<p>In the early stages of planning a family trip to Australia June next year. We have about 3 weeks flying to Sydney. Looking for suggestions on things we must see. We have extended family in Melbourne so I expect we will include a visit to them in the trip.</p>
<p>Any advice / recommendations?</p>
<p>See if there is a show at the Sydney opera house. </p>
<p>S22, sorry, I don’t have any knowledge or advice regarding Australia (other than perhaps you should try Vegimite (sp?)). Just a question - do you feel comfortable about renting a car and driving there? I personally have become quite paranoid, and other than Canada, wouldn’t want drive anywhere else abroad, including the country where I emigrated from. If I ever went there and was still in good physical condition, I would like to dive in the Great Barrier Reef.</p>
<p>It’s a great trip but a bit long. There are a lot of things to do in Sydney - I highly recommend the harbor cruise, the whole waterfront is spectacular. I wish we had climbed the harbor bridge from which there is a spectacular view of everything. In Melbourne, go to Philip Island for the “penguin parade”, the Ocean Road which includes the 12 apostles. I wasn’t too keen on going to Uluru but that was great also particularly the sunset dinner which included some star gazing - my first opportunity to see the southern cross. I wasn’t too impressed with the Great barrier reef but we went in our summer which is their winter. The water is a bit cold but at least at that time of year, there is less worry about crocs and stingers.</p>
<p>Can I hide in your suitcase, please?! 
</p>
<p>We were just there in October! We were in Melbourne for a day and then flew to Tasmania (which was a real treat) and stayed several days. Found a synagogue on the way to the Melbourne Museum (worth a visit). Took the overnight ferry back to MEL and then headed out on the Great Ocean Road. I would recommend three days for GOR, esp. if you want to hike some of the waterfall trails, coastal routes, etc. We continued west on GOR to Adelaide (lots of wineries around there) and down to Cape Jervis, where we caught the ferry to Kangaroo Island. We’ve been to KI twice and loved it. After KI, we flew from Adelaide to Auckland, and then left Christchurch to Sydney, spent a day there, and then flew the rest of the way home. </p>
<p>The first time we went (2005), we spent several days in Sydney, flew north to Townsville and then drove north from there to the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns and Port Douglas. Got a wonderful tour guide for the day who took us to some out of the way places, though I don’t know if he is still doing it. We went in August and the snorkeling was fine. Water was 80 degrees; daytime highs were 75ish and not too humid. Also did KI on that trip. It was colder there than in Queensland – 50s and 60s. Tasmania gets snowy and cold in winter – a good number of places shut down for the season. A good intro to Sydney is to take the public ferries around the harbor. Bondi Beach is nearby and the Bondi-Bronte trail is a wonderful morning hike. </p>
<p>Distances are LONG. I am fine with driving, but unless you want to pay $$$ for airfare, getting from one place to another will cost you time. OTOH, I like to see the country at ground level – but you’re talking to someone who drove 4000 miles in 20 days. </p>
<p>We also went to NZ on this trip. OMG, what a gorgeous place. Ten days in NZ was not nearly enough. 2 1/2 to 3 weeks is more like it.</p>
<p>Melbourne (Aussie Rules football), Canberra (Tidbinbilla satellite station), Kangaroo Island National Park, Perth/Rottnest (Quokkas), Cervantes (Pinnacles), Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Cairns (two days on the reef, and one in the mountains), Sydney (opera house tour).</p>
<p>Four weeks, best trip ever. About half the things we saw were because they were in a terrific children’s book “Are we there yet?”, the rest came from <a href=“Tourism Australia Corporate Website - Tourism Australia”>404 : Page not found - Corporate - Tourism Australia; and <a href=“Top 100 Things to do in Australia Before You Die”>http://www.australiantraveller.com/100-things-to-do-before-you-die-2011/</a></p>
<p>When we went, Quantas had special deals for flights that hopped around the country. Ours ended up with so many connections that we had to buy the tickets by telephone rather than online.</p>
<p>Just popping in to report my jealousy. Australia has been on my bucket list since the Sydney Olympics. Have fun!</p>
<p>@dad<em>of</em>3
My husband will drive no problem. We are British so driving on the " other side of the road" will not be an issue.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice- getting excited. We will look at the Qantas ticket that allows you to hop between destinations. Someone else had suggested this.</p>
<p>countingdown- NZ looks amazing too. Maybe another trip.</p>
<p>I was lucky enough that I went to Australia annually on business for 6 years. (also stopped in NZ several times on the way to/from).</p>
