[kathyzapp]

Would love to visit Australia in September or October, 2014.

Can anyone share their Australian experiences ?

Any advice to help me plan this trip would be appreciated.

[Hancle704]

Important to remember the seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere and in Australia you travel north to find the more temperate or tropical climate.

[batman911]

And the water in the toilet circles in the opposite direction. Sydney has a European flavor and Brisbane is more California style. I would be sure to stop in Hobart, Tazmania.

[littlecabin]

Check out HA cruises to Sydney from the west coast - La, Seattle, Vancouver. 25 days. Beats flying. Adding on 3 more cruises while Down Under.

[Lahaja]

Hi Kathy - We visited Sydney, Brisbane and Trinity Beach which is just north of Cairns. Out of all three I would say we enjoyed trinity beach the most since it's closest to the Great Barrier Reef and we LOVED the snorkeling. So gorgeous. We saw more of the nature in that area also and rented a car to drive up to Mossman Gorge. Brisbane is a great city and very friendly...easy to get around. The city park is gorgeous and is completely free with pools for swimming/wading etc. we stayed in downtown Sydney and really enjoyed the quay, the opera house, etc but 6 days was too much in my opinion....it's comparable to NYC for prices and three days would be more than enough. One of the highlights of being in Sydney was catching the train out to the Blue Mountains. Well worth the hour plus train ride. Cockatoo's in the tree's, beautiful floral everywhere, parrots galore. So strange to see things that you had only seen in captivity before! Maybe take an extra week to see the South Island of New Zealand while you are at it. That is one place I will be going back to someday. Pm me if you want more info....

[buzzy]

Our itinerary - Sydney, Alice Springs, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Cairns, Sydney. In my opinion, it would be a shame to go all the way to Australia and not see the outback, for its beauty and heritage. However, it's hot & dry and has a lot of flies, and there is a lot of walking to do. So, if those are important issues, then it might be best to stay on the coast. If you love to snorkel or SCUBA, then Cairns & the reef are a must.

[tommy steam]

I went to port Douglas in the tropical north. It's further up from cairns. It has a laid back beach atmosphere . There are many small boutique hotels in the area in all price ranges. The reef is around an hr boat ride away. I found the people to be very friendly.

[kathyzapp]

I want to thank everyone for their replies. Our trip has been postponed because of health issues. I'm hoping (and praying) that we'll be able to plan our trip next year.

Kathy