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Question for the Aussies out there


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We are doing a b2b2b this January. This will be our first time in Australia. It's a "top of the bucket list" trip. Who knows if we will ever be fortunate enough to return?

 

We are going to fly in a few days early and would like to go see some of the outback. Yes, I know, it's enormous and you could spend months there. We will arrive in Sydney on the 16th, and our plan is to fly up to somewhere in the outback on the 17th in the morning, and fly back later in the day on the 18th, leaving us with the 16th and the 19th in Sydney. (Bridge climb the evening of the 19th).

 

Of course, everyone says "go see Ayers Rock". That sounds pretty cool. We looked at the sunset tour, which begins with a walk around the rock. Is that a good choice? Or should we go to Alice Springs instead? If you had our timeline, and could do only one place to "see the outback", where would you go, and what would you do?

 

Thanks in advance for the expert advice!!

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Good luck with that - will take you at least 6 hours if not more to fly from Sydney to Ayers Rock or to Alice Springs. Also in the middle of our summer - it will be extremely hot. Nicer and quicker to fly to the Great Barrier Reef.

 

 

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Well, the actual flight time is 3:40 each way, but with airport travel, security etc, it will be a heck of a lot of time in travel for a less than 24 hour stay at Ayers Rock.

 

I agree with the suggestion for Great Barrier Reef.

Edited by CruiserBruce
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I suggest you do a little research on Uluru (Ayers Rock) before you decide whether this is something you want to spend doing with the little time you have. You'll learn that the temperature at Uluru in January are HOT. You'll learn the the flies are out in full force and you'll either need to wear a hat with a fly net or continually do the "Aussie wave". You'll learn that the prices of everything at Uluru are really high because everything has to be shipped in from halfway across the country. And you'll learn that you'll have 24 hours or less to actually see/do anything based on the flight times.

 

As much as I love the GBR, I wouldn't recommend going there either in January. The weather is hot and humid with a chance if cyclones (hurricanes). It's also stinger (deadly jellyfish) season, so you can't go into the water without wearing a stinger suit.

 

With only 4 days, I'd recommend you just stay in Sydney. There is more than enough to do there to keep you busy for 4 days.

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Uluru (Ayers Rock) and nearby Kaja Tuja (The Olgas) are magical and spectacular. But less than 3 full days is a bit of a shame and waste of time and you will miss out on too many things.

If you like to experience the Outback from Sydney, you can stick within the state of New South Wales (NSW) and consider places such as Dubbo (where they have a great zoo) or Broken Hill.

These places are still a pretty long distance from Sydney.

Check the website of the fabulous regional airline REX (Regional Express) http://www.rex.com.au

They have several daily flights from Sydney to many weird and wonderful small places. The website is very good and when you click on the names of the towns on the route map, you get some info on the places.

You can also book flight/hotel/rental car packages with them.

Flight prices can be very cheap when booked well in advance to very expensive on short notice.

They use small regional aircraft and usually fly quite low, so you'll get to have a great view of the countryside along the way.

 

As a great and humorous introduction to Australia, get yourself the book "Down Under" by Bill Bryson. It is a truly great read about our country.

I have it in print form, on my Kindle and also as "Talking book".

My wife and I must have bought at least 30 copies of this book so far. We give / send it to all friends who are planning to come and visit us here....

:-)

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I was actually thinking that if they were going to Darwin that they might get a taste of the outback up there. The Jumping Crocodile tour is a highlight.

 

Sydney has so much to see and the harbour is so beautiful. Everything is so accessible by public transport either train bus or ferry. I was there for 5 weeks last year in January for radiation therapy and most afternoons went exploring. I didn't have much money and most things to see are free.

The beaches at Coogee Manly Bondi and Watsons Bay. The historic Rocks and Darling Harbour Area Cockatoo Island. Chinatown Broadway and Cabramatta.

A visit to Taronga Zoo is also a highlight and you would get to see animals from all over the world in a picturesque setting.

You can also visit the Blue Mountains as a day trip and that is absolutely stunning and a relief from the heat.

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We are doing a b2b2b this January. This will be our first time in Australia. It's a "top of the bucket list" trip. Who knows if we will ever be fortunate enough to return?

