Best way to spend 5 days pre cruise in Australia???

[kandd]

We arrive Sydney 01/10/2017. Our Maasdam 39 day cruise to San Diego leaves 01/15/2017.

Great Barrier Reef is a good possibility as is Ayers Rock.We would like other ideas and suggestions.

Thanks

[CruiserBruce]

You might want to take out a map of Australia and look at the distances involved. Australia is the size of the Continental US. Think of Sydney as being Charlotte, NC. Ayer's Rock is a 3 hour flight, from Sydney. Great Barrier Reef is an almost 3 hour flight. Not out of the question, certainly. But you need to understand the size of things.

 

If I were to chose one of your options, I would go to the Great Barrier Reef for a couple of days.

 

I would suggest exploring Sydney and the area. Maybe Canberra (IIRC, a 3 or 4 hour drive).

[zoncom]

Loved Cairns. Only there on O one day.. I know they have airport. Look it up on Tripadvisor.com.

[Kinkacruiser]

We arrive Sydney 01/10/2017. Our Maasdam 39 day cruise to San Diego leaves 01/15/2017.

Great Barrier Reef is a good possibility as is Ayers Rock.We would like other ideas and suggestions.

Thanks

 

If you budget will cope, I'd do 2 days at each location. That would allow for the flights and a full day there.

The Blue Mtns is another possibility ex Sydney for a day.

[GUT2407]

If you budget will cope, I'd do 2 days at each location. That would allow for the flights and a full day there.

The Blue Mtns is another possibility ex Sydney for a day.

 

I tend to agree 2 days at each is a taste, save to say make sure you are in Sydney by the 14th. Though it also means a fair bit if air time.

 

Five days in Sydney I'd think about.

 

1day just wandering around the City, looking at shops some if the old buildings the rocks area, maybe the Opera house.

 

1day ferry rude in our glorious harbour to the zoo.

 

1 day a road trip to Canberra visit Parliament house, new and old

 

1 day A trip (car, train or bus) to the Blue Mountains

 

1 day either a tour to the Hunter Valley vineyards, or another ferry trip to Manly this time.

 

However I'm tired just thinking about cramming all that into five days especially after a 29+ hour flight out here.

[Kiwi_cruiser]

You can easy spend 5 days exploring Sydney its self, there is lots to see and do in Sydney.

 

Also don't forget about Jet lag, it will take you a day or two to recover from it, especially if you arrive in the morning.

 

If you want to go to the Great Barrier Reef / and / or Ayers Rock, then, if your budget will let you I suggest you come at least a week if not two weeks pre cruise to be able to enjoy the things you want to do.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Kiwi_cruiser

[Swissmiss6253]

I'd probably hang around Sydney. Go to the aquarium at darling harbour, take a ferry to Manly, take a ferry to the Zoo, then spend a couple of days in the Blue Mountains. GBR and Uluru are fantastic but such a lot of travel time for a limited time there after having been on a plane for a long time.

[cassamanda]

If you do wish to visit either Ayers Rock or the GBR then i suggest making Brisbane your arrival destination in Australia, at least you have shortened your flight times by an hour or two.

Then fly to Sydney at least 1-2 days before your cruise but it will only give you a very short visit to Sydney in which case i would do a harbour cruise and do a bridge climb.

[Layn33]

Not sure if you mean January or October as Aussies write the date in reverse to Americans, however, Cairns in January is not pleasant. It is the monsoon season and extremely humid at that time of year. October on the other hand is perfect. I've lived in North Queensland all my life and love it up here but summers can be very uncomfortable if you aren't used to them. 2 days here could give you a quick look. Reef trips take a whole day 8 to 5. Uluru (Ayers Rock) would also be VERY hot in January but not humid. There is not a lot to do there once you see Uluru and Kata Juta, so 2 days would be enough. Just wonder if you want to spend your 5 days flying around? Sydney has lots if beautiful beaches and places to visit. Ok just reread your post, so it is January...hot up here then!

