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Looking for some Au...
 

Looking for some Australia holiday advice/sense check

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Significant birthday coming up and I had a fairly shit 2024, so I'm looking to take the family (2+3 kids, 10-15 years) to Aus this summer.

We've sketched up an initial outline:

Late July:

Fly - Singapore - Cairns (1 hour layover!)

Rest/Drive to Whitsunday Islands over 4-5 days.

Cruise around Whitsundays for a few days.

Fly Brisbane to see friends - stay there for about a week. Rent a car.

Fly Sydney to do the touristy things (this is early-mid August) like the bridge - see family.

Maybe - maybe - drive South out of Sydney towards Canberra and if the snow conditions are amazing and we're not too tired we may try to get a day of skiing in at Charlotte Pass etc. Or just see the coast and wine region.

Fly home via 2 days in Singapore.

Having seen the weather news lately about the Cairns/Townsville area, I've been a little nervous about the outline plan we have. I've played around with arriving in Perth as an alternative, or Brisbane and then using the low cost airlines to move around. I was told to not bother with Sydney in July as the weather gets much better in August.

Haven't yet gone into accommodation or anything else beyond a rough pricing up. But I'm aware this place is generally well-travelled, erudite and contains some Aussies! So, any pointers? Ideas of what to do? Routes? will the Cairns area be fixed by then?

SWMBO and I have done Aus before so I'm aware of how knackered we'll be! I'll also say when we arrived, it sleeted in Sydney in November   :o)

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 9:35 am
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How much carbon and other nasties will your trip be polluting the planet with?

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 9:43 am
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Fly to Melbourne then across to Tasmania.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 9:56 am
andy4d reacted
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How much carbon and other nasties will your trip be polluting the planet with?

A lot more than cremating my dad.

Thanks for pointing that out though - I will look into offsetting it.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 10:01 am
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Don't underestimate the sheer size of the place if you're driving

I raced in Armidale, NSW in 2023. My travelling time from Edinburgh was less than the guy who drove down from Cairns. It took him 25hrs of driving just to get out of Queensland!

There's loads and loads of really nice places there but I would avoid the cities and the obvious tourist traps. Sydney for instance is fine, but a city is a city, go and see stuff you can't see elsewhere - the wildlife, the landscapes and the plants, even if you've no interest in plants it's so different it feels like being in a sci-fi film just wandering around. As does the sky, I know next to nothing about stars, I can recognise the plough and Orion here and that's about it, but it's totally different there, really weird, again like being on an alien world.

I went over the harbour bridge for example as I needed to to get somewhere, interesting as bridges go but found it much less interesting than the one in Arnham, which I made a special detour to see. Much better to just go somewhere pretty and off the beaten track and see what happens. I've been three times (Armidale and also Canberra twice, flew to Sydney all three times) and the things which stick in my mind are things like finding an echidna and it sitting on my foot to groom itself, which was really special or an emu trying to steal my lunch.

If you do have to go to Sydney I would definitely recommend Manly Surf School, excellent. Bondi is OK but I found the sea and tuition both much better in Manly.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 10:02 am
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Don't do the Perth route. Perth is barely Australian, and more like Brexity-Irony-free-Expats-on-Sea.

July and August will be terrific in Cairns and Townsville. The flooding, while awful, is because it's wet season. And FNQ (Far North Queensland) is a really wonderful and special part of the world. See the reef while you can.

The general cautions about the size of the place and the distance to get there are well-made and bear repeating.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 10:10 am
Watty reacted
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If you didn't have family there and you have been already, I would suggest skipping Sydney.

If you do go to Sydney from Brisbane, I'd suggest driving down instead of flying - maybe going inland instead of by the coast, which is controversial; stopping in the Hunter Valley for your wine experience; drop car in Sydney; and skip skiing entirely.

