Xmas sun between UK & Aus ??
Discussion
Hi
Any recommendations for some sun in December...party of 4, 2 of us in England, and the 2 others in Australia!
We have about 9 days so not long enough for trip down under. Where would you recommend as a halfway meeting point?
Requirements are good restaurants, some golf, and preferably sea/beach.
Dubai/Abu Dhabi?
South Africa? Although no direct flights from Oz
Mauritius?
Any other ideas? Cheers
Any recommendations for some sun in December...party of 4, 2 of us in England, and the 2 others in Australia!
We have about 9 days so not long enough for trip down under. Where would you recommend as a halfway meeting point?
Requirements are good restaurants, some golf, and preferably sea/beach.
Dubai/Abu Dhabi?
South Africa? Although no direct flights from Oz
Mauritius?
Any other ideas? Cheers
Mankers said:
SNAP!
Middle East isn't nearly half way, depending on where you're coming from Aus you're getting the s
tty end of the stick. Melbourne is 13 hours direct to Dubai while it's a shade under 7 from the UK?Thailand 10 ish hours from UK and similar from Melbourne
SA also a good shout, love the place almost zero jetlag from UK a bonus cheap when you're there, worth getting a car and easy to get around. With that amount of time would stick to the Western Cape.
Cheers for the replies - in a turn of events it now seems we will be able to go to Australia for 15 days so now to start planning that!
The weather seems better the further north in Australia one goes in Deember...ruling out Melbourne I guess
So, where to??
Sydney for 1 wk & Gold Coast for 1 wk?
Perth?
Any other ideas??
Thanks!!
The weather seems better the further north in Australia one goes in Deember...ruling out Melbourne I guess
So, where to??
Sydney for 1 wk & Gold Coast for 1 wk?
Perth?
Any other ideas??
Thanks!!
Hello Sydney boy here!
In December everywhere is hot, someone said Port Douglas earlier? Not enough to do there for a whole week though.
Look at Noosa or Gold Coast, think its Jelly fish season there though so swimming needs to be done in a net with a stinger suit on.
Sydney and Melbourne will still easily be 30C+
In December everywhere is hot, someone said Port Douglas earlier? Not enough to do there for a whole week though.
Look at Noosa or Gold Coast, think its Jelly fish season there though so swimming needs to be done in a net with a stinger suit on.
Sydney and Melbourne will still easily be 30C+
Watch England thrash the Aussies to retain the Ashes, follow the Barmy Army and have a few days drinking and abusing the convicts at home combined with golf.
Thursday 21 - 25 November 2013 Australia v England Brisbane
Thursday 5 - 9 December 2013 Australia v England Adelaide Oval
Friday 13 - 17 December 2013 Australia v England Perth WACA Ground
Thursday 26 - 30 December 2013 Australia v England Melbourne MCG
Friday 3 - 7 January 2014 Australia v England Sydney SCG
Thursday 21 - 25 November 2013 Australia v England Brisbane
Thursday 5 - 9 December 2013 Australia v England Adelaide Oval
Friday 13 - 17 December 2013 Australia v England Perth WACA Ground
Thursday 26 - 30 December 2013 Australia v England Melbourne MCG
Friday 3 - 7 January 2014 Australia v England Sydney SCG
Edited by tescorank on Thursday 30th May 05:33
NewbieP99 said:
Cheers for the replies - in a turn of events it now seems we will be able to go to Australia for 15 days so now to start planning that!
The weather seems better the further north in Australia one goes in Deember...ruling out Melbourne I guess
So, where to??
Sydney for 1 wk & Gold Coast for 1 wk?
Perth?
Any other ideas??
Thanks!!
If you are Australian, a teenager and want sun, hotels, alcohol and sand then the Gold Coast is fine, but travelling to Australia to experience much what you could get in Spain or Greece would be an expensive waste IMHO.The weather seems better the further north in Australia one goes in Deember...ruling out Melbourne I guess
So, where to??
Sydney for 1 wk & Gold Coast for 1 wk?
