# Suggestion for Planned July 07 Australian Trip



## Jwerking (Oct 15, 2006)

Okay All: (Chubby and SAge- are you guys out there, I hope!)

My daughter got her acceptance for a Semester Abroad to be at the University of Sydney from Feb to July 07 - so now I am ready to make arrangements for my July trip.

I have American Airlines FF seats on hold.  They did not have any Business or First Class seats available - so we will travel in steerage.  Just as well - I would have blown the total balance in my acct at 145K for each first class seat - but it was a nice dream while it lasted and now since there are not FC or BC seats - I do not have to MAKE a decision - it was made for me.  

We are scheduled to arrive on July 5th (Thursday) in Sydney and will leave on July 29th (Sunday)  - so we be in OZ for a little over 3 wks.  My plan is to spend a week or less in Sydney, so to Melborne for the week (hope to do a timeshare), and then finish with a week in the Cairns area.  

In Sydney, want to do the harbor and downtown stuff and the Blue Mountains.  Please suggest how many days to do each and suggestions for any other must-dos.  I do not need a car to do this, correct, as there is a train to the Blue Mountains?  Or should I just rent a car for a few days to do the Blue Mountains?

Guess we will fly to Melbourne from Sydney - we could drive I guess if there is any reason to and there is not a huge drop-off costs for a rental car.   We will do the coast drive there, of course, and likely stay in a hotel for a day or two along the way.  Plan to spend the rest of the time in a timeshare, if appropriate and if it works out.  Is there enough things to do in this area to keep us busy for a week?  

Will fly to Cairns from Melbourne and spend a week there.  We are really into snorkeling and beaches - so may add some extra days here and less in Melbourne.  I also may just add another week in this area if I can find FF seats later - as I will likely not return to Oz again.  Is there enough to keep me entertained for 2 weeks?   Should we stay on one of the Islands offshore (if we decide on staying the extra week) - if so, can someone suggest one that is moderately priced.

Below is timeshare availibility thru DAE in Victoria and a resort I hope maybe near Cairns (but likely not).  Please comment on which would be best for our purposes in the Melbourne area.    

 Victoria Mornington Pen.    Nepean Country Club  
Victoria Yarrawonga     Capri Waters Country Club  
Victoria Inland     Victoria Bright Resort  
Victoria     Kyneton Bushland Resort  
Victoria    Mansfield Country Resort  
 Victoria     Sunraysia Resort  
 Victoria Yarrawonga   Murray Valley Resort  


Queensland Bundaberg Don Pancho Beach Resort 

MANY THANKS!

Joyce


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## chubby (Oct 15, 2006)

Hi Joyce

I am going to ask are you a member of RCI they have a lot of extra vacation weeks in the Cairnes area or the Port Douglas area where you could spend a week Don Pancho resort is not near Cairnes and is not near the best part of the reef
Sydney you could do bus trips to the blue mountains look up 
http://www.viator.com (also)
http://www.grayline.com.au
these will give you prices of trips to drive in Sydney is not real good to find your way around and try to get use to driving on the other side the road all at the same time a hotel we use in Sydney is The Menzies it is in the heart of the city and you can get a train from the airport and get off at Wynyard station and just cross the street you are at the door to get the prices look up
http://www.accorhotels.com.au
They have other hotels all so in Melbourne we stay at Novatel on Collins it is in the centre of the city
The time share that is on the list you have that is the closest to Melbourne is Kyneton about an hour from the city we have stayed there it is in a bush setting just out of the town of Kyneton to get a better idear of it look up 
http://www.kynetontimeshare.com
The other way which I would do my self would be to do the Ocean Road and stay at motels or cabins in caravan parks for about $80.00 to $120.00 a night and take your time and not have to rush back to Kyneton as it is a big day to do it and go back there if you do it this way go from Warrnambool to the Grampians national and stay at Halls Gap there is day drives there and at night kangaroos and wild life come down out of the hills into the town from there go back to Ballarat an go to Sovereigh Hill gold mining Museum it has a sound and light show it is very good but dress warm it can be cold you could do this from Kyneton also if you stay there about 1 hour drive to Ballarat from there
The best way to get from Sydney to Melbourne is to fly
 Islands of the coast in the Whitsunday group whould most likely be Hamilton Island you fly in there and go by boat to the others I can get the prices for you if you like


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## PClapham (Oct 15, 2006)

Hello Chubby-We are also planning a trip to Australia in Oct.-could you list the resorts in the Cairns area available thru dae?

Jwerking-thanks for starting this thread-please let me know how your trip works out.  If you wish, I can email you the itinerary of a friend who spent 5 wks there last nov-spending more money than we have available.
Thanks
Anita


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## Jwerking (Oct 15, 2006)

PClapham said:
			
		

> Jwerking-thanks for starting this thread-please let me know how your trip works out.  If you wish, I can email you the itinerary of a friend who spent 5 wks there last nov-spending more money than we have available.
> Thanks
> Anita



Hi Anita:

I would love your friend's itinerary - but as you say, we could end up spending alot of money - esp. for a family of 4 since my other daughter also would like to go.  But it does help to have the FF tickets - as the tickets are about $1300 to $1500 each currently.  Ah well, whatever.  

Joyce


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## Jwerking (Oct 15, 2006)

chubby said:
			
		

> Hi Joyce
> 
> I am going to ask are you a member of RCI they have a lot of extra vacation weeks in the Cairnes area or the Port Douglas area



Hi Chubby:

Thank you for replying.  Yes, I am RCI and  II also.  I will check  RCI tomorrow as I did see weeks there yesterday - but the RCI system is down in the states today for maintenance.    I have read a bit about Cairns and Pt Douglas.  So Cairns is a larger city and more touristy and Pt. Douglas smaller and more laid- back.   Do all snorkeling trips leave from both locations?  

If so, may do Cairns, as my daughters are in their early 20s and would rather have "stuff" to do.  

Don't worry about checking out the islands yet.  I will let you know later after I work some details out about where and how long we want to stay at different places.    There is no way we can stay an extra week - as it is we will be gone from work almost 4 weeks.

Thanks for the info.

Joyce


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## jimbosee (Oct 15, 2006)

*jwerking.Australia trip 2007.*

jimbosee from Melbourne,Australia,here.Australia,like America,is a huge country,with only a fraction of the people in the States.We own at Nepean Country Club,The Bright Resort,and Don Pancho Beach Resort,all are pleasing resort's,but are not upmarket like say,Marriott.Nepean,is closest to Melbourne,of the resort's you mentioned,however,Worldmark have a resort at Ballarat,that has the advantage of being on a direct train line to Melbourne.Don Pancho is loverly,direct beach access,on the southernmost tip of the barrier reef,if staying there,request a sea view.Bright is in our mountains,they are only hills compared to your mountains,and if you are there in July,you will be in our ski season,near 3 ski resorts.Try and do a deal with your flight company for cheaper flights in Australia.I would love to be able to meet you in Melbourne and take you about,but my wife and I go to Bali for the winter Now if you can arrange to have Bali on your flight itinary,then you have someplace to stay.Hope this helps,as so many tuggers helped me for our USA trip 2006.Feel free to keep asking anything that you think will make your trip enjoyable.Regards             Jim Seedsman


