Australia vacation help needed

GCRYAR wrote:
 > We are leaning toward a tour, so we do not have to drive on the wrong
 > side of the road (wrong side for us).

I wouldn't worry to much about driving on the left -- steering wheel is
also on the other side, which makes it pretty easy. I tend to get a bit
confused with turn-signal and wiper (they are on the opposite side,
too), but after a day you get used to that, too.

Usually driving in Germany, I find the Australians to be very polite and
cautious drivers in general. Additionally, speedlimit, roundabouts and
warning-sings make it easy to drive. Biggest hazard is probably
kangeroos at dawn.

Bego
--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we."
- George W. Bush, 5.8.2004
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

Some indication of your interests, budget, duration of stay, age etc etc etc
might help us help you!!


Keep in mind that Australia is about as big as the continental USA! - and
probably more diverse!



"GCRYAR" wrote in message

 > My wife and I are planning an Australian vacation this February. We are
 > leaning toward a tour, so we do not have to drive on the wrong side of the
 > road
 > (wrong side for us). Any information on tour companies or guides
 > recommended
 > will be appreciated.
 >
 > Thanks
 >
 > Glen
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

We are pretty open on the trip. We have about a $14,000 budget and enjoy the
outdoor stuff. Australia Zoo is a must, as is the outback and reef. We are in
our 50s. We only know what the Crock hunter has taught us about Australia, so
any help or suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks

Glen
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

GCRYAR wrote:
 > My wife and I are planning an Australian vacation this February. We are
 > leaning toward a tour, so we do not have to drive on the wrong side of the road
 > (wrong side for us). Any information on tour companies or guides recommended
 > will be appreciated.
 >
 > Thanks
 >
 > Glen

You shouldn't worry about the driving on your trip. I just got back
from Australia last night after spending two weeks there and I found
that driving on the left side of the road was no problem. It was nice
traveling on my own schedule and being able to stop when and where I
wanted, and not on the tours schedule.

The hook turns in Melbourne on the other hand took a little getting use
to, but I mastered them.

ALV
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

On 05 Nov 2004 20:07:13 GMT, gcryar.RemoveThis@aol.com (GCRYAR) wrote:

 >We are pretty open on the trip. We have about a $14,000 budget and enjoy the
 >outdoor stuff. Australia Zoo is a must, as is the outback and reef. We are in
 >our 50s. We only know what the Crock hunter has taught us about Australia, so
 >any help or suggestions would be helpful.
 >
 >Thanks
 >
 >Glen

Hi Glen

I'm making a couple of assumptions about you, so correct me if I'm
wrong.

The assumptions are that you are from the USA, (which also means that
the $14K budget is about AU20K), you're only here for a few weeks
commencing February, and you want to see as much as possible in that
time without driving into oncoming traffic.

And all you know about Australia, you learnt from Steve Irwin?

OK, the first thing Steve neglected to mention was "the wet", which is
the monsoonal weather conditions north of the tropic of Capricorn
(Rockhampton on the map) at that time of year. That doesn't meant that
you can't visit the reef, but take your raincoat and umbrella.

Secondly, I'd recommend you fly between the main centres you wish to
visit, then take local tours from those centres.

To give you an idea of distances, say you arrived in Sydney, flew to
Alice Springs or Uluru, then to the reef at Townsville, then to Brisbane
for Irwin's zoo. In the states the equivalent trip would be NYC - St
Louis - Miami - Washington DC.

But my suggestion would be broadly that, subject to time.

Sydney, with tours to the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley wineries.
Fly to Alice Springs, with a tour to Uluru.
Fly to Brisbane, tours to Irwin's zoo, or the Gold Coast hinterland or
both.
Fly to Cairns or Townsville (depending on the wet and timing) for the
reef.


