A 4 week holiday -- suggestions?

My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. First time there. We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking, water sports, great food and wine. That doesn't really
narrow the possibilities down too much -- so I'm looking for suggestions:
what just should not be missed?

Would appreciate any responses!

Thanks in advance, Dave

"Dave" wrote in message
...
My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. First time there. We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking, water sports, great food and wine. That doesn't
really
narrow the possibilities down too much -- so I'm looking for suggestions:
what just should not be missed?

Would appreciate any responses!

Thanks in advance, Dave


For scenery, light (or heavy) backpacking - South Island of N.Z.

I didn't see much more of Australia myself than Victoria, but I can tell
you, that it's worth going there. Interesting spots are not too far away
from the next, lots of winerys, extreme many national parks with nearby
camping areas etc...
Kind regards,
Florian

Dave schrieb:
My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. First time there. We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking, water sports, great food and wine. That doesn't really
narrow the possibilities down too much -- so I'm looking for suggestions:
what just should not be missed?

Would appreciate any responses!

Thanks in advance, Dave

The Great Barrier Reef, the only living thing that can be seen from space
with the unaided eye.

Though, it might be a bit hot in the North in our summer (Jan/Feb).

Hell! It's hot pretty much everywhere in summer unless you migrate to an
enclosed shopping centre.

Tasmania's highlands should be cooler. Some great treks there. Cradle
Mountain etc.

Ross

"Dave" wrote in message
...
My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. First time there. We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking, water sports, great food and wine. That doesn't
really
narrow the possibilities down too much -- so I'm looking for suggestions:
what just should not be missed?

Would appreciate any responses!

Thanks in advance, Dave

Hello Dave

I used to live in Albury. On the border between NSW and Victoria.

You can accomplish all that in and near there.

- Water sking, fishing etc on the Hume Weir,
- Some very good wineries in Rutherglen
- Many fine dining choices
- Hiking/Camping near Mitta Mitta. Check out these pictures. This is the
type of place you can sleep in if no one else beat you the
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...hut-inside.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...t-flat-hut.jpg


Regards: Jim Sibbick




"Dave" wrote in message
...
My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. First time there. We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking, water sports, great food and wine. That doesn't
really
narrow the possibilities down too much -- so I'm looking for suggestions:
what just should not be missed?

Would appreciate any responses!

Thanks in advance, Dave

Dar Dave

My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. .... We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking

For some great hiking get on down and try the Tuatapere Hump Ridge
Track at the bottom of New Zealand

http://www.humpridgetrack.co.nz

or try our Stewart Island Track

http://www.nzwalk.com


Regards

Evan

"Dave" wrote in message
...
My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. First time there. We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking, water sports, great food and wine. That doesn't
really
narrow the possibilities down too much -- so I'm looking for suggestions:
what just should not be missed?

Would appreciate any responses!

Thanks in advance, Dave

Hi Dave (I've just subscribed to this group - so just saw your message)

It's going to be very hot in most places in Jan/Feb (especially February).
If heat worries you, then your best bet would be to spend time in Tasmania
and southern Victoria. A nicer time of the year to come would be
March/April

You will find great food and wine anywhere in Australia - it won't matter
where you go.

Some of our major wine regions include the Barossa Valley (in South
Australia), the Hunter River region in New South Wales. South Australia has
a number of wine growing areas - Barossa Valley and Clare Valley and
Riverland Area (which are relatively close to each other), as well as a
couple of other regions to the South of the state.

It all depends too how much money you want to spend. Australia is a BIG
country, so if you are restricted there, you will be somewhat limited in
where you go. It would be unrealistic, for example, on a limited budget, to
travel to all the states.

If you can cope with the very high humidity and daily thunderstorms (eg
tropical weather), Darwin in the Northern Territory would be somewhere
completely different to go (though you CAN NOT go swimming in the sea at
this time of the year). People are very friendly.
There are some beautiful places to visit - Mataranka, Howard Springs.

