wah for 1mth .. where you staying ? i mean in hotels ? must be so X

owh?...when you informed that...reminded me of my uncle's friend...
he also experienced something like that in UK...thought when reached there...his friend would arrange everything...
so he didn't remember his friend's address or anything...and got "stuck" with immigration officer...more than hours need to clear that..
didn't remember how he settle with the officer...

so...which part of Australia you will be staying longer?...

cabs wor... the meter RUNS one wor... very expensive i would say... better plan your trip properly, look for the addresses where you going to and from... then plan from the website... i am not sure about brisbane...

but in melbourne, i plan my trip via www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au

by the way, great ocean road, you should google for the pics... if you think those rocks/stones/whatever look yummy to you then you should go... but to me they are just some random rocks...

haha, no lah. i got relatives and friends around. WIll only be staying in hotels for a few days in Gold Coast and Brisbane. Budget!


Ok thanks. I got no choice but to take cab...but only for that trip. My friend says should cost approx. AUS$40. Im very very bad with directions...might get lost if i take Bus. ....thanks for the link!!

Hey ckwei, thanks for your reminding.. my sis told me about this also..
Thanks alot...

Any1 went to adelaide for holiday recently? any cheap accomodation over there? tot of going to adelaide for backpacking in tis Spring time. jz wondering how much does the accomodation cost now...

fuel surcharge went off the roof.

end of the year? summer? hot hot!!

how much normally the flight ticket to melbourne at the matta fair???

im interested but got uni ler that time

cause you book very late my friend told me his flight by tiger was about or less than rm 2k i bought my flight to melbourne for RM 3120 i still remember cause i paid all by my self hahaha it was a great experience everything there the food the people are friendly only some are racist weather was great i was there during july it was Winter! super fun i love it im going there next year again

I was in Adelaide visiting a friend last Dec/Jan. I'm not sure about the accomodation but you can of course check out hostelworld.com and such for the prices. It's important to know where exactly do you want to visit in Adelaide cos when I went there I thought Adelaide being a smaller city compared to Syd and Melb, there aren't much to do; and I was there to just spend time with a friend. But turns out there are quite a few things to do. For one, Adelaide Hills will be a good start since it's a decent distance away from the city; you can do a day trip there or spent a night if you want to. There are a few areas to visit in Adelaide Hills, but I just managed to drop by Hahndorf (a German village) and nearby is the Strawberry Farm of the famous Beerenberg jam. You can pick strawberries there which I did

Other than that, if you're into wine you can always visit the wine valleys, e.g. Barossa Valley, Jacob's Creek and many more. You should also google more about the Fleurieu Peninsula which covers places like Victor Harbour and a few other interesting spots. If you like to see wildlife at closer distance and see them at their natural habitat, then you should go to Kangaroo Island which is kind of like a open safari. But it's difficult to travel around cos there's no public transportation there, (truly nature at its best), so you'd either follow a tour or rent a car.

The city itself has nothing much to offer really, since KL has way more shopping malls. The usual one that the locals go to would be the Rundle Mall. You should also try out the Haigh's chocolate that Ade is famous for and if you're curious on how they were made, you can always go for a tour in their choc factory. Not a lot to see but it can be a relaxing afternoon tour around. Oh, and they have the Botanical Garden in the city and of course museums and there's a famous lake as well, but I can't quite remember what is it called.

Hopefully my experiences can be helpful to you...

thanks for your sharing your experiences.. great. i have actually run thru the southaustralia.com website. very useful site and places u mentioned was their attractions.

how much in total u have spent there? a 1-2 weeks trips.. how much AUD should i standby?

I'm not sure of the exact amount I spent there. Minus the flights I think it was about 700 AUD. But I was living with a friend, so accommodation was free and cos I went for a tour that - I realized was quite exp after thinking about it - costed 400AUD for 2days 1night in Kangaroo Island. In total, I spent 1100 AUD for 15 days for both Ade(11days) and Syd(4days). I was on my own in Syd.

