jacemehta0806

Hello!

We are looking to travel to Australia this may, we have eleven days total, here is our itinerary so far…

Day 1-Melbourne

Day 2-Melbourne

Day 3-Philip island

Day 4-Great ocean road

Day 5-Cairns

Day 6-Great barrier reef

Day 7-Great barrier reef

Day 8-Kuranda

Day 9-Sydney

Day 10-Sydney

Day 11-Sydney

Our itinerary is definitely not set in stone. My main query is weather the 4 days in Melbourne/great ocean road/Philip island is really necessary. Would spending that time in Brisbane/Gold Coast, the whitsundays, or uluru perhaps be better for a family vacation?

We want our trip to be active, however at the same time don’t want it to be rushed and constantly changing locations.

Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

marg

The weather in May should be OK in all three areas. Melbourne will be at the end of autumn but still reasonable weather. I'd suggest the Great Ocean Road is a better choice than Philip Island - it will take almost two hours to get to Philip Island and really the only 'special' thing to see is the penguin parade. It will be very late at night when you get back to the city. If you are desperate to see penguins, you can see them much closer to the city at St Kilda. If you are hiring a car, then make sure you go westward on GOR, as this will give you the best views and pull-overs to stop to take photos. Then you can return to the city on a quicker route inland.

marg

The weather in May should be OK in all three areas. Melbourne will be at the end of autumn but still reasonable weather. I'd suggest the Great Ocean Road is a better choice than Philip Island - it will take almost two hours to get to Philip Island and really the only 'special' thing to see is the penguin parade. It will be very late at night when you get back to the city. If you are desperate to see penguins, you can see them much closer to the city at St Kilda. If you are hiring a car, then make sure you go westward on GOR, as this will give you the best views and pull-overs to stop to take photos. Then you can return to the city on a quicker route inland.

dreamon

You have three main destinations and what you propose is perfectly doable but I think you'd have a more relaxing holiday if you stuck to just two. Do you plan to fly to Cairns at the end of Day4? If so, you may be limited in late-in-the-day flights and run a small risk of something going pear shaped and you miss your flight. If you fly to Cairns on Day5, at least half of the day will be gone by the time you arrive. Similar situation for flying from Cairns to Sydney. I think adding Brisbane, Gold Coast, Whitsundays or Uluru would not ease the 'rushed' feeling but you could perhaps include more time in places close to Melbourne, Cairns or Sydney (e.g. stay somewhere on the Great Ocean Road, visit the Atherton Tablelands, visit the Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley). I think adding more flights would defeat your desire for a less rushed holiday. btw, Brisbane is a fine city but my sister who lives there and loves it says there's not much for visitors and the Gold Coast divides opinion (love it or hate it, basically).

I agree with Marg about Philip Island. It's a nice place with some good scenery (and the penguins are cute) but I've never really understood why it appears on every tourist's list of places they have to visit.

KayF

Your trip seems a bit rushed. Each time you change cities/states you effectively lose a day from travelling. Flights are fairly short but you have to allow time to get to the airport, check in, get settled at the other end etc. I'd skip either Melbourne or Sydney, unless there is something particular you want to see there. Also try and decide if you want a beach type trip (Gold Coast, Port Douglas, reef trip) or a city trip which is Melbourne or Sydney (both large cities with museums, galleries, shops, loads of restaurants etc).

northie

I live in Melbourne and have driven the Great Ocean Road and there's no way I'd do it in a day there and back.and then go to Cairns the next day. thats far too rushed. I fyou want time to view , travel and see local animals Id suggest min of 2 days along the road. There's Tree top walks as well.