Must do's for Australia

[jen127]

We are going next summer for a month and we plane to stay 5 nights in all of the following , Brisbane, Cairns , Sydney and 3 nights in Ayers rock.
Any recommendations for must do's or places to stay welcomed!
We were thinking Port Douglas for Cairns, would love to do a camping trip at Ayers rock , we are flying in to there and can't find any trips from there , only from Alice springs.

We will be travelling with Dh who is 9

Any feedback appreciated !

Its no longer called Ayers Rock.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is located in the south-west region of the Northern Territory. It is approximately 440 km south-west of Alice Springs.
The easiest way to get into the park is to drive, catch a bus or join a tour from Alice Springs. You can also fly from most capital cities to Ayers Rock Airport (Yulara), which is located just outside the park. There is also accommodation at Yulara (which all gets booked up very quickly)

Camping within Uluru-Kata national park is NOT permitted.

Port Douglas is nice. There are lots and lots of places to stay and lots and lots or boat trips that you can book when you get there. Well, that's whatever did. We picked a smaller boat 'Spirit of the Caribbean' I think it was called and it was great.

When my mum went she went on a big glass bottom boat and she wasn't keen. She said it was like boing on a ferry.

Where we stayed there was a saltwater pool and it was beautiful. We floated around in it at night.

Are you coming British summer or summer here?

Hi Savoycabbage I am travelling next July.

Atilla we are flying into Yulara so will be based there !

Jen127, if you're going in July next year then prepare for it to be cold! July in Aus is the height of winter, particularly in Sydney!.

Port Douglas is lovely but you might find it a bit quieter as it's not peak time. A trip to the Great Barrier Reef and there are companies that will take you out if you're not a strong swimmer/non-swimmer. If you can, a trip into the rainforest with an aboriginal guide is well worth it, the wealth of knowledge of the plants and animals is incredible - not to put you off, but watch out for the golden orb spider webs. You'll understand if you see one. Not sure what your budget is but try the Thala beach lodge - just outside Port Douglas and if you want to get close up and personal with the wildlife then you can't beat it! We had stick insects (a foot long) and frogs on the balcony, birds of all descriptions flit through the trees and frogs and toads everywhere. Oh and when you've had enough, shut the doors, put the air con on and sink into a luxury bath filled with yummy smelling products.

Brissy - South bank with a bottle of white wine at night, a trip on the CityCat (boat trip) at night to see the city lit up. It's just the standard commuter boat but well worth it. Mount Cootha has a lovely cafe at the top and a fabulous view for miles over the Glasshouse mountains to the North.

If you've got time, a trip to Noosa for a bit of sun is lovely and the walk around the headland gives you wonderful views, especially if you go first thing and then get a fab brekky on the way back down - 1hr drive north of Bris.

The Gold Coast and Gold Coast hinterland (45mins drive south) are well worth a visit - the Gold Coast is the home of Surfer's Paradise so essentially a beach that's miles long but very bright lights and glitzy hotels. Gold Coast hinterland is worth exploring by car. There's a treetop walkway about 40mins drive south of Brisbane that's worth a look as it explains all about the rainforest. Oh and thinking about it, a trip to the koala sanctuary to the west of Brisbane means that you can come back with the all important pics of koala cuddling (just don't call them bears........)

Sydney - I guess all the usual things, Sydney Opera house, the bridge, the Rocks. The Lord Nelson pub has v good accommodation and fantastic pork pies! If you can, escaping to the Blue Mountains for a night is a really good idea. There are fantastic view points and I would highly recommend Lilianfels hotel.

God, I really miss Aus sometimes :(

Have a fantastic time!!!!!

I did a camping trip from Alice Springs a couple of years ago that covered Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon - the company was Wayoutback and some people joined us at Ayers Rock resort. They didn't miss out on any of the trip, only getting up before dawn and a couple of hours driving!!!

Having said that, I really like Alice Springs, kids will find visiting the school of the air and the flying doctors interesting and the desert park was good too.

If you are looking for cheap(er) places to stay, the new YHA in Sydney is brilliant - it's in The Rocks, built on an archeological dig site and has a BBQ/roof terrace overlooking the harbour bridge.