 

We are going to fly in a few days early and would like to go see some of the outback. Yes, I know, it's enormous and you could spend months there. We will arrive in Sydney on the 16th, and our plan is to fly up to somewhere in the outback on the 17th in the morning, and fly back later in the day on the 18th, leaving us with the 16th and the 19th in Sydney. (Bridge climb the evening of the 19th).

 

Of course, everyone says "go see Ayers Rock". That sounds pretty cool. We looked at the sunset tour, which begins with a walk around the rock. Is that a good choice? Or should we go to Alice Springs instead? If you had our timeline, and could do only one place to "see the outback", where would you go, and what would you do?

 

Thanks in advance for the expert advice!!

 

I think your timing is too tight. Too much traveling, not enough sightseeing.

 

I would recommend staying in Sydney and making the most of your time there.

 

Remember that you are here to have a holiday. Flying thousands of miles is no holiday.

Edited by SinbadThePorter
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The OP is sailing on Radiance x2 and Ovation in January.

 

Strongly suggest you add 2 days to your itinerary. Absolutely no point travelling the long distance to Australia and then rushing your visit. The normal stay at Ayers Rock is 3 days and most direct flights seem to tie in with that.

A 1 day stayover at the Rock is crazy. Just too much to see. Min is 2 days and i would include a local flight either by helo or fixed wing to get a view from above.

Then there is the predawn get up to view the changing colours of th rock or a sunset dinner.

 

January is high summer so the heat and flies will not be pleasant but many overseas tourist seam to come at that time.

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With that timeline, it'd be much more effective to just stay in Sydney. For most, the 16th would be a loss due to jet lag, so you only have one day on the 19th... and you'll probably be a bit worn after all the travelling 17th and 18th. Which means you won't see much of Sydney that you could have, and will have spent more time travelling than enjoying.

 

But that said, if Ayers Rock is the most iconic dream you want to see above all else in Australia, then I'd do it. It's what you came for, so best to see the things you want to see most.

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Wow. :eek:

 

Thanks for all the responses! I sure wish I'd asked BEFORE we made our travel plans to Sydney!

 

We're certainly not "married" to the idea of Ayers Rock--it just seemed the most commonly suggested place to go. But we would like to see SOMETHING of the outback.

 

Our cruise itinerary does include Darwin (8 am to 10 pm), as well as Cairns (7-5), Brisbane (8-6), Port Hedland (9-4) and Geraldton (11-5). We end in Perth and have a full day and overnight there. I haven't done my due diligence on Australian geography yet, so I have No concept of where everything is. Would we be better off seeing at least a bit of the outback from one of those ports? Or is it just too far away?

 

peter.kath suggested the Jumping Crocodile tour in Darwin, so we will look into that.

 

We've got a list of things we want to do in Sydney, so we can most certainly use the extra 2 days there.

 

Any suggestions of things to do in any of the ports will be much appreciated. We're just starting to look at ideas and the information is more than a little overwhelming! :eek:

 

Thanks again.

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I haven't done my due diligence on Australian geography yet, so I have No concept of where everything is. Would we be better off seeing at least a bit of the outback from one of those ports? Or is it just too far away?
The easiest thing to remember is this: Australia is basically the size of the US (ie the lower 48).

 

If you've only got a handful of days before your cruise, just stay in Sydney. There really is no point trying to go anywhere else. You will lose a day getting there and a day getting back - days that you could more profitably spend sightseeing instead. You need a month to exhaust Sydney, anyway, so you're not going to be wasting the time.

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I would suggest, if you are flying back from Perth to Sydney, then to the US, you fly Perth to Ayers Rock for a couple of nights, then on to Sydney.

 

Wish we could. My siser is flying home directly from Perth, and I'm going through Sydney but have time constraints getting back so I can't extend the trip.

 

4 days in Sydney it is!!

 

Thanks again for all of your help.

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Just reading your ships itinerary you are going to get a great taste of how diverse our country is. We cruised from Singapore to Sydney last year and one of

the highlights was the scenic cruising around the top end through the Great Barrier Reef (Darwin to Cairns)

My suggestions for each port:

 

Brisbane catch the ship shuttle to the city centre walk to Southbank the site of the 1988 World Expo which has been turned into a kind of entertainment precinct. There is a man made beach there so you can have a swim. If time permits catch a Rivercat to get a great view of the river.

