Which cities are a must see in Australia?

[LetThereBeRock]

I'm not going until next year,but I want to plan ahead.

I want to go for 18 days total. Melbourne and Sydney are definites. I'd like to see part of Queensland too.

I'd like a few days in each city,rather than a quick glimpse.

I'm also considering Perth, and Adelaide,but I'm unsure if I can fit them in.

I'd appreciate any advice on which cities to visit there,and what I shouldn't miss in each.

TIA

Sydney and Melbourne. Yes.
Byron Bay (not quite a city) but on the north coast of NSW is gorgeous.

Thankyou. I think I'll add Byron Bay to the intinerary. It looks beautiful as you say,and seems like a rather interesting place.

Sydney yes, Brisbane yes, Cairns no, Adelaide no, Melbourne yes, never been to Perth or Darwin.

To be honest much of the best of Aus is just outside it's cities. So Cairns is great if you are going to the reef, Port Douglas etc but the city itself is shit. Brisbane is ok but the Islands around it are better.

My ideal trip to Aus (I travelled for a year there so have seen a fair bit) would be:-

Great Barrier Reef
Whitsunday Islands
Sydney (Blue Mountains while there)
Ayers Rock
Melbourne (Great Ocean Road etc)
Port Douglas
Moreton Island
Fraser Island
Byron Bay

Um there are more but can't think of them at the mo! Will get back to you....

Oh sorry yes Adelaide is just ok as a city but some of the countryside surrounding it is beautiful - especially if you like wine

Oh yes the Gold Coast and Sunshine coast which are just North and South of Brisbane :)

Not done a lot of Australia but one of the best couple of days of a round the world trip we did was to Sydney and the surrounding area of Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley. Wine tasting and fantastic food, and just loads to see.

I was all Australia'd out by the time I went to Byron Bay. I spent 10 days there in an apartment right on the beach and didn't appreciate it at all, but looking back, it was lovely, I'd recommend it.

It depends how many flights/how much travel time/how much you want to spend really.

Perth is gorgeous, I lived there for a while and it's worth a visit, but of course the other side to where you've mentioned.
I then moved inland to Kalgoorlie, which is the weirdest, but most fabulous place ever.
Completely different to the Australia that we see, here in the UK, a totally different experience, but one I'm glad I had and urge everyone in Perth to see for themselves

I know how far Perth is,that's why I'm unsure if I want to make the trip,though part of me would like to visit Fremantle,as I'm a big AC/DC fan,and perhaps Rottnest island. I want to see the quokkas.

Are you flying via Asia?
If so you could stopover in Perth, but I wouldn't go from Sydney to Perth and back.
The other way is to concentrate on the west coast, but of course most people want to see Sydney and the East Coast sights, but the West is gorgeous.

The Quokkas are v cute btw, they like chicken twisties!
Lovely beaches on Rottnest too.

All my photos are in print, not on the PC or I'd have put some on my profile of WA for you to see.

If you have any interest in wildlife, Kangaroo Island is a great place to go (good overnight trip from Adelaide) - it's the only place I saw many koalas in the wild, loads of kangaroos, obviously, and I almost trod on an echidna.

Alice Springs/Ayers Rock/Kings Canyon also definitely worth doing.

Sydney goes without saying. The Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley are worth a daytrip or overnight visit from Sydney.

I used to live in Sydney, and before leaving the country did a two-week trip round Melbourne, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Tasmania and Alice Springs/Ayers Rock. Two weeks already felt very rushed to do that, and of course I'd already seen loads of Sydney, plus the surrounding areas and some parts of the NSW coastline further afield (Byron Bay, Jervis Bay for dolphin watching) during the previous year.

I don't think 18 days is long enough to do everything, so Perth is probably the easiest to cut out, as it is so far from everywhere else.

One of these days (when the children have left home...) I want to go back and travel round for two or three months so I can see all the places I haven't made it to yet, like Western Australia, Kakadu, Darwin and so on. Maybe even Canberra...

Thankyou all for the advice and recommendations so far. It's appreciated.

It may be possible for me to go for a little longer,but no more than an extra week. I help to care for a relative,and until alternate care is arranged I wouldn't want to go for longer than that.

If I do go to Perth,and we will be going via Asia,then I'll certainly stop there first,and fly to the East coast after that.

It all sounds wonderful,food,barrier reef etc,and the wildlife is a big draw for me, so it sounds like I can't afford to miss Kangaroo Island.

I have to add a couple of lesser known but gorgeous places. One, when you're in Brisbane, go to Tangalooma Island. It's not far from Brisbane at all. You get to touch dolphins - amazing experience.
The other one is a place called Pebbly Beach. It's quite near Ulladulla, about 2 1/2 hours south of Sydney. Kangaroos roam around on the beach and are very friendly.
Both are so so beautiful.

You could do Perth on the way home as a stop over if you like but if all you want to do is visit the cemetary where Bon Scott is, I can send you a few photos and a video! I don't mean that to sound flippant but it is such a long way from the East Coat (5 hours) so you'd be better staying East if your heart is set on Sydney and Melbourne.

I agree with whoever said miss out Cairns.

Don't rush your main cities.

Darwin is ace!

Thankyou all for the further recommendations.It's very helpful,and I'll research them all.

I would rather like to see Bon's statue and grave,though I'm sure I'll survive without seeing them,but Rottnest island is another major draw for me,and I've heard there are some very good restaurants in Fremantle.

I'll keep that in mind about your photo offer thankyou,Sausageroll. I may find myself doing just that instead.

Wildife,food and the scenery are the main three attractions for me. I'm looking forward to going to some of the best restaurants in Oz.

The Red Ochre in Adelaide sounds particuarly tempting.