Australia Tour and cruise

[florence11]

Hi,

 

We are trying to plan a once in a lifetime trip around Australia of around 3/4 weeks and then a cruise around New Zealand. We hope to fly to Perth from the UK and start there and fly to Ayres Rock and up to Darwin, then onto the Gold Coast and hire a car and make our way down to Sydney. We haven't got an exact time span yet it will just depend on what we do. There are just a couple of things I'd like to find out.

Is there enough to do in Perth or would we be better going straight to Sydney and travelling from there?

We have to take enough clothing for the cruise as well is there anywhere that extra luggage can be stored near the port?

What is the luggage allowance on internal flights if we did have to take everything with us?

If anyone could give us any other places that are worth visiting and especially when driving down to Sydney it will be greatly appreciated we are open to any ideas as this will be probably the only time we will visit Australia.

 

Thanks

 

Tracey

[GUT2407]

Hi,

 

We are trying to plan a once in a lifetime trip around Australia of around 3/4 weeks and then a cruise around New Zealand. We hope to fly to Perth from the UK and start there and fly to Ayres Rock and up to Darwin, then onto the Gold Coast and hire a car and make our way down to Sydney. We haven't got an exact time span yet it will just depend on what we do. There are just a couple of things I'd like to find out.

Is there enough to do in Perth or would we be better going straight to Sydney and travelling from there?

We have to take enough clothing for the cruise as well is there anywhere that extra luggage can be stored near the port?

What is the luggage allowance on internal flights if we did have to take everything with us?

If anyone could give us any other places that are worth visiting and especially when driving down to Sydney it will be greatly appreciated we are open to any ideas as this will be probably the only time we will visit Australia.

 

Thanks

 

Tracey

 

So many options.

 

A few days in Perth is, in my opinion well worth it, plus it will break your trip up a bit.

 

Ayres Rock is spectacular, but maybe give Darwin a miss (lovely city but when time is limited I’m not sure I’d bother).

 

Hard to say where you should visit between Gold Coast and Sydney without knowing your likes etc).

 

But

 

Byron Bay

Coffs Harbour

Hunter Valley

 

Would I think, if you take the coast road be good stops.

[jasper15]

Perth is really pretty. Plenty of things to see and do. Margaret River is a 3 hour drive from Perth and has some faboulous wineries and restaurants if you are into that kind of thing. You could easily spend 2 or 3 days there. Fremantle is about 20 minutes by train from the CBD. It is a very picturesque area with a significant maritime history.

 

 

Darwin is one of my favourite cities in Australia and I would definitely recommend visiting there. Do the jumping crocodile cruise down the Adelaide River, it's amazing. Kakadu is a must see. However if you are planning on going to Darwin, it's best to avoid from November - March.

 

 

 

If you have the time, I would recommend going to Cairns. You can take a light plane up to Cooktown from Cairns. It's a great place to go for a day. Not many people get there and it's spectacular. Also from Cairns you can take a boat out to the Great Barrier Reef, visit the Daintree Forest etc. Lots of places to see and plenty to do. Hire a car and drive up to Port Douglas.....the list of possibilities is endless.

 

 

Of course opinions are subjective so I'm sure some people won't agree with me.

 

It would be helpful if you could list some of your interests :)

[Globaliser]

We have to take enough clothing for the cruise as well is there anywhere that extra luggage can be stored near the port?

If your cruise is round-trip from Sydney, then one thing you could do is to make sure that you're staying the last night before the cruise in a Sydney hotel (which is a good idea anyway). At any earlier stage in your trip, stay in the same Sydney hotel and simply ask the hotel to look after your extra luggage until you get back.

 

However, this is only going to work if you are in Sydney at some stage earlier in the trip. The ideas that you've posted wouldn't have you getting to Sydney until the end, and that wouldn't work for baggage storage however you do it.

 

Don't forget to allow for the size of the country. Travelling from Perth to Uluru, or Perth to Sydney, for example, is basically going to take you a day, in broad terms.

 

What is the luggage allowance on internal flights if we did have to take everything with us?

It depends on who you buy a ticket from, and how much you pay.

