Off to Oz: Things to see ideas

[TheNegotiator]

Hiya Guys,

I'm off to Oz for a month on the 5th May. I shall be meeting up with my gf who has been there for 6 months now. I'm flying into Sydney Airport then onto Brisbane.

From then on its a blank........ So suggestions on what I should do, what is a great idea to see etc. Remember I only have a month to travel around this vast country and I need to be back in sydney to fly home again in June.

Thanks Guys

 

[cesare]

Do you mean apart from the obvious i.e. the Great Barrier Reef etc?

 

[TheNegotiator]

Do you mean apart from the obvious i.e. the Great Barrier Reef etc?

I really mean with the obvious included. I'm not really much of a traveller etc and dont dont really any thing about Oz. So anything would be great

 

[cesare]

If I had a month and wanted to see as much as possible with an unlimited budget, I'd probably:

1. Initially spend three days in Sydney (get over jetlag etc and see Opera House etc)
2. Brisbane but not for long, maybe a couple of days max
3. Queensland - the Reef and rainforests - 1 week
4. Ayers Rock, travelling etc, will probably take 3 days
5. Down to Perth, maybe three days there
6. Perth to Sydney by train across the Outback. India Pacific. That takes three days
7. The last week or so in Sydney, using it as a base for excursions e.g. one day trip to the Hunter Valley vineyards

Sort of a whistle stop tour iyswim.

 

[TheNegotiator]

cool cool

any other ideas/ places??

I really need help here

 

[cesare]

Things to do/see in Sydney

Sydney Opera House - walking guided tour, performance if possible
Sydney Harbour Bridge - climb it
The Rocks - shops, bars, etc. Sort of Covent Gardenish
Darling Harbour - including Sydney Aquarium
Royal Botanic Gardens - including the art gallery
Bondi Beach - surf or at least get bowled over by the waves (actually neighbouring beaches are better but you 'have' to go to Bondi sorta thing)
Kings Cross - bars. clubs etc. Sort of Soho-ish
Ferry across to Manley

Get a smartvisit card and go to the Blue Mountains

 

[TheNegotiator]

how far apart are these things??

 

[The Groke]

I hear the Emerald City is worth a visit.

 

[cesare]

In terms of geographical distance, not far at all*

For example, I visited the art gallery then walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens and down to the Opera House.

You could probably find out quite a bit by googling for a Sydney tourist homepage.

There's a couple (at least) Sydney and other Aussie urbanites that'll give you loads more info once they wake up













* Except for the Blue Mountains - they're further out.

 

[cesare]

I hear the Emerald City is worth a visit.

 

[HAL9000]

Depends what you want to do and how far you want to go. Two suggestions

Blue Mountains, well worth visiting try some of the shorter walks. But it does rain a lot

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61808487@N00/130644755/in/set-72057594110191013/

South of Sydney, is Stanwell Park (34 miles south of Sydney) you could try Tadem hang gliding. I didn't have time to try it. (I've got a paragliding qualification, hang gliding might not be your cup of tea)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61808487@N00/130644960/in/set-72057594110191013/

http://www.hangglideoz.com.au/tandem.htm

This is what the road near by is like (Grand Pacific Drive)

http://www.southcoastleisuretimes.com.au/illawarra/images/image002578.jpg (not a great picture)

PM me if you have any questions.

 

[ice-is-forming]

if you are flying out of sydney to brisbane immediately then this is seriously what i'd do to see the biggest selection of scenery and lifestyles , in the time at a stress free...pub crawling rate. its a beautiful time of year. the best

week 1

i'd hire a 'just wicked' camper van in brisbane..

http://www.wickedcampers.com.au/Depots/?filter=4

and then prepare to be amazed at the beauty and variety......

drive out west from brisbane to towoomba via esk/wivanhoe....over the great dividing range...chinchilla....

follow the leichhardt highway north to rockhampton via goondiwindi and a few HUGE national parks...cave systems...

in rockhampton you have access to the reef and keppal island

[B]week 2[/B]

then head south again...at one with the laid back lifestyle that is qld...all that hurry feeling...gotta travel feeling out of your system in the first week.

and prepare to do the coast...

down from rockhampton via bundaberg...childers.. hervey bay (i'll meet you for a beer )..fraser island...rainbow beach and maryborough.....

down back to brisbane via sunshine coast/noosa and the glass house mountains..

into brisbane...over the gateway.....call off at manley and wynum.....willowbank......

onto the goldcoast....

