# How much time to see Australia/NZ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343 "2006-06-19T20:01:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/21 "2006-06-21T03:46:11Z")
I think step 1 should be to work out what you most want to see in Aus and NZ, and then work out how much time you need to spend at each place to see those things, and then narrow the list from there until you reach a point where you can’t add any more time/money to the trip or you can’t sacrifice any more sights from the list. If ten different people asked you how much time they needed to see Australia, they could get ten different answers depending on their interests and their budget so I think the best-fitting holiday would be one planned around seeing what interests you most. I’m absolutely not the person to give you an introduction to Australian sightseeing as I’ve seen a remarkable small portion of the country for the nearly-30 years I’ve spent in it, but here goes anyway: We went to Adelaide last year and were underwhelmed - aside from a very nice [chocolatier](http://haighschocolates.com.au/index.html), a flawless, magnificent meal at a [reality-tv resturant](http://www.greedygoose.com.au/) and some attractive churches, there seemed to be very little to see and do in Adelaide itself. However, the Adelaide wine region (specifically [the Barossa Valley](http://www.barossa.com/site/page.cfm), about an hour up the road) was wonderful and we had a great time there… admittedly, seen through rose-coloured glasses ([or](http://www.wolfblass.com.au/brands/wolfblass/winery/index.asp) [red](http://www.seppelt.com.au/)-[filled](http://www.peterlehmannwines.com/Default.aspx?p=3) [glasses](http://www.twohandswines.com/) [anyway](http://www.jacobscreek.com/index.php)). One day was sufficient for us to see and do all we wanted in the City, but we could have easily spent more time in the wine regions. Some might say this is my [Melbourne](http://www.visitvictoria.com/)-bias showing 😉 Regarding Tasmania, we spent a week in [Hobart](http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm), but realistically you could probably cover most of the major attractions in 3 days if you set a fair pace (we were travelling with a couple with a child so that slowed us somewhat). I found [Port Arthur](http://www.portarthur.org.au/) memorable but that might be because of my interest in Australia’s convict past. I also enjoyed the [Tahune Air Walk](http://www.discovertasmania.com/home/index.cfm?SiteID=675). I’ve never been to Launceston, we figured we’d save it for another trip. Tassie suited me as it has very cool weather, nice scenery and lots of “historic” points of interest (historic in Australia does mostly mean “less than 218 years old” unless we’re talking about aboriginal artifacts, so I think a lot of overseas visitors don’t get the fuss we make over a 150 year old building - one English tourist remarked to me that, back home, it would still be called the “New Post Office”, lol). I believe [Hamilton Island](http://www.hamiltonisland.com.au/default.asp?action=article&ID=559) is a popular destination for weddings and honeymooners. If you want to take a few days out of zipping around to relax in the sun, Hamilton might be a nice place to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/22 "2006-06-21T03:53:17Z")
[QUOTE=Kilvert’s Pagan] Grass is always greener dept.: We pulled into our tiny motel in Te Anau, New Zealand, and the owner’s car had a vanity license plate which spelled out BIG SKY. Turns out he would close down shop every winter (our summer) and bug out for Montana. [/QUOTE] I’d _love_ to do that sort of thing if I could- spend maybe April-September in the northern hemisphere (not Montana, though) and October-March in the southern. I’d never have to deal with those depressing days when the sun sets at 4:30pm. Our trip to Australia was actually timed in November so I could escape some of those depressing days when the sun sets before I leave work. ---
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/23 "2006-06-21T04:48:16Z")
Thanks again for the advice. The fiancee and I have decided to take at least one difficult step and cut out New Zealand (GAH! It was hard to even type!) at this point. Here’s a 21-day limited itinerary I’ve come up with based on our must-see list. What do you think? Day 1-4: Sydney Day 5: Fly to Cairns Day 6-7: Great Barrier Reef Day 8: Fly to Uluru Day 9: Uluru Day 10: Drive to Alice Springs Day 11: Alice Springs Day 12: Train to Adelaide Day 13-15: Adelaide/Wine Tours Day 16-18: Great Ocean Road Day 19-20: Sydney Day 21: Fly home ---
**Author:** ![bluezooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@bluezooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluezooky)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/24 "2006-06-21T08:26:42Z")
I would tend to go the opposite way, our climates milder than the US but September still winter. Australia’s a big place as others have said there is a lot to be said for choosing to do either the north or south of the continent, I’d go via NZ and skip the southern part or maybe just do Sydney. Charlie ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/25 "2006-06-21T08:43:46Z")
Sounds fantastic! Just one thing… [QUOTE=happywaffle] Day 19-20: Sydney [/QUOTE] …is this meant to be Melbourne? You should really spend some time there, it’s a wonderful city and very different to Sydney, and you’ll presumably be arriving there from your Great Ocean Road trip. Are you able to fly out of Melbourne, or do you need to return to Sydney? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/26 "2006-06-21T22:51:18Z")
[QUOTE=Monkey Chews] > [@happywaffle](#): > > Day 19-20: Sydney Sounds fantastic! Just one thing… …is this meant to be Melbourne? You should really spend some time there, it’s a wonderful city and very different to Sydney, and you’ll presumably be arriving there from your Great Ocean Road trip. Are you able to fly out of Melbourne, or do you need to return to Sydney? [/QUOTE] Just what I was thinking. You’ll end up in Melbourne if you’re coming from Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road. It would be silly not to spend a couple of days there. It’s such a lovely city. ---
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/27 "2006-06-22T14:28:00Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] Just what I was thinking. You’ll end up in Melbourne if you’re coming from Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road. It would be silly not to spend a couple of days there. It’s such a lovely city. [/QUOTE] Sorry, should have been clearer - the intention was to take the road to Melbourne, then (probably) a train on to Sydney. I appreciate the recommendation, maybe we’ll chill those last couple of days in M. instead of S. Dunno if it’s possible to fly out of there. (We’re still well over a year away!) ---
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/28 "2006-06-22T14:29:51Z")
Oh, and how cold/warm are Adelaide/Melbourne going to be in mid-late September? ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343/29 "2006-06-22T15:15:58Z")
Melbourne’s weather is fickle. The warmest part of the day could be as low as 10C or as high as 25C. It’s generally a pleasant time of year. Adelaide will be a tad warmer, the Ocean Road a little cooler. Advice for the Barrier Reef: go to the big pontoon 90 minutes out to sea and snorkel (or dive, if you’re qualified). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-time-to-see-australia-nz/361343.md?page=1)