What to do on the East Coast?
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Aug 23, 2012 3:02 AM Last Post By: emmsan
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What to do on the East Coast?
Hi all!I'm planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand, spending one month in each country. I would like to see as much as possible over these months. I travel alone and like to be on the move, which I think is eassential if I want to travel all over Australia in just a month. Haha.
I've been to Perth once before and done the Nullarbor but not the East Coast and Centre of Australia. My plan at the moment would be to arrive in Adelaide and take The Ghan to Alice Springs and Uluru. After that I would like to continue on to Cairns and head down south to Sydney, maybe stopping for a week of surfing somewhere between Brisbane and Sydney, alternatively attend a surf camp/adventure that takes me from Brisbane to Sydney. From Sydney I will continue on to New Zealand.
However I do have a couple of questions.
1. I want to experience as much as possible, e.g. snorkelling, surfing, Uluru to name a few. To actually ask a question regarding this; Would I have enough time to experience what I want to experience on the time that I have?
2. What would you recommend me seeing on my travel down the East Coast?
3. I will start my journey at the beginning on January and will work until then. I have at the moment saved around 10000AUD and will work the entire autumn to earn more money. I know Australia is an expensive place to travel to and don't want to end up somewhere in the middle of nowhere with no money... :P
If you have more advice on what to do/think about etc. feel free to write them down. I more than happily take them into consideration!
Thanks!
Emma
1
to rush round Australia in a month involves a lot of flying. So you'll ned lots and lots of money. Also you only have three weeks of travel as you are stopping for a week of surfing.January is not the best time for Cairns.
don't know what 'experience' means in the real world but I think your 'experience' will be a lot of seeing things through windows.
BTW NZ is just as expensive, although a month will let you see the highlights as they are closer together. Usual mix is a week on the north island and three weeks in the south.
3
I travel alone and like to be on the move, which I think is eassential if I want to travel all over Australia in just a month. Haha.
Haha indeed. Not possible to travel all over Australia in a month.1. I want to experience as much as possible, e.g. snorkelling, surfing, Uluru to name a few. To actually ask a question regarding this; Would I have enough time to experience what I want to experience on the time that I have?
Agree with #1....you will see lots through train/bus/plane windows.2. What would you recommend me seeing on my travel down the East Coast?
What are your interests (apart from looking out the windows and surfing)?3. I will start my journey at the beginning on January and will work until then. I have at the moment saved around 10000AUD
Two thumbs up for your budget!
4
I wouldn't say January is the worst month to do this, but I guess you would have to be pretty determined. It certainly isn't impossible.The New Years' Fireworks in Sydney are very popular, world-famous in fact. A good place to view them would be from Cockatoo Island in Sydney, and there's accommodation there you can book as well, so I guess it's pretty convenient. The island itself is pretty relaxed, and I'm sure there will be pop-up stores (restaurants and bars) around the time you're there.
If you're planning to climb the Harbour Bridge (which I highly recommend), consider that New Years' Day is the busiest time of the year. I went a few months ago, and my tour guide said so himself. They start their tours at 3am on New Years' Day, if I remember correctly. I recommend the twilight tour. The view is fantastic.
That's really all I've got. Hope it helps!
Natasha
5
Thank you all for advice, I really appreciate that! I'm thinking more to skip going to Uluru and saving that for another trip further on in life, when not travelling when it is the hottest there. That would give me more time to discover the East Coast and maybe go on Great Ocean Road instead. Is this a better idea you think? :)My biggest interests are photography and wildlife (not camping, not the biggest fan of bugs). So anything involving a good photo opportunity would be of interest to me.
I really do not mind seeing the country from a train as I will see untouched nature in a different way than if I travel by car along a road. So that would not be a problem for me :)
Emma
6
Emm - if you are travelling in January, I would leave the top end (north) as that is very wet and very humid (might make good photo opportunity though).Come south....e.g. Bribie Island, Stradbroke Island, the glow worms at Natural Bridge (Springbrook), Byron Bay, Lennox heads, Myall Lakes area,, wineries around the Hunter Valley, Sydney (Blue Mountains); Canberra (spend 2-3 days here and see National Museum of Australia, War Memorial, Questacon), Bright and Beechworth for boutique beers and wineries, Apollo Bay / Great Ocean Road / Cape Otway lighthouse (there's a BIG koala colony there!!!).
Hope this helps.
7
January would certainly be a good time for the Great ocean Road, but accommodation can book out quickly, again due to summer holidays.If you have any idea of being in Sydney for New Year, book immediately - you may already be too late.
8
Yeah I've decided not to go over New Years Eve since it'll be quite difficult to find accommodation etc. However do you recommend me to wait with Cairns as well and focus on the south of the East Coast instead? Because if I leave Uluru for wintertime then mayhbe it is better to leave Cairns as well to that? The only thing that I'm afraid to miss out on by not ging to Cairns would be the Great Barrier Reef... Is it possible to do that a bit farther south to escape as much rain as possible?I hope my questions make sense, brain is on unauthorised leave...
9
You don't have to start in Cairns as the Great Barrier Reef extends down as far as Fraser Island (450km south of Cairns).The Southern Great Barrier Reef = Fraser Island up to Capricorn coast (Rockhampton/Keppel Island)
What did you want to do at the GBR? Are you a diver or a snorkeler?
10
Regarding the Great Barrier Reef and what I want to do: I basically just want to experience it while it still exists. I have no experience with either snorkelling or diving really. So I'm basically looking to find some beginner's course for one day that will just let me see the coral reefs. :) Maybe do a bit of both.11
In that case you can take one of the many glass bottom boat tours. There's more of this in Cairns, Port Douglass than from Keppel Island area though.
