Pre- or post- cruise Australia

Looking to do a pre- or post- cruise trip to see some of Australia, maybe 4 or 5 days only. We are hoping to do the Ovation of the Seas out of Sydney to see some of New Zealand. We've always wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef and wondered what else we could combine to make a package trip for a few days and see some of Australia, especially if we're really going to travel that far, we need to see a little bit of the country.

Thank you.

Looking to do a pre- or post- cruise trip to see some of Australia, maybe 4 or 5 days only. We are hoping to do the Ovation of the Seas out of Sydney to see some of New Zealand. We've always wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef and wondered what else we could combine to make a package trip for a few days and see some of Australia, especially if we're really going to travel that far, we need to see a little bit of the country.

 

Thank you.

To be honest, both locations are worth a week (spent 15 days split between the two last year).

You don't say where you're flying in or out of - I'm guessing Sydney - or what time of year (check the weather for FNQ and beware that Nov - May is stinger season) but for 4 - 5 days I'd probably spend my time in Sydney, with a day in the Blue Mountains.

However, if the reef is a must - fly to Cairns (3 1/2 hour flight) - do not pass go or collect $200 - and base yourself out of there or Port Douglas (a further 1 hr drive north). Also note that depending when your international flight departs, you may need to fly back from Cairns the evening before.

Cairns / Port Douglas will be hot and humid as it is the wet season then and, yes, it is stinger season in the ocean. However most reputable snorkelling and diving trips will provide stinger suits. I recommend http://www.wavelength.com.au/ which operates out of Port Douglas.

It won't be raining all the time so you should still be able to go to other major sights in the region - the Daintree Forest and the Kuranda Skyrail and Scenic Railway are worth doing.

Port Douglas is about an hour from Cairns Airport, mostly along a narrow coastal road. If you don't want to rent a car there are regular shuttles to Port Douglas, and you can book tours to take you to all the sights - they will pick you up from your accommodation.

I'd also recommend spending a few days in Sydney and perhaps doing a day trip up to the Blue Mountains. Also take a ferry ride over to Manly where it is a short walk from the harbourside wharf to the ocean side beach. I recommend doing the ferry late afternoon, having dinner in Manly, then catching the ferry back to enjoy seeing the city lights - our eldest granddaughter loves doing this when she comes to stay with us.

Looking to do a pre- or post- cruise trip to see some of Australia, maybe 4 or 5 days only. We are hoping to do the Ovation of the Seas out of Sydney to see some of New Zealand. We've always wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef and wondered what else we could combine to make a package trip for a few days and see some of Australia, especially if we're really going to travel that far, we need to see a little bit of the country. Thank you.

Lots of good options for in and around Cairns. Below are some of my notes and ideas for what we did there. Check more ideas, details and lots of visuals from my live/blog that is connected below. We stayed in Cairns. Port Douglas is very nice, but maybe a little on the touristy side. Depends on what you seek and most like.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 158,677 views for this posting.

The Kuranda rail trip took us back a different routing, plus lots of interesting scenery, dramatic waterfalls, major engineering work, many train tunnels, big bridges, etc. The rail line dates back to 1891. For our group of six, we did the upgrade to the "gold" rail seating with plenty of wine, nice food/snacks, etc., in a wonderful, old-style rail car with great service and attention by the staff The great company and nice sights (plus the flowing wine), made it very much fun on a day with on and off patches of rain.:

From the Daintree Rainforest and National Park near Cairns, Australia, here are two samples of our exploring there. We did a somewhat challenging 1.43 miles circular hike in the deep, deep of this dramatic rainforest. Lots of rocks, up and down paths, twists and turns, hard work, etc., as this picture illustrates. But we survived!! Even at our ages. Our group crossed the Mossman Gorge on a fairly long swinging bridge. Not Indiana Jones, but for us it was super spectacular. Here is one of my favorite pictures as it show John in our group looking at one of these huge trees in the middle of this rainforest and contemplating its majesty, size and history. And I told John, the picture shows his more photogenic side!:

This picture gives a little sampling for Port Douglas. Here and in many of these towns that get lots of rain, they have covered walkways in the towns to protect people from the rain and/or sun. Got to shop?? Plenty of opportunities here!! Plus, good places to eat.:

For the Great Barrier Reef, we chartered a plane and flew out from Cairns to Lizard Island, one of the most isolated locations in Australia. Chief Pilot Greg has done about 2200 trips to this location and really knows it well. Here we are on the beach getting his briefing for snorkeling in these reef areas right off of this location/beach. Yes, we saw real lizards here when we walked from the landing strip to our beach location. Captain Cook named this island because when he landed, he saw so many lizards!! Had a wonderful lunch on the beach. On the way to Lizard Island, we flew our over the edge of the reef to better understand this amazing 1500-mile long natural wonder, how it works, etc.:

For our snorkeling, I got to try out my new Nikon AW110 underwater camera. Shot about 260 underwater pictures. Here is one quick sample below. More visuals and details on the full live/blog.:

Either is great.