Hi - I received lots of helpful feedback after I posted a few months ago regarding our plan for our honeymoon in October '06, but we are revising the itinerary, so I wanted to post again in the hopes of receiving additional suggestions. (We took out a 4 day/night trip to the Blue Mts and Hunter Valley as well as 2 nights in Palm cove).

Here is our plan for our 15-night honeymoon:

First day/night - Arrive Sydney 6 am - spend first night in Syndey recovering. Four Seasons booked - other than Park Hyatt, what is as nice? We want to relax, walk a bit, and probably indulge in a spa treatment. Then hoping for an amazing dinner.

Nights 2-3 - Fly to Melbourne and spend 2 days/nights there. Suggestions where to stay? So far the Prince, the Park Hyatt and the Hotel Como sound good. I was not sure if St. Kilda, So. Yarra, or other areas of Melbourne would be best. We love cafes, little shops, and walking around and admiring architecture.

4-5 Drive out of town to a nearby town in Victoria. Hoping to find a smaller town experience, perhaps in the wine country, if not looking just for a quaint atmosphere. Suggestions? Certain towns in Victoria, like Healesville, sounded really nice to us - is it worth including this side trip? Should we just do 1 night instead of 2 and tack one on to the next portion of our honeymoon (GOR or Barossa)?

Evening #6 Drive the GOR - is 1 night enough? Where is a good place to stop en route to Barossa?

7- 8 Explore Barossa Valley. Looking for a wonderful inn to spend 2 nights in. We'd really only have 1 full day to tour the wineries given we will be arriving from our long drive on the 1st night. A recent poster (johnnyriles) mentioned Peppers Hermitage, which looks good -other ideas?

Day 9 - fly to Cairns and connect to Bedarra or Lizard - very tough time deciding - anyone have a perspective? (Nights 9-13 here) Food is a big factor, as is lack of children. We loved the open bar at Bedarra, but the website seems to indicate it is no longer incl. in the price - ?

Day 14 - fly to Sydney. Hoping to stay at the Four Seasons for nights 14-15.

Day 16- fly home to L.A.

Thank you for reading. Once the itinerary is finalized (after we get your feedback and we have selected all lodging), I will write again for specific recs (e.g., restaurants). One final question - we are hoping to find a travel agent to help us with the logistics- any suggestions?

Thank you again for your time -
Megan

Could you try and fly all the way to Melbourne on the first day and add the extra day in Sydney on at the end?

Healesville has an animal sanctuary which I believe has lots of Australian animals - gotta see a koala while you're here.

I haven't travelled the GOR road, but a normal trip from Melbourne to Adelaide (near Barossa) going inland is about an 8 hour drive without many stops, so you might want to have 2 nights between Melbourne and the Barossa, especially as you will want to see things along the way. You could try and iclude your quaint Victorian country town for the first night.
http://www.visitvictoria.com/

For the second night see the attached SA Tourism website. Checkout the Limestone Coast under "regions". The Coonawarra is also in this area and is another wine region known for its red wines and is supposed to be quite charming.

http://www.southaustralia.com/home.asp

Megan- We spent 2 weeks in Oz from the US this January, so I'll give you my thoughts:
- We landed in Sydney and went right to Adelaide. You may want to consider doing the same thing to Melbourne. That way, you wouldn't need to leave the airport for a day (which would be a pretty tiring day anyway). I know it's a bit more travel, but it's a short flight, and you'd probably still be checked into a Melbourne hotel by noon. Then you could bump everything up by a day and have an extra day in Sydney at the end.

- We stayed at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne. It's a pretty convenient walk to the St. Kilda area, where you will find lots of cute shops and restaurants. There's even a tram that passes near the hotel that can take you that way, although it's a nice walk. The Park Hyatt isn't smack dab in the center of the CBD, but it's a close walk.
- For the GOR, we drove in one day from Melbourne to Port Fairy. It was a long day, but we felt we say everything we wanted to without feeling rushed. Others may disagree...
-

Hi Megan-
We are currently in the middle of a 3 month holiday in Australia.
We stayed at the Westin in Melbourne and it was nice and modern.
We really liked the Park Hyatt in Sydney- very intimate and personal. Excellent concierge. Great location too. We had a very good meal at "fish on the rocks" (located in the Rocks neighborhood- tasty fish, reasonable and neighborhood feel). We are ending our holiday the end of june at the Shangri-la in sydney (they have a package that includes free laundry so it is nice to come home with clean clothes!). They are located right next to the 4 seasons.
We spent 3 days driving the great ocean road. There are cute places to stop. We especially liked Apollo Bay. Otherwise, it may seem like a tedious drive and a big blur. We drove from Melbourne to Adelaide and the last day was quite a bit of
driving.
We also visited the Barossa Valley and would not recommend our b&b-
The wineries we visited were a lot of fun and quite intimate. We purchased some nice wines- and made some fun memories!