For meals, you can get kebabs for 6,7, or 8 aud. A proper restaurant meal would be 15-20aud. The bus system in Ade is kinda efficient. If you will be staying more than 3 days in the city, I would recommend that you buy a one week pass rather than paying everytime you get on board the bus cos it's cheaper. You can get the weekly pass from the Adelaide Metro office in the city (just ask anyone, they'll know).

So how much you need depends on what kinda trips will you be going. I think 1 week will be enough to cover the South Australia region unless you wanna take it easy and it'll be good to bring about 700aud.

Any reliable online travel agents that offer good packages for tours in Victoria? So far, I only found visitvictoria.com that provides attractive packages.

Calling all Aussie, Australia goers and Australia potential tourist!

Just wanna share & exchange feedback on planning a family tour to Australia in particular Sydney & Melbourne in 2009 with those who are interested in visiting Australia.

Initial plan is to visit Sydney & Melbourne sometime in Oct-Nov 09 to coincide with Spring time.

Feedbacks or ideas most welcomed on:

1) the timing, whether Spring time is a good time to visit? Hows the weather like? Cold & Rainy?

Expected :
Rain is mostly just small drizzles.
Weather changes pretty quickly when dusk comes
Sydney-cap & sweater
Melbourne-a water resistant jacket/wind breaker, jeans and boot
weather this winter/spring very extreme! extremely cold this week, and hot the week after.
it usually rains alot there, and it far much colder than Sydney.

2) would a 3N sydney & 2N Melbourne be sufficient

3) any great itinerary to include for places within the region of Sydney & Melbourne and opinions?
List of possible places compiled:-



SYDNEY

Day ONE
-Paddy's Market
a) Haymarket -open from friday - sunday :Must buy Cherries -Cherries won't be available til mid spring as the earlier batches r mostly unedible/sour
b) Tee-shirts, souvenirs, hats, koala/kangaroo/sheeps etc. Check shirt quality before u buy. Haggling and bargaining is a MUST. Estimated 3 hours easily.
c) Top floor - food area
-Chinatown -Can reach by Tram, stop at Haymarket) -200m stretch of road
a) Food court (next to Haymarket) - cheap & big portion chinese delicacies
-Darling Harbour
a) Maritime Museum-history class & good place to snap picture.
b) IMAX theatre,
c) nature park &
d) sydney aquarium
e) shopping centre :Must try Kebabs
f) Star City Hotel & Casino : Time for gaming
g) Sydney Harbour Cruise : Recommended during evening or morning cruise
h) OR short ferry ride from the ferry terminal to darling harbour. Quite Cheap. Nice view, esp at night. Although if
you going for the blue mountains tour, most include a river cruise back fr Olympic Park in the evening, so can skip
-Sydney tour bus -hop on hop off bus to all the main tourist spots in Sydney. (2 lines, red and blue. 1 is for the city area, while the other bus goes to Bondi etc, at bondi, there's a walk that can take you from Bondi to the next stop, going around the cliffs next to the sea. Beautiful scenery)

Dining: I'm Angus: a full bay-view here, nice and romantic

Day TWO : east and north of sydney
-Hyde Park :biggest park in sydney city
-St Mary Cathedral :old Church & lots of govt. building
-Botanical Garden
-Sydney Opera :scenic pictures-best time sunset @6pm
-Harbour bridge : Bridge climb; pillars projected with image. Hmmm... wat image?
-King Cross Rock Area : Backup only for drinking with aussies
-The Rocks Market : under the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge, open on Sat & Sun btw 10:00-17:00
-George Street :
a) Queen Victoria Building--QVB (a Malaysian House restaurant, sells superb laksas and curry)/ Grace
Bros' shopping
b) High class shopping area
c) 2 Famous Chocolate Shop : darrel lea and Haigh's.
d) Sydney Tower
-The Strands
-Paramatta-shopping "mid valley" size
-King's Cross : Red Light District, visit with caution: High crime area
-Paddington Market - Every Saturday 10:00-16:00 on route to Bondi Beach
-Bondi Beach -Bondi Beach Market, Every Sunday inside Bondi Beach Public School
-Museums
-Tour (hand feed sharks and rays -> http://www.ozsharkandray.com.au/)


