Travelling to Australia

[boards]

If you could go anytime you wanted to, what month of the year would you go? We are considering Oct, 2006 because of an anniversary, is that a good time to go. We probably will have Sydney as our base and do our excursions from there. Or would Melbourne be better? We are looking for warm weather not necessarily hot, but warm would be nice. Strenuous trips, like climbing hills, bridges and such are not in our plans. Sightseeing is the game, and that is why I am really considering the cruise whether than a land trip.

Anyone have some helpful experience that we can use.

[cands]

Hi,

 

October is a great time to visit Sydney. The weather will be mild with most days in the 20s. Good for walking and sightseaing. You could even swim in the ocean!

 

Moving north from Sydney the weather becomes warmer, so once north of Brisbane it could be quite hot in October.

 

Melbourne's weather is incredibly variable in October. Rain, sun, cloud, hot, cold and sometimes the lot in one day! Still worth a visit, though.

 

Check out the Australian government Bureau of Meteorology site www.bom.gov.au

 

Happy travelling.

 

Steve.

[Danii]

If you want good weather, dont go to Melbourne!!!

Seriously, Sydney as a base is a good start. The weather, should, should be nice for you as it will be in the middle of spring.

Ill be a little biast and suggest you visit Adelaide, nice weather, beautiful beaches and lots of vineyards!!

[Globaliser]

October is a great time to visit Sydney. The weather will be mild with most days in the 20s. Good for walking and sightseaing. You could even swim in the ocean! ... Melbourne's weather is incredibly variable in October.

Agreed about October in Sydney.

 

But isn't Melbourne's weather pretty unpredictable during the entire period from 1 July to 30 June each year? :p

[Aussie Gal]

Globiliser,

 

You are being funny I hope!!

 

Melbourne's weather is the best from March to the end of May. Autumn in Melbourne is fantastic, warm days, no wind just like an Indian Summer. We have been having wonderful weather and it is going to be like this for weeks.

 

I will admit that Spring can be very iffy. though other than this past year, we have had great weather but we have been in a seven year drought and we Melbournians are quite happy with our four seasons in a day mix as we need the rain and we can wear our variety of clothes.

 

Melbourne is the food, clothing and culture capital of Australia and is a beautiful city not too be missed. When I have taken American friends around and shown them the sights, they are amazed with the architecture, the suburbs, gardens and wide, wide streets with the trams etc and most of them prefer our more laid back city to Sydney. We also have loads of vineyards close to Melbourne, in the Yarra Valley, down on the Peninsula and just north of the city in the Macedon area.

 

I have been to Sydney many times in October (our daughter lived there for many years) and we have experienced cold weather as well as warm weather and of course when it rains in Sydney it comes down in buckets, not like our fine rain.

 

I admit that Adelaide is a lot drier than both Sydney and Melbourne, but it can be unbearable in summer. Too, too hot.

 

Jennie

[turtlemichael]

As you are unlikely to be snowed on (except in the skiing areas and then it probably has come out of a machine!) anywhere in Aus and the weather all over the country is better than in most places in the world, come any time and do the things you want to do! You'll have unforgettable memories whenever you come!

[galelynn]

Jennie and Michael, we loved Australia, would come back in a heartbeat.

[Globaliser]

Globiliser,

 

You are being funny I hope!!

Of course.

 

But then what would you expect from an honorary Sydneysider? ;)

[Aussie Gal]

Globiliser,

 

Fair enough! Though we too are also honorary Sydneysiders as we own a unit up there and love the beauty of the harbour but still can see the advantages of living here in Melbourne, weather and all!

 

Jennie

[September05]

Perth?! Doesn't it even get a look in?! Just kidding - your cruise probably doesn't give you the option of going there, but Perth is like Camelot - cold in Winter, hot in Summer, cool in Autumn (fall) and mild in Spring. Absolutely beautiful. I know its a bit isolated from the rest of the country, but it is very beautiful and has many good points!

 

I'm in Sydney, Australia and work in the CBD. I'm looking out my window and it is pouring with rain right now! Actually, its more horizontal than vertical (the rain, not the window)!!

 

September05

[Aussie Gal]

September05,

 

I agree, Perth is a lovely city but just too far away from the rest of us. We have spent some lovely holidays over there.

 

You must be having rotten weather up in Sydney at the moment. Someone else mentioned storms last night. You need to move to Melbourne where we have glorious sunny weather most times!! Truly, we have been having great weather since the Grand Prix which was early March and it looks like it is going to be like this for the next week or so.

 

Jennie

[Jane110]

Jennie,

 

I agree with you about your wonderful city.

 

I've been to Australia 5 times and would tell anyone visiting, that to skip Melbourne would be a big mistake. You're right, it's the food and cultural capital of Oz.

