OVERVIEW OF MY AUSTRALIA TRIP - Jean H. (USA) Miles and I decided to visit Australia and not to include New Zealand since we had 18 days, and we did not want to rush things. The amount of time worked well for us, and I think that you need a minimum of 25 days if you want to do both. We could have cut three days from our trip (1 in Sydney, one at Silky Oaks, and one at Port Douglas, if necessary, but it would have made the trip a lot less relaxing and much more rushed. We were able to upgrade almost all the legs of our trip to and from Australia, which made it pleasant. Jesse was able to prescribe the sleeping pill Ambion, which insured a minimum of 6-7 hours of sleep on the plane. Using Qantas in Australia is a real pleasure. You only need to arrive 45 minutes in advance, all planes were on time, and there weren't unmanageable crowds at the airports. We found the prices to be comparable to those in the US, even though we were led to believe that things were rather cheap. I was very lucky to find an Australian travel agent, Zoe from GlobeNet Travel. She was most accommodating and her suggestions were excellent. We spoke on the phone several times, but email was the main means of communication. All travel documents were sent as an email attachment. The trip turns out to be a bit of a splurge if you stay at relatively upscale hotels (budget @USD$10,000). When looking at prices listed in this itinerary, remember that the Australian dollar is worth about 60 cents. So it is easy to half everything and then add 10%. December is summer time in Australia, and the weather was generally in the 80-95 degree range. Be sure to remember hat and suntan lotion. Although the tram dinner in Melbourne was elegant, and there were people in suit and tie, you really do not need to bring any fancy clothes. If you go in December, it is a challenge to be dressed warmly enough upon departure and upon arrival; but to not be burdened with heavy clothing. I traveled in a warm-up suit and long-sleeved shirt, which I immediately took off upon arrival in Australia. Only a windbreaker or light jacket is necessary for this trip. We brought several pairs of pants and long sleeve shirts, which we did not really need! In two of the places that we stayed (Silky Oaks and Peninsular Boutique Hotel), there were washers and driers for the guest to use, so we actually did not need to bring as much as we did. A few days were quite hot! Fortunately for us, the Australians were experiencing a draught, so we had no rain during our 18-day stay! Again, we were luck because bush fires took place two weeks before our arrival, and apparently it would have been problematic had we scheduled our trip two weeks earlier. Gone are the days when you have to worry about travelers checks. Hotels and flights were paid in advance. ATM machines were everywhere to get cash, and VISA can be used in restaurants and stores. Some impressions or observations about the country in general Americans are made to feel very welcome. Americans experience no sense of culture shock when in Australia. The Australians are very accommodating and friendly. Now, they are concerned about the unstable nature of world politics and terrorists, and they consider Americans to be valued allies. We felt a real kinship with the Australians, their values, and life style. We were struck by the fact that that things are never crowded in Australians. The population of the continent is about the same at the population of NYC. Being in Australia during Christmas was no problem. In fact, Miles and I took a snorkeling trip to the Great Barrier Reef on Christmas day! I understand that New Years is crazy - especially in Sydney where there are spectacular fireworks on the bridge and where you have to make a reservation a year in advance! You see more British or Asian tourists, not an overabundance of Americans. You rarely see black faces, which is so different from the US. As in England, cars are on a different side of the street, and the driver is seated on the opposite side of the front seat. We did not rent a car anywhere, nor did we see the need to do so. We were not on an organized tour. Rather, we had several tours or special activities planned in each city. Our agent informed us that tipping is not expected in Australia, and this really was a pleasant difference for us Americans. In addition, there was a policy that you could bring your own bottle of wine. There might be a small corkage fee. We enjoyed a variety of Australian Shiraz wines that were reasonably priced. We usually ate dinner between 6:30 and 7:15, and generally there was no problem if you went to a restaurant without a reservation - even the best or most popular! 8:00 pm-9:00 pm are the most popular dining times. Interesting that the coins that are worth the most are smallest, and the larger coins are worth less. Gardens are gorgeous in both Melbourne and Sydney, and I understand that this is also true in New Zealand. You have both the tropical trees and the evergreens co-existing. Toilets are interesting because there are two ways to flush - using a half flush or a full flush. So there is a real attempt to conserve water, which is a concern. It is ironic because there is water surrounding everything in the form of bays, rivers, oceans, etc. We were struck by the fact that Australia is a new country - settled originally by British convicts in the 1700's. The majority of the new high-rise buildings in Sydney were built in the last 40 years. In Sydney, we started to acquire some of the Australian lingo: we tended to order either "cap lite" or "long black" when we wanted coffee. If the weather was cool, you might need a "jumper" - i.e. sweater, "bums" are Australian, probably British as well, for "ass", "carpark" is a parking lot, the word "lovely" is used a lot - even by men! In a store, you are encouraged to "have a browse". The title of one store in Melbourne was "Rent a Bomb". When we inquired about it, we learned that it was a rental establishment for old cars (i.e. "jalopy"). Things that we had never done before Climbed a bridge, tasted the fish: barramundi, or the fruit: passion fruit. The elegant dinner in the tram car that circled the city of Melbourne was a new and very pleasurable experience. Our hotel in Melbourne was quite elegant, and there were 10 different types of pillows that you could request should you desire to do so. Never tried mango danqueris, and they are delicious (fresh mango was in season this time of year). Miles tasted kangaroo for the first time. He bought a belt made of kangaroo leather as well. Flying business class to another continent was also a first for us - and it is something that is also easy to get used to (especially with our new drug of choice, Ambion!). Things that we would do differently next time: There are very few things that I would change in the itinerary. The tour, the Great Ocean Road Adventure in Melbourne, was scheduled for the first day there. We changed it to the second so we had the first day to explore the city. That trip was almost too long a day. We learned that if you took the tour that began at 8:00 am, instead of 8:30 am, you would be back in Melbourne by dinner, not after dinner (which we had on the road). The earlier tour would have definitely been preferable. Be sure to check the website for the Sydney Opera House months before you leave, and make reservations in advance for any event or program you would like to see. I had checked, and decided that I did not care about seeing The Messiah. After seeing the magnificent opera house, we tried to get tickets to see Swan Lake at the smaller theater there, but it was too late because all tickets were sold out. I would recommend all of the choices of accommodations - they were somewhat unique, but most importantly, perfectly situated. In Sydney, the hotel was on the water, in The Rocks section. They are renovating all the old piers and warehouses in this area. The Sebel Pier 1 Hotel had a lobby with a floor that allowed you to see the water below. Although the décor was modern, some of the old beams and architectural details were retained. This was definitely the place to be, and we walked everywhere. We took the ferries to places that were not within walking distance. There is great running (tracks) in both Sydney and Melbourne - should be pronounced "Melbun" - especially in the botanical gardens. We were so busy that Miles only ran 3 or 4 times. As you will note by the following itinerary, we were in Sydney 5 nights, 7 nights in the Cairns area (it worked well to stay 3 nights in the rainforest area, and three nights by the beach in Port Douglas), and then 4 nights in Melbourne. You definitely needed all four nights in Melbourne. There were more flies in Melbourne, and when we were in the rainforest/Great Barrier area, bug repellent might have been a good idea. We did not find bugs or mosquitos to be problematic.

testimonials & travel tips - Overview - Sydney - Cairns - Melbourne