Planning a Trip to Australia: Where to Start, When to Go, What to See
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Planning a trip to Australia, but not sure where to start with the preparations for your dream vacation? This article is for you!
Australia is one of those countries that everybody dreams of going to one day. But then the day is finally there and you have not the slightest idea on where to start. Don’t rush to the travel agency just yet! First, figure out what YOU want so that your dream trip becomes a reality!
Below you can find some advice on how to plan Australia trip and make a good trip itinerary. Find out!
How to Plan a Trip to Australia – Our Experience & Tips
We were lucky to have had an opportunity to travel to Australia twice: once as a couple, and ten years later, with our three kids of 3, 3, and 5 years old.
Our first trip to Australia and New Zealand ten years ago was also our first road trip, and there were lots of things we didn’t know. We just booked the most popular road trip itinerary and relied on the road book we got from our travel agent. We saw many amazing places, yet we were disappointed. We went to New Zealand on the same trip as well, and we loved every single day there. So what went wrong in Australia?
We knew that Australia is huge and that driving times can be very long. What we didn’t know is that it is really boring on the road most of the time. Often, there is not much to see in between the places which are well worth visiting.
We saw so many dead kangaroos on the road and black, burned forests that it was even depressing with moments… We visited quite some towns along the Eastern Coast which were really not worth it – at least not for someone who only has 3 weeks in Australia.
So when we were preparing our second Australia trip with kids, we knew that we had to make an itinerary in such a way that it would be fun for the whole family. We were not going to make the same mistake twice!
So here are some general tips and recommendations to help you plan your dream Australia vacation. Read on!
Planning Australia trip – what you need to know in advance
Below you can find some essential tips that will help you plan a trip to Australia. Not just any trip, but a really well-thought-of bucket-list trip that you always dreamt of. Take a look!
How to prepare a good travel plan for Australia
Before you start planning your Australian trip itinerary, you have to figure out the following:
- What are your INTERESTS? If traveling with kids, make sure to take their interests into account as well.
- WHEN do you want to go?
- HOW MUCH TIME do you have?
- WHERE – which places do you definitely want to see?
1. What do you want to see and do in Australia
The very first thing you have to figure out is what you expect from your trip to Australia. Do you want to see the beaches, go diving or snorkeling? Do you want to visit some cities, or maybe none at all? Or maybe you are mostly interested in beautiful nature and diverse wildlife?
For most people, it’s a combination of all. Still, you have to set priorities.
When we were preparing our trip to Australia with children, we were also struggling to come up with a good plan. We wanted to see as much as possible, but also had to try to estimate how much sightseeing a three- or a five-year-old can actually handle.
In the end, we chose nature destinations and limited city visits to just two days in Sydney and one day in Melbourne. Wildlife and nature are the most important factors for us when traveling with kids, and so we added Kangaroo Island, Tasmania, Great Ocean Road, and some other locations to our itinerary.
We also visited a few wildlife sanctuaries so that the kids could cuddle a koala, feed a kangaroo, and touch a Tasmanian Devil. We didn’t go to a zoo or a theme park as it was not in our interest and also didn’t fit our itinerary. But it might be something you as a family wants to consider, especially if you are passing near such a place anyway.
You are the one who knows your family and their interests best. So make sure that your Australia vacation is fun for everybody!
2. What is the best time to travel to Australia?
You can travel to Australia at any time of the year as long as you choose the right places in the right season. You can either decide on what you want to see and then find out when it’s the best time to go there OR you can select the places to fit your holidays. Just do some research before you book!
Remember that the best times are also the busiest times, so book early and be prepared to pay more. If possible, avoid Christmas and Easter vacations.
Here is a short destination guide to help you decide where to go in Australia and when:
- Sydney can be visited all year round. See our 1-day Sydney itinerary for the must-sees.
- North Australia (Darwin area) is not a good idea in Australian summer as it is also the wet season and the roads are often impassible. The best time to visit is May to October. Here you can find our suggested Darwin itinerary.
- Southern Australia (Melbourne area, Adelaide, Great Ocean Road, Kangaroo Island…) is probably best visited in the warmer months. By the way, we absolutely loved Kangaroo Island! Here you can read more about our visit to Kangaroo Island.
- Tasmania is a summer destination unless you don’t mind the cold and the wind, or want to go skiing. The best time to visit Tasmania is between November and March. Here you can find more info about things to do in Hobart, Tasmania.
- Red Centre (Alice Springs, Uluru) – can be visited all year round, but it’s VERY HOT and can be very wet in the Australian summer months. It’s a good destination in winter when Europe and the US have long summer holidays, but it will be much busier as well. Here you can find more information about visiting Australia’s Red Centre. The best time to visit the Red Center is from May to September.
- Queensland (The Great Barrier Reef and the East coast between Cairns and Brisbane) is warm all year round, but the summer months are also the wettest. Tropics can be beautiful when it rains. The best time to travel to Queensland is from May to October.
- South-Western Australia (Perth area) is probably best in spring or autumn. Summers are hot and winters – wet. Locals say that August and September are the best months to visit Perth.
3. How much time do you need in Australia?
It’s very important to understand that you cannot see everything in Australia unless you have unlimited time and budget. So be selective when you choose where to go.
The first time we traveled to Australia we had 3,5 weeks and we did a road trip from Cairns to Sydney. Despite the fact that this tour is presented as the most popular way to see Australia by most of the travel agencies, I wouldn’t do it again. I know more people who had a similar trip itinerary and they were all disappointed. Driving time is much too long on this trip, you spend hours in the car, and it’s not like you see the most amazing landscapes or landmarks every day.
In 3-4 weeks time, you can see the Great Barrier Reef, some of the Eastern coast, Sydney and the Blue Mountains, plus some other places like, for example, the Red Centre or the Great Ocean Road. That means you have to fly instead of driving, and that you have to be more selective as to where you go.
