Attn Aussie's! Need help!

[auntdot]

I am hoping that some kind Australian will take pity and come to my aid!

:)

DH and I are planning a cruise in 2010 that focuses mainly on NZ. We only stop in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia. I am hoping to add some days on at the beginning to let us take in more of your country.

 

We are seniors, have some mobility issues (cannot walk far or stand too long without a rest) and like the natural beauty of the places we visit rather than shopping!!!

 

We are thinking maybe we should focus on the east coast - Brisbane to Cairns - Great Barrier Reef? Kuranda? Zoo? Is train a good thing to do? Any ideas would be welcome.

 

The cruise leaves from Auckland - so we would be flying from Vancouver to Australia and then on to Auckland. We cannot add on days at the end as we are continuing on through the Pacific...

 

Many thanks, in advance!

Dot

[Skyrules]

Welcome!! You've come to the right place for advice, I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice.

 

A good option for you might be to fly into Brisbane (from Canada) and spend a few days seeing the sights. By "the zoo" I'm guessing you mean Australia Zoo, and there are lots of day trips on offer from Brisbane up to the Zoo, only about 1hr north of Brisbane.

 

Then if you wanted to go on to Cairns & the Great Barrier Reef, there are two trains between Brisbane & Cairns, The Sunlander and the Tilt train. The Sunlander is slower (about 36hrs) and offers sleeping accomodation and a restaurant car & club car etc. The Tilt train is faster (about 24hrs), but only offers sit up travel.

 

Alternatively it's a 2hr flight from Brisbane to Cairns.

 

From Cairns you could do the reef, the rainforests to the north and the Kuranda Scenic Railway.

 

For information on the train trip from Brisbane to Cairns check out this websites;

http://www.traveltrain.com.au/2/experience_traveltrain/queensland_trains/the_sunlander/overview.asp

 

http://www.traveltrain.com.au/2/experience_traveltrain/queensland_trains/tilt_train/overview.asp

 

 

and for the Kuranda Scenic Railway click here;

http://www.traveltrain.com.au/2/experience_traveltrain/queensland_trains/kuranda_scenic_railway/overview.asp

 

 

From Cairns you could then fly on to Auckland for your cruise. Air New Zealand has direct flights from Cairns to Auckland several times a week or QANTAS &/or Virgin Blue/Pacific Blue offer daily flights with connections via Brisbane or Sydney.

[arxcards]

Hi Dot,

Make sure you plan at least a couple of days in Sydney - there is plenty of natural beauty around the harbour, although I guess a bridge climb is out of the question.

 

If refering to train to travel between centres, it would be comfortable & relaxing, but will take two days. It is 1600 miles between Syd & Cairns, and the trip will be in 2 sections - Syd - Bris, Bris - Cairns. Also, I can fly from Sydney to Brisbane cheaper than by train. Aussie seniors can travel by train very cheaply, but I don't think their deal extends to overseas travellers.

 

Australian Zoo will require a bus tour or rental car for a day trip from Brisbane, where as Taronga Zoo is a short ferry ride across Sydney Harbour. Both are excellent zoos.

 

Kuranda is excellent, and there are plenty of day tours available from Cairns to the reef. It has been a long time since I have travelled to Cairns - there will be plenty of others here that can offer suggestions.

[Ela 2]

Hi Dot,

You probably already appreciate the size of Australia and how long it would take you to travel from Sydney to Cairns by train. That in itself would take a few days. I suggest you fly from Sydney to Cairns and spend several days there. You can take the skyrail/scenic railway trip to and from Kuranda, take a day trip to the Barrier Reef. You can either hire a car (not too much traffic to worry about) or take a day trip to the Daintree World Heritage area north of Port Douglas. I think you would also enjoy a visit to Tjapukai Aboriginal Centre on the northern side of Cairns.

