have seen that I answered your question as to our accomodations on my other post, but I will answer here as well. we stayed at the Thredbo Alpine Lodge...or something like that. It was just Ok..you can probably do better value-wise.

It was about a 1/2 hr to 45 minute drive to get to Snowy Wilderness. We drove to Thredbo from Sydney and as I recall it took about 5 hours or slightly more to get there.

AlanJG

G'day MCGEECNS, it is very wet in the Cairns area right now. I suggest, as I nearly always do, that you should take a two day trip around the Atherton Tablelands. Lots to see and do. see
http://www.athertontablelands.com.au/ and
http://www.yungaburra.com be prepared for it to be cool up here (on the Tablelands) in the evening.