Australia: Discovery Down Under Meets Thread

[tgeorge]

Need to go to Cairns for Great Barrier Reef or some othe tropical island adventure like the Whitsundays. They have the whitest sand beaches I've ever seen!!

 

[pixiepirate]

Exciting! Yeah there aren't many trip reports at all on Australia. The only one I know is Pete's blog on WDWInfo and the DISUnplugged podcast review a few years ago. It's worth it to search it out if you haven't heard it.

I'm just starting to look at how I want to structure this trip. I noticed that most all flights from the US either fly into Syndey or Melbourne. What's there to do in Melbourne? I know nothing about Australia. Also, what's your reasoning for the extra day in Cairns? Just getting over jet lag and relaxing, or is there something there worth seeing that's not on the trip?

Thanks for the info on the blog and podcast. I will definitely check them out. My friend has been to Australia once before so we looked at several different trips. I don't want to hit just the main spots that she has already seen. We decided ABD was the best because they offered the most unique experiences. The extra day in Cairns is mostly for rest and relaxation before the tour starts but we will probably find something to do before the Welcome dinner on day one.

This trip has been 20 years in the making for me so I want to get as much mileage out of it as I can. Melbourne is only about a 1hr 15 minute flight from Hobart so it seemed a perfect (and probably only) opportunity to visit. I still have a lot of research to do but Melbourne seems to be the jumping off place for tours to Phillips Island for the Penguin Parade. My friend Jinjer is not one to repeat experiences often but she is looking forward to this so it must be a winner. We are also looking into the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, a ghost walk and an arts tour.

 

[austraveler]

Post this in the Australian section of the boards and you will get a flood of information. Melbourne is a lovely city with fabulous restaurants and great culture. It is a day trip from Melbourne to see the penguins and there are many tour operators that do this trip. The inner city itself is well designed with a rectangular grid of streets, separated into like areas (financial area, shopping area, Chinatown etc). What cuisines float your boat - I can provide a few suggestions.

 

[pixiepirate]

Post this in the Australian section of the boards and you will get a flood of information. Melbourne is a lovely city with fabulous restaurants and great culture. It is a day trip from Melbourne to see the penguins and there are many tour operators that do this trip. The inner city itself is well designed with a rectangular grid of streets, separated into like areas (financial area, shopping area, Chinatown etc). What cuisines float your boat - I can provide a few suggestions.

Thanks for the tip. I will certainly check the Australian section. Both Jinjer and I are open to most cuisines though I do like a good Italian or Mexican restaurant. I would be most interested in hearing about the more unusual or unique restaurants, either in theme or location. We would like to experience something completely different. Any info on great local museums or art galleries would be appreciated as well.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thanks for the info on Phillip Island and the penguins. That sounds very unique. I'll add Melbourne and Phillip Island to the "to do" list.

Do you think there are any major sites in Sydney that are not on the ABD itinerary?
Sydney Day 1 (half day) - Domain Park and Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, Dinner at Botanica Brasserie.
Sydney Day 2 - Harbour Bike Tour, Harbour Cruise, Sydney Opera House Visit, Dinner on our own Sydney
Day 3 - Private Surfing Lessons (which Gavin and I prob won't be able to do, so there is an optional walk down the coastal trail from Bronte to Bondi), Lunch at North Bondi RSL Club, Afternoon/Evening on our Own.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Post this in the Australian section of the boards and you will get a flood of information. Melbourne is a lovely city with fabulous restaurants and great culture. It is a day trip from Melbourne to see the penguins and there are many tour operators that do this trip. The inner city itself is well designed with a rectangular grid of streets, separated into like areas (financial area, shopping area, Chinatown etc). What cuisines float your boat - I can provide a few suggestions.

Is there such thing as Australian cuisine? It makes me think of steaks.

 

[pixiepirate]

Thanks for the info on Phillip Island and the penguins. That sounds very unique. I'll add Melbourne and Phillip Island to the "to do" list.

Do you think there are any major sites in Sydney that are not on the ABD itinerary?
Sydney Day 1 (half day) - Domain Park and Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, Dinner at Botanica Brasserie.
Sydney Day 2 - Harbour Bike Tour, Harbour Cruise, Sydney Opera House Visit, Dinner on our own Sydney
Day 3 - Private Surfing Lessons (which Gavin and I prob won't be able to do, so there is an optional walk down the coastal trail from Bronte to Bondi), Lunch at North Bondi RSL Club, Afternoon/Evening on our Own.