Day THREE
-Blue Mountain
-Scenic Cableway
-Katoomba
-Featherdale Wildlife Park aka Zoo
Note : 1 day Blue Mountain tour available for around A$70 for a 1 day tour. Heavy walking: Wear a comfortable shoe

Must buy: 3 sisters wine. cant get it outside of 3 sisters hill, not even in katoomba.
Must visit : Coles supermarket, hmmm.. where is the nearest Coles?
Woolies, more varieties to buy and see, cheap cloths
Kmart and BigW
QVB

Accommodation: World Tower / Chinatown / Sydney City Center / YHA Railway or Chinatown (to get Youth Hostelling International Card from YMCA)
Remarks: Shop closed early from monday-wednesday. Not much activity after 9pm except bars.
Alert: Sydney and Melbourne aren't crime free, beware of pickpocket or con-men

websites: http://www.sydney.com.au/


MELBOURNE

Day FOUR
-Victoria Market
-Chadstone Shopping (backup plan)
-Shopping at Melbourne city: Myer; David Jones; factory outlet (DFO) beside Southern Cross station.
-DFOS for cheap and branded clothes
-Botanic Garden @ CDB
-flea market in St Kilda
-Eureka Tower (view melb from 88th floor)
-cherry blossom bloom in the city

Dining: greek food at Stalactite

Day FIVE
-Yarra Valley
-Puffing Billy Steam Train
-Koala Conservation (Heallesville Sanctuary?)
-Tesselar Tulip Festival : Mid Sept - Early Oct.

-Melbourne Zoo
-Ballarat gold mining town
-or Warrantina Lavender Farm : Nov
-skiing/snowboarding at Mt.Buller (AUD$139-1day) -www.mtbuller.com.au / Falls Creek
til end Sept

Dining: Crown Casino, fish&chips @5AUD etc

Day Six
-Great Ocean Road (12 Apostle - now left with Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea), heehhehe
a) london bridge (collapsed already), forest walks, waterfall etc
b) whole day tour (est. 3-5 hrs drive one way)
c) not suitable for rainy, cloudy or foggy days
d) 40+AUD for great ocean road tour / drive
-or Grampians (climb rocks, see wildlife, waterfalls, bush walks)
-Phillip Island (72-99AUD)/ Penguin Parade (Not recommended -Penguin MIA) -As backup


Accommodation: Quality Batman's Hill on Collins St @ CBD/ Crowne Hotel / less than AUD30 per nite; http://www.hostelworld.com/findabed.php?Ch...untry=Australia / Malaysia Hall


Must eat/drink: krispy kreme donuts, Max Brenner there is nice! the waffle + ice cream +chocolate dip, aussie milk,
Toohey's beer, lemonade-solo/lift
To buys: FCUK shirts, cadbury chocolates, nougat

Hertz Car Rental -AUD50-70 a day / 8days < AUD500
Thrifty Car Rental -AUD200+ / week

- edited with suggestion, courtesy of Enferno, finkl1, sinichi_v, kikurazz, Xziled, Cas, jchong, Quasar etc.




4) flights - which is the better choice in terms of budget & flight? AirAsia-Melbourne OR MAS-Sydney OR QANTAS OR SIA-Sydney OR Jetstar-Sydney


5) which method of ideal transport btw Sydney-Melbourne? Domestic flight OR Bus OR Rail (if any) OR rented car (with GPS)


Recommend: Virgin Blue / Jetstar
Sydney to Melbourne flight : 2 hours
Estimated cost : AUD80-200

Note: Avoid booking the last flight of the day due to high risk of flight cancellation.



6) how far or how long btw sydney and melbourne?

Driving 7-8 hrs

7) any decent 3-4 star hotel in City Centre with good location or close to convenient public transport? perhaps close
to Chinatown.

8) any other nice flower show/park/festival to witness the best of spring blooms such Tesselar Tulip Festival?

