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Talk to me about Australia please!

We're looking into going to visit BIL and other assorted ILs in the Brisbane area this winter and I was wondering whether you guys had some advice on places to go to/see/things to do in Oz as there's no way we're flying this far to just be stuck with ILs for a month!

Our plan will probably be to fly to & from Sydney, so the idea would be to spend a few days there by ourselves before somehow making our way to Brisbane. We also have a friend we'd like to visit in Adelaide, so I'd appreciate any recs in that area too!!

Also, what are your thoughts on airlines? Any airline with more leg room (DH is 1.95m)?

Sorry I'm vague but it's early days planning and I don't want to rely on ILs to tell me where to go/what to do!

 

Re: Talk to me about Australia please!

  • Oh Australia!!!! I would live there given half the chance! DH & I worked/traveled Oz for a year. At the very end we took a month and went from Sydney up to Cairns. We took a bus and stopped in lots of different places for a few days. Totally worth it and so cheap. The bus is way better than flying because you get to see a lot more places.

    1st Stop Sydney    - 3 nights
    2nd Stop Coffs Harbour    - 7 nights
    3rd Stop Byron Bay  -  2 nights
    4th Stop Brisbane  -  4 nights (stayed with my uncle)
    5th Stop Noosa -   2 nights
    6th Stop Hervey Bay/ Fraser Island  -  1 night
    7th Stop Airlie Beach/Whit Sundays  -  3 nights - Never got to See Whit Sundays or Fraser as the company we got the tickets from went bust and ran off with our money Sad
    8th Stop  Cairns - 5 nights

    Apart from being conned for Fraser and the Whits, it was a fabulous time!!! We packed loads in!

    imageimage

    L-R: Liam(5), Eimhin(3) and Fionn(1)!

    Liam - Sounds like "Leem" The Irish form of William. William means "Will, Desire" and " Helmet, Protection"
    Eimhin - Sounds like "Heaven". From the Irish word Eimh, "Swift, Ready". This name is particularly associated with St. Evin, a bishop who gave his name to the monastery he founded at Monasterevan in Ireland. It is also anglicized as Evan.
    Fionn! Another name to confuse you Americans!! It is pronounced f-yun...like fun with a y in it. Fionn was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology.
  • We just got back from 2 weeks in Australia and we loved it!  This is what we did:

    Melbourne - 2 days - we flew into Melbourne and spent 1.5 days seeing the city.  We also spent a half day driving out to Philips Island for the Penguin Parade.  So cute!

    Great Ocean Road - 2 days - We hired a car and drove along the gorgeous Great Ocean Road.  The beaches and scenary were stunning.

    Port Douglas - 4 days - we then flew from Melbourne to Cairns, and stayed in Port Douglas (about 1 hr from Cairns).  This was down time for us, enjoying the tropical temps and lounging by the pool/beach.  We're not divers, but we did do a day trip to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.  We also did a day trip into the Daintree rainforest.

    Brisbane - 2 days - we flew from Cairns down to Brisbane and stayed with friends for a weekend.  Spent one day at a local beach and another afternoon cuddling koalas at the Lonepines Koala Sanctuary.

    Sydney - 5 days - because DH was combining business meetings, we spent a lot of time in Sydney.  But there was definitely enough to keep us busy.  We toured around the city, did a day trip to the Blue Mountains and another day in Manly.

    I've heard the drive from Brisbane to Sydney is great, so you may want to hire a car and do the drive at your own pace, stopping to explore along the way.  We just didn't have time to do it.

    We flew Quantas / BA (from London).  They may be a good option as they have the premium economy class which has extra leg room, although you pay for it so not the most economic option.

    image
    Cecilia arrived 12 October 2012
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • There have been some great suggestions already.  I am from Brisbane so any specific q's you have I will try to help.  Where are your IL's based?

    Be careful, Australia isn't as small as you think, it will take 2 days minimum to drive from Brisbane to Sydney, fuel is expensive and so is car rental, Brisbane to Cairns is another 2 day drive, and that isn't including a lot of stops, meaning you will have to drive about 6-8 hours each day, and while some of the scenery is amazing, it can get a bit repetitive for that long in the car.  Also, QLD has just gone through some pretty awful natural disasters (flooding and cyclone) so alot of the roads are in a terrible state, not to mention some of them are still cut off so you would have to look into that before you go.

    I love Adelaide, there is so much beauty there, especially during winter, DH and I used to meet there every few weeks when he lived in the desert and I lived in Brisbane.

    Have a great trip! 

    Jakarta, Indonesia. www.livelaughpoop.blogspot.com imagePregnancy Ticker
  • Thanks guys!

    Mrs Hooi - one set of ILs are in Scarborough, BIL is close to the city centre. I'll definitely pick your brains closer to the date if you don't mind!

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