TIP: Domestic flights are not necessarily the more expensive option. In fact, it can be cheaper to fly than to spend days on the road. The costs of car rental, fuel, accommodation, and food for the extra days will quickly add up, not to mention the precious time you save.
When you travel to the other side of the world for just a few weeks and you want to actually see some of this diverse continent, you better go to fewer places that are really worth it than to many places which are not as worthwhile. Spend fewer hours driving and more sightseeing!
4. Top places you shouldn’t miss in Australia
In my opinion, you really should try to see Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru (Ayers Rock), and the Great Ocean Road. These are the very best places to keep in mind when planning a trip to Australia.
However, these places are also very far from each other. So it’s not really feasible to see them all if you only have a week or two. Try to pick at least two of these top spots – that way you at least get a taste of what Australia has to offer.
If I had to choose just one place to go to in Australia, I would recommend the Red Centre (Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the Kings Canyon, West MacDonnell Ranges…). It is so very different from all the rest and it’s also what makes Australia so unique. Of course, it’s just my personal opinion, but you really have to experience it in order to understand how special it is. Uluru is not ‘just a rock’.
So, these are our main tips for planning a trip to Australia. To summarize: good trip itinerary stands or falls with these four factors: WHAT, WHEN, HOW LONG, and WHERE. Once you figure that out, the rest is easy.
It goes without saying that the budget is a very important factor as well, but leave the money worries for later, after you figure out your trip itinerary.
Whether you’ll love Australia depends so much on how well you’ll prepare your trip. This is the most important step, so take your time and plan well!
TIP: If you are looking for ideas on where to go in Australia, check this post with our 5-week Australia itinerary. It covers some of the most beautiful regions, some of the must-see places in Australia. Even if you don’t have as much time in Australia, you will get a good idea of what there is to see and how much time you need for each region.
TIP: If you are planning to visit Australia with a family, check out our tips for traveling to Australia with kids.
READ ALSO: Top Places to See on the Great Ocean Road
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Hi! I planning a trip to Australia, and I only have 10 days total. We’re planning to fly into Sydney. But also want to go to Melbourne. I was wondering if I should book a roundtrip to Sydney (with a roundtrip to Melbourne in between)? Or should book a one-way, and then fly home from Melbourne? What’s the best way to go about this?
I will add that we are looking to fly with Jetstar since it’s the cheapest.
Hi Denise, unless you have a very good reason to do a round-trip to/from the same city, I would definitely fly in and out of different airports (with a domestic flight in-between). That way, you can spend more time sightseeing instead of at the airports and on the planes.
Have a great trip!
Hopefully when we’ve sold our business we plan to have 5-6 weeks over there, I take it there’s more to see over the east side?
Hi Adrian, Australia is huge and there’s a lot to see all over the country. But the best-known and most popular places are indeed more to the east side, plus also the Red Center, Darwin, Adelaide – Melbourne, Tasmania. I hear good things about Perth, on the west coast, as well. However, the distances are huge so you have to make choices and 5-6 weeks isn’t much for such a big country. Trying to see ‘everything’ will just result in more time spent on planes and in the car than exploring, so pick several areas that interest you the most and spend more time there. Good luck!
Hi interested in doing Australia next December I have 13 days to do this. Where do I start and please help me plan an itineray. thank you
Hi Michelle, as you can imagine, there are hundreds of different ways how one could spend two weeks in Australia. Unfortunately, helping craft a truly good itinerary that suits our readers’ interests, budget, and travel style would take up much too much of our time. Therefore, we do not offer this service.
I suggest that you take a look at our 5-week Australia itinerary. It covers several different regions all over the country. Pick the ones that interest you and you can easily plan your own trip using our detailed suggestions in that article. If you read previous comments under that article, you may find some additional suggestions in there as well.
Good luck and have a great time in Australia!
Hi did you pre-book all your hotels and car rentals and flight before you got to the land of Oz?
Hi Maureen, yes, we always prebook car rentals and accommodations in advance. Usually, we also book tours/excursions before the trip, especially those that we absolutely want to do. It saves you a lot of hassle and is usually much cheaper too. Plus, if you are visiting remote places, there may be very limited options to start with.
If you are traveling on your own, in the low season, in popular places with lots of facilities, and have complete flexibility, you can probably just wing it. But otherwise, I would definitely book ahead.
Hi,
I’m wanting to go to Australia for the first time for my 60th! It will be for 3 weeks. Would like to go to Sydney but where else should my husband and I visit. We love history, culture, nature! Just don’t know where to start! Please could you advise?
Regards Gail
Hi Gail, I have covered this info in the article. A lot depends on the season when you visit, your personal preferences, etc. On the first trip, most people visit Sydney (+Blue Mountains), Melbourne (+Great Ocean Road), Red Centre (Uluru), and the area around Cairns (Great Barrier Reef).
You may want to take a look at our Australia itinerary for more info, it will give you an idea of what can be done in different parts of Australia. Unfortunately, I really have no time to help our readers with individual trip planning.
Good luck with the planning!
Hi my name is Eduardo from Los Angeles, i really liked reading thru your post. I am planning a trip to AUS and NZ for DEC 2024, I do have some time, ive been reading much about AUS and given its size we wont be able to cover as much as hoped. We are coming from LA , which is such a long ways, with that unfortunately we only have about 10 days in AUS, so i was thinking Sydney, Melbourne, fly to Cairns and Great Barrier Reef and then some Gold Coast. Comin from LA and living near Santa Monica, my wife and I enjoy the beach and vibrant city life, great places to eat and sight see.
i know youve probably been asked so many times, if u had 10 days, max of 12 how would u plan it????
