Recommendations for Brisbane

[maclady]

We will be in Brisbane for 3 days en route to our Diamond Princess Sydney to AUckland cruise. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay and things to do?Also,what recommendations do you have for sites to book Australia and NZ hotels? Karen

[eh2zed]

Use 1 day to go to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. About a 45 minute drive from Brisbane. The highlight of our 2 days in Brisbane.

[vozzie]

For hotels ... www.wotif.com

 

For touring ... http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/

[Australian family]

A good hotel which is right near central station (railway) is the Novotel Hotel which we use when we go to Brisbane, it is reasonably priced and of a good standard.

 

Get a rail, bus and city cat pass and go on the City Cat and enjoy the sights along the Brisbane river and get on and off as you want!

 

Do the giant ferries wheel at South Brisbane and walk along to Southbank.

[MMDown Under]

We will be in Brisbane for 3 days en route to our Diamond Princess Sydney to AUckland cruise. Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay and things to do?Also,what recommendations do you have for sites to book Australia and NZ hotels? Karen

 

Depending on your budget, our favourite hotel in Brisbane is -

 

"Stamford Plaza, one of the city's most prestigious and recognisable landmarks, which is nestled between the banks of the Brisbane River and the Botanical Gardens. Renowned for its warm, European-style decor and exceptional service, Stamford Plaza Brisbane caters to both the corporate client and leisure traveller."

 

You might enjoy a ferry trip up and down the Brisbane River, with a day pass. You can get off along the way to explore popular suburbs, such as Balmoral (movie theatre, restaurants and cafes) and New Farm (Powerhouse Theatre, New Farm Park and lots of great restaurants and cafes).

[marnil]

Theres heaps to do in Brisbane. Plenty of accomation in the city - I've stayed at the IBIS which is quite affordable. Rydges at Southbank is good too and you can sometimes get good specials through their website. Or try Wotif.com.au, needitnow.com.au, roamfree.com.au.

Really depends what you are in to in regards to activities. You have 3 major themeparks on the gold coast (about an hours drive) which are seaworld, movieworld and dreamworld. All of them are good. If you are here for a few night spend a night on the Gold Coast. If you put some more details about the type of things that you enjoy doing we can give you heaps more ideas

[ladylawyer888]

Really depends what you are in to in regards to activities. You have 3 major themeparks on the gold coast (about an hours drive) which are seaworld, movieworld and dreamworld. All of them are good. If you are here for a few night spend a night on the Gold Coast. If you put some more details about the type of things that you enjoy doing we can give you heaps more ideas

 

 

We're flying to Brisbane on 12/30 and want to see the southern end of the GBR for a day trip. Do you have any suggestions? Seaplane . . .boat . . ferry . . . ?? We'll rent a car at Brisbane airport to get up north. After the day at the GBR, we're slowly heading south to Sydney for a 1/4 cruise to NZ. Our first time in AU and NZ and can't wait to meet the people!

Thanks, Barbra & Fred from California

[Australian family]

Really depends what you are in to in regards to activities. You have 3 major themeparks on the gold coast (about an hours drive) which are seaworld, movieworld and dreamworld. All of them are good. If you are here for a few night spend a night on the Gold Coast. If you put some more details about the type of things that you enjoy doing we can give you heaps more ideas

 

 

We're flying to Brisbane on 12/30 and want to see the southern end of the GBR for a day trip. Do you have any suggestions? Seaplane . . .boat . . ferry . . . ?? We'll rent a car at Brisbane airport to get up north. After the day at the GBR, we're slowly heading south to Sydney for a 1/4 cruise to NZ. Our first time in AU and NZ and can't wait to meet the people!

Thanks, Barbra & Fred from California

 

You won't have much time to head slowly to Sydney, it is Approx a 12 hr drive from Brisbane, and depending on how far north you go that would be at least another 4 hrs on top. Australia is very spread out. Also the Pacific Highway down to Sydney can be very dangerous, many accidents happen on it. There is some beautiful spots, but you won't have much time to enjoy them.

