Advice needed: Land Tour Australia

[inthesun789]

55 minutes ago, cleoruby said:

How was the land tour overall?  We are on this tour starting the 11th and supposed to stay at the Hyatt in Sydney and fly from there to Ayers Rock.  Were you allowed to take a personal bag along with carryon on the flights in Australia?

Tenn.

 

We have on the land tour in December.   Please keep me informed how yours was as well. 

Thank you,

Bryan and Sandra

[Worldtraveler 4727]

4 hours ago, cleoruby said:

How was the land tour overall?  We are on this tour starting the 11th and supposed to stay at the Hyatt in Sydney and fly from there to Ayers Rock.  Were you allowed to take a personal bag along with carryon on the flights in Australia?

Yes, like a purse size. And go not go over total weight of 15#. 

[KYBOB]

So what happens if it weighs over 15#? I have a camera bag and if I add my laptop I am at 19#. Also are the flights on Qantas or Jetstar? 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

1 hour ago, KYBOB said:

So what happens if it weighs over 15#? I have a camera bag and if I add my laptop I am at 19#. Also are the flights on Qantas or Jetstar? 

Four flights: Three were Qantas, one Jetstar. 
If your ONE checked bag is over 50#, you will be charged extra. 
As for your one carryon, you definitely run the risk of being charged extra as well. You might get lucky with Qantas not weighing your carry on, but Jetstar will weigh, especially if it looks large/heavy. They had people specifically watching for this. 

[cleoruby]

10 hours ago, Worldtraveler 4727 said:

Four flights: Three were Qantas, one Jetstar. 
If your ONE checked bag is over 50#, you will be charged extra. 
As for your one carryon, you definitely run the risk of being charged extra as well. You might get lucky with Qantas not weighing your carry on, but Jetstar will weigh, especially if it looks large/heavy. They had people specifically watching for this. 

Why four flights?  Our land tour says we fly from Sydney to Ayers Rock and then to Cairns and then back to Sydney.  That is only three flights.

[cleoruby]

11 hours ago, Worldtraveler 4727 said:

Four flights: Three were Qantas, one Jetstar. 
If your ONE checked bag is over 50#, you will be charged extra. 
As for your one carryon, you definitely run the risk of being charged extra as well. You might get lucky with Qantas not weighing your carry on, but Jetstar will weigh, especially if it looks large/heavy. They had people specifically watching for this. 

Were there any restaurants you would recommend for dinners on the land portion of your trip?

[Worldtraveler 4727]

5 hours ago, cleoruby said:

Why four flights?  Our land tour says we fly from Sydney to Ayers Rock and then to Cairns and then back to Sydney.  That is only three flights.

You must be on the “Ultimate Outback” tour. 
We are on the “Ultimate Australia” tour. It includes Darwin, which we absolutely loved! 

[cleoruby]

On 11/4/2023 at 1:47 PM, Worldtraveler 4727 said:

You must be on the “Ultimate Outback” tour. 
We are on the “Ultimate Australia” tour. It includes Darwin, which we absolutely loved! 

On the land tour, were only breakfasts included or were any other meals included?  Any restaurants for dinner that you would recommend on the land portion?

[Worldtraveler 4727]

It would be best to follow the indication for meals on your itinerary, especially since you are on a different land tour. 
And no, no restaurant recommendations. When you are on your own for meals, it’s probably best to Google what is nearby; otherwise you’ll need to order an Uber or cab. 
Ayers Rock is very small. Not many choices. 

[gators70]

On 10/16/2023 at 5:28 PM, nasa1974 said:

Don't forget to purchase head nets for the gnats. Definitely needed them at Uluru.

Do you purchase them there or ahead of time and where? Amazon ?

[nasa1974]

55 minutes ago, gators70 said:

Do you purchase them there or ahead of time and where? Amazon ?

We purchased the head nets when we landed at Alice Springs. It was kind of the spur of the moment thing.

You can purchase from Amazon.

Amazon.com : head nets for midges

[Worldtraveler 4727]

59 minutes ago, gators70 said:

Do you purchase them there or ahead of time and where? Amazon ?

 

IF you need them--very dependent on time of year--we did not need them at all--EITHER your tour director will have them for you OR you can purchase them. If you need to purchase them, your tour guide will take you to a place to purchase them.

1 hour ago, gators70 said:

Do you purchase them there or ahead of time and where? Amazon ?

 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

2 minutes ago, nasa1974 said:

We purchased the head nets when we landed at Alice Springs. It was kind of the spur of the moment thing.

You can purchase from Amazon.

Amazon.com : head nets for midges

Wait until you get there. You can easily buy them IF you need them.

[PR-Texas]

I can understand the frustration of folks trying to make detailed plans.  Sounds like the best thing for us to take with us on our upcoming land tour in November is a sense of humor and a large dose of flexibility. 

 

The ideas about luggage have been really helpful.  I was planning to take two 30 inch suitcases and a 22 inch between the two of us.  Sounds like we'd be better off planning for two 22" to go with us and one 30" to leave in Sydney. 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

I understand completely too. The couple we traveled with felt as we did about trying to be prepared for what we were doing and experiencing.

 

The short answer to the worry you might have is that the travel host we had, Vic, was a native Aussie and very experienced. He did a great job in directing our group. There were very few hiccups along the way. It was a great trip.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions any of you have. We were there last fall. 

[inthesun789]

On 11/7/2023 at 12:37 PM, Worldtraveler 4727 said:

It would be best to follow the indication for meals on your itinerary, especially since you are on a different land tour. 
And no, no restaurant recommendations. When you are on your own for meals, it’s probably best to Google what is nearby; otherwise you’ll need to order an Uber or cab. 
Ayers Rock is very small. Not many choices. 

Ayers rock has dinning in the field of lights and dinning under stars/laser lights.   We booked them direct, I believed they both came with dinner. 

S.

[inthesun789]

11 hours ago, gators70 said:

Do you purchase them there or ahead of time and where? Amazon ?

The guide on the bus was selling them and there is a small store in the rear of the complex (hotel, eatery) that sold them.  Depending on the time of year, they are necessary.  Very inexpensive.

[Worldtraveler 4727]

4 minutes ago, inthesun789 said:

Ayers rock has dinning in the field of lights and dinning under stars/laser lights.   We booked them direct, I believed they both came with dinner. 

S.

We had a change going to Ayers Rock. No flights available, so we took a large, comfortable coach bus 6 hours through the Outback (very interesting) and got to the hotel well after dark--missing the sunset viewing at Uluru. We also stayed in a different hotel than the one listed on our itinerary. I can tell you that they did not have that option above. If we had had those reservations, I'm not sure how we would have gotten to them. I don't know if they have Uber/taxis in Ayers Rock. It's small and remote.

[gators70]

On 11/3/2023 at 11:00 AM, inthesun789 said:

Tenn.

 

We have on the land tour in December.   Please keep me informed how yours was as well. 

Thank you,

Bryan and Sandra

Hello Bryan and Sandra -- We are on the Land Tour in December as well starting on December 14 - Ultimate Australia.  Is that the one you are on as well?  We are in West Florida.

[inthesun789]

3 hours ago, gators70 said:

Hello Bryan and Sandra -- We are on the Land Tour in December as well starting on December 14 - Ultimate Australia.  Is that the one you are on as well?  We are in West Florida.

 

3 hours ago, gators70 said:

Hello Bryan and Sandra -- We are on the Land Tour in December as well starting on December 14 - Ultimate Australia.  Is that the one you are on as well?  We are in West Florida.

We did the tour in 2023.  Have a wonderful time when you go