Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific) - Australia in December (Travel advice request...)

So I took advantage of the SQ inventory opening up a month or two ago for all Star Alliance partners, and booked a trip from EWR > SIN > PER; SYD > LAX > EWR for me and the fiance.

This will be our first time down under, and would like to hit as many of the highlights as possible. Obviously towards the top of our list is the Great Barrier Reef, but all the guide books I read caution tourists that December can be "unbearably hot and humid".

Now, I completely understand that we're not going during the optimal time, but is it really worth missing out on our (potentially only) time to swim in the GBF?

We aren't certified to dive, so my plan would be to snorkel for a day, then either hike in the rainforest, or just relax on a beach the other day. It would be a quick trip (2 days) between our stops in Perth (2 days) and Sydney (5 days). I feel like it's too special (and far from NYC where we live) to pass up this opportunity, but want honest feedback if i'm being too aggressive with this plan.

Looking for some advice/sanity check to tell me "Of course you should go. Yes it will be hot and humid, but this is your only time in Australia (at least for the next 5-10 years), how can you pass that up" or "It's just too hot and the chances of rain are way too high. You're rushing the trip, and it's not worth it. Just take your time and relax and enjoy the trip"

Any other thoughts/comments/advice are always appreciated.

Thanks

-JP

For the most helpful discussion, let me move this thread to our Destinations->Oceania forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I actually was in Australia in December last year and I went snorkelling at the great barrier reef and it was totally fine. It was a little warm but its totally fine in the water!

The best thing to do would be to fly to Cairns and then drive over to Port Douglas (just over an hour from memory). Port Douglas is a lovely town and the best place to leave from to visit the reef. The famous Daintree rain forest is also very close so Port Douglas would be a great place to be based. I stayed at the Sea Temple resort which was fantastic.

I actually was in Australia in December last year and I went snorkelling at the great barrier reef and it was totally fine. It was a little warm but its totally fine in the water!

The best thing to do would be to fly to Cairns and then drive over to Port Douglas (just over an hour from memory). Port Douglas is a lovely town and the best place to leave from to visit the reef. The famous Daintree rain forest is also very close so Port Douglas would be a great place to be based. I stayed at the Sea Temple resort which was fantastic.

Thanks PICA. I also got hear there may be "Stingers" (jellyfish) at that time of year. Any truth to that?

I did some research, and Port Douglas seems like a great option. I thing we would land and take a car service there, using it as our base camp.

Appreciate the help.

-JP

Yep, there are stingers so you can't get into the water at the beach. When snorkelling at the GBR, there are some tiny stingers we were told but you are given a wetsuit for protection. I didn't see any stingers, nor did anyone in our group. We were told that it would be unlikely to encounter any, and if you do you are protected. Its honestly nothing to really worry about when at the GBR

Some beaches have stinger nets that offer some (but not guaranteed) protection from jellyfish, so you can at least get in the water.

Also, even if you aren't certified to dive, some tour operators that take you out to the reef offer a quick crash course while you're on the boat ride out there. Of course, if you already know how to (i.e., certified), it's a lot more enjoyable.

Ok, so the tentative plan for the Australia part of my trip is as follows. Thoughts, advice, tips are always welcomed:

Thursday morning - Land in Perth (from Singapore) at 6 am. Check into hotel, explore city for the day
Thursday night - Take 9:50 pm flight to Cairns
Friday morning - Land in CNS at 4:10 am, take car service to Port Douglas
Friday day - RELAX. We're going to be exhausted from the two previous days. Hit a beach or two, chill by the pool, explore the town
Saturday - Snorkeling on the reef for the day. Still looking for a good operator to explore the outer reefs
Sunday - Day trip to the rainforest/daintree
Monday - Flight to Sydney at 12:30, arrive at 4:30
Tues/Wed/Thurs - Explore Sydney, take a trip to the Blue Mountains, enjoy the beaches
Friday - Travel back home to NYC

Take a look at Quicksilver for the day at the GBR. Admittedly it's many years since I was there, but they gave us a great day.

A word of advice, even if you never suffer from motion sickness - take something for seasickness before you go. (Your operator will likely offer you something.) The day I went was nice and calm, but people (including myself) were turning green and dropping like flies at an alarming rate! The boat trip is further than you might think, 90 minutes or so, and you won't feel better until the boat stops. I wanted to die.

