I'm coming your way! A little help please?

[Maleficent53]

Hello Australia!

After MANY Disney trips, my family decided this year (2014) we are finally going to do what we have wanted to do for a long time....travel to Australia!

I am hoping some of you will be willing to do the reverse of what DIS is famous for - providing great trip planning tips for WDW/DL. I need your ideas for not-to-be-missed things to see in your country.

I'm hoping for specifics! Instead of "see the Great Barrier Reef" I want "When you are at GBR, eat at this great restaurant" or "do the zipline at this place".

I understand AU is a HUGE country, and like the US has so much to see and do. We just want to get the most out of our 2 weeks.

We will probably be flying into SYD. I would love to head out to Ayers Rock. Definitely want to go to the Reef. What else? Give me your suggestions, please!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Happy planning and what a great trip you have in store for you and your family (but then I'm going to be biased!).



Australia is a big continent and there are so many different parts of the country to see. I see you already have Sydney, Ayers Rock/Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef on your list. Is there anywhere else?

Do you have a rough itinerary planned and how long are you going to be away for? Will you have kids with you? How old will they be? Do you like the great outdoors or a city experience?


Getting to Uluru is not cheap for Australians; so you may want to see if you can get a better deal from the US for the flight.
There is a resort area that has accommodation options from camping through to 5 star hotels there. I stayed at the Desert Gardens Hotel when I was there. It was fine; just expensive (like most things are). It's pretty much a captive audience once you're in the resort.
We caught the AAT tour out to walk Kings Canyon. You'll get picked up at 4 am in the morning, drive out to the Canyon and get to walk along the rim of the canyon. It is well worth the effort.
We also went early to the Olgas/Kata Tjuta and walked the circuit there. We just caught one of the shuttles to get there at 6 am and arranged a pick-up at 10.30 am. By the time we were finished our walking, the tour buses were starting to come in. So, we got to enjoy the place without a lot of other people around.


To see the Reef, you have the choice of Upper or Lower Reef. The Upper Reef is mostly at Cairns/Port Douglas. The Lower Reef is nearer the Whitsunday Islands. Depending on which end of the reef you want to see, there are tours/restuarants and hotels to choose from. I've gone to the Lower Reef from the Whitsundays. We stayed on Long Island and caught a boat tour out from there. We even signed up for a scuba tour which meant that we had to learn the basics of scuba diving in the hotel pool. It was 2 lessons as we were going diving with a licensed diver. We just needed enough instruction on how to sink and rise; and to deal with the scuba gear. We ended up doing a 30 minute dive when the boat headed out to the reef; and then snorkeled around before lunch; and then back to the resort.

I haven't yet been to Port Douglas. It is on my list to do for next year. Maybe one of the other Aussies will come along and provide you with their views.

Where are you hoping to stay in Sydney? There are all sorts of options.

I live in Melbourne....if it is on you list to visit, I'm more than happy to provide more recommendations.
There's heaps to see, eat and do here.....as there is anyone in Australia. It comes down to time and money.

 

[Sugarglider]

Welcome to australia!! we'd LOVE to have you visit!

well - your question will open the flood gates of ideas ....

I like your itinerary - GBR and Uluru will give you a fabulous insight into our country and both are on my MUST DO list (Stacy misses them out for some reason)

So ... my first thought would be can you provide a bit more guidance about your travel preferences? so do you like scuba diving? trekking? camping? or are you after luxury? a bit of a foodie looking for the amazing meal? are you budget or reasonable? Are you up for hiring a car or just want to get off the plane and sit in one location? e.g. when you go to GBR you can stay on an island or you can stay on the mainland and scoot about.

My other thought is to go to TripAdvisor's where you can see all kinds hotels and things to do rated with photos etc.

Also - did I miss what time of year you are coming?

 

[Sugarglider]

My opening offers?

I think Uluru is fan-freakin-tastic - stay at one of the Voyages Resort accommodation offerings and you'll be in the middle of the action. they have a range for every budget (much like a certain mouse we know)

for GBR: Fitzroy Island looks interesting to me. It has recently been overhauled, has national park and access to a lot of reefy kind of things.
Lady Elliot Island is also good for a reasonably priced all inclusive "learn to scuba dive right on the reef" experience.

