trip to Australia confirmed! WOOT!

[bikerchick68]

Hiya and thanks again for all your input! After MUCH consideration, reading, pricing and research we are now confirmed for our trip... first couple weeks of Sept... we'll spend 6 days in Sydney and do The Bridge Climb, catch a show at the Opera House, do a walkabout of the Blue Mountains (www.bluemountainswalkabout.com) and hopefully make it to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Also on the agenda is one weekend day at the Rocks. Then we're off to Cairns (pronounced "cans" right???) to snorkel the Reef... also will do a full day whitewater raft trip of the Tully River. Then tentatively on to Port Douglas and the rainforest for 2 days...

a very full trip (but heck, we always pack in more than we should and get home completely exhausted! )

so whatcha think? Sound like a plan? We are excited and looking forward to it!

[Trekhawk]

Sounds fabulous. If you need any info about Cairns let me know (you can PM me if you like) because thats where my husband is from and his parents live there still.

[bikerchick68]

thanks trekhawk! as this gets closer I may be back with some ???'s for you!

[crazycanuck]

Bikerchick, your plan sounds just hunky dory to me.

I'm not one for the east coast of Australia. Western Australia has so much for us to see & do-Those East Coast ozzies don't know what they're missing.

Do take tons of photos & don't take our wildlife for granted.....Stupid &&&&& jellyfish.....

c

[bikerchick68]

hi you two... OK... I have my itinerary now and am beginning to think ahead... LOL

When in Cairns, where is the best place to snorkel? Or is it ALL the best place??? I have my own gear except flippers/fins... my friend will need to rent... and she has not done this before...a bit apprehensive (so I won't be metioning jelly fish to her unless/until we cross that lil bridge! LOL)

also I am assuming there will be places to either rent a good underwater camera or a place to buy the disposable cheapies?

Hoping to snorkel 2 days, will be doing the Tully River Whitewater Raft 1 day trip and also the Kuranda Trip thru the rainforest as well...

in Sydney we're doing the walkabout and I'm doing the Bridge Climb (my friend doesn't do heights too well, so she'll hang out and have a beer! LOL) anything else we HAVE to do while there??? I know I want to go to The Rocks one day...

restaurant/club/shopping recommends??? thanks!!!

[Trekhawk]

hi you two... OK... I have my itinerary now and am beginning to think ahead... LOL
When in Cairns, where is the best place to snorkel? Or is it ALL the best place??? I have my own gear except flippers/fins... my friend will need to rent... and she has not done this before...a bit apprehensive (so I won't be metioning jelly fish to her unless/until we cross that lil bridge! LOL)
also I am assuming there will be places to either rent a good underwater camera or a place to buy the disposable cheapies?
Hoping to snorkel 2 days, will be doing the Tully River Whitewater Raft 1 day trip and also the Kuranda Trip thru the rainforest as well...
in Sydney we're doing the walkabout and I'm doing the Bridge Climb (my friend doesn't do heights too well, so she'll hang out and have a beer! LOL) anything else we HAVE to do while there??? I know I want to go to The Rocks one day...
restaurant/club/shopping recommends??? thanks!!!

Hey Bikerchick68 - my husband is at work at the moment but I will quiz him about the Cairns stuff when he gets home. You will have a great time North Queensland is beautiful. Im sure your friend will enjoy the beer while you climb the bridge just tell her no Fosters please it isnt really what Aussies drink contrary to overseas opinion.

[bikerchick68]

thanks Trekhawk...and LOL at the beer... I'm not a big Fosters fan so that's good to know! I actually prefer DARK beer... nut brown, porter, stout... so if you have local beer to recommend too...

When I cycled Ireland in 2004 I discovered Smithwick's (they pronounced it Smitticks) for the first time... GOOD STUFF! Now whenever I go into an Irish Pub I order it... takes me right back to cycling along with the sheep and the rain!

