Must see places of Australia?

[Macgyver91]

I know this is off topic, but I have come to trust the opinions of people on disboards. My grandmother is from Melbourne and she and I have tried to plan a vacation for years, but it just never worked out. She doesn't think that at 88yrs. young she can make the trip now and so the travel companion needs fall to my DH. Of course, DD and DS want to go, but the flight alone is so expensive that I think it will just be the grown ups this time. My delima is where to go. Sydney Opera House and family in Melbourne would be at the top of my list but what else.... We will have to go back someday and take the kids, so some things can be put off. Husband loves water and wants to see the Great Barrier Reef. He is also a BIG golf fanatic...yeah for me! If you guys can give me any insite as to when is the best time and even tips on where to stay, it would be great appreciated. We are in no hurry as the trip may not be until next year. I just would like to know so that I can plan ahead.

 

[PrincessInOz]

How long are you planning on being in Australia?

Recommending what to see and do in Australia is like asking what to see and do in the US. There is just so much and such variety that it gets difficult.
It will come down to how much time you have to determine what is viable to cover.

My favourite time of year is March in Melbourne.

 

[Vallie]

Hello! I moved to Australia 6 months ago for school so I'll try and help ya out!

I haven't been to Sydney and Melbourne yet, but I am visiting next month so I can let ya know how those are!

I know in Melbourne Great Ocean Drive is supposed to be beautiful. You can also do a dolphin snorkle with dolphins and seals in the wild. There is also a special art of Disney exhibit on right now and I believe Mary Poppins the musical is on as well. There is also Phillip Island in Melbourne with colonies of penguins to see (it looks pretty cute!)

I live in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, also know as the sunshine state (though it hasn't been too sunny lately) I've made my way around and my suggestions would be,

- A boat ride in the Whitsundays (out of Airlie Beach) it's so beauitful there. You can snorkle or dive in the Great Barrier Reef and you will also get a chance to visit WhiteHaven Beach which is rate the second best beach in the world and it's truely amazing. You can also take scenic flights here and see the heart shaped reef.

- Australia Zoo - The zoo owned by the late Steve Irwin, probably the best Zoo I've ever been to, with lots of animal interaction including feeding elephants, patting kangaroos and holding Koalas all included in the price.

- Hervey Bay - Depending on what time of year you come you can catch the migrating Humpback Whales. Probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

- Noosa - really nice area, if yuou check out the National Park you can see wild dolphins and Koalas (and snakes and huge lizards)

- Gold Coast - Home of the surfboard and tons of fun with lots of amusement parks and a great beach!

- Fraiser Island - large sand island with beautiful lakes and rainbow coloured sand.

Australia is absolutly stunning and you will enjoy it here! I can help you out with any other questions you have

 

[queenie82]

I've been to pretty much all of the main sites and then some in Australia...except that weird Island not attached to the main Island.
But still haven't been 'everywhere'...

- Driven from the Bottom of WA up to Kununurra.
- Been to Alice Springs and surrounds,
- Been to most places between Melbourne up the coast through Sydney and Brisbane up to Cape Tribulation in Queensland
- Been to all (but 1) of the Capital cities - Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra.

So...
Where would I recommend.
What kind of environment do you like?
Hot and dry, hot and wet, temperate, tropical...
Deserts, Rainforests, Tropical Paradise?

If you were travelling with an 88 year old I would be mindful of the kind of environment you are visiting. But if not are you active people that like hiking and nature?

My fondest memories (off the top of my head)
QLD
- Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef
- Hamilton Island
- Port Douglas
- Fraser Island
- Hinchinbrook Island
- Whale Watching
WA
- Bungle Bungles and surrounds
- Kununurra
- The Pinnacles
- Whale Watching off Albury
NT
- Ayers Rock, The Olgas, Devils Marbles
NSW
- Blue Mountains
- Jenolan Caves
- Lightning Ridge
VIC
- Great Ocean Road


Disappointments
- Airlie Beach. I wouldn't recommend this to families. It is full of 20 and 30 somethings that like getting drunk.
- Some of the Whitsunday Islands. They keep changing the type of tourist they focus on.
Hamilton Island is STILL my favourite. It has everything.
- Adelaide and Brisbane are nice enough but for a tourist there isn't that much to see.