We stayed at Lizard Island and LOVED it. There were no children- a big plus. Service was great and it was a truly memorable experience (despite some rain).

We actually just got back from the Blue Mts and are in the Hunter Valley at present (since you are not going, I won't bore you with the details).
Looking forward to reading about your finalized itinerary.

Tanunda is a nice town to stay in in the Barossa Valley. It has a number of pubs, hotels, restaurants and plenty of info on wineries to visit.

However I believe one of the better hotels is supposed to be the Barossa Novotel. It's not in Tanunda, but not too far from it either. It's only 7 years old, has a pool and some rooms with spas. (I haven't actually stayed here myself, but have friends who go regularly).
http://www.novotelbarossa.com/

As for wineries a lot of the locals would suggest the small to medium sized ones in general. They are more intimate than the large ones and usually don't allow tour buses or large groups, which is a blessing. A couple of nice medium sized ones I like are Peter Lehmann and Grant Burge (very scenic). Some smaller ones to seek out are Ross Estate and Charles Cimicky.
http://www.rossestate.com.au/
http://www.grantburgewines.com.au/
http://www.peterlehmannwines.com/Default.aspx?p=3
http://www.winediva.com.au/wineries/barossa-valley.asp

Another good place to visit in the area is Maggie Beer's Farm Shop. She is an award winning cook and sells her locally made produce.
http://www.maggiebeer.com.au/farmshop/

hi

flying in and then straight to melbourne does sound like a good idea to me too then you could have very leisurely 3 days in sydney at the end of your trip doing lots of different things. (maybe even get a day trip to the Blue Mts in there if you did that)

are you set on driving melbourne to adelaide? If i were you, I would think about doing GOR as an out and back day trip (or 1.5 day if you wanted to stay somewhere overnight) and then fly to Adelaide. To do GOR then on to Adelaide is a big trip (obviously doable, distances are always doable, it's just whether you want to stop and smell the roses along the way). We took a few days to do it - stopped at Kingston SE (near Robe) fantastic Crayfish and both lovely spots, then drove to coonawarra (town is Penola and if you're catholic, this is mary mckillop country) and Mt Gambier and stayed in the Lower Glenelg NP that night, then stayed at Port Campbell, then stayed at little place called Marengo, then to Melbourne. However, we did do quite a bit of stuff around Port Campbell - sunset and sunrise at 12 Apostles, loch ard gorge etc, and also went into otways (if you haven't done one somewhere else, I'd def recommend the fly walk in the trees, it was very cool).

As for town in Vic - there's a couple of options, Healesville is very pretty and you could combine with Yarra wines as well, or you could go to somewhere like Daylesford which is 'spa country' and again, theres wineries in that are as well. Tough choice whether to do this or add a day somewhere else ... I'd be tempted to add a day in Adelaide/Barossa, but that's not to say that it's not worth doing.

Re: barossa, agree with speckles, tanunda is a lovely little place. I recently had a weekend in the barossa - was only going for 1 night, but liked it so much decided to stay for 2 nights! Novotel looked nice, but peppers hermitage was right in the thick of the vines, and looked like a great spot. if you click my lancefan author thing, you'll see a post that I got lots of replies to about people's favourite barossa wineries and also the ones we went to.

good luck!

Hello Megan, I live very close to the Barossa Valley so will comment on that part of your trip. You have mentioned Pepper's Hermitage which I agree is lovely. However, if that is within your budget, also have a look at Jacob's Creek Retreat (NOT to be confused with Jacob's Creek Visitor Centre.) It is absolutely beautiful and very romantic (my husband and I got married there last year!)

www.jacobscreekretreat.com.au

They will also do a private dinner for two whilst you are there if you wish. It is surrounded by vineyards and very close to Tanunda which is a quaint little town.
The Novotel is in a lovely setting but has nowhere near the atmosphere of Peppers or Jacob's Creek Retreat. Let me know if I can help any more.

