3 week trip to Oz

Hi, I am going on a 3 week trip to oz and would like an idea of what would be possible to do in that time. I definitely want to visit sydney, melbourne and the whitsundays, don't know what I want to do apart from that. What are the must sees & must do's. I can't dive due to medical reasons and get travel sick in light planes but can do anything apart from those things! don't have to see everything but would like a few places to see that won't take ages to get to.

I loved Ayres Rock...though this would involve internal flights and an overnight stay so this may not suit as you plan to go to so many other places. I just think that if you're going to go all the way to Australia it would be a shame to miss out on the Ayres Rock experience (although the hotel complex is an absolute rip off in my opinion as there is obviously no competition).

Been to Oz 3 times never been to Ayres rock- too far away for me personally. I hear Perth is nice not been you could fly in there.
For me- must goes from south - Great ocean road just outside of Melbourne- can be done in 1 v long day. Melbourne nice city very european.
Not much between melbourne and Sydney if only going for 3 weeks fly you can get cheap flights or you will spend half your time in a car. Avoid Canberra. Sydney it is great, personal preference Manly nice then Bondi. Darling harbour is good then the obvious places opera house etc

Going north a day in the Hunter valley is good 2 hours north of Sydney if you want to visit the vineyards and winetasting.
Byron bay is nice as well about 8/10 hr drive north of sydney - can fly to ballina I think.
Gold coast - tackiest part of Oz with high rise - great beach though.
Brisbane
Frasier island is good options of a day if short on time or 3 days.
Whit sundays one of my fav parts of Oz.
Can go out to the reef in Cairns as well- not a big fan of Cairns myself.
Rainforest north of Cairns Daintree (i think) is really great as well.
Not been further north then that.

I too loved ayres rock, there's good hostels there to avoid the dear hotels! If you're going to melbourne do a day tour to the 12 apostles, lovely journey along the coast.

I think the trick is not to try and do everything in 3 weeks, there is so much to do but things are very spread out. The places you have picked out Sydney, Melbourne and Whitsundays are all great IMO. I second the suggestion of the Great Ocean Road which lies between Melbourne and Adelaide (another poster mentioned the 12 Apostles which is part of the Ocean road and is worth the trip). You could fly from Sydney to Melbourne spend a couple of days there and rent a car to drive to Adelaide which would take you on the trip along the coast. The big cities are much the same everywhere so I would give 2 or 3 days each to them and give more time to the Whitsundays and maybe do a cruise for a couple of days around the islands (try not to miss out on whitehaven beach- truly special). The time of year you travel is also important- it is quite cool in Southern Australia at this time of year and it is very wet in northern Australia around February/March so it's worth keeping that in mind.
I am not sure about Uluru (Ayres rock to the people who did not listen to the tour guide!!) If you were there for longer I'd say go for it, but in 3 weeks I think your time could be better spent, I'd take in the reef and rainforest's of northern Queensland instead. Cairns is quite tacky but it's a good base for the Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.
Enjoy your trip, I'm sooooo jealous!

I agree, don't try to do too much.

I had a 3 week holiday in OZ 9 years ago, and am going again next week for just under 3 (no more holidays ) Flying Etihad to and from Sydney.

First time round:
3 nights in Perth (loved it best),
c. 1 week in Melbourne, and took in the Great Ocean Road (3 nights - saw whales, scenery wonderful) and Philip Island (penguins - but then i have a thing about penguins!)
then we drove to Sydney (took our time, through the national park, and Canberra - 3 nights total),
and spent the balance of the holiday in Sydney (bridge climb etc).

This time it will be Sydney for 1 week - including Hunter Valley for 2 nights, and a night in Blue Mountains, and 1 week in the Whitsundays (flying with Jetstar), to include 3 nights sailing. I will not be diving, but fancy snorkeling, and we're staying in Airlie rather than on an island (on recommendaton of local travel agent).

Have fun planning. And if you want info on Whitsundays, I'm sure I'll be all knowledgeable at the end of Sept!