[theozwalrus]

We're flying to Brisbane on 12/30 and want to see the southern end of the GBR for a day trip. Do you have any suggestions? Seaplane . . .boat . . ferry . . . ?? We'll rent a car at Brisbane airport to get up north. After the day at the GBR, we're slowly heading south to Sydney for a 1/4 cruise to NZ. Our first time in AU and NZ and can't wait to meet the people!

Thanks, Barbra & Fred from California

 

 

Hello Barb & Fred,

 

If you want to see the Southern GBR you will need to get to Bundaberg, approx 4 - 41/2 hours north of Brisbane, to make the trip to Lady Elliot Island. It is a fairly basic drive and not too difficult however as has already been advised it is a loooong way for a day trip and as you have only three days I would not recommend going to Bundaberg then driving to Sydney as there will be a lot of traffic at this time of the year in Australia. Remember this means a drive of at least 16-20hours and you will also likely be dealing with being jet lagged.This time of year is the middle of our summer holidays and the highways are extremely busy as well.

 

I live in Brisbane and believe there is lots to see and do here but visiting the GBR from Brisbane is not really practical with the time frame you have on this trip. I would suggest you fly directly into Cairns or Townsville, spend a day or 2 there and then fly to Sydney for your cruise. Alternatively, fly into Brisbane drive to Bundaberg, spend a couple of days there and then drive back to Brisbane jump on a plane and fly to Sydney. Be aware it is only about an hour and a half flight to Sydney, but being the middle of the holidays you would need to be booking asap to arrange flights and somewhere to stay. It will also be more expensive as it is the peak of the holiday season.

 

I am not trying to dampen your spirits but I would hate to see your holiday spoilt by an accident.

 

Hope this helps,

Cheers

David

[Chester & Brewster]

After the day at the GBR, we're slowly heading south to Sydney for a 1/4 cruise to NZ.

 

We drove "leisurely" Brisbane to Sydney - it took 3 days. We stopped in Coffs Harbour & Nelson Bay on the way. We could have done it quicker, but it was a long monotonous drive (we shared the driving & had a big comfortable 4x4).

 

Second the trip to Australia Zoo, it was fantastic & the Sunshine coast (north of Brisbane) is, IMHO, much nicer than the Gold coast.

In Brisbane itself, the south bank area is really nice & do the city cat river trip, it was a great wat to see the city. The weekend bus, train & ferry pass was really cheap IIRC.

[ladylawyer888]

Hi David, Chester & Brewster:

Thanks so much for your input. We REALLLLLLLLY need help on this one. the GBR is my husband's life-long hankering so we HAVE to make it happen.

Do you know: can you fly from Brisbane to Lady Elliott or Bundaberg directly?

It's not only the GBR . . .I was told there are tropical rain forests along the way down to Sydney and nice little towns and wonderful people. Is there an "inland" highway instead of the coast route that might be faster and more interesting? People and gorgeous scenery are tops on MY list?

What airline goes from Brisbane to Bundaberg? How about from Brisbane down to Sydney? Maybe we should do the drive to Bundaberg . . .day trip to Lady Elliott, spend a day around the Brisbane environs and then fly to Sydney.

Thanks . . . appreciate all your suggestions.

Barbra

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Hi David, Chester & Brewster:

Thanks so much for your input. We REALLLLLLLLY need help on this one. the GBR is my husband's life-long hankering so we HAVE to make it happen.

Do you know: can you fly from Brisbane to Lady Elliott or Bundaberg directly?

It's not only the GBR . . .I was told there are tropical rain forests along the way down to Sydney and nice little towns and wonderful people. Is there an "inland" highway instead of the coast route that might be faster and more interesting? People and gorgeous scenery are tops on MY list?

What airline goes from Brisbane to Bundaberg? How about from Brisbane down to Sydney? Maybe we should do the drive to Bundaberg . . .day trip to Lady Elliott, spend a day around the Brisbane environs and then fly to Sydney.

Thanks . . . appreciate all your suggestions.

Barbra

 

If you are willing to fly to Bundaberg why not go to Airlie Beach (you will have to fly to Proserpine) instead (at the moment $79 AU each way).

 

The GBR is much much better there (in my opinion much better than Cairns even) and there are day trips that you can get from Airlie to go to the reef. A bit too far to drive from Brisbane.

