Eight Day Australia Itineraries

Our 4 days in Sydney over New Years was fabulous and we loved the city.  The Hunter Valley Wine tour was great and we were sorry to miss the Blue Mountain tour but it did not fit.  Ayers Rock was enjoyable and we were glad to make it a brief stopover. Cairns was a beautiful location and we enjoyed our 3 days there doing Karanda and the Reef.  As mentioned Tasmania was super special.  We loved the Bruny Island cruise and the city of Hobart.  We drove our rental car to Swansea with stops at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary (highly recommended) and historic Richmond.  After a visit to Freycinet National Park which was lovely, we drove to Launceston.

Our 3 days in Melbourne after our Princess cruise was also very special.  We enjoyed the city and the Travelodge Southbank hotel.  It had the perfect location next to the Eureka Tower, the riverwalk and the free tram for the city. We flew home on Australia Day which was a little disappointing but no one considered that before the trip..

Tasmania was amazing.  We loved both Cradle and Freycinet...we wish we could have spent more time at both.  We understood that time was limited, however would recommend at least two nights at both which our travel agent did suggest.  Regardless, we were super pleased and would recommend Tasmania be highlighted more to travelers anywhere.  I really didn't know anything about it and got lucky.  More travelers need to know (on second thought, maybe let's keep it a secret) how pristine and special Tasmania is in Australia.  Maybe it was just me not knowing though.

Hamilton Island was awesome, but you are kind of "stuck" with their amenities.  With limited options for food that is less than $20 ASD a sandwich it was somewhat annoying but we understood you get what you pay for and so we just accepted it.  Having a few "beach" options to choose amongst would have been nice...also...you receive the same amenities (as far as I knew) at Reef View as the Beach Resort.  I'm glad I did NOT choose the Beach resort as the view of the ocean was much better and the short walk to the beach was a non-issue.  I would choose view over a walk across the street anytime but I get that that is hard to communicate.  Our travel agent did a good job of downplaying that or I may have chosen the Beach resort and been disappointed.  If you do choose Reef View then request a high floor...we were on the 17th floor and had the most amazing view (this may cost a little more...well worth it).  Overall, Hamilton Island was BEAUTIFUL and we loved the amenities, the hikes, getting a golf buggy, and seeing the sunset on One Tree Hill.  Such a treat...I even cried a little I was so overwhelmed with its beauty and the surroundings.

Sydney was expected...a big city.  The kayak tour under the Sydney Harbour Bridge was awesome.  I would definitely recommend it again.  The bridge climb...I wish I knew how scared I would be.  We didn't like that we couldn't cancel last minute without any refund...especially when it was rainy and windy.  We hated it...although, yes, the views were beautiful.  We would have accepted a penalty to cancel and wish we knew in advance that it wasn't refundable...make sure you do your research if you are on the fence.  Based on when we went (Twilight) it seemed like we could have booked and made our decisions last minute regardless of what they told us.  Finally, the Opera House should be promoted more...we wish we would have went.  We walked around it and were too late to book a show so ended up going to a very cool jazz club called The Basement around Circular Quay.  A fun unexpected concert that provided a unique experience to Sydney that felt local yet a great Saturday night out.

Overall, simply put...the trip was EPIC.

Aussie Open, 44C/111F on second day - Wow that’s hot.  106 & 108 F on first and third days.  A bit cooler.  Saw some amazing tennis and had fun despite the heat, suspended play and Williams sisters pulling out of the doubles.

Great Ocean Road is fabulous, though the coach tour is bit long, 15 hours, and stops at anything that looks interesting.  I enjoyed it all, but Debbie was less thrilled due to the length and constant dialog from the guide.  We learned our tolerance of guided tours is not very high.

Cairns was great: Great Barrier Reef was just spectacular. The tour was absolutely first rate. Fabulous!! Best snorkeling conditions ever and of course the reef is awesome.  No sharks unfortunately.

Kurnda was wonderful and I especially loved the trip through the tree tops in the gondola.

We rented bikes in Cairns and had a blast riding along the coast.  The hotel is surrounded by trees with thousands of fruit bats living in them.  At dusk they all take off flying around the hotel and nearby streets. I thought it was great but the wife was a little freaked out.

Uluru was nice … and hot.  Sunset was pretty, but we attracted a lot of flies. The hiking was a bit much for some of the party.  Sunrise was early … and not as good as sunset.  We had the same guide for both, a French woman, which was a bit disappointing for the wife - she wanted an Aussie.  Beautiful place with wonderful stories.

Sydney was wonderful.  Opera house tour and story of the architect made us cry.  Harbor cruise was spectacular.  Loved Sydney and the Rocks area. 

Blue mountains were fogged in, but we had fun on the high angle train.  Debbie screamed the whole way down on purpose for a Frenchman videoing the trip.. He spoke no english and we no french, but he loved the soundtrack he got.  This was on Australia day.

Driving in New Zealand, South island was a snap.  Te Anau was beautiful as was Milford Sound and Doubtful was the best of all.  The overnight was great and we saw millions of stars, Wow!  We Kayaked and swam in the Tasman sea.  Cold - 59F!