9) any nice farm to experience on hand plucking and tasting of spring fruits? What r the fruits in season in Oct & Nov

This post has been edited by D-Tourist: Jan 4 2009, 11:10 PM

1. If u went to Australia before then u should try the other seasons that u have not been yet. I'm not sure abt Sydney but in Melbourne, the weather is a bit extreme. It can rain heavily and the next 10min stop. I went there during winter recently in July so it's a new experience for me as i went skiing and it was great fun but it was also damn cold ler..lol but sometimes it's not that bad. So it's up to u. Summer in Melbourne would be terrible, coz it's hot and dry.

2 & 3. 3D in Sydney would suffice i guess but in Melbourne i dun think it's enough if u wanna visit at least a few must-see landmarks when u're there. Having a look in the city may take u 1 whole day if not 2 days ler..there u can go to Victoria Market, the museum, zoo, shopping, trying those different kinda foods etc. As for the tours, Great Ocean Road is a must and also since u might not get a chance to c it next time unless it's still there xD I dun recommend Penguin Parade coz i have a bad experience there which also the tour is not worth ur money because u can just go to the zoo and c the same penguins close up. Btw, there's another thread on Melbourne so u should check it out as it contains more stuff and also detailed stuff which i also shared there ler

4. I think AirAsia is quite reliable now and if u r on a budget traveling then this would be the choice ler..if u r feeling rich and dun mind the cost then u can take MAS. Qantas wouldn't be my choice at the moment or maybe not until they check their planes properly. If u never heard or read newspapers recently, there a few cases when their planes incurred damage and were forced to land and gave passengers the scare ler..so no i won't risk it xD SIA i have no comments since i have not fly in that yet. Jetstar is also another version of AirAsia but more expensive. So conclusion will be either AA or MAS.

5. Domestic flight- Virgin Blue is also a good choice. Australia is not like M'sia where u only take few hours to reach u know

6. I think is a few hours by flight ler..not sure abt it xD maybe 3-4 hours? I only know that Brisbane-Melbourne is 2 hours by flight.

7. Hmm, this u gotta check around as i'm not sure but i heard a lot of ppl stayed at Batman's hills or something like that in Melbourne, so refer to the other thread i mentioned as above ler to find out more coz i stayed with my friend there so i never looked around

8. Not sure xD gotta check around lor i guess

9. Not too sure though but i think spring there is ler..either u go urself or maybe by tour or ask around at the travel agency?

Thanks for the reply. I've never been to Australia before which is why i raised this topic to discuss on Australia considering that the current economic condition has made travelling to Australia so much cheaper.. hehehehe....

I'm thinking of spring becoz we haf not experienced spring before. Trips to other countries has been primarily autumn season so quite bored with autumn.

Hmmm, anyone else familiar with Australia, please come share ur knowledge & experiences since i'm sure with the cheaper exchange there will a lot more ppl interested in visiting Australia.

i studied in Adelaide, working in Canberra, been umpteen times to Syd and Melbourne so i can give u some advice from a 'tourist' point of view

anyhow, to cut long story short, Spring is quite nice to be in Aus. Not too cold, and occassionallly you still get that cold breeze nights
i'm not going to point out everything, but in general, the places u mentioned are the usual tourist spots, so no harm in researching somemore on the net other places
u mentioned budget flight, so it's obvious to go with Air Asia and fly into Melb. FYI, JetStar doesn't do KL-Syd anymore. Till Oct 08 only if i'm not mistaken. So Air Asia is good if you want to travel cheap.
flight from Syd-Melb generally takes about 2 hours? Don't drive from Syd-Melb. It's a hell of a drive (it's pretty far).Unless you are travelling in a group of 7/8 where renting a van is cheaper than flights, don't drive. Good view, good experience but it'll kill ur trip because in the end you will be dead tired driving 7-8 hours. Trust me, i've driven before from Adl-Melb, and it's no fun at all.
for accomos, check Wotif.com - a very good source of accommos.

p/s: just came back from Jap and now already plan next year trip ar?? geng ar u
i'm still reeling from my tokyo trip experience!!!

hahhahaha... hafto plan in advance mar...since Australia is going to be free & easy unlike Japan which was tour package mar... and its still 1 yr away