This is based on my prejudices that: skiing is fine if you get lucky with the snow and you're going on a short trip - but anything longer you go to to Japan or NZ anyway. Don't go to Switzerland for beaches, don't go to Australia for skiing... Even if the flight is only 1-2 hours you basically lose a whole useful day when travelling with kids (yours might be less hassle than mine). Flight costs add up even when theyre LCCs. NSW coast is beautiful but you'll have just done coast time in the Whitsundays. The inland NSW towns and countryside are pretty and weird and have lovely places to stay. And you don't want to overstuff your itinerary so you're just thrashing around all over...

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 10:21 am
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If you haven't been there before leave plenty of time to look around Singapore, very nice city, lots to see and do, very safe, nice helpful people.

We drove down the Princes Highway from Sydney to Melbourne, very nice and did it over 10 days, not sure about doing that with 3 kids in the car though.

Don't get sucked into too much travelling and not enough seeing/doing, leave plenty of time at your stopovers for doing/seeing stuff.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 10:44 am

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1hr stop over on the way out is harsh, I'd be looking at 3 days stopover in Singapore and maybe another SE Asia destination if possible (Bangkok or Malaysia).
Why go all that way and miss out on visiting two amazing SE Asian cities that are safe, have amazing food, people, food, culture, weather, food...

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 10:53 am
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less is more, the last time i flew down under, A380 dubai to sydney, i got there early morning, went to manly to dump our bags at hotel, 8am ish, they said room was ready, which was amazing, went and got a shower, had planned to have a wander around and sit on bech / cades, instead  sat on the bed, rested ours for head for 5 mins, and woke up 8 hours later. :0)

fraser island is great if you can fit it in, been a few times. whitsundays is worth a few days sale trip

book in some rest days

if you havent booked the flights, passenger duty is going up considerably from April25, so may be an advantage to book now, if its not already priced in

and enjoy.. dont worry about your carbon footprint, that plane is flying there with or with out you..

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 11:23 am
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Obvious thing is that you're missing out on Melbourne which is a brilliant city. I'd also argue that you're travelling a long way to miss New Zealand that is a vastly better country than Australia but that's not really helpful.

As others have said, it's a huge country and travel times are massive, even with flights.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 11:30 am
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Sydney Harbour bridge is great I used to walk across it every day to get to work. Melbourne is a much better city to live in but Sydney is better for the tourist thing. Manly ferry is a very nice cruise and a lot cheaper than a tourist cruise. If you fly straight over check out getting a shower at Singapore airport it makes the journey a bit nicer.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 11:35 am
Fat-boy-fat reacted
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Definitely don't do Melbourne in July. I'd probably not try skiing either as it's a bit hit or miss. Not a fan of Sydney but can't deny that the Manly ferry and the opera house are spectacular. So, I suppose I'd spend most time in QLD and just explore it thoroughly. There are great hikes inland of Brisbane. Never been to FNQ (only to Townsville, which I'd not recommend staying in), but it sounds great. There's mountain biking in the Atherton Tablelands, Indigenous guiding the Daintree etc. Depends on how long you've got - three weeks would fly by.

Getting there, I like the London to Perth direct route but it's more expensive. Singapore is a good stop but I'd allow more than 1hr if changing planes (less stress). Talking of expensive, be aware that prices in Australia are higher than ever and budget for that...

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 11:51 am
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Ignore the haters, Sydney is a great city (consistently in the top 5 best places to live globally) - would be happy to do you a "local's" itinerary for however long you are here.  It's super-dependent on weather though:  as has just been demonstrated in Queensland, when it rains here, it REALLY rains - it's the same in Sydney: there is no such thing as drizzle.  September is the sweet spot for Sydney.

Don't bother with Canberra (freezing shithole in August), or skiing (crap if you are used to European resorts, and pretty unreliable snow-wise).

I really liked Cairns - depending on how long you have there, it's a great place to explore the reefs and forests.  I would maximise that phase of your trip - although I notice you are going to Brissie - we stay at a place called Perigian Beach when we go up there.  It's an hour and a half from Brisbane, but that whole area (which includes Noosa/noosaville) is great for beaches.  The sea will be pretty chilly that time of year though..... not like Devon-cold, but you'll need a 2mm wetsuit for surfing.

