Here goes nothing (gulp!)

[a_t_rain]

OK, I finally took the plunge. I am GOING TO AUSTRALIA!!! (This is something that I've been meaning to do for quite a while, possibly ever since I did a school project on it when I was eleven, definitely since I went to New Zealand ten years ago. At the same time, it is also fairly daunting, especially considering that I just spent a month's salary on airline tickets. [Granted, that does include a five-day stop in Utah to visit my brother, but still.])

So. I will be there for three weeks in late July / early August (well, 19 days really, because of the international date line / travel time stuff, and yes, I know that is not nearly enough time, but it's what I had, and let's face it, no amount of travel time is ever enough). I'm flying into and out of Sydney, and I'm not sure yet where else I want to go, except I definitely want to see interesting wildlife and natural scenery, to the extent that you can do so without renting a car. (Yeah, I know this is probably not ideal, but I'm a nervous driver under the best of circumstances, and trying to learn how to drive on the other side of the road in an unfamiliar vehicle is definitely not the best of circumstances.) Thinking of maybe heading south toward Melbourne and then Adelaide? What's the weather going to be like at that time of year?

Eee, so exciting!

Comments

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

Melbourne and Adelaide are both awesome, though at that time of year Adelaide is likely to be both wet and cold.

When I was in Australia last year, I went up to Port Douglas in tropical Queensland to visit the rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. I can't recommend this highly enough. It's one of the best experiences I've ever had.

Another best experience: Uluru/Kata Tjuta. They really nickel-and-dime you at the tourist areas, but at the same time, I'll never regret having gone there.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Good to know! I'm not sure I have enough time to do all of that, but I guess internal flights are always a possibility...

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

If you have three weeks, I'd think you could do Sydney, Port Douglas (fly into Cairns) and Uluru. You really only need about three days at Uluru.

And you'd be doing internal flights regardless, I think -- you wouldn't want to try to do Adelaide and Melbourne on ground transport. It's doable, but it's a long long haul. Qantas usually has specials where you can buy a multi-city domestic air pass for an extremely reasonable rate. You have to package that with a Qantas flight to Australia, but why not? Seriously worth checking out.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

you wouldn't want to try to do Adelaide and Melbourne on ground transport.

Oh, I totally would, actually -- I'm one of those weird people who think long bus rides are part of the fun.

[sixth-light.livejournal.com]

Hey, awesome! I don't really have any up-to-date recommendations, since the last time I went to Australia was eight years ago, but Australia Zoo (the one Steve Irwin founded) is pretty neat, if you're up Queensland way and want to see some wildlife. July/August should be warmer than you'd expect for winter but not ridiculous (sort of Californian, I guess.)

Also, that month's-salary-on-air-tickets thing? That's why I'm probably getting home maybe once max over the course of a PhD. With two of us, it's just ridiculously too expensive. Time-wise, too.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Yeah, no kidding. I guess there is a reason why I have never done this before ...

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

Awesome!

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I live on the Great Ocean Road between Melbourne and Adelaide, near the 12 Apostles! In July/August you're looking at daytime temperatures around 14 C and just above freezing at night in this area, plus lots of rain. Queensland and NSW, however, will not be as cold, and it's not fire or cyclone season. It's not the best time to see Melbourne and Adelaide (unless you like cool, rainy weather and winds from the Antarctic, which I do!), but it is absolutely the best time to see Sydney and Queensland. And Uluru.

Because the capitals are so far apart (except for Canberra and Sydney) most people go to one area, explore, then fly to the next - even family holidays are taken by plane for a lot of people. Taking internal flights is a good idea if you're going to be time-poor. There's overnight trains between Melbourne and Sydney which are pretty comfortable, too, much better than the bus.

Our public transport in tourist areas and the inner cities, and between major cities is pretty good, everywhere else it's crap (and my region has a lot of accidents with tourists getting tired and driving on the wrong side of the road, so I think you're doing the right thing avoiding driving!) There's plenty of daytrips to places on buses, and there's a lot of natural beauty in the cities and within an hour's trip outside. The entire Queensland coast is well set-up for travellers if you're heading that way.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah, I was looking at the train, and it sounds nice (and is quite competitively priced compared to Greyhound, somewhat to my surprise).

[tree_and_leaf]

Awesome! Take lots of pictures!

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

That's great! :) Australia is lovely - I'm jealous of you.

[ticklethepear.livejournal.com]

yay!

[lyras.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

Sydney is shaping up for a cold winter at the moment - which won't be particularly cold by your standards (8-14 degrees C), but you'll need to consider that a lot of houses don't have heating here, so if it's 8 degrees outside, it's pretty much 8 degrees indoors. Of course, most hotels and any public buildings will have heating, so it's only when you're not staying somewhere like that that you need to think about it.

Around Sydney, you can get to the Blue Mountains in two hours by train (and it's really cheap - about $15 USD); there are also lots of bus trips that will take you up to the Hunter Valley if you're interested in wine-tasting (it's also simply a gorgeous part of the world).

I know you said above that you like long bus journeys - I think there are overnight buses between Sydney and Melbourne. But in case you're interested, there are also a few companies offering budget flights: Virgin Blue, Jetstar and Tiger Airways.

Er, I'll stop burbling, but if you want any more info feel free to ask!

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've been to New Zealand in May / June, so I knew about the heating thing (and about the keeping-the-bathroom-window-open thing...)

Thanks for the suggestions!

[phantomcranefly.livejournal.com]

Poking my head into this conversation, because I'm really curious now:

What is the keeping-the-bathroom-window-open thing?

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

As far as I could tell, people in New Zealand do not believe in closing bathroom windows. Ever. Even in the winter when it is icy cold. (This is pretty baffling to Americans, since we don't even have windows in most bathrooms, and don't usually feel the need to open them at all even when they exist.)