LKC Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 (edited) So, as many of you know we are moving back to the UK later this year. We are having a few renovation bits completed on the house before we sell it, and as a consequence of that (not having bathrooms for a week) we have decided to go on a last holiday in this part of the world. We will be going during term time in May (that's the only time we could organise tradies all together) and have nine nights to play with. We are used to living out of suitcases, moving on every couple of days, we are happy to travel up to five or six (or maybe even seven) hours at the start of the holiday but would rather no more than two to three on the days we move somewhere new/return to Sydney (we have to pick our cats up by midday). We self cater, so need to pass by larger towns for provisions every couple of days, but don't really like eating out so restaurants etc are not needed. We enjoy peace and quiet, bushwalking, geocaching, deserted beaches, and have two kids who also like those things! Budget is okay, happy to spend a bit more on some more luxurious stays and don't mind 'roughing it' at others to balance the budget. Might also be open to Tasmania or NZ, depending on costs, maybe with campervan for transport/somewhere to stay. I know this is a massive 'how long is a piece of string?' question, but any suggestions for itinerary? Edited March 16, 2017 by LKC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booma Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 if you said what areas you have already explored it would help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Have you visited the National Capital and down through the Snowies to the Victorian coast? It's not a bad few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Mount warning at the very top of NSW (reminded us of English countryside, a few national parks around with some good country walking, rain forests, deserted beaches nearby, close to Byron Bay and Tweed heads, with-in 2 hours of Brisbane and 1 to Gold Coast. Just maybe with-in your first day driving limits - well from north side of Sydney? and the coast road is a nice drive in itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 If you haven't been to NZ can you get a reasonable package deal? (late autumn so not peak season prices). It would be a pity to miss it while you are in the region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 Thanks guys for some awesome recommendations. @Booma, we've been to as far north as Port Stephens (Winda Woppa/Hawkes Nest and a tiny bit up from there). We've been to The Blue Mountains, Jenolan, Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo. We've also spent lots of time in Kangaroo Valley/Berry/Jervis Bay. Don't mind re-visiting those places en-route. @Quoll, we've been to Canberra a couple of times but only for day trips (Questacon twice, National Museum, the dinosaur place, Parliament House and the War Memorial) but I'd not thought of going on down through the Snowy Mountains and down to the Vic coast. I wonder if we could head for Melbourne? OH has been there on business, but the kids and I haven't. @Keith and Linda I'd not thought of going that far up the coast. I'll have a look at the driving times. The kids had spotted a rotating house near Barrington Tops which they would love to stay in and which is up towards that way, so I could arrange that for on the way/way back. @Skani I looked at NZ yesterday, the flights are quite expensive plus we'd need either car hire and accommodation or to hire a campervan, but it might be doable if we hire the minimum size of car/campervan/accommodation we could manage with. Lots to go and research and think about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted May 6, 2017 Author Share Posted May 6, 2017 I just thought I'd post a quick update on this. We decided to splash out and fly to Melbourne and hire a car. It cost us a bit more, but we are so happy that we did! We flew to Melbourne nine days ago, and once we had collected our hire car, we drove down to Wilson's Prom area where we spent the first four nights. We stayed in a place called Waratah Bay, which was close to Wilson's Prom, and right on the beach. We are keen beach walkers, particularly when it is cold (which it has been). We spent two of our three full days in Wilson's Prom NP. We saw all sorts of wildlife including emus, wombats, kangaroos, wallabies, all sorts of other birds. We did quite a bit of walking over those two days, but we saw some spectacular sights, so it was worth it! After Wilson's Prom we drove down to Phillip Island for two nights. The first night we went to the Penguin Parade which is totally touristy but actually well worth the visit. We saw hundreds and hundreds of fairy penguins returning home to their burrows for the night! The following day we spent the morning at The Nobbies Centre, at the blowhole and also at the Antarctica display. In the afternoon we got a boat trip around Cape Woolamai which was great, as we got to see seals and a whole host of bird life. The following day we drove round to Sorrento, got the ferry over to Queenscliff, and then drove to Skenes Creek, which is just north of Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road. The first day there we spent the morning on the beach (great rock pools) and then went to Otway Lightstation in the afternoon. The following day we had a quick walk on the beach and then drove along the GOR as far as Peterborough, taking our time to visit the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge and so on en route. We had beautiful weather, and a really great day out. This morning we spent a couple of hours poking around in rock pools, but the weather started to close in so we decided that rather than stay in Skenes Creek for the last night and drive the two hours to the airport in the morning, we would book an apartment in Geelong and drive up this afternoon. Tomorrow we fly back to Sydney having had an absolutely fantastic time on our last holiday in Australia. If I am absolutely honest, I have really liked what we have seen down here and I have at times wondered if we are doing the right thing in moving back to the UK. However, I have to keep reminding myself that we are on holiday, and that whilst Victoria is absolutely stunningly beautiful (and I would even say more my cup of tea than Sydney/NSW), it is still so very far from home. I have some wonderful memories of our time here, which I will always treasure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 You should have come up to Queensland, you would definitely change your mind about returning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Anywhere north of the Tropic Of Capricorn. Cheers, Bobj. PS. Fly to Armidale, hire a car and go north to Glen Innes, then chuck a right hand down a bit to Grafton. The road goes from sub alpine to sub tropical and descends 3,000 ft in 7 miles. From there to wherever... Cheers, Bobj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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