Where to go in Australia?
Asked by
CharlieTime (
15
)
December 16th, 2012
from iPhone
I will be traveling to Sydney alone dec 27— jan 2. I want to make the most of my time there and don’t want to stay in Sydney the entire time. I know I want to visit the blue mountains and would consider flying somewhere within the country. I will be staying in hostels/ cheaper hotels so I can spend more on travel. Does anyone have any recommendations it specifics on where to go and/or what to see? I basically want to get as much out of this trip as possible so I won’t be lingering in any one spot for too long. I am a 26 year old female if that makes a difference. Any help is much appreciated.
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10 Answers
Try reading Bill Bryson’s “in a Sunburnt country” for some ideas.
You’re there for a relatively short time. If you travel, I would recommend either the Gold Coast near Brisbane or the Great Barrier Reef off Cairns.
Having said that, there really is plenty to do in Sydney itself. There’s the terrific Bondi Beach. You can take in a show at the famous Sydney Opera House. You can literally hike over the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The nightlife is great. The restaurants are great (eat oysters!).
This site may give you some ideas.
Fly to Brisbane, hop onto a tour of Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. One of the few places left in Australia where you can see 100% pure dingos playing in the surf, rain forest, cleanest clearest lakes you can imagine.
One of my favorite cities is Darwin, it is like another world, tropical, sensual but a far way from Sydney. That would be my first choice though. A day trip to Kakadu, rock art sites estimated to be over 30,000 years old.
Depends on how much money you have to spend also, domestic air fares here are not cheap. Let us know what you decide.
Let me second The Great Barrier Reef.
Do you need to stay around Sydney? You say you are going there between those dates so I am not sure if you have the flexibility to move very far away from Sydney.
What do you like to do? Give us some more information. Are you sporty? Do you like sightseeing, photography? Do you prefer being in an urban setting? There are a few people in Australia here (including me) so I am sure we can help you to find some things to do.
Where are you from originally?
The Great Barrier Reef is not so hot unless you have time to go out for at least 2 days. The one day trips out of Cairns and Townsville cannot go out far enough to get to the part of the reef that is still pristine and worth seeing. It is a sad fact but the reef is dying and the closer to land you are the more it is showing wear.
If you have to stay within a reasonable distance of Sydney there are the Jenolan Caves and the Blue Mountains are nice. There are some lovely places to stay and see. There are also the Northern Beaches out of Sydney. Really pretty beaches. We went to the Central Coast and stopped at a place called Patonga a few weeks ago. Lovely areas and only a couple of hours out of Sydney.
Around Sydney there is the Rocks area and you can walk around from there to Circular Quay and take the ferry to Manly or go to Taronga Park Zoo. You can see the bridge and the Opera house from that area. You could go and visit the Quarantine Station, they used to do night ghost tours which are fun. Even in the day it’s a good place to learn some of Australia’s history. There are art galleries and museums including the Powerhouse Museum. Plus things like the Maritime Museum. You could spend days just doing things like that. Plus Sydney is one of the world’s premier spots to see the New Year in! How old are you? People will be partying like it’s 2013 in Sydney and you can watch brilliant firework displays across the beautiful harbour.
If you can travel further afield, @rooeytoo‘s suggestion of Fraser Island is a good one. It is a World Heritage listed area. Or you could go to Melbourne. Melbourne is a brilliant city. I love it down there. A lot more culture than Brisbane and even Sydney.Melbourne also has a good firework display at Southbank. There are also wine districts like the Hunter Valley or in Victoria, the Barossa or McLaren Vale area. There is also the beautiful Mornington Peninsular or you could drive along some of the Great Ocean Road and stop in at Bells Beach, a prime surfing spot.
It really depends what you want to do. There are no end of options but it depends on what you like and whether you have the flexibility to travel outside of Sydney. Let us know and we can try to think up some other things.
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