October/November Cairns to Sydney holiday

[lknights1987]

Hi all,

 

Myself and my girlfriend have just booked time off work for a 3 week holiday in October. Over the next couple of days we are going to book flights to Australia flying from London to Cairns on the 18th October arriving on the 20th October and then flying back to London from Sydney airport on the 10th November. This will give us around 3 weeks travelling time.

 

Our plan is to spend around 3-4 nights in Cairns/Port Douglas and then travel down the coast using the hop on hop off greyhound coach pass to Sydney stopping off at various hotspots along the way for 1-3 night stays. There are a few tours that we would like go on which are to the Great Barrier Reef, Sail around the Whitsunday Island and also visit the Blue Mountains.

 

Will 3 weeks be enough to travel from Cairns to Sydney by coach or would it be worth leaving out a section of the coach trip and flying instead? If yes would it be best to travel by coach from Cairns to Brisbane and then fly from Brisbane to Sydney or fly Cairns to Brisbane and then take the coach down to Sydney?

[Jhouse101]

I would say fly, you'll lose loads of nights / days just sitting on a greyhound bus.....

[Gbye grey sky]

Hi all,

 

Myself and my girlfriend have just booked time off work for a 3 week holiday in October. Over the next couple of days we are going to book flights to Australia flying from London to Cairns on the 18th October arriving on the 20th October and then flying back to London from Sydney airport on the 10th November. This will give us around 3 weeks travelling time.

 

Our plan is to spend around 3-4 nights in Cairns/Port Douglas and then travel down the coast using the hop on hop off greyhound coach pass to Sydney stopping off at various hotspots along the way for 1-3 night stays. There are a few tours that we would like go on which are to the Great Barrier Reef, Sail around the Whitsunday Island and also visit the Blue Mountains.

 

Will 3 weeks be enough to travel from Cairns to Sydney by coach or would it be worth leaving out a section of the coach trip and flying instead? If yes would it be best to travel by coach from Cairns to Brisbane and then fly from Brisbane to Sydney or fly Cairns to Brisbane and then take the coach down to Sydney?

 

I would include a couple of days at least at Hervey Bay from which you can go whale watching and visit Fraser Island. Definitely fly from Brisbane to Sydney which will at least save 1000kms of driving (and on the Pacific Highway which is undergoing major construction now and over the next couple of years). The distances are considerable so this will help as you only have 3 weeks. Also the weather at that time of the year is likely to be better the further north you are.

[Marisawright]

I agree - fly where you can!

 

Do you understand the distance? Cairns to Sydney is the same as going from London to the very tip of the boot of Italy.

 

At least an equivalent bus trip in Europe would go through a whole range of different landscapes - but the bush alongside Australian roads looks pretty much the same over the whole continent - once you've seen one eucalpyt you've seen 'em all, and the wildlife is all asleep during the day. So don't assume the bus trip itself will be interesting - you will waste whole days sitting on the bus, bored to tears.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Marisawright

[Lambethlad]

Going that far on a bus would be my idea of hell.

[Skani]

If yes would it be best to travel by coach from Cairns to Brisbane and then fly from Brisbane to Sydney or fly Cairns to Brisbane and then take the coach down to Sydney?

 

If it's either or, I'd fly Cairns to Brisbane. That will save you 3 very long days of bus travel. Brisbane to Sydney is the shorter of the two distances and it can be done in one 18 hour stretch if you are sufficiently masochistic (leave Brisbane at 7 am and arrive Sydney at 1 am).

[Marisawright]

If it's either or, I'd fly Cairns to Brisbane. That will save you 3 very long days of bus travel. Brisbane to Sydney is the shorter of the two distances and it can be done in one 18 hour stretch if you are sufficiently masochistic (leave Brisbane at 7 am and arrive Sydney at 1 am).

 

The only trouble with that is that they'll miss Airlie Beach for the Whitsundays, Eungalla for the platypus, Hervey Bay for the whale watching. Whereas flying Brisbane to Sydney they would miss a lot of lovely little seaside resort towns, but not much of any great significance.