I've been living in Sydney for the last year and I thoroughly recommend the Blue Mountains, particularly Wentworth Falls. There are a number of small, medium, and long walks in the area and all are worth it. The falls itself is spectacular. There are also accommodation options you can look into. Here is the official tourism site for New South Wales that may come in handy: http://www.visitnsw.com/

Before Sydney I was living in Cairns for a year and then Townsville for a year and you cannot miss the Great Barrier Reef. The official goverment tourism site for this, which suggests some key places to visit and recommended tour operators is here:

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/choose-a-high-standard-operator/high-standard-tourism-operation

Also, while you're in Port Douglas I recommend the Daintree National Park, mentioned by David Attenborough as a fantastic place to visit. Suggested lodges if you're keen to stay in the rainforest are the Daintree Wilderness Lodge:
www.daintreewildernesslodge.com.au

and Silky Oaks:
www.silkyoakslodge.com.au

That's about as far as I go as so far I have not been to the other places. I will have to get out and about more often!

Looks like a good plan. Without specific information on your interests I'll give you a few pointers.

Sydney has all the wonderful attractions one would expect of a world class city and a wonderful setting. As mentioned by TJA above the Blue Mountains are a fantastic area for walking, nature and adventure sports. The Hunter Valley makes some of the best Semillion in the world.

Port Douglas is a good base though with tourist type prices. In October it will be starting to warm up but you should get some good weather to go to the reef as the SE winds are usually lighter by then. Mossman Gorge is a great spot and there is an opportunity to go into the forest with local Aboriginal people too. If you have an interest in primitive plants then the Daintree rainforest is well worth the trip but if your interest is more in wildlife then you should visit the Atherton Tablelands.

In Alice Springs the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens, the Reptile Park and the Alice Spring Desert Park are some of my favourite attractions. Lots of good art on sale in the town too.

http://www.fodors.com/community/australia-the-pacific/cairns-to-cooktown-trip-report-including-port-douglas.cfm

maybe youll find something useful in this report

Hello Gaterman,

one question regarding your planned itinerary (no criticism, just being curious): Why Port Douglas?
It'll surely be worth going, but its quite far off. Have you looked into flights? I'm not sure Port Douglas even has a proper airport.
Also, if you rent a car in Port Douglas, you would probably need a 4WD (at least it used to be like that 2 years ago).

Since it's your first time visiting Australia, Cairns might be a good (and better accessible) alternative to Port Douglas. Or maybe Airlie Beach (on the East Coast in Queensland), from where you can make a cruise in the Whitsunday Islands with beautiful beaches. Just suggestions.

Alice Springs with Uluru, King's Canyon and the Olgas is a must.
Personally, I would recommend spending more time in Melbourne - it has a lot of culture & arts stuff going on all year round and really good food from all over the world. But that is just my personal impression.
Anyway, beware: Australia is addictive!

Enjoy!
Travelphilia

oh but port douglas so much prettier than cairns...no?

easy drive from cairns and we didnt have even a proper four wheel drive when we drove to cooktown

up to OP to decide but id only visit cairns but use port douglas as a base even if you do have to drive back to cairns airport

Gatorman - what are your interests? The reason I ask is that 6 days Sydney seems long to me, unless you're a big city person. Sure, you can use Sydney as a base for seeing outlying areas like the South Coast and the Blue Mts, but remember, it is a huge city, not that easy to get in and out of.

You're quite right - it's a smart thing not to jump around too much. Nonetheless, Id recommend mixing it up a little more if you can. How about driving a sector between cities, say Sydney-Brisbane, Sydney-Melbourne (on the coast) or Melbourne-Adelaide (Great Ocean Road), taking a couple of nights in-between?

Also, while I would definitely spend at least six days in north Queensland, I wouldn't recommend all of it based in Port Douglas. Two or three nights on the Atherton Tablelands would be my suggestion. We spent two nights in Yungaburra this past November. It is a wonderful spot. (Check out my trip report, by the way).

[Regarding Travelpjilia's post, unless you plan on traveling north past Cape Tribulation, there is no real need for a 4WD. Also, Port Douglas is only about an hour's drive north of the Cairns airport -paved all the way and quite scenic. Maybe Travelphilia was thinking of Cooktown.]

I've been to the Red Center a couple of times and love it. I would give yourself an extra day or two. At least two nights at Uluru, one at Kings Canyon and a couple in Alice so you can enjoy the MacDonnell Ranges and gorges east and west of the town.

I agree with Ralph about cutting back the time in cities. I would do either Sydney or Melbourne not both. People don't come to Australia for the cities, it's the natural features of the country that are unique.

I would add in more time to Far North Queensland and the Red Centre and have 5 days max in cities.