Australia

[3putt]

Going to go the first of June. Has anybody been there that has some advice? We want to go to Sydney and then head up to Cairns/Port Douglas to go the GBR.

We will only be there a couple weeks and want to see and do as much as possible. It's not the best time to go but we don't really have a choice. Any advice on places to stay and must do's would be greatly appreciated.

 

[AC_Exotic]

Watch out for salt water crocs. Very dangerous.

 

[CowboyPhil]

If you want to get the wildlife looking out of the way, go to the Taronga Zoo (Sydney's zoo). You can access it from a ferry, so it's easy to get to. The opera house and the rocks are all in the same area along with the main ferry quay. The rocks is a district right under the Harbor bridge.

Canberra is just a couple hours south of Sydney and is a really cool city as far as things to do also.

Katoomba and the three sisters has the steepest railway in the world at 52 degrees in the Blue Mountains.

Cairns doesn't have a lot of beaches as the US dredged the reef to get a port in there for WWII. Port Douglas will have more beaches, but to really see the reef you'll want to take a day charter out to the main reef anyways. The one we took left from Cairns and was a large catamaran that supplied snorkling equipment, lunch, a submersible and scuba equipment for those that are qualified.

There will also be day treks into the jungle/rain forests.

 

[nathajw]

Saw this on reddit today. 50% of Australia's ~24 million population lives in suburbs in the red areas below.

 

[H Town Poke]

I always wanted to go, but then Animal Planet convinced me everything in Australia will try to kill me.

 

[CowboyPhil]

Actually most everything there is deadly if it can bite or sting you.

 

[squeak]

Going to go the first of June. Has anybody been there that has some advice? We want to go to Sydney and then head up to Cairns/Port Douglas to go the GBR.

We will only be there a couple weeks and want to see and do as much as possible. It's not the best time to go but we don't really have a choice. Any advice on places to stay and must do's would be greatly appreciated.

If you like wine you can take a day trip to Hunter Valley from Sydney.

 

[JonnyVito]

I always wanted to go, but then Animal Planet convinced me everything in Australia will try to kill me.

It was all a distraction for the stingrays to take out one of my heroes.

 

[3putt]

Yep, I heard you have to be careful getting in the water. The stingers are suppose to be pretty bad until may. It may be too cool to get in the water anyway unless we are out on the GBR.
We are thinking about flying into Sydney and staying there for a few days. Then rent a car and drive up toward Brisbane for 3 days. After that take the rail up to Cairns/Port Douglas and stay there for 5 or 6 days. Looking at doing the skyrail thing and a day trip or 2 into the jungle/rainforest. We only have 2 weeks and will probably never go back. I just don't want to waste time on something that we really could have done without. Thanks for the replays.

 

[CowboyPhil]

I would consider flying with Qantus from the US and doing a multicity ticket. I just looked up for dallas-sydney-brisbane-cairns-dallas (over a 2 week period in May) and it was $1844 per adult. I would hate for you to waste 2 days driving when flying wouldn't be that much more of an expense.

When we went in 98 our initial estimate from the travel agency was north of $10,000. I pointed out the Qantus website and it dropped to $5500 including 4-5 star hotels

 

[3putt]

Thanks Phil. We came up with $2000 for tulsa, Dallas, sydney and cairns, Sidney, Dallas, tulsa on qantus. Your deal sounds better. We may end up driving from Sydney to Brisbane and then flying instead of taking the train to spend another night in Cairns. I would love to be able to catch a direct flight out of Cairns back to Dallas.

 

[CowboyPhil]

Flying anywhere in the south pacific is usually cheaper with Qantus. We even included a few days in Hawaii on our way back as they fly there also. They partner with AA on the states side legs. Unfortunately I think Aus - US always funnels through Sydney.

 

[Orange Jennyslipper]

Inside Australia, fly every mile you can. The Quantas package sounds excellent. There are only two sights to behold from an automobile: moonscape wasteland or eucalyptus trees. About 20 minutes of either will last a lifetime.

If you really WANT to see wasteland or smell trees, each will be available about 20 minutes from wherever you land, so don't sweat it.

Everything's a lot farther than it looks on a map. Sydney to Brisbane in a car is at least 12 hours. You'll be ready to throw yourself on the barbie about an hour in. Fly! The first time you have to stop for wildlife crossing the road will be cute. After that, not so much.

You couldn't pay me to ride a train from Brisbane to Cairns. I know it sounds like an adventure, but it's not one you would remember fondly.

Does it sound like I'm not a fan of Austalia, yet?

The GBR would be awesome. I never went, but I don't know how you could go wrong. Well, actually I do. I was in country when a diving guide abandoned an American couple in scuba gear at the reef and by the time he "remembered" he had lost them, many hours later. they were gone. Never found hide nor hair.

Itinerary: Fly to Sydney. Fly to Cairns. Go to GBR. Fly to Sydney. Fly anywhere in New Zealand and have a great time for the rest of your vacation. Fly to SFO.

 

[StillyCowboy]

In Sydney we stayed at the Sheraton on the Park. It's a beautiful hotel in a great location. There's a subway station right across the street so you can ride from the airport to the hotel very easily with getting a rental car which I think would be a hassle in the city. If you opt for this hotel, get the club floor passes. Their breakfast, dinner, and booze really helped keep cost down

Public transportation in Sydney is great. Really no need for a car.

Other items we really enjoyed in Sydney:

- Like mentioned above, the Toronga Zoo is not your typical zoo. It offers incredible (the best?) views of the Sydney and the opera house along with incredible wildlife exhibits and shows. Be prepared to walk, hike, climb.

- The Rocks - get a reservation for a restaurant and have dinner there. It's a local hangout area and is beautiful at night with all the old streets and buildings.

- Ferry to Bondi or Manly beach. Pretty typical beach type areas but a nice day of relaxation and drinks

- Koala Park Sanctuary: my wife wanted to interact with koalas and kangaroos so we took a long subway ride and a taxi to this place. We had a small group, interactive opportunity to feed, pet, and take pictures with koalas, kangaroos, and other wildlife. Like an Australian animal petting zoo of sorts. Very cool.

If you head plan to head to Perth I could start another list but that's a loooooong ways away

Have Fun!