I signed up for a conference and somehow completely missed that it’s in Australia. I’m an Americanist so I don’t ever think to look at the location.
So since I’m going anyway, we’re going to make a vacation out of it. I know absolutely nothing about Australia other than kangaroos exist there.
Who’s got tips for travel and/or once there?
Can I come too?
Any chance the conference has preferred airline travel?
How long will you be there and at what time of year? What kinds of things do you like to do or see?
Not sure yet. Probably a week beyond the conference. Late August/early September.
Big fan of animals, sights, anything history-related, ummm…? Really the only thing I’m not a big fan of is art galleries.
Australia is a great place to visit. Make sure to talk to your doctor about any potential health issues that might arise from the long flights. Pack for the predicted weather. It can get really, really hot in Australia but in September, that might not be a concern. The country has a fascinating history and culture so if you’re interested in those things, read up and watch movies before you go (and after you get back). And have a good time!
Australia is vast and expensive. Are they paying your flight and accommodation? How much will you have to spend on the actual holiday part? Are you outdoorsy? Hiker? Swimmer? Snorkel/dive? Adventurous? Fit? Will you be alone?
first off it’s BIG. about the size of the continental USA.
gotta do a Sydney Harbor cruise. and go see the Opera House too. if the conference is a few days you can probably see the Sydney sights on free time during the conference.
the two major natural wonders are Uluru / Ayers Rock in the desert center, and the Great Barrier Reef along the northeast cape. it would be tough to do both in a week, but if one looks like a can’t miss to you then target that.
it might be doable to visit Melbourne, Victoria for 3-4 days and then Brisbane / Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast for 3-4 days. you could drive or fly to Melbourne. they have really beautiful wine and hill country in Victoria. if you like sport you could catch some Aussie Rules football. you might like Victoria so much you decide to stay all week there.
Brisbane / Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast is very popular with tourists. think beach /coastal resort type stuff.
watch some Leyland’s Australia and see if anything jumps out as a must-visit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m_SVUmT0cA&list=PLhQF3saYF9UO4ni-CdZrmMbfdhZnwWmDh
My costs are mostly covered. I would be paying for extended time.
I don’t know literally a thing about Australia so I didn’t even know where to start :). The conference is in Sydney though.
Which city is the conference in?
Quantas and its subsidiaries used to have a discounted air pass. Go over to Flyertalk and see if it still exists or what those very frequent flyers would recommend.
I have been three times. Off the top of my head:
We pushed a wheelchair around the Sydney Zoo. It is built into a hillside. There was an elevator to take us to the top and we worked our way down. I think we were able to see most all the exhibits.
They ferry system in Sydney is good. We actually just rode it around and treated it like a harbor cruise.
We stayed at a apartment hotel called 2 Bond St. It was easy to get to the historic Rocks area, the Opera House (not wheelchair friendly), the ferries, and the Victorian arcades. There is a Woolworths across the street with a good selection of groceries. With the time change we wanted to be able to fix food at weird hours and to save money.
Cairnes is very flat and has a lovely paved walkway along the sea front. It functions mostly as jumping off spot for the reef and the rainforest. It is not a massive city and we rented a car to get into the countryside. There is a nice cable car that takes you over the forest and to an artsy town. From there you can take a historic train back down.
Brisbane is laid out along a river front. There is a Koala sanctuary there I think called Lonely Pine. It has a nice selection of indigenous animals and birds. There is a large enclosed area where you can wander through free moving roos and wallabies. They sell a food like goat kibble and you can hand feed them.
The commuter train in Brisbane can take you to Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin’s.) That was a very nice facility too. My younger daughter idolized him as a child so it was meaningful to her.
From Brisbane we hopped a cheap flight to Magnetic Island which is off the coast at Townsville. It was very easy to rent a car and run around. My husband was still in his “OMG the wildlife will kill us all” phase and died when we got into the water. We all made it back.
We then took a 4 night cruise on a local small ship company called Coral Expeditions. It was very laid back but we couldn’t have gotten any closer to the reef. The snorkeling was fabulous.
My most recent trip included Tasmania which was gorgeous. I barely scratched the surface by visiting Hobart, Richmond, winery, and the penal areas. My great great great grandfather had been stationed there in the British army back when things were awful. The history presented to tourists is very honest about the impact on the indigenous people. I would really like to get back there and go into the mountains.
Melbourne looked lovely but my visit was colored by the oppressive January heat. I cannot say much except for recommending the aboriginal art gallery.
Every community has prominent memorials to WW1 and they are very moving.