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## chubby (Oct 16, 2006)

Hi all

Yes Jim the Nepean Country Club is the closest to the city but is on the wrong side of the bay to do the Great Ocean road and the ferry closes at 7.00 pm and that would mean a long drive through the city to get back to the resort 
The worldmark Ballarat is very good have stayed there it would be ok but still a big drive to do it all in a day
As there are 4 of you the cabins in caravan parks look ok to me for you they are not the flash bang type of accommodation just mostly 2 bedroom kitchen lounge type of thing main thing look before you take it as the time of year you will have plenty to choose from 2 web sites to look at
http://www.big4.com.au
http://www.toptouristparks.com.au
log on to some of these parks and see what they are for your self
Resorts in Cairns DAE do not have any I do not think
II have two Worldmark Cairns and Accor Premier Vacation Club in Palm Cove just north of Cairns 
The resorts RCI have is World Mark Cairns 7811
They also have rentals from Breakfree resorts and Wentworth resorts they have arrangment with these resorts that you can exchange or rent them on extra vacation at times the resorts are
Royal Habour resort 6189
Cairns Beach Resort 7112
Triligy  7811
Wentworth Trinity Links 8797 
There are also 4 resorts in Port Douglas it is smaller town then Cairns to get to the reef you can go from both places they the do diveing to snorkeling and glass bottom boats and some trips do a submarine dive where you sit in glass type submarine it takes about two hours to get out to the reef and they take to two or three places to see it and give you a lunch on the ones we have been on and you get back about 5 or 6 pm take your own mouth peace to put on your snorkel it is better then using the one someone had a chew on


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## Jwerking (Oct 16, 2006)

Okay Chubby and Jimbosee ( is it Jim) :

Thanks again for both of your great comments. 

I was able to access RCI online - it is back up and the resort available for rent is Wentworth Trinity Links 8797 in Cairns for $650 per week - great price.  Is this a better location for the Great Barrier Reef than Don Pancho (thru DAE)?  I like the fact that Don Rancho is on the beach.  But I guess there is more other stuff to do up in Cairns area such as white water rafting and such. 

Okay, some questions about these trips out to the reef for snorkeling.  So these are full day trips - leaving about 7 am and returning about 6 pm.  Can we get to the outer reefs (versus inner reefs) from Cairns?  How much time is actually spent snorkeling and are wet suits required since it will be July?  How much do these trips typically costs?

Now for the big question and I know I don't want to hear to answer because I keep seeing all the tour book warnings about "Queasy".   I assume the waters are typically pretty rough in these areas - so one is very likely to get sea sick - is that correct?

Guess I will have to bring lots of drugs.  I am really prone to motion sickness and often get sick on these snorkeling trips - sometimes to a point where I would rather be dead and be out of misery.  Wonder if a patch and dramamine both will do it - it would be miserable to be sick for 10 hrs on one of these trips.  

All more of a reason to stay on an island like Hamilton - where I can access some of the reefs from off the beach or at least somewhere closer by.  I have checked some of the tour books on the various islands.  Unfortunately, most are for the rich and famous and this is one time I wish I was a millionaire - but unfortunately am not.

Joyce


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## jimbosee (Oct 16, 2006)

*Australian trip 2007.*

Hi Joyce,
             My name is Jim,and your trip is slowly getting together.The distance between Cairns and Bundaburg is about 915 miles,on the other side of the road,and the other side of the car.I am sure you could manage,in June I drove myself,my wife,2 adult daughters,and a 16 yr old grandaughter,to The Grand Canyon and back,from Las Vegas,and I am 70,in 1day.If money is an object,and with us it always is,my suggestion is Brampton Island,(what do you think Chubby),about the middle of the reef,reasonable prices,and you can snorkle from the beach,also there is another island very close that you can walk to at low tide.Any where on the reef use some sort of shoe,to protect your feet against the corol.If you take a day package from Cairns to the reef,the seas,when we did it in August,were very calm,the water is warm all the time,and you can buy from a chemist,(drug store) a product called QUELLS,that will give you protection against motion sickness,also Ginger tablets.I will get some more information on Brampton Island and let you know.That is all for now Regards     Jim


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## jimbosee (Oct 16, 2006)

*Australian Trip 2007,con't*

Hi Joice,
            Jim back again,if you put into your search engine,   www.brampton-island.com   ,you will get a large amount of information about Brampton Island.Also we have a loverly tropical island,Magnetic Island,a short ferry ride from Townsville, which is about 215 miles south of Cairns.There is a time share there called Island Palms  #1480  RCI. Direct web is,www. islandpalms.net.A lot of farmers have time there and if you are lucky,you may get a rental week, if nothing else.I prefer Townsville to Cairns,but that's my choice.Hope this all helps,and not confuses you,keep asking any thing at all,e/mail me if you wish. Regards Jim Seedsman


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## Jwerking (Oct 16, 2006)

jimbosee said:
			
		

> Hi Joice,
> Jim back again,if you put into your search engine,   www.brampton-island.com   ,you will get a large amount of information about Brampton Island.Also we have a loverly tropical island,Magnetic Island,a short ferry ride from Townsville, which is about 215 miles south of Cairns.There is a time share there called Island Palms  #1480  RCI. Direct web is,www. islandpalms.net.A lot of farmers have time there and if you are lucky,you may get a rental week, if nothing else.I prefer Townsville to Cairns,but that's my choice.Hope this all helps,and not confuses you,keep asking any thing at all,e/mail me if you wish. Regards Jim Seedsman



Hi Jim:

Very nice to meet you.  I am jealous, I want to be retired and have endless time for vacationing.  Of course, I would not have endless money - so that would not likely work either.  Brompton Island is truly gorgeous - would be a real treat for us.  Let' s see, a family of 4 would be about $800 per day - ouch!  Guess we could do it for two or three nights.  Will give it some thought.  IS it anywhere close Arlie Beach on the Mainland?

Also, JIm, will it be warm enough further south in these areas from Cairns to enjoy the beach since this will be July and the middle of your winter?

Also, been checking airfares within Oz.  So airfares are about $250 ++ to go one-way from Melbourne to Mackay or Cairns - is that correct?  Does Quantas have an Airpass one can purchase for intra-Oz flights?  I don't have the option to add this internationally since I am planning to use FF tickets.  But maybe in the long run, it may be not worth using my FF miles if I end up paying a $1000 for intra-Oz fares per person.   Wow, this trip is getting more and more expensive if I have to pay $8K just for the airfares to get there.

Joyce


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## colamedia (Oct 16, 2006)

Jwerking said:
			
		

> All more of a reason to stay on an island like Hamilton - where I can access some of the reefs from off the beach or at least somewhere closer by.


It is still a long way out to the Reef from the Witsunday Islands (Hamilton is one of them).  It's so far out some of the islands have put in coral reefs so you can snorkle on the island (Daydream has).
Herron Island is a coral island, and you can literally walk off the beach into the coral. They've got quite a variety of accomodation from budget up (though the tarriff doesn't look budget, but it includes all meals, so it's not quite as outrageous as it looks).