To tell the truth, I have not done much research on Sydney yet. I thought about the Harbour Bridge Climb but Jinjer has nixed that. There is the Taronga Zoo. Jinjer also toured the Olympic Park, which was still being built at the time. I don't know if tours are still offered there. We may look for a ghost tour for our free evening. We have done several in different cities. They can range from spooky to run-of-the-mill touristy but it's a fun way to get a little of the less known history of the area. I'll be sure to post more info when I find anything.

 

[austraveler]

Sydney: The bridge climb is pricy but spectacular. The zoo is very nice, especially if you catch the ferry across from circular quay. The ferries take you to some lovely spots - Watsons bay is a short ferry ride and provides the opportunity to eat at Doyles (seafood) and take a bush walk along my favourite bit of coastline. We have a lot of visitors from the US and quite like the hop on hop off bus for a good loop of all the sights - ABD might do this for you though. The Rocks area (historical) is worth a wander, especially if you are there on the weekend. There are some craft markets which are a little touristy but hey - you are tourists. The restaurants at the waterfront there have amazing views and the food is quite decent (although overpriced). If you want some history, my boys like Hyde Park Barracks, which is across the road from Hyde Park. It is fairly small but gives a good overview of living conditions in early Australia for the soldiers. The Australian Museum is a bit dated and probably could be missed, although the building is gorgeous.

There is a public pool at North Sydney next to Luna park. I can't think of any public pool in the world with such amazing views. Google Olympic pool north Sydney and look at the images. Luna park is kind of lame.

I think Wildlife World is dreadful, but if you can't get to the zoo and need a koala fix, I suppose it would do.

Melbourne: Ned Kelly's armour is on display in the state library upstairs (free) and is well worth a look. I think the best thing to do in Melbourne is wander - the lane ways and the shops are pretty fun and the city is a big flat grid. The Queen Victoria markets have a fun food section. Old Melbourne gaol has a night ghost tour that we enjoyed. For Italian my pick would be Grossi Florentino. The menu looks plain but the food will impress. Skip Lygpn street. It has a name as the 'food street' but you can do much better. The "Movida" restaurants are excellent as is Cumulous Inc and Coda. Australia does very good Asian - for a splurge try Spice Temple at the Crown complex. These restaurants are all at the pricy end. When you have the big ticket items sorted we can fill in some casual bits and pieces (Koko Black chocolate shop is awesome for morning tea or afternoon tea). There are always good art exhibits on in the city. Check for these about a month out from your departure date.


Happy to give feedback on ideas and answer any questions. We have been to many restaurant in Sydney and Melbourne. Cousin Orville was the source of a number of good food recommendations on our Vietnam ABD so I would like to return the favour.

 

[sayhello]

Sydney: The bridge climb is pricy but spectacular. The zoo is very nice, especially if you catch the ferry across from circular quay. The ferries take you to some lovely spots - Watsons bay is a short ferry ride and provides the opportunity to eat at Doyles (seafood) and take a bush walk along my favourite bit of coastline. We have a lot of visitors from the US and quite like the hop on hop off bus for a good loop of all the sights - ABD might do this for you though. The Rocks area (historical) is worth a wander, especially if you are there on the weekend. There are some craft markets which are a little touristy but hey - you are tourists. The restaurants at the waterfront there have amazing views and the food is quite decent (although overpriced). If you want some history, my boys like Hyde Park Barracks, which is across the road from Hyde Park. It is fairly small but gives a good overview of living conditions in early Australia for the soldiers. The Australian Museum is a bit dated and probably could be missed, although the building is gorgeous.

There is a public pool at North Sydney next to Luna park. I can't think of any public pool in the world with such amazing views. Google Olympic pool north Sydney and look at the images. Luna park is kind of lame.

The Sydney Bridge climb is definitely on my must-do list when I finally go to Australia. It just looks so amazing! I have a bit of a fear of heights, but I will overcome it for that!

And I looked at photos of that pool! That is AMAZING! Wow! Would definitely need to check that out!