 

However, if you really want to drive. Drive from Brisbane, stop off at the Sunshine Coast, (Mooloolaba, Maroochydore, Caloundra, Noosa - Mooloolaba is the nicest) and then drive on to Bundaberg. I think you might run out of time though - Brisbane to Sunshine Coast, 45 mins then Sunshine Coast to Bundaberg, 2 1/2 hours. It would be easier to fly to Proserpine and then bus it to Airlie and see a better view of the reef.

 

Hope this helps.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Forgot to mention that if you wish to fly from Proserpine to Sydney the one way fare at the moment is $197AU (the fares I have quoted include luggage).

 

Enjoy your trip. Anything else I can help you with let me know. :D

[Australian family]

I would agree Airlie Beach would be better than Bundaberg, a lot more choices.

 

I would say that Caloundra is better than Mooloobah (it is a mini Noosa now). We love Caloundra (Kings Beach), you can walk around the broadwalk for miles, watch the ships coming in that go down the passage to Brisbane, actually you see cruise ships occassionally, but only late in the day, depends on what time they leave Brisbane, takes about 4 hrs for them to get to Caloundra.

 

The inland highway to Sydney is the New England, but once again a long drive. You might be better flying down to one of the spots on the coast eg Coffs Harbour, that is a pretty spot.

[wildweston]

I live in Bundaberg and I agree you would be better off to go to The Whitsundays :D

[Emma Chisit]

It's not only the GBR . . .I was told there are tropical rain forests along the way down to Sydney and nice little towns and wonderful people. Is there an "inland" highway instead of the coast route that might be faster and more interesting? People and gorgeous scenery are tops on MY list?

Barbra

 

Hi Barbra & Fred from CA. I think some of the places you have heard described as “nice little towns and wonderful people” would be Bellingen, Bangalow, Byron Bay and the like - and they are :). (They are on the Pacific Highway route - not sure about the tropical rainforests, though. ) All, especially Byron, crowded at that time of year as theozwalrus said. Christmas-New year period in Australia is when everyone is on summer holidays. Nothing like the Christmas/New Year period in the US, much more like the peak travel times of the US summer holidays, or around Thanksgiving.

 

Looks as if you are arriving in Brisbane on 30 Dec and embarking on your cruise on 4 Jan in Sydney. That allows four days to do some sightseeing, excluding arrival day and embarkation day. New Year's Day (Friday Jan 1 2010) is a public holiday, everything will be closed. Things will be gearing up for major partying New Year's Eve (31 Dec), restaurants will be booked out in advance. Most likely you will be jet-lagged ; it can take about a week to recover. (Another reason to be wary about driving straight away). Since the Reef is top priority, fly up to see the Reef as per the other suggestions (maybe even on arrival day ?), stay overnight or longer then fly back to Brisbane. You could then drive down to Sydney to see something of the countryside, but remember if you want to sightsee then allow two overnight stops. Port Macquarie on the Pacific Highway, or Armidale on the New England highway are good overnight stops if you do it with only one overnight stop. Because it is the busy holiday season, I would also recommend making your overnight reservation(s) in advance. Indeed any reservations/air bookings..

 

The two road choices are Pacific Highway (coastal) or the New England Highway (inland). Similar driving distances, though the New England highway is less interesting IMO. Neither route is of the standard of the interstates you are accustomed to in the US, and so driving times are much slower. Google maps show a distance of 926 km from Brisbane to Sydney (approx 575 miles) on the Pacific Highway (New England Highway is similar). Driving time 12 hours. For comparison, Los Angeles to Redding CA is a similar distance (543 miles) on I -5N but driving time is listed as 8 hours. The Pacific Highway is nothing like I-5N, & might well be slower than the Google estimate, as there are frequent roadworks, and speed cameras.

 

Whatever, have a great holiday as I am sure you will..:D

[theozwalrus]

Originally Posted by ladylawyer888

It's not only the GBR . . .I was told there are tropical rain forests along the way down to Sydney and nice little towns and wonderful people. Is there an "inland" highway instead of the coast route that might be faster and more interesting? People and gorgeous scenery are tops on MY list?