THNAKS
Hi Eduardo, there are millions of ways to plan a 10-12-day trip to Australia. Your plan – Sydney, Melbourne (+ Great Ocean Road?), GBR – sounds doable if you just concentrate on the ‘musts’ and fly in between. I’m not sure I’d add Gold Coast to that mix unless you skip Melbourne. Otherwise, you’ll have just 2-3 days in each region and probably spend more time at the airport and on the plane/car than sightseeing. Sometime less is more ;).
Good luck with the planning!
Hello- My husband and I are traveling to Australia for our first trip in September and would like to see as much as we can in the 10th short days we get! We are flying into and out of Sydney. We like to do all of the things and well anything outdoors. Though I know it is impossible to see everything in 10days what is the best recommended itinerary to take as much in that we can. We were going to rent a car but that now sounds limited due to long driving distances. We are open to doing short flights just need guidance and don’t have a lot of time to plan. Help!
Hi Tabitha, as you can imagine, there are millions of options on how you could spend 10 days in Australia. I would pick 2-3 different areas, fly in between, and then spend 2-4 days at each place. Take a look at our Australia itinerary for some ideas of different regions to visit and how we did it.
Unfortunately, I really have no time to help our readers with individual trip planning.
Good luck!
I’m hoping you can help…we will be leaving out of Sydney on a 12-day cruise in February stopping in Eden, Burnie and Melbourne before heading to NZ. We are willing to spend a week or so before the departure out of Sydney site-seeing Australia (including some time in Sydney. We love nature and culture unique to the countries we visit. We thought about flying into Cairns to see the GBR, but have read that Feb is risky weather for visibility and potential travel delays. Bummer. What would you recommend as a close second area to visit before heading to Sydney (say 3-4 days where we would fly directly to the location and then fly to Sydney). Any suggestions would be so helpful. I am beyond overwhelmed at this point. Thank you!!!!
Barb
Hi Barb, there are just so many choices that it’s really hard for me to suggest something. If you absolutely want to see the Great Barrier Reef, then go for it and make the best of the weather that you get. Otherwise, if you have just 3-4 days, head straight to Sydney and explore the city and the area. Take a day trip to Blue Mountains. There’s plenty to see to fill a week so you won’t get bored.
Good luck with the planning!
I appreciate your write-up. I was hoping you might field my idea – I was looking at renting a car and driving up the coast from Sydney to the Cairns area, over about 2-2.5 weeks. The driving doesn’t bother me, and I love being able to stop in small towns/beaches/etc. I recognize the distance, and recognize that I may have more time IN a few places if I flew. But – I also think it could be really fun to drive a few hours a day, get to a small beach town to hang out/explore, then continue along the way. Thoughts on this approach? Thank you very much!
Hi Jake, we did a similar trip when we visited Australia the very first time. We started in Cairns and drove all the way down to Sydney over a 3-week period. It was ok and there were some nice stretches and amazing places along the way. But there were also long days of driving. We enjoyed our next trip (flying big distances and taking more time to explore each area deeper) incomparably more.
It really depends on your preferences though. If you are looking to make a classic road trip and don’t care about spending hours and hours in a car each day, then it can be a very nice experience. But 2-2.5 weeks is rather short, so try to do some research so that you at least don’t miss some of the nicest places.
Enjoy your trip!
Your trips have really gotten my mind swirling. Not a bad thing. LOL
My dream vacation is to go to Australia for 4-5 weeks with my wife. I would love to see as much as possible but on the other hand, but also don’t want to feel super rushed. (Go figure). I would Like to see the culture, GBR, Red Rock Centre, Kangaroo Island. Some beaches. Do do you think this would be possible??. You thoughts would be greatly appreciate, any and all input. I would love to see it all but that is a pipe dream I’m thinking with 4-5 weeks only. I really enjoy reading all you experiences. Thank You
Hi Bill, while you can’t see all parts of Australia in 4-5 weeks, you can do a lot and cover many different areas in 4-5 weeks. Take a look at our Australia 5-week itinerary for some ideas. You can easily skip one or the other place (or plan a shorter visit), and adjust it to include a few additional areas such as the Great Barrier Reef or Darwin, for example.
Hope this helps. Good luck with the planning!
@Jurga, Thank you for your help.
Hello, i am looking at doing Ayers rock, Adelaide with Kangaroo Island finishing at Sydney in three weeks next November. Is that possible?
Hi Jo, of course, it’s possible. In fact, we did a very similar trip in November once. Ours was a bit longer, but we started with Sydney, flew to Alice Springs for 5-6 days, then to Adelaide, visited Kangaroo Island, went on to Melbourne and then Tasmania, etc. You can find our itinerary here – it will give you a good idea of how much time you need everywhere. But yes, it’s definitely doable in 3 weeks.
Good luck with the planning!
Hello, my wife and I want to visit Sydney and the opera house. Also, I want to dive the Great Barrier Reef. We have 2weeks total to travel. We can fly into and out of Sydney for free! Any suggestions as to how to make this happen in the allotted time?
Hi Thad, with two weeks in Australia, you can easily see Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef, and potentially a few other areas. Fly the big distances and spend 4-5 days in each region you visit. You could do something like Sydney- GBR – Red Centre – Sydney. Or replace the Red Centre by whichever region looks most interesting to you (maybe also depending on the season when you visit).
Hope this helps.
Whats the cheapest flight one way to Australia
Hi Marsha, how do you expect me to answer a question like that? 🙂
First, it depends on where you fly from and where you fly to. But also in which season, the exact dates, how long in advance you book, etc.
You can use Google Flights to search for flight prices, also search engines like Sky Skanner, Momondo, etc. can be helpful.
Good luck!