We thought it would just be easier to drive from Melbourne to Adelaide instead of to Melbourne and back -- then take a flight to Adelaide. I guess I need some clarity on the GOR distance - where it really "ends" - and then how much longer of a drive it is to Adelaide. We were hoping to spend one night at sort of a halfway point, then the next night arrive in Barossa. If this is a bad plan, please advise as we have not finalized our plans yet and really have to soon given the honeymoon is 4 mos away.

Thanks so much for everyone's advice - we took it to heart and are flying directly from Sydney to Melbourne when we first land in Australia, and then will have 7 nights to do Melbourne and perhaps the outskirts, the GOR and Barossa before flying to Lizard Island for 5 nights. We will end our trip w/ 3 nights in Sydney. So just those 7 nights are up in the air. Thanks again.

Chapel Street in the suburb of South Yarra is THE street in Melbourne for small trendy shops and cafes etc. The Como is right on Chapel St. it's a boutique hotel and favoured by Andre Agassi when he is in Melbourne for the tennis. It's worth checking out. South Yarra is much smarter than St. Kilda. A tram runs down Toorak Road near the Como so it is quite easy to travel into downtown Melbourne. The Park Hyatt is an excellent hotel. Being part of the Hyatt chain it is big with a New York type of feeling. Was actually decorated by a New Yorker. It's location is in one of the prettiest areas of the city close to gardens and about a five minute walk from Collins St. the classiest street in the city. It also would be a good choice. The Prince is in an old building in St.Kilda and would not be my choice even if it does have one of the smartest restaurants in town, the "Circa".
So Como for a smart boutique hotel and trendy shops or Park Hyatt for a luxury well located hotel

Melbourne to Barossa is a lot of driving and I would certainly be allowing three days/two nights to drive from Melbourne to Barossa Valley. It can of course be done by only stopping once but you will get much more enjoyment out of it if you stop twice.

I agree with Downunder that South Yarra is better - certainly if you are into shopping and if offers a bit more class.

Melbourne to the Barossa via the GOR with only one stopover is a long haul. The GOR is not the quickest of roads and you really do want to stop and sightsee on the way. You may want to stop at Lorne for lunch (about a 2 hour drive from Melbourne) then continue on to Apollo Bay and then to Warnambool via the 12 Apostles and that would be a fair days driving and incidentally the official end of the GOR. Lots of accomodation in Warnambool. The next leg could be via Pt Fairy to Robe (the cray fish capital of Australia) and Mount Gambier. Also lots of accomodation in Mt Gambier. Then via the Coorong to Adelaide and on to the Barossa. To do all that with only one stopover, well it can be done, but not advisable.
Being an old Tanunda lad I would say spend as much time as you can in the Barossa, but a day would be heaps. Tanunda, Nuriootpa and Angaston , the heart of the Barossa, are all close and don't take long to see. In fact if you are short of time you could spend one night and then a full day there and that could be sufficient. The Barossa is a day trip for many tourists. Adelaide is only an hours drive from Tanunda so you could overnight there before your flight to Lizard Island. That would give you three nights in Melbourne (where I live) and 4 nights GOR,Barossa and Adelaide and you would see some of the best parts of Australia.

These responses are incredibly helpful. Another question - should we spend Days/Evenings 1-3 in Melbourne, or spend Days 1-2 in Melbourne and then drive out of town and spend a night somewhere in Victoria for our 3rd day and night before embarking on the GOR? If the latter option, where in Victoria?

Incidentally, you have convinced me - we will spend 2 nights on the GOR and 2 nights in Barossa.

Thank you all so much.

I think that depends a lot on how jet lagged you think you might be. Sometimes it takes a day to recover from a long flight. There is plenty to see in Melbourne, but if you feel you might like to see more of the countryside perhaps you could spend night 3 in Ballarat. It's about two hours from Melbourne and was the centre of the Australian Gold Rush in the 1880s. They have an attraction called Sovereign Hill which recreates the era. A detour to Daylesford on the way to Ballarat would be advisable.
It is then a direct route from Ballarat to Geelong and the start of the GOR.

