For those looking at a one month stay in Australia we suggest the following itinerary that we travelled ourselves as a couple from mid November to mid December.
Travel Itinerary Eastern and South Australia
Sydney
We arrived in Sydney and stayed there during 2 full days (arriving and leaving the day before and afterwards). If you are comfortable in a small and intimate setup we recommend The Establishment boutique hotel located in the central Rocks District.
Brisbane
The flight from Sydney to Brisbane takes 1.5 hours and ends up in the next timezone. We hired a rental car for 7 days and took North to Fraser Island and then South to Byron Bay before returning to Brisbane.
Cairns
From Brisbane we took the next flight (2 hours 20 minutes) to Cairns. We stayed comfortably in The Hotel Cairns.
With a rental car we drove on the Captain Cook Highway northwards which led us to Mossman, to the Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree National Park. We stayed there fore three days during which we made a one day trip to Cape Tribulation. Veeery nice!
Great Barrier Reef
After the expedition to the rainforest we boarded the Spirit of Freedom back in Cairns for a three day dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Needless to say that we spent a fantastic time on the reef.
Melbourne
It was then time to say good bye to Queensland; we flew from Cairns to Melbourne, Victoria, which is approximately a 3.5 hours flight. In Melbourne we stayed one night at the Hotel Lindrum on Flinders Street. The hotel is located in the heart of the city, near the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Rod Laver arena.
Great Ocean Road
From Melbourne we then drove along the amazing Great Ocean Raod with a rental car – what a stunning coast line! If you go to the southern part of Australia, you shouldn’t miss this part!
Grampians National Park
Our journey continued and led us to the Grampians National Park. We stayed two nights at the wonderful Meringa Springs Lodge which we highly recommend!
Kangaroo Island
After arriving in Adelaide we took the plane for an awesome two days trip on Kangaroo Island. We spent two tremendous days and stayed at the Sea Scape Lodge. This was the perfect final highlight of our one month trip to Australia.
And while planning your trip or during the long flight to remote Australia don’t miss Bill Bryson’s book In a Sunburned Country. It offers very amusing reading on Australian peculiarities as observed by a thoughtful foreigner.
Printed Travelogue
Read my Travelogue about Victoria, Australia, as published in the Californian VIVID Magazine in their August/September 2011 issue.
