1

I think your transport modes are spot on. Without knowing your interests it is hard to say how long to spend in each place, but I would suggest 3 days Sydney:--one day in Blue Mountains (train to Katoomba and walk or hop on hop off bus), one day Bondi to Coogee walk past the sculptures by the sea, one day to see the city sights, opera house, ferry on harbour etc. Then you've got your 2 days in Canberra, and I would suggest 2 full days in Melbourne, though it is certainly worth more. There are one day bus tours along the Great Ocean Road, they are a bit rushed and a very full day, but if you want, or need, to spend longer in the above-mentioned cities, they are a possibility. If you hire a car and drive yourself there is plenty of accommodation. You might stay in Apollo Bay and go down to Cape Otway for the lighthouse and wrecks tour, or take a day to drive through the Otways. You could also drive on then to Port Campbell, or on to Warrnambool, and by then you will have seen the major sights. If you have some spare time you could drive to Halls Gap in the Grampians and go back to Melbourne from there to avoid backtracking over the same route. The Great Ocean Road is not an expressway, but quite narrow and winding a lot of the time so slower to travel than you might think from place to place, and often you need to park in set places and walk to see the main sights which are not visible from the road. You will make best use of your time if you get very early bus and flight Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and a later flight back to Sydney, allowing for delays so as not to miss your flight home. Hope you enjoy your trip.

2

Thank you so much for the tips!

Do you know how long would it take driving to Halls Gap in the Grampians and go back to Melbourne?

Also do you recommend better Manly or Bondi beach in Sydney?

3

About 3-3.5 hours from Halls gap back to Melbourne.

4

I also agree your transport modes are spot on. You can get a Murray's Express Coach to Canberra for as little as $15 if you book in advance, full fare it's about $35, and takes just over 3 hours, which, factoring in security, is not much more than a flight.
But to Melbourne the bus can be 8-10 hours, and there's a lot of competition, so you can get very cheap flights Canberra-Melbourne (though rarely Sydney Canberra as Qantas has this market basically sewn up).
Then get a car and enjoy some of the sights - Out via the GOR, then back via the Grampians and Ballarat.

5

I'd bus ($15) or even train (~$30) to Canberra from Sydney. Both are cheap if purchased in advance. Getting to the airport and from the airport in Canberra plus the flight time and waiting time makes it close to the same time as a bus or train.

Canberra to Melbourne i'd fly. Both Virgin and Qantas fly this route, often you can get a ticket for $69 on both airlines, anything under $100 is still cheap. Usually a fare around $129 is standard if you don't get a good price.

6

Train runs twice a day, takes 5 hours, and costs a lot more than $30.
Sydney-Canberra is a bus, unless you are a train fanatic.

7

Thanks everyone for the tips on transpo modes. What about stopping along GOR? Where? I have three days and two nights left to stopover.

8

Apollo Bay (taking time to see the Otways, rainforest, waterfalls etc as well as the coast). Then you are pretty much at the start of the spectacular section, and spend the next day seeing all the lookouts and gorges, cutting in after Port Campbell and heading up to the Grampians (Halls Gap). Then home