1 hour is not long enough for a transfer, even in Singapore - just missed my 2.5 hour connection in Dubai because of a late departure from the UK - one hour is insanity.

For car hire, my go-to is "east coast car rentals" - I've used them loads - they are consistently the cheapest and the most pleasant to deal with.  Make sure you book with them direct - particularly if to are doing a point-A-to-point-B rental.  Apparently people have an issue with that when booking through a third party.  I've always booked direct and have always had a very positive experience.  In Sydney, "no-birds" car hire is pretty good, or you can just get Ubers/public transport, depending on where you are staying/what you are doing

Oh.... and bring lots of money.  Although having just been to the UK for Christmas - you're not that far behind anymore with cost of living!

Edit:

only to Townsville, which I’d not recommend staying in

Yeah, nah.  Townsville is best avoided IMO.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 11:54 am
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Talking of expensive, be aware that prices in Australia are higher than ever and budget for that…

Agreed – we had family back over in the UK (they have lived near Surfer's Paradise for the last ten years) and they couldn't believe how cheap the UK is compared to Australia now.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 11:54 am
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You'll have an epic time wherever. But it depends what you value IMO. Personally I'd be avoiding the big cities as they're not very interesting to me. There's enough bush to last you a lifetime though.

Cairns will be hot AF but slightly less than the rest of the year and also less humid. The city is small and you can't get in the sea. Probably the best time to go though. I'd be heading to see the Daintree rainforest.

Whitsundays will be splendid.

Townsville? I've had to go there a few times for work...definitely not somewhere anyone chooses to visit unless they're in the army.

Brissy is alright. Very clean. Much bigger than you'd expect because of the traditional 1/4 acre property. It goes on forever.

From Noosa to Eden is about 1500km of mostly beautiful coastline that will blow you away. Wandering around between that and the Great Dividing Range would be great.

Sydney is in the middle. Obviously scenic...and has a bridge and stuff.

I've lived in Melbourne. I'm glad I tried it. Gladder I left. It's flat and it's up itself. It has good entertainment but I think that's needed because the natural environment is less impressive than Sydney.

Hobart is my favourite city of all. But if you're seeking sun Tassie is surprisingly cold in winter because the housing is so bad. When I lived there I met people from Munich that said they'd never been so cold. But I do love Tassie.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 11:57 am

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Thanks for the advice folks.

In no particular order, friends who've emigrated said the short stop in Singapore is not really worse than a 2 day break, then resuming the journey.

Me and her have done Singapore and there's not masses to do, so we thought get out there and break the journey on the way back.

Thought about Malaysia but the flights onwards are to Sydney, and that seems a bit backwards. Was what I was told about weather there correct? (July rubbish, August better?)

Don't really fancy Dubai (plus, July).

Brisbane is definite. Sydney may not be, but as Mrs_s said it's a must-do for the kids. And when me and her went, we didn't do the bridge and it's a bucket list thing for me. Also, might be nippy to get in the water at Manly!

We got to see some ostriches and wallabies care of her family, so hoping to do that again in the wild.

NZ would be great, but she can't get long enough off work.

Noted about skiing. It was a quirky idea from me

"What did you do when you went to Aus?"

"Skiing'. ?

Sounds like the Cairns-Whitsunday bit is worth it. Whitsundays have to be in there, as when I first thought about this last year and googled a picture I cried buckets! That's got to mean something.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:00 pm
Mat reacted
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Perth is barely Australian

Once had to ring the law in Perth for work related reasons. The person who answered the phone and both police officers I spoke to were all from the north of England.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:00 pm
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Oh…. and bring lots of money.  Although having just been to the UK for Christmas – you’re not that far behind anymore with cost of living!

I agree. Looking at prices for accommodation etc in the UK it's more expensive than here or Italy. I don't buy any bike parts from the UK now as they're consistently cheaper here.