Cheers, Alan
--
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

Fly into Brisbane. Spend 3 days at O'Reilly's in the Lamington National
Park:
<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.oreillys.com.au/content/home.asp?" target="_blank">http://www.oreillys.com.au/content/home.asp?</a>

Up to Noosa for 2 or 3 days - visit the Australia Zoo from there:
<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.crocodilehunter.com/" target="_blank">http://www.crocodilehunter.com/</a>
<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.tourismnoosa.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.tourismnoosa.com.au/</a>

Back to Brisbane to emplane for Cairns and the Reef:

<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.cairns.au.com/" target="_blank">http://www.cairns.au.com/</a>

It IS the wet season, but that's no real hassle. The rain is warm and
everything carries on as usual when it's raining anyway. February will be
humid, but not oppressively so! (I lived in Cairns and surrounds for 17
years).

I'd recommend you buy a - Lonely Planet - Australia guide book - and
research beyond good ol' Steve Irwin.


Good Luck!



"GCRYAR" wrote in message

 > We are pretty open on the trip. We have about a $14,000 budget and enjoy
 > the
 > outdoor stuff. Australia Zoo is a must, as is the outback and reef. We
 > are in
 > our 50s. We only know what the Crock hunter has taught us about
 > Australia, so
 > any help or suggestions would be helpful.
 >
 > Thanks
 >
 > Glen
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

"Bego Mario Garde" wrote in message

 > GCRYAR wrote:
  >> We are leaning toward a tour, so we do not have to drive on the wrong
  >> side of the road (wrong side for us).
 >
 > I wouldn't worry to much about driving on the left -- steering wheel is
 > also on the other side, which makes it pretty easy. I tend to get a bit
 > confused with turn-signal and wiper (they are on the opposite side, too),
 > but after a day you get used to that, too.
 >
 > Usually driving in Germany, I find the Australians to be very polite and
 > cautious drivers in general. Additionally, speedlimit, roundabouts and
 > warning-sings make it easy to drive. Biggest hazard is probably kangeroos
 > at dawn.
 >
 > Bego
 > --
 > "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
 > They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
 > and our people, and neither do we."
 > - George W. Bush, 5.8.2004
 >

Just a small tip if you decide that you'd like to drive around yourself
which i recommend highly as many people from around the world that drive on
the same side as you in the states (eg.Europe,canada etc) find that after a
day or two you become accustomed to it.
Why not hire a decent size motorhome/camper where you can drive and sleep
wherever you want and the caravan parks(trailerparks) here in Australia a
very good and cost affective.
Fuel here in Australia tends to be a bit expensive now due to the war in
iraq(i'm wondering now if that's the real reason) at around Aus $1.15 a
litre or over $5 a imp gallon does tend to make it a bit dear but will be
offset a bit from the high value of the greenback.

another tip, if you do wish to drive yourself around, be aware of insurance
costs when hiring a vehicle, standard rental car/camper insurance carries a
hefty access fee if you have an accident which might cost you around the
first $4-5,000 so you can pay extra to have that lifted.

<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.autorentals.com.au/English/Motorhome/" target="_blank">http://www.autorentals.com.au/English/Motorhome/</a>


Otherwise, I can suggest that you can buy bus passes which will give you
certain unlimited travel in luxury buses around the best parts of Australia
with Greyhound/Mcaffertys coachlines.

<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.greyhound.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.greyhound.com.au/</a>

just some links to give you an idea of your options.

Hope this helps.

DJ
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 08:58:56 +1000, "A Mate"
wrote:

 >Fly into Brisbane. Spend 3 days at O'Reilly's in the Lamington National
 >Park:
 >http://www.oreillys.com.au/content/home.asp?

Excellent choice. We stayed there last year. It certainly was a
higlight of our trip, as was the reef.



Bye Maurice
--
Hamradio: ON4BAM / M0CIL / 9H3Z <a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.on4bam.com/" target="_blank">http://www.on4bam.com/</a>
Travelstories from Alaska, Scotland, South Africa,Iceland,
Faroe Isl., Australia, Norway, Svalbard and IOTA activations
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

Hook turns, being smeared by a tram if you turn from the middle of the road
is kinda uncomfortable, if you survive the first near miss ya never forget
again

--

"Andrew Venor" wrote in message

| GCRYAR wrote:
| > My wife and I are planning an Australian vacation this February. We are
| > leaning toward a tour, so we do not have to drive on the wrong side of
the road
| > (wrong side for us). Any information on tour companies or guides
recommended
| > will be appreciated.
| >
| > Thanks
| >
| > Glen
|
| You shouldn't worry about the driving on your trip. I just got back
| from Australia last night after spending two weeks there and I found
| that driving on the left side of the road was no problem. It was nice
| traveling on my own schedule and being able to stop when and where I
| wanted, and not on the tours schedule.
|
| The hook turns in Melbourne on the other hand took a little getting use
| to, but I mastered them.
|
| ALV
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

DJ wrote:

 > Why not hire a decent size motorhome/camper where you can drive and sleep
 > wherever you want and the caravan parks(trailerparks) here in Australia a
 > very good and cost affective.

