christm

Hi<BR><BR>My fiancee and I are getting married in July 2004 and we are trying to work out where to go on Honeymoon.<BR>We were thinking about Australia. <BR>Hoping some people can help my with some ideas of where to go/what to do.<BR>Here is the situation<BR>We'll be away for approx 3 weeks.<BR>I have relatives in Melbourne so ideally would involve that in some way.<BR>Obviously for honeymoon we're looking for places not too busy (with the odd busy city included too), romantic and with good weather.<BR><BR>Any ideas?<BR><BR>Thanks<BR><BR>Martin

Cicerone

Australia offers a lot to see and do. You would need to think about whether you want to focus on national parks and outdoor activities or more cities and sightseeing by car. In addition to the Great Barrier Reef and Gold Coast on the east, the wine-growing region around the Margaret River in Western Australia is beautiful. As this is such a vast country with so much to see, I would suggest you get a guidebook (Fodor's has two, you can buy them on-line, click on Products above) and do some basic research and then re-frame your question. Otherwise you will get lots of unstructured advice here that won't be too helpful.<BR><BR>Check worldclimate.com before you go. July is &quot;winter&quot; in Australia, and although that is a relative term as no place is really cold or gets snow, if you are going to Sydney and Melbourne you will find cooler (not beach weather) temps than you may be expecting, and you would have to consider clothes to pack. Sydney averages about 55 F in July, Melbourne averages about 48 F. Brisbane and the Gold Coast are not much better, Brisbane averages 60 F. The Margaret River/Perth area averages around 65 F and July is generally fairly rainy. Cairns (Great Barrier Reef) average about 70 F in July. The north coast is better (Darwin, about 78 F in July ), it will also be more humid. <BR>

Travelnick

Cicerone is right but do not know where his stats came from and/or he is mixing average highs with average - check out the same web site. Sydney has same average maximum as Perth (17celsius, 62 F) and a couple of degrees cooler minimum (6 vs 8). margaret river can be distinctly cooler than Perth in winter and wetter.Perth has about 160mm rain for July, Sydney's average is only 53mm - dryest month of year. <BR>I would go for Sydney and Great Barrier Reef during that time, maybe Kakadu. Avoid Perth for heavy rain and Tasmania for too cool, maybe reduce time in Melbourne. Canberra can also get very cold in winter.<BR>You should give some guidance as to what to do as no one knows your prefs.

christm

OK...Looking for somewhere quite warm and sunny - some nice romantic places to stay - maybe a city with some nice villages around it to travel through.<BR>Quite relaxing but interesting honeymoon.<BR><BR>Any thoughts?

alliegator

Ayers Rock was really nice in August. It was chilly at night but beautiful during the day. You could hike/site see around the monoliths or hang at the pool. The hotels at the resort are expensive but it's still worth the trip to the Red Centre. <BR><BR>Port Douglas (north of Cairns) is also a nice warm place. Romantic, and close to the GBR &amp; Daintree Rainforest. Must See's! <BR><BR>I heard Kakadu(in the north) is pretty as well. <BR><BR>The three above mentioned places are good in July because 1) No rain 2) No insects! Basically anywhere from the middle of Oz north will be warm. <BR><BR>Another place we loved was Kangaroo Island. It was a bit chilly/windy, but the people on the island are sooo nice and the animals are just lovely. Probably could go there from Melbourne. <BR><BR>Good Itinerary:<BR>Melbourne&gt;KI&gt;Ayers&gt;Kakadu&g t;Port Douglas<BR><BR>I would advise against Adelaide unless you are real wine connoisseurs and are going for the tasting. The vines have been harvested and the countryside just isn't pretty. My opinion though! <BR><BR>Congratulations &amp; Have fun!<BR><BR>Amy