And while it seems expensive here our wages are generally higher.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:01 pm
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Will people stop talking about the bloody Whitsundays! When we were over there back in 2019, we got to Airlie Beach and even got as far as booking boat trips out to the islands then a massive storm struck and we were stuck there for five days before we could fly back out (by then we had run out of time to visit the islands).

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:07 pm
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Agreed – we had family back over in the UK (they have lived near Surfer’s Paradise for the last ten years) and they couldn’t believe how cheap the UK is compared to Australia now.

It's always been a difficult comparison.  Houses: Much cheaper in the UK.  Petrol:  Much cheaper in Australia.  Electricity:  Much cheaper in Australia.  Public transport:  Much cheaper in Australia (ridiculously so).  Eating out:  Much cheaper in Australia.  Parking:  much cheaper in the UK.  I would say supermarket prices are cheaper in the UK for sure.

My advice is just not to look at how much anything costs, just boop your card and deal with it later

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:10 pm
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Eating out:  Much cheaper in Australia.

Ahh true - that's one thing they said was significantly cheaper back in Oz. The kids pretty much emptied the local Sports Direct though - they are both into branded sportswear and they were blown away by how cheap it is here.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:13 pm
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In no particular order, friends who’ve emigrated said the short stop in Singapore is not really worse than a 2 day break, then resuming the journey.

Yeah - whenever I fly (even with the kids: 6 and 8) we don't do a stopover.  It feels like you are just extending the journey - I just want to get where I'm going.

Singapore is a good choice - Malaysian airlines is pretty shit in my experience, and I am slightly paranoid after they had 2 incidents within the space of a couple of months a few years back (I had flown with them just before that).

I used to like Cathy Pacific (HK), but I've flown with them recently and they seem to have downgraded all aspects of their service in an economy drive.  They were ok..... but there's not much there to recommend any more, and the HK-London leg seems to have got much longer now they have to divert around Ukraine - although this could just have been my imagination.

I've just flown with Emirates - they we also just "ok" - although Dubai Airport is obviously nice, and seems to be reliable for transfers.  Ethiad was ok - and codeshare with Virgin Australia I think?  They have also just rebuilt Abu-dhabi airport, which was horrendous previously - but now looks quite nice.

On the other end of the spectrum - my sister has just flown on Oman airlines.  Apparently they have a weird arrangement with Thai Airlines - so you stop in Muscat and Bangkok on the way here.  She went with them because you could get business at only slightly more than economy - although I don't know if they are still offering that route/discount.

I also flew "the wrong way" around once (via LA) - because HK airport was closed for the only time in its history  - I wouldn't recommend that, even though its not much longer in the air.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:28 pm
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they are both into branded sportswear

Ah.... eshays 🙂

Yeah.  My observation is that there is a far greater range of prices for things in the UK - including budget options like sports Direct.  Here (at least in Sydney), similar items might range between X and Y dollars - but that range is much smaller than in the UK - and usually missing the lower end (ie: sports direct).  But I don't mind more expensive trainers if we don't have Mike Ashley

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:35 pm

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I also flew “the wrong way” around once (via LA) – because HK airport was closed for the only time in its history – I wouldn’t recommend that, even though its not much longer in the air.

Funnily enough, canadair came up on the flight comparison stuff last night and was cheaper by 2k ish. But, wrong way round and two connections made me discount it.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 12:56 pm
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If you are in & out with Singapore Airlines for the transfer, even if late for the transfer they will wait (we actually landed 20mins after next flight was due to leave and still made connection).

Some of Cairns itself is a bit of a dump (visited 2024) , quite a few massage parlours etc but some great places to visit, I can highly recommend this particular trip to Green Island https://www.oceanfree.com.au/ Also train trip to Kuranda & Skyrail back - Kuranda is a bit of a tourist trap itself but worth a wander round still.

Hope you have a great time.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 1:14 pm
 jimw
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Townsville? I’ve had to go there a few times for work…definitely not somewhere anyone chooses to visit unless they’re in the army.

I spent four days there thirty years ago. It was to do a PADI course as it was recommended by someone who I had met in Darwin because the dive school visited some of the more remote reefs. The course and the diving were fantastic, Townsville much less so.

