Sydney/OZ

[gemweeks]

hey, going travelling in may, due to spend a month in OZ before moving onto the states, but starting in sydney.  little bit clueless as to 'must sees' in OZ, was hoping for some advise?  on top of that, advise as to the best and cheapest ways to get around the country, e.g, sydney to melbourne, also would quite like to get to cairns. then last question, i promise, is it best to book the travel to other cities once we're in sydney, or do it from home before we leave the uk?  answers to any these questions would be fab!!!

[graemer]

Hi Gemweeks. The following site is for Virgin Blue's fares within Australia. They offer special deals so you may like to check what the fare is when booked here as compared to home. Bus fares are pretty cheap but you don't want to spend large parts of your time sitting on a bus do you.

http://www.virginblue.com.au/

The other budget carrier is called Jetstar and then Qantas of course.

As for what to see, gee where to start. A lot depends on your budget of course and the sort of things you're in to.

Apart from the obvious like the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest (accessible from Cairns) Uluru (Ayers Rock) an expensive trip in to the Northern Territory but you could also travel to Kakadu National park. Its probaby best to Google each of the Capital Cities to see what interests you'd have in those cities. Also a tip, May will be getting pretty cool in the southern parts while the North particularly Cairns will be delightfully warm, so you may wish to linger longer up North. Also remember travel between Sydney,Brisbane and Melbourne is quick and easy but after that they are long long distances. Any way let me know what your interests are and I'll post some more info. Cheers from Sydney!

[bigboysdiner]

Hi, The following 2 websites will give you the best fares within Australia, it's a damn big place and bus travel in my opinion is not worth it. It takes 12 hours from Sydnet to either Brisbane or Melbourne. It's 24 hours bus travel from Brisbane to Cairns.

www.jetstar.com.au & www.virginblue.com.au

I have been atravel agent for 25 years here in Australia and both the above are a breath of fresh air when it comes to reasonably priced internal Australian travel. Don't forget your Lonely Planet guide.

Regards

[morg_monster]

If you are a younger traveller - ie would consider yourself a backpacker? then you might like to try the Oz experience www.ozexperience.com it is good fun but if you are older than about 21 you may feel a bit out of place or find it a bit restrictive (mainly 18 year old gappers going out of control for the first time).  Otherwise there is the greyhound which I believe is the cheapest way to travel on the whole. www.greyhound.com.au .  Sydney to melbourne is not really too far to go by coach, and you get to see a lot of the countryside on the way.  If you do decide to go by coach then it is easily possible to book once you get there.  If you are staying in the hostels then they almost all have good travel booking info.

Where to go?  If you are starting in Sydney and only have a month, I would stick to the east coast - the trip to Uluru is long and boring and honestly, the rock is really the only thing to see there.  Personally I prefer the west coast, but really in a month I think you'd be better off to stick on the east.  I agree, Cairns is quality, the daintree and all the beautiful forests are gorgeous.  There are lots of lovely little/bigger towns along the way: high points are byron bay, fraser island (a MUST do), Noosa, don't bother with surfer's paradise or Townsville.

[morg_monster]

just a bit more...

On a personal note, I'd like to mention the place I had the most wonderful time in the 3 months I had on Oz: a farm called Myella owned by a lovely family www.users.bigpond.com/myella// they will teach you to ride horses and motorbikes (I was a total beginner), herd the beef cattle, milk the cows, you cook your breakfast over the open fire, just wander around their beautiful land and watch the sunset.  They cook wonderful homecooked dinners (mainly beef!) and the best thing is that since everything but fizzy drinks and booze is included (though you might get a few bottles of the home brew for free), and there isn't anywhere else to go once you are there, it can be a pretty cheap way to spend a few days $250 for 3 days and 2 nights.  Oh I nearly forgot the best thing - they look after orphaned joeys - they are the cutest things in the world and you can help bottle feed them!

My top tip?  Go and visit a STA travel, their staff are brilliant and really knowledgeable and they won't mind at all if you just want to go and pick their brains, not actually buy anything.  can be pretty busy on a weekend.

[gemweeks]

hey graemer, great to hear from you. Basically my friend and i have just finished our A-levels and are currently in our gap year before going on to university, we're both 19, we're very active, outdoor people.  so u can be sure we wanna try and do the whole bungee jumping thing!  we wanna try and see as much as possible, however we'd prefer to spend more time in say 3 places, then spend 2 or 3 days in 10 places, if u know what i mean?we wanna experience the lifestyle,get a feel for the places and make it our home, rather than waking up in a different place every morning!So i suppose you can say its not travelling in the traditional sense!so now u know what we wanna get out of it, hopefully u could narrow it down to must see places, to make the most of our time there.  hope its not to much to ask but as i said we're totally clueless as to which main areas to spend our time.