Cairns at the top of Queensland is also very pretty, but will be very humid
and rainy during Jan/Feb. There's heaps to do around Cairns, and there are
quite a few islands off the coast to explore. Not sure about swimming in
the sea at Cairns during these months - don't know if they have jellyfish
problems. I do know that a bit higher up, some beaches do have the "no
swimming" sign up, due to crocodiles.

The Gold Coast (southern Queensland) is very touristy and is where the theme
parks are located. There is also heaps of things to see around
Brisbane/Gold Coast, both inland towards the mountains and at the
beaches/islands.

Sydney is quite expensive, but you could stay in the Blue Mountains and
travel by train to the city Centre. If you stayed at Katoomba in the Blue
Mountains, you also wouldn't be too far from the Jenolan Caves (about an
hours drive in the car, if I remember correctly)

If you like hiking, Victoria has the Grampians (great hiking tracks). If
you stayed at the Caravan Park in the centre of Halls Gap, you can start all
your walks from there. But you need to get there somehow - probably by car.

South Australia also has the Flinders Ranges (but it might be too hot for
you there at that time of the year). There are excellent walks there.
Alternatively, in South Australia, you could hike up Mt Remarkable and stay
around Melrose. Orrorroo in South Australia has a great pub - one of the
best I have been to in the whole of Australia, and there are also
interesting hiking tracks around the area. You would need a car.

Port Victoria in South Australia has one on the most beautiful beaches I
have seen in Australia - it is about 5kms out of town, very private - not
many people know about it, very big (about 5kms long, with sandhills on one
side, and crystal clear water, safe for swimming in). We actually like to
go there for our annual swimming holiday (if the weather is hot enough - I
need a stretch of days above 40C) - and normally we'll have the entire 5km
stretch of beach to ourselves. We go after school holidays have finished
though.

For something completely different (but it'll be VERY hot, and I do mean
hot), you could drive to Coober Pedy in the north of the state and stay in
underground accommodation. They mine opal at Coober Pedy.

I don't know which country you come from, but in each state you will find
some beautiful beaches - they're not all found in the northern states!!!

Realistically, if you're not used to the heat, backpacking might be
something you might want to think twice about. You would need to carry a
lot of water with you. I wouldn't go backpacking in the middle of summer.

You could hire a car/4WD and drive from Adelaide to Cairns (via Broken
Hill) - its a great drive and you'd see heaps on the way.

If you're not experienced in four wheel driving, I would recommend you stick
to the sealed roads. If you do want to go off the sealed roads into the
remote areas, you need to ensure you carry enough fuel and water with you,
make sure you have a satellite phone, and you need to know how to change a
tyre and do other basic mechanical things, as well as what to do if the car
gets stuck in sand. Many tourists experience trouble in the outback because
they are not prepared.

Anyway good luck with you planning. Let us know what you decide to do.

On Wed, 23 May 2007 00:14:24 +0930, "Shelby"
wrote:


"Dave" wrote in message
.. .
My family will be spending 4 - 5 weeks in Australia / New Zealand in Jan /
Feb 2008. First time there. We especially enjoy scenic beauty, hiking &
light backpacking, water sports, great food and wine. That doesn't
really
narrow the possibilities down too much -- so I'm looking for suggestions:
what just should not be missed?

Would appreciate any responses!

Thanks in advance, Dave

Hi Dave (I've just subscribed to this group - so just saw your message)

It's going to be very hot in most places in Jan/Feb (especially February).
If heat worries you, then your best bet would be to spend time in Tasmania
and southern Victoria. A nicer time of the year to come would be
March/April

You will find great food and wine anywhere in Australia - it won't matter
where you go.

Some of our major wine regions include the Barossa Valley (in South
Australia), the Hunter River region in New South Wales. South Australia has
a number of wine growing areas - Barossa Valley and Clare Valley and
Riverland Area (which are relatively close to each other), as well as a
couple of other regions to the South of the state.

It all depends too how much money you want to spend. Australia is a BIG
country, so if you are restricted there, you will be somewhat limited in
where you go. It would be unrealistic, for example, on a limited budget, to
travel to all the states.

If you can cope with the very high humidity and daily thunderstorms (eg
tropical weather), Darwin in the Northern Territory would be somewhere
completely different to go (though you CAN NOT go swimming in the sea at
this time of the year). People are very friendly.
There are some beautiful places to visit - Mataranka, Howard Springs.