You could spend a year travelling around Australia and still not see everything


Oh and time of year
September for WA
Not the wet season for NT or North QLD (as in not now)
Not Summer anywhere really...

 

[Macgyver91]

Thanks for all the great info! I am hoping to spend at least 2 weeks. I have wanted to go my whole life and just haven't had the chance. I really hate to go without my grandmother(affectionately known by DH as "the Oz"), because I know she would love to go home. She is just not able to travel that far anymore, but she so wants me to go. She is to funny! Since I have grown up being facinated with your country, picking the few places that I want to go the most is going to be VERY hard. The Australia Zoo would probably have to wait for when we take the kids. DS cried for days after the untimely death of Steve Erwin. I am sure that my plans will continue to change up until the day we leave! Thanks again for the great info and I will update with our progress. I don't know if I can wait a year...

 

[HappyFingers]

with only 2 weeks you arnt going to have enough time to do more than one area (in my opinion)

Melbourne is a great place to live as i have been here all my life
but it is not really a tourist type area

depending on what you want to do i would suggest the gold coast/surfers paradise area it has a whole range of things to do and they are all consentrated in the one general area

i gotta say i really enjoyed doing this
this place also has a wildlife park as well with heaps of kangaroos you can feed, personally i prefer visiting my brothers farm and stiring up the thousand or so that live there with the motorbikes
that is much more fun seeing them bound in their natural habitat, it can also be a little scary/dangerous if you dont know what you are doing

why ?
because kangaroos are stupid

http://www.cws.org.au/

 

[ehsmum]

Tasmania hasn't had a shout out yet. It's absolutely beautiful, very much like Ireland or even parts of New Zealand. Hobart is a gorgeous city, I really love it.

However, with 2 weeks, you're not going to have time to see everything. If you're planning to come back in a few years with kids I would save Queensland till then and make this two weeks all about Melbourne and Sydney. A week in Melbourne visiting relatives, doing the Great Ocean Road, Philip Island etc and a week in Sydney including the Blue Mountains and maybe a little of the South Coast (Kangaroo Valley).

 

[Macgyver91]

Thanks again for all the good info. So many choices and so many things I want to do... If I could just make up my mind. All this talk is making my husband want to go as bad as I do...LOL He asked me last night if I had priced flights lately. Keep all the good info coming. I have started a need to see journal, so that I will be able to remember all of this when we get ready to go.

 

[DizOz]

Macgyver91, it would seem you are coming to Melbourne to visit family.

Being a Melbourne person here are some of the highlights:

Your husband being a golfer will enjoy our golf courses. Melbourne has some of the best sand belt courses in the world. The Presidents Cup is being palyed here next year.

If you like wine you have great wine regions such as the Yarra Valley and Rutherglen within a few hours drive.

Great Ocean road is a beautiful drive and scenery along a rugged coast line.

If you a foody, Melbourne has some of the best and most diverse restuarants in Australia.

There are always plenty of theatre shows on at any one time.

Depending what time of year you are coming, try and see an Aussie Rules football game at the MCG.

Melbourne and Werribee Zoos. Again if you come in our summer you can do the zoo at night. Pack a picnic meal and sit under the stars with live music.

 

[Sugarglider]

I've been to pretty much all of the main sites and then some in Australia...except that weird Island not attached to the main Island.

hee hee hee - do you mean New Zealand queenie??

 

[superdoodleable]

Could you please give a list of great things to do and see in Queensland? I plan travel to Australia soon and I am undecided to visit Alice Springs or Queensland.
Thank you so much for you time this trip means a lot to me.

 

[HappyFingers]

Could you please give a list of great things to do and see in Queensland? I plan travel to Australia soon and I am undecided to visit Alice Springs or Queensland.
Thank you so much for you time this trip means a lot to me.

hmm well qld is a mighty big place

what part of qld are you planning on seeing ?

The top end ?
Brisbane ?
Surfers paradise ?

Alice springs is something altogether different again

do you like to do stuff or do you like to look at stuff ?

