2006 trip to Australia

[bikerchick68]

Hi all! OK... I need some input... my best friend and I will be traveling to your great country next year. We are thinking October is a good time to travel???

We are talking about spending a week in Melbourne and a week in Sydney...

I am looking for suggestions on things to do, things we should NOT miss, what not to waste our time on, areas to stay etc...

we both want a place that is clean, but frankly we won't spend a bunch of time at any hotel... just a place to put our stuff, shower and sleep between outtings!

My friend does NOT cycle...

so load me up please... if you were visiting what would YOU go do? And are our two city destinations good ones? I don't want to just see city... and I love places that are historic... thanks all!

[DirtDiva]

Sydney is lovely, and I hear Melbourne is pretty good too. Should be a great trip. I'll let the natives fill you in on the specifics though - the last time I was in Sydney I was only there for the weekend, so I didn't manage to do a whole lot of different stuff in that short an amount of time.

[Veronica]

Thom will be in Melbourne working next month - yes the whole month. I'll fill you in on anything cool he sees or does.

V.

[Trekhawk]

Hi all! OK... I need some input... my best friend and I will be traveling to your great country next year. We are thinking October is a good time to travel???
We are talking about spending a week in Melbourne and a week in Sydney...
I am looking for suggestions on things to do, things we should NOT miss, what not to waste our time on, areas to stay etc...
we both want a place that is clean, but frankly we won't spend a bunch of time at any hotel... just a place to put our stuff, shower and sleep between outtings!
My friend does NOT cycle...
so load me up please... if you were visiting what would YOU go do? And are our two city destinations good ones? I don't want to just see city... and I love places that are historic... thanks all!

bikerchick68 - October will be a nice time of year to go (spring) not too hot yet but in Melbourne be prepared for any type of weather (its the four seasons in one day sort of place). Sydney and Melbourne have plenty of lovely historic areas and out of the city plenty of lovely scenery close by. The blue mountains are a lovely area not far from Sydney and a must see for tourists. Will you have transport? The beaches in Australia are beautiful if thats your thing although the water may be a bit chilly still at that time of year and watch out for the Noahs.

Melbourne is very multicultural with lots of yummy eating spots and plenty of things to see and do.

I am not originally from either of these states but I like both of these places. Tasmania is another place that is very beautiful and somewhere I would recommend visiting if you have the time. You can take a ferry from Melbourne or fly (about 30 mins flying time). Tasmania being a main area for convicts it is steeped in history and small so getting around from place to place does not take very long.
It has great hiking and the scenery is wonderful. Cradle mountain is a spot most tourists head to and is lovely.

Sydney and Melbourne are great places but they are big cities and Im sometimes sad that this is all most tourists see of Australia. Perhaps fly into Sydney and do the power tourist tour and then head down to Melbourne and then on to Tasmania. You really will see a lot of great stuff there and perhaps a better glimpse of what Australia is really like.

The top end of Australia is great but our Winter is the best time to see these parts as the weather is nicer (way to hot and humid heading into summer).

In case you were wondering Im not from Tasmania either. Im from Perth in Western Australia I just love the wildness of Tasmanian scenery and all the history.

Hope this helps some if you have any other questions please send me a private message anytime and I will try help you out. My husband is originally from Cairns (Queensland) Great Barrier Reef country and we have lived in many states with his job so we have a bit of knowledge about most areas.

[Trekhawk]

Victoria Mather, Tatler magazine - LAND OF CREAM AND HONEY

"There is a God. He created Tasmania. It is a land of cream and honey - thick King Island dairy cream and honey from the leatherwood trees. The crayfish are as big as cats, the mountain streams so pure that the women come to collect the water like modern-day Rebeccas at the well. To those of us living on the frowzy, lousy side of the world, a wonky sign on Mount Wellington saying ’Water may be tainted by wildlife’ is endearing rather than threatening. Who gives a stuff about wombat wee? Wildlife in Tasmania is unlikely to stab you for your mobile telephone; there’s bracken so benign you can eat it; and a walk through the Walls of Jerusalem National Park leads to a place called Paradise.
April 2002

J Humphrys UK Radio Presenter
"If there is a more wonderful and magical place on earth, I have yet to see it.....I breathed the cleanest air and swam in the purest waters with Dolphins playing alongside. If paradise exists on earth it is in the wilderness that is the southwest corner of Tasmania."

Ok how can you resist that.

A couple of sites to check to see if you like the look of Tassie
www.tased.edu.au/tot/

www.atn.com.au/tassi.htm

www.tasmania.visitorsbureau.com.au

[crazycanuck]

I thoroughly enjoyed melboure...i went when i lived in Auckland and i was overjoyed by the shopping...so much more variety.

Right..might i suggest getting away from the big smokes...If you're only on a short trip why not see something different..For example, instead of sydney and spending all your $$$..why not byron bay..a few hours north.

I'm here in perth and would suggest staying south...QLD, NT and the north of Western Australia are wayyyy too hot at this time of year already....In broome last week temps were up to 36c and summer hasn't started yet...

In regards to Tassie..if you can't get to nz..Tassie will do i've heard.

Cheryl

[Trekhawk]

In regards to Tassie..if you can't get to nz..Tassie will do i've heard.
Cheryl

Aaahh good to see that rivalry across the Tasman still exists.

NZ is definitely beautiful - the mountains on the South Island are breathtaking. Tasmania though similar in some ways (its green in parts) is still very uniquely Australian. Oh and I forgot not nearly as many sheep.

[bikerchick68]

WOOT! This is SO what I need... keep the ideas coming gang...

I will definitely check out Tasmania then... I absolutely want to see more than big city... heck I have that here where I LIVE!

We will most likely rent a car... which side do you drive on by the way??? I did Europe last year and everyone drove on the left side except Paris which was on the right side... I cycled Ireland... it's hard remembering to look the opposite way from what you're used to so you don't get hit by oncoming traffic! Of course, we mostly saw sheep and they hog the whole road so...