Campervans can be pretty expensive and you might end up with the same
price if you rent a normal rental car and sleep in motels (which offers
a bit more comfort).

 > Fuel here in Australia tends to be a bit expensive now due to the war in
 > iraq(i'm wondering now if that's the real reason) at around Aus $1.15 a
 > litre ...

Fuel prices rose, that's true. But it's still pretty cheap if you
compare it to European fuel price. Due to high tax you pay about double
as much in Europe.

 > another tip, if you do wish to drive yourself around, be aware of insurance
 > costs when hiring a vehicle, standard rental car/camper insurance carries a
 > hefty access fee if you have an accident which might cost you around the
 > first $4-5,000 so you can pay extra to have that lifted.

A "premium protection plan" will reduce your excess to approx. 300 A$,
but costs about 20 A$/day. Simple math ...

--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we."
- George W. Bush, 5.8.2004
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

AlmostBob wrote:

 > Hook turns, being smeared by a tram if you turn from the middle of the road
 > is kinda uncomfortable, if you survive the first near miss ya never forget
 > again
 >

For me the trick to remembering to make hook turns in Melbourne was to
pretend I was driving a large truck with a wide turning radius.

ALV
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

"GCRYAR" wrote in message

 > We are pretty open on the trip. We have about a $14,000 budget and enjoy
 > the
 > outdoor stuff. Australia Zoo is a must, as is the outback and reef. We
 > are in
 > our 50s. We only know what the Crock hunter has taught us about
 > Australia, so
 > any help or suggestions would be helpful.
 >
 > Thanks
 >
 > Glen

Don't worry about driving on the wrong side, its easy. Australians have to
do it all the time when we travel, and everybody adapts quickly.

Assuming you have a few weeks, as has been speculated, stay in Sydney a few
days (you won't need a car - cabs and ferries around the city will be faster
and cheaper. Dunno about the "Australia Zoo", but what many to be the second
best zoo in the world (after San Diego) is Taronga Zoo in Sydney - an
excellent ferry trip from the city. It also has spectacular views of the
city. The only thing the tourist zoos that Taronga doesn't do is let you
touch (some) of the animals. See them both and make up your own mind. Go out
to Bondi beach (20 minutes from city centre), check out the scene, then walk
around the coast to Tamarama - the most beautiful 1.5 kms coastal walk I
have seen in the world. Eat in good restuarants when in Sydney and all big
towns - restuarants are very good very good value by Western standards, and
the food far more interesting than you can easily get in the US, so worth
spending some money on.

Drive from Sydney up to the Gold Coast, or fly (about $90 each on Virgin
Blue <a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.virginblue.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.virginblue.com.au/</a> or Jetstar <a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.jetstar.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.jetstar.com.au/</a>).
If you drive, you can take a couple of days and explore the coast. Having a
car is very useful for the Gold Coast - its attractions are spread over 50
kms of coastline. From the Gold Coast, you can drive 1.5 hours south and
visit Byron Bay; very interesting place, and go north 2.5 hours to Noosa, an
upmarket resort town. Check them both out, and you might want to stay a few
days in one of them.

Inland from the Gold Coast - and in the whole SE corner of QLD - there is
great bushwlaking and national parks. Obviously buy a guidebook.

Fly up to Cairns - its 2,100 kms from the Gold Coast. The reef and
rainforest are both very near; the only place in the world where two world
heritage sites join. If you have the time, book yourself into a resort on an
island on the reef. If you are still physically active, then you are not too
old to learn to scuba dive. Learn to do it at the resort.

