Hi,

After I take the bar exam in July, 2002, I will have the month of August off before startign work in September. I always wanted to visit Australia New Zealand and this would be the ideal time for me to take such a trip.

How is the weather at this time of year? I know that it is winter, but will it be really rainy and cold?

Thanks!

It depends where you want to go to in Australia. In Sydney and Brisbane the weather is about 60-70 degrees in winter. Up in Cairns it is in excess of 80. New Zealand is cold with a fair bit of snow on the Southern Island and Alps. If you can a bit more specific then I could come up with better answers.

Thanks Spider.

At the moment I cannot be more specific as I am only in the very beginning stages of planning a trip. I ned to buy a Fodors for Australia and start to get some ideas.

How would Tasmania be that time of year? I've seen pictures of it an it looks awesome.

Thanks!

What about New Zealand? I too am planning a trip sometime in 2002 and am wondering what would be the best time to go. Also, can anyone recommend any really good sites to visit to get a good overview of the things to do, see, where to stay, etc. I know the norms...fodors and frommers...but are there any others I should be checking out?
Thanks in advance for your input!

I posted this some where else, but I thought it might be of assistance to you as well. I can tell you that winters in Australia are nothing compared to winters in much of the Eastern part of the United States. While it did tend to get chilly at night, the days were mostly sunny and something along the lines of a nice fall day.


I just returned from 5 glorious months in Australia, and I can tell you there is a lot to see and do while you are there.
I am not sure how long your trip is for, but here are some of my suggestions.
Aside from the obvious answer, being see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge,
Make sure you get to see
1.Taronga Zoo, not only do they have hundreds of animals, but the views of the harbour are beautiful.
2. Bondi Beach is the place to be. The beach is beautiful and there are a lot of out door cafes and resturants.
3.The Blue Mountains area. Here you can do a lot of sightseeing and hiking. The weather will be a bit cooler there.This tends to be very refreshing ....especially in the hot summer months.
4.The Queen Victoria Building or QVB is a very popular attraction, this certainly wont take up an entire day...unless you like to shop. There are hundreds of stores inside the building.
5.Darling Harbour, China town, The Quay, Manly are all spots you should try to visit. 6. Paddys market, where you will find hundreds of booths filled with gifts, toys, fruit, vegetables, and fish.
7.Kings Cross is a must, and so is Oxford Street.
8. The Royal Botanic Gardens, which is filled with tropical plants and rose gardens.
9. The Sydney Aquarium, this is one of the best aquariums that I have been to.
10. The Chinese Gardens, there are beautiful ponds and waterfalls and gardens here. It was very peaceful and relaxing inside.
Resturants are everywhere in Sydney, but you have to be careful. Some resturants are very expensive and are not good at all. I recommend
1.The Summit,Which has spectacular view and wonderful food.
2.Twenty-One (Located in Double Bay)This has the feel of a coffee shop, but the food is fantastic. You must try there pancakes,
3.Thai volunteer (Located on Bondi Road)they have wonderful thai fried rice and jungle curry chicken,
4.The Black stump, Which offers you steak and chicken, and you can usually get a buy one get one free meal voucher on the back of any grocery store slip,
5.The Golden Century Seafood Resturant (located in China town). This is one of the most popular Chinese food resturants in Sydney. They are open late, and you should always expect a wait for a table.
I had the best time in Sydney,and I can not wait to go back. The people are friendly and it is very beautiful. There are hundreds of things to see and do, obviously I cant list them all, but I would be happy to offer you any advice or give you some suggestions.
I hope you enjoy your trip!!


[This message has been edited by pointsgirl (edited 07-20-2001).]

I visited Australia for the first time this past March. Since it was the rainy season up north - I did the SE quadrant: Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. Near Adelaide is Kangaroo Island where I did a two-day tour. It is a nature lover's feast where I saw koalas, kangaroos, iguanas, etc in the wild. The tour guide's yard is often visited by the native deadly snakes. The pelicans and black swans were beautiful. I would also recommend (although I didn't have the time to visit) Broken Hill for a taste of the Outback. Can I fit in your suitcase?! <chuckle>. Also - one never knows - I was able to get a free upgrade to Business Class from SFO-SYD on United and use miles to upgrade on the way back (on a restricted no-upgrade ticket). I also met a now-friend from Germany at the Hard Rock in Sydney (who I since visited in Germany and he's coming here in September). Enjoy Yourself!

Thanks for all the information! It has been very helpful and I am looking forward to this trip -- too bad its a year away!

August in Tasmania is freezing. The best time to visit the Apple State is during January. It has a lot of awesome places which have virtually been left untouched since the European colonization. If you are really lucky then you might even see the tasmanian tiger which is officially extinct in the western wilderness...

NZ would be even a bit colder in winter than Tassie unless a ski trip is on the agenda. NZ and Tassie are the best in summer IMHO.

So, just a question for you. I'm heading to Queenstown in New Zealand in late August/early September. I'm doing it for the skiing, so obviously, I'm going to have to pack the ski clothes.

What should I bring for the non-skiing times? Any suggestions? It's winter but will it be all that cold?

Winter in the Sydney area is usually dry and the sky is a very clear blue. It can be a bit cool (well, for us anyway - 13C during the day) but a great time of the year to visit.

Tasmania is a big holiday destination within Oz, so outside summer school holidays is best.