crellston

Hi I am a regular poster on the Asia forum but this is my first time on the Australia board.
We are on a round the world trip for a year and are currently in Thailand and will be comming to Australia via Malaysia and Japan at the end of April. We are starting to plan the Oz section of our trip and could really use some help in narrowing down the options.

We have around 4-6 weeks in the country and have flights booked into Cairns, then to Darwin, Alice Springs and finally Sydney. As we are on a long trip we are not looking to stay in any place too expensive and don't mind roughing it (a bit!). Our interests are seeing the natural sights, diving, wine and generally travelling around. Having felt the weight of the guide books there is obviously a lot to choose from. Apart from the must sees of the GB Reef, Ulhuru, Sydney etc.

Any, help/suggestions/guidance would be much appreciated.

afterall

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking for, Crellston.

You've booked the flights so you have decided on an outline itinerary, and have clearly decided to fly, which is a shame considering your time span.

Hostels are wonderful in Oz and if there are two of you then there's the option of a double room at far less than all other options, except for the odd pub in a small town.

I would try and fit in an overland trip there somewhere, and can offer suggestions, but if flights are booked it's too late, eh?

Post again with specific questions. I travel on the cheap side and would be delighted to help.

Bokhara2

Hi Crellston,
Just a thought about your Sydney stay. Depending on how long you plan to be here, you might think about taking a holiday apartment/house just out of town.
Kiama, for example - an hour or so south of Sydney by car or train. Or perhaps Nelson Bay/ Bonnet Bay - couple of hours to the North. Or maybe somewhere in the Blue Mountains. Just thinking it would give you a different experience than staying in town, probably cheaper as well - and you could do day trips into the city as well as exploring the surrounding areas.

In the city, there are quite a few options which aren't necessarily$$$$$$$$$, particularly if you're able to cope with less than 5 star. Again, serviced apartments would give you more options than a hotel room. Or, you might look at a B & B.

If you chose somewhere on the South Coast, you could do trips to the Southern Highlands, Canberra, inland to Yass, as well as exploring the coastal areas which are beautiful and less visited than those to the north. Also, would provide a climate change from the hotter FNQ & NT.

FurryTiles

Hi Crellston, nice to see you here!

Depending on when you arrive in April, just be aware of the school holidays ... here in NSW from 15 to 25 April, but varies in other States. Vacancies may be tighter and accommodation charges higher for those weeks. Incidentally, Friday 25 April is a National public holiday – Anzac Day – and some businesses/stores may close. But not the pubs!

As you’re planning on 6-8 weeks, you might find the following websites helpful in finding budget longer-term lodging. We’ve had great success in finding wonderful cottages, units and apartments Australia-wide.

http://www.ozstays.com.au

http://www.stays.com.au

http://www.takeabreak.com.au

http://www.totaltravel.com.au

How long do you plan to stay at each of your destinations?

Cheers,
Jackie

crellston

Hi and thanks to all of you for your responses so far.

Afterall - you are of course right I do need to ask specific questions so here goes:

Our flights are booked as part of our RTW ticket so we can't change the destinations but we can change the dates and would like some form of overland trip as long as we come back to teh same place to amke our flights.

Timing between flights is approx;
28 days Cairns
10 days Darwin
5 days Alice Springs
14 days Sydney

Is this about right or should we allow less/more time for any location?

The hostel idea is great and sounds just what we are looking for. I will check this out. Is it necessary or advisable to join any hostel organisation, if so, which one?

We reach Cairns on 23 April so are keen to book a palce to stay asap. Any recommendations?

any suggestions for an overland trip(s) (rented car or bus) would be much appreciated.

We obviously want to see the sights of Sydney and will spend a couple of days visiting friends & future daughter in law is a week enough/too much?
How would we go about finding an apartment to rent for a week or two if we did stay in or outside of the city?

I am sure I will have lots more questions after some more research

crellston

Furrytiles - good to see you here too! Thanks for the websites and for the heads up on the holidays. This seem to be major problem on this trip. We hit Vietnam for Tet when the whole country seems to close down for 3 weeks and then we reach Bangkok in time for the elections when all the bars are closed!

afterall

Hi Crellston,

Sorry but can't make this add up.

Timing between flights is approx;
28 days Cairns
10 days Darwin
5 days Alice Springs
14 days Sydney

Is that the number of days you intend to stay in each area? I make that 8 weeks, not the 4-6 you originally suggested.

Overland trips? Well there's one I've never done between Cairns and Darwin - you'll fly (I did too). There's another between Cairns and Alice which I have done and was great. But not relevant.

Which leaves WA - you're not going there. Or a great trip from Alice to Adelaide that gives you some idea of the size of the place and takes in locations like William Creek (pop. 14) where, when I was there, there was a light aircraft parked outside the pub and the phone box appeared to hooked up to solar power.

But if you are travelling from Alice to Sydney by air, that's a "no-go" too.

Not to fret. It'll all be wonderful. But why 28 days in FNQ?

Bit over the top unless it's a typo.

Happy travels.

crellston

Afterall, the reason we have 28 days in Cairns is that we had to bring forward our flights from Japan (it is "golden week" there apparently). We are thinking of losing a week fron Queensland and bringing all the flights forward (and maybe losing a week in Sydney) before moving on to New Zealand. Another alternative is a side trip from Cairns to a South pacific island for a week or so (our RTW air ticket wouldn't cover this). Any thoughts?

I do like the sound of the overland trip AS to Adelaide so I will check out teh possibility of rerouting our ticket.

venice52

We have some great hostels in Aust.Look up hostelbookers.com they have ratings and you dont pay a booking fee.In Sydney there is a hopon hopoff bus that will take you to all the sites then you dont have to worry how you will get yourself to them.You need to go to tthe Zoo and the Blue Mountains,also Doyles fish restaurant in Watsons bay(not the one at The Rocks.And it's a nice ferry ride to get there.The hostels have all the information you will need.Also speak to other travellers there and they will pass on tips for you.Try Basebackpackers.I have tried them in Melbourne.