impressa

Paging all OZ traveling veterans!

We've just started planning our April/May trip to the flip side and boy oh boy, is this the hardest logistics I have ever faced (and having traveled to all other continents it's saying something ). Looking for YOUR HELP in finding a way out of this brain-maze!

Some key factors that would be true in our case:
- reef dive, rainforest hike, native animals (say, except the box jellyfish and taipans), spectacular landscapes (and other photo ops) are all at the top of the list
- a trip consisting in 80% of diverse (!) National Parks would be ideal
- campervan experience is a must - even a week would do, but the more the better
- can skip long beach-stays
- 2-3 days of dictionary-based 'rest' is all we're looking for - we're fit and the type that's running around 4000m mountain ranges while our buddies are getting 5th six pack.

After spending 4 days reading and scheming and using the eraser a lot, I think we're down to the following 4 options:
1. Sydney: 4 days
[fly]
Cairns & Port Douglas area: 8 days (rent a camper)
[fly]
Alice Springs, Uluru -> Coober Pedy: 5d (rent a 4WD camper)
[drive 1d]
Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, 'Ocean' drive to Mel: 4d
Melbourne: 3d

2. Sydney: 4 days
[fly]
Cairns & Port Douglas area: 9 days (rent a camper)
[fly]
Darwin (either Kakado or Litchfield NP): 5d
[fly]
Alice Springs, Uluru: 4d
[fly]
Melbourne: 3d

3. Sydney: 4 days
[camper]
Queensland 6 days
[camper]
Cairns & Port Douglas area: 8 days
[fly]
Alice Springs, Uluru: 5d
[fly]
Melbourne: 3d

4. Sydney: 4 days
[fly]
Cairns & Port Douglas area: 9 days (rent a camper)
[fly]
Darwin (either Kakado or Litchfield NP): 6d
[fly]
Alice Springs, Uluru: 6d
[fly back thru Sydney + 1 day in town]

Feasible or even too relaxed and more can be fit in I'd probably vote for #1 if not for very tempting weather reports for Apr/May in the Darwin area...
Ah, what do you guys think?

Cheers,
Alx.

cwn

Hi,

If you would like the camper van experience/National Parks, consider adding some time in Western Australia along with your time in the Northern Territory and South Australia. These areas are absolutely wonderful, very scenic and a different experience.

We spent four weeks in Australia in Jan/Feb of this year..loved the water, nice scenery and being on the go, but are not into long hikes due to owr knees.

We do have a motorhome that we drove to Alaska this summer for two months, but didn't rent one in Australia. We just rented a car and stayed in B&B's.

Of your ideas I would say either 1 or 4, but would cut down on Alice Springs time and skip Melbourne, adding instead time in Western Australia either the southwest tip or up to the northwest coast. This area of Australia is overlooked by tourist too often and has so much to offer people who like the outdoors!

I would say the same about South Australia, we loved that area too!

Look at our travel Blog for pictures and to see what we did. Many of the places we visited had some great hiking trails and also diving/sorkeling(sp)

www.aroundtheworldin132days.blogspot.com/

Go to Jan 22 through Feb 24 (click on Jan and Feb on the righthand column) to read about our time in Australia.

Melnq8

I agree with cwn about WA, but I'm probably biased since I live here. The southwest of WA is gorgeous...full of surprises and an excellent place to experience some wonderful national parks. It's an area I can't seem to get enough of:

http://www.australiassouthwest.com/e...s/default.aspx

http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/content/section/33/1558/

I see that you've not included Tasmania on your wish list. For nature lovers, TAS in a spot not to be missed.

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/

And then there's South Australia...

I see your dilemma...so much to see, so little time.

It's all good.

Bokhara2

I LOVE Melbourne, but in your shoes, I'd skip it and add Western Australia. Possibly shave a day or so from Alice Springs & Uluru and maybe one or two from Cairns.

Agree with Melnq8 about Tas too and it would certainly provide a different aspect from the North & West. Could you squeeze another week in?

I think you've really done a great job in identifying interesting spots and allowing sufficient time to travel the way you want to do it. Only problem is, we're such a b-i-g country!