Canberra and Perth were 30 years ago and I cannot pretend to know what they are like now.
@“Snowball City” wow thank you! It’s in Sydney 
If you are only there a week I would be careful on how you spend your time. Sydney is a great city to visit and cool to just walk around.
I have always heard of Bondi Beach growing up, it’s only a bus ride away so I had to go.
The Blue Mountains are pretty cool. (It’s a little over an hour train ride)
https://us.sydney.com/destinations/blue-mountains
Sydney Zoo is just like any other Zoo but it has amazing views of the Harbor.
If you are not afraid of heights you can climb over the Sydney Harbor bridge. (bridge Climb)
I wouldn’t travel too far, Australia is huge, the Barrier reef is amazing but the flight to Cairnes is 3 hours.
August to September will be the end of winter/spring so expect some cool mornings and evenings.
Have fun and I’m jealous.
Sydney is expensive. Public transportation isn’t great. D1 spent a semester there. We brought her out there and got her settled.
I am following this carefully. Dh and I are going for 3 weeks in March. Tentative itinerary is Sydney, Cairns (Great Barrier Reef) and Melbourne (to include Phillip Island and the Great Ocean Road. May also go to Ayres Rock if schedules permit.
@romanigypsyeyes, I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time! Our problem was that there were just too many places to see so we’re extending from 2 to 3 weeks. Please post when you decide if you’ll go somewhere in addition to Sydney.
Budget is going to drive this though, as again, Australia is vast, Sydney is Sydney, if you are there a week for a conference, you can cover that. Can you backpack/hostel type travel? Just hotels are so $$. Flights this far out will be pretty reasonable, car hire is $$, they drive on the wrong side and distances are huge. Do you want to go beach, or bush?
Yes, our friends had a S in Australia for a college exchange program. They said that hamburgers and movies were MUCH more (double+) what they were in the US, sometimes triple! Of course, you can economize if you shop around and buy food for picnics or eat out for lunch and not dinner, etc.
Private wine tour was the highlight. We also did a boat ride around the harbor. My kids enjoyed the zoo.
See if you can stretch your trip out a bit more. We turned a one week conference in Melbourne into a month-long vacation traveling around Australia.
Every hotel room we stayed in had at least an electric kettle and refrigerator for the milk for the tea. Most had full kitchenettes - two burner hot-plate, fridge, toaster, electric kettle, basic cooking equipment, plates/cups/saucers/flatware for 4. I gathered that this was pretty standard throughout the country. It was really convenient for us to be able to put together a light meal whenever we felt like it. Check the conference hotel options, and see whether that is available to you.
Our stops included: Melbourne (with some of those side tours for the family members while the conference attendee is trapped in meetings), Canberra to visit friends, Kangaroo Island to see wildlife (we stayed in an historical cottage right in the national park), Perth, Rottnest Island, The Pinnacles/Nambung National Park, Uluru/The Olgas, Cairns/Great Barrier Reef, and Sydney. We stayed with friends in Sydney so other than the Opera House tour, I’ve got no advice for you. We were hanging out at the kid’s school rugby matches. 
Worth every penny we spent. Would return to any of the places we visited, and could easily stay at least one day longer at each of them.
Some resources we used when planning:
https://www.australia.com/en-us
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/
I also consulted an Aussie Specialist travel agent that I found through https://www.australia.com/en-us/facts-and-planning/accommodation-and-tours/find-travel-agents.html
Totally jealous of you! Enjoy the planning and the trip!!
Unfortunately, a month wouldn’t be possible. I can probably stretch it out to two weeks… maybe three. I’m not teaching in the fall but I do have research responsibilities and I’m working on a law in CA right now. (In other words, my advisor would kill me ).
I’ll most likely be going with my mom since Mr R can’t take that much time off work and Australia is one place my mom has always wanted to go. She has a way more adventurous spirit than I do
I’m grabbing all these links and tips and throwing them in a google doc. I can’t thank you guys enough!
Sydney is a great city to visit. Blue Mountains - day trip. The ferries are fun - take them around the harbor. Ferry to Manly beach. Sign up for the Sydney Harbor bridge climb! The guides move at a very slow pace, fantastic views, interesting history of bridge construction. I loved the Coogee to Bondi (or vice versa) walk along the coast. The Botanic Gardens are beautiful to walk around. I would recommend a few days to Melbourne - also a great city, quick flight from Sydney; do a tour of Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles!
We needed a Visa, so don’t forget to get one. (It was a simple electronic visa)