J

I know you said you can't dive, but even snorkling on the Great Barrier reef is a must. They are largely shallow and you see nearly as much as you would diving.
I would also recommend Frasier island. fantastic memories of there. Cape tribulation was fantastic although proberably the wrong time of year right now.
Ninbin is a must if you get to byron but be careful of the cookies!
No matter what you will enjoy. The best place in the world in my estimation.

I would suggest flying into Darwin its real Australia up there, you could take in a trip to KaKadu its a national park the size of Wales, then fly onto Sydney for fours days and do all the sights bridge climb etc, then drive up the east coast and the great barrier reef, whit sundays etc and a night or two in Cairns before you leave. Its a fantastic country so enjoy every second. Good luck,

Most of my time in Australia has been spent in and around Melbourne, although I have also visited Sydney and Tasmania. As others have already said, just a couple of days in the cities will suffice - Australia has so much more to offer than city life! That being said, the Sydney Harbour Bridgeclimb is an experience not to be missed. It is expensive, but worth every cent. The ferries offer a lovely relaxing experience, and I found the tour one to be extremely interesting.

The Great Ocean Road is amazing, and I too loved Phillip Island (oh to have been able to smuggle home one of those Fairy Penguins!)

But my favourite place on Earth has to be Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. I know it wasn't mentioned by the original poster, but it's definitely a place to consider for future trips. Beautiful scenery, animals in their native environment, clear air - and no mobile phone reception! Could it get any better??

what about spending the three weeks drinking beer and watching strippers?

I spent 4 wks in OZ in 1999. I did 1 wk in Sydney which included a weekend in the hunter valley, did Canberra for a day, blue mountains for a day the bridge climb and the zoo.Could have spent few less days there but had friends living there so stayed the few extra days.
Did a 5 day back packing trip from Alice Springs, this was one of the best experiences of my life. I wasn't gone on the "Rock", much preferred Kings Canyon, and some of the other spots we visited on route.
Cairns for a week where I took in the reef, some of the national parks - which are a must see. Took a two day drive and stopped off at a load of hidden waterfalls up the north coast.
Darwin for a few days taking in some of the national parks. (would give this a miss if you have done the ones in Northern Queensland.

Paddyboy99 is right about trying to get snorkeling in on the barrier reef. I love the water but found diving a bit claustrophobic, I got to see alot more when I was snorkeling on the reef. Did an overnight on it.

Highlights for me Queensland and the 5 day outback trip. Sydney was great but like any other city really.

Enjoy yourself and one thing just spend on what ever you want while there.
I'm looking forward to going back in 2011.

A must do in my opinion is a boat trip around the Whitsundays. I can recommend this trip:

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3 nights cruise on a comfortable, luxurious boat. The chef prepared really great food which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those on board. The snorkling trips were amazing and the visit to the famous Whithaven beach was brilliant.

Celtwytch said:

The Great Ocean Road is amazing, and I too loved Phillip Island (oh to have been able to smuggle home one of those Fairy Penguins!)

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Got back from a three week trip to Melbourne last Saturday. I loved the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island. We did two twelve hour coach trips - first one was to the Gurnies vineyard, Maru wildlife park and finally the Penguin parade at Phillip Island. The second was a tour of the Great Ocean Road - which was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. I also went up the Dandenong mountains on the Puffing Billy steam train. It was lovely also.
The weather was nippy at night but up to around 18-20 centigrade during the day. It got dark at around 6pm so you had to be up early to do things !

I couldn't praise Melbourne highly enough. I loved every minute of it. I found the people very polite and the place to be very clean and well run. I would go back every year if I could afford it !

any idea on the toll roads from melbourne to eden,and then up to sydney.can you pay cash at each booth,are they run by the same company,can you pay before etc,is it similar to the m50 toll.thanks for info.

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hopalong said:

any idea on the toll roads from melbourne to eden,and then up to sydney.can you pay cash at each booth,are they run by the same company,can you pay before etc,is it similar to the m50 toll.thanks for info.

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I don't remember any tolls on the road between Melbourne and Sydney. There are definetly some in both cities all right like the Tunnell and harbour bridge in Sydney.