 

For example, on Qantas all fares include at least one bag up to 23 kg. I think that the same applies on Virgin Australia.

 

However, if you fly on Jetstar or Tigerair then you have to expect to pay for any checked bags, one way or another (either by a higher fare or by a specific add-on).

[SinbadThePorter]

Hi,

We are trying to plan a once in a lifetime trip around Australia of around 3/4 weeks and then a cruise around New Zealand. We hope to fly to Perth from the UK and start there and fly to Ayres Rock and up to Darwin, then onto the Gold Coast and hire a car and make our way down to Sydney. We haven't got an exact time span yet it will just depend on what we do. There are just a couple of things I'd like to find out.

Is there enough to do in Perth or would we be better going straight to Sydney and travelling from there?

We have to take enough clothing for the cruise as well is there anywhere that extra luggage can be stored near the port?

What is the luggage allowance on internal flights if we did have to take everything with us?

If anyone could give us any other places that are worth visiting and especially when driving down to Sydney it will be greatly appreciated we are open to any ideas as this will be probably the only time we will visit Australia.

 

There is no real reason to go to Darwin unless you are heading out from there to either Kakadu or the Kimberley. Either of which would probably eat up most of your holiday time, but are well worth it if you can do it.

 

Perth is OK and a good stopover, but I don't know that I would travel 10,000 miles just to see it. It's a nice city, but not a special city. Neither is Brisbane.

 

If you are flying in direct from the UK, it is probably easier to get flights to Brisbane rather than the Gold Coast. They are only about 60 miles apart. I don't know about luggage storage. The amount of luggage depends on the type of ticket you buy. The basic ticket gets you 7kg of carry on and beyond that you pay extra.

 

Places to see between Brisbane and Sydney (assuming you are looking for scenic stuff, not nightlife):

 

Tangalooma

Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island

Byron Bay and Mount Warning

The Bellingen to Dorrigo Road

South West Rocks (Trial Bay Gaol etc)

Port Stephens

Hunter Valley vineyards

Katoomba, Blue Mountains (west of Sydney)

Royal National Park and Sea Cliff Bridge (slightly south of Sydney)

 

If it was me I would hire a campervan in Brisbane and head down the coast stopping at these places:

 

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/north-coast-campgrounds

 

The beaches in that part of Australia are probably some of the best in the world.

Edited September 15, 2018 by SinbadThePorter

[wishfulone]

At first I thought you must have been going to Perth to see relatives but if that's not the case then I'd fly into Brisbane or Sydney. Not that there's anything wrong with Perth because it's a really beautiful city.

 

Cairns is a wonderful suggestion for the Barrier Reef and our tropical north. I'd certainly take the time to fly to Alice Springs or Ayres Rock airport. Most tourists fly into one, hire a car and fly out of the other. The West Macdonnell Ranges are magnificent and the walks and experiences at Uluru and Kata Juta are enough to fill about three days and if you choose to just donthat then you'll save some time.

 

All up you'll need at least a week in the Centre, another in the north then a week or so driving from Brisbane to Sydney. That doesn't really leave much time to explore Sydney. So you neeed to consider adding more time or limiting the experiences to what you really want to see.

Edited September 15, 2018 by wishfulone

[Swissmiss6253]

I would probably skip Perth (a lovely city but nothing unusual, if you don't skip Perth, do Margaret River if you can). I would also do Cairns instead of the Gold Coast and fly straight to Sydney from Cairns. This gives you the big hits of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta - Cairns and the Reef and Sydney and the Blue Mountains. I think that is heaps for the time you have given, particularly given how knocked about you might be by the flight.

 

However I would be loath to do some of those areas in our summer as it would be brutal. What time of year are you looking at?

[florence11]

Hi everyone,

 

You have given me so much to think about this will take some planning. The camper van sounds like a really good idea we had not thought about that.

 

We like good wine, good food, walking or cycling in scenic places, swimming, snorkelling, nice beaches, and a little history always goes down well, we also want to see the blue mountains and I would like to climb Sydney harbour bridge.

 

We do like to explore on our own and just see where the road takes us but I know we will have to be careful to make sure we get to Sydney on time.

 

Thanks to all of you.

