Advice on Australian Itinerary

[SafferMom]

Hi fellow disers

Dh, myself, dd(12) and ds(9) are planning a trip to Australia this July. We are planning on moving permanently (hopefully) to Australia in January 2017 so this trip is partly a holiday and partly a recce on possible cities to live in. My husband is busy setting up work interviews and meetings with work colleagues so we have to work around these dates which is frustrating since no dates are set yet so I cannot make bookings for us. I have already booked our tickets in and out of Sydney (yay for an amazing price on a Qantas sale) and we will be in Australia for 3 weeks.

We will probably have to spend around 8 days in Brisbane as this is where dh's job offer is. We will be using dh's Aunts flat in Caloundra and in between will be staying with friends in Brisbane itself.

We will also have a week in Sydney staying with my sister in Kellyville.

The rest of the time will be spent in Melbourne with perhaps a day or two in Canberra if dh has meetings there.

If anyone could help with suggestions for sights to see in the three cities we will be visiting I would be so grateful. We will be pretty busy with boring adult stuff but I really want my kids to also enjoy the trip and get excited about our move.

Also any suggestions for a good value central place to stay in Melbourne would be very welcome.

For an uber planner like me not have a detailed itinerary for a trip starting in 2 months is pretty stressful so even though I cant really book yet I would like to start putting together a rough list of attractions/sights/places to visit. I cant even book internal flights yet - aaargh!!

 

[AussieNSW]

I was just reading your post and the first thing I noticed was you were staying in kellyville. That is were we live. It is quite easy to get into the city from here in fact it is a beautiful morning here today and as it is school holidays we are going to jump on a bus and head to the harbour and have lunch.

 

[LeanneDownUnder]

Hi there,
Sounds like a great trip!
My daughter and I stayed at the Crossley in Melbourne last year and had a wonderful time. The price was good and the location for getting around was fantastic. We didn't have a car but the free tram was at the end of the street about a 5 min walk, the major mall shopping area was about a 10 min walk and we were on the edge of china town, lots of restaurants to pick from for meals. We were very happy with it and will stay there again.

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hote...ws-The_Crossley_Hotel-Melbourne_Victoria.html

 

[Agent 86]

For Brisbane, your kids may enjoy Queensland Museum (including the Sciencentre), the artificial beach at South Bank and ... I'm not sure what else in Brisbane would appeal to kids. Do they have any special interests (e.g. if they liked trains, then there is the Workshops Rail Museum).

They might be most interested in the various theme parks on the Gold Coast, although all of our theme parks pale in comparison to the Disney theme parks. The best value is probably Dreamworld. I don't mind MovieWorld. I'm not a huge fan of SeaWorld or Wet n Wild. There are also more nature / animal focused parks like Australia Zoo. It's relatively easy to get to each of the parks by a combination of train and bus, but the journey time would be at least an hour and a half each way.

 

[SafferMom]

Thanks for all the responses. We will definitely have a car in Brisbane so could travel if needed. Friends of ours want to take us to Stradbroke Island for a say which we are looking forward to.

Another question - should we visit Australia Zoo or Taronga Zoo in Sydney. If we only have the budget/time for one? We don't need to see any African Animals as we live an hour away from a game park.

Yes @AussieNSW my sister lives in Kellyville - she loves it. She is having her 3rd baby a few weeks before we arrive, so excited to meet my new niece/nephew.

This is our first visit to Australia.

 

[LeanneDownUnder]

I'm biased because I'm a Sydney-sider but you not only get the Zoo with Taronga you get some fantastic views of Sydney's great iconic sites, Harbour bridge and Opera house from the other side of the harbour, it's been a favourite photo opportunity for me.
The weekend Rocks Market is fun to visit and you can walk around the old rocks areas, taking in the bridge, The opera house, The botanical gardens, it's a nice day trip.
In Canberra my kids always loved Questaco but that may take up to much time. If your here at the right time Floriade is always really good to go to, but that's seasonal, Canberra is really pretty but I don't know that I would spend time going there, save it for when your living here and can plan the time of the year.

 

[AussieNSW]

I would also suggest Taronga zoo. Apart from the animals you could chose to catch a ferry across the Harbour to the zoo. Another place to see Australian animals is a place called Featherdale Wildlife park it is a little under a 30 minute drive from Kellyville. Check out there web site it might be what you are looking for and it allows you to get close to the animals.

 

[SafferMom]

Thanks all. I am also leaning towards Taronga - it just looks wonderful and I see they have a new rope adventure course that kids and dh will enjoy.

 

[SafferMom]

We will only go to Canberra if a job interview comes through, otherwise we will leave it for this trip.

 

[Agent 86]

should we visit Australia Zoo or Taronga Zoo in Sydney

Well, I live about an hour away from Australia Zoo and I've never been. But, I've been to Taronga Zoo multiple times as a child and adult. Of course, the wider variety of animals at Taronga Zoo appeals to me, whereas you're not fussed about African Animals.

Maybe just check out some recent tripadvisor reviews of both zoos? They should provide you with an international (as opposed to local) perspective of the two zoos.

 

[SafferMom]

Will definitely do that.

 

[Brisbanemum]

What an exciting adventure for your family!

