Any suggestion for Byron Bay and Perth?
Replies: 10 - Last Post: Sep 21, 2012 2:00 AM Last Post By: Groo
jump to
Any suggestion for Byron Bay and Perth?
Hi, I am from China and I will visit Australia from Oct 28 to Nov 11. Yes, only myself :-) Please give me your kindly suggestion and recommendation~~~(F)(F)(F) ~~~this is flowers to all of you.It's the first time I go to this country, I only know little about this country, Kangaroo, Koala, Beach and Wine. So my plan is to see Kangaroo (Sydney), the blue sea (Byron Bay) and taste wine (Magerate River).
I know a man living in Sydney who will spend some days with me in Sydney and Byron Bay, then I will fly to Perth and go to Margerate River directly.
Here is my plan:
Oct 28, Singapore to Sydney, then stay in Sydney about 1 day to see Kangaroo.
Oct 30, my friend will drive the car to Byron Bay. As I know it will take about 9 hours so we plan to separate into 2 days on the road. Is there any interesting place between Sydney and Byron Bay? Or hotel?
Nov 2, back to Sydney.
Nov 3, fly to Perth. Is there any bus from Perth to Magerate River? Sorry, I only know how to swim in swimming pool but don't know how to drive the car :-P
Nov 9, fly back to Sydney. Nov 10, fly back to Singapore.
For Byron Bay, I only want to see the blue sea and enjoy the wind and sunshine. Enough for me. Just relax myself.
For Magerate River. I remember a movie named "A Walk in the Clouds" ~~~ WoW, romantic!!! I want to see real vinery, just have a walking in vinery. I don't care the famous place something like AyesRock, GoldCoast. I want to enjoy my life in some quiet, green village with sunshine.
So, please give me some suggestion in Perth. How can I go to Margerate River from airport? Is there any vinery for public visitors? Is there any special suggestion for Margerate River? Special food?
Nov 8 is my birthday, I wish I can spend my birthday under grape tree -- in China, you can make wish when you see the moon under grape tree.
Edited by: elfself
1
Margaret River is a very long way from Sydney, travel would be very expensive and it does not offer anything much that you can't see on the east coast. You would, perhaps, be better off seeing the Sydney - Byron Bay area in more detail.If vineyard areas interest you then consider the Hunter Valley, approximately 160 km north of Sydney. You could very easily visit it on your way to Byron Bay.
A very pleasant place to spend a night between Sydney and Byron Bay would be South West Rocks, but almost everywhere along that stretch of coast is pleasant. Just make sure you spend your evening at one of the coastal villages and not inland on the highway. If you'd like to stay a inland of the coast then I would recommend Bellingen, to the west of Coffs Harbour.
2
Where do I start?You won’t find any kangaroos in Sydney, apart from the world famous Taronga Park Zoo (which is worth a visit anyway). Away from the cities and towns there are plenty of wild kangaroos but not sure how you will go about seeing them – you might see (and smell) a dead one on the side of the road on the way to Byron Bay!!
As alluded to by Groo above, Perth is a long and expensive way just to see grape vines. The Hunter Valley is not far from Sydney (sort of on the way to Byron Bay) and a famous Australian wine region. Lots of vineyards and wineries you can visit. And if you go on some of the back roads you MIGHT see some kangaroos.
Rather than going to Perth you’d be better to stay in Sydney and do some day tours to things like the Hunter Valley for wineries or wild life tours to see Australian animals.
If you are after blue sea, wind and sunshine you can go to the ocean beaches in Sydney, for example catch the public ferry to Manly. Anyway on your trip up to Byron Bay there will be plenty of beaches a long the way. (As Groo says the main coastal highway goes inland and you need to drive to the coast to see beaches.
If you are set on going to Margaret River you could get a tour that leaves from and returns you to Perth. There will be plenty to choose from but is an idea to book ahead.
Good luck for Nov 8 – my birthday too!!
