Where to go from Sydney

Hi

We are travelling to Australia next year So we land in Sydney in January and will be spending a month there first off to get ourselves settled in.

The problem is we are struggling really with 'where to go from here' we would like to go somewhere chilled with beaches on your door step for a relax and a bit of night life for a meal and drink etc but we do not really know where to go. We have no real set direction apart from we want to start our 3 months work around march so between February and March we are all ears for anything really.

If anyone could give us any advice it will help a lot we have a few ideas but do not know where to take it from Sydney.

Thanks for your help

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I'd head south from Sydney along the coast right around to the coastal resorts on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. The reason I say this is that February and March are usually the wettest months along the east coast north of Sydney whereas those months are much drier in the south - but still plenty warm (often hot) enough to enjoy the beach lifestyle.

I like The Great Ocean Road, but the OP could take the road to Brisbane, and staying over en route at such places as Port Macquarie and Byron Bay for example. There are not too many options available.

I reckon that would be a really good idea. You have plenty of time to make a really enjoyable trip of it. I think the coast and hinterland of the NSW south coast is fantastic, Gippsland etc in eastern Victoria supposed to be lovely too, then past Melbourne/Geelong you're on to the Great Ocean Rd which is world renowned.

You can also suck it and see to some extent as to how far you want to go before cutting back towards Sydney. Inland in February & early March will be hot

Maybe byron bay? A lot of people like it

That time of year I would be heading south down the coast. There are lots of lovely seaside towns all the way to Merimbula. From Merimbula I would go inland via Bombala and Delegate then down to Buchan (caves there are worth a look and a lovely camping ground with lots of friendly kangaroos) - then from Buchan down to Bruthen and pick up the Great Alpine Road to Bright/Mt Buffalo (one of my favourite spots) - then from Bright across to Echuca (old riverboat port on the Murray River) - from Echuca down to Melbourne - (Crown Casino is a good place to stay). From Melbourne you can go south east to Phillip Island or south to the Mornington Peninsula or south west to the Great Ocean Road.

Totally agree that you should head south from Sydney. You will have all winter to explore the northern parts of NSW and Queensland, so concentrate on the south while the weather is good. Leaving Sydney in February is an excellent idea as school holidays are over and all the smaller coastal resorts and campgrounds will be cheaper and quieter than in January.

Lambethlad's suggested itinerary (above) is an excellent one which I would also recommend.

As they others say, I would head south. School holidays will be over by Feb so the seaside towns shouldn't be so packed and accommodation should be cheaper too.

Sydney is certainly a good place to start. You can have everything your looking for, from chilled out beaches to really good nightlife all in easy reach on public transport.

Get the Manly ferry one day and spend a day over there. Great value, beautiful beach and good pubs on the way back to the ferry.

For night life I really like Kings Cross and surrounds. It gets a bit of bad press but for the number of people that go there there isn't really a lot of trouble. One of the liveliest places I've been to anywhere.

I like The Great Ocean Road, but the OP could take the road to Brisbane, and staying over en route at such places as Port Macquarie and Byron Bay for example. There are not too many options available.

The reason I didn't suggest that is the timing. I've lived on the north coast of NSW and February - March were always the worst months for floods. Beautiful later in the year, though.

The reason I didn't suggest that is the timing. I've lived on the north coast of NSW and February - March were always the worst months for floods. Beautiful later in the year, though.

I didn't consider that. Definitely something to be mindful about.

I was just thinking that if you head down the Mornington Peninsula there is a car ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff - you can pick up the Great Ocean Road from there. It saves a 2 hours drive back around the bay through Melbourne.

If anyone could give us any advice it will help a lot we have a few ideas but do not know where to take it from Sydney.

Do you actually need to plan it now? I mean, if you did make grand plans now, you could easily meet up with others in Sydney and those plans could change in a blink of an eye. I would actually suggest going to Sydney for the month, chat to other backpackers about their experiences and travels, and from there decide your next route.

I was in Sydney and NSW from September to March. I stayed in Sydney longer than I expected because I really loved it. Then headed up to Bamaga in FNQ. Then across country to Ayres Rock and Central Oz. Then arrived in Darwin in July. Flew out in September. So my travels in FNQ and NT coincided with their dry season. On my second trip to Oz I covered Victoria.

The wet and dry seasons are something for you to possibly take into consideration, as many places in FNQ and NT and top half of WA are often impassable or closed to tourists in the wet. But if you really do want a suggestion, then after Sydney maybe head to The Whitsunday Islands and stay in Airlie Beach.