 

I'm planning another trip to Oz for next year and thought we'd visit Perth on that trip. Also Margaret River. Any comments on how many days to spend in each place? Any hotel suggestions? We prefer upmarket accomodations.

In Melbourne my two favorite places to stay are Tilba House and the Windsor Hotel and my favorite restaurants are Momo's, the restaurant at the Ezard hotel and the famous italian place (oh geez, name just slipped me!).

 

Jane

[Aussie Gal]

Jane,

 

You will love Perth and Margaret River. We were over there about 5 years ago and had a great time. We stayed at the Sheraton at that time in Perth. I am not sure if they have the same sort of boutique hotels that we have over here. Here is a website that may help with Perth. I would allow at least 4-5 days in Perth. The beaches are out of this world and at Cottlesloe North there is a restaurant right on the beach that you can have dinner and watch the sunset.

 

http://www.bcl.com.au/perth/perthhotels_5star.htm

 

With regards to Margaret River, it is quite a big area and there are numerous places to stay. Here are some sites you might find helpful: We spent about 3 days in this area and then went on to Denmark near Albany which was also great but quite a large distance away.

 

http://www.starwon.com.au/~mhbb/accom/transfer/heritage.html

 

http://www.bcl.com.au/perth/marghotels.htm

 

I know that Cape Lodge has the best dining room in the area. I read about that only a few days ago. Let me know more when you decide to come on over.

 

Jennie

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I'm in Sydney, Australia and work in the CBD. I'm looking out my window and it is pouring with rain right now! Actually, its more horizontal than vertical (the rain, not the window)!!

 

September05

 

Thanks for the weather report,what ever you get in Sydney seems to cross the ditch and hit us here in NZ.

 

Just what we want for the Easter break!!!!!!!!

[Jane110]

Jennie,

 

MANY thanks for the great web links!

A friend of mine raves about one place in Margaret River, I think it was the

Cape Lodge. I have to double check with him. Though the Heritage Trail Lodge looks great too.

I'm just at the very beginning of research. Price is an issue and I like 5 star, but it's not always in the budget. So, lots of research is involved.

 

We probably won't be going until Jan or Feb 2006. We have friends in Adelaide and since we've visited them twice already, we don't want to visit Adelaide again. (it's a great place, but with limited time, 2 visits was enough)However, we really want to see our friends, so they've agreed to make a mini-vacation and spend some time with us in Perth and Margaret River. DH and I are not beach people, so we won't be looking to have a beach day. So probably 3 days in Perth and 3 in Margaret River would be just right. We always make a visit up to the Daintree Forest (north of Cairns) so that DH can get in some diving and I can commune with nature in the rainforest. <g>

 

I'll be hoping to get some restaurant tips from you before our trip - though one night definitely has to be Momo's.

 

Jane

[seafish]

Jane110 - Since you've been to Australia 5 times - I'd appreciate some travel timing advise please. We have a February 2006 AKL/SYD post-cruise trip planned that will also include Alice Springs/Ayers Rock & Cairns w/GBR. We have been told to avoid these areas during Feb & reschedule for April/May. A check of AUS annual weather information supports not doing the NT/Queensland itinerary during Feb. You mentioned that you have been to Australia 5 times - so, what's your overall Feberuary weather experience. We really do not want to cancel the Feb 2006 trip - but if the April/May travel timeframe is better - we can do. . Thanks - SeaFish

[Jane110]

Hi SeaFish,

 

I've never been to Ayers Rock/Alice Springs, so can't comment on those area's.

 

3 of our 5 trips have been in Jan/Feb, the height of their summer. Yes, it's hot, but we find it enjoyable being away from the NYC winter. However, it can reach the high 90's or even 100 degree's farenheit.

 

We fly to Cairns and then drive 1.5 - 2 hours north to the Daintree Forest. The nearest "big" town (if you look on a map) is Port Douglas. We never stay in Port Douglas, (the Sheraton Mirage and the Radisson Tree Tops are the two big resorts there and then there are many small hotels/motels too). It's *very* hot there. We stay about a half hour away in one of the many "eco-friendly" rainforest resorts. Since they're in the rainforest, it's not quite as hot as Port Douglas. The resort we like is called Silky Oaks Lodge, but there are many others that people like. There are also some incredible resorts on small islands, like dunk or heron island. Because we're not beach lovers, they hold no appeal to us personally, but I've seen photo's of some of them and they're just gorgeous.

 

Were you perhaps told to avoid Jan/Feb because of jelly fish? Again, since I'm not a beach or water fan, I simply don't know which months to avoid because of them. But I do know that there are certain months where you really can't go swimming because of them. However, my husband does open water dives with no problems and I've taken walks on the beach without any fear of jelly fish.

