I need some opinions from everyone that has something to contribute on this:

My fiancee' wants to go to Austrailia for our honeymoon in Dec '04.

1) Is this someplace I really should want to go for this type of trip? I think my money would be better spent on a sailboat charter for a week in the BVI's for just the two of us (hmm...rum factories...for a week straight...)

2) What kinds of things are there to do in Austrailia that make it worthy of going for a honeymoon trip?

3) Any suggestions (from the Austrailia folks) of what to do, and/or where to go?

4) Are there good golf courses there? (we both play...)

5) It's someplace we've never been before, so it might be ok, but I need some convincing as to why this could be the best thing we could do for the trip.

6) Either this, or a trip to Europe to play golf at St. Andrews, Royal Lytham, and all of the other classics. Which would you choose and why?

Thanks in advance for the suggestions and opinions. I'm hoping our Austrailian friends here on the board can help as well.

 

All depends on what you're lookin' for. If you want to chill out in the BVI's and spend loads of money, then that would be a good way to relax. For me... just because you don't have a clue about Australia would make it "worthy" of a visit. I like to have a sense of adventure when travelling and visit new places. However, on a honeymoon you might want someplace easy and and boring. Where you can kick back and drink your Pina Colada's.

Oz is a big place - very close to the same land mass as the US. Lots of variety here. Beautiful cities, unique wildlife, stunning beaches, interesting indigenous culture - Even some world class golf courses.

Don't think of it as a once in a lifetime trip. From Seattle it's easy - you're just a few hours away. You could get here once or twice a year and really check the place out. Think outside of the American box. Have a sense of adventure - sounds like your fiance' does. It's a big world out there but you've got to leave home to experience it.

LK (former yank)

 

Bloody well said !

ps - try 'n get out 'ere in time to see Ossies beat the poms in th'
rugby.

FROSTY

 

Oh yea, forgot to mention..... we've got the snowman here too!

 

As LK said, Australia is one big place.

You can have a simple and quite getaway to a private island resort in a tropical environment. Or you can go wild and go from city to city, enjoy the harbours and beaches (Sydney has been voted the most bieutiful harbour in the world), and yes the golf courses.

There is no way 2 weeks would put a dent into getting to know a country this size.

I mean I spent two weeks in the Barossa Valley just getting to know the wine.

My only advice is to get some travel books and put in the effort to plan for a good location. Like in every country there is an established tourism system that I feel sometimes funels people away from the best we have to offer.

Be an individual, read up on the different locations. Maybe even post here after you have a better idea. I'm pretty sure we're all willing to throw in our opinion on the matter.

 

You're probably aware of this but I'll say it anyway. It's summer here in December and can get quite hot for tourists from a winter climate. Speaking as somone who has English relatives who have done similar trips as yours, the Southerly Eastern states like New South Wales and Victoria and I suppose the south of Queensland are all quite temparate at that time. Usually 20-30C in December but climbing to 30-40C+ in Jan - Feb. North Queensland tourist destinations like Noosa may be a bit too hot for comfort at that time.
But like Zuffy said, get some ideas and we'll make recommendations based on what it is you really want. You won't regret it, especially with the dollar conversion rate.

Jim

 

OK - I guess I need to just accept the fact that this trip could be as good as I want to make it, so I'd better get my attitude in order.

With that said, a couple of comments to the above posts. I do realize it'll be summer there, and thought it might be better than wintertime. If I'm wrong, let me know. Secondly, both my fiancee' and I play golf regularly, so that's a huge bonus, and something that could be worked into our plans.

What I'd really like to know is:

From those that live there, what are the best places to go or things to do that don't get sold in the tourism guides for Austrailia?

I'm sure playing a little golf would be fine, but what other things can we do to get at least a little look at what Austrailia has to offer?

Some of the constraints:
- She doesn't like seafood, and seems to avoid water, so some types of snorkeling/diving excursions may not be great (but I want to hear about them in case I can talk her into them)

- She (and I to a lesser extent) are not much of the rock climber-adventurer types. I'll skydive and bungee-jump, so my "fear factor" level is a little higher, but again, I think good suggestions may help her to open up the possibilities.