Hi! My husband and I are seniors (72 & 68) from California, traveling to Australia for the first & only time. We have our flights (3/29-4/23) & cruise booked but also want to see more of Australia than the 7 day cruise (starting 4/2) in & out of Brisbane. My husband thinks we can see alot cheaply on a greyhound bus but that concerns me. What do you suggest? Could we join a tour group or have a local travel agent help us? Thanks, Jan
Hi Janice, you can find some nice day tours from Brisbane, but you won’t be able to see much of Australia from there. It’s a huge country.
If you want to explore more, you should fly to the areas that interest you the most and spend at least a few days in each place. Depending on which area you visit, you can stay in the bigger cities and can see a lot by taking day tours (e.g. go to the Blue Mountains from Sydney or visit Great Ocean Road from Melbourne). Alternatively, rent a car and make a road trip (here or there). But keep in mind that the distances are very big, so it’s always better to fly in between the areas that you want to see and rent a car just for a few days for that specific area.
I wouldn’t know how you could see a lot of Australia in a short time by choosing to travel by bus. There are bus tours, but most of them are day tours like the ones I linked to above and not really multi-day tours. And if you just take regular buses between the towns, you won’t see much.
Take a look at our Australia itinerary for some suggestions for different parts of Australia. We did that trip by flying + renting a car at all those places. Once again, if you don’t want to drive, you can find day tours. So let’s say, you go to Sydney for 3-5 days, spend 2-3 days in the city and then take a few organized day tours. The same with Melbourne or Adelaide, etc.
Hope this helps. Good luck with the planning!
Hi! My husband and I were asked by his brother and wife to go on a cruise out of Sydney, beginning of February, 2024…so we have plenty of time to plan. We would be flying into Sydney from Los Angeles. The “itinerary” for the land part of the cruise has us flying to Uluru to see Ayers Rock at night and then in the morning, then flying to Darwin for a night or two, then to Cairns to experience the Great Barrier Reef, then back to Sydney. We then see some sights that day before getting on the ship to travel to New Zealand’s 7 ports and back to Sydney. My question is: Is it worth it to travel by air these 3 sites or should my husband and I just stay in Sydney to really experience that area with maybe a flight to The Great Barrier Reef? If I could, I would cancel the part to Darwin, but I can’t. Our relatives will definitely do the land tour part. We are just wondering if all of those plane flights are worth it? We probably will never get back again as we are 60 and plan to hopefully see other places in the world.
Thank you,
Kay
Hi Kay, it’s only you who can answer this question and so much depends on how much time you have for each place.
From what I understand, you are going to Darwin anyway and also Cairns/GBR is in the plans, so the only question is whether Uluru is worth it. If you only fly there to see Uluru and fly back a day later, then I really don’t think you’ll enjoy it much. It’s a long flight from anywhere + a very long drive from Alice Springs to Uluru and then back again (+-5 hours each way). If, however, you have at least a few days for that area and also visit West McDonnell Ranges and Kings Canyon, then yes, it’s definitely worth it. It’s one of the most special places you can visit in Australia. You can find more info in our Red Center itinerary.
If you have plenty of time, then plan more time at each of these areas and explore deeper – you’ll enjoy it more. But if you only have 1-2 days for each area, then I’d concentrate on fewer places instead.
Hope this helps.
PS See if you can fly to Darwin or to Cairns from LA and then make your way to Sydney towards your cruise – that would save you some time and a few flights.
Good luck with the planning!
Hi Jurga. Great blog. I’m planning a trip to Australia for my 60th birthday at the end of January. We are tennis players and scuba divers…and wine lovers from San Francisco. I’d like one day at the Australian Open, two days in Melbourne, two days in Adeline visiting maybe two wineries, then 3 days diving and ending with 3 days in Sydney. Would that order work? Would you recommend something else? Thanks for your reply. All the best,
Katherine
Hi Katherine, yes, sure, this order could work, but you need to decide how to travel between the towns. For example, you could drive between Melbourne and Adelaide and add the Great Ocean Road, the Grampians NP, and maybe even Kangaroo Island to your itinerary. I’m just not sure if it’s something I’d do with just 5 days (if I count right).
It would probably be easier to just fly between the big cities. In that case, you could manage without renting a car and just do some day trips. For example, Great Ocean Road from Melbourne (there are day tours). From Adelaide, you could also take a day tour to Kangaroo Island. And from Sydney, you can book a day trip to the Blue Mountains. From Adelaide, you can also visit the wineries with tours (so you can taste wine and not have to worry about driving).
See which places interest you the most and then spread your time between Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney based on what you want to see in/near each place. I’d probably do 3-4 days in each place, taking into account that you also spend time traveling in between.
Depending on your international flights and the timing of the Australian Open, you could also start with Sydney, then Melbourne, and then Adelaide, or vice versa. See what makes the most sense as there might be big price differences depending on where and when you fly.
Hope this helps. Have a great trip!
@Jurga, Thanks! I found it easy to book flights, so we will fly into Melbourne, spend five days there, one at the Australian Open, and one visiting the Yarra Valley on a day tour where we visit 4 wineries. Then we fly to Cairns for our diving adventure. We booked a live aboard for two nights and 3 days. After a day at the beach we fly to Sydney for 5 days including a day tour to the Blue Mountains. We’re super excited. Thanks for your help. All the best,
Katherine
hey Jurga, read your blog and found it very interesting. Infact so useful that will not bother to look for other blogs. We are planning for 3 weeks – end December beginning January. Would it be too hot to do some of the destinations mentioned in your plan ( Uluru Rock for instance ). thanks – appreciate the good work. thanks.
Hi Alex, we did this 5-week trip in November and it was already very hot in the Red Centre indeed.
All the other destinations should be ok, some – like Tasmania or Kangaroo Island even really good at that time of the year.
You can still visit Uluru, etc. but you’ll likely not be able to do much during the day. So no hiking, for example, but it can still be enjoyable depending on what you choose to see/do.
Alternatively, visit the Great Barrier Reef instead.
Good luck with the planning and have a great trip!