In Brisbane, I would definitely recommend the Southbank Parklands and our Museum/Science Centre and GOMA (gallery of modern art) for a great day out with the kids. Southbank has the Wheel of Brisbane ( http://www.thewheelofbrisbane.com.au/ ) which is a fun thing to do with family/friends and the kids will probably want to have a ride as you can't miss seeing it if you visit Southbank. Groupon and Ourdeal often have super cheap ticket deals for this attraction so keep an eye out for those! If you are staying in Brisbane over a weekend, I'd also recommend a visit to the Eat Street Markets ( http://www.eatstreetmarkets.com/ ) . It's one of our favourite things to do on a Friday or Saturday night and our ds13 and ds10 love it and would go there every weekend if they could!

I would also second a Dreamworld day for a theme park visit if you have time. There are quite a few fun rides there and they have an Aussie animal section where you can pat a Kangaroo (no cost) and even take a photo with a Koala (for a fee).

 

[Chucky!]

Hi,

Another Sydneysider here, though in the south-west rather than north-west. I would suggest you will probably need a car if you are staying in Kellyville, it is a beautiful area, but it is quite a long way from most of the tourist areas and a long bus ride, the train won't be finished until 2019.

January is the best time to be in Sydney, the Sydney Festival runs for most of the month and has lots of free and ticketed events for all ages.

There are a few different parts of the city that tourists usually visit,
- Circular Quay is where the main ferry wharves area and also the area where the Bridge, Opera house and Botantical Garderns are.
- Darling Harbour has lots of restaurants and bars as well as IMAX, Aquarium, Wildlife Park and Maritime Museum
- Town Hall/ Queen Victoria Building/ Pitt St Mall are the main city shopping areas
- Beaches, there are many, Bondi is by far the most famous but its not the nicest (and packed in January!!!), Coogee in the East, Dee Why in the North, Cronulla in the south are all great places to go.

Taronga Zoo is amazing, apart from being a zoo it is a beautiful day out, the most common way to get there is to catch the ferry from Circular Quay, past the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and has amazing city views from everywhere.

I would highly recommend getting a hotel room in the city for a night so allow you some time to explore the city.

Have a great trip!

 

[minneylovesmicky]

I have been to both Taronga and Australia zoo's and would take Taronga any day. Auatralia zoo, whilst not terrible, just wasn't as good as it is made out to be.

If you do end up in Canberra, take winter woollies, as Canberra in July/August will be beyond freezing. We live just north of Canberra.

 

[Zosha]

Australia Zoo is only about 20 mins drive from Caloundra so you might as well go while you are close. The Sunshine Coast is a beautiful place to visit. If you only have a week in the area I wouldn't bother going to the Gold Coast I'd just enjoy with the Sunny Coast has to offer. There is towns in the hinterland called Maleny and Montville which are lovely places to spend a day wandering around. There is also Noosa and surrounding area which is beautiful. You could blow a week on the coast very easily!

 

[JessL]

What sort of things are your kids interested in? Melbourne has great food and coffee in gorgeous laneways - Hidden Secrets Tours run a good tour. Chinatown is good. The art gallery is fantastic. The Fairy Penguins at Philip Island (a couple of hours out of town) are always popular with tourists- it's in the evening so it will be cold, but you watch all the penguins come up out of the water and across the beach to their burrows. It can be crowded, but if you have the budget you can pay for aVIP experience where you have just a few people on a section of the beach. Sovereign Hill is a full day as well because it's an hour away, but its a recreation of a goldfields town. If you are into sport, Melbourne Sports Tours run great tours of the various sporting venues - you visit several in a day. I run a shopping tour company, but your son would probably hate that! Happy to give other suggestions if you let me know what you like.

 

[dollarmite]

I have been to both Taronga and Australia zoo's and would take Taronga any day. Auatralia zoo, whilst not terrible, just wasn't as good as it is made out to be.

Yes! I'm within driving distance of Australia Zoo, and couldn't be bothered going there no matter how bored out my mind I was. I've been 2-3 times, and the only time I ever tried to get out of chaperoning a school excursion was when DS's class was going to Australia Zoo. But he really, really, wanted me to go, so I did. That was about 10 years ago and I'm still trying to figure out what all the hype is about.

Taronga Zoo has much more to offer and would be a better use of your time IMO.

 

[dollarmite]

For Brisbane, a trip to Mt Cootha outlook will afford you (free) views over the city. I've found the easiest way to get there is just on one of the local buses, usually leaving from the city centre (about a 20-30 minute bus ride). Parking can be tricky, once you've made your way up the extremely windy road, so I wouldn't recommend driving up. http://www.brisbanelookout.com/ The restaurant prices are a rip off, so I'd recommend eating elsewhere.

 

[ozliz]

July is not a great time for Canberra so definitely wait until you move here to come unless you have a reason to visit for an interview. I second the suggestion of Questacon though. It is fun and educational for families. Otherwise there are plenty of national institutions to see like galleries, the war memorial, Parliament House etc. it just depends on whether that sort of thing interests you. Someone mentioned floriade. That is always on in spring usually for a month from September to October when all the flowers will bloom. When the weather is warmer there are some beautiful areas to walk around and see outdoor sights too.

 

[SafferMom]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I will definitely be using them.
It appears we will have to go to Canberra for an interview so winter woolies will be packed - luckily we still have some that will fit the kids from our US trip.
We will hire a car when we will be in Sydney/Kellyville as we will want to do some exploring and are thinking of booking a night in the city to see more of the sights.