 

Our last trip was Jan 2004 and Sydney was hot hot hot. I had never experienced such heat before in that city. Prior trips in Jan/Feb I needed a light sweater some of the time (I take a lot of cotton twin sweater sets).

 

You didn't mention Melbourne. I hope you're not going to miss that fantastic city. An don't worry, in Melbourne, you'll experience ALL 4 seasons.....every hour! :)

 

It's really hard to give you advise. If you absolutely HATE the heat, then perhaps skip Cairns in Jan/Feb.

 

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

Jane

[Aussie Gal]

Seafish and Jane,

 

The "stingers" are in the water up north from the end of September to the end of April. We are going up there in 2 weeks time for a fortnight and I thought we might be late enough to avoid them but my daughter who goes to Port Douglas every year told me that if there is an R in the month, then avoid the sea.

 

February would have to be the hottest month in Australia. Unfortunately that is the time the cruise ships come over here, to avoid the winter in the U.S. so you really haven't much of an alternative if you want to see a little of our country pre or post cruise.

 

It is also the cyclone season up north. You may be lucky and avoid one but you will have to expect heavy rain anytime as it is the wet season. If you go to the Centre, it will be hot and dry with lots of flies. Buy a hat with a net over it and that will help a lot. The best time to see Uluru is from April on as the weather is cooler and the nights aren't as too cold. Being desert the nights can get to freezing and below.

 

Don't be put off from visiting the areas you want to see. The Barrier Reef is wonderful and well worth the trip and Uluru and the area surrounding it is so interesting. Jane is correct in that Sydney can be very hot and humid, whereas down here it can be anything from a top temperature of 100F maximum to 65F - all in one day, depending on Mother nature. But then again we could have a great run of weather and everyday could be around 85F. It keeps us on our toes. Enjoy your trip "down under".

 

Jennie

[corniglia]

I have visited Cairns/Port Douglas at different times of year. February is not only very hot but the difficult thing for a lot of people is the humidity - and it is still the wet season and the tail end of the cyclone season (I was just up at Port Douglas 2 weeks ago and a massive cyclone crossed the coast a bit further north). While all this sounds awful you can still have a great holiday - I just wouldn't recommend it for anyone who doesn't cope well with extreme humidity. Also you can't swim in the sea in Feb (stinger season)(you can still go out on reef trips and snorkel or dive though).The Reef is not to be missed. If you wanted to go at an ideal time I would go between April and September, but if you are locked in you will still enjoy yourself.

 

Central Australia will be VERY hot in Feb. Hot days and nights compared to middle of the year when days are warm and nights quite cool. For truly good touring conditions I would not choose to go in Feb personally

Hope this helps (or does it confuse you even more??!!) Sue

[seafish]

Jane110, Aussie Gal & cornigilia - thank you all very much for your helpful replies. This is exactly the info we needed to help make our final travel decision. We have been to Australia before but mostly in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. We loved all of these great cities. We too experienced the high Feb temps in Sydney - but, we totally enjoyed our 6 days despite the heat. We were also told about jellyfish & advised to use a lyrca suit to avoid stings.

 

What we have been wrestling with is the timing for our next CruiseTour trip in February 2006. In addition to a return AJKL/SYD cruise - we wanted a post-cruise trip to see & do all the NT/Queensland touristy things including Ayers Rock/Alice Springs/Darwin & Cairns w/GBR dive with a return visit to the previous NSW/Victoria locations plus Adelaide & Kangaroo Island.

 

Considering the negative NT/Queensland February travel timing issues of heat & humidity, cyclone season(we've done that), flies, no swimming, etc., we believe our best option is to cancel the cruise portion of our February trip and book an Australian Land Tour of about 20 days in April/May 2006. Although this will eliminate the NZ/AUS cruise - this would get us to all the places we want to visit with more time in each location and during better weather, time for water activities, etc. Any thoughts?

 

One more thing - did I understand that regardless of season jellyfish are not a problem out on the GBReef or Cays? Again - thanks. SeaFish

[silkismom]

Aussie residents We plan to be in MEL 21-25 Sept 05, are you familiar with the Comfort Inn Elizabeth Tower or the Hotel Enterprize--they seem to have the best rates. Or do you know of other hotels that are either centrally located or close to public transportation that aren't much over 100 AU. This will be the end of our trip after spending 4 nights in Sydney, 4 nights on a scuba liveaboard (Nimrod Explorer) and 4 nts in Cairns. Also hotel recommendations for that area would be appreciated. Thanks alot

[Aussie Gal]

Seafish,

 

I feel you would enjoy your trip better by doing it in April/May. The weather is usually good up to the end of May down here (Melb) and it is very pleasant in Sydney and further north.