As far as rough seas going out to the reef, they are usually relatively calm - you're between the reef and the land, the rougher sea is on the other side of the reef.  Also in July, you should have pretty good weather, Oct-April is the hurricane season when it can get rougher, July you normally don't encounter rough seas.


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## chubby (Oct 16, 2006)

Hi Joyce 

Yes it gets dearer and dearer the only thing is your exchange in money will help you trips to the reef if you look up viator there prices go from $80.00 to $200.00 per adult the sea sick thing have you tryed the seabands they are just a band that goes around your wrist with a button that goes in between the two sinues in your wrist it is a preshure point there my wife uses them all the time and never get sick now if she does feel it comming on she just shifts them small way up or down her wrist and comes good she now flys and goes cruiseing and never gets sick i thought it was all in the mind till last year we went on a cruise and had  rough day and had to wear a set came good in  a short time had to eat some words then i might tell you they only cost about $ 18.00 no drugs


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## Jwerking (Oct 18, 2006)

*Temperatures in South Reef area in July*

If I decide on one of the more southern islands  like the Whitsundays - is it warm enough in these area in July to enjoy the water and sun.  Or are the temperatures marginal this time of year in these areas and I would be alot safer further north in the Cairns area?

Also, is there much difference between the Port Douglas versus Cairns area?  Any comments would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,

Joyce


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## sage (Oct 18, 2006)

*Sydney & Cairns in July*

Hi again Joyce,
Congratulations for your daughter getting an exchange to Sydney Uni. It’s one of our finest.
My daughter goes there and is really happy with it.

I’ve been in Thailand for the last 10 days and I have just seen your post.
Here are some suggestions for Sydney and Cairns. I live in Sydney but have lived in, and visited, Cairns several times.

This information might be useful for anyone else who wants to visit OZ!
www.accorhotels.com.au have hot deals for last minute room rates at about half the usual price – these include apartments. They have hotels all over Australia.
www.jetstar.com.au is our budget airline owned by Qantas. They have some of the cheapest rates around and you can book in advance.


_*Sydney*_Sorry to tell you but you are arriving right in the middle of our winter school holidays (30th June – 15th July for NSW / Sydney). Most people try to head up north during this time to get some sun so Cairns can be quite expensive and flights hard to get unless you book ahead.
If you stay in the city you have easy access to all the city attractions. If you can’t get timeshare accommodation, a serviced apartment may be the best way to go. Accor hotels (Mercure Serviced Apartments) have some at Broadway which is just near the main campus for Sydney Uni. It is about a 5 minute bus or train ride to Circular Quay for the ferries around Sydney Harbour and right next to Central Station. From here you can catch a country train up to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains for a day trip. This is far cheaper than a coach tour.  Driving would take you a couple of hours each way. If you are not confident driving on our side of the road, take the train!
Central is also about a 5 minute walk to China Town in Haymarket and Paddy’s Markets (Thurs – Sun). It is a lot busier at night than some of the downtown hotels. It is also an easy walk to Darling Harbour.
You can buy a weekly train ticket or if in the city – a city hopper which allows you to get on and off at the stations in the city circle for most of the day.
You can buy a combined train/ferry/Taronga Zoo ticket from any station. 

_*Cairns*_
Best place to see the reef and lots to do! You daughters will
The last few times I was there I stayed at the Novotel At Palm Cove. I think it is called the Novotel Rockford now. It has APVC apartments with II. Great resort and beautiful location – on a beach with 10 pools and organized activities if you want a lazy day at the resort. You can also rent them out if you don’t want to do an exchange. It is about 25 minutes out of Cairns city but all tours pick up from the hotels. It had a night club when we were there and several restaurants.
Cairns has a casino – legal age for casino & drinking is 18.
There is a shopping centre nearby and a local bus service outside the front of the resort. It is also quite safe to walk around Palm Cove at night – some nice little restaurants on the beach.
Swimming is safe at the beach in July – no stingers.
Port Douglas is too far from Cairns and so tour prices reflect the extra traveling time. It is also more expensive. We have stayed in one of bungalows at the caravan park on the beach. Very clean and reasonable rates. 
_Tours_
Reef tours – some go to the Low Isles others do an island, and then go on to Green Island. They nearly all have their own pontoons anchored out on the reef. Tours pick you up about 7 or 8 am and return you to your hotel at around 6pm. They give you a great seafood lunch and you have lots of time to go snorkeling. It is a great day - just take plenty of sunscreen.
Kuranda – catch a gondola up the mountain, visit Kuranda markets in the rainforest then catch the train back to Cairns.
Daintree Rainforest – you travel up to Port Douglas then to the Daintree (World Heritage listed). You can have a boat trip up the Daintree River and watch the crocodiles.
Atherton Tablelands – there are a couple of beautiful freshwater lakes (Lake Eacham & Lake Barrine), a massive curtain fig tree, Barron Falls and miles of beautiful rainforest.

A lot of information to consider. Good luck deciding where to go.

Cheers,
Gillian


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## chubby (Oct 18, 2006)

Hi Joyce

you seem to be a little un decided as to where to go the Whitsunday Islands they are ok if you like sitting on the sand and socking up the sun or around the pool or taking a boat trip some where the food you go only to the same places to eat all the time if you get what I mean

Cairns the only draw back to this city is there is no beach there you will have to drive north or south to get a beach and all along that part of Australia there is no surf as the waves break out on the reef and it is a type of a lagoon in from the reef 
Cairns you will have more to do and see and places to eat and it will cost less than the Islands stay 
From Cairns you can take trips to the reef or go to Dunk Island or Green Island there is an under water Walk through observoty on Green island drives north and south to beachs and drives into the hills and a train trip up to Kuranda and go on the cablecar over the tree tops down to Cairns
Port Douglas is more quieter than Cairns and smaller and when you have two younger people with you it might be a bit slow for them 
It will be warm all the time in Cairns you only need a pullover on at night some times so the water is warm all the time in that part of Australia at that time of year


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## Jwerking (Oct 19, 2006)

*University Exchange Program*

Hi Gillian ( Sage):

I was mistakenly about Univ of Sydney - she is going to Univ of New South Wales - is that correct?  Perhaps your daughter could answer some questions about the availability of ST housing in the city for college kids.  I have told her to just live in campus housing for the few months ( provided she can get in) - but she insists on trying to find an available sublet in an apt.  Will this be impossible?  The school is suggesting arriving a few weeks early to look for available housing - personally I think she is being naive.  Any thoughts or commets that you may have would be most appreciated.

Okay, I am set to go to the Cairns area and will likely be there when all the kiddies are out of school unless I can get my FF seats changed (they are still on hold).  I checked online for rentals and will likely just rent an apt by the beach for our week there.  There is Wentworth Trinity Links available in the RCI vacation rentals for reasonable price - but it is not close to beach.   If I am only going to be there one time - may as well enjoy myself- and I love beach!!

By any chance, as an owner at APVC, would you be able to get me a discount on rentals at the Palm Cove resort.  Also, some of the rental units are on Yorkeys Knob beach instead of Palm Cove.  Do you have a preference and is Yorkeys Knob ok?