 

If you wish to visit Brisbane I suggest you fly in and spend a couple of days. Visit Southbank parklands. You can visit Australia Zoo, the 'home' of the Crocodile Hunter, the late Steve Irwin (an hour's drive north of Brisbane). For beautiful beaches without a lot of highrise buildings visit the Sunshine Coast, just a bit further north. It would be easy to combine these two places into a day trip if you had a hire car, otherwise it could be a bit difficult.

 

You can book flights on the internet. I suggest you look at Qantas or Virgin Airlines. Personally I would recommend Qantas, but look carefully at the website when choosing a flight because their cheaper arm (also shown on the same website) is Jetstar. We would much rather fly Virgin than Jetstar, and we know several people who have a similar opinion.

 

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.:):):)

[bella54]

Hello Dot!

Firstly, what time of year will you be arriving? The distance between Melbourne & Sydney is approximately a day road or rail travel and Brisbane is that again from Sydney. If you are arriving in our Autumn or Winter, Brisbane is lovely weather wise. Our summer months are quite hot/muggy though in that region. If you finish in Sydney it is a magnificant city to just loose yourself. The Sydney Explorer - http://www.sydneypass.info/sydneyexplorer is a great way to see our city without having the worry about walking and you can get on and off when you see something of interest. Like any city, there is never enough time to take everything in. As Sydney is on the water any trip out of Sydney will still allow you to see this beautiful area. If you decide on Sydney, these are some of the picks for the area - Sydney Opera House; Sydney Harbour Bridge; Sydney Zoo; Darling Harbour Precinct - (new wildlife centre where you can actually pet a koaloa and get up close with our wildlife. Sydney harbour cruise - numerous companies offering everything from coffee cruises to dinner cruises. A Ferry across to Manly; etc etc

eg.

1 hr north:

The central coast - accessed by rail

see website http://www.visitcentralcoast.com.au

1-2 hrs north west eg.

Hunter Valley accessed by road

see website http://www.huntertourism.com

1 hour south:

The south coast

STARTING WITH THE ILLAWARRA AREA then continuing all the way down the eastern seaboard to the Victorian border - accessed by both rail and road.

see website

http://www.southcoast.com.au

We have just completed a cruise on the Carnival Spirit Hawaii & Alaska - visiting your beautiful city of Vancouver.We gleened a lot of information from the boards' members which made our stay in Vancouver a lot easier knowing what was on, where to go etc. One day we would love to go back there!!

I'm more than happy to help with ideas but the time of your arrival would be a great starting point. Enjoy your planning - its nearly as much fun as taking the trip!!

janette

:D

[auntdot]

Thanks for the great information! We're definitely going to Kuranda - that's our kind of trip! The link you pasted in your response, Skyrules, was fabulous! Thank you!

 

We are sailing Celebrity Infinity from Auckland to Sydney on March 10, 2010, so whatever we decide to do in Australia would precede that. On the cruise we have a day in Melbourne and then two full days in Sydney before we leave for the Pacific Islands.

 

The suggestions you kind people have given make us think that we might be better to fly from Canada to Brisbane then make our way to Cairns and get from there to Auckland to start our cruise. This is a trip of a lifetime (and we've waited a lifetime to come to Australia and NZ!) and we want to do as much as we are physically able.

 

Skyrules, arxcards, Ela2 and bella54 thank you so much! I don't know how I stumbled into this board, but it's great!

 

Now we better buy a few lottery tickets so we can see everything we'd like to see!!

:D

[Skyrules]

Thanks for the great information! We're definitely going to Kuranda - that's our kind of trip! The link you pasted in your response, Skyrules, was fabulous! Thank you!

 

You're welcome! The Kuranda trip is definetly worth it, especially if the Baron River is flowing and there's water in the falls. To get the get the best out of it, I suggest you do the combined Train/Skyrail, going up on the train and coming back down on the Skyrail.

