Australia expertise needed urgently pleeeeease
Australia expertise needed urgently pleeeeease
Am booking to go to Australia this summer and need help desperatly as I'm getting confused, irate and even more confused.
Basically due to other circumstances, the trip is very tight and it looks like its going to be:
Sydney - 5 nights (Shopping, nightlife, Bridge, Opera House, Bondi beach, Home and Away beach), Ayres Rock - 2 nights (sunset and sunrise of the rock (also, is it still climable in the right weather) & Cairns - 6 nights
I need help as I dont know places to stay and have to get it right on such a tight schedule. Also Im being told Cairns is like Blackpool in Oz and that the Whitsundays and/or Port Douglas are the places to stay. I want to scuba dive (or learn to) and basically have a lovely old time on a beautiful beach surrounded by gorgreous backpacking dudes. Can anyone help me? I'm really feeling the pressure to get this trip right and having never been there before, am starting to drown in too much information that i dont need, and not enough info on the important things.
Hotel wise they need to be good locations and good value. Never stayed in hostels before as Ive never done the backpacking thing, but think on a trip like this it would actually be good for me and my enjoyment to stay in backpacking type hotels as I would love to meet new people.
help help help...
Answers:
I'm not going to be much help, but I just want to reassure you on Cairns!
I have been going to Palm Cove which is a beautiful place inbetween Cairns and Port Douglas, every winter for the last five years (it's only 6.5 hours on a plane for me and it's almost the same time zone) and so have been to Cairns many many times for shopping and the restaurants and cinema. It really isn't like Blackpool/Ayia Napa at all even though it's the most touristy nightlifey place in the area - it's way too small to be anything like Blackpool - although compared to the rest of the area which seems to be completely dead after dusk it is a positive fleshpot!
I don't think it would be at all bad to stay there especially if you didn't hire a car (which you need for Palm Cove) - and you'll be in the right place for the trips out to the islands and reef.
It's absolutely nothing like the Gold Coast down Brisbane way which is truly awful in an Ayia Napa way unless you're into that kind of thing. I went once on a girls holiday and I've no intention of ever going back again.
I'm not sure I'd want to go in August though - I've never been at this time of year so I have no idea, but I remember going early in October the first time and one of the guides mentioned that I was lucky that the rains had just ended a couple of weeks ago (it's all tropical rainforest round there), so you might just want to check when the rainy season starts.
Answers:
Cairns is cool, but it's very backpacker-ish. I stayed there for a couple of days but then moved onto port Douglas for a couple of days and ended up staying for nearly 3 weeks!
One of the things that put me off Cairns was that there wasn't a beach - just a kind of muddy area! The beach in Port Douglas was beautiful though. I can't remember seeing any diving schools in Port Douglas but there must be some! I did snorkling from Port Douglas and had a scream! Liek Sakura says, Cairns is a great location for day trips etc.
The Whitsundays are beautiful and I'm sure there are some diving schools round there. Airlie Beach didn't have a beach when I was there (2 years ago) but they were in the process of making one.
As far as I can remember, in Cairns, the rainy season is Australian winter time which is when you're going - I'd double check on that though, cos I might be totally wrong!
If you decide to go to Port Douglas and want a hostel - I stayed here Port O'Call Lodge and it was one of the best hostels I've stayed in. Not the most central in Port D, but at the most it's only a 10 min walk from the beach & town centre.
Answers:
port o'call lodge looks good and is great if it means i can afford to stay in Port Douglas. Dumb question coming up now - would i still fly into Cairns? If I stay in Port Douglas how close by is the GBR and Cairns? Is Port Douglas quite a young area as I dont really want to be with families, more people of my own age (20somethings)
Answers:
Port douglas is about an hour from Cairns by car. There is a bus that goes from the airport. I fly out 9 weeks today to get married out there! Will fill you in on all the details when we get back:) if you like?
My friend is staying at the port o call lodge this time and she has stayed there before-apparently its very nice and you even get your own bathroom! Its about 5 minutes from the beach.