Cairns at the top of Queensland is also very pretty, but will be very humid
and rainy during Jan/Feb. There's heaps to do around Cairns, and there are
quite a few islands off the coast to explore. Not sure about swimming in
the sea at Cairns during these months - don't know if they have jellyfish
problems. I do know that a bit higher up, some beaches do have the "no
swimming" sign up, due to crocodiles.

The Gold Coast (southern Queensland) is very touristy and is where the theme
parks are located. There is also heaps of things to see around
Brisbane/Gold Coast, both inland towards the mountains and at the
beaches/islands.

Sydney is quite expensive, but you could stay in the Blue Mountains and
travel by train to the city Centre. If you stayed at Katoomba in the Blue
Mountains, you also wouldn't be too far from the Jenolan Caves (about an
hours drive in the car, if I remember correctly)

If you like hiking, Victoria has the Grampians (great hiking tracks). If
you stayed at the Caravan Park in the centre of Halls Gap, you can start all
your walks from there. But you need to get there somehow - probably by car.

South Australia also has the Flinders Ranges (but it might be too hot for
you there at that time of the year). There are excellent walks there.
Alternatively, in South Australia, you could hike up Mt Remarkable and stay
around Melrose. Orrorroo in South Australia has a great pub - one of the
best I have been to in the whole of Australia, and there are also
interesting hiking tracks around the area. You would need a car.

Port Victoria in South Australia has one on the most beautiful beaches I
have seen in Australia - it is about 5kms out of town, very private - not
many people know about it, very big (about 5kms long, with sandhills on one
side, and crystal clear water, safe for swimming in). We actually like to
go there for our annual swimming holiday (if the weather is hot enough - I
need a stretch of days above 40C) - and normally we'll have the entire 5km
stretch of beach to ourselves. We go after school holidays have finished
though.

For something completely different (but it'll be VERY hot, and I do mean
hot), you could drive to Coober Pedy in the north of the state and stay in
underground accommodation. They mine opal at Coober Pedy.

I don't know which country you come from, but in each state you will find
some beautiful beaches - they're not all found in the northern states!!!

Realistically, if you're not used to the heat, backpacking might be
something you might want to think twice about. You would need to carry a
lot of water with you. I wouldn't go backpacking in the middle of summer.

You could hire a car/4WD and drive from Adelaide to Cairns (via Broken
Hill) - its a great drive and you'd see heaps on the way.

If you're not experienced in four wheel driving, I would recommend you stick
to the sealed roads. If you do want to go off the sealed roads into the
remote areas, you need to ensure you carry enough fuel and water with you,
make sure you have a satellite phone, and you need to know how to change a
tyre and do other basic mechanical things, as well as what to do if the car
gets stuck in sand. Many tourists experience trouble in the outback because
they are not prepared.

Anyway good luck with you planning. Let us know what you decide to do.



And, after you've seen all the usual little things in Australia, (ie.
East coast), you could always come on over to the western third of the
country which has just about all of the above in the one state.

wrote:
On Wed, 23 May 2007 00:14:24 +0930, "Shelby"
wrote:

[much deleted]

And, after you've seen all the usual little things in Australia, (ie.
East coast), you could always come on over to the western third of the
country which has just about all of the above in the one state.

Damn! I've been to NT, SA, QLD, NSW (, ACT) and VIC and *now* you're
telling me that all of that is "East coast"!? :-) c.q. :-(

Translation: Shelby, the person you are responding to, mentioned all
those states (except the ACT). The only one(s) (s)he didn't mention
is (are) indeed WA (and Tasmania). Perhaps for the simple reason (s)he
hasn'tbeen there?

And yes, WA is great and I loved our before-last trip which was only
in WA, but don't *over* sell it. It's great enough in and of it's own.
No need for misqualifications like "the usual little things" and "has
just about all of the above in the one state".

Just my EUR 0.02.

P.S. Don't even *try* to prove me wrong. If you do, I'll just say "Wave
Rock". *That* will teach you! :-)