 

Cairns definately take a ship tour. This is normally a tender port so those on booked tours get off first, I would suggest the Kuranda, Aborginals and Army Ducks.

 

Darwin as I said the Jumping Crocodiles, as you have a long day there this will still give you an opportunity to have a look around Darwin or maybe do a cruise around the Harbour you could even visit the night market

 

Port Hedland is a massive mining town and there are several different tours. Sorry haven't been to Geraldton but Perth is stunning.

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Just reading your ships itinerary you are going to get a great taste of how diverse our country is. We cruised from Singapore to Sydney last year and one of

the highlights was the scenic cruising around the top end through the Great Barrier Reef (Darwin to Cairns)

My suggestions for each port:

 

Brisbane catch the ship shuttle to the city centre walk to Southbank the site of the 1988 World Expo which has been turned into a kind of entertainment precinct. There is a man made beach there so you can have a swim. If time permits catch a Rivercat to get a great view of the river.

 

Cairns definately take a ship tour. This is normally a tender port so those on booked tours get off first, I would suggest the Kuranda, Aborginals and Army Ducks.

 

Darwin as I said the Jumping Crocodiles, as you have a long day there this will still give you an opportunity to have a look around Darwin or maybe do a cruise around the Harbour you could even visit the night market

 

Port Hedland is a massive mining town and there are several different tours. Sorry haven't been to Geraldton but Perth is stunning.

 

I haven't visited these ports, but I'd think there'd be a better chance of seeing something of the outback in either Geraldton or Port Hedland.

 

Thank you both for your input!!!!!

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I have heard good things about the Oakabella Homestead near Geraldton.

 

Port Hedland is an industrial port to an industrial town, but the Courthouse Gallery/Museum might be worth a visit.

 

All the other ports are major tourist centres, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding things to do.

 

In Cairns, the trip to Kuranda is nice, but I found the Skyrail cableway on the way up to be a bit boring, especially as you have to get out and wait in crowded queues to board the different sections. The train was much nicer and leaves/arrives from Cairns station in the middle of town. So if I was doing it again I'd go up and down by the train.

 

Just for reference:

 

Sydney to Brisbane is about 500 nautical miles.

Brisbane to Cairns is about 850 nautical miles.

Cairns to Darwin is about 1350 nautical miles.

Darwin to Port Hedland is about 900 nautical miles.

Port Hedland to Geraldton is about 750 nautical miles.

Geraldton to Perth is about 200 nautical miles.

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We did Kalbarri National Park outside Geraldton - looked like Outback to me

 

Kalbari_zpspn9i7kpi.jpg

 

Also Port Hedland is about as rough and ready and outback as you can get, red dust everywhere.

 

The do a tour out of Darwin, love those Ant Hills :)

 

You will see plenty of outback on your cruise, the outback is not necessarily in the centre of Australia, it can be around the edges as well.

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Perth is lovely.

Take a trip a few km down to Fremantle and from there the ferry to Rotnest island. Spectacular little gem.

 

I agree about Rotnest being worth a visit.

 

Your ship will dock at Fremantle so no trip needed.

 

However, I'd only do it as a ship tour too much risk of the ferry being delayed.

 

I'm a little confused though do you have time in Fremantle before the cruise, if so a must do.

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From a Perth resident:

 

Rottnest is a great little island, but if you don't have a lot of time, take the ferry from Fremantle into Perth. Good way to see our little city. Train system is easy and very reliable from. Fremantle train station is close by the dock. Tickets can be bought using cash or cards. If you have a hire car, Hillarys Boat Harbour (north of Perth) is nice or Rockingham (south) has beautiful beaches, with dolphin boat tours.

 

Geraldton is a large town, with nothing else around it (i.e. no other cities or towns for ages) Western Australia is VERY spread out and spase! But the town in nice with lots to do (although I think it has been about 5 years since I was last there.

 

My husband actually drives buses in Port Hedland for his job. He is always at the dock transporting the lucky cruise passengers around. The most popular place they go is the big mine sites. Be prepared for a lot of red sand!

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