@Jurga, thanks – we are going to work on it and I will ask you more when I have specific questions. thanks
Hi there,
Thanks for this blog post! My husband and I are hoping to visit his family in Melbourne, Australia (we live in Toronto, Canada) in September/October this year. Would two weeks be enough? And would you recommend just sticking to seeing places close to Melbourne or maybe taking short flights to other places to see them as well? Would love to visit the Great Barrier Reef but I know it’s near Cairns and that’s like a 30 hour drive from Melbourne 🙁
Hi Naz, whatever you do, don’t drive such big distances – it’s simpler and cheaper to fly. It’s really not worth driving from Melbourne to Cairns if you have just two weeks in total.
For the rest, there are gazillion ways to spend two weeks in Australia, so it’s really difficult to recommend much without knowing your interests.
If you want to take it easy, you could spend all that time in southern Australia. Visit Melbourne, the Grampians National Park, the Great Ocean Road, then visit Kangaroo Island, and end in Adelaide where you also have a nice wine region to explore.
Or you could do 10 days in this area and e.g. 3-4 days at the Great Barrier Reef.
Or – if you want to go really fast and see a lot – you can do 3-4 days around Melbourne, then Sydney, then the Red Center, and then the Great Barrier Reef (fly all the big distances).
It all depends on what you want to see and how comfortable you feel moving around from place to place.
Good luck with the planning!
Hello Jurga,
We are planning to visit Australia and New Zealand in June and spend 5 days in each country. We would appreciate your help creating an itinerary for us taking into account that we have a 15-year old who is interested in nature and wildlife and also “thrill” activities. We would be happy to join a tour group since my husband isn’t comfortable driving in another country.
Thank you in advance! Your website is a treasure trove of useful tips and info!
Hi Tess, unfortunately, I really have no time to create individual itineraries for our readers. Also, 5 days in Australia or in New Zealand is really too short. I’m not sure where you are traveling from, but if it’s a far trip, it’s even crazier. Also take into account that June is ‘winter’ in the southern hemisphere – for most places, it’s no big deal, but e.g. the mountains on the south island in NZ will likely have snow.
I think I’d rather concentrate on just one country (in June, probably Australia) and visit 2-3 regions, flying between them. If you don’t want to drive I’m sure you can find companies that offer some kind of a 10-day Australia group tour.
Or you just book your own flights and take organized day trips from there. For example:
Spend 3-4 days in Sydney, taking a day tour to the Blue Mountains. If you are looking for ‘thrill’ activities, you can book a tour to climb the Harbor Bridge in Sydney – it’s an unforgettable experience. We did this at twilight years ago and it was amazing!
+ 3 days in Alice Springs taking a 1-day tour to Uluru and 1-day tour to West MacDonnell Ranges
+ 3-4 days in Melbourne taking a 2-day tour for the nicest places nearby.
You can also visit the Great Barrier Reef instead of the Red Center. There are many options.
Good luck with the planning!
Dear Jurga,
Thank you for your feedback. We are from the US. Since we are already making the trip across the Pacific, might as well visit the 2 countries, even if we just focus on the capitals with out-of-town excursions.
Hi there. Australia is last on my bucket list and I am planning it so I will be in Sydney for New Years Eve. I stay in hostels when I travel. I was talking to someone at one who sent me a link for travelling in Australia where it had a whole list of things you are wanting to do there (activities), and from there, you submit and it generates the list of places in Australia to go experience these activities. I thought I bookmarked the page, but when I click on what I thought was it, it is not there. Does anyone know of the site I am looking for that does this? If so, could you please post a link for it here? Thanks in advance.
Hi Sandy, sorry, but I can’t help you with this. Looks like a strange way to plan a trip – focusing on activities rather than places you actually want to see. But I guess it could be fun if that’s the purpose of your trip.
Good luck with the search!
We are planning a trip to Australia in 2026 and we are taking our 2 kids. They will be 11 and 10 by then. What would be some cool places to go?
Hi Lori, Australia is huge and there are tons of amazing places to visit. So much depends on when you go and how much time you have.
We have an article with our 5-week Australia itinerary that we did with our kids. It’s split a bit per region, giving you a good idea of the best regions to visit and the most popular things to do there. Ideally, you choose a few main areas that you want to visit (e.g. around Sydney, Melbourne & Great Ocean Road, Red Center, etc.), then fly to those places and spend at least a few days road-tripping there. Making a long road trip covering big distances is not the best use of your time, unless you have months and months to do that.
Having said all that, some of our personal places in Australia were the Red Center, Kangaroo Island, and also Sydney and the area around the Great Barrier Reef. Great Ocean Road and Melbourne, plus the Grampians National Park was also very nice with kids, also because we saw tons of wildlife there. We weren’t as impressed with Tasmania as much as we thought we would, but maybe it’s simply because we visited it after seeing so many other amazing places. But for wildlife, it’s also an excellent choice.
Good luck with the planning and try not to ‘see it all’ – Australia is so vast and you’ll enjoy it more if you pick just a few areas and explore deeper.
Hi, I have been interested in going to Australia for a few years now, but unfortunately, I have never been able to set the time to plan it. How much time in advance would you recommend I make arrangements for a trip to Australia? (i.e. how much time before I actually go to Australia should I make plans?)
Hi Cameron, to start with – now it’s not the time yet to start planning a trip yet as it’s not at all clear as to when Australia will reopen its borders. So keep an eye on that first.
But apart from that, you can plan the trip last minute or you can plan it about a year in advance (flights usually start selling about 11 months upfront). It all depends on you and also on how flexible you are. If you are traveling during school holidays, have a limited budget or time, then it’s always better to plan well in advance. If, however, you can travel in the quieter periods and are flexible, then you can just wait until a few months before the trip. If you wait too long, you’ll likely pay a lot more for the flights and some accommodations might be sold out, so I wouldn’t leave it until the very last minute either. Let’s say about 8-11 months in advance if you aren’t very flexible, and 2-4 months in advance if you are flexible and don’t travel during the most popular times of the year.