ETA We're 20 somethings too!
Am booking to go to Australia this summer and need help desperatly as I'm getting confused, irate and even more confused.
Basically due to other circumstances, the trip is very tight and it looks like its going to be:
Sydney - 5 nights (Shopping, nightlife, Bridge, Opera House, Bondi beach, Home and Away beach), Ayres Rock - 2 nights (sunset and sunrise of the rock (also, is it still climable in the right weather) & Cairns - 6 nights
I need help as I dont know places to stay and have to get it right on such a tight schedule. Also Im being told Cairns is like Blackpool in Oz and that the Whitsundays and/or Port Douglas are the places to stay. I want to scuba dive (or learn to) and basically have a lovely old time on a beautiful beach surrounded by gorgreous backpacking dudes. Can anyone help me? I'm really feeling the pressure to get this trip right and having never been there before, am starting to drown in too much information that i dont need, and not enough info on the important things.
Hotel wise they need to be good locations and good value. Never stayed in hostels before as Ive never done the backpacking thing, but think on a trip like this it would actually be good for me and my enjoyment to stay in backpacking type hotels as I would love to meet new people.
help help help...
Answers:
I'm not going to be much help, but I just want to reassure you on Cairns!
I have been going to Palm Cove which is a beautiful place inbetween Cairns and Port Douglas, every winter for the last five years (it's only 6.5 hours on a plane for me and it's almost the same time zone) and so have been to Cairns many many times for shopping and the restaurants and cinema. It really isn't like Blackpool/Ayia Napa at all even though it's the most touristy nightlifey place in the area - it's way too small to be anything like Blackpool - although compared to the rest of the area which seems to be completely dead after dusk it is a positive fleshpot!
I don't think it would be at all bad to stay there especially if you didn't hire a car (which you need for Palm Cove) - and you'll be in the right place for the trips out to the islands and reef.
It's absolutely nothing like the Gold Coast down Brisbane way which is truly awful in an Ayia Napa way unless you're into that kind of thing. I went once on a girls holiday and I've no intention of ever going back again.
I'm not sure I'd want to go in August though - I've never been at this time of year so I have no idea, but I remember going early in October the first time and one of the guides mentioned that I was lucky that the rains had just ended a couple of weeks ago (it's all tropical rainforest round there), so you might just want to check when the rainy season starts.
Answers:
Cairns is cool, but it's very backpacker-ish. I stayed there for a couple of days but then moved onto port Douglas for a couple of days and ended up staying for nearly 3 weeks!
One of the things that put me off Cairns was that there wasn't a beach - just a kind of muddy area! The beach in Port Douglas was beautiful though. I can't remember seeing any diving schools in Port Douglas but there must be some! I did snorkling from Port Douglas and had a scream! Liek Sakura says, Cairns is a great location for day trips etc.
The Whitsundays are beautiful and I'm sure there are some diving schools round there. Airlie Beach didn't have a beach when I was there (2 years ago) but they were in the process of making one.
As far as I can remember, in Cairns, the rainy season is Australian winter time which is when you're going - I'd double check on that though, cos I might be totally wrong!
If you decide to go to Port Douglas and want a hostel - I stayed here Port O'Call Lodge and it was one of the best hostels I've stayed in. Not the most central in Port D, but at the most it's only a 10 min walk from the beach & town centre.
Answers:
port o'call lodge looks good and is great if it means i can afford to stay in Port Douglas. Dumb question coming up now - would i still fly into Cairns? If I stay in Port Douglas how close by is the GBR and Cairns? Is Port Douglas quite a young area as I dont really want to be with families, more people of my own age (20somethings)
Answers:
Port douglas is about an hour from Cairns by car. There is a bus that goes from the airport. I fly out 9 weeks today to get married out there! Will fill you in on all the details when we get back:) if you like?
My friend is staying at the port o call lodge this time and she has stayed there before-apparently its very nice and you even get your own bathroom! Its about 5 minutes from the beach.
ETA We're 20 somethings too!