If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Australia Itinerary
Thanks for all the help guys!!! I have booked my air tickets. Got an
excellent deal on air NewZealand from Honolulu to Sydney with a stopover in Aukland for $770. Now looking forward to it all :-) i was thinking of booking accomodation only for the first 3-4 days and then book it as i go along. Is that a good idea? I will be looking for clean, 2-2.5 stars motels/hotels in a safe area, something around $50 per night. Is it easy to get such accomodation at a short notice (in the cities mainly)? Is my estimate for the daily fare realistic? A Mate wrote: Saby, I'm Australian - so can't help with US Travel Agents. However - if you fly on Air NZ to Sydney you would fly through Auckland - so no problem with stopovers in NZ. Otherwise - there are many cheap fares for Austr to NZ - using Freedom Air (Air NZs cheapie subsidiary), Qantas, Virgin Blue, Emirates etc. Auckland is the major international port of entry to NZ - normally only flights from Australia use any of their other international airports (Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, Dunedin, Palmerston North, Queenstown in the ski season). Of course there are walking trails in all National Parks - the cable-way however is the only way of viewing the tropical rain-forest canopy up close. You can drive through the Daintree, and there are car parks near points of interest, with trails (and/or boardwalks) originating nearby. Cheers "saby" wrote in message ps.com... Thanks Mate. Ideally I would like to walk/drive through the rainforest rather than through a skyrail. Is that possible - are there drivable roads? I did see some hiking trails on the website you pointed me to - those seem like a good idea. I am trying to get tickets but its hard :-( Qantas has a really good special for Australia (australia pass) but since the latter half of my itinerary will be in New Zealand I need to find tickets that will give me two stopovers in NZ. Any ideas? If you are from US do you know of good travel agents speciallizing in tickets to Australia? A Mate wrote: Your itinerary is really well researched. Well Done! My opinion: You could cut a day off Melbourne - in fact probably 3 full days is sufficient for what you plan to do there. There is more to Brisbane than the beaches. Brisbane now has the largest (and possibly best) Art Gallery complex in Australia. Until March, 2007, you'll be able to see the 5th Triennial of Asia-Pacific Contemporary Art - in the largest (and newest) Australian Art Gallery. Then there's 'Australia Zoo' (of Steve Irwin renown); and the magnificent Natiional Parks behind the Gold Coast. You can do it all in 3 full days. There are no box jelly fish on Gold Coast beaches. They're a tropical phenomena. And really they present no problems further north either. The local Surf lifesavers keep everyone well informed as to the danger levels - and the most popular beaches are 'stinger netted'. They use nets designed by James Cook University School of Marine Science. I love Cairns. The Great Barrier Reef is at hand - Green Island; or cruises off Port Douglas. The Atherton Tableland. The Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park - http://www.tjapukai.com.au/. The Skyrail rainforest cableway - http://www.skyrail.com.au/. The Kuranda Scenic Railway - http://www.kuranda.org/?p=73. Up the train - back the cableway; or vice versa. Then there's the exquisite Daintree World heritage Area (just 90 minutes drive from Cairns - or an hour from Port Douglas) - http://www.daintreerainforest.com/. Mate! I envy you. It's God's Own Country!! Enjoy! "saby" wrote in message ups.com... Hi folks - my wife and I am planning a 17-18 day trip to Australia in mid Feb. I want to see the important bits - Sydney, Melbourne, GBR etc. I would like to do visit the Daintree if time permits. I've no natural incliantion to go to Alice Springs or Uluru. We don't like orgainsed groups. In fact we have to avoid them. We are not the adventorous kind (no outback for us) but do like it close to nature and would love to see some of the varied animal life that Australia has to offer. The following is a rough itinerary at this point in time - can you guys comment on it/give some suggestions specially for the second half of the trip (after Melbourne)? LA-Syd - spend about 5 days in Sydney. Sydney Harbour, Opera house, the Rocks, Taronga zoo, drive to blue montains, Bondi/Manly beach (one of the two). Fly from Syd-Melbourne Spend 5 days here. the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles , Phillip Island (penguin parade) Fly from Mel to Brisbane - rent a car. spend 3 days visting nearby beaches (gold coast?). Would it be a good time to hit the beaches (around end of Feb) in terms of the weather? Would the water be safe (no box jelly fish?) Is there enough to do for 3 days? Fly Brisbane-Cairns - GBR, what else does one do here? We don't know much swimming (I know, I know :-(.We would like to snorkel but are not into scuba diving. How much time would I need here? Someone on this newsgroup suggested that I go to Port Douglas for the GBR? Is that a better choice? Drive from Cairns to Daintree and Cape Tribulation and back. How much time would I need to cover this? Is this worth the time it will take us? Thanks a lot for your help. I think I might be finally getting close to booking tickets for my trip :-) |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
Australia Itinerary
Have a look at www.wotif.com.au for cost of accommodation. This will give
