Please advise on my itinerary for Aussie trip

[boroangel]

Hi guys, if you have the time do take a look at the itinerary I planned for my family, 7 adults and 1 child. We are going in July. Welcome all comments and suggestions on any other activities to fit in. Thanks!

Sunday
 Arrive at Tullamarine Airport at 945 am. Rent car and move out at 10+ am.
 Reach Geelong at noon and have lunch.
 After lunch, drive on through Torquay and Lorne before reaching Apollo Bay in the evening before 5pm. At Lorne, go to Teddy’s Lookout and Lorne Pier.
 After dinner, go for glowworm tour at night.

Monday
 Wake up early to catch sunrise at Mariners lookout. Check out after breakfast and drive on to Cape Otway and Cape Otway Lighthouse. Do the SkyWalk at Lavers Hill
 Drive on to Port Campbell and have lunch there.
 After lunch, spend rest of day at 12 apostles and catch sunset there.
 After sunset, drive on to Warrnambool and dinner and overnight there.

Tuesday
 Catch sunrise at Warrnambool Breakwater.
 After breakfast, go to Logans Beach Whale viewing platform to try and catch the whales. If time available, go to Flagstaff Hill.
 Drive on to Port Fairy and have lunch there.
 After lunch, Drive on to Grampians. Explore one or two lookouts. Dinner and overnight at Halls Gap.

Wednesday
 After breakfast, drive on to Ballarat.
 Lunch at Ballarat. Drive on to Melbourne and reach around mid afternoon.
 Check in hotel and then drive to Mt Dandenong. Dinner and catch sunset at Mt Dandenong.
 Drive back to Melbourne and go up Railto Towers.
 Walk around Southbank and Yarra River and have fun at Crown Casino.

Thursday
 Explore Victoria Market in the morning. After lunch, drive to University of Melbourne for a quick stopover.
 Drive to airport to catch flight to Brisbane at 4 pm.
 Rent car at Brisbane Airport. Check in and proceed for dinner.
 Drive to Mt Cootha.

Friday
 Drive up to Mt Cootha early in the morning for sunrise shots. After breakfast, take the Citycat for a cruise along the Brisbane River.
 Attend to family personal matters in the afternoon.
 Drive to Byron Bay and overnight at Byron Bay.

Saturday
 Wake up early and catch sunrise at lighthouse at Byron Bay, most easternly point of Australia.
 After breakfast drive on to Gold Coast. Will bring cousin to one or two of the Worlds but thinking of other alternate activities for the adults.

Sunday
 Sunrise at Gold Coast. After breakfast, head back to Brisbane.
 Last minute shopping at Brisbane.
 Head to airport in the afternoon for flight back.

 

[rotorthrust]

Hi,

With probably 3/4 of the day left, you may spend some times at both worlds (Movie World & Dream World). The rest of the adults can drop-by this place called Harbour Town, for shopping till about 6pm, BUT the timings to fetch or meet-up has to be well coord as it takes a fair bit of driving distance.

Alternatively, you may do the shopping at Harbour Town the next day (SUN). You can find boutiques like Ralph Lauren and Nike Factory Outlet, etc.

Service apartment at Gold Coast (GC) is definietly the right choice. A 3-bed room service apartment would cost you about A$160-$180 per day, depends on seasons and promotions, etc. Gd service apartment can be found near either end of GC. Better to get those located South of GC instead those near The Spit.

Hope it helps.

 

[AReality]

Sounds good!

How much?

.

 

[boroangel]

Hi,

With probably 3/4 of the day left, you may spend some times at both worlds (Movie World & Dream World). The rest of the adults can drop-by this place called Harbour Town, for shopping till about 6pm, BUT the timings to fetch or meet-up has to be well coord as it takes a fair bit of driving distance.

Alternatively, you may do the shopping at Harbour Town the next day (SUN). You can find boutiques like Ralph Lauren and Nike Factory Outlet, etc.

Service apartment at Gold Coast (GC) is definietly the right choice. A 3-bed room service apartment would cost you about A$160-$180 per day, depends on seasons and promotions, etc. Gd service apartment can be found near either end of GC. Better to get those located South of GC instead those near The Spit.

Hope it helps.

Wow so late still got reply...must be waiting for the Argentina match?

Will take note of Harbour Town. I was hoping to do some tandem hanggliding or maybe skydiving but tis really too expensive for me right now.

Do you haev recommendations for the service apartments? I posted this topic in another thread

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=204927

but there are just so many self-contained units and apartments to choose from so hoping to get soem recommendations and reviews. Did tot of going there then physically look at the accom before we take it but with a kid in tow its better to settle everything before we go over. Not a good idea to look for accom late at night.

 

[boroangel]

Sounds good!

How much?

.