 

[Sugarglider]

Could you please give a list of great things to do and see in Queensland? I plan travel to Australia soon and I am undecided to visit Alice Springs or Queensland.
Thank you so much for you time this trip means a lot to me.

Alice Springs is great - esp. if you like the outdoors - so you can go camping out in the desert; they have the Desert Park, lots of indigenous cultural centres and tours (like eating indigenous food), lots of hiking and day trips with variety; the reptile centre; camel rides etc. There is heaps to do and has quite a sophistocated tourism industry. Because of the huge rains apparently the desert is really green at the moment! Be aware that Uluru is 5 hours drive in a very fast car - you can now fly into Uluru but don't go all the way to Alice without making arrangements to go out and see the rock (BTW there are more "rocks" called Kata Tjuta which are also fabulous). There are walks around the rocks, a cultural centre, desert tours, great flora & fauna, a fancy dinner under the stars etc - after all as Paul Simon told Oprah "it's a MUST DO"

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Could you please give a list of great things to do and see in Queensland? I plan travel to Australia soon and I am undecided to visit Alice Springs or Queensland.
Thank you so much for you time this trip means a lot to me.

Queensland is large and diverse. Cairns is very touristy, and a trip to Kuranda into the rainforest is lovely,. You can go by sky rail one way and train the other. The beaches north of Cairns are lovely on the way into the Daintree. If you head into the Atherton tablelands and a little further west are the Undarra lava tubes which are just amazing.

If you head down the coast from Cairns the drive to Townsville takes four hours. This is one of my favorite parts of the state and sadly has felt the brunt of the recent cyclone Yasi. Mission Beach is just beautiful and it is worth turning off the highway to visit some of the little beaches along the way. So pristine. 70km north of Townsville is the beautiful Paluma and Crystal Creek. Townsville is not as touristy as Cairns. Just off shore is Magnetic Island which is a great day out. There is also an amazing aquarium there.

Head West from Townsville on the Flinders Highway you have nine hour drive to Mt ISA. Along the way are small outback towns of Hughenden and Richmond which are rich in Australian dinosaur relics. North of Hughenden is Porcupine Gorge National Park which is just beautiful. The walk to the bottom is amazing. From both Richmond and Hughenden you can head south to Winton and Longreach home to Waltzing Matilda and QANTAS. The Stockmans Hall of Fame should be visited by every Australian in their lifetimes.

From Longreach you can head back into the coast at Rockhampton. Along the way are gem mining towns and historical towns of Emerald and Barcaldine. By not following the coast road from Townsville to Rockhampton you have missed an eight hour drive. The best part is around Airlie Beach and Proserpine. Whilst aimed at backpackers it is a great place to head to the reef and the islands. dunk Island is nice for families as is Hamilton and South Molle. You just need to pick a place to meet your needs.

Heading south from Rockhampton you have another six or so hours to Brisbane. Around Bundaberg and Hervey Bay it is a great place to head out for whale watching and turtle hatching.

The Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane is relaxing with plenty of beaches. This area is more about relaxing and enjoying good food. Here you will find Australia Zoo which is an amazing experience. Also there is an aquarium at Mooloolaba. The Gold Coast is an hour south of Brisbane. As the Sunshine Coast is relaxed the Gold Coast is busy, very touristy. The theme parks are here but to me they are not that exciting after Disneyland but they have their place. I prefer Dreamworld then Seaworld. not a fan of Movieworld. the hinterlands of both the coasts offer unique markets, craft stores, unique bed and breakfasts and great eating establishments.

Brisbane has changed a lot since I first visited 20 years ago. South bank and the river are lovely for a day. West of Brisbane is Toowoomba atop the Dividing range which is a gateway to the Granite Belt wine region. In winter it gets quite cold up there and frosts are common.

I have been lucky to see a great deal of the state. As a Victorian at heart the size of the state and the diversity of environments never ceases to amaze. Hope you enjoyed reading about the Sunshine State.

 

[ViOnline]

- Hervey Bay - Depending on what time of year you come you can catch the migrating Humpback Whales. Probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

If you like whale watching there are so many places to do that a long the East Coast - Jervis bay, Sydney, Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Fraser Island, but Hervey Bay probably is the best as whales are resting there with new born calves.