I spent two months in Australia Travelling from Darwin to Sydney Via Alice Springs and as far North as Cape Tribulation  all on the Greyhound bus network (!), For what it is worth as it was so long ago,the places I would go back to were Northern Queensland, the Whitsundays and Fraser Island. I saw all I wanted  in Sydney in a couple of days but then I am not a city person

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 1:17 pm
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Port Douglas is a possible alternative to Cairns

Manly nicer than Bondi

Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo might be worth a drive out

Noosa can get a bit hectic. nice and quieter waves at Happy Valley and Moffat's (but a 17yo has just been shark attacked at Woorim)

I did see a couple of kin big goannas at the Noosa nature reserve

Fraser Island is a good trip

I've always driven straight through Surfers' Paradise, looks ghastly, but Byron Bay can be nice when quiet

I wouldn't bother with Victoria (or Sydney)

Oh and the Numbeo app is good for price comparisons

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 1:23 pm
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Some of Cairns itself is a bit of a dump (visited 2024) , quite a few massage parlours etc but some great places to visit

Actually, massage parlours are, apparently, one thing Canberra is good for, I think because it's where the government ministers all hang they've got slightly different laws on it in the ACT?

No idea where to find coke though.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 1:26 pm
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(but a 17yo has just been shark attacked at Woorim)

She was killed wasn't she?

I’ve always driven straight through Surfers’ Paradise, looks ghastly

I didn't mind it - we spent the best part of a month there but the Commonwealth Games were on so I guess they'd made a bit of an effort with it – I guess it could look a bit different at night on weekends, but we were staying with family (in Benowa) and didn't really sample the nightlife.

I don't get the hate for Sydney either – it has some great places to see and some of the buildings in the older parts of the city are wonderful (The Rocks).

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 1:44 pm
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+1 for Port Douglas. I'd tend to do that at the end of your journey as a chill out at the end of a frantic holiday. Hugely nicer than Cairns. I'd echo what others have said about Sydney vs Melbourne. Sydney is good for touristy stuff, Melbourne a bit better for living in (but I like going back there as I used to live there). I've got a few friends in and around Brisvegas. Quite a different place to Sydney and Melbourne. It's a shame you can't delay to September, the weather is on the up slope then.

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 1:59 pm
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Thanks everyone. Great tips in there. Quite a few places mentioned I'd seen advertised so having them name dropped on here is very useful.

Anyone got any tips about Whitsunday cruises? I realise this is going to be pricey! How long to go for, any recommended companies?

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 4:48 pm

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Id echo some of the thoughts above. I went about twenty years ago and toured around on my motorbike for a couple of months up the east coast to Cape York and then back round in a loop through the outback

I started in Sydney but although it is a impressive setting, it's still a city. For me the best parts of Australia were all the small provincial towns and hamlets, the bush, the dirt roads, miles of emptiness and the people you meet in the backcountry. I pretty soon made it my number one rule to never go on to my reserve fuel tank, and secondly to avoid like the plague any kind of tourist attraction. For every one that wants to take your money, there are 10 better ones round the corner for free

I did relent and go on a whitsunday cruise. At the last second before booking, I realised that 3 days on a mono hull could be sea sickness hell, and plumped for a trip on a catamaran. It was an experience, some people still go sea sick and I got to share the islands with loads of other punters on many other boats. Im sure there are different cruises but mine was aimed at the 18-30 age group so bear that in mind when booking.

I took a train from Brisbane to Sydney, it was a great experience. I took local buses for something to do of an afternoon, it was great to see areas completely off the beaten track. I got drunk in roadhouses with pig hunters, and slept it off under a tree listening to bees buzzing. I took a freighter from Sesia wharf, around cape york, and then to cairns. Went up to thursday island on a boat, caught fish in the gulf. Slept rough in the bush on my swag. I even managed four days of powder skiing down in the Snowy mountains, it was pure luck I was there at the right time. The resort was good though.