Also, nothing stops you from planning an itinerary long before you actually start booking anything. That way you have a better idea of what you want to do, and which time of the year would be best for that area so that when you are ready to book a trip you already know what to look for.
Hope this helps.
@Jurga,
Yes, this was very helpful! Thank you so much!
Actually. I am planning to have a trip together with my family to Australia, but unfortunately, there is a change of plan due to a pandemic. I heard from some of my friends that there are lots of cool places in Australia.
Of course, there are many AMAZING places to see in Australia, Nicki! Hope you can make that trip happen when the world gets back to normal.
Hi Jurga,
Thank you for your post. Sounds very helpful…
I am planning to visit Australia for 10 days in May month along with my husband. Can you please guide me on this..
Our interest is cities, Australian culture, a bit nature but no water part as we both don’t know swimming. Moreover, how can we cover the maximum part of the country without driving because my husband doesn’t know car driving, can we rent a motorbike for driving to different places. We don’t mind flying as we are comfortable with that than driving…
Thank you. Waiting for your reply…
Hi Alisha, if you don’t drive, then you may want to look into joining a small-group guided tour. There are many choices and you can always find an itinerary that suits you best.
Alternatively, just fly to cities, explore them, and take some day trips to the places that you can’t easily reach by public transport. If you read through the other comments under this article, you’ll find quite some suggestions as to how to approach this.
Hope this helps.
Just got back from two weeks in Australia and had an amazing time.
The itinerary we followed was pretty go-go-go, and therefore not for everyone, but I’m glad we did it because we saw so many great things and met so many interesting people.
Day 1 – arrived Sydney late afternoon, had dinner, walked Circular Quay
Day 2 – Sydney (Darling Harbor attractions, Bondi Beach)
Day 3 – Sydney (Harbor Bridge Climb, Taronga Zoo)
Day 4 – Blue Mountains day trip
Day 5 – flew to Melbourne, Hanging Rock (morning) and Melbourne parks/waterfront (afternoon)
Day 6 – starting from Melbourne, drove the Great Ocean Road (stops at Bell’s Beach, Split Point Lighthouse, Apollo Bay, 12 Apostles) and did a helicopter flight over the 12 Apostles. Back in Melbourne by dinner time (VERY fast day).
Day 7 – flew to Ayers Rock, started 2.5 day/2 night camping trip, hiked around Uluru
Day 8 – camping, hiked Kata-Tjuta’s Valley of the Wind
Day 9 – camping, hiked Kings Canyon Rim Trail, arrived Alice Springs before sundown
Day 10 – Alice Springs, flew to Cairns (via Brisbane)
Day 11 – Cairns, snorkel trip to the Great Barrier Reef
Day 12 – Cairns, Kuranda Scenic Railroad out to Kuranda, Koala Gardens, Skyrail back to Cairns, flew to Brisbane, drove rental car to Hervey Bay (LONG day)
Day 13 – Drove 4 wheel drive vehicle on Fraser Island
Day 14 – flew back to Sydney, shopping in Darling Harbor, late evening in George Street
Day 15 – flew home
Yes, this is an itinerary that will wear you out. If you like to relax at the pool or spend hours sipping on a drink, this plan is definitely not for you.
Incidentally, Uber is a thing in Australia, and the drivers can be quite knowledgeable and interesting. An easy way to get a few minutes of nice conversation with a real Aussie on a near-daily basis. And we got a dinner recommendation from one that was spot-on.
If you jump around like I did, prepare to fly. Australia is just too big, and, even though many of the roads are very good, the speed limits are quite low. We’re used to seeing destinations 120 miles apart and thinking “two hours;” in Australia, it’s more like “three hours.”
Jurga is correct when she writes: “better go to fewer places that are really worth it than to many places which are not as worthwhile.” You might think I didn’t follow that advice, but I sorta did. Although there were places I would liked to have spent more time, there’s nothing I would cut to get it. To me, all the places I visited were worthwhile.
I’d heartily recommend Australia as a vacation destination to anyone.
Hi Andy, thanks for sharing your experience. I am sure it will be very helpful to others. Funny enough, I just recommended a very similar, but somewhat shorter itinerary to someone else. 🙂
I think your trip looks very good indeed and you covered most of the ‘musts’ in a short time. Flying in between all these places is the best way to do it indeed because otherwise, you waste too much time driving around rather than sightseeing in the best places.
Happy travels!
Thanks for the helpful post and comments. Overwhelming is the right word to describe planning an Australia trip! My partner and I will be traveling there for the first time in March and I’m finding it quite difficult to craft an itinerary. We’ll have 24 useable days on the ground, one of which will be dedicated to a friend’s wedding. Here is what we’re thinking so far:
Day 1 – Arrive Sydney in the morning
Days 2, 3, 4, 5 – Sydney and Blue Mountains
Day 5 or 6 – Fly to Uluru, arrive midday
Days 7-8 – Uluru and Kata Tjuta, possibly Kings Canyon
Day 9 – Evening flight from Uluru-Yulara to Adelaide
Days 10 – Wine tour of the Barossa Valley
Day 11 – Adelaide, then evening flight to Hobart, Tasmania
Days 12, 13, 14, 15 – Hobart, Port Arthur, Freycinet or Cradle Mountain NP (4 full days), evening arrival in Melbourne
Day 16 – Melbourne and friend’s wedding
Day 17 – Melbourne
Days 18, 19, 20 – Great Ocean Road tour and back to Melbourne (including Grampians NP?)