Thank you,

Joyce


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## sage (Oct 19, 2006)

*Sydney & Cairns in July*

Joyce,
Uni of NSW is in Kensington. The wwhole area is full of units (apartments) that are mainly rented to students. She should have no problem getting a shared rental but on campus would probably be cheaper. Yoiur daughter may have to start looking early in January as vacancies fill fast. It is a huge uni and is about 15 - 20 minutes from the city by bus.

Cairns is definitely a better choice for you. Yorkeys Knob has a nice beach 2 or 3 beaches south and, if I remember, is part of a residential area. 
If you can stay ay Palm Cove the apartments are part of a really big, well organised resort. When we were there they had heaps of activities like bikes, squash, tennis, aquarobics, gym, bars, restaurants and organised pool-side bingo. At night they had a mock casino night, toad races, trivia night and nightclub. These activities are good as they are fun, cheap and kids of all ages (4-84) can have fun & join in.
Also a lot of tours only pick up from large hotels so you may need to travel from Yorkeys Knob into Cairns to get picked up for day trips.

I will ring up APVC in the next couple of days to find out the prices. I'll get back to you.

Gillian


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## Coocoojay (Oct 19, 2006)

*3 weeks is not enough time...some thoughts*

There is plenty of good advice in the posts above. We spent 3 months in OZ and enjoyed every minute check out http://www.cjreese.net/AustraliaAdventure/index.html
-Most motels have kitchen facilities-frig, stove/microwave, dishes. They give you fresh milk when you check in--for your tea (coffee). Guest houses are a great option too, the one we stayed in Cairns was fantastic. Time share not a real advantage.
-I was rather disappointed with the barrier reef of the coast of Cairns--see pictures above. The Virgin Islands offers much more. Maybe other places better, but Cairns is a great departure point,.
-Don't try to do too much, adsorb the culture a little.
-The coast road between Sydney and Melbourne is a very beautiful 2 day drive. The penguins are great to see in the evening--100km from Melbourne.
-Cairns is pronounced "cans".
-Each community has wonderful manned tourist information centers that can provide all sorts of local information. They can give you lots of personal attention. Most of them are retired Australians who love doing it.
-Try to get your daughter into a residential college or International House. In addition to food and lodging they usually provide speakers (from Australian, local and foreign governments, academics, as well as industrialists) and supplemental tutoring (think English college system). The other students are both local and foreign. She will have something in common with a smaller group of people in a very large university. I spent a year at the University of Melbourne in 1964 and stayed in International House there. I got to visit kids homes (one really in the outback) both in Australia and Asia. This apartment experience isn't any different than here and you won't become as personally connected with the University or Australians.
-I want to go too


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## GetawaysRus (Oct 19, 2006)

Jwerking said:
			
		

> ?
> 
> Also, been checking airfares within Oz.  So airfares are about $250 ++ to go one-way from Melbourne to Mackay or Cairns - is that correct?  Does Quantas have an Airpass one can purchase for intra-Oz flights?  I don't have the option to add this internationally since I am planning to use FF tickets.  But maybe in the long run, it may be not worth using my FF miles if I end up paying a $1000 for intra-Oz fares per person.   Wow, this trip is getting more and more expensive if I have to pay $8K just for the airfares to get there.
> 
> Joyce



My wife and I recently returned from a 3 week trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti.  Here's a comment about flights.  If you are an American Airlines frequent flyer, you can get AAdvantage miles on Qantas.  However, there are a number of discount airlines in Australia.  Check into pricing with Virgin Blue and also with Jetstar.  That might save some money.  We were on several Virgin Blue flights during our trip - no problems.


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## colamedia (Oct 20, 2006)

Jwerking said:
			
		

> she is going to Univ of New South Wales - is that correct?  Perhaps your daughter could answer some questions about the availability of ST housing in the city for college kids.  I have told her to just live in campus housing for the few months ( provided she can get in) - but she insists on trying to find an available sublet in an apt.  Will this be impossible?  The school is suggesting arriving a few weeks early to look for available housing - personally I think she is being naive.


UNSW is correct, I went there.  There is limited accomodation on campus, but since your daughter is only going for 6months, I would imagine students planning on doing the full year would have priority for the on campus housing.
Availability of housing around the uni, yes it is available, is it affordable?  Not really.  The UNSW area is quite expensive these days.  Your daughter will have a challenging time finding accomodation, not impossible, but challenging, particularly since she probably won't have a car, she will be trying to figure out public transport, the money and trying to be presentable for share accomodation grilling - due to demand, people can be choosey.
The uni does have a listing of available student accomodations, but trying to find something suitable could be difficult.  The fact she is only going for 6 months will make her less attractive to most households - even though people move in and out of student accomodation all year, at the start of the year, everyone is hoping to find someone for the whole year so they don't have to go through the whole process again. It won't be easy.  I'd be trying to organise on campus accomodation if at all possible, regardless of what the uni is saying. 

It's a big university, not all campuses are actually around the uni, some are 1hr away by public transport, it depends on what faculty she is with - most Art and Education for a start are elsewhere.  The main campus is long and relatively narrow, there are bus routes at either end, but if she moves in on the eastern side of the campus and her faculty is on the western side of the campus, it could still be quite a walk across the campus (I used to live on a bus route that went to the western side, but most of my subjects were up the hill on the eastern side, had to allow an extra 20-30min to get there some mornings)

She'll need whereis.com.au to see where things are and sydneybuses.info for bus routes, sydneybuses.info/commonpdfs/sydneybuses/map/universitymaps/UNSW_busservices.pdf shows the routes around the uni. "Short walk to The Spot" indicated on that map is 10-15min for a uni student - 15-20min for desk bound adult  and it is level, there is a hill between middle and upper campus, about where the SW of UNSW is   "Short walk to Nine Ways" is even further. The UNSW Express Buses are limited to term time and run along High St, so they cover the full length of the uni.  There are no train stations within walking distance of the uni.


but back to your holiday.......
Trinity Links is on a golf course on the outskirts of Cairns, as far away from the coast as you can get on the outskirts of Cairns, but it has got a nice pool.  With the amount of activities/tours available you may find what is actually at the resort is unimportant beyond will tours pick you up from there, but I think not all tours will collect you from Trinity Links.....  It has long term owners and timeshare and rental units, so it isn't really resort type accomodation.

There are things like gilligansbackpackers.com.au it would be lively, but could be an option....  Your daughter(s) would probably love it. You could get a 4 bed dorm for the 4 of you, suffer it for a few days while you do a lot of tours, then stay somewhere less frenetic (and possibly more expensive) for the reminder of your time.  The spa at Gilligan's is reportedly very good.
Check cairnsinfo.com for rentals, and have a look at the link to the Daintree accomodation from there - that could be the less frenetic option....


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## Jwerking (Oct 20, 2006)

*Disappointed with the Reef*



			
				Coocoojay said:
			
		

> -I was rather disappointed with the barrier reef of the coast of Cairns--see pictures above. The Virgin Islands offers much more. Maybe other places better, but Cairns is a great departure point,.
> -Don't try to do too much, adsorb the culture a little.
> -The coast road between Sydney and Melbourne is a very beautiful 2 day drive. The penguins are great to see in the evening--100km from Melbourne.
> 
> ...