If I went back I would only really be looking at North Queensland, westwards to the NWT, gulf of carpentaria, maybe the Gibson.

You could hire a 4x4 camper and head north up the telegraph track, loads of companies do it and i guarantee youll remember it for ever

 
Posted : 03/02/2025 7:08 pm
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reluctantlondoner

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Don’t do the Perth route. Perth is barely Australian, and more like Brexity-Irony-free-Expats-on-Sea.

Rubbish.

Oh..

OP, don't forget, summer in UK isn't summer in Aus. July is winter. It's most likely going to be wet and windy.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 7:48 am
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July is winter. It’s most likely going to be wet and windy.

Erm it's also the dry season in the tropics and sub tropics hence the suggestions to stay away from Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.

South West Western Australia is also amazing but a bit awkward to get to if you are on the east coast.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 8:21 am
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Have a look at ana for flights,  we managed to get 3 business class returns for not a lot more than premium on emirates. Probably got lucky with timing though.

Sydney is nice but feels like a cross between London and vancouver to me.  We spent too much there but that was due to visiting family.

Whitsundays are lovely,  Noosa is worth a trip for the beaches too.

Don't bother trying to ski,  conditions are shit frequently and when we looked the price was insane

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 8:29 am
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In Perth, I'm on about. It won't be dry at all in July.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 8:36 am
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The one hour transfer, has that actually been agreed by the airline or is it you just 'stitching' two flights together?

If the former, I'm surprised, but it's the airlines risk, if the latter, YOUR risk...

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 8:39 am
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Ah the irony of not wanting to go to Perth because it's not Australian enough yet recommending 'im so European really Melbourne!' :p But as aphex says Perth and south will be wet in July. it's lovely that way but maybe not the Australia you are looking for. North would be good but it's a really really long way and you don't have long enough sadly.

Id agree with the people saying Queensland, probably the best pick at that time of year. Sydney is a pretty amazing city to visit as well. Tasmania is amazing but could well be a bit horrid in July albeit they actually understand winter down there unlike most of the mainland.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 8:48 am
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The one hour transfer, has that actually been agreed by the airline

Yes, remarkably. Apparently Singapore and Dubai are shit hot at linking flights.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 9:42 am

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I took a train from Brisbane to Sydney

Now, that's an idea! I've been working on the basis that every internal flight basically writes off a day wasted (travel to airport, 2 hour wait, fly, baggage, travel onwards...) so trains might be an answer.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 10:03 am
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Be warned that trains are very slow here though.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 10:13 am
Rich_s reacted
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Don't disconnect Victoria. I lived and worked in Melbourne. Every weekend we went out and camped in different parks. Victoria has everything from good surf, mountains with snow gums, temperate rain forest (a bit like tropical rain forest but you sweat less and there are less nasty things), edge of desert stuff. Fabulous, I loved it.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 10:31 am
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Yep Victoria has much to offer, I lived in Sale for a year, but the weather and sea temp need to be taken into account. I felt I always had to do a lot of driving about, down to Phillip Island, up to Mt Hotham, right across Melbourne to Bell's and Johanna, all in different directions. Queensland is easier because of the weather and it all seemed a bit more accessible and the sea is warm.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 11:21 am
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Budget dependent, obviously, but Lady Elliot Island ( https://ladyelliot.com.au/) is a cracking getaway spot on the east coast, at the southern end of the barrier reef . Small cabin eco resort style place, birds everywhere, couple of hundred people max. I've done the day trip (short flight from Bundaberg/Hervey Bay) and stopped on there for a few nights. Its pricey upfront, but includes breakfast and dinner every day, with a paid for buffet or bar menu available for lunch. I think in winter the mantas return, and you can hear the whale song while snorkelling off the beaches.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 1:05 pm
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Yes, remarkably. Apparently Singapore and Dubai are shit hot at linking flights.

I flew with Singapore Airlines to Sydney.