[B]week 3...[/B]

into NSW...byron and nimbin.....

down past coffs harbour...penrith....blue mountains... and into sydney

( i don't know NSW like qld)....it should take 3-4 weeks and really doesn't involve that many hours driving each day, that much petrol and certainly no huge distances non-stop....

if you need any help just ask C;:

 

[ice-is-forming]

double post.

 

[Dr Jon]

Great ocean road / 12 apostles.

S.A. coast / Victor harbour / whales

WINERIES!!!

 

[weltweit]

Kakadu National Park, not too far from Dawin in the Northern Territory (NT) where I was told the scenery is amazing and contains I think lots of salties (salt water crocodiles). Baramundi fish that are found in the same rivers in the NT as the crocks and which are absolutely enormous.

Red Back Spiders, Funnelweb Spiders, Tiger Snake, Taipan Snake, King Brown Snake. Australian snakes have some of the most poisinous venom of the snake world and the spiders are pretty potent too. It is probably best to meet these and other venemous animals in the Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney, certainly safer to see them behind glass than meet them in the outback.

Kangaroos and Walabies and Koalas, a must see in the wild not too hard to find.

90 mile beach in the north of Western Australia, is well 90 miles of beach and nary another soul on it.

Ayres Rock, almost smack bang in the middle near a road junction called fiveways .. because you can go any of 5 ways from there.

Melbourne for the cricket ground if you are into it ..

Bondi Beach Sydney for obvious reasons

 

[weltweit]

Are you into surfing?

 

[CherryRipe]

If it was me I would be doing what ice-is-forming suggested
Remember that by May / June it can get pretty cold here so I would be avoiding Victoria / South Australia and probably the outback.
Sometimes it's better to really explore one area rather than trying to fit it all in in one go - in a place like Aus you can end up spending your whole time travelling which isn't much of a holiday.

 

[Fledgling]

how far apart are these things??

Most of the Sydney must-dos are concentrated in three areas; the Circular Quay area (Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Rocks), eastern suburbs (Bondi beach) and northern beaches (Manly). Sydney's transport system is good IMO, plenty of buses and crowded trains but once you work it out it's easy. Of course you're going in May and Sydney is cold in May, so Bondi will not be as impressive, nor Manly. I would recommend three days in Sydney to start to see the Circular Quay are and the parks. Be prepared for excessive tourism in Sydney, the Quay is worth seeing but don't hype up King's Cross. Darling Harbour is utter shite (except for a nice little pub over the bridge). The Blue Mountains may not be so great in May either.

Head north to Magnetic Island off Townsville and then up to Cairns. Use Cairns as a base for exploring the Reef and the rainforest. Then head to Darwin and consider the parks around there OR the Kimberley. I missed the Kimberley and regret it bitterly, to thikn I spent so much time on the east coast, that was a WASTE (apart from Magnetic Island and north of there).

 

[TheNegotiator]

thanks guys for all your imput

I have e-mailed your ideas over to my gf who said "are these people you asked Australians, cause they're some excellent ideas in here"

If you have any more you can offer people fill me in, I leave in little under 3 weeks now (exciting)!!

 

[Kripcat]

If you havn't already filled your schedule and are in WA you should check out the Margret River Vinyards, lots of very nice (and free) wine tasting.

 

[ChrisFilter]

You HAVE to do Melbourne, miles better than any of the other cities. I'd do a few days in Melbourne, couple of days in Sydney, then avoid cities for the rest of your trip. Byron Bay, Airlie Beach, Fraser Island are all musts.

Go snorkelling, sailing and surfing (the first two around Airlie Beach / Whitsundays, the last on the great ocean road (bells beach) or Byron Bay).

 

[TheNegotiator]

seven Days Till I Go!!!! :d

 

[Kripcat]

You HAVE to do Melbourne, miles better than any of the other cities.

Sir, you flatter me.

 

[ChrisFilter]

I fucking loves Melbourne.. lived there for a while, back out in Jan which rekindled my passion. Me and Mrs Filter will be amovin' there in a couple of years.

 

[TheNegotiator]

Just to say thank you for all your tips and ideas. I shall be flying tomorrow evening to Austrailia.....

Scary


I will chat to you all when I get back and show you lots of photos etc

wish me luck!

 

[Sunray]

Get in as much aboriginal and natural wonder as you can, there is no surfing Brisbane and north and then realise that, apart from the natural wonder of it all, as such a new country, its very similar to here.

Dull as fuck if you ask me. Great waves, beach culture and an amazing range of pies.