bensyd

Says the bloke who "exists" in Newcastle.

concordian

Thanks to FT, I booked my award tickets, will be from June 11 to June 30. I am coming to MEL and leaving from SYD(pl. give me credit as I am covering both great cities ).

I am thinking of 3 days in MEL, Drive/fly to ADL thru Great Ocean Road??, Alice Springs, Uluru, Darwin/Kakadu NP, Cairns and then SYD. Can someone pl. suggest how much time to spend at each location. We are 2 adults and 2 kids(ages 7 & 9) who like new places. Also, is it worth to drive from ADL to Coober Pedy and then to Alice Springs? or just skip ADL and fly directly from MEL to Alice Springs?

Shanye2233

I live in Sydney and have travelled a bit with two kids 3 and 5 . I haven't been to Adelaide only along the east coast of OZ. it's really not that cold this winter compared to the past few well in syd anyway. I think up north of the Gold Coast would be the best weather and places for the family to go. But I wouldn't miss Sydney . Melbourne is going to be a little colder than Sydney especially at night . And it's worth driving down the great ocean road . 3 days in Melbourne is plenty the AFL season is on and maybe worth catching a game. Also a tram down to st kilda maybe a experience.

I wouldn't bother with canberra . You will need a few days in Sydney depending on what you want to do there and where your staying. Also look at sites like scoopon, deals we like , living social for discounts . Also check ozbargains website for freebies , etc .

If you haven't got any hotels booked yet I can suggest some rippers in both Melbourne and Sydney , Brisbane and the Gold Coast .

concordian

Thanks for your suggestions, we can manage the winter. I am planning to use my hotel points for main cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane as I need to pay full for Ayers Resort and other outback areas. I will skip Canberra and thinking about Adelaide.

I thought if i am driving on Great Ocean Road, I might as well drive all the way to Adelaide(may drop this idea of going all the way). I am slowly gaining knowledge about country size and distances :-)

harvyk

Whilst I know that you only have limited time here so Canberra won't be high on your list, most people who suggest to skip Canberra have never actually been to Canberra.

Annalisa12

I'm with you. I live in Sydney after 35 years in Melbourne. If I had a choice to promote one city over another, I would say visit Sydney. To me there seems to be more 'big ticket tourist items" in Sydney.

Your holiday plans sound so exciting!

concordian

Here's the update, I have all my flights booked and except for 4 days all hotels booked too.

Flying to MEL- 3 days(Day 1 may be total rest, Philips Island, Great Ocean Road)
Ayers Rock - 2 days(cant decide if I want to visit Kings Canyon or not)
Cairns - 3 days(Barrier Reef, Kuranda, Mossman Gorge)
Darwin - 3 days(2 days in Kakadu NP, 1 day in Katherine Gorge)
Sydney - 5 days(All Sydney attractions)

concordian

I would need some recommendation on vegetarian food options in Melbourne, Sydney & Cairns. I am researching trip advisor and other forums also.

JClasstraveller

Do you mind if I ask how you are doing the Great Ocean Road? The GOR is very long and to rush it would be not to do it justice.

Might I also suggest that depending on when your flight from Uluru to Cairns arrives in Cairns (from memory the only non-stop arrives at 1825), there is a day you will lose in travel and you can't do Reef, Mossman Gorge/Daintree and Kuranda in 2 days. If you have 3 full days, then by all means, great.

JClasstraveller

Many of the top restaurants have good vegetarian menus.

Where are you staying in Sydney? This might assist in suggesting good restaurants nearby.

BadgerBoi

Not only top restaurants, but just about anywhere that I can think of offers vegetarian dishes, for example the pub that I go to for lunch has several interesting choices, I'm not vegetarian but I'll often choose a vego dish there.

To start the ball rolling, Mother Chu's Vegetarian Kitchen in Sydney's CBD has a decent reputation, Asian vegetarian food close to Chinatown. Glebe might be worth a look too, but I haven't been there for a while so I can't think of anywhere in particular to recommend, just that it's a good restaurant strip and a bit quieter than nearby Newtown.

http://vegetarianreview.com.au/ might give you some pointers.

Where are you staying at Uluru? I've only been once and I stayed at Sails which is the top-end place with a good restaurant that I'm sure would cater well to vegetarians. If you are staying at one of the other places it's an easy walk to the restaurant, I think the dining might be a bit limited other than at Sails.

I did a sunrise tour and the Sounds of Silence dinner. The dinner was fantastic, a buffet type of thing and you'd find lots to eat there. Before dinner you go to a viewing site to watch the sunset, they serve canapés but my memory is that they are either crocodile, smoked salmon or beef, no vegetarian. It's only something to nibble on before dinner, no big deal.

kcupp95

Yes you can. You can do a half day reef trip and then take the skyrail up to Kuranda and take the last train back down. It's rushed but it's do-able.

The Cairns to Melbourne flights also have some odd times, you'll probably lose half a day or a full day in Melbourne because of this.

JClasstraveller

While that's true, I was coming at it from the perspective of someone who wants to see something properly and has come half way around the world to do it. A half day reef trip and just going to Green Island isn't really worth it IMHO. The outer reef is really worth seeing. I'd probably skip Kuranda if that's what had to go.

Mind you, it could all be moot if the OP confirms they have 4 nights and 3 full days.

concordian

Thanks for multiple replies. I may have to change my MEL plans as rain is predicted for all 3 days I am there(June 13-16). I will visit Federation square and other local attractions.

From MEL its to Uluru - I am staying at Desert Gardens and have not booked Sounds of Silence as I will have 2 kids(9 & 7) who are not allowed. I booked Camel tour and Astro Journey. I may book Sun rise tour or do it on my own as I will have rental car there.

As for Cairns, I reach June 18 and leave 21 night to Darwin. I am doing Kuranda Cable car/Sky Train on 19 and GBR on 20. I might take 21 off to relax or visit DainTree NP/Mossman.

I am staying in Radisson Blue in Sydney CBD(4 days) & Intercontinental(1 day).

I will check the links given by BadgerBoi.

BadgerBoi

I would recommend a sunrise tour over doing it yourself, maybe go back by car later in the day. You'll get a better vantage point than you would find yourself and various parts of the Rock will be explained