<p>Airfare - not sure where you are starting from, but there are 4 non-stops routes from North America: San Francisco, LA, Dallas and Vancouver. I did Air Canada from Vancouver on my last trip and was very happy, it was much cheaper than United or Quantas. Also did Air New Zealand through Aukland out of SFO once and it was great. (granted I flew biz class). </p>
<p>Places to see:
Sydney - hands down my favorite city in the world. So much to see. I spent one night in Coogee Beach on a layover. It’s south of Sydney and near the airport. Do the coast walk to Bondi Beach and back. (don’t stay in Bondi with the other tourists). </p>
<p>Melbourne - did a river cruise which was nice. Do the coast road west of the city.</p>
<p>Tasmania - Food and wine were great. I had business in Launceston and found it to be a cute town with lots of food options and a lots of nature. </p>
<p>Domestic flights around the country are not very expensive in my opinion. They also don’t have the liquids rule like the rest of the country. The only thing they cared about going through security lines were aerosols.</p>
<p>If you do go to NZ, check out Rotorura. It’s the Yellowstone of NZ. Geysers and mudpots everywhere. There was one about 50 yards from my hotel balcony. </p>
<p>Rotorua is great except for the smell!</p>
<p>I think I liked Melbourne more than Sydney. There is a great area of restaurants with giant outdoor torches. The botanical gardens were amazing. They have a tree that looks like it’s growing upside down and I heard birds that sound like a truck backing up. We took a bus tour to Phillip Island to see the penguins. On the way, we stopped at koala reserve and a kangaroo farm. I often felt like Alice in Wonderland. You could speak to everyone, but everything was so odd.
We flew to Cairns, where we rented a car, and went up to Point Douglas for a charter tour that snorkelled the reef. It was amazing. We were there in May, but wore wet suits. I think that was more for protection because they have lots of jellyfish. We stayed at Silky Oaks Lodge, in a rainforest.
In Sydney, we did the bridge climb and toured the opera house. I enoyed just walking around and taking the public bus. They have great antique stores, with lots of Asian antiques.<br>
I wish I could have seen NZ. My plane stopped there and from the the little I saw, it looked amazing. If you’ve gone that far and have a few weeks, I’d put it on the list. </p>
<p>If you go to Tasmania, the Salamanca Market on Saturday mornings in Hobart is wonderful. Lots of food, lots of artisans. There is a museum on Antarctic exploration right on the waterfront. I walked to the market from our hotel via the waterfront and went through some lovely older neighborhoods. If you go to Freycinet National Park there, do the Wineglass Bay walk. There are a couple of versions, depending on how far you want to go. We also went to Port Arthur NP and then to some of the nearby geologic formations.</p>
<p>When we went to QLD, we stayed at Ellis Beach Caravan Park, which is halfway between Cairns and Port Douglas. Had a cabin that was 50 feet from the water. Many caravan parks in AUS and NZ have self-contained cabins, which worked well for us. We could cook if we wanted, had a fridge, and it was appreciably less expensive than hotels.</p>
<p>We stayed in Rotorua, NZ for the weekend, but actually didn’t do much there – wound up heading to Lake Taupo and hitting the thermal baths. We needed a break from the constant travel. I had read too many reviews that said if you’ve been to Yellowstone, Rotorua will not impress you as much. It is interesting to see the formations in the middle of town (the main city park has a lot of them), and there is a redwood grove on the edge of town which offered a nice walk (and opportunities for some excellent trail biking – and there was a rental place nearby for bikes and gear).</p>
<p>I liked both Sydney and Melbourne. I recommend the botanical parks in each city. There are amazing places to eat in the side streets of the CBD in Melbourne. </p>
<p>“We flew to Cairns, where we rented a car, and went up to Point Douglas for a charter tour that snorkelled the reef. It was amazing. We were there in May, but wore wet suits. I think that was more for protection because they have lots of jellyfish. We stayed at Silky Oaks Lodge, in a rainforest.”</p>
<p>We stayed in Palm Cove, drove to Port Douglas and probably took the same 2 hr. boat ride to that big platform where you can snorkel. It was quite crowded and the water was cold so I didn’t stay in too long. The little submersible boat that went around the reef was pretty good however. We were there in July 2013.</p>
<p>The gambling at the Crown in Melbourne on a Saturday night is quite interesting.</p>
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<p>I used tripadvisor to book the top-rated snorkeling charter. We went off the back of the boat, not from a platform. The boat anchored in three different areas. Getting that wetsuit on was difficult, but the views underwater were fantastic. </p>
<p>Ayers Rock</p>
<p>And I agree with the comment that Melbourne is nicer/more fun than Sydney. </p>