Thank everyone for all the great information - Tuggers are GREAT  

Wow, I am really disappointed that you were not impressed with the reef - it is one of my primary reasons for going.  I did look at your pictures and the one taken either from the boat or pontoon shows quite a bit of wave action.  I am really prone to motion sickness - and just looking at this picture - I know I would be ill.  Can you please comment on the amount of wave action on the way out/back and on the pontoon.  

I would love to spend 3 months - what a vacation that was for the both of you.  Maybe in a few years when we retire - but then we would not have the $$$.  

I was planning on the Blue Mountains - but last night read in a tour book that there is sometimes snow there bet. June and Sept - and we will be there in July - dead of winter.  So may reconsider that one when I saw your wife all wrapped up trying to be warm in sweats when you should have real winter coats.  Same thing for the Great Coast Road in the Melbourne area - it will be cold.  But the penguins at Philip Islands are probably back on after I saw your pictures.

Do you have a place specifically to recommend for viewing roos and Koala bears?

I will strongly encourage my daughter to do the on campus housing.  I truly think that she would have an easier time meeting other people that way - but she somehow does not think so.  And you know that we parents are the last ones that know anything.  

Joyce


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## sage (Oct 20, 2006)

*Roos & Koalas*

Hi Joyce,
Hope you got my email with the prices for Cirns accommodation.

You can see roos & koalas in Sydney at Featherdale Wildlife Park. It is in the north western suburbs and is easily accessible by car. I'm pretty sure that there are day tours there. Otherwise, try Taronga Zoo. It is a short ferry ride from the city and is on the harbour foreshores. It has spectacular views of the harbour and has many other native animals as well.

The Blue Mountains has a couple of days of snow each year. Temps are generally around 10-15 C or 50-59 F. The views are worth the trip.

Barrier Reef - We've been twice. One day it was a little rough & choppy but the other it was very calm. Plan to book your tour for the first day there and change it if the weather is not going to be good. Travelcalm tablets will alleviate seasickness. Once you are out at the pontoon you will spend most of the time in the water so if it is choppy it won't matter. The other choice would be a day trip to Green Island. The reef goes almost up to the shore, you can snorkel & still be near terra firma.

Get your daughter to email the uni to find out where on campus she will be taking classes and if they can arrange campus accommodation for her. The earlier she does this the more chance she has of being allocated a room.

Gillian


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## Aussie girl (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi Joyce,

Sage has given you some great ideas. I grew up in Queensland and have been to Cairns many times. Our whole family suffers from travel sickness so I can sympathize. 
Our last trip to Cairns in 2002 we chose www.oceanspirit.com.au. They have beautiful sailing catamarans. We did feel sick as it was a very rough day but the great thing is they take you to a tiny little coral cay in the middle of the reef so you actually can snorkel off shore. It felt great to be on land.
We have stayed on Fitzroy island (bunk house, very cheap)and had great snorkeling, Green Island not so good. The best snorkeling we have found was on Lady Elliott Island off the coast of Bundaberg. 

I know you have FF's on hold but have you seen the Aussie airpass on www.Australia.com

Good luck with your planning. 

Donna


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## Coocoojay (Oct 20, 2006)

*Not like the cold of Northern Virginia*

-The Blue Mtns are still good to see, just a day trip from Sydney. Yes the winds were cold. We went on through to the Snowy Mtns and visited Canberra. It got below freezing but no snow. The winters along the coast are like California winters---generally pleasant 5-60s.

-Cairns is the warm area. The great barrier reef is very long and finally comes close to shore at Cairns, but still a 2+ hour catamaran boat ride (very stable platform). There may be other tour trips that have better snorkeling.

-Here is a web site for your daughter that might help her sort out housing http://www.international.unsw.edu.au/future/sydney/sydneyhousing.html
I still think the residential colleges are great, they are more like fraternities and apartments than dorms. But of course I am a guy who doesn't want to cook, worry about furniture or get along with a room mate-point to where I sleep and ring the bell when there is food!


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## Jwerking (Oct 20, 2006)

Coocoojay said:
			
		

> [/url]
> I still think the residential colleges are great, they are more like fraternities and apartments than dorms. But of course I am a guy who doesn't want to cook, worry about furniture or get along with a room mate-point to where I sleep and ring the bell when there is food!



LOL, you said it, eat and sleep!  Us gals do like a little more in the way of some social interaction with the roomies.

Thanks, everyone again.  I will take the time to look this over closely this weekend and do MORE research.  

Yes, I did consider the Aussie Pass for airfare - but the thought of laying out $8k of airfare for 4 of us - would psychologically hold me back from more free spending when we are there.  I know that FF tickets aren't free - but they did not costs me anywhere need $8K.  

Joyce


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## colamedia (Oct 22, 2006)

There are some concerns with The Reef, and most reefs in general with global warming - there are areas fo coral bleaching - the water is just getting to warm for the coral.  But there are also areas that are unaffected, slightly deeper/different current/whatever, also every now and then, there will be Crown of Thorn starfish going through an area, but it's been quite a while since it's been a huge outbreak.  Different operators got to different areas on the reef.  Do ask if the area they go do has been affected by coral bleaching or Crown of Thorns, and that the coral is in good health in the area they go to.  The first time I went out to the refe, it was in the middle of a big crown of thorns outbreak, and the coral was basically just grey and slimey and dead, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about, but on most subsequent trips I've seen coral like you are meant to see.
I've done a day trip on Quicksilver quicksilver-cruises.com big boat, very smooth, and you get to view the coast.

Cold in Australia is chilly, not freezing, the Great Ocean Road, you just need to make sure whatever you wear is wind-proof - the wind comes straight up from Antarctica, the wind chill factor is the cold thing.
The Blue Mountains hardly ever snows, and when it does it's the type of snow that almost always will melt within an hour or so - you won't go up there and find it all white, once or twice a year it will be slushy grey, once every ten years or so it will be proper snow, (a whole inch!!!!) but it will be gone very quickly


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## Jwerking (Nov 5, 2006)

*Trip is a GO*

Okay, just got back from Aruba for a week - first time there, weather was warmer than I would have thought - but enjoyed by time of vegging out on the beach reading my book.  

Frequent flyer tickets are booked for the 4 of us - I was able to add the flight from Sydney to Cairns as part of ticket.  Left the return from Sydney- as we will likely have to go back and get my daughter's stuff together from the uni.  Here are the plans:

*Sydney*:  Arrive 8am on July 5th (Thursday)- will stay for 3 days and leave Sunday- July 8th for Cairns 

We have a flight from 1pm to 4pm - kind of blows the whole day, I think I have an option of a morning flight leaving at about 8 am- what do you guys think - my girls will hate me- but gives us time to get ourselves acclimated up in the Cairns area.  How far in advance do we have to check in for Quantas domestic flight and how long from CBD to airport?

*Port Douglas:*  Stay from July 8 to 15 - after reading the TripAdvisor Forum, I decided on this location over Palm Cove since it is closer to the reef (since we tend to get seasick) and sounds like more restaurants, etc. - but still a rather small town.  Will just pay for the $$ to stay in a 2 BR/2bath apt close to beach and town.  

