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Hubby and I are planning our first *BIG* vacation w/the kids for Summer 2015. We're thinking of spending about 2 - 3 weeks in Australia. We don't just want to spend 4 days at a beach hotel that could just as well be in Ft. Lauderdale or Southern California, we REALLY want to see Australia. We were thinking of a couple days in Sydney and maybe a couple other cities, but then, some time in the Outback, Ayers Rock etc...
Does anyone who lives there, or has been there, have some suggestions? We're not opposed to either renting a car and taking some long, scenic drives, or even flying from city to city within the country.
Budget we'll work out later, right now I just want ideas, so we can pare our list down to something affordable.
We're thinking of spending about 2 - 3 weeks in Australia.
We were thinking of a couple days in Sydney and maybe a couple other cities,
but then, some time in the Outback, Ayers Rock etc...
How would you respond to a similar request for someone visiting the US?
The 48 states and D.C. comprise a land area of 8.08 million km² (3.1 million sq mi).
Australia comprises a land area of about 7.692 million km² .
Quote:
...right now I just want ideas, so we can pare our list down to something affordable.
Your question is way too general. You might want to get some guidebooks and start a prelim itinerary ... Tripadvisor forums is also a good place to get suggestions. Else, post on CD's Australia board.
Your question is way too general. You might want to get some guidebooks and start a prelim itinerary ... Tripadvisor forums is also a good place to get suggestions. Else, post on CD's Australia board.
I agree that you should post this question on the Australia board as well.
From my experience in Australia, I would suggest visiting the Gold Coast area (north of Sydney) and see the Great Barrier Reef at least from a boat. I also suggest visiting Melbourne which is has lots to offer a tourist. From Melbourne, I suggest taking a day trip to Ballarat where is a reconstructed Gold Mining/Western-style town from the Australian Gold-Rush era. Another great thing to see in the Melbourne is Phillip Island towards dusk, when one can see all the small penguins coming out of the water. If you have the time, I suggest visiting Tasmania (which is an island off the coast of Melbourne) which is famous for its Tasmanian Devils which are endangered animals.
How would you respond to a similar request for someone visiting the US?
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I could certainly make suggestions to some one with the exact same requirements to visit the USA. Especially since OP said she wants to see the country and not spend her trip laying on the beach.
Surely, someone knows the major things that are "must-see' in Australia. If it is a once in a lifetime trip, OP doesn't want to miss anything important.
I would give yourself at least 3 days in both Melbourne and Sydney, especially since one of those will likely be your entry point into the country after a long flight and big time change. It'll take you 24 hours or so just to get your wits about you after the journey there.
Breaking it down:
Sydney, Beaches & Blue Mountains: 4-5 days
Melbourne, Great Coastal Road & Snowy Mountains: 4-5 days
Cairns/Great Barrier Reef: 3-4 days
Alice Springs/Uluru: 3-4 days
South Australia wine country: 1-2 days
That puts you somewhere between 2-3 weeks. If you had any desire for a few days on a beach somewhere you'll find the best ones up around Cairns. Better still would be to break up the trip home with a few days in Fiji, French Polynesia or Hawaii.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
I could certainly make suggestions to some one with the exact same requirements to visit the USA. Especially since OP said she wants to see the country and not spend her trip laying on the beach.
Surely, someone knows the major things that are "must-see' in Australia. If it is a once in a lifetime trip, OP doesn't want to miss anything important.
Thank you ... I know very little about Australia and would love to visit this country someday ... I think the OP needs some ideas from posters who have been just to get started.
I could certainly make suggestions to some one with the exact same requirements to visit the USA.
Perhaps the point was too subtle... the suggestion is that it's simply not possible to have a meaningful
experience of a place nearly as large as the continental US with a two week trip.
Break it up into multiple trips or focus on one region and really soak that in.
Perhaps the point was too subtle... the suggestion is that it's simply not possible to have a meaningful
experience of a place nearly as large as the continental US with a two week trip.
Break it up into multiple trips or focus on one region and really soak that in.
Australia may be almost as big as the continental US, but it has a much less hospitable interior and much more sparsely populated coastline than the US, plus much less geological diversity in landscapes. The result is that there tends not to be as many tourist destinations down under as there are in the US. Generally speaking, Western Australia and the Northern Territories are off of the typical tourist path, thus eliminating almost half of the country.
Thus, the itinerary I proposed above would be akin to something like this in the US:
DC & Appalachian Mountains: 4-5 days
NYC & the Hudson Valley/Long Island: 4-5 days
Miami &/or the FL Keys: 3-4 days
Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Park: 3-4 days
Napa Valley wine country: 1-2 days
This obviously doesn't come close to seeing all of the US, but it gives someone planning a once in a lifetime sort of trip a taste of the US and lets them see some key sights in 2-3 weeks. Not ideal, but probably the reality many travelers are faced with whether in the US or Down Under.
I would give yourself at least 3 days in both Melbourne and Sydney, especially since one of those will likely be your entry point into the country after a long flight and big time change. It'll take you 24 hours or so just to get your wits about you after the journey there.
Breaking it down:
Sydney, Beaches & Blue Mountains: 4-5 days
Melbourne, Great Coastal Road & Snowy Mountains: 4-5 days
Cairns/Great Barrier Reef: 3-4 days
Alice Springs/Uluru: 3-4 days
South Australia wine country: 1-2 days
That puts you somewhere between 2-3 weeks. If you had any desire for a few days on a beach somewhere you'll find the best ones up around Cairns. Better still would be to break up the trip home with a few days in Fiji, French Polynesia or Hawaii.
We did 3 weeks in Australia a few years ago and pretty much did what the above poster posted. We did Sydney and surrounding area for a week ( a lot to do and see there) then Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef (a must) and surrounding rain forest areas, then we went down to Canberra where BIL was stationed. Those areas would be good tourist highlights to get a feel of Australia and see some beautiful sights.
We also did a week in New Zealand, just a few hours flight from Sydney.
Whatever you do you'll love it.
If you fly straight from the US jet lag may knock you out of sync for a day or 2.
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