Went London-Singapore-KL-Singapore-Sydney going out as I need to work in all 3 places and then just Sydney-Singapore-London coming home.  Upgraded to 1st Class all the way too as they couldn't get me Business Class on the Singapore-Sydney leg 🙂

Buggy across the airport too, straight from the lounge to the gate.

If Singapore are accepting it, crack on - but just understand though that it doesn't mean you'll make the transfer, just that worse-case they'll 'honour' a later flight.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 1:15 pm
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@Rich_s

will the Cairns area be fixed by then?

I lived in North Qld for 30+ years. The infrastructure is built to take the weather. I've sat out at least 10 cyclones, and the State Emergency Services have got things back to normal in no time.

The current bad weather will be almost as if it didn't happen by the time a few weeks have passed. The locals just shrug that sort of thing off.

Cairns is an ideal base because you have access to the outback and it's closer to the Great Barrier Reef. Any time the weather seems too hot, you just nip up to the Tablelands and it's much cooler, but still as sunny.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 5:14 pm
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Ah, that's good to hear. Cairns is just the starting point tbh, but everyone here is saying such nice things about the area I think we may look at stopping and acclimatising for a few days before travelling southwards.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 6:36 pm

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If you can the area around Daintree is great, rain forest and the like. North of Cairns

There are so many amazing areas up there that are completely overlooked and never promoted. No tourists either.

Every time I filled up with fuel, I used to ask the person in the garage what was good to look at for a visitor. It never let me down, they always said oh mate, you wanna go and have a look here or such like. Gorges, rain forest, crocs, Swimming across a river to look at painted caves, termite mounds, fruit bats, massive nodes of copper and crystal. Couple of times I got directed to some incredible look out point where you could see for miles up the coast or across forested valleys. Just got my bivi bag out and slept on the viewpoint, happy days

Several times I camped by a pub in a tiny village, have a few drinks then they would ask if I need a feed - no worries mate, we;ll sort you some grub. Cue delicious meal and another beer.

Some of the incidental stuff is great - I remember walking to a bar from my tent one evening, it was on the front behind the beach.  An A frame chalk board was tied to a post with the message 'CROC SEEN HERE TUESDAY', which kind of took me a moment to comprehend but it was pretty common in that neck of the woods.

If you pop in a roadhouse, no one will bat an eyelid if you have a cup of tea on a hot day, I loved that. I remember sitting under a veranda drinking a cuppa one afternoon, the radio was playing then on came Madness, It must be love. A brew, Madness, in a rainforest. Quality

Incidentally, the flooding is kind of expected. In the outback you come across bridges and the like in the middle of nowhere. It seems mad until you remeber the wet season and the amount of water that comes.

Also how else do the crocs get from the sea to the inland waterholes?!

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 7:06 pm
Free Member
 

I went to Australia to visit family about 15 years ago - stopover in Singapore, then Darwin, Sydney, Brisbane.

Australia - flat hot and racist. Singapore was abhorrent up tight consumerism. Once I'd realized I'd prefer a holiday in Scotland I vowed not to fly again and have stuck with it.

Was nice seeing family though.

 
Posted : 04/02/2025 8:39 pm
Free Member
 

In your position I reckon I'd go for the following:

In to Cairns, Whitsundays, Brisbane for the family stuff. Get your hot weather/beach/deadly animal shit done here.

Fly to Hobart, do a lap of Tasmania over a couple of weeks. The place is small by Aus standards, pretty varied environmentally and stunning. Culturally it feels like going back in time, but in a good way. Granted it will be relatively cold.

Ferry back to Melbourne, time in and around the city, then home.

I would avoid trying to cram too much in because you could spend a quarter of your holiday in airports.

Have been to Aus 7 times now, my folks live in a place called Jervis Bay, which is on the south coast of NSW. That's an incredible place, whales, dolphins, stingrays in the bay. Was there last July and it was low 20s most days, perfect for me.

 
Posted : 05/02/2025 12:12 am
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Secret Diary Of Benjamin Haworth Age 47 3/4

Last Minute Tuscany

Digital Detox

singletrack issue 159 cover image

Issue 159