Already booked the airfare, open jaw for Sing-Melbourne-Brisbane-Sing is $979. I went down to the service centre to do so must add extra $50. Visa $30. Managed to get a Virgin Blue flight from Mel to Bris at sale price $79 AUD hahaha....usual is $139. We have booked one Toyota Tarago there. Cost $80 AUD per day in Melbourne, $66 in Brisbane.

Altogether prob around $2k sg dollars for each.

 

[rotorthrust]

Hi,

Do make sure that you're getting the unlimited mileage for that rental car, of cos plus the insurance too.

Night can be chilling down at the coast, esp this time of the year.

 

[AReality]

Hahaha..
The last time I was in aust was 12 yrs ago.
Looking for possible destinations in November.

Do take some nice photos and show us. May wanna go there soon.


.

 

[boroangel]

Hi,

Do make sure that you're getting the unlimited mileage for that rental car, of cos plus the insurance too.

Night can be chilling down at the coast, esp this time of the year.

Yup we are renting from Hertz and it says unlimited miles. For insurance we are getting the full coverage which is 30.91 AUD per day.

 

[boroangel]

Hi,

Do make sure that you're getting the unlimited mileage for that rental car, of cos plus the insurance too.

Night can be chilling down at the coast, esp this time of the year.

Yup we are renting from Hertz and it says unlimited free km. For insurance we are getting the maximum cover which is 30.91 AUD per day.

 

[acroamatic]

Hmmm... your itinerary seems quite packed. Hope you are rotating drivers. Driver fatigue can be fatal. One suggestion to free up some time:

The Wednesday Itinerary - Halls Gap to Melbourne is about a three hour drive. Don't really need to have lunch at Ballarat, unless there's something specific you want to see there. Drive straight to Melbourne from Halls Gap, have lunch at Lygon Street in Carlton (just north of the city), check in to your hotel and proceed with the rest of your day's itinerary from there.

Oh yes, it's winter in July, so the days are short. Do keep that in mind if you need to do anything that requires daylight.

And when you're driving towards the Twelve Apostles, there is a small stop called the Gibson Steps, just before the main Twelve Apostles stop. It is very very very easy to miss. This leads you down to the beach where you can see the first two apostles from the beach level.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[rotorthrust]

Ok, that's all i can advised you right now, trying hard to recall. Being there for about 3 years, came back 4 years ago.

Anyway, have a pleasant trip and remember not to drive anything more than 20km above the speed limit. Unmarked police car is everywhere, esp school zone (40km/hr) which they're very particular of the speed.

Will update any info about GC if i can recall. Else, have a pleasant and safe trip.

Happy Shooting too.

 

[boroangel]

Hmmm... your itinerary seems quite packed. Hope you are rotating drivers. Driver fatigue can be fatal. One suggestion to free up some time:

The Wednesday Itinerary - Halls Gap to Melbourne is about a three hour drive. Don't really need to have lunch at Ballarat, unless there's something specific you want to see there. Drive straight to Melbourne from Halls Gap, have lunch at Lygon Street in Carlton (just north of the city), check in to your hotel and proceed with the rest of your day's itinerary from there.

Oh yes, it's winter in July, so the days are short. Do keep that in mind if you need to do anything that requires daylight.

And when you're driving towards the Twelve Apostles, there is a small stop called the Gibson Steps, just before the main Twelve Apostles stop. It is very very very easy to miss. This leads you down to the beach where you can see the first two apostles from the beach level.

Enjoy your trip!

Will take note of Gibson's Steps thanks. Read about it before but forgot to put it in.

For the lunch at Ballarat, I am still contemplating whether to do anything for that morning at Grampians. Was thinking if check out at 10+ drive on to Ballarat and reach there for lunch seems about there. To be honest, not too keen on Grampians so its more like a stopover for us.

 

[r32]

Sunday
 Arrive at Tullamarine Airport at 945 am. Rent car and move out at 10+ am. Airport delays are typical and you may only move out after 11am
 Reach Geelong at noon and have lunch.End up having lunch on the move?
 After lunch, drive on through Torquay and Lorne before reaching Apollo Bay in the evening before 5pm. At Lorne, go to Teddy’s Lookout and Lorne Pier.Try not to rush, the first half of the GOR(Great Ocean Rd) is quite narrow and windy. Can be dangerous especially with a fully loaded Tarago/Estima
 After dinner, go for glowworm tour at night.Rest if you can, don't wear yourself out on the first day.

