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, a flawless, magnificent meal at a reality-tv resturant 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, about an hour up the road) was wonderful and we had a great time there… admittedly, seen through rose-coloured glasses (orred-filledglassesanyway). 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-bias showing
Regarding Tasmania, we spent a week in Hobart, 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 memorable but that might be because of my interest in Australia’s convict past. I also enjoyed the Tahune Air Walk. 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 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.
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.
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
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
…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?
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.
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!)
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).
