How can I optimize my trip to Australia?

[micatravels]

Australia is so huge - and since I am taking my flight from Europe I thought why not try to see as much as possible. Travelling solo.

What are the must see cities and the best way to move around? Beach visits are a must for me. Any extra tips are appreciated!

[Garry]

How exciting. As an Aussie myself (living in Europe for the last few years!), I kind of look at Australia with tourist eyes these days so would be glad to help… Although @micatravels if you can answer a few basic questions it might help to give you a better response.

• Which city are you flying in to and how long do you have in Australia?
• Regarding beaches are you more interested in surfing or snorkelling? (different parts of Australia are better for getting in the waves and others for looking at the Great Barrier Reef / coral or more relaxed swimming - the whole coastline isn’t covered with waves and my wife very much prefers beaches where there isn’t waves as it’s easier to swim)
• Do you have budget to hire a car / take internal flights or will you be more restricted to public transport or places easily accessible from main city hubs?
• Do you like hiking / rainforests as well as the beach or are you mainly interested in the beach?
• Are you wanting to see big cities or more of the smaller coastal / outback towns (again your available time will impact the suggestions here)

The answers to those questions are pretty important to help give you a bit more targeted information.

[micatravels]

Hey @Garry how coool I’d love to get some insights from you!

• I have not booked them yet - but I’ll be looking to arrive in Brisbane/Sydney most likely.
• Snorkeling and relaxing at the beach would be top!
• I can’t drive so I’d have to look into public transport and internal flights only
• Not interested in hiking!
• I don’t have specific timeframe but it could be somewhere between 2-4 weeks and might combine it with a bit of remote working depending on the length! (Spring-summer weather)
• Cities/places with character and hidden gems are a plus!

Looking forward to your recommendations!

[Garry]

Ok - that helps a lot @micamicamicamica. You’re going to love it. You can do these in any order, but to get you started :

1. Fly into Sydney - do all the cool stuff there (Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Manly Beach Ferry etc)

2. Take a domestic flight to Brisbane and from there check out 1 or 2 of these surrounding places (either day tours or, preferably, spend a couple of nights):

   1. Gold Coast (party town but also some lovely beaches where you can learn to - Burleigh Heads, Surfers Paradise, Coolangatta and many more)
   2. Byron Bay
   3. Noosa

3. For sure you should then book a tour to K’Gari (aka Fraser Island) for a few days… trust me, the freshwater lakes (photo attached of Lake Mackenzie), will blow your mind

4. Heading North from there you should fly to either Cairns or Airlie Beach and choose from a variety of different ways to get out on to the Barrier Reef for some snorkelling

5. If you can afford the time / cost of another flight - Melbourne is also a fantastic visit: an incredible food scene (including famous laneway cockatails bars all over the place) as well as a huge cultural scene.

   
   
   

There’s obviously a million different ways to enjoy Australia, but if you hit these places you will make memories for a lifetime. Enjoy!

[micatravels]

Wowww that is such an amazing itinerary you put together, so excitingggg! Saving it so I can start planning ASAP! Thank you