I'm thinking about visiting Australia at the end of the year

In My Humble Opinion
1

I"m considering Australia for a vacation towards the end of this year, probably November or December. It will be winter here in the United States, so that should mean it is getting close to summer in Australia. Hot weather is not a problem at all. I’m thinking about 10-14 days.

Where should I visit? Unfortunately, it looks like Aussie Rules Football won’t be in season, but is there a chance I could see a soccer or rugby match? Should I concentrate on Sydney? Is it worth it to try to see any of the Outback? Are Perth, Melbourne, Alice Springs, or Canberra other good places to visit? I enjoy classical and jazz music, sports, beer, local bars and pubs, art, history, local (non-expensive) restaurants, strong coffee, politics, and I really love to visit museums. I’d also like to visit some Anglican churches.

It looks like TraveLodge is far more upscale in Australia than it is in the United States. Are these considered first class hotels or are they designed to rip off American tourists who know their brand name?

I do not want to drive at all while I’m there. I am fine with public transit ,flying within the country, trains or buses.

Feel free to offer your suggestions. I did buy a copy of Lonely Planet Australia and that should be delivered next week. If you think New Zealand or any other Southern Hemisphere location would be a better vacation spot, feel free to comment as well.

2

What’s your budget? Aus is an incredibly expensive place to visit.

With only 10-14 days, I’d probably concentrate on Sydney with perhaps a day in Canberra fly-in-fly-out same day. Not driving means you are going to be spending a fair whack of time on public transport, and outside the capitals it can be a long time to get to anywhere interesting.

In Nov-Dec the weather usually isn’t terribly hot, and ideal for gadding about. Sydney will provide you with lots to do and see…everything from climbing the Harbour Bridge to spending a pleasant arvo knocking back lagers in a little pub in The Rocks. The Lonely Planet guide will help you better here than I can (I’m a Melburnian and haven’t been to Sydney in yonks).

Jump a tourist bus to the Blue Mountains (west of Sydney) and there’s some terrific coastal towns both north and south (but again, travelling on PT can be a PITA).

I think don’t ask might be able to help you with the cultural attractions of Sydney, and penultima thule lives there too…probably better people to ask about the logistics of getting around.

I wouldn’t bother doing an outback trip in your time-frame…to do it properly needs a few weeks on its own.

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My budget is the problem, it will only be US $2000 or so. Maybe I should just see Sydney. If I was going to just visit the United States, I’m sure I’d be happy just seeing New York or Chicago.

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With that budget, I’d definitely stick to Sydney and spend the time just dawdling around getting a feel for the place. For $22 per day you can buy an unlimited PT ticket that will get you anywhere within the metropolitan region (including ferries on the Sydney Harbour), so with that and accommodation, you’ll be eating a very large chunk of your money.

Have you considered staying at a backpackers hotel rather than a more expensive motel?

5

There’s some good museums in Canberra too, and you could comfortably do Sydney & Canberra in your time frame (with internal flights). Melbourne is a lovely city too though, with a great vibe.

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If your port of entry is Sydney then spend a few days there - do the Opera House, maybe the Harbour Bridge climb, Circular Quay and the Powerhouse Museum.

Canberra is about three hours by bus or a 45min flight. We are worth a visit for maybe two days - the Australian War Memorial is a must. The National Museaum of Australia, National Library, National Gallery and Portrait Gallery are all within walking distance of each other.
November is a perfect time to visit :slight_smile:

I’m sure more Sydney-siders and Melbournites will be in to tell you about more about their cities.

With 14 or so days you may be able to do Sydney - Canberra - Melbourne - Alice Springs (Uluru/Ayers Rock) and exit via Darwin, Brisbane or Perth if you don’t feel like going back to Sydney. Check with a good travel agent.

If you want to book your own flights inside Australia try http://www.webjet.com.au/flights/. Qantas is the most expensive airline, Virgin and Jetstar are the more budget carriers (JetStar is the Qantas budget line). Avoid Tiger at all costs - they have really cheap fares but their aircraft have a habit of not being available for flights. :wink:
ETA> OK didn’t see your budget. With that, stick with Sydney and a few days in Canberra.