Perth?
Any other ideas??
Thanks!!
tescorank said:
Watch England thrash the Aussies to retain the Ashes, follow the Barmy Army and have a few days drinking and abusing the convicts at home combined with golf.
Thursday 21 - 25 November 2013 Australia v England Brisbane
Thursday 5 - 9 December 2013 Australia v England Adelaide Oval
Friday 13 - 17 December 2013 Australia v England Perth WACA Ground
Thursday 26 - 30 December 2013 Australia v England Melbourne MCG
Friday 3 - 7 January 2014 Australia v England Sydney SCG
This is a VERY good idea. Even if you dont really like cricket. I was with the barmy army for 2 days in 2010/11 and it was brilliant fun. Thursday 21 - 25 November 2013 Australia v England Brisbane
Thursday 5 - 9 December 2013 Australia v England Adelaide Oval
Friday 13 - 17 December 2013 Australia v England Perth WACA Ground
Thursday 26 - 30 December 2013 Australia v England Melbourne MCG
Friday 3 - 7 January 2014 Australia v England Sydney SCG
Edited by tescorank on Thursday 30th May 05:33
And Melbourne is not hot enough for you in December?! Hmm... I would suggest that you be careful with how hot you want it. Was in SA and saw the mercury hit 50 degrees. Now, that thermometer wasnt very accurate, but only 5 degrees or so out... Melbourne in December is a very pleasant temperature.
15 days in Oz is tricky. It's so massive that you either spend a lot of time on the road or stay within a limited area.
Going round clockwise...
Darwin is insane, but great for it. It was the first place in Oz I went to that was like the Australia I expected to see. The waters are lethal, the people are slightly unhinged and you can be in total wilderness in no time at all.
Btw, far north Australia in December is going to be the height of the wet season. In some ways it's an absolutely fantastic time to go - the storms are awesome in the truest sense of the word - but it's also stupidly hot and humid, and it can be difficult to get around because of the floods. If you only have 15 days you don't want to find you're stranded.
Far north Queensland would be pretty much inaccessible at that time of year. It's 4WD only at the best of times.
The north east area i.e. Cairns is a good base although it's backpacker central (by far the main backpacker traffic is Cairns to Melbourne down the east coast). You can get out to the reef and head north to see crocodiles and rainforests, plus inland to see waterfalls and the like. I'm not sure how bad the wet season hits Cairns though.
The east coast has all the infrastructure for tourism so it's the easiest route. The Brisbane area has some lovely spots (definitely agree about Noosa - fantastic place). The Gold Coast is basically the Costa Del Sol, however.
Brisbane to Sydney has some nice bits and some cracking beaches. Inland gets interesting, especially places like Nimbin which is like a hippy theme park. Go there for your hemp t-shirts
Sydney is very pretty but we found it a bit like London and after seeing all the main draws, we were bored after a few days. Many people love it and stay for months though, so it depends on your tastes of course.
The coastal route from Sydney to Melbourne is lovely, dotted with gems like Narooma which is one of the nicest places I've ever been.
Between Melbourne and Adelaide you can choose the coast route along the Great Ocean Road or go inland which has some cracking recreations of Scottish highlands. Both are beautiful. The Great Ocean Road is quite a lot like Route 1 in California.
From Adelaide you can go north up the middle or head west toward Perth. On both routes you measure the journey in days rather than hours because there's very little in between. Personally I loved driving through the vastness but we had time on our side.
Heading up the middle you can take in some lovely mountain ranges and head up to Uluru and Kata Tjuta but that's also a long way and I'm not sure it's worth it on a short trip. It'd probably be better to fly in and out.
The south west corner is a bit of a marvel, frankly. It doesn't get much mention but has a hell of a lot to offer. There are some stunning beaches, huge tree forests and lots of history on land (mining) and at sea (whaling).