Voyages Resorts also have a resort at Mossman Gorge in the queensland mainland tropical north world heritage list Daintree rainforest - and I have seen them offer 'Reef and Rock' packages where you can put Uluru and Queensland together.

WOW enjoy your planning AND your trip

 

[DizOz]

Welcome Maleficent53 it's great seeing our DIS friends travelling down to see us. As you are here for 2 weeks the last thing I suspect you want to do is spend that time on places and at airports.

Assuming you use Sydney as a base you have 3+ hour flights to both GBR and Uluru. So doing both may be a bit of a task depending on what else you want to do.

What to see may depend on what time of year you intend visiting us down under and what your personal interests maybe.

In Sydney you have a lot of tourist sites as well as some very good top end restaurants.

An hour north and you have the gold coast with their theme parks and beaches.

An hour south you have Melbourne which is considered the restaurant capital of Australia (A broad range of cuisines and price ranges) as well as many sporting and cultural events. It also has the penguins at Philip Island and the Great Ocean Road.

I suggest doing a must do list and then a nice to do list and work out how many flights you want to take whilst you are here. Unfortunately I would suggest the West Coast may be our of reach given the time frame. It too has some great spots such as Cable Beach and Broome.

Hope you have a great time planning and enjoying your trip down here with us.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

You have a great trip ahead but yes, like our visits to the US - you probably need to refine your short-list and if you just want to see the biggies or fit in something a bit different. Your style and children's ages, if kids, would be helpful. Once you have the locations sorted we can all chip in with local best spots, eateries etc.

If you get out to Uluru then I second PIO that you should also try to see Kata Tjuka (Olgas) and Kings Canyon. We found Uluru at dawn and Kata Tjuka at sunset special. Kings Canyon was probably our highlight rather than Uluru though. You may find a tour company that does eg a 3 day all inclusive tour to be the easiest (and possibly cheapest pre-booked from the US as they market things to the US often cheaper than we can get them!).

As to GBR yes, decide where - both top and bottom end have day trips including snorkelling etc. The main reef is further out from the Whitsunday end than Cairns so a slightly longer boat trip to get there - I have been to both and the reef itself was equally as good at both. Cairns had a nice big platform we were on which I liked (***********) but I understand the Whitsunday end has something similar now too. Long Island is a lovely tropical island to explore and quieter than some of the resort islands. Some of the others are smaller (Daydream is tiny) and Hamilton Isld is all marinas and development and I wouldn't recommend unless if you have a look and think that suits your style. The whole Whitsundays with the islands floating in the ocean is very pretty and most resorts have lots of activities and some have kids clubs some of the time like the Disney hotels do.

Cairns resorts on the other hand are more apartment/hotels with pools and the city itself has no beach just a man-made foreshore development but there are nice beaches to the north. If you go there I would recommend staying at one of those like Palm Cove or Yorkeys Knob. It also has the rainforest area of Cape Tribulation or Mossman which is what tourists imagine - rainforest coming down to the beaches. Either destination makes a great half or full day trip from Cairns. Port Douglas is also nice though I gather now more developed than we were there last. The Cairns region also has the hinterland of the Atherton tablelands which is another nice alternative to explore with crater lakes and waterfalls.

Cities Sydney or Melbourne as first picks. I think Sydney is more scenic at first look with that stunning harbour and north shore parklands and ferries (sorry Melbourne) but Melbourne feels smaller to get around. Melbourne possibly has more "soul" but as a first time, short time visitor you probably wouldn't notice the difference. If you like nature and walking I would vote Sydney. If you like shopping and bars and cafe culture I would go Melbourne with the proviso - and so I don't get beaten up - that this is a big generalisation and you can actually get both in both. My UK rellies have all preferred Sydney on a first visit for example.

Happy planning!

 

[Tashinwdw]

I agree with everyone's comments so far.

If you have time in Sydney I recommend doing the Harbour Bridge Climb, either sunrise or sunset. I did the sunset one last year and it was amazing, we had such a clear day and we could see the Blue Mountains. It is not a hard climb so you do not need to be super fit, we had elderly couples and young couples in our group, even a guy who was terrified of heights and he made it all the way through.

Bondi Beach is a big attraction for visitors but I personally don't get the hype, I think there are much better beaches in Australia.