 

With regards to the Stingers in FNQ, you will be fine out at the Reef and the outer islands in the Stinger season, it is just close to the mainland beaches where the stingers seem to be. They net the beaches but we saw a TV show a few weeks ago where there is even a smaller jellfish (irrikky - sp) that is getting through the nets and is quite harmful to humans.

 

I certainly wouldn't risk swimming at the beaches up there without taking great precautions.

 

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

Silkismom,

 

I don't know of the hotels you mention. There is a good hotel right in the heart of Melbourne in Little Collins Street called the Victoria Hotel which is a reasonable price. We always stay at the 5 stars such as the Windsor, Langham, Westin, Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Sofitel and Le Meridien when we go in for a weekend so do not much about the less expensive hotels.

 

Here is the website for the above hotel. I know of people who have stayed there often.

 

http://www.victoriahotel.com.au/

 

Here is another site which lists a lot of our hotels with the various grades.

 

http://melbourne.hotel.com.au/melbourne_hotels.htm

 

Hope this helps you out a little.

 

Jennie

[corniglia]

Seafish, good decision! As for your land tour here is my advice for what it's worth. Firstly when travelling such a big country (or anywhere really) I think it is a mistake to try and see too much as I believe you don't really see anything properly. All I can do is pass on my own experiences.

We went to the Northern Territory in May- Darwin for 2 nights (great sunset markets on the beachfront) then 5 nights in Kakadu. You need this time there as everything is quite far apart. We hired a car- driving is easy as the roads are good and there is very little traffic. Stay in the "Croc" hotel the whole time and travel out to different places each day. I LOVED this, every day we found rock pools and waterfalls, beautiful scenery that you will never see anywhere else, cruised the Yellow Waters and saw crocs - a bit of driving involved but very worthwhile. then down to Katherine Gorge (amazing) and back to Darwin looking at Litchfield park on the way.

We then flew to Alice Springs- 2 nights in a B and B at a cattle station just out of town, drove to Kings Canyon (only need one night here but the top of the canyon walk is great) - long drive- then 3 nights Uluru (Ayers Rock)- visiting the rock, the Olgas which I believe are better than the rock etc We then flew out of Alice Springs for home. This will be a good 12 day trip.

This was a fantastic holiday but you do need to spend the time in each place to truly appreciate it. I am happy to provide further details if you wish.

North Queensland is the other obvious place as you are already in the northern part of the country and the timing will be good. You have the choice of staying in Cairns- nice city but it is a city- Port Douglas- much smaller and a place I have come to like a lot- Palm cove- between those 2 or in the rainforest as a previous poster said, which is nice but you either have to have your meals there only or travel each evening. You can do the reef any time of year and there are many companies to choose from . there are various other things to do so I would recommend 4 nights.

 

I could go on and on about other places but will leave it to you to ask for any more info. As I said time in each place is crucial, bearing in mind that a 2 night stay is really only one day there.

Sue

[Jane110]

Seafish,

 

I agree with your decision to visit Australia by land and not by sea. To be honest, as much as I like cruises, I never understood why anyone would visit Oz on a cruiseship. There's just too much to see and do, in my opinion.

 

Since we live in NYC and our winters are very cold, I try to plan a get-away to a warm climate every Jan or Feb. As I said, we're not beach people, so going to a beach resort simply isn't our interest. So that really leaves us Australia/NZ, South America and Africa. We just went to South America last month (Oceania cruise Buenos Aires to Rio) and DH has no desire to visit Africa. That leaves us with Australia again for next year. We've always been lucky and never experienced any cyclones.

 

So, if getting away in Jan/Feb is not an important issue for you, as it is for us, then I agree with putting off your trip to Australia until May. I'm glad you have Kangeroo Island as a place to visit. It was one of the highlights of our trip. Afterwards we spent a few days in Adelaide and one of those days touring the wineries in the Barossa Valley.

 

However, keep in mind that some places in Oz never get that hot. We spent one New Year's Eve in Hobart, Tasmania freezing our butts off! We only brought hot weather clothing and it was so chilly we had to go and buy ourselves wool sweaters. And last year in Melbourne, in February, we were wearing leather jackets because of the chilly weather.

 

Jennie/AussieGal,

 

In Melbourne we've stayed at the Grand Hyatt (a bore), the Regency (now Sofitel?) the Windsor - our favorite and The Tilba. Check out the Tilba for a possible stay if you like small hotels. This is one of our favorites. It's not far from the Windsor, on Toorak Road. http://www.TheTilba.com.au

 

Jane