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

[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).