Great Ocean Road in Victoria would be good and also Sovereign Hill, its a touristy gold mine town that I enjoyed going to.

My Husband just added that he thinks the must see thing is the Kimberleys, mind you, we have not seen them, but has he really wants to, he thinks everyone should go see them.

Let us know what sort of holiday you are after - all tourist stuff, off the beaten track stuff, city, country, outback and I am sure we can all give you heaps more information.

 

[rachaeld]

I am in New Zealand, but have had a few trips to Port Douglas over the last 13 years - we got married there 13 years ago. Beautiful village with lots of restaurants, both great value and also the very expensive. The beach is at the end of the Main Street and the marina is at the other end. There are numerous ways to travel out to the reef, we have done two of the trips that quick silver offer. The first is the outer reef where you pull up along side a huge pontoon and snorkel/dive with hundreds of others, and the second is the Low Isles, where you cruise to a small deserted island on a sailing catamaran and you can snorkel straight off the beach - this is our favourite.

 

[Maleficent53]

Thanks for all the quick responses, so far! A bit more info, as suggested....

We will be 3 or 4 adult women 50-65 years young, all in good health, no physical limitations. We are adventurous and prefer being out seeing/doing over sitting at a hotel pool. We don't mind luxury hotels, but prefer to spend our money on fun stuff - and will stay at budget places, as long as they are clean. We grew up camping with our parents and are very familiar with rustic living and outhouses!

We have not selected our travel dates yet. If you have opinions on best time to visit (least crowds/dryer weather/etc) feel free to toss that out. I do understand that weather will be different depending on where we go, like the US.

I wonder if we should totally exclude the west coast? Long ways from our arrival in SYD and assume airfares will be expensive. I work for an airline and could possibly get some deals on airfare, but my sisters will not. I plan on looking into a "visit AU" type of deal. Years ago I know there was one for US visitors, but not sure if it is still available.

Again-thanks for great ideas already posted, and keep them coming!

 

[izzybjenn]

Love that you are heading this way.


I find Australia so diverse there is something for everyone.

Here is my take, based on my experience, don't want to start state wars.

Living in Canberra, means we are kinda central to everything so have done lots. Canberra must do is floriade in October. Gorgeous flowers, wine, food, cooking, with nice weather.

Sydney is, I think, touristy with lots of well known must dos. Sydney is very busy, traffic nightmarish but also a lot of fun. I would say the best for food! Sorry Melbourne. It is also easy to get around. The weather is pretty good all year round, depending on what you are after and comfortable with.

Melbourne is shopping. But you also have some yummy food areas too. Be sure to go to Docklands and see the cow up the tree. Its funny and a suprise to see. Melbourne is well known to display four seasons in one day. Layers and umbrellas are a must. I also think Melbourne is layed out well.

Adelaide, very pretty and quiet when compared to Syd & Melb. WINE at its best in the barrosa.

Brisbane we have only done day trips here so prefer not to comment. We stay at the gold coast but we have a children and theme parks are the main reason. Lovely weather although when it rains it rains.

I think pp have mentioned cost to Ayres Rock and this has stopped us from going.

Northern Territory has adventure! Very beautiful and tropical climate.

If looking for adventure and seeing different things I would consider a road trip. So many little towns all with something unique to offer.

Tasmania, cold but beautiful the salemica markets are a must do.

I haven't included Western Australia as we have not ventured that way as yet.

Thats my summary. All have something to offer and you won't be disappointed with what you choose to do. Happy planning.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'm not sure if you've seen his TR from last year, but skier_Pete made a trip downunder with his family.

In case you haven't, here's his link. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2978639


March is about my favourite time of year in Melbourne. It's autumn here and the weather can be counted on to be reasonably consistent. Warm-ish days and crisp nights. Plus there are heaps of festivals going on in Melbourne at this time of year; so there always seems to be plenty to do in the city.

Failing that, then maybe November....late spring; just before summer. It isn't too hot and the flowers will be blooming.


With 2 weeks, you might be better off leaving the West Coast. Melbourne is worth a trip but it will come down to what you want to do and see. Aside from the city, shopping, arcades, food, restaurants and Victorian architecture, the Fairy Penguins and the Great Ocean Road are drawcards for tourists. November is great time to see the Fairy Penguins....they should be feeding their young; so a greater number come in at night.

