Tell Me About Australia!

[snausages]

I'm thinking about going to Australia for the second half of February.

I have to fly in and out of Sydney. I'd like to see Sydney, Melbourne and some coastal spots. I want to relax, eat, drink, and explore. I don't have an unlimited budget, but if there's something great to discover, I'll spend for it. I like the idea of renting a car between Sydney and Melbourne and then maybe flying back from Melbourne to Sydney for my return to NY.

The internet and guide books obviously cover Australia extensively, so I guess I'm looking for those 1 or 2 suggestions that you feel might fly under the radar or have become for you a precious thing or place in Oz.

Open to any suggestions!

Thanks guys...

 

[jonmanjiro]

My recommendation would be to hire a car and drive from Sydney to Melbourne down the coast road through Wollongong, Bateman's Bay, Bega, Eden, etc. There's some very pretty spots all along the coast including some of the best beaches in Australia. Especially the beaches in Jervis Bay like Green Patch. Green Patch is in a national park in a beautiful bush setting, and if you're lucky you'll see lots of rosellas, and the kangaroos will come out at dusk.

Then drive back from Melbourne to Sydney via the more direct inland highway through Wagga, Gundagai etc. while also visiting a few places a little off the highway like Glenrowan (the place of Ned kelly's last stand), Rutherglen (great wines) etc.

Including three or four days in both Sydney and Melbourne, that alone will fill up two weeks.

Have a great trip!

 

[__hh]

One further option is to go Syd-Melb (via Canberra) by car. Then Melb to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road (make sure you visit the wineries along the way). Fly back to Sydney from Adelaide.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Ummm. Green Patch is in Jervis Bay, not Batemans Bay.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Ummm. Green Patch is in Jervis Bay, not Batemans Bay.

Oops! A sure sign I've been away from home too long 😱

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Although we're experiencing a lot of rain at the moment, late February is usually very hot and dry the further you go inland. It's about 550 miles via the main (Hume) highway. I support the idea of going around the coastal route (Princes Highway) suggested by Jonmanjiro, even though it's a bit longer.
One idea I'll throw into the ring is to drop the car in Melbourne at the airport and fly to Tasmania. It has two main cities with airports so you could fly into one and leave from the other without retracing your steps. It's very scenic, small enough to get around most of it in just a few days and you can book your return flights direct to Melbourne and on to Sydney to make your connections. Check out the incremental cost of the airfares and whether you can buy them as part of your round trip ticket. It will probably be cheaper than buying the local travel component here.

 

[snausages]

Thanks so much guys. Loving all these ideas...