Monday
 Wake up early to catch sunrise at Mariners lookout. Check out after breakfast and drive on to Cape Otway and Cape Otway Lighthouse. Do the SkyWalk at Lavers HillSunrise is at 6 or so, will you have enough sleep? Do factor in walking distances, I am unsure if this attraction is near parking facilities. I recall its at least a bit away from the main GOR.
 Drive on to Port Campbell and have lunch there. Fish and chips for the win!
 After lunch, spend rest of day at 12 apostles and catch sunset there. Get there at the right time and you won't need to spend more than an hour or two there. Nothing much else to see. Perhaps as suggested, add Gibsons Steps, but that is quite a climb for the older folk
 After sunset, drive on to Warrnambool and dinner and overnight there.Driving at night you will encounter wildlife on the road. At best you will feel guilty, at worse your car gets damaged. Do not swerve to avoid wildlife, you may crash.

Tuesday
 Catch sunrise at Warrnambool Breakwater. Cold. You get a fair whack of Antarctic winds. Sunrise at 12 Apostles was the first time my lips were so cold they were numb.
 After breakfast, go to Logans Beach Whale viewing platform to try and catch the whales. If time available, go to Flagstaff Hill.
 Drive on to Port Fairy and have lunch there.
 After lunch, Drive on to Grampians. Explore one or two lookouts. Dinner and overnight at Halls Gap.

Wednesday
 After breakfast, drive on to Ballarat.
 Lunch at Ballarat. Drive on to Melbourne and reach around mid afternoon. Might be interesting because Ballarat has a strong Chinese influence
 Check in hotel and then drive to Mt Dandenong. Dinner and catch sunset at Mt Dandenong.Its a good 3-4 drive to Melbourne, and the city traffic grid takes quite a lot of getting used to since there's a lot of one-way streets
 Drive back to Melbourne and go up Railto Towers.You forgot dinner =P
 Walk around Southbank and Yarra River and have fun at Crown Casino.The drivers would probably be zombies by this stage

Thursday
 Explore Victoria Market in the morning. After lunch, drive to University of Melbourne for a quick stopover.I liked Melbourne's Chinatown for their yum cha
 Drive to airport to catch flight to Brisbane at 4 pm.
 Rent car at Brisbane Airport. Check in and proceed for dinner.
 Drive to Mt Cootha.Bring a tripod!

Friday
 Drive up to Mt Cootha early in the morning for sunrise shots. After breakfast, take the Citycat for a cruise along the Brisbane River.Bring a thick jacket, it is cold at dawn!
 Attend to family personal matters in the afternoon.
 Drive to Byron Bay and overnight at Byron Bay.You might be able to get to Point Danger, the border between QLD and NSW while it is still light, I don't know. You can also see passing whales from here though they are far away

Saturday
 Wake up early and catch sunrise at lighthouse at Byron Bay, most easternly point of Australia. Brrrrr. You might see whales here too.
 After breakfast drive on to Gold Coast. Will bring cousin to one or two of the Worlds but thinking of other alternate activities for the adults.Seaworld, maybe. Or dump them at Harbortown or Surfers Paradise.

Sunday
 Sunrise at Gold Coast. After breakfast, head back to Brisbane.
 Last minute shopping at Brisbane.
 Head to airport in the afternoon for flight back.

Have you considered how many hours you are spending on the road each day? Even the passengers get tired of sitting in a car for up to 9 hours a day, let alone the driver(s). Always allow for time for breaks, time for getting lost and finding your way again, looking for parking in the city. You've probably made your hotel bookings, so make allowances for dropping or exchanging attractions at each stage. You have to balance the time it takes to get to an attraction, the time you take to actually be there, against the time you have. It looks super-hectic now. I would budget one attraction a day for everyone's comfort.

 

[JL1500k]

take note Victoria Market dun open on Monday

 

[bowwow]

might want to try la porchetta for lunch when u visit queen vic market. it's just across the street. decently priced italian joint. the gnocchi there is good.

might also want to check out lygone street for the gelatos.

 

[boroangel]

Sunday
 Arrive at Tullamarine Airport at 945 am. Rent car and move out at 10+ am. Airport delays are typical and you may only move out after 11am
 Reach Geelong at noon and have lunch.End up having lunch on the move?

cropped.....
Have you considered how many hours you are spending on the road each day? Even the passengers get tired of sitting in a car for up to 9 hours a day, let alone the driver(s). Always allow for time for breaks, time for getting lost and finding your way again, looking for parking in the city. You've probably made your hotel bookings, so make allowances for dropping or exchanging attractions at each stage. You have to balance the time it takes to get to an attraction, the time you take to actually be there, against the time you have. It looks super-hectic now. I would budget one attraction a day for everyone's comfort.

Heya r32...thanks for the input....

Just remembered that international clearances at the airport might take an hour or more.....coupled with soem admin such as leaving extra bags with the luggage storage service at the airport....we might end up moving up closer to 12.

For Geelong, I was thinking we should be able to reach there in an hour from the airport and have late lunch there.

