Is it worth going to DARWIN???????? Where to stay in CANBERRA???????

[RTKangaMummy]

In August

What do you think?

Thanks

How long would it take to drive from Melbourne to Canberra?

Is it worth it for a daytip?

Is there some scenic stuff in between?

We have friends in Canberra and so would want to go and visit them for day or lunch etc.

So I guess there isn't then

Hi RTK
You looked a bit lonely there with no posts so I thought I'd better join in
Darwin - Kakadu National Park is well worth a visit. You'd need at least 3 or 4 days to do it properly and it's a bit of a hike from Darwin.
Katherine Gorge, Litchfield Nat Park also worth visits.
Darwin itself - personally I don't think it's worth a visit unless you are visiting friends.
Canberra - a few museums, haven't been for years.
Not terribly interesting IMO.
Melbourne to Canberra I think about 6 hours.
I think the drive would be quite scenic - it will be pretty cold at that time of year.
You've chosen the 2 least interesting places to visit, can you go elsewhere?
(Canberra and Darwin that is, not Melbourne)
Good places: Sydney, Melbourne, Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley ( wine regions), Blue Mountains, North Queensland ( esp in August), Whitsundays, Perth and Margaret River ( another wine region - you can tell what my favorite thing is), Alice and Uluru.
BTW I live in Brisbane.

Thyanks for replying

Have been to SYDNEY, CAIRNS, MELBOURNE, ULURU, ALICE SPRINGS, PERTH before and will be returning there

But haven't been to Canberra or Darwin and wondered if it was worth a visit

So just thought I would ask

DS has only been to melbourne so wants to see the rest of Australia

My birth dad comes from and lives in Melbourne so hopefully we will visit him again

And some friends from UK have returned to a small town outside Canberra, so would like to visit them too

And will be going to whitsunday islands as long as they haven't been damaged by the storms

So we will be travelling around all over the place

Sounds like a great trip.
The national parks near Darwin are definitely worth a trip ( camping's a good way to do them).
If you have the time then maybe a side trip to Canberra too, but I wouldn't put it top of my list.
Others may disagree ( esp those who live there!).
I don't think the Whitsundays were hit by the Cyclone at all - they are definitely worth a trip - one of the highlights IMO.
Good luck

Canberra will be cold ( by our aussie standards) but you can do a day trip to the Snowy mountains - have done that - fab.

We did Canberra to Melbourne in a day. Canberra is fab and can't wait to take the girls - War Memorial, New and old parliament house, Cockington green - minitaure(sp - can't seem to spell to day) village, art gallery etc. So clean and lovely - last time I was there.

check out

\link{http://www.canberratourism.com.au/\info for Canberra}

I would just use Darwin as a base to something like Kakadu.

Whitsundays seemed to escape the cyclone - further north - or even out from Rocky - Great Keppel Island been revamped as a family island rather than a contiki 18 - 35.

this might help for child friendly places

\link{http://www.holidayswithkids.com.au/\hope it helps}

Have only driven through Canberra so don't know if it's worth spending much time there. IMO, you don't go to Australia for the cities (which are probably great to live in but not much to see from a tourists pov) but for the fabulous countryside....

August is the perfect time to visit Darwin and surrounding areas as it is the dry season so a bit cooler (but still very warm compared to here!) There are a few things to see/do in Darwin itself - hand feeding fish, Mindil beach market, etc and the National Parks in that area are definitely worth a visit. Kakadu is well established and you could either go on an organised tour or drive out yourself. It is a few hours drive to get there so you would need 2-3 days if you are doing it on your own steam. When I lived there, Litchfield Park was just being opened up. It is a bit closer to Darwin. I personally thought it was more spectacular than Kakadu. Back then you needed a 4WD to get around safely but the roads have probably been paved by now. Definitely go camping if you can - you may not even need a tent at night as it is quite warm (though it does help with the mozzies)