From here you can either

1. fly to Ayers Rock (airport is called Alice Springs, but its a few hours
drive away). Desert country, obviously. Then fly back to Sydney. Or
2. Drive to Darwin across the top of Australia (its sealed all the way, even
in February you will be OK), maybe 4 days. This more open country changing
to tropical wetlands. From Darwin you can take tours of magnificent natural
parks (eg Kakadu). This is what I would prefer, but its not the dry desert
outback you probably expect. Then fly back to Sydney, via Alice Springs if
you have time.

You will have a great time in Australia. However, you clearly need to learn
a little more about the place before you come. It saddens us when all you
know of Oz (Australia) is what Steve Irwin tells you.
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed 

I keep hearing about Kakadu NP - what is there to do / see?

Is this "Mick Dundee" territory????

"Peter Webb" wrote in message

 >


  > > We are pretty open on the trip. We have about a $14,000 budget and
enjoy
  > > the
  > > outdoor stuff. Australia Zoo is a must, as is the outback and reef. We
  > > are in
  > > our 50s. We only know what the Crock hunter has taught us about
  > > Australia, so
  > > any help or suggestions would be helpful.
  > >
  > > Thanks
  > >
  > > Glen
 >
 > Don't worry about driving on the wrong side, its easy. Australians have to
 > do it all the time when we travel, and everybody adapts quickly.
 >
 > Assuming you have a few weeks, as has been speculated, stay in Sydney a
few
 > days (you won't need a car - cabs and ferries around the city will be
faster
 > and cheaper. Dunno about the "Australia Zoo", but what many to be the
second
 > best zoo in the world (after San Diego) is Taronga Zoo in Sydney - an
 > excellent ferry trip from the city. It also has spectacular views of the
 > city. The only thing the tourist zoos that Taronga doesn't do is let you
 > touch (some) of the animals. See them both and make up your own mind. Go
out
 > to Bondi beach (20 minutes from city centre), check out the scene, then
walk
 > around the coast to Tamarama - the most beautiful 1.5 kms coastal walk I
 > have seen in the world. Eat in good restuarants when in Sydney and all big
 > towns - restuarants are very good very good value by Western standards,
and
 > the food far more interesting than you can easily get in the US, so worth
 > spending some money on.
 >
 > Drive from Sydney up to the Gold Coast, or fly (about $90 each on Virgin
 > Blue <a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.virginblue.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.virginblue.com.au/</a> or Jetstar <a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.jetstar.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.jetstar.com.au/</a>).
 > If you drive, you can take a couple of days and explore the coast. Having
a
 > car is very useful for the Gold Coast - its attractions are spread over 50
 > kms of coastline. From the Gold Coast, you can drive 1.5 hours south and
 > visit Byron Bay; very interesting place, and go north 2.5 hours to Noosa,
an
 > upmarket resort town. Check them both out, and you might want to stay a
few
 > days in one of them.
 >
 > Inland from the Gold Coast - and in the whole SE corner of QLD - there is
 > great bushwlaking and national parks. Obviously buy a guidebook.
 >
 > Fly up to Cairns - its 2,100 kms from the Gold Coast. The reef and
 > rainforest are both very near; the only place in the world where two world
 > heritage sites join. If you have the time, book yourself into a resort on
an
 > island on the reef. If you are still physically active, then you are not
too
 > old to learn to scuba dive. Learn to do it at the resort.
 >
 > From here you can either
 >
 > 1. fly to Ayers Rock (airport is called Alice Springs, but its a few
hours
 > drive away). Desert country, obviously. Then fly back to Sydney. Or
 > 2. Drive to Darwin across the top of Australia (its sealed all the way,
even
 > in February you will be OK), maybe 4 days. This more open country changing
 > to tropical wetlands. From Darwin you can take tours of magnificent
natural
 > parks (eg Kakadu). This is what I would prefer, but its not the dry desert
 > outback you probably expect. Then fly back to Sydney, via Alice Springs if
 > you have time.
 >
 > You will have a great time in Australia. However, you clearly need to
learn
 > a little more about the place before you come. It saddens us when all you
 > know of Oz (Australia) is what Steve Irwin tells you.
 >
 >
 >
 >> Stay informed about: Australia vacation help needed