In my opinion you are trying to cover far too bigger distance in too short a time in regards to Melb/Victoria/Barossa Valley area. You will be spending most of every day driving with your current plan.
If you are only heading to the Barossa for the wines, there are plenty of nearer wineries in Victoria which are just as good if not better.
I think you are allowing 5-6 days for this part of your trip - as the others have said day 1, do not stay in Sydney continue on down to Melbourne, it is a 1 1/2 hour flight and 20min bus trip into the CBD. Have a look around the CBD, coffee relax or head to Geelong for your first night - smaller town nice waterfront area.
Day 2 - head to Torquay - the beginning of the GOR - stop at Narana Aboriginal Centre on the way to Torquay. Torquay is also the home of Quicksilver/Rip Curl surf shops from there head onto Anglesea - stop at the Golf Course to view Kangaroos, head to Apollo Bay for nights accommodation - nice bayside village - visit Otway Fly for views over tree tops, glo worms in this area. Next day make your way to Warrnambool stopping to view London Bridge, 12 Apostles etc. From Warrnambool make your way to Halls Gap - next nights accommodtion. Hiking opportunities here,also a good aboriginal centre if you didn't stop at Narana. Into Stawell - wineries in this area include - Sepplets, Great Western
make your way back down to Ballarat - as previously mentioned old Gold Town, Ballarat Wildlife Park for kangaroos who roam freely around the park and can be feed, Koala is brought out for close viewing each morning at 11.00 a.m. not sure if again in the afternoon. Soverign Hill is a replica gold mining town from the mid 1850's profits from the park are regenerated back into the park with new buildings etc. Accommodation can be had at Sovereign Hill not sure if the Blood on the Southern Cross re-enactment is held in October but worth seeing if it is. I would then head back towards Geelong to the Bellarine Peninsula more vineyards here, with Queenscliff in mind as your destination - ferry across to Sorrento maybe a night at Phillip Island to view the penguins then back into Melbourne - Rialto Tower is okay if you enjoy seeing views of the area, also have a reasonable movie showing areas of Victoria. Cheap souvenier shops Queen Victoria Market, do the City Circle Free Tram, maybe a visit to the MCG the home of AFL footy and cricket.

Thank you so much for all your input. Here is what we have planned now--flexiblity is just on the Victoria portion:

Day 1 - land in Sydney and take connecting flight to Melbourne.

Days 1-3 Melbourne - based on above post, thinking South Yarra for the hotel. So Hotel Como? We also were pondering Lyall or Lindrum. If you have an opinion on these, please let me know.

Days 4-5 Yarra Valley - thinking Chateau Yering. Thoughts?

Day 6- Drive Great Ocean Road. Assume we will stay in Port Fairy or somewhere not too far past that. Again, suggestions would be great.

Day 7 - finish driving GOR and drive back to Melbourne on an inland road.

Day 8 - Fly to Cairns, then to Lizard Island. Days 8-12 on Lizard

Day 13 - Fly from Lizard to Cairns, then to Sydney. Remaining 3 nights in Sydney. Thinking 4 Seasons but open to other suggestions.

Thanks so much.

I live near Melbourne, ,my favourite big Hotels in the City are The Westin and either the Park or Grand Hyatt.,but for something smaller and more intimate but with great atmosphere I recomed the Grand Mercure in Flinders Lane. they have lovely little suites with a kitchenette, living room and bedroom and I always feel special when I stay there, make sure you get the right one though as there are a few Mercure properties and this is the only one I recomend.
http://www.accorhotels.com.au/hotdea...;brand=Mercure
The Como is very nice but in South Yarra which is a short tram ride from the City I think you would be better off staying in the City.
A trip to the Mornington Peninsula would be lovely (that is where I live) we have beautiful coastal scenery, wineries and wonderful B&B's and it is only an hours drive from Melbourne City.
By the way, if you want some fun shopping you must go to Bridge Road in Richmond (a tram ride from the City) it is where all the factory outlet stores are and you get some great buys.
enjoy!

As a guide to your planning for the drive down the Great Ocean Road. It takes approximately 1 hour to get from Melbourne to Geelong. 1 hour Geelong to Lorne. 1 hour Lorne to Warrnambool. 1 hour Warrnambool to Port Fairy. That does not include sightseeing stops, or meals.
http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/ this page may be of help to you. The whales are currently in the waters near Warrnambool, not sure if they are still around in October though, worth checking that one out. I would not waste time or money visiting the Maritime Museum in Warrnambool very basic.