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!

Sayhello

 

[pixiepirate]

Sydney: The bridge climb is pricy but spectacular. The zoo is very nice, especially if you catch the ferry across from circular quay. The ferries take you to some lovely spots - Watsons bay is a short ferry ride and provides the opportunity to eat at Doyles (seafood) and take a bush walk along my favourite bit of coastline. We have a lot of visitors from the US and quite like the hop on hop off bus for a good loop of all the sights - ABD might do this for you though. The Rocks area (historical) is worth a wander, especially if you are there on the weekend. There are some craft markets which are a little touristy but hey - you are tourists. The restaurants at the waterfront there have amazing views and the food is quite decent (although overpriced). If you want some history, my boys like Hyde Park Barracks, which is across the road from Hyde Park. It is fairly small but gives a good overview of living conditions in early Australia for the soldiers. The Australian Museum is a bit dated and probably could be missed, although the building is gorgeous.

There is a public pool at North Sydney next to Luna park. I can't think of any public pool in the world with such amazing views. Google Olympic pool north Sydney and look at the images. Luna park is kind of lame.

I think Wildlife World is dreadful, but if you can't get to the zoo and need a koala fix, I suppose it would do.

Melbourne: Ned Kelly's armour is on display in the state library upstairs (free) and is well worth a look. I think the best thing to do in Melbourne is wander - the lane ways and the shops are pretty fun and the city is a big flat grid. The Queen Victoria markets have a fun food section. Old Melbourne gaol has a night ghost tour that we enjoyed. For Italian my pick would be Grossi Florentino. The menu looks plain but the food will impress. Skip Lygpn street. It has a name as the 'food street' but you can do much better. The "Movida" restaurants are excellent as is Cumulous Inc and Coda. Australia does very good Asian - for a splurge try Spice Temple at the Crown complex. These restaurants are all at the pricy end. When you have the big ticket items sorted we can fill in some casual bits and pieces (Koko Black chocolate shop is awesome for morning tea or afternoon tea). There are always good art exhibits on in the city. Check for these about a month out from your departure date.

Happy to give feedback on ideas and answer any questions. We have been to many restaurant in Sydney and Melbourne. Cousin Orville was the source of a number of good food recommendations on our Vietnam ABD so I would like to return the favour.

Austraveler, thanks so much for your input. I am definitely making notes for future reference, especially on the restaurant recommendations. I find that it's usually pretty easy to find something to do, but not always easy to find a good place to eat. It looks like the ABD hotel is right by Hyde Park so the Barracks should be an easy trip. I had been considering the Australia museum, perhaps I will pass on that. Maybe the Maritime Museum instead? The tour starts on a Wednesday but I am not sure exactly when we get to Sydney. I will have to make up a calendar.

I am thinking we may stay in City Center in Melbourne. Access to the trams should make it pretty easy to get around. Do you have any hotel recommendations? Ned Kelly's armour will be a must-do, besides I understand the library building is quite interesting. I have also made a special note about Koko Black. Jinjer is not into tea (I am) but we both like our chocolate.

We both like history, architecture, gardens, ghost tours, and quirky little off the wall experiences. I'm a sci-fi fan so if you know of any shops specializing in books or memorabilia I'd love to hear about those.

 

[WeLoveABD]

We have tentatively decided to go on the ABD Australia trip for June 2016 (yes, 2016)--can't book yet; our plan is to fly out of LA to New Zealand for a few days and then to Cairns to meet up with ABD. Interesting that in the survey following our recent ABD there was a list of countries with a request to check off all we'd be interested in--and New Zealand was among them. Great if that were added--but I don't see how that would work realistically unless ABD makes it a 15 day trip, or eliminates Tasmania. We are very interested in what people are doing pre days on this trip...and for a trip report!

 

[pixiepirate]

We have tentatively decided to go on the ABD Australia trip for June 2016 (yes, 2016)--can't book yet; our plan is to fly out of LA to New Zealand for a few days and then to Cairns to meet up with ABD. Interesting that in the survey following our recent ABD there was a list of countries with a request to check off all we'd be interested in--and New Zealand was among them. Great if that were added--but I don't see how that would work realistically unless ABD makes it a 15 day trip, or eliminates Tasmania. We are very interested in what people are doing pre days on this trip...and for a trip report!

