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tbh - I wouldn't choose to go to Australia for a fortnight - it's just too big - but sister in law lives in Melbourne and is getting married so may have to...... work, school etc limit us to 3 weeks at max - more likely 2 1/2
so 4 / 5 days in and around Melbourne for the weddingy stuff, then another 10 days or so after that
what would you do?
1 option I guess would be to stay around Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Grampians, maybe few days on Tasmania, and a few days in Sydney
another would be to fly to Cairns and do the reefy stuff and then a few days in Sydney?
or something else?
budget a consideration (family of 5) so those internal flights add up
thanks
In Melb last september, GOR was good but highlight was day trip to [url= http://www.zoo.org.au/healesville ]healesville sanctuary[/url].
In sydney taking the Manly ferry to Manly was a good way to see the harbour.
What time of year? I would personally say cut short the wedding rubbish, go straight to Tasmania, do not pass go, do not collect £200. Bit cold in the winter tho...
Something like Melbourne to Sydney or Melbourne to Adelaide is doable but it depends on what the family enjoy doing and how old/young the kids are.
Tasmania is very outdoorsy and distances are large. Assuming you are going during easter or our school hols it'll be Aussie winter so might be better staying on the mainland.
We had a very short timescale but managed half the GOR, back past Melbourne to Sydney via the coast road, blue mountains and Sydney itself in 10 days in a campervan.
If you like wildlife, I can recommend Kennett's river, Vic for koalas, Durra's north, NSW for parakeets and kangaroos and glenbrook campsite, blue mountains for getting close to roos.
There's plenty to keep you occupied around melbourne - GOR & waterfalls and forest inland, city & beaches, Phillips island penguins, vineyard tours, alps.
DON'T play cricket against the buggers.
Tasmania is very outdoorsy and distances are large.
It is outdoorsy. Distances are decidedly [i]small[/i] in comparison to schlepping about on the mainland. We stayed for 8 days, 2 in Hobart, 2 on east coast near Bicheno, 2 in Cradle Mtn and 2 in the Huon Valley. Would rate it as my best holiday ever, the place just felt [i]different[/i].
maybe consider renting a campervan, travelling by road really gives you a sense of the scale of the country and also means you see so much more between the big cities. oz is a very easy cpuntry to drive in.
it will be next christmas
looking like Tasmania and localish better than flying to Cairns .........
Happy to lend you a bike and take you around a few trails if you want to ride near Melbourne.
If (when) we go again I won't bother with Sydney, we were bored after 2 days. Uluru we flew in one day, did sunset & sunrise & flew straight to Cairns. Cairns was great. The Reef was just ace, likewise going up into the rainforest on an old steamtrain. Highlight was Brisbane. I'd move there in a flash. North of Brisbane is the Sunshine Coast, now that was proper Oz to me.
it will be next christmas
Then Tasmania is definitely a good option. Never been myself but a colleague lived there with his family for 6 months and loved it.
RichPenny is of course right that the whole of Aus has huge distances involved in travelling. But what I suppose I meant was if you have small kids you can choose to stay around a city like Melbourne and do day trips with 3-4 hours of driving. To really see Tasmania and get the most out of it, you would want to visit places that are 5-6 hours driving apart and that might not be a good option with young kids.
You'll have a great time no matter what you decide to do.
The easiest cheapest most abundant and shortest distance to Tassie is from Melbourne so would bin Cairns and stick to Tassie unless it's Winter. You could always then fly from Tassie to Sydney and home from there. The additional costs for going into one city and out of another on Qantas, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore etc are minimal or non-existent.
[url= http://www.bluegumlodge.com/index.php ]Blue gum lodge[/url]
We stayed here on the east coast. Lovely place, pademelon and possums to be fed from the deck. Great views, miles from anywhere, no phone reception... IMO, it's this kind of place that offers you something different from the uk. Tasmania felt to me like they were still living in the 50s, from a positive perspective.
Stop in for a cuppa when you get to Tassie. Or a ride.
Yep +1 for Tassie
Cradle Mountain
Hobart
Mona
Freycenet will be heaving at christmas
Strahan
Some great riding and stuff to do here
If you want to do Hobart book early as it will be busy with the end of the Sydney-Hobart and the Taste food festival going on. My folks were over for 10 days over Christmas and we packed in a fairly hectic schedule.
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7411/12215192123_688b58f0ec_n.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/12215192123/ ]2014-01-29 13.39.38[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith 79[/url], on Flickr
Last week...
As for Distances it's not bad Launceston to Strahan (as far as you would go) is 4hrs Hobart 2 1/2 east coast easy really!
Book very early for flights around then though as it is a bit of a popular time to travel.
Cairns in December can be hell for someone from a cold climate. Instant sunburn, extreme humidity, a cool sea full of instant death.
On the other hand there can be pleasant breezes which makes the climate quite pleasant, but there's still the instant sunburn and denizens of sea problem.
North coast from Brisbane is probably one of the nicest climates in Oz.
Right we have nearly 3 weeks
Would this be bonkers ?
Arrive Melbourne
3 days / 2 nights great ocean road
3 / 4 nights Melbourne for wedding / family unavoidable stuff
Get camper - overnight ferry to Tasmania , 4 or 5 days there
Ferry back, drive to Sydney over about 3 days
3 nights Sydney
Thanks!
That first bit is OK, with melbourne and Tassie. Then it goes a bit awry: the Sapphire coast drive from Melbourne to Sydney is great but since you've already done a fair bit of driving it might be a bit much with kids. Plus Sydney sucks as a city (IMO). I think you could explore Vic a bit more or perhaps for a change of scenery and climate, fly up to Byron Bay and take it easy on the east coast.
A note on the GOR - it's worth doing up to a point and that point is just beyond Apollo Bay: see the Apostles, turn round and head back to Melbourne via the Otways inland.
Thanks - food for thought
Re vocal was actually thinking of going from melb to warrnambool inland then back along Coast. Sounds like you are saying skip warrnambool to appollo bay?
If you do Sydney, do the bridge climb. It's like a London Eye but with effort, stuning views, we did it around dusk, absolutley perfect timing on our one.
When are you going? We found Victoria pretty much closed in May. (Imagine North Wales in february...)
No - other way: out on the coast road (via Bell's beach for a bit of Point Break action) so the scenery is on your left then bear right up to Forrest for a bit of mountain biking and beer (ahem) and back along the prince's highway. Apollo Bay and /or Forrest are perfect places for overnighting. You could make it a little longer by continuing up to the grampians but not sure if hiking in mid-summer is the best idea for new arrivals.
FWIW, my favourite region of Victoria is the NE - but that might be a little low-key if this is a once-in-a-lifetime, do-the-sights trip.
FTFYC[s]airns [/s] Anywhere North of or inland from Sydney in December can be hell for someone from a cold climate. Instant sunburn, extreme humidity, a cool sea full of instant death.