 

[izzybjenn]

Shame on me. The Blue Mountains, lots of tour companies do pick up and drop off from motel in Syd and Canberra are also a must see. Nature at its best.

 

[Marlea98]

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[PrincessInOz]

Hi

I do hope you get to visit here, Australia is such a land of contrasts and long distances.

PIO kind of missed a part of the GBR that many people overlook, Gladstone/Rockhampton area. It's about the lowest part of the reef that you can get to relatively easily from Brisbane. A bit further south is Bundaberg, a beautiful area and has some of the best beaches for watching turtles lay eggs and hatchings depending on the time of the year. Rockhampton is not really my cup of tea but I go there a bit when we visit family sort of nearby. It's beef country but there are still some areas of coast that are gorgeous.

I live a few hours either way between the Whitsunday's and Cairns. We are not overly touristy an area so most people tend to skip us, but I think we have the best of both worlds being between Cairns and the Whitsundays. If you want to do the reef and other activities I would suggest Cairns. There is the Skyrail and Kuranda plus Indigenous experiences. You can hire a car and travel inland and visit rainforest and small towns. My favourite place to go is Paronella Park at Mena Creek. It's a Spanish-style castle in the middle of nowhere (well, there are farms and things around it, so not quite nowhere). It's won a lot of tourism awards. There is also Gallo Dairy, a small dairy where you can see cows being milked, plus there is a little cafe where they make and sell chocolate and ice cream and more. Mareeba, which is nearby, also produces some of the best coffee and tea around. Cairns has a casino and some great markets, but I have not been there for quite a few years now and I know the area has suffered from lack of tourism due to the GFC. Cairns caters primarily to the tourist market and prices, sadly, reflect that.

I went to Airlie Beach earlier in the year. It's a small town surrounded by cane fields, mountains and reef. The reef is lovely. It is primarily a backpacker's town but that is slowly changing with many upmarket units being built to accommodate an older and more wealthier tourist. There are yacht races from there and it has a great outrigger team and competition there. It all depends on when you go as to what you see. We went in January and there was not much on.

For my money and for a more 'Australian' experience, I would go to Cairns. I'm also a Victorian girl so I would choose Melbourne over Sydney I've only been to Sydney once and went to the zoo and the Maritime museum so I can't really comment on Sydney.

You need to research the North Queensland climate if you plan to visit the GBR. We are in the tropics and our climate is similar to Florida's but we get high humidity and lots of rainfall in our summer (Dec-Feb, often a month or two either side). PLUS - basically anywhere north of Rockhampton is crocodile country. They are more dangerous than alligators. We have freshwater crocodiles which are basically harmless, but the saltwater crocodiles just want to kill and eat you - they are found in fresh water and salt water. Do not swim anywhere unless otherwise signed. Do not assume that if you can't see them they are not there. They also lurk on land near waterways. Not that I want to scare you, but many people underestimate their locations. If you go out to the reef to dive you should be right as they don't go out that far as a rule (they have been spotted out to sea and attacked a police officer diving off an island). In saying that, you can do crocodile spotting cruises/tours.

Have a great trip. PM me if you want anything specific to my area and I can try and find out

Ooh! Yes. I forgot about 1770/Agnas Water surroundings. All that lovely mangrove and deep sea fishing area. Thanks!

 

[AussieNSW]

The best way and cheapest way to view the opera house and the Harbour Bridge is to catch a ferry over to Manly. When you are Manly you can lunch or go for a swim. You can catch a normal ferry or the more expensive fast ferry. The benefit of the fast ferry is that it has a top level that allows you to sit in the sunshine and to take awesome photos.
Another great trip is to catch a ferry to Watsons bay and have fish and chips either a sit down seafood meal at Doyels or takeaway fish and chips.

 

[Marlea98]

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[BecBennett]

Bondi Beach is a big attraction for visitors but I personally don't get the hype, I think there are much better beaches in Australia.

I agree, plus there's not much else there.

PIO kind of missed a part of the GBR that many people overlook, Gladstone/Rockhampton area. It's about the lowest part of the reef that you can get to relatively easily from Brisbane.