you a rough idea. I doubt you will get accommodation in hotels/motels for $50.00. More like $65/$70. They may not be in really safe areas either. Hostels may be cheaper. http://www.bcl.com.au/melbourne/melb...ackpackers.htm Julie "saby" wrote in message oups.com... Thanks for all the help guys!!! I have booked my air tickets. Got an excellent deal on air NewZealand from Honolulu to Sydney with a stopover in Aukland for $770. Now looking forward to it all :-) i was thinking of booking accomodation only for the first 3-4 days and then book it as i go along. Is that a good idea? I will be looking for clean, 2-2.5 stars motels/hotels in a safe area, something around $50 per night. Is it easy to get such accomodation at a short notice (in the cities mainly)? Is my estimate for the daily fare realistic? A Mate wrote: Saby, I'm Australian - so can't help with US Travel Agents. However - if you fly on Air NZ to Sydney you would fly through Auckland - so no problem with stopovers in NZ. Otherwise - there are many cheap fares for Austr to NZ - using Freedom Air (Air NZs cheapie subsidiary), Qantas, Virgin Blue, Emirates etc. Auckland is the major international port of entry to NZ - normally only flights from Australia use any of their other international airports (Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, Dunedin, Palmerston North, Queenstown in the ski season). Of course there are walking trails in all National Parks - the cable-way however is the only way of viewing the tropical rain-forest canopy up close. You can drive through the Daintree, and there are car parks near points of interest, with trails (and/or boardwalks) originating nearby. Cheers "saby" wrote in message ps.com... Thanks Mate. Ideally I would like to walk/drive through the rainforest rather than through a skyrail. Is that possible - are there drivable roads? I did see some hiking trails on the website you pointed me to - those seem like a good idea. I am trying to get tickets but its hard :-( Qantas has a really good special for Australia (australia pass) but since the latter half of my itinerary will be in New Zealand I need to find tickets that will give me two stopovers in NZ. Any ideas? If you are from US do you know of good travel agents speciallizing in tickets to Australia? A Mate wrote: Your itinerary is really well researched. Well Done! My opinion: You could cut a day off Melbourne - in fact probably 3 full days is sufficient for what you plan to do there. There is more to Brisbane than the beaches. Brisbane now has the largest (and possibly best) Art Gallery complex in Australia. Until March, 2007, you'll be able to see the 5th Triennial of Asia-Pacific Contemporary Art - in the largest (and newest) Australian Art Gallery. Then there's 'Australia Zoo' (of Steve Irwin renown); and the magnificent Natiional Parks behind the Gold Coast. You can do it all in 3 full days. There are no box jelly fish on Gold Coast beaches. They're a tropical phenomena. And really they present no problems further north either. The local Surf lifesavers keep everyone well informed as to the danger levels - and the most popular beaches are 'stinger netted'. They use nets designed by James Cook University School of Marine Science. I love Cairns. The Great Barrier Reef is at hand - Green Island; or cruises off Port Douglas. The Atherton Tableland. The Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park - http://www.tjapukai.com.au/. The Skyrail rainforest cableway - http://www.skyrail.com.au/. The Kuranda Scenic Railway - http://www.kuranda.org/?p=73. Up the train - back the cableway; or vice versa. Then there's the exquisite Daintree World heritage Area (just 90 minutes drive from Cairns - or an hour from Port Douglas) - http://www.daintreerainforest.com/. Mate! I envy you. It's God's Own Country!! Enjoy! "saby" wrote in message ups.com... Hi folks - my wife and I am planning a 17-18 day trip to Australia in mid Feb. I want to see the important bits - Sydney, Melbourne, GBR etc. I would like to do visit the Daintree if time permits. I've no natural incliantion to go to Alice Springs or Uluru. We don't like orgainsed groups. In fact we have to avoid them. We are not the adventorous kind (no outback for us) but do like it close to nature and would love to see some of the varied animal life that Australia has to offer. The following is a rough itinerary at this point in time - can you guys comment on it/give some suggestions specially for the second half of the trip (after Melbourne)? LA-Syd - spend about 5 days in Sydney. Sydney Harbour, Opera house, the Rocks, Taronga zoo, drive to blue montains, Bondi/Manly beach (one of the two). Fly from Syd-Melbourne Spend 5 days here. the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles , Phillip Island (penguin parade) Fly from Mel to Brisbane - rent a car. spend 3 days visting nearby beaches (gold coast?). Would it be a good time to hit the beaches (around end of Feb) in terms of the weather? Would the water be safe (no box jelly fish?) Is there enough to do for 3 days? Fly Brisbane-Cairns - GBR, what else does one do here? We don't know much swimming (I know, I know :-(.We would like to snorkel but are not into scuba diving. How much time would I need here? Someone on this newsgroup suggested that I go to Port Douglas for the GBR? Is that a better choice? Drive from Cairns to Daintree and Cape Tribulation and back. How much time would I need to cover this? Is this worth the time it will take us? Thanks a lot for your help. I think I might be finally getting close to booking tickets for my trip :-) |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
free travel in Australia, looking for companions to drive around australia | graham myerson | Australia & New Zealand | 1 | March 23rd, 2006 09:25 AM |
Itinerary for a month in Australia | Anonymous | Australia & New Zealand | 2 | August 2nd, 2004 01:54 PM |
Itinerary for a month in Australia | Steve Gerdemann | Australia & New Zealand | 3 | May 12th, 2004 10:11 AM |
Will Prince Harry Help Australia Cruelly Torture Sheep On Their Aussie Death Ships? Cruel Australia! | Rainer Wolfcastle | Australia & New Zealand | 3 | September 29th, 2003 02:36 AM |
Will Prince Harry Help Australia Cruelly Torture Sheep On Their Aussie Death Ships? Cruel Australia! | Rainer Wolfcastle | Europe | 3 | September 29th, 2003 02:36 AM |