North of Perth is very sparse. It's beautiful, fascinating and epic but you're either in the car for many hours, or stopped off looking at something amazing. The reef on the west coast is accessible from the shore too, so you simply put your goggles on and swim out. Most bits have a strong current that you use to drag you across the reef but you have to be a fairly confident swimmer to get back. Or just buy some flippers, as we realised everyone else had done.
Up to Broome and again you're into the wet season. Broome's another backpacker hotspot but it's completely empty in December because people think it's too hot and can get cut off.
The north west Kimberley region of Oz is spectacular. It's all crocs, rocks, cliffs, waterfalls, and is about as remote as it gets barring the desert.
If had 15 days and hadn't been before, I'd probably start with a couple of days in Melbourne, then drive to Sydney along the coast for the first week. Then maybe fly up to Cairns (if the weather allows) to see the reef and head north to see some crocs. And if you could find a way of getting into the outback, that's where the real adventure is
Going round clockwise...
Darwin is insane, but great for it. It was the first place in Oz I went to that was like the Australia I expected to see. The waters are lethal, the people are slightly unhinged and you can be in total wilderness in no time at all.
Btw, far north Australia in December is going to be the height of the wet season. In some ways it's an absolutely fantastic time to go - the storms are awesome in the truest sense of the word - but it's also stupidly hot and humid, and it can be difficult to get around because of the floods. If you only have 15 days you don't want to find you're stranded.
Far north Queensland would be pretty much inaccessible at that time of year. It's 4WD only at the best of times.
The north east area i.e. Cairns is a good base although it's backpacker central (by far the main backpacker traffic is Cairns to Melbourne down the east coast). You can get out to the reef and head north to see crocodiles and rainforests, plus inland to see waterfalls and the like. I'm not sure how bad the wet season hits Cairns though.
The east coast has all the infrastructure for tourism so it's the easiest route. The Brisbane area has some lovely spots (definitely agree about Noosa - fantastic place). The Gold Coast is basically the Costa Del Sol, however.
Brisbane to Sydney has some nice bits and some cracking beaches. Inland gets interesting, especially places like Nimbin which is like a hippy theme park. Go there for your hemp t-shirts
Sydney is very pretty but we found it a bit like London and after seeing all the main draws, we were bored after a few days. Many people love it and stay for months though, so it depends on your tastes of course.
The coastal route from Sydney to Melbourne is lovely, dotted with gems like Narooma which is one of the nicest places I've ever been.
Between Melbourne and Adelaide you can choose the coast route along the Great Ocean Road or go inland which has some cracking recreations of Scottish highlands. Both are beautiful. The Great Ocean Road is quite a lot like Route 1 in California.
From Adelaide you can go north up the middle or head west toward Perth. On both routes you measure the journey in days rather than hours because there's very little in between. Personally I loved driving through the vastness but we had time on our side.
Heading up the middle you can take in some lovely mountain ranges and head up to Uluru and Kata Tjuta but that's also a long way and I'm not sure it's worth it on a short trip. It'd probably be better to fly in and out.
The south west corner is a bit of a marvel, frankly. It doesn't get much mention but has a hell of a lot to offer. There are some stunning beaches, huge tree forests and lots of history on land (mining) and at sea (whaling).
North of Perth is very sparse. It's beautiful, fascinating and epic but you're either in the car for many hours, or stopped off looking at something amazing. The reef on the west coast is accessible from the shore too, so you simply put your goggles on and swim out. Most bits have a strong current that you use to drag you across the reef but you have to be a fairly confident swimmer to get back. Or just buy some flippers, as we realised everyone else had done.
Up to Broome and again you're into the wet season. Broome's another backpacker hotspot but it's completely empty in December because people think it's too hot and can get cut off.
The north west Kimberley region of Oz is spectacular. It's all crocs, rocks, cliffs, waterfalls, and is about as remote as it gets barring the desert.
If had 15 days and hadn't been before, I'd probably start with a couple of days in Melbourne, then drive to Sydney along the coast for the first week. Then maybe fly up to Cairns (if the weather allows) to see the reef and head north to see some crocs. And if you could find a way of getting into the outback, that's where the real adventure is
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