Days 21, 22, 23 – Fly from Melbourne to Cairns (could leave a day earlier); Port Douglas/Great Barrier Reef/Daintree NP
Day 24 – Last day in Queensland; evening flight back to Sydney
Day 25 – Midday flight home from Sydney
Similar to Andy’s itinerary above, this is a very fast-paced trip. We like to get an early start and cover a lot of ground each day, but I’m still wondering if we’re being too ambitious. My own inclination would be to skip Adelaide and the Barossa Valley, but my partner is a huge oenophile/shiraz fan and really wants to spend a day or two there. I feel it would be a shame to visit the Adelaide region only to skip Kangaroo Island; however, we decided that between KI and Tasmania, the latter is a must-see (except I think Tasmania really merits at least five days, and we currently only have four).
Should we consider skipping the Red Centre or the Great Barrier Reef? The main reason we’ve thought about dropping Uluru is that nonstop flight options from Uluru or Alice Springs are so limited. We were also recently in the Atacama Desert, so I’m not sure if we’re ready for another desert tour (though I’m sure Uluru is own unique experience). Alternatively, we could skip the reef if snorkeling and the weather are not ideal in late March (we’ve read mixed things about visiting during the wet season).
Do you have any thoughts on the above? We usually enjoy trip planning, but mapping out an Australia itinerary is like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle. Thanks for any suggestions!
Hi Justin, this is really tough indeed, and I’m afraid I won’t be helping much with my observations. 🙂
If I were to skip anything, I’d also skip the wine tour and Adelaide. You can taste the wine anywhere without wasting two days and adding a few extra flights for it… But if it’s a bucket list, then maybe combine it with the Kangaroo Island and skip Tasmania.
Tasmania vs. Kangaroo Island is a tough choice, but I preferred Kangaroo Island if I’m really honest. Tasmania was nice, but to me, not really WOW. But then we also had quite bad weather several days there. The wildlife in Tasmania was really special (we saw wombats, Tasmanian devils, and echidnas,..), so that in itself was worth it, I suppose.
I have no idea how snorkeling at the GBR is in March, but otherwise, the Great Barrier reef is also really impressive, and one of the must-see places for sure. If it’s not the right season, then I’d skip it, because the reef is really the main reason to go there.
As for Uluru and the whole Red Center, to me, it was one of the most special places in Australia and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it. I would skip any other place over the Red Center. But it’s really not just Uluru; if you go, take the time to explore it further – see our itinerary from Alice Springs to Uluru for suggestions. This is my personal opinion, of course. If you go just to Uluru, then feel free to skip it, because that in itself will probably not be worth all the extra travel.
Also, in Melbourne, you could do with less time. Many people even visit the Great Ocean Road as a day trip from Melbourne with a tour, so that could save you a few days.
And just to complicate things even more, I think it’s better to visit the GBR somewhere in between visiting Sydney and the Red Center, and then visit places that are in the South of Australia. The way it is now, you’ll be flying really big distances multiple times (especially Melbourne to Cairns and back to Sydney). Or maybe you can find an international flight that starts in Cairns or ends in Melbourne or so, instead of starting and ending in Sydney (if you haven’t booked it yet)…
If you find it all overwhelming, just skip one or even two regions altogether and your whole trip will be much more relaxing. But I won’t be the one telling you what to skip, because it’s really tough and I’d also be trying to squeeze it all in if I was you. 🙂
Good luck!
Thank you for all this feedback! You make a good point about the routing if we include the GBR. I will look into heading north to the reef first and then onward to the Red Center.
If we do end up in Adelaide, I agree it would make more sense to visit Kangaroo Island instead of Tasmania. It does look like a more manageable size and we wouldn’t feel as rushed with 2 or 3 days there (as opposed to the same amount of time in Tassie).
Whatever we end up deciding, I’m sure it will be an unforgettable experience. Thanks again for all the useful tips on the blog!
Yes, I think that would probably be a better plan. Start in Sydney, then Cairns, then the Red Center, and then from there down to Melbourne and Tasmania or Kangaroo Island. Good luck with the planning and I’m sure it will be a wonderful trip!
Hello
We have two 18/20 yrs with us traveling and have about. 8-10 days. Our interest is wildlife, nature, beach and cities.
What is your best advice to how much we can cover without driving too much. We dont mind flying in-between. Starting in Sydney.
My son wants to visit Perth. Any thoughts on that? Is January a good month to visit?
Hi Sunita, if you have just 8-10 days, I think that I’d skip Perth unless it’s a must for you – it will take you too long just to get there and back. Unless, you can maybe end your trip there and fly home from Perth – in that case, it could be done I suppose.
If you don’t go to Perth, here’s a quick ‘see as much as possible’ in a short time itinerary for you:
Day 1 – Arrival in Sydney and explore the city
Day 2- Blue Mountains day trip (something like this or similar)
Day 3 – Sydney
Day 4 – Fly to Melbourne and visit the city
Day 5 – Great Ocean Road day trip (something like this or similar)
Day 6 – Fly to Alice Springs and if you have the time visit West MacDonnell Ranges
Day 7 – Drive to Ayers Rock and visit Uluru and Kata Tjuta (the drive is about 6 hrs, so start early)
Day 8 – Visit the places that you haven’t seen yet and drive back to Alice Springs
Day 9 – Fly to Cairns
Day 10 – Take a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef (something like this or similar)
Day 11 – fly home
As you can see, even this is quite rushed. Furthermore, I am not sure if there are direct flights from Alice Springs to Cairns. If you have to fly via Brisbane, it will take you the whole day… You could also decide to skip one of these regions – either Cairns with the Great Barrier Reef or the Red Center wih Uluru – that would make your trip a bit more relaxed and would give you more time to explore.
There are just too many options and Australia is huge. I think you would enjoy it more if you go somewhat slower.
I am planning a trip to Australia this post is informative, but I just want to know is it safe to travel with a girls group?