Queenstown was wonderful, though the day before a couple from India told us there was nothing to do there.  Ha!  There was plenty to do.  The gondola and luge were a blast and we really enjoyed the city.  If we ever go back, Queenstown will be one of the cities we visit, along with Auckland.  

We got fogged out of our helicopter trip to the Franz Josef Glacier.  Refund in the works.  But we did hike out to see the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.  Not too bad, but tough to take pictures under a cloudy sky.

TranzAlpine railroad was very nice, relaxing and beautiful.  Christchurch looked like a war zone.  We were surprised at the apparent slow progress some 3+ years after the earthquake.  But NZ doesn’t have the resources for a quick rebuild I guess.  

North Island driving was a bit more challenging due to more people, but not bad.  We got a smaller car this time and it was easier to fit on the slightly narrower roads of NZ.

The Scenic Hotel in Napier was fabulous.  We were sorry we were staying only one night.  The view from the window was spectacular.  Walked quite a bit and enjoyed the area.

The Copthorne in Rotorua was likely the worst place we stayed.  Not bad (the others were great), but it needs updating.  Rainy day for the area attractions tour, but we enjoyed most of it, especially the Agrodome show - wonderful!  Rotorua does have a pervasive sulfur smell to it, but I got used to it.

Auckland was wonderful.  We each captained (steered) a 50 foot sailboat in the harbor on a beautiful 1hr 30min cruise.  Highly recommended.  The Explorer hop on/hop off was OK, but not a big hit.  We did see some very nice sights.  

Highlight of Auckland, besides the sailing, was being “kidnapped” by a local woman, about 65-70 years old, and driven to Mount Victoria, after we took the ferry across the harbor. She gave us a history lesson, showed us all around and took us to her favorite bar afterwards. I was quite wary to start with, but we decided to accompany her in her car.  Worked out very nicely.

All flights were very good, with wonderful service on the LAX-Melbourne and Sydney-LAX legs.  The latter flight was about 40% full, so we could really stretch out and sleep.  No jet lag to speak of on either end - we planned our sleep times well.

Queenstown was one of my favorite places. Small town with amazing views. The bed and breakfast hotel was very Chic. The owners were very sweet people.  The jet boat tour and kayaking were really fun and got some amazing pictures. The best part of queenstown was the helicopter tour. Not only did it fly us around all the mountains and Milford Sound, but it even landed at the top of a glacier and I took some of the best pictures there. I have attached one of those pictures. 

Port douglas was also great, the weather and beaches made me feel like I was back in Miami. We couldn't get into the beaches because they were full of jellyfish, Snorkeling in the great barrier reef was also spectacular. The hot air balloon was also spectacular, we were able to see kangaroos during the ride which was very cool

Melbourne was big city living. I think we were in one of the nicest hotels in the area. Casino, a mall, food court and everything was part of our hotel in the Crown Promenade. The eco tour here was really cool, we were basically hunting for kangaroos and koalas out in the wild which was fun. We were kinda sad that we didn't get any up close encounters with them, but that all changed during the eco tour in Sydney. My wife is in love with penguins, so the trip we took to phillip island to watch the penguins coming in from the ocean was her favorite part.

Then came Sydney, everything here was super expensive. During the week of new years all the restaurant and all the hotels hike up there prices by 50%. We did not want to go to want of the free vantage points to get a good view of the fireworks, because people start camping out there at 9 am and to get in and out of there is a mission. So we paid $600 just to get standing room from the Opera House, so we had one of the best views in the city. WOW, what an amazing display of fireworks. We had a blast. The bridge climb the next day was an fun experience as well. My wife is terrified of heights, but I was proud of her she was able to do it. They did not allow camera up there which was sad, but still super fun.  We also went to a small zoo where you were able to feed and pet the kangaroos and koalas and other animals.

It was a crazy 20 days, we were beat up from all the plane rides and shuttles, and carrying around 28 days worth of luggage, kayaking, walking up hills and mountains and stairs. We needed a vacation from the vacation, so thats why I booked our last five day in Bora Bora. I have never stayed at a St Regis, so i am unsure if they are all like that, but wow, what personal service and attention. They picked us up in a boat at the airport, when the boat docked at the hotel there was a team of 15 people waiting just for us. They took all of our bags, gave us a cold wet rag to clean our hands and the sweat off our face, gave us some juice. They checked me in in the boat ride so we didn't even have to check in.

Thanks to you when we got into the room there was a bottle of champagne waiting for us and flower petals all over the bed in a heart shape. They gave us the further bungalow from the island which was nice. The rooms were beautifully decorated, with holes in the floors with glass so you can see down into the water. Private are patio area in the back we we can sunbath however we wanted with no one to see. I also did. A  butler was always a phone call away. They brought our bags to the room, they unpacked for us, and they packed our bags for us when we left. Whenever we wanted to go from our room to another part of the huge property, they would come pick us up on a golf cart. They also had bikes we can use around the property at no additional costs. they had kayaks, sailboats, paddle boats, water bicycles, snorkeling gear, all of that for no extra charge which was fun. They have there own private lagoon that has nets at one end so no sharks get in. So my wife actually did some snorkeling here. The resort had four different restaurants. I also did some diving in bora bora which was also incredible. of course everything was super expensive but so worth it. 

So again, thank you for all your help, we both had a blast. I am sure to keep you in mind for our next big journey