Australia - advice
Discussion
OK, there was a similar thread onhere recently about this.
My family and I are heading out to Oz in July (I know, mid winter! - have to fit in with wee ones school holidays).
We fly to Sydney, spend 5 nights there with Sister in law then flying down to Melbourne for 4 nights to spend with my family.
Back to Sydney where we then have around 10 days to fill before a couple more days in Sydney then home.
We are looking at things to do, but frankly, the choice is so vast I don't know where to start!
Was thining maybe Ayers Rock - anyone been? Is there much to do there apart from look in awe - we have a 7 year old girl to keep amused!
Is there somewhere near Ayers to stay?
Then what - Mrs likes the sound of the Blue Mountains but I haven't heard much about them.
Was thinking maybe Great Barrier Reef?
Basically I am looking for what you don't get in the guide books - real life experiences and recommendations.
Anything greatfully received.
Cheers,
71NotOut
My family and I are heading out to Oz in July (I know, mid winter! - have to fit in with wee ones school holidays).
We fly to Sydney, spend 5 nights there with Sister in law then flying down to Melbourne for 4 nights to spend with my family.
Back to Sydney where we then have around 10 days to fill before a couple more days in Sydney then home.
We are looking at things to do, but frankly, the choice is so vast I don't know where to start!
Was thining maybe Ayers Rock - anyone been? Is there much to do there apart from look in awe - we have a 7 year old girl to keep amused!
Is there somewhere near Ayers to stay?
Then what - Mrs likes the sound of the Blue Mountains but I haven't heard much about them.
Was thinking maybe Great Barrier Reef?
Basically I am looking for what you don't get in the guide books - real life experiences and recommendations.
Anything greatfully received.
Cheers,
71NotOut
Blue Mountains are pretty spectacular.
Ayers Rock is a fair way away. Not sure of the actual figures, but Australia is a LOT bigger than new visitors tend to realise. Alice Springs is a good 2000 miles from Sydney. 3 1/2 hrs flight I think.
Ayers Rock is a fair way away. Not sure of the actual figures, but Australia is a LOT bigger than new visitors tend to realise. Alice Springs is a good 2000 miles from Sydney. 3 1/2 hrs flight I think.
Edited by Famous Graham on Tuesday 10th February 16:54
Theres an expensive hotel nearby Ayers Rock to stay or next stop Alice Springs which is only just down the road (a few hundred kilometers away).
Ayers rock is a bloody long way from anywhere so think how you are going to get there. Kings Canyon nearby is worth visiting if you are there as well.
Ayers rock is a bloody long way from anywhere so think how you are going to get there. Kings Canyon nearby is worth visiting if you are there as well.
k off again as there is nothing else there. Its also in the middle of nowhere.Ayres Rock - Just a rock. Nothing to do, certainly nothing for a kids entertainment.
Great Barrier Reef - Amazing! Children (big and small
) will love it in the submersibles.
Blue Mountain - Fantastic scenery but kids might be bored again.
Head for the Gold Coast instead. Usual tourist things... sealife centres, amusements, Universal Studioes, etc.
That's where the kids want to be.
Have fun.
Great Barrier Reef - Amazing! Children (big and small
) will love it in the submersibles. Blue Mountain - Fantastic scenery but kids might be bored again.
Head for the Gold Coast instead. Usual tourist things... sealife centres, amusements, Universal Studioes, etc.
That's where the kids want to be.
Have fun.
Edited by Nolar Dog on Tuesday 10th February 16:56
and Frazer Island is worth it for a day out in a big 4x4 truck, bit of swimming (in the inland lakes), driving down the beach, sand dunes, etc, should keep a 7 year old occupied & happy.Heron Island (Bit pricey if flying in on the helicopter but a lifetime memory if you do)
Blue Mountains
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Tambourine Mountains
Dreamworld (Little one would love it)
Australia Zoo.(Although don't expect to see Steve)
Think you would need a good few months to do Australia properly.
Blue Mountains
Brisbane
Gold Coast
Tambourine Mountains
Dreamworld (Little one would love it)
Australia Zoo.(Although don't expect to see Steve)
Think you would need a good few months to do Australia properly.
Agree with what everybody else has said so far re: Great Barrier Reef, Whitsundays, Fraser etc. If I were you I'd get up to Brisbane for the final 10 days rather than do Sydney again - Queensland is the 'holiday state', July will be perfect (dry season) and there's probably more to do there for the kids. Not that Sydney is exactly dull, but there's only so much time you can spend in the Blue Mountains and whilst we've spent many an enjoyable time in the Hunter Valley the kids will get bored of the wineries very quickly
I can't emphasise enough however that you really musn't underestimate distances there. 10 days is simply not enough time to do the things you've mentioned so you will have to plan it carefully! Even to get to the bottom part of the Reef from Brisbane is a good 2 day drive and even then the kids will be driving you spare
I can't emphasise enough however that you really musn't underestimate distances there. 10 days is simply not enough time to do the things you've mentioned so you will have to plan it carefully! Even to get to the bottom part of the Reef from Brisbane is a good 2 day drive and even then the kids will be driving you spare
If you are in Sydney then go to Sydney Zoo, which is very vbery good. Australia zoo is up Brisbane way, so quite a trek and it sounds like your are spending most of your holiday in an airport anyway.
