pgh234

My wife and I (late 20's) are planning our first trip to Australia. We love hiking and outdoorsy things as well as city and culture.

As of now we were completely set on driving between Sydney (our arrival airport) and Melbourne (our departure airport) to enjoy the coastal road and all of the small towns in between. There are plenty of good itineraries throughout the internet on what we should see and do.

However, I come across threads like this and talked to some Austrailian friends...and they said that driving is a complete waste of time and we should definitely fly.

One more thing...this trip is in July...

What do you think FT?

bensyd

Hmm...in July it'll be cold and possibly windy/stormy. Certainly not beach weather. The South Coast is more prone to bad weather as it tends to be exposed to whatever is coming out of the south. I definitely wouldn't call it a waste of time, and the South Coast is very beautiful, but in winter I'm not so sure it'd be my first choice.

There's a very good, recent trip report by matthandy that is worth a read, although he did his trip in Summer.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...syd-lhr-f.html

Jorgen

Agree that July is hardly the best time to see the coast. As for the towns, they're a bit seen-one seen-'em-all, really.

Certainly it's good to get outside the big cities and see the countryside, but I'd consider building in day/overnight trips out of Sydney or Melbourne instead and flying between them. Perhaps the Blue Mountains out of Sydney and the Great Ocean Road or Yarra Valley out of Melbourne.

If you drive by the coastal road you won't hate it, it's nice, but just be aware that it's 12+ hours of driving along a road which, although pleasant, is pretty much the same for most of the way... with the added bonus of seeing many beautiful beaches which will make you say "Darn, I wish it wasn't July".

number_6

Weather in July is much the same as California coast in July It is a lot like Hwy 1 San Francisco to Portland as a point of comparison. Lots to see and do but most people would not like it. Much of the scenery is World Heritage caliber and there is at least one official World Heritage site to visit if you are so inclined. Great for hiking and enjoying the local food. Absolutely no big city delights, even in the larger towns -- hence SYD-MEL is one of the busiest air routes in the world (busier than NY-Washington for example).

As for the weather, July can be beautiful (clear sunny skies but cold though generally not freezing) and it can also be torrential rain and big storms that close the coastal route. I've done this drive in winter and enjoyed it, but definitely not for everyone.

pgh234

So how does this itinerary sound instead..

Sydney, Blue Mountains, and Canberra (??)

Then fly to MEL from either SYD or CBR (if you think it is worth it). Then from MEL we do the Great Ocean Road as well as Phillip Island for the Penguins (the wife said that was mandatory. haha)

That itinerary with the extra flight would actually be a similar price to the whole one way car rental. I feel you all may think that is a better use of time (of which we only have 10 days).

BTW cold does not bother us since we are from the NE US. However, we certainly are not planning on laying on the beach.

Nugget_Oz

I wouldn't let July scare you. There are plenty of different towns on the way down the coast to enjoy yourself. And it's not just the NSW coast either.

I would start of going through the Southern Highlands, Robertson has some great country fare, take the Macquarie Pass to the coast then head down through Nowra, Ulladulla and Mollymook. Bannisters at Mollymook is a great place to spend the night and have a meal. Then move on to Bega which has a dairy industry and Eden which is a fishing village, much like some on the New England coast.

Cross the border and spend the night at Lakes Entrance or Bairnsdale and if you have time and the car for it head across to Mansfield, which was the setting for some of the scenes from The Man from Snowy River.

AdMEL

I've driven the Great Ocean Road at all times of the year (it's one of my favourite drives). In July, you can expect it to be very cold (5-10°C), windy (wind chill makes it feel colder), cloudy and likely raining. It is the depth of winter.

I've driven it at that time of the year during a storm where you couldn't tell the difference between the ocean and sky - they were both dark grey! Didn't worry me, but not for the feint hearted!

Jorgen

That sounds like a pretty good plan.

I'd omit Canberra given only ten days. It has a well-deserved reputation for being boring. Its attractions are mostly of the museum variety, but if you live within a day's drive of the Smithsonian then there's nothing in Canberra that's going to impress you. (Also, the museum and art gallery in Melbourne are vastly superior to their Canberra equivalents anyway.) Parliament House itself is pretty interesting if you're Australian but probably isn't if you're not. Apart from that... uhh, there's a lake and some trees.

bensyd

You're not suggesting that horrific "World famous" pie shop, are you?

I agree that the SH are a good winter spot. Maybe the OP could check out Kangaroo Valley. It is a pretty magnificent spot.^

number_6

totally different experience. The drive whole way is much nicer, but more ... pastoral. Only you can determine which you'd like better but it is a qualitative change. Still either one makes for a great trip, so you should do what suits convenience.

Nugget_Oz

The pie shop is great for the traditional pie, better than the crud that passes for pie these days. I'm looking at you Pie Face! Other than that there are some good cafes for a Devonshire Tea on a cold winters afternoon.

bensyd

I dunno, the few times I've been to that shop I've left very disappointed. Agree with you about other food options, the SH tends to get the monied crowd from Sydney so has some pretty good dining generally. I've always been fan of the general store on the road into Kangaroo Valley that claims to have the world's best pies. I'm not sure how official those sort of rankings are but they do make a damn good pie!

http://www.worldsbestpies.com.au/

pgh234

Just to update everyone on this...we decided to book a cheap flight SYD-MEL. There is just so much to do near those cities...and it was the same $$ as the expensive one-way rental...and we saved the time in driving the "boring parts".

Maybe when I retire in 30 years I can have enough vacation time to travel a bit slower than the flashpacker I am today. 'Murica.