If you're going to Brisbane, you might as well go a bit north of it and go to Australia Zoo - it's still one of the better ones I've been to! (probably mostly because of the walk-through bird aviary and the field the wombats live in - you can see them, they are usually awake (this is Unusual). Agree with the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane as well - it's fab! they have good birds of prey there too. Eumundi markets are worth a visit if you go on the right day. Might need to hire a car!

July in NSW is flippin' cold. Especially if you go to the Blue Mountains (a typical tourist destination) - you'll need proper winter wear there in July. They have this thing called Yule Fest, which is like Christmas in July - slightly odd but at least it's the right temperature for Christmas as far as I am concerned! But anywhere in NSW is cold in July. I do recommend the Blue Mountains - see the Three Sisters and visit the Scenic World (with the world's steepest funicular railway, it goes almost vertical! Gotta go down it, then walk round and come back by cable car, IMO) but stay in Leura rather than Katoomba, if you can - there is a train between the two towns, if you're not hiring a car. Leura is beautiful - real old-style frontier town with expensive but lovely shops, if you like that kind of thing.
Sydney - depends on whether you like wildlife etc. - you can buy a ticket for the Sydney Aquarium, that will also cover the next door Wildlife place, Manly Aquarium (definitely inferior but Manly itself is fun and you get to go on the ferry), and the Tower Eye - info here.

Cairns area will still be in the 20s in July, so you'll need warm-weather clothes for that. Uluru - I went in May, so still winter, and it was warm during the day and cool at night. When I went it rained, so fewer flies than normal - it's normally a fly-pit.

If you suffer from mozzie bites, make sure you bring/buy some mozzy repellent - but more importantly, if you need anti-histamine cream, bring it with you because you will not be able to buy it here. They don't sell it and haven't done for at least 10 years, according to the pharmacist I spoke to. Apparently even oral anti-histamines can be hard to come by (hearsay, haven't tried it) so again, if you need them, bring them with you.

HTH! And you're going to have a fab time. :)

A few things I did in Cairns area which I enjoy were:
Aboriginal culture centre - www.tjapukai.com.au/
Day trip with Quicksilver tours out to Green Island
Trip on Kuranda railway

Near Uluru I went hot air ballooning at sunrise which was amazing and also you can do a flight over the area in a light aircraft. As someone else has said, you can visit the Flying Doctors station.

Sydney, obvious ones are Opera House, the Quays, the tower (can't remember the name) with the revolving restaurant at top. I went to Bondi beach but as it wasn't a lovely sunny day it was a bit disappointing.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback! I have just checked out scenic world and that looks fab! I have booked Thala beach lodge for cairns ! Wow! It looks fab!
I have a little book with all your other suggestions noted !

Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback!

If you do Cairns and want to see the barrier reef DO NOT go on one of the mass produced trips like Captain Cook. They take thousands of people to the same pod day in, day out so most of the coral is dead and the sea life long gone.

Save an extra bit of cash or stay a night less somewhere and take a day trip to Lizard Island were you will see the real reef.

I sound ranty about it but I suppose it is because I am - I have lost count of the number of friends who I have suggested this to only for them to do the captain cook and be thoroughly disappointed!

We found out about lizard purely by chance on a trip to Cairns. Walked into this guys shop looking for advice on trips and came out a bit pissed 2 hours later booked on to the most spectacular trip ever! Worth every penny and we still talk about it now.

Don't forget the rainforest when you are in Cairns. I did a trip tht included a crockodile farm and a trip down the river.

Oh and I met a wild banycoot in the hotel!

By Autrlian standards it will be cold but do not expect snow, I've never needed more than alight weight rain oat or denim.

Thanks gregssausageroll! And thanks Sashh

You must go to Fraser Island, it is the biggest sand island in the world, you can go camping there, hire a 4wd and camping gear and go over on the ferry. It is beautiful with freshwater lakes and amazing scenery. First time I went I backpacked so did the camping thing, then went again recently with DH and we stayed in the hotel there which was still great and we went out on day trips.

The ferries go from Hervey Bay which is north of Brisbane....

Morton Island was also good from Brisbane as a day trip. Can highly recommend the tropical fruit farm in Cape Trib as a place to stay north of Cairns. Well worth the extra drive and the highlight of our trip. We also liked Youngborough (sp?) - look up onthewallaby.

If you are renting cars book them from the city not the airport as you pay a percentage tax that whacks up the cost - just get the airport bus to the city. You can also get a travel card in Sydney that is well worth the money - we spent a morning riding the ferries!