[libby_444]

You maybe interested in a cycling event that will be held in Queesland at the time your up there. It runs from Port Douglas to Mission Beach and goes for 9 days. The website is www.cyclequeensland.com i'm going on it and went on it last year as well it was fantastic.

Good Luck

[Trekhawk]

hi you two... OK... I have my itinerary now and am beginning to think ahead... LOL

When in Cairns, where is the best place to snorkel? Or is it ALL the best place??? I have my own gear except flippers/fins... my friend will need to rent... and she has not done this before...a bit apprehensive (so I won't be metioning jelly fish to her unless/until we cross that lil bridge! LOL)

also I am assuming there will be places to either rent a good underwater camera or a place to buy the disposable cheapies?

Hoping to snorkel 2 days, will be doing the Tully River Whitewater Raft 1 day trip and also the Kuranda Trip thru the rainforest as well...
!

Bikerchick68 here are a few tips from my own little Queenslander.
If you want to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef you will need to go out to it by boat. My husband recommends doing this out of Port Douglas as the reef is closer to the coast and there will be less people. You should be able to get a package which includes a return Coach trip from Cairns to Port Douglas and boat fee (these are high speed Catameran). Regarding stingers/jellyfish they are only there for the wet season so you should not encounter any of these when you go.

You will have no problems hiring gear and purchasing disposable cameras in Cairns. Thousands upon Thousands of people from all over the world go there each month to do just what you will be doing so they have things pretty well covered.

If you get a chance the following places would be worth a visit:
Josephine Falls
Mosman Gorge

You will need to eat the following seafoods:
Coral Trout
Barramundi
Queensland Mud Crab
Moreton Bay Bugs (similar to Lobster)
These are all really yummy and of course expensive but hey with the US dollar you will be fine.

If you have any other questions just let me know and I will ask my inhouse tour guide.

Leslie

[bikerchick68]

Leslie thank you! OK... I am so glad I asked... I wondered if we had to boat out to the reef... and I really appreciate the added things to see... I know touring can be smart so you don't miss stuff but I despise being locked into someone else's schedule so I usually wing it whereever I go!

and thanks for the info on eats! I'm gonna print all this out and have it with me... as well as adding Tim Tams and the Chocolate Mint ones too!

Libby... OOOOH! thanks for that... my friend is not into cycling so I'll have to see if I can talk her into it...

I already talked her into White Water Rafting... now I gotta convince her about the boat trip out to the reef as well... sigh... we've been best friends since 8th grade when we were 14 yrs old... which is amusing 'cause I'm willing to try almost anything and she's scared of most everything! LOL... being friends is probably a really good balance for both of us!!!

[Trekhawk]

I already talked her into White Water Rafting... now I gotta convince her about the boat trip out to the reef as well... sigh... we've been best friends since 8th grade when we were 14 yrs old... which is amusing 'cause I'm willing to try almost anything and she's scared of most everything! LOL... being friends is probably a really good balance for both of us!!!

bikerchick68 - no worries mate if you need any more info just let me know. On the boat front - I hate boats so when my husband took me to Cairns for the first time we went out to one of the little islands around there (sorry cant remember the name but Im sure my husband can). We could then see a little of the reef snorkelling from the island ( note this option is a poor second Im told to actually boating out to the reef) . This might be an option to remember if you cannot talk your friend into the boat trip its still a boat trip to get to the island but a shorter one and you can relax on the beach when you finish snorkelling instead of on a boat. For people who dislike boats this is a bonus.

You will have a fantastic time. Im getting excited for you.

[RoadRaven]

Sounds awesome - I have only been to NSW, and thats when I was about 12!!!

Over here we say Cairns as in a cairn of stones ... care-ins... dunno what Ozzies say

Once you've "done" Oz, which will prolly take a few more visits, you'll have to cross the ditch and "do" Godzone!

