I can only second that suggestion - I don't know where you're from or your religious or cultural perspective, but climbing on Uluru always strikes me as the same as walking in to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York or Westminster Abbey in London and climbing on the altar.
I agree - hence I corrected myself in the earlier post.
This is very ambitious and I would not recommend it. To drive to the Twelve Apostles and back to Melbourne by 5pm is just about impossible. The Great Ocean Road is a windy, single lane road with a lot of traffic. Most people would plan on at least two days if they were planning on going as far as the Twelve Apostles. Though the Great Ocean Road would be good, you'd be far better to simply spend the day in Melbourne. You don't want to do "a quick drive tour of the city."
Melbourne, particularly the
central area, is much better explored on foot. The central area (bounded by Spencer Street on the west, Spring Street on the east, Flinders Street on the south and La Trobe on the north) is criss-crossed with
alleys and laneways - which are full of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. Much of Melbourne is "hidden" - down an alleyway, up a stairway, behind an unmarked door. Exploring Melbourne on foot would easily occupy your day and give you a taste for one of the world's great cities.
Thanks for the recommendation. The main purpose of having a day in MEL was to see this magnificent sight! I had always wondered about these pictures of beautiful cliff and recently found out that it was twelve apostles that is on the great ocean drive near Melbourne. I guess Melbourne itself as a city is nice, but I think I can always return to MEL during transits in the future where I can quickly head out to the city whereas to visit the twelve apostles, I definitely have to plan one full day. For that day, as noted above, I have full day (i.e. my flight does not depart until 11:50PM) so I don't really have that much of time restriction - 5PM return time was to set to at least have a quick look at the Melbourne city on wheels (and perhaps check-out from the hotel - 4PM late check-out). If I leave the hotel early morning (7AM), I think this drive is possible.
In Sydney, I'm not sure about the dinner cruise. I'd go on the harbour during the day - take the ferry to Manly (from Circular Quay), walk up the Corso to the beach, have coffee/breakfast/lunch and get the ferry back. A pleasant trip and a great way to see the harbour and the sights from the water. The Blue and Red Explorer buses will take you all around the land-based sights to see in Sydney and are an excellent way to get a quick(ish) overview of Sydney. The
Bridge Climb is well worth it, if you have the time and the money.
Last time I was in SYD with my parents, we thought about the climb (bridge), but decided not to b/c we felt that it was overrated for what we had to pay. I think my wife and I will skip the bridge climb but perhaps on one of the days rent a car to visit Kangaroo park and visit Blue mountain. One our first day, we will walk around the city and use the metro/public transport to see the city. I really like the option of taking Blue and Red Explorer buses! (Thanks!). I think Cape Town had something similar and my wife really enjoyed the bus ride and went all over the place (more than what I have done in four visits prior to the visit with my wife - of course I was always visiting CPT for work
)!
What ever you do, enjoy ....
Indeed! We are so thrilled about this trip. Initially we had planned to visit the Kiwi land, but decided not to since it's not going to give us enough time in each respective country for a short 7 day visit. I think it was a wise decision to explore Australia - I've always wanted to visit the great barrier reef + the ayers rock.