Saltuarius

If you want to see wildlife then make sure you include the Atherton Tablelands while in the Cairns area. Rather than reduce your time there I would suggest extending it so that you can go to Undarra and Chillagoe. The former is great for wildlife as well as the lava tubes. Much of the mammalian wildlife is nocturnal so take that into account when planning.

Tasmania and the Top end would both be wonderful at that time of year but you cannot do it all.

Saltuarius

Meant to add that in the NT the wildlife will be widely dispersed at that time of year. Still a lot going on but not in the huge numbers you would see later in the season.

AndrewDavid

its been about 6 years, but one of the highlights of our almost 5 weeks down under april-may was NT. darwin (2 nights) is an interesting town w/ good museum and evening markets. we loved kakdu ( although our ozzie friend john_j referred to it as kakadon't but he'd not been there. i believe we stayed at lakeview park in a sweet tent cabin at jaibiru (2 nights), dining as temp members at the social club and stayed at the park motel at cooinda (2nights). we went into arnhemland w/ lord's tours and saw the best of aboriginal art, far more extensive than what was viewable in kakadu np @ the time) not bird watchers but the dawn yellow waters cruise is awesome for light sights and sounds. we also spent 5 days in tasmania; 4 days i believe cruising the whitsundays in a tall ship 4 btwn kings canyon and uluru; 5 cairns and about sydney etc. if you want to hear some cool tunes check out archie roach
cheers

AndrewDavid

cheers to all down under

ivenotbeeneverywhere

My suggestions would be to perhaps rent a catarmaran in the Whitsundays Island group and do your own yachting around that area staying on whatever island takes your fancy - they have little dingies to get to the land. Then get to Cairns and do your Caravan thingie and get up the Atherton Tablelands and out to Undarra caves etc. You can experience some of the outback out there and if you do some research you could perhaps take out the Whitsundays and caravan out to Lawn Hill National Park ( outback and particularly special) which would be part of the Queensland experience before going to Cairns etc. Lawn Hill is as special as any other part of the outback and would be a great time of year to go as well.
Then I would suggest perhaps somewhere more moderate in climate which would be say South East Queensland. April/May in Western Australia is the start of about the rainy season and although Western Australians suggest that you can get over there and see it I do not think that the distances between interesting things are close enough to do it in your time frame, neither are they varied or particularly interesting with the exception of the north of Western Australia or the south in the spring time when the wild flowers are out. The other reason that the West is difficult to see is the size of it and the high cost of getting anywhere, even just over to it. I am looking at things from your wish to see interesting and varied things and something that is particularly memorable. You could also add Darwin into that scenario if you wished. At other times of year I would say that going somewhere in the south would be great, especially Tasmania, but it would be getting cold there as would Victoria, South Australia and south Western Australia.

margo_oz

g'day ad....

and not a mention of the dinging singo!

AndrewDavid

ah margo, hello down there. well i hesitate to mention dinky because when i first spoke of him you all thought i was joking until i believe that neil found that wonderful clip from the abc about him
cheers
andrew

impressa

Hi,

Thank you so much for all your valuable comments! When it comes to WA, we've weighted all pros and cons and believe that we'll do it together with NZ and Tasmania on our next trip (hopefully late spring).

I also managed to extend my vacation booking at work, so that we'll have 4 FULL weeks on the ground. Also, set the flight to arrive in Sydney and leave from Melbourne. It pretty much leaves the following base:

Sydney: 4 days
[fly]
Fraser Island: 2 days
[fly
Cairns & Port Douglas area: 10 days (rent a camper: tour Atherton Tablelands, Undarra, Lawn Hill NP and Chillagoe)
[fly],
Alice Springs, Uluru -> Coober Pedy: 5d (rent a 4WD camper)
[drive 1d]
Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, 'Ocean' drive to Mel: 4d
Melbourne: 2d

and a potential switch:
SA drive + 2 days from Cairns area -> 6 days @ Darwin & Top end

We're not really into sailing, so consciously skipping Whitsundays..

What do you think?

Cheers,
Alx.