- Of course, quiet time might be helpful, too. Some help in this department (with respect to where to go, not how to take advantage of the moment) would be great.

Thanks in advance for all of your help on this.

 

I still think you need to give us more to work with. Australia isn't a small island like the Hawaii islands, it's the size of the entire US.

You've told us some of what you don't like (rock climbing, snorkling/diving, adventure stuff) but other than golf what do you like? Rural or city stuff? Sight seeing? Restaurants? Camping/Hiking? Where exactly in Asutralia are you going? How long will you be here for?

There's no point in me recommending things in Sydney if you're staying in Brisbane. The good news is we have members here from just about every major city so we will be able to help.

Some general, non location based recommendations to get you started:

Our landscape/flora/fauna is unique in the world so some sight seeing is a must. Take your pick from beach side, desert, bushland, mountains, rain forest or a combination of almost any of the above.

Wine. Our various wineries produce some of the best wine in the world. Similarly food, we have great restaurents everywhere (pity about not liking seafood though).

If you liike history there's preserved sites and buildings in every city as well as museums of course.

That's just some quick basic ideas. Give us more details to work with and we'll come up with some specifics.

 

There's also Eastern Creek, Phillip Island, Winton, Hidden Valley, Queensland raceway, and so on!

You also mention you were going to charter a Yatch. You could do that in one of the best places in the world, The Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands.

The absolute best of everything (except perhaps snow skiing) is available in this country. Like everyone said though, Oz is a HUGE place and two weeks will not be enough time to do much.

A few years ago I spent two weeks driving around parts of Victoria (one small state) and still didnt see much!

As Im from the Hunter Valley, if you want some world class wine as well as world class gold courses there is no better plave to visit.

We also have beaches, hang gliding, parachuting, great restaurants, and many other things. So there would be no better place to spend a couple of weeks than here!

We dont have Hooters though!!!!

As always

H

 

Ok, try this out.

1. Start with Sydney. Maybe spend a week or so there checking out the city and doing some day trips. The harbor is beautiful and you'll get a good feel for Aussie city lifestyle. Lots of shopping. Also they are pretty well set-up tourism-wise to make it easy for you to find stuff to do. The Sydney guys can tell you the best day trips. Melbourne is actually a much better city - don't know why anyone would want to live in Sydney???? - but Melbourne doesn't have the same "wow" factor and there's so much here in Melbourne that you need loads of time to really appreciate it. That'll be your next trip to Oz.

2. Get up the coast to Port Douglas. Have a look around and play some golf. Check out the Cape and the rainforest. There are some awesome bush resorts in the Daintree. Would make a great honeymoon stay. Maybe you can get down to the Whitsundays for a day or two of sailing/ snorkelling.

I wouldn't try to fit too much in though. You'll want to spend quality time at each place. Also being on your honeymoon you'll want some relax time too. And like I said before, it's pretty easy to get here so you can always come back. Yea the plane ride is a pain in the @$$ but it's definately worth it. Also, the dollar is at about .71 USD so with comparable prices here as in the US you'll be gettin' a 30 % discount!

So punch in an internet search on Sydney, Port Douglas, Daintree Rainforest, Whitsunday Islands and you'll find more info than you can handle.

Just get your butt down here. The only thing that you might regret is that you'll be hooked on Oz and want to keep comin' back.

 

If you want to see the Reef, Rainforest and the Outback. You can't go past Cairns. (I live there)

Cairns has an International Airport so you might be able to get a direct flight over.
http://www.cairnsvisitorcentre.com/

District Map of Area
http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/tourism/district_map.html

There are a number of great golf courses, with the best being the http://www.paradisepalms.com.au/

If you want to play with Kangaroos head up to the Mareeba Golf Course. The Roos are just like the photo shows at the bottom of the following page.
http://www.golfingcairns.com.au/courses.htm

Cheers!
Bev

 

Shows what communication does for a relationship - she says she'll go snorkeling/diving now. I told her unless she's willing to eat fish, she can't swim with them...

Maybe a half coastline, half inland trip would be appropriate. If you had two weeks to see the best of Austrailia, what would you do?