 

Here is another website for the KSR; http://www.kurandascenicrailway.com.au/

[VicGuy]

Have lived in Melbourne all my life and would say that some of the sites around Melbourne are second to none. In a day i would definetly visit the Royal Melbourne Zoo (accessible via train or tram) Would ensure a ride on our iconic trams, The City Circle tram is free and travels in a loop around the cbd point out points of interest. Kings domain and the Shrine of Rememberance are worth a visit as is some of our other gardens including Treasury and Flagstaff. If you dock in Melbourne at Station Pier the tram will take you straight into the city. Docklands is also worth a look as is the hightest lookout on top of the Eureka Tower.

Hope this helps

VicGuy

[bazzaw]

G'day Auntie Dot

 

I'm not even going to try to advise you where to go on a trip within Australia - there certainly is a lot to do and see on the East Coast between Cairns and Melbourne - I'll leave others to advise you about that.

 

But - you said that you will be visiting Sydney for 2 full days days on the Infinity. Let us talk about that.

 

Sydney is a very large city - but your ship will be stopping right in the middle of the best part of it (on the Harbour). It will either dock at the International terminal at Circular Quay (eastern side of the Harbour Bridge) or at Darling Harbour (western side of the Bridge) . Either way, I recommend to you that you spend an entire day riding the public ferries all over the Harbour - leaving from Circular Quay. You can easilily spend the whole day on the Harbour (the most beautiful in the world, in my opinion) - getting on and off the ferries wherever and whenever you like - quite inexpensively! Here is the Sydney Ferries website http://www.sydneyferries.info/

 

When you are at Circular Quay, you will also see a number of vendors of tours in and around Sydney - these are quite good value and I imagine would be less costly than what the ship offers. I would recommend a day trip to the Blue Mountains for your second day in Sydney. Or perhaps a Hunter Valley wine tasting tour or a tour to the great Jenolan Caves. Have a look at these tours, as an example of what is available http://www.funtours.com.au/sydney.shtml

 

Hope you enjoy your stay

 

Barry

[arxcards]

Sydney is a very large city - but your ship will be stopping right in the middle of the best part of it (on the Harbour). It will either dock at the International terminal at Circular Quay (eastern side of the Harbour Bridge) or at Darling Harbour (western side of the Bridge) . Either way, I recommend to you that you spend an entire day riding the public ferries all over the Harbour - leaving from Circular Quay. You can easilily spend the whole day on the Harbour (the most beautiful in the world, in my opinion) - getting on and off the ferries wherever and whenever you like - quite inexpensively! Here is the Sydney Ferries website http://www.sydneyferries.info/

Barry

Yes Barry, I certainly second that. Forget the harbour cruise, and do it by ferry.

 

Infinity will be berthed at OPT in Circular Quay - a short walk to the public ferry terminal. $16 will buy an all day ticket to allow you to catch ferries all day (except the Manly express cat). Maybe even cheaper if your senior citizen cards are recognised in Australia.

 

I visit Sydney every other month and everytime I see the harbour, the birthplace of European Australia continues to amaze.

[auntdot]

Thanks, everyone, for all the great info and links - I have made a file! We're off to talk to the 'Downunder' TA in July. Still looking for the winning lottery ticket, though!

:D

 

Dot

[karmac]

Welcome to the Australian boards auntdot. I live in Sydney and as someone has already said, we have the most beautiful harbour in the world:p :D .

Normally I would say Taronga Zoo is a must whilst in Sydney but as you said you have some mobility issues, it's probably not a good idea. It's a great zoo with great views but very hilly.

I think a trip to the Blue Mountains would be more suited or better still, a trip to the Hunter Valley (especially if you're into wine tasting:) ). Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy your stay in God's Country;) .

[spakman]

You could also fly Brisbane to Townsville and have a look at Billabong Sanctuary http://www.billabongsanctuary.com.au/, a trip to Reef HQ http://www.reefhq.com.au/, a visit to Magnetic Island http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/destinations/townsville/experience-magnetic-island/experience-magnetic-island_home.cfm, a trip to the Museum of Tropical Queensland http://www.mtq.qm.qld.gov.au/ and then catch the Sunlander to Cairns - takes about 7 hours.