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The OP only has a budget of circa $2k folks. No way is he/she going to be able to do domestic flights to other parts of the country AND eat as well. :wink:

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True but a bus to Canberra is pretty cheap and a good way to see some pretty country.

Looks like about $100 each way to fly by Virgin if you book far enough ahead.

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Yeah, sorry, I meant Canberra might be a possibility, but certainly not Perth or the Alice…you snuck in your edit when I was posting the clarification about budget.

:: waves fist ::

:wink:

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I think I need to increase my budget. If I up it to closer to US $3000, maybe 10-14 days in Sydney and Canberra is reasonable? I’m sure I’ll love Australia enough to want to come back to see the rest.

This does not include my flight from the USA to Australia.

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And I’m guess I’m biased towards Sydney. However, if think I should pick another city to fly into, please make those suggestions. If you have never been to the USA, I’d suggest Chicago as a more “American” city than New York.

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Sydney is pretty iconic, although being a Melburnian, I reckon we’re more laid-back. Sydney is like a teenager on meth, Melbourne like a middle-aged hipster after a smoke. :smiley:

Melbourne is nowhere near as picturesque (we don’t have Sydney Harbour) but is renowned for offering a greater cultural experience (galleries, museums, cathedrals, theatres etc) and of course much better cafes and cuisines.

Public transport will cost you app $11 per day (no ferries, but we do have trams).

Lots of daytrips that won’t devour your budget…Great Ocean Road is one of the more popular and well worth the effort. Phillip Island (2hrs away) is also pretty cool. But seriously, two weeks will keep you pretty busy just in the CBD and metro region alone.

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:smiley: See, I would’ve said that Sydney was more your middle-aged business woman, while Melbourne was your hipster teenager!

I agree with everything else you said though. Especially that Melbourne is the place to go if you enjoy wandering around a city, stopping for coffee and interesting bites to eat.

Sydney does have some of the iconic ‘must-sees’ though. The Harbour, the Bridge, the Rocks, etc.
Do you like relaxing and meandering through places / museums? If so, I’d choose Sydney with a side trip to Canberra, and commit to coming back when you have more time. If you’re happy with a more squeezed itinerary, and fitting as much in as possible, then I’d definitely try to include a few days in Melbourne (including day trips elsewhere). Maybe fly into Sydney and out of Melbourne, with a day or two in Canberra in between? I would definitely choose adding Melbourne and maybe a Great Ocean Road day trip for three of your days, than a day trip to the Blue Mountains, and a day trip north of Sydney. The Great Ocean Road is stunning

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It used to be that you got two Aussie dollars for every US dollar, now it is about 1:1, but prices haven’t gone down or anything so basically, compared to a few years ago, Australia is twice as expensive for you to visit. You would have struggled with $2000 unless you got a really good deal on accommodation. $3000 should be a bit more realistic.

It’s a big country, similar in size to the continental United States, but very sparsely populated away from the east coast. Basing yourself in somewhere like Sydney and doing day trips from there is definitely your best bet.

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There is a probable UL about an American family that came out to Oz for three days and wanted to climb the Bridge, see the Reef and visit Uluru. One dodgy flight connection and they spent their 3 days equally between hotel rooms and airport lounges. Oz is a big place.

14 days on USD3,000 = $200/day fully found? You’ll need to get a good deal on accomodation and minimise your flights.

AFL and both rugby codes are out of season. The A League will be in operation. Cricket would be, but

You don’t see the Outback on a day-trip. You experience the Outback by getting in a car and travelling through miles of nothing, surrounded by hours of nothing.
My suggestion would be fly into either Sydney or Melbourne and fly out from the other.
In Sydney climb the Bridge, travel the harbour from the Quay to Manly and/or the RiverCat to Parramatta, throw in the Australian Museum, Museum of Sydney, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Power House, do a day-trip to Katoomba. Then either fly, or take the XPT to Melbourne. The XPT will take you 12 hours. Ask the mexicans about their cultural highlights but the Melbourne cafe scene is pretty good. Do the Lygon Street/Acland Street bit for it’s dining, find a way to see the Great Ocean Road, take a train up to Echuca and take a trip along the Murray.