3
Yes, your plan is terrible. You don't need to drive all the way to Byron Bay to see the 'blue sea' - Sydney and places not far away have beautiful beaches, while vineyards and wineries can be found in the Hunter Valley, much closer and cheaper than going all the way to Margaret River just to see grape vines. (Grapes don't grow on trees BTW, they grow on vines.)And if you do go to Perth, then you can fly back to Singapore from there, you don't need to come all the way back to Sydney just to fly on to Singapore.
Has your friend in Sydney really agreed to spend 4 days just driving you to Byron Bay and back? It's not a good use of your time or his.
4
Hello Elfself, There are a lot of vineyards a lot closer to Sydney than Margaret River, and there are a lot of very nice beaches closer than Byron Bay, but if these are the places you have chosen to see, there are public buses to Margaret River from Perth and also tours. I don't know if you will get to see the moon as you stand under a grape vine in a winery, because I don't know how far out of town the wineries are, or if it going to rain on Nov. 8, but there is a website you can google www.margaretriver.com.au/getting-there with a phone number and some info. about the area. The highway to Byron Bay does not go right along the coast, but a pretty place with good beaches and a lovely lake is Forster, about 4 hours drive from Sydney---almost halfway to Byron Bay. You may very well see a kangaroo in the wild on your way to Byron Bay, look in the paddocks in the morning and evening, or under the trees lying down, if it is hot around midday. I hope you enjoy your trip and don't feel you have spent more time travelling than seeing what interests you. Good luck!5
I am very appreciate all of you :-) Now I know it’s a terrible plan……BTW, happy birthday to Habby!Tell the truth I have no idea about Perth, I just want to find a place not far away from the sea and have some vineyard, most important is not too many people. As you know there are too many people in China .Then someone recommended Margaret River to me.
And I think I am very lucky that I found this forum this afternoon :-P
I searched some photos about Hunter Valley, yes, it’s a good place to see wild Kangaroo! But, in my mind 2 days is enough to see Hunter Valley, right? Maybe we can visit there during the trip to Byron Bay.
What can I do in other 5-7 days? I want to visit some place not very commercial, not too many people. Yes, after I come back from Byron Bay I will be alone until I fly back to Singapore.
I google some vinery in Australia, most of them are near by Adelaide. Clare Valley or McLaren Vale? Is this a good option than Perth?
For Byron Bay, I don’t know we will spend 4 days on the trip. Maybe 3 days, it depends on my friend’s boss :-P
Is there any fruit in spring?
6
If you want to get up to Byron Bay, I recommend using Jetstar and flying from Sydney to Gold Coast airport. The drive up to Byron could be very cool but it's a long ways away, and I think you can get a flight for $100 or so. From Gold Coast airport I recommend Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary which isn't too far to see kangaroos, there you can feed them, pet them, and hold a koala. It's very fun.There's lots of things to do in Byron, you'll have a lot of fun. That being said, Sydney has some magnificent beaches as well! See Coogee or Bondi while you're there. Have fun!
7
OP will have a car for the trip to Byron so a stop off in the Hunter Valley makes sense. It can be a rather pleasant drive if you stop off at some of the coastal villages along the way. OP may also wish to stay at Broken Head , which is very close to Byron Bay and to my mind a lot more pleasant.Form the Byron Bay area it is very easy to drive to the Gold Coast and bcc's suggestion of Currumbin Wildlife sanctuary is a good one. Don't forget Sydney's zoo, however. Apart from the animal displays (and they are very good), the setting and the ferry ride there are superb. There's plenty to do and see if you're in Sydney by yourself.
You may also find the hinterland behind Byron Bay, places like Tuntable Falls and Mount Warning (Wollumbin) very pleasant.
10
I think that you are wise focusing on the East Coast. I know very little about Farmstay but it may well be an excellent option for one or two nights. Consider also Bed and Breakfast accommodation (B&Bs), a little more expensive than mid range hotels,motels and hostels, but they're more comfortable and you have a better chance of meeting with local people.You should also consider the cabin accommodation offered at caravan parks. It ranges from luxurious to basic and is priced accordingly (see my reference above to Broken Head - one of the more expensive ones, but a delightful place).
At the time you will be travelling there should be plenty of vacancies as it does not fall within any school or public holiday period.