Any comments on Port Douglas?  Would appreciate comments on a need for a rental car - it looks like it would not be that much more after paying for airport transfers for 4 people and allow us to do some of your own touring - like going to the rainforest.  How far is it to the rainforest - is this a very full all day trip?  

*Melbourne and ???: *  Here is where I need some suggestions.  We will have 2 full weeks after Cairns.  Should I spend a few more days in the Cairns area - any suggestions?  

Should I allow a full week in the Melbourne area?  Right now I have this resort on hold through RCI's Vacation Offers - a 2 br for only $600 US - supposely on the Ocean Road in Lorne.  

Erskine on the Beach  (#8414) - what do you guys think?

Looks like a great resort - but would it be convenient for also doing the Penguin Island?  Is there alot of other stuff to do in the area or would I be making alot of long day trips?  My other option is Kyneton Bushland Resort - a bit cheaper at $320 US for the week.  What is there to do in this area?  What do you guys think?  Or we could just do hotels, etc. along the way (not all the daytripping) and also spend some time in Melbourne itself.  Since this is not a prime vacation time in the south - should be able to get some more reasonably priced last min. hotel rooms.  


I am planning on 2 or 3 nights in Sydney at the end (Leaving on July 29) to do the Blue Mountains.  Should we just spend the night up in the Blue Mountains after taking the train up or do a day trip?

Thanks for any thoughts everyone!

Joyce


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## Jwerking (Nov 5, 2006)

*Car rental companies & Intra-Oz airfares*

Any suggestions on car rental companies for Cairns AP and Melborne AP?  Do you Aussie's have local companies that may be cheaper than the standard US ones like Budget, Avis, etc?

Also, should I book my intra-oz airfares now or will there be sales at some point where it will be cheaper?  

Jetstar fares are $239 each right now from Cairns to Melbourne from July 15 to July 17 (SUN to Tues) and drops to $164 on Wed. July 18th.  

Fares are cheap from Melbourne to Sydney - about $80.  No problem there.  BUt I have to fly into Melbourne Tullamarine and out of Melbourne Avalon - is that going to be a problem with the rental car???

Thanks,

Joyce


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## chubby (Nov 5, 2006)

Hi Joyce

This is a very quick note i will get back to night I would not book Eskine house as Lorne is very quiet at that time of year some of the shops and restuarants will be closed it is a summer town Eskine house is very good to stay in but to see things along the great Ocean road you would have to wind your way back to your accommodation best to get motels or cabin or apartment type of accommodation along the way and that time of year you should just walk in and get it but look before you take we all do and you should be able to get the appartments or cabins for about $130.00AUS which is about $100.00 US that is two bedroom cabins I will get back to you tonight with more info


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## chubby (Nov 6, 2006)

Hi again Joyce

As I have said to stay in Lorne for a week you would not  find a lot to  do at that time of year to get to Phillip Island where the penguins come in at night is on the east side of Melbourne I would go and stay a night there and see the show BUT DRESS WARM as it can be cold if south wind is blowing then go to Sorrento Catch the Car ferry and go acoss to Queenscliff the ferry goes on the hour these towns are at the tip of Port Phillip Bay from there you will start the  Great Ocean Road and go at your leasher and see the sites along the way go as far as Warrnambool or Port Fairy and go back to Melbourne the in land Highway there should be accommodation all the way at that time year so you could take your pick
Sydney CDB to the airport by taxie3/4 of an hour but peak hour give an extra 1/2 hour cost $30.00 to $50.00 the time if it was me I would take the 8.00AM flight it will give you time Cairns to get to Port Douglas before dark as it will get dark about 5.30pm at that time of year the Dantree rain forest is about 50KLS north of Port Douglas there is lots of drives in the hills behind Cairns

I would stay that extra day and get the $164.00 price for the air fair it looks good to me with Jetstar you must get to the airport and book in 1 hour before your flight or you will not get on

Car hire we have Avis ,Budjet, Thrifty,Hertz, and Europcar they are the major hire rentals and you should be able rent at Tullamarine and drop of at Avalon it might cost a  fee you would have to look into this

The Kyneton timeshare is ok to stay at we have stayed there it is an hour drive to Melbourne or go by train  and about the same to the cities of Bendigo and Ballarat but it would be one hell of a long day to do the Ocean Road and get back to Kyneton
Back to Sydney to take the train to the BlueMountains you would have to do a lot of walking to see the sites get a bus tour from the city and do a day tour and do take a ferry on the bay from Circular Quay where you catch them hope this helps you ask more if you want I will be over your way some day and beleive I will do a lot of asking


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## Jwerking (Nov 6, 2006)

chubby said:
			
		

> Hi again Joyce
> 
> 
> Back to Sydney to take the train to the BlueMountains you would have to do a lot of walking to see the sites get a bus tour from the city and do a day tour and do take a ferry on the bay from Circular Quay where you catch them hope this helps you ask more if you want I will be over your way some day and beleive I will do a lot of asking



Thank you, Chubby, for the prompt reply and information as always.  Have you not been to the States yet?  We live in the DC area - so you should come visit the Nation's capital - lots of FREE sightseeing here.  There is no charge for the Smithsonian Musuems and Monuments - not the case in other cities of the World or for that matter - other cities in the US.  We are spoiled.  Best time to come is Sept/Oct - pretty quiet and weather is fine esp. in Oct.  It can still be very warm and humid in Sept.  There is a Fairfield timeshare that is on our subway line and very convenient for sightseeing. 

You are 3 to 4 hr to East Coast beaches and Williamsburg - the first seat of Gov't of the 13 original colonies.  Lots of timeshares in Williamsburg - also has a large amusement park there (Busch Gardens/Water Country).   But I must admit that East coast beaches are nothing to brag about.

Anyway, I think we will just do hotel stays along our route in the Melbourne area.  My sister-in-law and her husband insisted that we should do New Zealand with our extra time.  I am looking into airfares- should have checked this option out earlier.  But it may be too cold in New Zealand in July - and I don't want to ski. 

Joyce


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## colamedia (Nov 6, 2006)

The North Island of NZ is cold in July, snow is rare, BUT it can be windy and wet, and variable.  Last time I was in Auckland in July, they had the bridge you head north on closed in the early morning, but it was open by 8am, still wild and windy, and raining.  Less than an hour north it was calm and sunny.  You may get a week of rotten weather, you may get a week of just cold weather.  Wellington on the south side of the North Island is WINDY almost all the time in winter. Snow doesn't happen often on the North Island.
The South Island is where the snow fields are, and that is where you will encounter snow, the snow fields are at the southern end of the island, but you get that miserable kind of snow up towards the north of the South Island.  You could probably almost manage a week on the North Island without worry about the South Island, the North Island is much more gentle rolling hills type scenery with lots of sheep (think Lord of the Rings Hobbit land), the South Island is all the jagged mountains.


Just to confuse you even more....  maybe you should think of Ullaru (Ayers Rock) and Kakadu rather than NZ?