 

:cool::cool::cool:

[GradUT]

Time of year for this trip—which you did not provide—is a big factor in Australia, particularly for some of the destinations you listed. I would not visit Darwin in the Wet (basically Nov - Mar) nor would I go to the GBR (Cairns/Port Douglas) during those same months due to the stingers, heat & humidity and chance of cyclones. I would skip Uluru in the summer (Dec - Feb) due to the extreme heat.

[Chris kelowna]

I would never skip Perth! It's a beautiful part of the country. we boarded the Voyager of the Seas and went from Sydney to Hobart to Auckland, Tauranga (Great place). then around north and south islands New Zealand, up to Hobart in Tasmania, Adelaide, and finishing in Perth. We rented a car and drove about 1000 kms north to Monkey Mia with a stop on the way in Geraldtown. We had an outback experience and in Denham where we stayed we found an apartment right across from the Indian ocean with a nice beach. Emus were walking down the street. In monkey Mia we did a catamaran ocean safari and saw incredible wildlife including a dugong, water snakes, sharks, mantra rays. It was spectacular! We flew from Perth to Alice springs and did a tour to uluhru. A train trip on the Ghan from Alice to Adelaide finished our trip. It was a magnificent cruise and after was great as well.

 

Sent from my SM-T113 using Forums mobile app

[Swissmiss6253]

My goodness Chris, what a trip! You have seen more of Australia than many Australians

[SinbadThePorter]

Time of year for this trip—which you did not provide—is a big factor in Australia, particularly for some of the destinations you listed. I would not visit Darwin in the Wet (basically Nov - Mar) nor would I go to the GBR (Cairns/Port Douglas) during those same months due to the stingers, heat & humidity and chance of cyclones. I would skip Uluru in the summer (Dec - Feb) due to the extreme heat.

 

Unfortunately those times of the year can't be avoided because the best time to cruise NZ is the worst time to visit the North and Centre of Australia. Besides there are almost no NZ cruises from April to September.

 

If you are doing both Oz and NZ, I would put up with the discomfort of summer in Australia for the comfort of summer in NZ. Just be aware of the conditions and take it easy.

[wishfulone]

My goodness Chris, what a trip! You have seen more of Australia than many Australians

Might be time you got out there and looked around your own backyard :):):)

Just saying:cool:

[Swissmiss6253]

It is a big backyard wishfulone. I've seen quite a lot of it but still have much of the north western region untouched.

[GUT2407]

Yeah a big joint.

 

I’ve seen a lot of it, but then look at all the bits I haven’t seen and feel like I’ve seen very little.

[GradUT]

Unfortunately those times of the year can't be avoided because the best time to cruise NZ is the worst time to visit the North and Centre of Australia. Besides there are almost no NZ cruises from April to September.

 

If you are doing both Oz and NZ, I would put up with the discomfort of summer in Australia for the comfort of summer in NZ. Just be aware of the conditions and take it easy.

 

If the OP’s cruise takes place from Nov - Feb (which it likely will), there is more to traveling to Darwin, the GBR and Uluru in summer than “discomfort”. I would absolutely skip Darwin and the Top End because the Wet will really inhibit any possible travel and touring in the region. I would only go to the GBR region if I were willing to forego swimming off the beach and had a “Plan B” in case of a cyclone. And I would go to Uluru only with the understanding that outdoor activities (except swimming in the pools) would be restricted to the early morning or evenings due to the extreme heat. (Plus the flies are out in full force.)

 

The OP may want to consider areas in southern Australia which would be much more conducive to sightseeing in the summer, e.g. Tasmania, Kangaroo Island, the GOR, etc.

Edited September 20, 2018 by GradUT

[Ajturner71]

Cruises from Sydney to New Zealand start late October so a 3 to 4 week pre cruise holiday in Aus is perfect time, if possible start in Darwin (Darwin's forecast has been the same for a hundred years), less rain and humidity that time of year, then fly to Cairns (GBR, swimming, snorkelling, nice beaches) from there you could fly to Alice Springs (Ayres Rock), from there to Brisbane or Gold Coast, hire a car and travel south towards Sydney. Post cruise fly to the Perth and then home.