Going to Australia in Dec - Anyone have any tips?

Sigma 70-200 /2.8 APO EX DG Macro HSM II

03/19/2008 09:55:01 AM · #1

We're booking our grand journey to Australia this weekend! 4 weeks - Leaving Dec 26th or 27th, depending on the travel length. I want to be in Sydney for the New Year's fireworks :) Think of the photo opps!

Will rent a small diesel camper van and drive up to Cairns and thereabouts. I'd like to stay near the coast, but preferably not through the main drags.

Any tips???? Me and hubby are both fairly outdoorsy.

I'm just worried that I'll like it so much we'll end up moving there. We're in dull, cold Calgary, Alberta...

Eyesup

Nikon D300

03/19/2008 10:06:54 AM · #2

It's not that cold in Calgary...lol at least not today :) but practically anywhere's gotta have better New Year fireworks :)

you should try and see if you can Visit some of the DPC'ers there like

Judi

Sigma 70-200 /2.8 APO EX DG Macro HSM II

03/19/2008 10:15:23 AM · #3

We have fireworks for NY in Calgary? I had no idea :):)

Picturing myself on one of the boats in the harbor...

Eyesup

Nikon D300

03/19/2008 10:20:54 AM · #4

I was surprised to find out that's what they called it too... but they do indeed do 'fireworks' not much fire to it though...

Bugzeye

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

03/19/2008 12:43:23 PM · #5

Don't try to ride a Kangaroo, Do Try the meat pies.

paddles

Pentax K10D

Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 AF

03/20/2008 04:15:59 AM · #6

Hints for the NYE fireworks - all the main vantage spots are closed to traffic for a fair bit of the day, even residents. Also, the good spots fill up early - people will be grabbing territory for themselves and friends from early in the morning and you've got little chance of getting anything good by mid-afternoon. So plan which spot to go and get there early, and take LOTS of water (it's the height of summer!). Around 10-20% of the population of Sydney will be crammed into a pretty small space. There will be some venues where you can pay to get in (not cheap!) but less crowded. The hotels with good views increase their rates a lot and may have conditions like minimum of two nights.

The should be a website for the event (check the City of Sydney (local government) site or major local newspapers such as the Sydney Morning Herald).

Be prepared for lots of traffic heading north from Sydney round that time - the holiday traffic tends to be horrendous for the first few hundred km north of Sydney, trips that normally take 3-4 hours can take 6-8 or more on the worst days. If you're heading north after NYE you'll probably be ok though. There are plenty of nice spots all up and down the New South Wales and Queensland coast. Again, it's the height of summer so the further north you go the hotter it will be (and humid!). Personally I don't think summer is a good time to visit Cairns, winter or spring is much nicer.

But with four weeks you can see all sorts of places, including exploring the Great Barrier Reef. The Gold Coast (Queensland coast south of Brisbane) is popular but I much prefer the Sunshine Coast (Queensland coast section just north of Brisbane).

Personally, I'd go south rather than north, but that's just me. South coast of New South Wales is great, lots of Victoria is nice, Melbourne is well worth a visit and then you can head to the Great Ocean Road, home of numerous famous and not-so-famous-but-still-beautiful rock formations, bays, etc. You could even head further to Adelaide which tends to be stinking hot in summer despite how far south it is, but takes you to the Barossa Valley wineries.

vlado

Canon EOS-70D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

03/20/2008 04:35:49 AM · #7

paddles is on the money. when it come to NYE, preplan, prepare, and get in early.

Other tips:
* don't swim with crocodiles
* beware of our spiders and snakes and jellyfish... deadliest in the world... especially where your looking at going * let people know you're from Canada... otherwise the might confuse you for a yank.

Otherwise... hope you have fun, and if you're down Melbourne way, I'm sure I and/or a few of my fellow Melbournian DPCers could show the sites.

03/20/2008 04:49:25 AM · #8

Itâ��s a big trip Sydney to Cairns, we did it about three years ago myself, my wife and two boys camping for six weeks.

You will love the trip there is so much to see. We could have spent much more time but had to get back to work.

The highlight for us was the Daintree Rainforest it is simply out of this worldâ�¦..once you cross the river and enter you immediately feel like you have landed on a different planet or gone back to Jurassic Park

I will dig out some picâ��s and post them later..

howzit

03/20/2008 04:50:43 AM · #9

Originally posted by vlado:

let people know you're from Canada... otherwise the might confuse you for a yank.

What's that supposed to mean?

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

03/20/2008 05:03:56 AM · #10

Originally posted by howzit:

Originally posted by vlado:
let people know you're from Canada... otherwise the might confuse you for a yank.

What's that supposed to mean?

I think he means that Australians have an affinity with Canadiansâ�¦â�¦â�¦both being Commonwealth countries.

Iâ��m sure it wasnâ��t intended as disparaging remark against Americans. I mean to say we are part of the Coalition of the Willing, Bothers in Arms and best buddies.

vlado

Canon EOS-70D

03/20/2008 05:04:51 AM · #11

Originally posted by howzit:

Originally posted by vlado:
let people know you're from Canada... otherwise the might confuse you for a yank.

What's that supposed to mean?

By "yank" I mean American. It's not uncommon for Australians to confuse the American an Canadian accents... also, it's well known that Australians have a greater bond with the Canadians, than with the Americans... unless of course they're French Canadian ;)

Seriously though... perhaps it's a Commonwealth thing...

vlado

Canon EOS-70D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

03/20/2008 05:09:18 AM · #12

Originally posted by keegbow:

I think he means that Australians have an affinity with Canadiansboth being Commonwealth countries.