Ooh! Yes. I forgot about 1770/Agnes Water surroundings. All that lovely mangrove and deep sea fishing area. Thanks!

1770 is one town I'd love to visit, especially on Australia Day Hmmm, mangrove jack fishing. Yum.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I wanted to +1 on 1770. It's only a smallish town (or was when I was there a couple of years ago) but it's on beautiful beaches, and you can take tours out to the reef to scuba/snorkel/glass bottom boat etc. I think you can now get direct flights from Sydney to Gladstone, as well as direct from Brisbane to Gladstone.

Being that there will be 4 of you, it would probably be a lot cheaper to rent a car, and drive everywhere, except two weeks isn't really enough time to do this.

I haven't been, but Lonely Planet has just named Adelaide as one of their top 10 cities to visit in the world.

I call April and September wedding season. A lot of weddings are held in those months because of the great weather. There are school holidays in both of these months though, so it might make it a bit more expensive. This website tells you when school holidays are, so you can try and work around those if you want to http://australia.gov.au/topics/australian-facts-and-figures/school-term-dates

 

[Aussie Wendy]

North Stradbroke Island is another "sleeper" that a surprising lot of people don't know about. Lovely little island just off Brisbane, 45 min by ferry, second biggest sand island in the world. Gorgeous beaches, whale watching from the beach in season as well as off shore trips to see them. Great snorkelling on an artificial reef offshore if you are divers. Inland freshwater lakes. Nice " vibe" in general OR Fraser Isd off Hervey Bay, more well known, beaches, coloured sands, rainforest, dingoes.

Just throwing that out there for the info of anyone else hunting for things to do around Brissie in the future too.

 

[zanzibar138]

I haven't been to Sydney, Uluru, or the GBR, but I'm going to contribute anyway.

As far as I know, central and northern Australia have their best weather during southern Australia's winter season (ie May-August). Over the summer months, they get hot, humid and rainy, which may not be pleasant for doing lots of walking or outdoor activities. If you're mainly coming for Uluru and GBR, I would come during those months. Even in southern Australia, the winter is very mild.

Australia (as you are aware) is a very big and spread out place. As someone else mentioned, you'd be looking at 3 hour flight for both Uluru and northern QLD from Sydney. Therefore, for you to be able to spend a decent amount of time at each place and get the most from your visit, I wouldn't recommend you trying to fit in any other destinations on a 2 week visit.

Having said that, there are many other wonderful places to visit. Melbourne is just a short flight from Sydney (I wouldn't waste time driving with only 2 weeks). I'm not much of a city person, but apparently it has great shopping and restaurants. There are also some wonderful places outside the city for walking, and more active pursuits. The Dandenong Ranges is one of very few places in the world where you can see a temperate rainforest. It really is beautiful - like a fairytale (but I may be biased because that's where I live ). Otherwise you've got the Great Ocean Road, with many coastal and forest walking tracks, or Phillip Island for the penguin parade.

Tasmania is one of my very favourite places in the world, and I will always jump at the chance to visit. Lots more temperate rainforest, mountains, lakes, coast... all with a lovely laid back vibe. Great place for walking It's another hour's flight from Melbourne, or you can take the overnight ferry.

I will go ahead and say that you will not have time to go west. It's at least a 4 hour flight from Sydney, plus there's a 2-3 hour time difference (depending on whether there's daylight savings or not), so you'll lose a whole day travelling on the way back. WA is very spread out. Don't get me wrong, you'd find enough to keep you busy in and around Perth for a few days. But it's the country that is the really interesting part. 'Down South' there is Margaret River and Busselton, surf beaches, caves, wineries and micro-breweries. It's a lovely part of the world, but is about a 3-4 hour drive from the city.

Up north there is so much to do, from Monkey Mia (for interactions with dolphins), the Ningaloo Reef near Exmouth, the famous (for good reason) wildflower displays in Spring, Broome, and the Kimberley region. Driving time to Geraldton (which is kind of the gateway to the north) is around 5-6 hours.

Someone else mentioned the Kimberley. And I agree it's really a fascinating part of the world. However, to get there, you'd need to go through Perth, then have another 3 hour flight to get north. Once there, attractions are hours away from each other. So probably not worth a visit on this trip.

This has kind of turned into an essay, but I hope I've been some help at least

 

[Marlea98]

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