I'm the one willing to rockclimb and jump out of planes with parachutes. She's not, so that's out. The golf is intriguing, even if I won't be able to tell distances because of your "funny Metric system (joking)."

I suppose one part should be water-based (ie the Reef), one part golf (either on the coast or inland - whichever is more memorable), one part historical touring (old buildings, etc), and one part sightseeing of the Outback or of the flora/fauna. I suppose a wine tour would be the right kind of thing too, maybe it can be worked into the Outback tour and such.

Anybody got a Z I can play with for the 2 weeks?!? That way, the only thing I'd have to get used to is driving on the other side of the street (you guys are RHD, aren't you?) - Just kidding about taking a Z. Too much temptation, and that's not what I'm there for.

I thank everyone for their help. It's getting better with respect to our planning.

 

Oh, and I need an idea for what part of "Oz" I need to be planning on. Some idea (relatively) of where cities are relative to each other would be helpful as well.

Two weeks is the duration.

Thanks again for the help.

 

I'd be leaning towards Queensland (QLD) then. Maybe start up north and work your way down to Sydney. Have you considered a drive yourself holiday? You'd be able to cover "outback" and tropical rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, there's golf courses everywhere, not sure about historical sites but there will be some (Bev?), down through the NSW wineries and on to Sydney for a harbour cruise to finish off perhaps.

That's a lot to do in 2 weeks though.

 

Sweet!!!

Keep the ideas coming along - I'll need an idea of how far from QLD to Sydney, though, to make sure we could make it.

Good watering holes along the way, right?

 

Well if you were to start in Cairns as Bev suggested and take the most direct hwy route I'd say about 3000km (~1800miles). Of course you shouldn't take the most direct route so you could double that probably. Too much driving for two weeks isn't it.

Perhaps spend most of your time in QLD then take a regional flight down to the NSW wineries where you spend a few days before driving or flying down to Sydney.

Oh and watering holes is something we're not short on.

 

1800mi! I need a pilot's license...

So, it sounds like QLD is best to start. Tell me that the Great Barrier Reef is close - it's one thing I want to experience while we're there.

Flight to NSW then drive to Sydney or close would be fine.

So, now there's a rough map and plan - what about the details? More specifically, what should I do to get a true reflection of Austrailia, rather than what's offered in the touring guides?

I'll work out the specifics, but I guess, now I'm looking for unique things to do in the following areas:

- QLD
- NSW
- Sydney
- Brisbane (Where is Brisbane in relation to the above, anyway? EDIT: never mind, it's been covered before. See how much of a tourist I'm gonna be?)

Should be great, as long as there's great seaside stuff, with easy access to the Outback.

I'm so much more stoked about this after speaking with all of you - THANKS!!!

 

Oh, and golf courses, too.

 

After having survived living in Bris Vegas for seven years I wouldnt bother with it. There is nothing there you cant see elsewhere.

I would start in Cairns, like Bev said you should be able to get a direct flight there. The GBR is just around the corner, you can also see some of our native population.

You can also take day (or 2 day) trips and see some of the "outback" if you must. Im not into dust!

I would then fly down to Sydney and then do some more trips from there. The Hunter Valley (wine, food, beaches, golf courses) is about a 2 hour drive, Blue Mountains (sight seeing) is about 2 hours away. You could also drive to somewhere like Bowral for some quality "relax" time, its old and rustic and women love that ***** for some reason.

There are also some world class golf courses in and around Sydney that would stretch even the best "hack".

If I could offer a small peice of advise. I did what you are might be going to do. My wife and I hired a car for 2 weeks and drove aroung England and surrouds. Now England fits into Oz many times and we struggled to see a great deal.

Everything looks lovely and small on a map, in reality Oz is huge. To put it in perspective, if I posted the same question you did, what would you tell me to do in 2 weeks in the states. I suppose what Im trying to say is, you're not really going to get a "true" picture of our great country in 2 weeks, its just too damn big.

I would suggest rather than trying to steer clear of some of the "regular" tourist places you should visit them at least you will get an overview of our country.

And remember, 2 weeks will go very quickly!

As always

H

 

while you are down there check out New Zealand....