[gemweeks]

hey morg_monster, thank you for your reply!  its great to hear you say sydney to melbourne is not to far on the greyhound! laugh if u want but our main attraction to melbourne is indeed the neighbours set..i know, im sorry, but it has to be done!!  so do you suggest its worth making the trip up to cairns?  something we are pretty much dead-set against is the oz experience, only because we wanna work to our own schedule, and find our feet for ourselves!  i will, however, 100% agree with your comments on STAtravel, they were wonderful in helping us to book our time away!!

[graemer]

Hi gemweeks,

Firstly here is how to do the Neighbours tour. They are the only tour approved by the Producers.

http://www.backpackerking.com.au/theage_with_the_king.html

I'll post again adressing other things

Cheers GraemeR

[graemer]

Next up...Sydney! Go to this site of a backpackers in Coogee, Sydney with a great beach view. I know it's genuine because I live just around the headland on the left of the photo!

http://www.surfsidebackpackers.com.au/

Coogee is nicer than Bondi Beach I reckon and not as commercially touristy. From Coogee you can do the famous Coogee to Bondi Clifftop walk which has the most amazing views of crashing surf and passes through the Waverly cemetry which you often see in Aussie movies. It has amazing monuments and headstones set against this glorious view. Make sure you press the Coogee button on the website. They also can book surfing classes and tours etc.

Stay tuned, more to come!

[graemer]

...Here are some photos of the cemetry and part of the walk. It goes on like this for about five kilometres.

http://www.vergenet.net/~horms/gallery/clem/wavelry_cemetery.shtml

Actually this guy's site has lots of pics taken around Coogee (pronounced like 'could-gee' not Koo-gee).

Stay tuned!

[graemer]

Some things to do in Sydney.

Visit the Opea House, you can't miss it it's next to that big bridge. Talking of which, instead of bungee jumping I'd spend that money on a Bridge climb. Slightly dearer than a bungee jump which you can do anywhere, but this is unique and not that many people have done it. They take you to the very top of the bridge for a stunning view. See here:

http://www.bridgeclimb.com/

Whilst there at circular Quay you then get a ferry to a place called Manly. Leave at sunset and it sails past the opera house and then takes a 50 minute trip up the harbour to the beachside suburb of Manly. Have a liesurely meal of fish and chips then board the ferry again and by the time you're approaching circular quay you've got the bridge and opera house and the city all ablaze in twinkling lights. Magic.

About 90 minute's drive from Sydney are the Blue Mountains. Stunning views, waterfalls and fantastic walks through forests. You can get there by train.

Seeings you wanted to see Ramsey Street what about "Home and Away". You can get a bus to Palm Beach where they film the outdoors beachy stuff. That's about a 50 minutes ride and it's very pretty there and lots of posh houses to see as well.

Talking of ferries, you can get an all day pass for a very reasonable price and then you can sail all over the harbour getting on and off whereever you fancy. You can also travel by ferry from the harbour down the Parramatta river, once again about 50 minuets each way but stunning views and amazing houses and beats paying exorbitant prices for a catered Harbour cruise. You also get a ferry from circular quay to Taronga Park zoo which is in a stunning location and the elephants and giraffes have the best view of Sydney harbour.

More to come!

[graemer]

Welcome aboard everybody...next it's off to Cairns. The YHA of Aust. has a great bus/flight deal for $298- a 30 day bus pass offering unlimted stops on the way to Cairns and a return flight from Cairns to Sydney! See

http://www.yha.com.au/traveldeals/details.cfm?ProductID=360

Now it takes like 40 hours to get to Cairns straight through and that would kill you so this sounds good. On the way stop at places like Byron Bay, Noosa just past Brisbane or anywhere on the Sunshine Coast, but do visit Fraser Island, its a beautiful Heritage Listed island and you get to see Dingoes! (Keep an eye on the baby though)

Not far from there is Hervey bay where you can go whale watching (If the season's right).

In Cairns of course it's snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. It's an experience of a lifetime and one of the best things I've done in Aust. You have to go out with a charter and its fairly pricey but you get lunch and instruction. Also in Cairns you take a fabulous old open sided train up the mountainous hinterland to the Kuranda Markets. If you haven't had too much of nature then it's off to the Daintree (Rain) Forest, another heritage listed wonderland. Best to book a day trip locally. Then board your YHA flight back to Sydney for some more hidden delights yet to be revealed, then next it's off to Melbourne to see Harold Bishop. See you next posting. (Are you getting tired of this?)

[graemer]

This your guide to the Sunshine Coast just north of Brisbane.

http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/sunshine_coast/towns.cfm

(Has details of cheap accomodation)

By bus allow say 10 hours to Byron Bay (northern NSW) then 3-5 hours to places on the Sunshine Coast. Still a long way to Cairns!