We have quite a few drivers but prob just 2 or 3 who are regular drivers. I am planning to have lots of stops along the way.....one at least every half an hour....will see how it goes...if we are running late for time might cut down the stopovers at certain places....for example, on the first day if running late for Apollo Bay wont stop for too long at Lorne....

Looks like its possible we might be reaching Apollo Bay after dark on the first day.

As for the apartments, still looking for them and hope to get it settled soon.

 

[ericp]

I'd like to add a couple of notes about the driving part ... stick to the speed limit, especially around school zones (40 km/h) ... there are lots of hidden cameras in unmarked cars, etc.

When driving in Melbourne, make sure you don't obstruct trams, and when you're alongside, take note if they're stopping, you must give way to passengers alighting right in front of you. And be aware where the tram tracks are, especially if it's drizzling ... if you have both driving wheels on wet tracks, you will slide, which will at the very least give you a major shot of adrenalin (ask me how I know :embrass: ). Also, take note of hook turns in the metro area of Melbourne. Don't forget to budget for Melbourne's ERP, you will get charged at the end of your trip, IIRC, by Hertz.

Like a few others said, it looks like a very tiring travel schedule. Build a bit of buffer in, to allow for longer rests, etc. For example, Ballarat to Melbourne is about 1.5 hours if you follow the speed limit, but like someone said, allow time for getting lost, or even unscheduled stops, eg. fruit farms, etc along the way. I just remembered, you can take a short detour to Daylesford (mineral springs) between Ballarat & Melbourne.

Also, see if you can build into your itinerary a few pub meals along the way ... just go to any "hotel" in a country town, etc, and they would have nice "counter meals", eg. steak, fish, etc. You don't actually eat at the counter, it's a nice sit-down dinner.

Have fun, have a good sense of humor, raid your "patience" emotional account and bring extra ! Also, smile a lot, and it'll lift everyone's spirits, including the people you encounter along the way.

 

[ericp]

One more thought ... you're going to be frozen icicles along most of the route anyway (Grampians, Great Ocean Road), why not consider going to a nearby snowfield, eg. Falls Creek or Mt Buller ? Not as many landscape photo ops, but I'd guess the adults will have way more fun (and lots more snapshot opportunities !). Nearby meaning 3-4 hours drive, of course ...

Then you will have snow and sand (Gold Coast) all in one vacation !

 

[exhibitj]

When in Melbourne, try to visit Smith Street for factory outlet sale for sporting brands like Nike, Ripcurl, etc. Cheap and wide variety.

Also, visit St Kildas if possible. Look for the row of colorful boathouses. Very gd for photo ops!

 

[Hobbesyeo]

Thursday
 Explore Victoria Market in the morning. After lunch, drive to University of Melbourne for a quick stopover.
 Drive to airport to catch flight to Brisbane at 4 pm.
 Rent car at Brisbane Airport. Check in and proceed for dinner.
 Drive to Mt Cootha.

You might want to consider giving Victoria market a little more time. Its a very interesting market. I wld try to go there early (parking is a problem) and have breakfast before browsing around. Macadamia nuts are worth buying. So are the fruits.

IMO, Mt Cootha is not very interesting in terms of activities at nite. Only worth going up there for the night scenery of the city (bring tripod). I wldn't spend more than 30mins there, unless you chose to have coffee there. Milton road (abt 10min drive away) is the "coffee strip" in Bne and would be a much better place for coffee/cakes.

Highly recommended: Freestyle cafe at 21 Nash St, Rosalie. Not too far from cootha/milton area. Serves excellent ice creams, cakes, coffee, drinks. Usually very crowded.

Friday
 Drive up to Mt Cootha early in the morning for sunrise shots. After breakfast, take the Citycat for a cruise along the Brisbane River.
 Attend to family personal matters in the afternoon.
 Drive to Byron Bay and overnight at Byron Bay.

For public transport, they have a large variety of tickets/discounts. And you can chose to pre-buy them at the tourist kiosk on Queen Street, or on the ferry. Tell them what you plan to do, and they'll be able to recommend the best type of ticket for you. For the best views on the Citycat, move to the front (good for panos). But remember that its still winter, so it wld be pretty cold when the cat starts moving.

I would travel downstream towards Bretts Wharf first. Upstream towards Uni of Qld is not as scenic IMO.

Saturday
 Wake up early and catch sunrise at lighthouse at Byron Bay, most easternly point of Australia.
 After breakfast drive on to Gold Coast. Will bring cousin to one or two of the Worlds but thinking of other alternate activities for the adults.

Movie world - good mix of rides, shows and displays - IMO, good value for money.
Dream world - Only if you are a adrendalin junkie.

Sunday
 Sunrise at Gold Coast. After breakfast, head back to Brisbane.
 Last minute shopping at Brisbane.
 Head to airport in the afternoon for flight back.

Sunrise is very early in winter (5plus iirc).

Have a great time!