Barbra

 

Hi Barbara,

As others have mentioned, my suggestion would be to choose a place to visit the GBR from and fly into there ... maybe fly into Cairns or Townsville in North Queensland spend a day or 2 there allowing you to explore the GBR and then fly down to Sydney. I definitely would not drive with the time frame you have available and the time of year you are visiting. Yes, there is nice places to see but I do not think you would do your trip justice to spend the days driving. As has been mentioned this is the busiest time of the year around Australia for tourists.

If you were to fly into Cairns you can enjoy BOTH great scenery AND the GBR and meet great people as they not only have the reef but also the rainforests and mountains all within easy reach of day trips. You could look into the Cairns - Kuranda railway or the Skyrail/Cablecar. If you look around now you will probably find it will be similar costs to fly and visit compared to hiring a car and driving (depends on how many in your party of course)

Some info on Cairns and surrounding areas can be found here

 

http://www.cairnsweb.com.au/

 

Also flying into Brisbane then going to Bundaberg you only get to see a very small amount of the reef and while you get to see some scenery it will pale in comparison to what you would see by flying into Cairns and staying for a couple of days. Flights between Cairns & Sydney will be easier to arrange than Bundaberg and ANYWHERE else!!!

As I mentioned above, I am not trying to curb your enthusiasm just help you to make an informed decision.

 

Hope this helps

Cheers

David

[ladylawyer888]

Hi Eileen, Cheryl, Emma, David and All of you wonderful Aussies:

 

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for your input! We really appreciate your help with this trip. I know how huge Australia is and we have absolutely no perception of the distance "between two points".

 

So, how about this idea: We fly into Brisbane on 12/30 (non-stop from Los Angeles) and arrive about 6:30 a.m. We could then catch a flight to Cairns and use that as our base for a few days. From what I'm reading, we can catch a launch to Green Island for the day . . .and maybe Fitzroy Island too. (Is the resort on Green Island something nice/special?? I'm truly a beach nut) Then, we can spend a couple of days around Cairns environs and catch a flight to Sydney on Jan. 2. That would give us 2.5 days in Sydney before our cruise.

 

I guess we just have to realize that we can't see it all in this trip. I know from several friends who have visited eastern Australia who keep going back . . .that we will just have to go back again to see more!

 

Thanks for the driving comparison from LA to Redding. That really put things in perspective. We certainly DON"T want our entire stay in Australia to be on the road.

 

Any suggestions for a hotel or area while in Cairns? We really don't want to have a car while we're in the city. But, for a day's drive into the forest, we'll rent one.

 

Again, you have all been so incredibly helpful and we are truly greatful to you.

 

Barbra & Fred

[Australian family]

Hi Barbra & Fred

 

The only thing about Cairns that time of the year is that it will be stinking hot! Very high humidity. Beware it is also the start of Cyclone season.

 

I haven't been there for a number of years but do consider doing the Kuranda Railway up and then the skyrail down, beautiful scenery. A must do. You will see rainforests on the way down, you actually get of the gondola and walk through the forest. http://www.skyrail.com.au/ http://www.kurandascenicrailway.com.au/

 

Another suggestion for the reef is to go on the quicksilver from Port Douglas (they do pick ups from Cairns), the drive up there is beautiful, the road winds around the beaches, very lovely. http://www.quicksilver-cruises.com/ There probably is more companies that do the cruises from Port Douglas now. I personally think that is better than going to Green Island, the drive there is magical!

 

Also maybe stay at one of the beaches North of Cairns, there is some lovely spots.

 

Leanne

[Emma Chisit]

Hi Eileen, Cheryl, Emma, David and All of you wonderful Aussies:THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for your input! We really appreciate your help with this trip. I know how huge Australia is and we have absolutely no perception of the distance "between two points". Barbra & Fred

You're welcome :). It's deceptive, due to the map projections, but actually Australia is a BIG country, much the same size as the US in fact. For comparison purposes, a road trip from Cairns to Sydney is about 1,495 miles according to Google, which is a similar driving distance from Los Angeles to Dallas, Texas. A long way! (I am an Aussie, but lived in the US for nearly 20 years, so am familiar with both countries.) Now you see why in the short time you have it does make more sense to fly and limit what you try to see. Your new plan sounds good, can't offer suggestions on hotels in Cairns as it has been a while since I was last there (Port Douglas is also a possibility), but Leanne's sightseeing suggestions are V good, plus the others here. I would look at Trip Advisor for hotels, they haven't steered me wrong yet.

