Peter_Joanne

We have temporarily relocated to Melbourne for 14 months from Montreal, Canada and we are having the hardest time trying to figure out when to go where. We already visited Tasmania in March and we are going to Noosa in the Sunshine Coast in April and Sydney in May and Queenstown, New Zealand in July.

We have 15 vacation days left and we are trying to decide if we should book the following:
- JUNE Broome & Kimberleys & Red Center/Uluru (still deciding where)
- AUGUST 5 days (only 4 vacation days) in the Whitsundays (or is Port Douglas better)
- OCTOBER or NOVEMBER Perth & Ningaloo Reef

What a huge country, we would need years to see everything but we simply cannot. As well, we have a 3 year old, who is an absolute gem when it comes to travelling, but we must consider her when making our plans so as not to push it (we may not make it to Uluru since the interest factor for a 3 year old is extremely low).

I have read a lot of the posts and trip reports but I am so undecided so I am not asking the experts (I used the forum extensively when we visited Tasmania in 2007 and the advice was priceless).

Should we forget Whitsundays (Hamilton island) and head to Port Douglas? In order for our daughter to see the reef we will book the Fantasea Cruise or equivalent) to a pontoon on the reef - I have read it is not the best way to see the reef, but they have a children's enclosure and semi-submerse sub, so it works for us. Is Quicksilver in Northern Queensland pretty much the same thing? Although they only leave from Cairns, which means getting ourselves from PD to Cairn. Visiting the rainforest sounds interesting in PD, but with a 3 year old? I already carried her up to the Wineglass Bay lookout in Freycinet. We figured 5 days on Hamilton island would include 1 day on the reef and half a day visiting Whitehaven beach (we were told it is a must see) and then for the balance, just rest & relax.

As for the Kimberley, we don't know if it is even doable with a 3 year old. Some of the coach tour operators do not allow children under 5 and I cannot see myself doing a self drive from Broome to Kununurra. However, we were told it is a must see. Then there is the question of timing - we thought October, but I've read it is risky (wet season approaching) and some accommodations are event closed at the end of September. Then we though June, but having not really looked into it, will it be hard to find flights, accommodations? I am not even sure what it doable with a child? Any thoughts? Should we move the Great Barrier Reef trip to October and visit the Kimberly in August instead? Drop the Kimberly and go to Uluru?

Finally, the West Coast - seems that it is nice there all the time, so in Nov or even December we would head out there for a more relaxed beach type holiday split between Perth & Exmouth.

All comments are accepted
Thanks,
Peter

northie

June would be lovely in Broome--October will be the start of the build up -read Humidity but usually not wet. Why Kununurra?
What about Cape Leveque -lovely beach for kids and beachside accommodation. Also Lombardina -an aboriginal community that caters for tourists.

ivenotbeeneverywhere

Well in August I would fly to Cairns and either stay around there or go to Port Douglas - I personally prefer to stay in Cairns as there are many more tours leaving from there and if you want to see the southern part of the Atherton Tablelands its more accessible.
The reason I say Cairns is that it will be that little bit warmer in winter compared to the Whitsundays with lots more to see and do.
For Ningaloo Reef - check the best times for the whale sharks as you would want to swim with them I presume. Dunno that I would fly all the way to Perth as I do not think that there is a lot to see and do there in comparison to the eastern states. Then of course there is Darwin and Kakadu too which is easier to get to and not as expensive as flying to Perth.

Melnq8

Nov-Dec wouldn't be my choice for Ningaloo - it'll be very hot. Whale shark season is March-June. We visited Ningaloo and the NW coast in June and it was plenty hot for us.

Nov is still wildflower season in WA - generally a nice time to visit - lots of wildflowers down south in Nov.

Peter_Joanne

Thanks for the replies.

Why Kununurra? We were told that the El Questro resort/old cattle station was a nice place to stay.

We think we decided to head to Port Douglas in August, we will try to make it to Uluru in June (big maybe) and then Perth and the west coast in October.

We will have to save Broome and the Kimberley for a return trip to Australia...it just does not seem like the place to bring a 3 year old.
If we have any vacation time left before heading back home to Canada, we might spend a week in Fiji...why not, we're close (relatively speaking).
Thanks again,