Skip Ayres rock with kids, there are a range of hotels, but that's all and all owned by the same operating company, so it's expensive to stay. Wonderful to see, but not worth the effort with kids
Skip Ayres rock with kids, there are a range of hotels, but that's all and all owned by the same operating company, so it's expensive to stay. Wonderful to see, but not worth the effort with kids
Ayers Rock is a long way from Sydney. You might be able to get a cheap flight there, but will be hassle. There is actually a small airport at Ayers Rock, otherwise Alice Springs is about 2 hours away.
If it was me, I would head up north, Whitsundays should be good as it will be dry season in the tropical areas so much less chance of nasty jelly fish, and a good chance of some nice weather. Not that Sydney in July is punishingly cold or anything, but it's not beach weather.
If it was me, I would head up north, Whitsundays should be good as it will be dry season in the tropical areas so much less chance of nasty jelly fish, and a good chance of some nice weather. Not that Sydney in July is punishingly cold or anything, but it's not beach weather.
Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains, Centre Point, Darling Harbour and quite a few nice beaches in Sydney Coogi beach and Manly Beach. Go to Bondi just to say you have been.
Maybe a trip to Kings Cross at night...then again
Kodak Beach In Brisbane, Beach in the middle of the city, Very Strange. Never bothered with Surfers Paradise though.
Nimbin near Bryon Bay
Frazer Island is a must.
Airlie Beach and see the fruit bats fly over. The Whitsundays are good for a boat trip.
The rock is a long way to go in a short time just to look at ....well a rock.
Just remember Australia is a massive place and the East Coast is about 2.5 - 3X the length of Britain. i.e. I spent nearly 2 days on a coach travelling from Airlie Beach back to Sydney only stopping for short pee brakes.
Maybe a trip to Kings Cross at night...then again
Kodak Beach In Brisbane, Beach in the middle of the city, Very Strange. Never bothered with Surfers Paradise though.
Nimbin near Bryon Bay
Frazer Island is a must.
Airlie Beach and see the fruit bats fly over. The Whitsundays are good for a boat trip.
The rock is a long way to go in a short time just to look at ....well a rock.
Just remember Australia is a massive place and the East Coast is about 2.5 - 3X the length of Britain. i.e. I spent nearly 2 days on a coach travelling from Airlie Beach back to Sydney only stopping for short pee brakes.
Edited by Westy Pre-Lit on Wednesday 11th February 08:40
Colonial said:
We drove halfway across NSW on monday for a business meeting. We left at 4am, had a 3 hour meeting and made it back to the office by 8.30pm as an indication.
Similar to the UK really, those times are about right for someone living in Brighton and having to go to Birmingham/Telford for a meeting, but probably a bit optimistic.Not similar to the UK. In the UK those times are about traffice.
Colonial was probably flat out the whole way.
People don't drive from Sydney to Brisbane to Cairns. That's more like driving through Toulouse to the South of Spain. You can do it. But it's epic.
Oh: With kids? Barrier Reef. Fab. Sydney filled with things to do. Ayers Rock/Uluru as mentioned is a natural wonder, worth seeing, but for a kid? Done in two minutes flat and not worth the journey, sadly.
In Sydney you can do all sorts of boat expensive tours around the harbour. Or you get the ferry over to Manly and back and see the lot for a few bucks!
For Mum and Dad and the kids can lump it near Sydney you could consider the Hunter Valley. Go stay at Peppers if it's still there, taste wine and see some vineyards. The Coast north of Sydney is beautiful too but I'm not sure it would keep young ones entertained.
Colonial was probably flat out the whole way.
People don't drive from Sydney to Brisbane to Cairns. That's more like driving through Toulouse to the South of Spain. You can do it. But it's epic.
Oh: With kids? Barrier Reef. Fab. Sydney filled with things to do. Ayers Rock/Uluru as mentioned is a natural wonder, worth seeing, but for a kid? Done in two minutes flat and not worth the journey, sadly.
In Sydney you can do all sorts of boat expensive tours around the harbour. Or you get the ferry over to Manly and back and see the lot for a few bucks!
For Mum and Dad and the kids can lump it near Sydney you could consider the Hunter Valley. Go stay at Peppers if it's still there, taste wine and see some vineyards. The Coast north of Sydney is beautiful too but I'm not sure it would keep young ones entertained.
FarleyRusk said:
Blue Mountains during the Oz winter will most-likely be a zero-visibility, shrouded-in-mist disappointment. It was for me 
Luckily I've been there in October too.
+1 for the Whitsunday's / Airlee Beach
Luckily I've been there in October too.+1 for the Whitsunday's / Airlee Beach
Head north. I was there in June and it didn't get comfortably warm until we got to Brisbane (We were camping though.)thehawk said:
Colonial said:
We drove halfway across NSW on monday for a business meeting. We left at 4am, had a 3 hour meeting and made it back to the office by 8.30pm as an indication.
Similar to the UK really, those times are about right for someone living in Brighton and having to go to Birmingham/Telford for a meeting, but probably a bit optimistic.I've done plenty of driving in the UK - I was told to leave a whole day to get from Leeds to north wales. It took me 3 hours.
Travel here is at a different scale.
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