[gemweeks]

hey again, what u've told me is fantastic, im very grateful of you for taking the time to do that!  one more question if you don't mind...i know you mentioned if before, but could you maybe elaborate on the weather during May time?  just so we have a better idea of what to pack, due to limited space!?e.g are we gonna need big coats, waterproofs, warm trousers, and jumpers, or will it be t-shirt and shorts weather? Thanks again!!

[graemer]

Hey gemweeks you're welcome. Basically May is the last month of our Autumn. Firstly in Sydney it will still be fairly mild, the days could still reach low 20's (Celcius) and people still go to the beach. You would need a lightish jacket for the evening but not a heavy coat. Up in Queensland it gets warmer the further North you go. They will be low to mid 20's or even hotter in Cairns. Shorts and T-shirts by day but the nights can get a bit brisk in southern Queensland

Now for dear old Melbourne. It's joked that they have four seasons in one day so be prepared for anything!

It could be wet and very cold there but we're not talking London cold but anything from 10 degrees to 16 degrees. Rather than lug heavy jumpers around up North you could probably wait till you got to Melbourne and then Go to the Victoria Markets at the top of Elizabeth Street and buy some winter woolies quite reasonably.(Then leave in a charity bin when you depart for the states)

A  waterproof poncho will definately get some use sometime over the month and definately in Melbourne.

In Sydney you could buy cheap jumpers etc at Paddy's Market which is next to Chinatown at the Haymarket near Central Station.

Do you want any more info on Melbourne. Do visit the Great Ocean road and the fairy penguin parade at Phillip Island if nothing else. If you want to get up close and persoanl with Koalas, Platypusses and Kangaroos, book a trip to the Healesville Sanctuary, about 90 minutes out of Melbourne.

[morg_monster]

wow graemer you are a genius.  just want to say a couple of brief points:

1. well done on not going for the oz experience, I'm so glad i didn't do it and the people who went on it were, on the whole, a somewhat annoying and hyperactive.  we used to avoid the hostels they stopped at...

2. are you going to NZ? if you are - adventure type stuff such as bungee jumping, skydiving and the rest is a lot cheaper there than in Oz.  Also kiwi experience isn't nearly as bad as oz experience I've heard.  if you are an outdoorsy type you would love the Myella farm experience if it was on your way.

3.  I would go to cairns if you decide to fly there. if you want to go on the coach it is a bit of a long haul.

4. Neighbours was a big draw for me too!  We went on the backpacker king tour, it was great.  You get to go to ramsay street and erinsborough high.  Ramsay street is awesome!  THey also drive you past where they film it, but you can't go into the set with lassiters and the rest :-( they also told us which actors all the cars outside belonged to!  Make sure you go the the 'meet the neighbours' pub night, its at an english style pub, the elephant and something, all the hostels will know about it, it is ace, I met the good Doctor Karl - the most treasured photo of my travels is of me and him!

Also i'd recommend the greenhouse backpackers in Melbourne http://www.friendlygroup.com.au/greenhouse_home.asp it is really really nice, very clean, secure, small rooms of 4 or 6 and right in the centre of the city.  But if you are on a really tight budget it isn't the cheapest.  Over 6 months around the world it was probably the nicest place we stayed in.

[morg_monster]

sorry i can't stop posting,. just realised graeme recommended the Bridge climb.  I would think carefully about this. People we met along the way who had done this, some of them felt it was a bit of a waste of money.  it is at least $160, you spend an hour or so in a room, 'practicing' climbing while attached to each other, before basically going up the thousands of stairs on the bridge to the top.  Also, and this was the clincher for me, you aren't allowed to carry your camera up with you.  So no matter how gorgeous the view is, you'll have to store it in your head.

We decided to just climb up one of the bridge posts instead.  ALthough you aren't quite as high, the

[morg_monster]

... view is still amazing and best of all it onnly costs $8!  bargain! 

also booking in advance for the bridgeclimb means that if the weather is bad, then you still have to go up and may not see as much.  With the bridge support tower, you can just go up whenever you fancy it.

[gemweeks]

glad to hear your winter's aren't like ours graemer!!!!!  seriously all ive been saying to my family is, if i meet karl on the neighbours set i will actually die!!! can''t believe you actually did morg_monster!!!that would be my dream come true...i love that man, and i really need to tell him to get back with susan!!!!!what's he playing at!!! anyway would just like to thank both of you again for all your advice and help!!im alot more positive about the month in oz, and really looking forward to it, i just hope i haven't forgotten to ask you anything!!!thanks!!

[graemer]

Have a great time gemweeks! Morg good point about the climb but I have heard reports that it was an awesome experience. You can get photos taken by the way.It is quite expensive though and maybe the $8 pylon is a better option.

To make you jealous, I've met the good doctor Karl and his real life wife! He's a very talented photographer and She reads the Melbourne news on channel Ten.

gem weeks start a new thread if you think of more questions. Bon Voyage!