Sydney Anglican diocese is the most conservative in the country, and some pretty nice real estate. Jensen’s shower would love an appreciative visitor.

Most of the Travelodges are sound 3-4 star hotels. I’d doubt they’d feast on US tourists.

16

I’m from Melbourne but if you want to do sight seeing, I’d suggest Sydney. Lots of stuff to see, all the normal tourist things.

If you get the chance, rather than trying to go outback, I’d suggest getting up to Cairns for a couple of days. It’s the wrong time of year (rainy season) but you could go to smithfield and get the skyrail up to Kuranda or go out on the Great Barrier Reef (well worth the trip) or get a car and drive up to Mossman Gorge, stopping off at Hartley’s Creek Crocodile farm on the way through. 7 days in Sydney would do me for a lifetime, I’m sure you would be able to move around a bit, although domestic flights aren’t very cheap.

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Go to Tasmania or New Zealand. Both are beautiful and compact.

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penultima thule got in before me, but yeah, that’s about right.

As an American expat I can tell you things are about 3 times more expensive than you think they are.

Aussie Rules is in Sydney but tends to be a bigger deal in Melbourne.

Try the train, though - day trips to the Blue Mountains from Sydney are good and cheap. I second the recommendation for a day trip to Katoomba. Train to Canberra, overnight there and back would be doable on your budget if you find the right hotel - try wotif or something maybe?

But yes, bridge climb, pubs, Rocks, museums (Powerhouse is heaps fun), Darling Harbour, Chinese gardens, Chinatown, ferries to Manly and Parramatta, Hyde Park Barracks, all those are good things indeed. I’d throw in State Library of NSW if it’s got a good exhibit on. I live in Newtown and there’s lovely restaurants and shops there if you want out of the city.

When in Melbourne, I enjoy the Immigration Museum, although I spend most of my time when there with in-laws, so I can’t really speak to much touristy things.

19

I live here, and I find it hard to justify anybody coming all that way to visit. To live here yes, but to visit??? But, whatever.
If you come to my town, here is what I’d recommend:

  1. Rent a car and drive north for 8 hours. Stop. Sleep. Then drive back south for 8 hours. What will you see? Nothing. That’s the point.

2)Visit the war memorial. A huge number of blokes went off to WWI. A huge number didn’t come back. Unlike say France, where the war was everywhere, there was nothing on this side of the world. So all they could do was create memorials. The ever present existence of WWI memorials is part of the underlying structure of old Aus.

Buy all your food from places where you don’t recognise an international franchise.
Have a drink in a pub. Catch some sport. Take a train. See some art. Have a coffee. (not at the art museum!)

You’re probably going to be stuck in Sydney, so you might as well enjoy it: go the beach. Get wet. look around. Driving out of town might not work, so Canberra might be the alternative. Try to get to a wildlife reserve, so you can at least see some native wildlife.

All of AUS is pretty low key, It’s kind of like living in the suburbs. Stay away from bar fights and young men, look before crossing the road, and it’s all safe. Sydney has only two architecturally significant structures, and that’s more than the rest of the country all together. The ethnic areas are recent, genuine and authentic - and genuinely authentically clean and safe.

It’s not Paris, Saigon, or PhuKet. The people aren’t as friendly as some places, or as rude as some others. They are foreigners, though you might not notice it at first, so cut them some slack and don’t tell them they are doing it wrong.

PS. If anyone asks for a tip, or suggests a tip, or looks like they want a tip, they are being rude and trying to scam you. Cut them off at zero. Apart from that, everyone likes a tip from good-humoured tourists.