As for Sydney, it truly is one of the world's great cities and 2.5 days is not too long to spend there. Search for postings by "Globaliser" in this ANZ forum, he has put together a very good list of what to see in Sydney.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Hi Eileen, Cheryl, Emma, David and All of you wonderful Aussies:

 

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for your input! We really appreciate your help with this trip. I know how huge Australia is and we have absolutely no perception of the distance "between two points".

 

So, how about this idea: We fly into Brisbane on 12/30 (non-stop from Los Angeles) and arrive about 6:30 a.m. We could then catch a flight to Cairns and use that as our base for a few days. From what I'm reading, we can catch a launch to Green Island for the day . . .and maybe Fitzroy Island too. (Is the resort on Green Island something nice/special?? I'm truly a beach nut) Then, we can spend a couple of days around Cairns environs and catch a flight to Sydney on Jan. 2. That would give us 2.5 days in Sydney before our cruise.

 

I guess we just have to realize that we can't see it all in this trip. I know from several friends who have visited eastern Australia who keep going back . . .that we will just have to go back again to see more!

 

Thanks for the driving comparison from LA to Redding. That really put things in perspective. We certainly DON"T want our entire stay in Australia to be on the road.

 

Any suggestions for a hotel or area while in Cairns? We really don't want to have a car while we're in the city. But, for a day's drive into the forest, we'll rent one.

 

Again, you have all been so incredibly helpful and we are truly greatful to you.

 

Barbra & Fred

 

Hi Barbra & Fred,

 

You are more than welcome! It would be a good idea for you to fly to Cairns and stay a few days there. Look for hotels on The Esplanade. That is the road fronting the bay. There are day trips out from Cairns to the GBR where you go snorkeling but make sure you go on one of the modern catermarans.(sp) You also should go up to Karanda on the train as Australian Family has said and then go down the Skyrail down. The views are incredible! There is a dinner cruise you can go on at night. It is a buffet dinner and well worth it. My daughter had her wedding reception on it but for the life of me I can't think of the name. If I remember I will let you know.

 

If you book one of the hotels on the Esplanade you can walk everywhere. The hotels have booking services and pickups direct from the hotel for all the attractions. If you get time there is also a crocodile farm near Port Douglas that is worth going to. That is only if you have time though, Karanda and GBR are the "must do's".

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Remembered the name.......

 

http://www.oceanspirit.com.au/Dive_Snorkel_Australia_Dinner.htm

[ladylawyer888]

Eileen:

 

Thanks, once again! We've booked the Hilton on The Esplanade in Cairns for 3 nights. And, we'll spend a day at the GBR and another day doing the train and the Skyrail. Is there enough time to see the other rainforest (starts with a "D" but just can't remember now). I understand it's about 60 km from Cairns.

 

We're getting SOOOO excited! Many, many thanks for all your wonderful help!

 

Barbra

[ladylawyer888]

Eileen,

 

I just noticed that you're booked from Ft. Lauderdale to L.A. on the Coral Princess in "2010". When? We live about 30 minutes north of the L.A. harbor . . .maybe we can be your tour guide???

 

B & F

[Australian family]

Eileen:

 

Thanks, once again! We've booked the Hilton on The Esplanade in Cairns for 3 nights. And, we'll spend a day at the GBR and another day doing the train and the Skyrail. Is there enough time to see the other rainforest (starts with a "D" but just can't remember now). I understand it's about 60 km from Cairns.

 

We're getting SOOOO excited! Many, many thanks for all your wonderful help!

 

Barbra

 

That is the Daintree that you are talking about. It is beautiful, the rainforest comes right down to the beach. It is further North than Port Douglas, which is where I recommended that you go and see the reef.

 

If you are a beach person, Cairns doesn't really have beaches like you are thinking of. They are more like mud flats when the tide goes out. They do have a very large man made beach area in Cairns. If you are wanting beaches you need to go just north of Cairns. But do remember that time of the year there is stingers in the water, which are deadly!

 

Leanne