 

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Edited February 14, 2016 by Layn33

[Cassicruiser]

Looks like the OP is talking about January as they say their cruise is 1/15.

 

In that case I would not do Great Barrier Reef or Ayers Rock - hottest time of year for both, and when I say hot I mean HOT. Ayers Rock is manageable if you don't mind very hot weather, but Far North Queensland would have intense humidity, probably rain and stingers on the beaches at that time of year. Not ideal. I would stick to Sydney and surrounds and potentially a couple of days in Melbourne if you don't have a Melbourne port stop.

[MMDown Under]

If you are happy to drive on the wrong side of the road, you might consider flying in to Brisbane and driving the Coast road to Sydney. However, January is our major summer school holidays here, so beach towns are popular.

 

I wouldn't travel north or inland at that time of year, as it is too hot and cyclone season.

 

My choice would be 5 days in Sydney, with day trips to beaches, Blue Mountains, etc. In addition, there will be a lot on in Sydney with the Sydney Festival.

[icat2000]

Spend the five days in Sydney or NSW region.

 

Australia is huge.

 

[Blue Elephant]

Some others have suggested visiting Canberra. I live in Canberra and I don't think I would recommend Canberra for a visit. It is a fabulous place to live and to raise children though.

 

The most interesting tourist attraction in Canberra would be the War Memorial. The other thing that can be good about Canberra is the Kangaroos that hop about free. But you need to know where to find them, usually at dusk. I get the odd kangaroo in my backyard during droughts.

[Penelope222]

Also take into account domestic Australian flights are more expensive than many people expect. Thankfully you can get a pretty good experience in NSW. Blue Mountains will show off our amazing scenery and the drive will take you through some lovely little spots, Canberra gives a great view of our political history (War Memorial is a must), Sydney has so much history it's hard to contain, and the Sea Life aquarium and Wild Life zoo in Darling Harbour show off our native fauna really well (disclaimer, I haven't been to Wild Life zoo yet but I love the concept of an Aussie animal only place, especially for tourism). Botanical Gardens will show our flora. Sure you're missing out on the red dirt amazingness, but I think you'd need more time to really appreciate, afford and experience Australia.

 

 

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[Duck Duck Cruise]

We arrive Sydney 01/10/2017. Our Maasdam 39 day cruise to San Diego leaves 01/15/2017.

Great Barrier Reef is a good possibility as is Ayers Rock.We would like other ideas and suggestions.

Thanks

 

If you are in fair shape you could go to Bondi Beach and do all or part of the walk along the sea to Coogee. Also, take a ferry which are very inexpensive across the harbor to see Luna Park and take some good pictures of the bridge and opera house. You can also go to the bridge and go up on the observation area of one of the pylons for good views. The Botanical Gardens are another good idea. So much to do .....so little time! Have a great trip.

 

If you look any of these up on youtube someone is bound to have a video of it. Also, Google Maps with street view is awesome. I do this at home before we go to get ideas about the area.

[Suzbluz]

I agree that with only 5 days you do not have time to do the reef or Uluru but could easily fill that time in and around Sydney. I would back up all the other suggestions here, Sydney city is an easy city to navigate so getting to different attractions can be done on foot or by train. Sydney tower provides a great view of harbour and city if you don't do a bridge climb. Ferry trips to zoo and or manly are great and inexpensive. Big red bus tour to Bondi. Lots of great places to eat. Have dinner one night at circular quay behind the opera house and just watch the ferries come and go while you watch the sun setting with the bridge in view... very, very nice. The rocks is about as old as Sydney gets, also nice at night.

 

Sounds like an awesome cruise. I loved San Diego so what a great spot to be ending your cruise too! Have fun.