Im sure it wasnt intended as disparaging remark against Americans. I mean to say we are part of the Coalition of the Willing, Bothers in Arms and best buddies.

Precisely. Sorry for any misunderstanding. .

Tajhad

Canon EOS R

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM

03/20/2008 05:09:37 AM · #13

If you are going to travel by camper van - there are some great spots up the coast. Just be prepared for some crowds - it's the major Aussie holiday time. If you get to Newcastle let me know (only 2 hrs from Sydney). If you are going to Cains - be prepared for some long stretches of fairly (by overseas standards) boring scenery. Most overseas visitors find the distance fairly daunting. I can only speak for my area (look up Hunter Valley) - some nice vineyards (up the valley), nice beaches, a few backpacker places to stay. I can recommend Diamond Head up past Taree. Lovely beach, kangeroos and wildlife, nice mountains (by Australian standards) nearby. Sydney in January is very alive - they have the Sydney festival then - lots to do and see.
Just don't be put off by the Sydney customs people when you arrive at the airport. They make everyone feel like they are a criminal. You will need lots of sunscreen - you have picked the hottest time of year. Photography wise - for country use a pol filter (and a widish lens), for city use a telephoto (lots of large people with shorts and thongs - the footware variety - not the European type). Also - just be aware of taking cameras in and out of air-con.

BHuseman

Nikon D750

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C

03/20/2008 05:13:51 AM · #14

Having just returned from Australia, my number 1 tip is to take lots of moeny! Wow, that country is ~~expensive~~ really expensive!

Message edited by author 2008-03-20 05:14:02.

Tajhad

Canon EOS R

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM

03/20/2008 07:37:31 AM · #15

Yes - BHuseman is right. The American dollar and the Australian dollar are nearly on par $US1 = $A1.10. And the cost of living in the US is much cheaper - therefore prices will seem high. Another point of costs. If you are camping (or vaning),to stay in any of the National Parks is no longer free. They charge you even for that. Used to be free (and therefore a cheap holiday) but now they charge ( and riduculously in some places).
Also, the advice about going south is not bad.Still hot but probably more bareable than north. Also shorter distances to see variety.
It's a big country - so regardless of what you choose - you can't see it all. Just plan for a number of return trips to get it all in.
I mentioned Newcastle earlier, ironically they just had a section about it on a travel show called "Getaway" (you can probably get a pod cast of it on the Internet). A few things I had forgotten about. Home of Mark Richards (world surfing champion for a few years), Silverchair (the band - very big in Australia and reasonably known overseas), Beaumont Street (a coffee and reasuarant centre) has the only free brandboard available ( you can sit with a coffee and with your laptop, unload your images), very active underground art scene (dispite an image of football and industry), Port Stephens - about 40 minutes away. Great sailing, dolhpin cruises, beaches. A young photographer starting to make a name of yourself - check her out on //www.alexiasinclair.com/opening_page.html

Happy Planning

Pug-H

Pentax K10D

Sigma 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical HF for Pentax

03/20/2008 07:38:23 AM · #16

There are some sections of the road north (the Princes Highway) that are notorious accident zones. I believe they've been fixing them up (improving the roads) over the past few years, but you'll still need to be careful.
There's so much to see, though ...hope you'll make it to Cairns in time. ;-)

Adding - yes, if you decide to go south to the South Coast of NSW, let me tell you when I drove around there about 8 years ago (first time I'd been there since I was a kid), I was bowled over by the beauty of the place.

Message edited by author 2008-03-20 07:42:53.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

03/20/2008 10:01:48 AM · #17

Problem is, we can only take that long of time off in January... I'm a bit stuck with the date - and would love to see the tropical part... must admit I'm at a total loss as to what this close-to-equatorial heat will feel like. I'm all too familliar with
-44c plus windchill though :):)

Planning to look for campsites along the route... Semi-aware of the things that can potentially kill you down there, like the gargantuan spiders ...The closest things to dangerous here are the cougars and moose.. maybe grizzlies..

As far as fairly boring stretches, i'm sure it will be better than driving from Calgary to Toronto :)

JaimeVinas

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

03/20/2008 10:10:23 AM · #18

Hey grizzlies are not something to pout about. Those things can get nasty. :P

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

03/20/2008 10:34:50 AM · #19

Dingos !

Sigma 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical HF for Pentax

03/20/2008 10:40:58 AM · #20

Btw when I see a real, live, wild kangaroo, I might just poo myself.

Pug-H

Pentax K10D

03/20/2008 05:09:51 PM · #21

Originally posted by Eisbaer:

Btw when I see a real, live, wild kangaroo, I might just poo myself.

As long as you don't poo yourself every time you see one. You'll be changing your pants often (especially if you were driving further inland). ;-)

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

03/20/2008 05:17:46 PM · #22

Originally posted by Eisbaer:

Btw when I see a real, live, wild kangaroo, I might just poo myself.

You will see plenty of road kill!!!

Judi

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

03/20/2008 05:20:23 PM · #23

Originally posted by keegbow:

Originally posted by Eisbaer:
Btw when I see a real, live, wild kangaroo, I might just poo myself.

You will see plenty of road kill!!!

And they stink. But you will probably poo yourself when a big red jumps straight in front of your car. That happens a lot. But the worst ones are the echidnas....they destroy that many tyres it isn't funny. Sometimes you cannot avoid them. Oh and the flocks of galahs, cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets and stoopid owls that decide they are going to go across the road at the same time. Feathers fly everywhere. It is nothing to see birds hanging out of the grills on the front of cars out here.