Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband and I have booked a 13-day cruise which departs from Sydney, has a one-day stopover in Melbourne, followed by 6 ports in New Zealand. This cruise runs from November 27 through December 9. (Yes, I know it's 10 months off. ) We will be flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles and from there to Australia. Due to the length of the flights (20 hours), we know we'll need at least a day, if not more, to even partially recover from the jet lag. We also know that single day in each of these cities is not going to be sufficient.
Now, here's my question...
We're probably going to want to spend 2-3 full days each in Sydney and in Melbourne. We could tack on the extra days in Sydney prior to the cruise and then return to Melbourne at the end of the cruise (our last stop is in Auckland) and spend another couple of days there before returning home. We had also considered maybe trying to take in one more city in Australia -- possibly Brisbane or Adelaide. The thing is, I know nothing about Australia except that I've always wanted to go there. Would a couple of days in Brisbane or Adelaide be worth the extra money it would cost? We figure the driving time between these cities would be prohibitive, so we'd have to fly, and of course that would be an added cost. Airfares are super low right now, so if I can book our flights within the next couple of weeks, I will save us a bundle! I know we will never get back to Australia, so I want to do this trip right. Would those of you who know Australia well mind providing some feedback for us? If you need me to provide some more information for you in order for you to answer, please just let me know?
Going from LA to Sydney I get no jet lag. It's really not too bad just like a very long day, sometimes I have a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. Depending on the time of year, it can be as little as five hours difference (LA is 19 hours behind, or 5 hours ahead but one day behind). Going the other way (SYD-LAX) is much harder, and on the first night I usually crash and burn about 8pm. Again a sleep during the day helps adjust more quickly.
How about a couple of days in Hobart? Tasmania is unbelievably beautiful.
I second Tasmania.
Flying from Melbourne can be cheap, or you can take the boat from Port Melbourne, "Spirit of Tasmania", either during the day, or overnight.
What are your interests? Both Adelaide and Brisbane have great things to see and do, but they are very different.
I think it would be accurate to say that we love cities with a lot of character, cities that stand out as unique in some way. So many cities are just like every other city, if you know what I mean. I'd like to go somewhere that will really be memorable. To us, the overall vibe of the city is more important than any specific museum or monument. We enjoy cities that are walkable. I realize that doesn't give you much to go on, but maybe it will be enough.
Maybe we should just spend extra time in Sydney and Melbourne. One of the things that has always fascinated me about Australia is the unusual animal life. I'm a real animal-lover so if I could see kangaroos, wallabies, dingos or koalas in the wild, that would be way cool. If there is a really, really nice zoo, we might want to go there, but it would have to be an above average one.
Also, natural scenic beauty is pretty high on our list of "likes."
I think it would be accurate to say that we love cities with a lot of character, cities that stand out as unique in some way. So many cities are just like every other city, if you know what I mean. I'd like to go somewhere that will really be memorable. To us, the overall vibe of the city is more important than any specific museum or monument. We enjoy cities that are walkable. I realize that doesn't give you much to go on, but maybe it will be enough.
Maybe we should just spend extra time in Sydney and Melbourne. One of the things that has always fascinated me about Australia is the unusual animal life. I'm a real animal-lover so if I could see kangaroos, wallabies, dingos or koalas in the wild, that would be way cool. If there is a really, really nice zoo, we might want to go there, but it would have to be an above average one.
Also, natural scenic beauty is pretty high on our list of "likes."
I'd avoid Brisbane and Adelaide, most of what those cities offer is outside of them. Honestly, have a look at Hobart, just to wind up the Victorians I often say it's my second favourite capital city in Australia.
Hobart is the second oldest city in Australia, and has some wonderful old buildings. Salamanca Markets are very nice too. You say you're not into museums but I reckon the MONA is one of the best art galleries in Australia. It's founder is a rags to riches local who made all his money by being a freak at maths and coming up with a gambling system that has made him hundreds of millions. He put about $170m of his own money into the project, and it really is a magnificent museum. Given Hobart's location as the last stop before Antarctica it does have a bit of an outpost of civilisation feel to it, probably doubly so because of all the colonial architecture.
If you have a bit of extra time then seeing the rest of Tasmania is absolutely worth it. Pretty much the whole west coast is untouched.
If you do go, you've got to try a Tasmanian scallop pie. I could eat 10 every day and never get sick of them.
I think it would be accurate to say that we love cities with a lot of character, cities that stand out as unique in some way. So many cities are just like every other city, if you know what I mean. I'd like to go somewhere that will really be memorable. To us, the overall vibe of the city is more important than any specific museum or monument. We enjoy cities that are walkable. I realize that doesn't give you much to go on, but maybe it will be enough.
Maybe we should just spend extra time in Sydney and Melbourne. One of the things that has always fascinated me about Australia is the unusual animal life. I'm a real animal-lover so if I could see kangaroos, wallabies, dingos or koalas in the wild, that would be way cool. If there is a really, really nice zoo, we might want to go there, but it would have to be an above average one.
Also, natural scenic beauty is pretty high on our list of "likes."
I think I would spend the extra days in Sydney and Melbourne. Both have more than enough to keep you busy for the days you will be there.
I recently visited Brisbane as well. I really liked the city a lot, but it's not as walkable as the other two, and it's not on the coast either. You have to travel about 100km to get to either the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast. Whereas both Sydney and Melbourne have the coastline/beaches right there in the city itself.
Also, there are Koala Sancuaries (with kangaroo feeding) and such....I saw them both in Sydney and Brisbane, so I'm led you can pretty much see them in any city, but you could do that in Sydney anyways.
I'd avoid Brisbane and Adelaide, most of what those cities offer is outside of them. Honestly, have a look at Hobart, just to wind up the Victorians I often say it's my second favourite capital city in Australia.
Thanks for that advice!
Quote:
Hobart is the second oldest city in Australia, and has some wonderful old buildings. Salamanca Markets are very nice too. You say you're not into museums but I reckon the MONA is one of the best art galleries in Australia. It's founder is a rags to riches local who made all his money by being a freak at maths and coming up with a gambling system that has made him hundreds of millions. He put about $170m of his own money into the project, and it really is a magnificent museum. Given Hobart's location as the last stop before Antarctica it does have a bit of an outpost of civilisation feel to it, probably doubly so because of all the colonial architecture.
That might be a really good idea. Actually, I can see why I led you to believe that we don't like museums. We actually like them a lot. When I'm in London or New York, I could spend hours and hours and hours in them. It's just not typically a city's museums I think of when I think back on my visit somewhere. It's how I feel when I'm in the city. That probably doesn't make any sense, but when I think of my favorite cities in the world, I just picture myself on a street there and remember how it felt. New York City = energy! Venice = romance! Amsterdam = charm!
Quote:
If you have a bit of extra time then seeing the rest of Tasmania is absolutely worth it. Pretty much the whole west coast is untouched.
Sounds right up our alley.
Quote:
If you do go, you've got to try a Tasmanian scallop pie. I could eat 10 every day and never get sick of them.
Hmm. Interesting sounding item. I will keep that in mind. Hey, if I could try haggis while in Scotland, I'll pretty much try most anything.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) We will be flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles and from there to Australia. Due to the length of the flights (20 hours), we know we'll need at least a day, if not more, to even partially recover from the jet lag. We also know that single day in each of these cities is not going to be sufficient.