I think 2 weeks around Melbourne in July is a bit much, one week probably would be enough. Considering your first 3 days in Sydney will be 2 days of jetlag and adjusting to the cars on the other side of the road,  you'll probably wish you had a bit more time in Sydney at the end than just 2 or 3 days which has to include a Blue Mountains trip (do it as a paid organised day trip from Sydney, rather than get the train up there yourself and try to find your way around, it's easy to miss seeing what you should be seeing if you're trying to do it yourself)

Lorne isn't THAT close to Melbourne, 90miles. Lorne to Phillip Island going by the Queencliffe ferry is about 150miles, but the ferry doesn't run late during the winter, you'd have to go back via Melbourne, which is only a bit further at about 170 miles. At that time of year, as chubby says, you're probably better off just packing up each day and finding somewhere to stay when you get there.  Though I would recommend you either book Saturday night in advance, or get somewhere for Fri/Sat - there is quite a bit of weekend demand from Melbourne.


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## Jwerking (Nov 7, 2006)

Thank you, Colamedia, New Zealand is out.  Sorta reminds me of Wales - it seems you could literally reach out and touch the sleeps on the rolling hills.  I was very lucky because last year this time as I was in the UK for 3 months for work on an Auditor Exchange Program.  I work for the US Gov't and was working for the British Gov't there - very interesting.  Got to meet a bunch of the Tuggers while I was there - great people!  

And yes, I hate driving on the left hand side of the road esp. with the roads being so narrow in the UK.   BTW, what side of the car are your steering wheels on - please say the left - but I know it is likely the right side.  I actually ended up leasing a Peoguet when I was there - thus had steering wheel on the left, a tiny car, and an automatic to boot.  All the luxuries of the USA.  At least, all your rental cars there appear to be Automatic.  Hubby and I can drive manual - but it is scary in the mountain areas- very nerve racking when you are not accustomed to driving one. 

We did change our flight from Sydney to Cairns - leaving about 9:30 am and getting there about 12:30.  So not too early for my 2 princesses.

I think we will stay in the Cairns area for a few extra day and spend maybe about 5 or 6 days in the Melbourne area. Will look into spending a extra day or two in Sydney at the end. 

It kinda scared me yesterday reading about the rainforest in the tour book yesterday.  Something about 2 types of plants that have thorns or something that are very painful and you cannot get unhooked.  How are we to know what these PLANTS look like?  And Crocs - yikes!  

Joyce


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## colamedia (Nov 7, 2006)

Jwerking said:
			
		

> At least, all your rental cars there appear to be Automatic.  Hubby and I can drive manual - but it is scary in the mountain areas- very nerve racking when you are not accustomed to driving one.


Erm, not all rental cars are automatic, the small cheap ones are usually manual, BUT for 3 or 4 adults, I'm assuming you're looking at a mid-large sized rental and they are almost always automatic. 

Steering wheels is on the right, like UK.  I drive a manual all the time.  I find driving a manual on the other side pretty well impossible, admittedly most of my manual on the other side was long distance freeway driving which was OK on the freeway, but every time I'd got to stop or start, I'd be winding the car window down rather than grabbing the gear stick, I never managed to get past winding the window down, if I'd perservered for longer I probably would've managed it, but it didn't feel like I'd manage it quickly....

If you do drive on teh Great Ocean Road, do it on a weekday, rather than the weekend - less traffic, so you can drive slower.  Heading from Melbourne west, you'll be on the water side of the road, and it is windy and hilly, a bit like around Big Sur, spectacular scenery, but could be a bit nerve wrecking.  At least you're doing Melbourne after Cairns, so you'll be a bit more comfortable with the other side of the road.

Don't worry about the scary rainforest plants.  You won't be trecking through unexplored rainforest (it's too thick to consider that), you'll be keeping to the tourist paths and walkways, there are a lot of elevated walkways, some even in the treetops so you can see where most of the life is, up in the tree canopy.  That type of place will have scary plants well controlled   As for crocs, if you see a sign saying there are crocs, don't go in the water, and don't lie down on the river bank.  They're about as dangerous as alligators in the Everglades, ignore the signs, go wrestle an alligator, yes you'll probably be in trouble, same for crocodiles, just be sensible.   At least you're not going to Cairns in the stinger jellyfish season (Oct-Apr), one less thing to worry about


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## Jwerking (Nov 8, 2006)

colamedia said:
			
		

> Erm, not all rental cars are automatic, the small cheap ones are usually manual, BUT for 3 or 4 adults, I'm assuming you're looking at a mid-large sized rental and they are almost always automatic.
> 
> Steering wheels is on the right, like UK.  I drive a manual all the time.  I find driving a manual on the other side pretty well impossible, admittedly most of my manual on the other side was long distance freeway driving which was OK on the freeway, but every time I'd got to stop or start, I'd be winding the car window down rather than grabbing the gear stick, I never managed to get past winding the window down, if I'd perservered for longer I probably would've managed it, but it didn't feel like I'd manage it quickly....



The stick shift on the wrong side is why I ended up leasing a French car in the Uk.  Honestly, I was truly stressing myself to the grave thinking about having to pick up a car at Heathrow - steering wheel and stick on the wrong side - driving on the wrong side - not knowing where I was going - traffic & congestion - narrow roads - round abouts - did I leave anything out?  

Okay, you have me worried - how narrow are the roads on the Ocean Road?  Although windy and hilly are not great - it truly would be extremely stressful if they are really narrow.  Maybe, under the circumstances, it would be best to drive east to west, at least, we would not fall into the ocean!

Joyce


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## chubby (Nov 8, 2006)

Hi again

The road is two lane with a safty rail along the side of the road I have driven it many times go from east to west and you can easy pull over to the many look outs with out going across the white line to get to them I would go on a week day less traffic take your time and if the trafic builds up behind you pull over to the places where you can and let them go by many do this 

This road is safe and has plenty of room for two car to pass it has a white line down the middle just take your time and enjoy it


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## Jwerking (Nov 10, 2006)

chubby said:
			
		

> Hi again
> 
> The road is two lane with a safty rail along the side of the road I have driven it many times go from east to west and you can easy pull over to the many look outs with out going across the white line to get to them I would go on a week day less traffic take your time and if the trafic builds up behind you pull over to the places where you can and let them go by many do this
> 
> This road is safe and has plenty of room for two car to pass it has a white line down the middle just take your time and enjoy it



Thank you, Chubby, I feel better.  So the lookouts are on the right side of the road- interesting, they are usually on the ocean side in other parts of the world.  Is there typically adequate parking at the lookouts?  

So what do you think of this?  We fly into Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon, we can drive down to Phillips Island to spend the night and see the penguins.  Do the penguins make their 8pm march in the winter also?  I truly do not get this - these guys are in the wild right - how do they make the poor things do the march every night at the appointed time?

Looks like I cannot get to Melbourne until 2 pm on the cheaper flight from Cairns - does this give me enough time to drive down to Phillips - how long to drive?  We can back track the next day (Thursday) and do other sightseeing in the area before taking the ferry over to the Ocean Road side.   Will then spend the night in that area - please suggest a city - and do the Ocean Road drive on Friday.  

Will it take us a full day to do the Ocean Drive?  Where would you suggest we spend the night on the western end?

Of course, if the weather is not cooperating, we will have to have backup plans.  Read a trip report on the Trip Advisor forum and the individual stated that it rained the entire 3 or 4 days while in the Melborne area - so they just stayed in the city and did not attempt to do Phillips, Ocean Road, etc.