I do wish the Australia tour was a little longer. We did consider another tour that did include New Zealand but there were too many extra add-ons not included in the tour price. Most of the tours I looked at that did include New Zealand were 19-24 days. It would be interesting to see how many days ABD would add if they decided to include New Zealand. Right now we have scheduled one pre-day in Cairns and 3 post days in Melbourne. I haven't done much research yet but will let you know what we finally decide on.

 

[Bobo912]

I do wish the Australia tour was a little longer. We did consider another tour that did include New Zealand but there were too many extra add-ons not included in the tour price. Most of the tours I looked at that did include New Zealand were 19-24 days. It would be interesting to see how many days ABD would add if they decided to include New Zealand. Right now we have scheduled one pre-day in Cairns and 3 post days in Melbourne. I haven't done much research yet but will let you know what we finally decide on.

Tauck has a 20-day Australia & New Zealand trip. Everything is included in the quoted price. Like ABD, they never sell options. A couple of years ago, one of our guides told me that ABD had considered adding New Zealand (this was around the time they added Tasmania), but it would make the trip too long. So I guess they are intentionally aiming to keep the trips in the 8 - 12 day range. I agree with you though that longer would be better.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Austraveler, thanks so much for your input. I am definitely making notes for future reference, especially on the restaurant recommendations. I find that it's usually pretty easy to find something to do, but not always easy to find a good place to eat. It looks like the ABD hotel is right by Hyde Park so the Barracks should be an easy trip. I had been considering the Australia museum, perhaps I will pass on that. Maybe the Maritime Museum instead? The tour starts on a Wednesday but I am not sure exactly when we get to Sydney. I will have to make up a calendar.

I am thinking we may stay in City Center in Melbourne. Access to the trams should make it pretty easy to get around. Do you have any hotel recommendations? Ned Kelly's armour will be a must-do, besides I understand the library building is quite interesting. I have also made a special note about Koko Black. Jinjer is not into tea (I am) but we both like our chocolate.

We both like history, architecture, gardens, ghost tours, and quirky little off the wall experiences. I'm a sci-fi fan so if you know of any shops specializing in books or memorabilia I'd love to hear about those.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Australia and Melbourne.

I will second what Austraveler suggested. If you head to the Aussieboard section on the Dis, there will be quite a few people happy to help.

What is your price bracket for hotels?

Ned Kelly's armour is at the State Library; but if you head to the Old Melbourne Gaol (and maybe check if your dates coincides with a Ned Kelly night tour or one of the other ghost tours) you'll find a replica there. I think you will be able to put it on and take some tourist pictures as well.

There are a number of ghost tours offered in Melbourne. I haven't done the Haunted Melbourne Ghost Tour but I believe it might be decent. As is the Melbourne Ghost Tour. I've been in the Melbourne Gaol a number of times at night.

There are very interesting buildings with Victorian/Queen Anne style architecture in Melbourne. There are daily walking tours offered by Melbourne Tourism. You might be interested to pick one of those.

There are also a number of self-guided walks that you can print off the internet. There is one (and I forget which company it is) that offers scavenger hunt style walking tours. They do charge online for the map but I did do the arcades and alleys walk with interstate friends. The self-walking tour was pretty good and I thought it was worth paying for the map.

If you're interested in sci-fi, check out Minotaur bookshop. They are located in Elizabeth Street in the city.

Have fun with your planning.

 

[pixiepirate]

Tauck has a 20-day Australia & New Zealand trip. Everything is included in the quoted price. Like ABD, they never sell options. A couple of years ago, one of our guides told me that ABD had considered adding New Zealand (this was around the time they added Tasmania), but it would make the trip too long. So I guess they are intentionally aiming to keep the trips in the 8 - 12 day range. I agree with you though that longer would be better.

I don't think I looked at the Australia/New Zealand Tauck tour. 20 days was really pushing the limit of time my friend is able to take for vacation. The tour we were considering was 18 or 19 days. It really was a tough decision. New Zealand looks absolutely gorgeous. My friend has been to Australia previously so I wanted to make sure we chose something that wasn't just a repeat of all the places she had been before. She thought the ABD tour would suit us best. But if ABD decides to add New Zealand, I may just have to consider going back again.

