hey- sweet that your trekking to aus!

for the real australia- dont hang around sydney- its busy and dirty and full of rude foreigners.but climbing the harbour bridge at night is beautiful, checking out the opera house is worthwhile, and the zoo is interesting!

for beautiful beaches go north to the whitsundays/goldcoast/byron bay

for the best nightclubs and social experience DEFINATELY go to surfers paradise- which is in the goldcoast. everywhere up north is more relaxed and friendly if youre after a cruisy aussie holiday

for shopping and cultural experience/art/music go to melbourne- but its colder there and theres less sun

check out ayres rock if you want to get a taste of 'dusty australia'

if you want to see kangaroos/wallabies/koalas in the wild then just go bushwalking early morning or late night anywhere inland and less crowded.

dont bother going to western australia

try some vegemite!

if i were you i would spend most time up north (QLD/northern NSW)

happy travelling, all the best!
ess2, Feb 7, 2008 @ 22:50

Thanks ess2. That is very helpful. As you recommend, I will indulge most of my time in QLD/NSW, some in Melbourne area, and a bit in Sydney. I owe you a jar of vegemite!... after the trip. :-)

I am intrigued by the Great Barrier Reef. What would be a good town to dive/explore the reef? Something off-the-beaten-path, more private, enjoy-it-at-your-pace would appeal to me. Great restaurants and something to do in the evening would make it interesting. Suggestions? I am presently considering Port Douglas.

Also, any suggestions for New Zealand and Fiji... I will probably spend 10 days in NZ, and a few days in Fiji.
colorado, Feb 8, 2008 @ 15:41

for NZ, just like for Oz, don't waste too much time on the big cities. NZ is the land of adventure sports (bungee-jumping, sky-diving, rap-jumping, ...) , esp in the South Island, which btw is spectacular just to look at. the easiest way to get around is to get the Kiwi Experience bus (i think that's what it's called, i may be wrong though). there's a basic 7-day hop-on hop-off tour that takes you to most of the places to see, although you can of course just rent a car and do it yourself. to see are the sounds around Blenheim or thereabouts, the pancake rocks, the Franz Joseph glacier, Milford Sound and Dunedin's supposed to be nice too. on the north island, check out Rotorua and it's hotsprings and the Wai-O-Tapu park, hike around Rangitoto volcano (in Auckland), go wine-tasting on Waiheke island, go to the black-sanded beaches on the west coast, go to the northernmost point of the country and see the Pacific Ocean crash into the Tasman Sea.
Minda, Feb 9, 2008 @ 17:20

Thanks Minda.
colorado, Feb 10, 2008 @ 17:08

[quote][b]ulalei (12/02/2008)[/b][hr]I shouldn't really be encouraging you to go to Fiji (go to Samoa!:hehe: ) but maybe you've booked your ticket already... so ok.

[ ] hope this helps, and next time go to Samoa! :hehe:[/quote]

I will consider Taveuni. Any views about Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands in Fiji?

I never thought of Samoa. Whats interesting there?

Thanks ulalei.
colorado, Feb 13, 2008 @ 06:06

I say head straight to Western Australia!  Perth is gorgeous - lovely weather, amazingly beautiful beaches (you can sit and watch the sun set over the sea), wonderful restaurants, fantastic wines, friendly people.

Head north a little and you can swim with the dolphins at Monkey Mia, or go see the footprints of prehistoric creatures in the rock at Kalbarri.  See the pinnacles in the Nambung National Park, which are eerie and beautiful.

Go south a little to the wine growing country (or even do a day wine-cruise on the river from Perth) for some of the finest wines in the world.

A little further south is Karri tree country, with some of the tallest trees in the world. Go orchid hunting among the rain forests.

Or simply stay in Perth, swim, surf, eat great food and have a fantastic time.

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On the eastern side of Australia; Sydney is ok for a day and if you like big cities then I suppose its worth an explore.  Melbourne is better for cuisine (though not for weather).

Canberra (despite rumour) is actually worth a visit - you can get to pat a koala, and kangaroos really are seen in the streets occasionally. The National gallery has some fine art, there are some excellent restaurants (750,000 seats at restaurants for a population of 300,000 - restaurants have to be good or they simply dont last), the War memorial is interesting if you are into that sort of thing. There is nice bushwalking country to be explored too.  Parliament house is an interesting building - in how many countries can you walk over the parliament house and have a picnic on the roof?

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DO NOT DRIVE. Don't go thinking you will just drive to Ayers rock from Sydney. Distances in Australia are HUGE and there isn't much between things of interest apart from long roads. Fly.

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Check out virtualtourist.com for ideas, and feel free to email me for details of some of the best restaurants in Oz.

Kiriel
Kiriel, Feb 19, 2008 @ 16:28

Thanks Kiriel.
colorado, Feb 19, 2008 @ 19:33