Enjoy being Down Under

[bikerchick68]

I'll keep the shorter boat ride in mind... she doesn't want to hold me back from doing stuff, but I hate jut going off and leaving her alone... we actually travel REALLY well together... I'm just a bigger risk taker! She doesn't bicycle but IS athletic... and has walked three 1/2 marathons as well as the 3day, 60 mile breast cancer walk... so between us we're pretty active...

RoadRaven... Oh yeah... yo're on my list too! I don't have kids and am single again so travel whenever I can... still want to do Italy, Spain and Greece someday... oh heck... and a BUNCH of other places too!

if any of ya ever make it to sunny San Diego, lemme know! I have a 3 bedroom house so I have 2 spare guest rooms... as longas you're pet hair tolerant! LOL... thanks again for all the great input... it really is helpful

[allabouteva]

Hi Bikerchik68

I LIVE in Sydney!!! Maybe we can meet!

You can tell that I'm new to this forum,cuz I didn't scroll down this far, until today, duh!

OK Sydney - The most beautiful city in the world. I did the bridgeclimb last May, and it was a fantastic experience. Your friend shouldn't be too worried. It's not scarey at all. You don't really get a sense of being suspended. The bridge is very substantial, and you are always hooked to a line that is connected to your group, and onto the bridge. The whole climb takes about 3-4 hours, and you get a big briefing session, and it's incredibly organised.

We're rightly proud of the Opera House, and catching a show or a concert really would make a highlight for your trip.. There's also a restaurant in the Opera House, but pricey....

Featherdale is good, but Taronga Zoo is more spectacular. Featherdale is in the middle of the 'burbs, but the good thing about it is that it concentrates more on Aussie animals, whereas Taronga is more like a typical zoo, eg lions, tigers, giraffes, (koalas and kangaroos too) etc. But it is right on the harbour, on the North shore and it's a beautiful location. The ferry ride to Taronga is a good way of seeing the harbour.

Eat streets in Sydney include Darling harbour on the Cockle Bay side, Chinatown, Leichhardt (for Italian food), Bondi Beach, the Rocks, around Taylor Square, etc. Food is fabulous in Sydney, and hugely multi-cultural.

Shopping - with the fantastic exchange rate, pack light! City, Bondi Junction, Oxford Street Darlinghurst/Paddington, lots of shopping.

I live at the bottom of the Blue Mountains in Penrith. So if you want to do the 'Mountains' (really some very beautiful hills), let me know and I can take you around. There's a famous Oaks trail between Woodford and Glenbrook if you like MTBing. My DH works in Glenbrook, so we know the area quite well.

I went to Cairns in January last year. Cairns is very busy, a little touristy and a wee bit tacky. Port Douglas is a bit more upscale but not too over the top. I stayed at Palm Cove which is more family oriented and in between Cairns and Port Douglas, a bit quieter. Cairns has lots of restaurants and things to do. I do recommend the Kuranda trip, you can do the railway on the way up or down and then reverse and do the sky rail which is a very spectacular trip. I didn't do any scuba diving, but of course you'll enjoy the reef. I believe going to Green Island is very popular, we went to an outer reef and onto a pontoon which I must say was not really my thing.

Mossman Gorge is pretty, but we'd just done the Katherine Gorge (or Nitmuluk) in Northern Territory, which didn't help the comparison. But it is lovely. NT is another trip which I HIGHLY recommend!

You've picked very wisely September is one of the nicest months for weather. Just off our winter, and just into spring...

OH You'll LOVE this trip!!! And you'll have the best time!!

eva

[Trekhawk]

I live at the bottom of the Blue Mountains in Penrith. So if you want to do the 'Mountains' (really some very beautiful hills), let me know and I can take you around. There's a famous Oaks trail between Woodford and Glenbrook if you like MTBing. My DH works in Glenbrook, so we know the area quite well.

Hey allabouteva is your husband in the military?
Sorry to be nosy just wondered because I know a few people who live in Penrith and they work out at the RAAF base at Glenbrook.