I know you suggested to get hotel reservations in advance for Melbourne city over the weekend.  But should I be okay if we just do last minute or walk ups for hotels/caravan park cabins in the tourist areas since it is winter?

Thanks again.

Joyce


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## Sydney (Nov 11, 2006)

The lookouts are all along the ocean side as I recall.

The drive from Melbourne airport to Phillip Island should take you about 2hrs (outside of peak hour). The wild penguins come in from a full day of fishing after dark so in Winter, it won't be 8pm, more like around 6pm. They generally guess what time the penguins would come depending on the time of sunset. This will be displayed on a board for you so you know when to turn up. It's best to go to the Penguin Parade pavillion to see the likely weather and time penguins are expected, and then drive a minute away to the boardwalk where the blowhole and the Nobbies, to while away the time until the penguin parade starts.

The closest town to the Twelve Apostles is Port Campbell which is in the opposite direction to Melbourne (West). There are quite a few sites if you do a quick google search on the Great Ocean Road which will tell you everything you need to know. In July, accommodation is very cheap and you do not need to book ahead.

If you want to stay in Melbourne city, just look up http://www.wotif.com.au for cheap last minute availability. No need to book in advance. You get better prices booking last minute.


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## chubby (Nov 11, 2006)

Hi

The look outs are on the left side of the road you will just have pull up on the side of the road in the parks most have plenty of room to park in for up to six to ten cars 
Sydney has given you good advice about the penguins if it is a cold wet day when you get to Melbourne I would give it a miss but the Ocean Road do go on it  towns along the way you can stay at are Lorne,  Apollo Bay, Port Cambell it is smaller then the others and Warrnambool it is the biggest town to stay at you could go on to Port  Fairy it is an old town where a lot of people landed in the early days of Australia 
When hireing a car at Melbourne ask about getting a etag with your car it is a device to take the tolls on the tollway from the airport to the city you can pay these tolls at post offices the next day thay will tell you but do ask about it

To get accommodation in the major citys we use 
http://www.quickbeds .com
http://www.accorhotels.com.au
I would not pre book along the ocean road just pull in you should get plenty at that time of year In Melbourne you could book at any time when you think you are getting good deal just do not pick The Victoria Hotel in Little Collins street as it is very old if that is the word

Back up planes for Melbourne I would go on the ocean road because if the sea is rough it will very good to see just the same stay the night in Warrnambool and go to the Grampians National  park it is about 3 hours drive north of Warrnambool stay at the little town of Halls Gap there is lots of drives and walks though the hills and in the evening the Aussie wild life come down out of the hills into the town you will see kangaroos in the town in the evening  from there you could take the road to go back to Melbourne through the gold towns of Ararat and Ballarat and go and see the major tourist thing we have on the gold rush it is called Sovereign Hill it is very good it has a sound and light show at night and plenty to see in the day time

The best veiw of Melbourne you will get is up the Rialto Tower there is an observation  look out up there it is on the corner or King and Little Flinders street and you could do a cruise up the Yarra River you get them near the Crown Casino


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## Jwerking (Nov 11, 2006)

Thank you, Chubby and Sydney:

I spent almost the entire day today reading up on your suggestions on the Ocean Road and Grampian Nat. Park.  It was actually a beautiful day here today - an Indian summer day - sunny and in the 70s F - so sat in by back yard and read the tour books.  It is suppose to start raining tonight and be ikky and only in 50s tomorrow.  

I really want to go see those penguins - but may not make it down to Phillips in time if we arrive at Melbourne AP at 2 pm.  Would be a shame to go all that way and miss it - just my kind of bad luck!  Also, long ways to go primarily to see  only the penguins - not a whole lot of other unique sights in the area.  

Anyway, things are progressing.  Made my rental car reservations both in Cairns and Melbourne and emailed apt in Pt Douglas to make reservations.  

We will have an extra 3 days in addition to our full week at the Port.  Any suggestions on what to do and where to stay with our extra days in the Cairns area?  By then, we would have seen the Reef, Daintree, and Kuranga. 

Thanks,

Joyce


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## chubby (Nov 12, 2006)

Hi 

The exrta 3 days you would most likely be best to stay in Cairns you could do a day trip down to Tully it is the wettest town in Australia there are water falls there they have a 270 metre drop if there is alot of water going over they would be good to see they are one of the biggest drop water falls in Aus. on the way down you would go through the town of Innisvale it was hit with cyclone Larry  this year a lot of damage done other than that take a drive into the hills just behind Cairns there are small National Parks in there 
The other thing you could do is take boat trip to one of the islands for the day but as you do not like the water thing I will leave that up to you do try and leave the Kuranda train trip to a Saturday or Sunday as they have market days up there if you like that type of thing 
When you pick a hotel in Melbourne let me know i will tell you if it is in a good area or not.
That rain you are going to get send it over here we need it in the south we are in a very bad drought at the momment towns are running out of water every where dams are near empty every where
The pengiuns I do think you would be pushing things to get there in time.


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## sage (Nov 12, 2006)

*Things to do near Cairns*

Hi again Joyce,
If you have a few days to spare in Cairns here are a few things you could do:

1. Undara Lava Tubes are located 275 km inland from Cairns (approximately 4 hours' drive). They are supposed to be quite spectacular.

2. Drive up to Cooktown. Cooktown is located 260km north of Cairns by the coastal road (unsealed and recommended for 4WD vehicles only) and 350 km by the inland road (accessible by conventional vehicles). Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour got holed on the reef up here. Small, quite but very Aussie.
There are also goldfields near Cooktown if you feel like a bit of gold fossicking.
http://www.cairnsconnect.com/region/

3. If finances permit, do the outback mail run. You catch a small plane with the postie and visit outback stations as he does his weekly maildrop. You have morning tea and lunch at the outback stations.

4. Drive down to Innisfail & Tully. Go over to Dunk Island for the day.

5. Take the 3 days to drive around the Atherton Tablelands. It is an easy drive as it is close to Cairns. There is lots to see and it is very pretty up there. Plenty of places to go swimming that are croc-free.
http://www.australianexplorer.com/atherton_tableland.htm

6. See if you can get a flight to Alice Springs and visit Uluru. Uluru (or Ayers Rock as it was formerly known) is an Aussie Icon and one of our most popular tourist attractions. This may be a bit pricey but you won't regret it.
http://www.uluru.com/Uluru.htm
http://www.travelnt.com/en/explore/uluru/

7. Go out to one of the islands or just relax in Cairns before the next leg of your trip.

Gillian


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## colamedia (Nov 14, 2006)

Re: Undara Lava Tubes  west opf Cairns - the few people I've known that have seen them said long drive for a very dusty time and the lava tubes are just big tunnels, you get over the wow factor of "this was done without a machine" pretty quickly.  At least the lava tubes I saw in Hawaii you had lava near where we were staying, a 5min walk from the carpark through in the tropical plants, and then could go "wow, this was done by nature" rather than long drive then walking around in dust, though I think the Undara Lava Tubes are some of the biggest lava tubes in the world?  If lava tubes are a big interest it could be worthwhile, if just a casual interest, probably the effort of getting there will overshadow the lava tube impact.


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