Thursday night - Take 9:50 pm flight to Cairns
Friday morning - Land in CNS at 4:10 am, take car service to Port Douglas
Friday day - RELAX. We're going to be exhausted from the two previous days. Hit a beach or two, chill by the pool, explore the town
Saturday - Snorkeling on the reef for the day. Still looking for a good operator to explore the outer reefs
Sunday - Day trip to the rainforest/daintree
Monday - Flight to Sydney at 12:30, arrive at 4:30

my advice is to check the weather forecasts ahead of time, sleep as much as you can before you get to Cairns, and if the Friday is a good day, use it for one of your trips.
When it rains up there it is torrential, so you don't want to lose a day - I know plenty of people who've slept away the first day only to wake up rested and fresh - but weather prevents them doing something fun.

Just a word of warning, it is Cyclone season at that time, so best to keep an eye on that also.

Ok, so the tentative plan for the Australia part of my trip is as follows. Thoughts, advice, tips are always welcomed:

Thursday morning - Land in Perth (from Singapore) at 6 am. Check into hotel, explore city for the day
Thursday night - Take 9:50 pm flight to Cairns
Friday morning - Land in CNS at 4:10 am, take car service to Port Douglas
Friday day - RELAX. We're going to be exhausted from the two previous days. Hit a beach or two, chill by the pool, explore the town
Saturday - Snorkeling on the reef for the day. Still looking for a good operator to explore the outer reefs
Sunday - Day trip to the rainforest/daintree
Monday - Flight to Sydney at 12:30, arrive at 4:30
Tues/Wed/Thurs - Explore Sydney, take a trip to the Blue Mountains, enjoy the beaches
Friday - Travel back home to NYC

Looks good. There are a number of information kiosks in Port Douglas with brochures for all the different operators that go out to the GBR. I'll try and find which one I used but if you stick to the main companies, you won't go wrong.

Some beaches have stinger nets that offer some (but not guaranteed) protection from jellyfish, so you can at least get in the water.

Also, even if you aren't certified to dive, some tour operators that take you out to the reef offer a quick crash course while you're on the boat ride out there. Of course, if you already know how to (i.e., certified), it's a lot more enjoyable.

The beaches in Port Douglas have signs up warning not to get into the water because of stingers. I don't think any beaches round there have these nets.

Actually, it was at Four Mile Beach at Port Douglas that I swam inside a stingers net, but maybe it's just a timing thing...

Actually, it was at Four Mile Beach at Port Douglas that I swam inside a stingers net, but maybe it's just a timing thing...

Yes, probably timing. I was there in early December and the beaches I went to in Port Douglas had the warning signs not to get into the water. I think the stingers in the water were irukandji, small little buggers that can do serious damage.

It's not a bad plan, however, have you considered just skipping Perth and taking a day flight to Cairns?

I explored Perth for a few hours and it was interesting, but it is a bit painful to get a taxi there and the airport is some distance from the city. All in all you'll burn up a few hours just getting to and from the airport that day, and you will be exhausted from your long flight through SIN. If you don't get a decent rest on the red-eye (not easy), you'll be a wreck on Friday in CNS.

Since the GBR seems to be so high on your list, I would take a day flight from PER to CNS and give yourself the chance to actually do some scuba on Friday if the weather permits. As was said above, you really can get caught out by rain with a short schedule like this.

It's not a bad plan, however, have you considered just skipping Perth and taking a day flight to Cairns?

I explored Perth for a few hours and it was interesting, but it is a bit painful to get a taxi there and the airport is some distance from the city. All in all you'll burn up a few hours just getting to and from the airport that day, and you will be exhausted from your long flight through SIN. If you don't get a decent rest on the red-eye (not easy), you'll be a wreck on Friday in CNS.

Since the GBR seems to be so high on your list, I would take a day flight from PER to CNS and give yourself the chance to actually do some scuba on Friday if the weather permits. As was said above, you really can get caught out by rain with a short schedule like this.

If CNS was a bigger airport with more flights, I would in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, that's not an option. As it is, we'll have to spend the day in Perth.