 

[pixiepirate]

I hope you enjoy your visit to Australia and Melbourne.

I will second what Austraveler suggested. If you head to the Aussieboard section on the Dis, there will be quite a few people happy to help.

What is your price bracket for hotels?

Ned Kelly's armour is at the State Library; but if you head to the Old Melbourne Gaol (and maybe check if your dates coincides with a Ned Kelly night tour or one of the other ghost tours) you'll find a replica there. I think you will be able to put it on and take some tourist pictures as well.

There are a number of ghost tours offered in Melbourne. I haven't done the Haunted Melbourne Ghost Tour but I believe it might be decent. As is the Melbourne Ghost Tour. I've been in the Melbourne Gaol a number of times at night.

There are very interesting buildings with Victorian/Queen Anne style architecture in Melbourne. There are daily walking tours offered by Melbourne Tourism. You might be interested to pick one of those.

There are also a number of self-guided walks that you can print off the internet. There is one (and I forget which company it is) that offers scavenger hunt style walking tours. They do charge online for the map but I did do the arcades and alleys walk with interstate friends. The self-walking tour was pretty good and I thought it was worth paying for the map.

If you're interested in sci-fi, check out Minotaur bookshop. They are located in Elizabeth Street in the city.

Have fun with your planning.

Thanks for the info, Princess in Oz. I have added it to my Australia folder. I will especially make a note about the bookstore. The self-guided walks sound like something we might like. I will check or have Jinjer check into those. I think my biggest concern will be whether the tours will be operating on weekdays as it looks like we will be arriving on Sunday and probably leaving on Wednesday.

As for the price bracket for the hotels, we haven't really decided yet. As with Disney, I don't mind paying a little more for a unique hotel, and something that is convenient to transportation. I'll know a little more once I have had time to do more research.

I do plan to post on the Aussieboard, just haven't had time yet. Right now I'm trying to get organized for the two trips in my immediate future, WDW in Sep and the ABD Backstage Magic Tour in Oct. I do appreciate you taking the time to help me plan my dream trip.

 

[mathgeek]

Exciting! Yeah there aren't many trip reports at all on Australia. The only one I know is Pete's blog on WDWInfo and the DISUnplugged podcast review a few years ago. It's worth it to search it out if you haven't heard it.

Does anyone have links to these? I searched and can't seem to find them. Thanks!

 

[sayhello]

Does anyone have links to these? I searched and can't seem to find them. Thanks!

The Podcast is on this page in the Archive from 2009 (September 23, 2009).

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-podcast/archives-2009.htm

Sayhello

 

[PrincessInOz]

Exciting! Yeah there aren't many trip reports at all on Australia. The only one I know is Pete's blog on WDWInfo and the DISUnplugged podcast review a few years ago. It's worth it to search it out if you haven't heard it.

What's there to do in Melbourrne? I know nothing about Australia.

It's not exactly an ABD TR....but I did spend the better part of last year planning.....er......blogging about things I was doing around Melbourne. Head to the second post for the quick links. Skip the Proper Planning Posts section and you'll find links that I blogged about festivals, events and general life in Melbourne based on the months of the year. I'm sure I have posts about the city architecture, the Queen Victoria Market, a night visit to the Old Melbourne Gaol, the Melbourne Zoo amongst the posts of the various festivals during the year in Melbourne.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2958450




I also recently spent 6 nights in New South Wales. 3 nights in the Blue Mountains and 3 nights in Sydney. I'm still writing up the Blue Mountains.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3299907




And if posting these links doesn't fit in with the spirit of this section of the boards, I've no issue with the mods deleting this post. Alternatively, PM me and I'll remove the links.

 

[sayhello]

And if posting these links doesn't fit in with the spirit of this section of the boards, I've no issue with the mods deleting this post. Alternatively, PM me and I'll remove the links.

Quite the opposite, PrincessInOz! We *love* it when people share information like this with us! The Meets threads are the perfect place to add some information for people planning a particular ABD. (Now, of course, I haven't read your blog yet. If someone complained that the contents were offensive or something like that, I'd have to investigate and act accordingly - not that I think they are!) But it's wonderful when the locals or people who have been there before give us the benefit of their experience!

Sayhello