[Ela 2]

Hi Dot,

How much you can see of Australia will obviously depend on how long you have prior to your cruise. I think your ideas of Cairns and possibly Brisbane are excellent.

 

On your cruise you will call into Melbourne and VicGuy had some good ideas there and there some other suggestions from Barry about Sydney. Skyrules put forward some good ideas for flights.

 

I still think you should concentrate on Cairns. It is in reasonable proximity to the Barrier Reef. Choose a trip keeping in mind your abilities. Can you snorkel or would you need the facilities of an underwater observatory on the reef? Various options are available. This would take one full day.

 

I recommend the skyrail to Kuranda and the train back (when you book the train ask for a window seat - the seats are all numbered). At Kuranda go to the Aust Butterfly Sanctuary and maybe Birdworld. Enjoy the atmosphere of Kuranda with its markets and craft shops. Allow a day.

 

The coastal drive from Cairns to Port Douglas is one of the most beautiful in the world. It is 60km and you can stop on the way and see the crocodiles at Hartleys Zoo (if you are not going to Australia Zoo near Brisbane). I recommend a trip to Cape Tribulation (83km from Port Douglas). This is in the Daintree World Heritage listed rainforest. Either take a tour or hire a car.

 

Tjapukai (near the Skyrail terminus just north of Cairns) focuses on aboriginal culture and dance. They have shows during the day and a dinner show in the evening.

 

Although I live in Brisbane, if you have to cut something out, I suggest you miss Brisbane. Probably one of the main attractions to international visitors is Australia Zoo (about 1 hour north of Brisbane).

 

Please post again if you need more information from me or other members of CC. :):)

[icemaiden2310]

:D Well for what it is worth how can anyone travel all the way to australia and not se the Sydney harbour bridge and the opera house?

 

They would be first on my list!

Happy planning for your trip down under

 

Icy

[Ela 2]

:D Well for what it is worth how can anyone travel all the way to australia and not se the Sydney harbour bridge and the opera house?

 

They would be first on my list!

Happy planning for your trip down under

 

Icy

Hi Icy,

I agree with you. Maybe you missed Dot's comment that she is sailing into Sydney Harbour on her cruise from Auckland. That is why there have been comments about sightseeing on the Harbour. Her ship also calls into Melbourne.:):)

[Skyrules]

:D Well for what it is worth how can anyone travel all the way to australia and not se the Sydney harbour bridge and the opera house?

 

They would be first on my list!

Happy planning for your trip down under

 

Icy

 

 

She''ll get that view when her ship "parks" next to them on arrival in Sydney from Auckland & Melbourne!!

[icemaiden2310]

Hi Icy,

I agree with you. Maybe you missed Dot's comment that she is sailing into Sydney Harbour on her cruise from Auckland. That is why there have been comments about sightseeing on the Harbour. Her ship also calls into Melbourne.:):)

 

 

No I didnt miss it. Its one thing to sail past I was talking about SEEING IT close up. not As in " if u look quickly to ur right u will see the opera house" oops sorry maybe if we go past on the way back and u get a window seat u will get a good look!

[auntdot]

Wow! What great suggestions! I am beginning to see more clearly now that, in a short time, we should focus our attention on Cairns (and area) and Sydney (no offense, ela2 for not spending much time in your city!)

:p

Although we have two days in Sydney with the cruise, we will probably want to add on some time as there seems to be so much to see and do! I love all the tips - especially about taking the ferries in Sydney. Thank goodness we have a lot of time to plan all this!

 

... I'm still trying to win a lottery or find a long lost rich relative's inheritance!!! (Chances of that are about the same as winning the lottery!)

:D

 

You guys are great! Many thanks!

Dot