sportcw10

Hi
I'm planning a trip for me and my family to go to Australia for 2 weeks in June. I would like some feedback on the itinerary I have made. Thanks for the comments.

4 nights Sydney
1 night Canberra
3 nights GBR (Hamilton Island)
3 nights Adelaide
3 night Melbourne

Thanks for all the feedback. Feel free to give me your opinions about what I should change in my plans. Thanks

margo_oz

What are your interests? Do you really want to se so many cities? If you have children, how old?

Janese

I think you will be spending a lot of time sitting around in airports and on planes and not enough time spent in actually seeing the places that you are going to.
I feel that that many places is over doing it in the short time that you are in Australia. For instance I would say that the best part of a whole day would be gone in just getting from Hamilton Island to Adelaide. Presumably you will be jet lagged and 4 nights in Sydney is not really enough considering that you will be somewhat groggy for the first 48 hours.
3 nights on Hamilton means really only 2 full days and that is not enough really to see that area, considering that there are many other islands and the outer reef that you can visit and 2 full days in an absolute minimum, to the extent that if you have an off weather day you have really blown the trip there.
I would narrow it down from a visiting point of view and a cost point of view and add to Sydney so that your trip to Canberra can be more relaxed and enjoyable and perhaps include the Blue Mountains ( depending on the time of year you are coming) I would certainly increase the time on Hamilton Island perhaps include the Hunter Valley wine areas and that would be that.
Adelaide and Melbourne really can't be squeezed into the equasion OR you could fly from Sydney to the Gold Coast and check out the hinterland ranges there together with some of the really interesting things available on the G.C. and continue to Brisbane airport by train and then fly to Hamilton.
If you are from the USA then this is something like what you have chosen to do:
4 nights LA
1 night Las Vegas
3 nights New Orleans
3 nights Boise
3 nights in San Fran

scurry

I agree with other posters.

I'd consider dropping Canberra and possibly Adelaide which would give you one more day on Hamilton Island and maybe even time to drive the Great Ocean Road (from Melbourne to Adelaide).

(Binna Burra or O'Reiley's guesthouse in the Gold Coast hinterlands are both great, BTW)

Mucky

Hi sportcw10,
These guys are absolutely right.
Two weeks is not a very long time in a huge wonderful place, personally I would cut it down to 2 or 3 basic areas.Certainly Sydney and GBR and possibly Melbourne too however it does depend very much upon what you want to do and what you enjoy. Janese is right, you don't want to spend all the time in airports or waiting to get to one.
Once you have a taste of Oz you will return I can guarantee it, try not to do too much in two weeks, it may spoil your trip. You can always come again, or perhaps you could add an extra week on.

Have fun planning and if you need any help, these wonderful people are the ones to ask...believe me I know !!!


Muck

billp

you're covering a lot of ground here - i would concentrate on sydney and GBR - adelaide is 2 hour flight from sydney - I loved barossa and clare valley and kangaroo island, but in two weeks it's too much to cover - plus it's a 12-15 hour drive from adelaide to melbourne (we just did it last week) - and there's no comparison between melbourne and sydney - it's nice enough, but we were there 2 nights and that was plenty...

sandi

We did a 16-day trip and had absolutely no jet-lag upon arrival or any days after and that was from NYC to SFO to SYD - but were sure beat on the return flight.

That said, you can consider:
4 nts SYD
5 nts GBR somewhere - (can do one of the islands, or Palm Cove or Port Douglas or combine 3-Hamilton, 2- Pt.Douglas).
2 nts Alice/Ayers - we did a fly-in day-tour from Alice to Ayers - I wouldn't do the drive, so if no drive, then do 2nts Ayers.
3 nts MEL - and did the GOR in a one-day trip as far as 12 Apostles, which was wonderful.

In SYD, we rented car 1 day for trip out to the Blue Mountains, spent a day with friends allover, and another 1-1/2 discovering SYD on our own and we saw lots - even managed on last day to spend early part of day on Bondi before late afternoon flight to CNS.

In CNS - had full days, 1 out on the Reef, another Kuranda and Sky Rail, another the RainForest, another in Cairns, and a day in between just to relax.

MEL was absolutely wonderful, in fact we enjoyed more than SYD which is very touristy; didn't stay in downtown MEL, rather out in St. Kilda which is more eclectic in everyway. One day out to winecountry and Healesville (or Featherdale - one is outside SYD, don't recall right now), drive the GOR, another day at Victoria Market and visited museums, the Casino, all of downtown MEL - just wonderful, and loved the tram system.

We had good flight connections so as not to break up and waste days intransit, either first flight in morning or latest in day. And we were never tired or felt we were constantly on the run.

Eliminate Canberra and Adelaide and think of adding Ayers and you'll be fine; it's doable.