 

Suzanne

[LittleRedJohn]

We returned this week from Sydney. Great trip. I would caution against going very far afield. There's lots to do in Sydney, and it's very time consuming to go out of town. If you've never been to Australia, I would start out going on both routes of the hop-on hop-off bus, a great way to see the town. Then I would go to Koala Park to see the native animals, spend half of a day at Bondi Beach, one of the world's geat beaches, take a harbor cruise, and see if you can attend a performance at the famous Sydney Opera House.

[Cabansail]

I would agree that you will have enough to do staying in Sydney. It will be quite warm in January and many things will be full as you will be there in the summer school holidays. That means that airfares will also be higher.

 

Lot's of choice there but what is it that interests you?

 

Travelling around the harbour is really good. I like to just get a pass for the public transport which covers the Sydney Ferries and wander around. Go across to Manly and walk around there. A stop at Cockatoo Island is also good. We used to like having lunch at the Watsons Bay Hotel but have not been there for years, if it is then a nice way to spend some time. You can even take a trip right up to Parramatta. There are also trips you can do on Tall Ships and Jet Boats.

 

 

If you like seafood then check out the Sydney Fish Markets too. There are also fishing charters available if that is something you like. It may help if you have cooking facilities in your accommodation.

 

The Bridge Climb is quite good but on the expensive side. A walk around The Rocks is also recommended.

 

A trip out to Cabramatta on the train is almost like a day in Vietnam.

 

Further afield is the Blue Mountains with the Jenolan Caves and Zig-Zag Railway.

 

 

What special interests do you have?

[cassamanda]

We returned this week from Sydney. Great trip. I would caution against going very far afield. There's lots to do in Sydney, and it's very time consuming to go out of town. If you've never been to Australia, I would start out going on both routes of the hop-on hop-off bus, a great way to see the town. Then I would go to Koala Park to see the native animals, spend half of a day at Bondi Beach, one of the world's geat beaches, take a harbor cruise, and see if you can attend a performance at the famous Sydney Opera House.

 

Easy also to get out to Manly beach on the ferry. There are 2 services, fast catamaran or standard slow ferry. I think Manly is much nicer than Bondi with better restaurants and cafes.

From Manly you can take a bus to North Head for stunning views of the harbour entrance.

[Penelope222]

Easy also to get out to Manly beach on the ferry. There are 2 services, fast catamaran or standard slow ferry. I think Manly is much nicer than Bondi with better restaurants and cafes.

 

From Manly you can take a bus to North Head for stunning views of the harbour entrance.

 

 

I've always been a Manly fan too :-)

 

 

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Edited February 25, 2016 by Penelope222

[GUT2407]

Spend the five days in Sydney or NSW region.

 

Australia is huge.

 

 

Thanks Sarah I was trying to find that one.

 

There is another great one that sits about 10 to 15 European Countries in a map of Aus.

[NoWhiners]

Thanks Sarah I was trying to find that one.

 

There is another great one that sits about 10 to 15 European Countries in a map of Aus.

 

I think this is one of the best pix I have ever seen on CC. I got how big Australia was, but this is such a good way to communicate the size, in a way Americans will get! I feel asleep last night imagining how this was done by the original poster!!

 

ML

[cassamanda]

I think this is one of the best pix I have ever seen on CC. I got how big Australia was, but this is such a good way to communicate the size, in a way Americans will get! I feel asleep last night imagining how this was done by the original poster!!

 

ML

 

Yes unfortunately many Americans and Europeans have no idea how big Australia is. Add to that its remoteness. Most of the population is along the Eastern coastline. The centre of the country is unpopulated unlike that of other countries.

Even a trip to the nearby Blue Mountains out of Sydney is a full day trip preferably at least 10 hours if you do the full round trip through both Bilpin and Katoomba. Much more relaxing to overnight at the historical Carrington Hotel in Katoomba just 2 minutes from the train.

Also very close to the train is the newly restoreed Hydro Majestic Hotel at Medlow Bath with its stunning views.

[GUT2407]

[GUT2407]

98% of us live in the white part, 2% in the yellow.