Hi Saba, Australia is a wonderful country that is just as safe Europe, US, or Canada… Just like anywhere else, you should take simple precautions, but we never experienced anything during our trips Down Under that would have made us feel unsafe. We didn’t even run into any dangerous animals in the Outback…
Enjoy your trip!
Jurga,
Have you traveled to the US State of Utah and if so how does the Red Centre area compare with red rock and desert landscape of Arches National Park?
Hi Jon, we visited Arches and Moab area as well, and there are indeed some similarities. Some landscapes are very similar, the other places – not at all. In Australia, you have red sand dunes for miles and miles, gorges, and some wildlife. If you go a bit off the main tourist areas near Uluru, there are way fewer tourists than anywhere in the US.
If you like Moab area, you’ll love the Red Center.
Hiya!
Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia and is rated higher than Sydney.
Sydney has a few ‘tourist’ attractions however, it lacks the homely feel of Melbourne.
I always suggest a weekend in Sydney and a week in Melbourne where you can explore the city and inner burbs, then take trips to the great ocean road, Philip island and the Mornington peninsula.
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Jenna. I think that both cities are nice and have lots of day trip possibilities as well. I just can’t imagine visiting Australia and not going to Sydney. It’s like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel Tower… 🙂
Hi-
I am just starting to plan a trip for my husband and I, and happened across your site.
My head is spinning with all of the amazing things to see. I’ve narrowed it down to The Great Barrier Reef (we are huge fans of scuba diving), Uluru Rock, The Great Ocean Road, Kangaroo Island and Sydney.
However, looking at a map and your tips, this looks like a 3 month journey and we have 3 weeks. What would you recommend?
Thank you for your insight.
Hi Lorrie, I think you can do it in 3 weeks if you just focus on the highlights and fly in between. Here’s a suggested itinerary that gives you an idea how it can be done:
Day 1-3 So, let’s say you start in Sydney (2 days in the city) and visit the Blue Mountains as a day trip (no rental car needed if you take a tour).
Day 4-6: Fly to Melbourne, visit the city (1,5 days) and take a day trip to the Great Ocean Road. This is about 3 days.
Day 7-12: Fly to Adelaide and visit Kangaroo Island (rent a car). Go back to Adelaide for your next flight.
Day 13-18: Fly to Alice Springs (rent a car) and visit the Red Center and Uluru-Kata Tjuta NP.
Day 18-21: Fly to Cairns and visit the Great Barrier Reef.
You can adjust this a bit and spend a bit less time on Kangaroo Island or in the Red Center, but this gives you an idea of how to plan your time.
Hope this helps.
Hi Jurga,
I’d love to hear about your good and bad expierences in the eastern side of Australia. If you ever find time to write about it, I’d glady read about it!
Jean Walter
Hi Jean, our trip to the Eastern side of Australia dates back from 2003, so I’m not going to be writing about it. We had very mixed feelings with that part of Australia as it involved much too much driving with few really nice places in between. We drove all the way from Cairns to Sydney and if I were to do it again, I’d just stay at the nicest places and fly in between – much better use of your time.
This might also have to do with the fact that immediately after that we visited New Zealand and it was much more impressive – we loved every minute of it and so it’s possible that it influenced our opinion about that part of Australia as well.
Our second trip to Australia was much better as we flew all the big distances and had more time to explore the places that were worth it the most (here you can find our Australia itinerary).
Now, back to the Eastern side. We absolutely loved Whitsunday islands – we took a day trip from Airlie Beach.
Another place we really loved was O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. It was quite a drive to get there and we stayed 2 nights, and wished we had booked longer. It’s a place that we still talk about with very fond memories, even after so many years. Treetop walk, wild parrots, incredible views from a swimming pool – amazing place! One of the few places I’d love to revisit if we go back to that part of Australia. It’s not too far from Brisbane and Byron Bay – both popular stops along the coast. We also loved Noosa National Park – just a bit above Brisbane, so also possible to incorporate in the same itinerary.
Also Fraser Island nearby is said to be absolutely worth a trip and we had planned a a day trip there from Hervey Bay, but then I was really sick that day and we never got there…
That’s pretty much all that I remember as places that are worth your time the most. Many others were nice to see, but not WOW and not something to travel to the other side of the world for (or at least that’s how we felt at that time).
My other favorite places in Australia are actually the ones we visited during our second trip (the itinerary I shared above). I spent weeks and weeks planning that trip, researching it, and it was much more rewarding – we drove less and saw more. Kanagroo Island, Red Center, Tasmania, and also the area around the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians NP – I’d go back to any and each of these places in a hearbeat.
Hope this helps a bit. I know how overwhelming it is to plan a trip like that – you want to see it all, but the country is huge, so it’s really not possible. First, decide on how much time you want to spend there, then split it into several ‘blocks’ per area and plan to spend 3-7 days in each place, flying in between.
Hi Jurga,
Thank you so much, for your reply! I bookmarked your places on maps. We were initially thinking about a roadtrip from Melbourne to Flinders Rangers via Adelaide. But as you mentioned it will be driving for a very long time so now we are looking for cheap flight.
Thanks a lot!
Hi Jurga! You mentioned doing a road trip in New Zealand and loving it. Could you give me some more information on that? I have a 14 day trip planned to Australia and was hoping to see Sydney, the Great Barrier Reed, and some spots in New Zealand. Thanks for your help!
Hi Kristin, 2 weeks is such a short time. I really think you’ll enjoy it more if you just concentrate on one country. Australia is huge and in two weeks you’ll hardly scratch the surface.
We spent 3,5 weeks in New Zealand and that was about enough time to see the main highlights of both islands. We’ve been to Australia twice, for almost 9 weeks in total, and still haven’t seen most of it…
If you want to see the ‘best’ of Australia in two weeks, I’d look into combining Sydney, Great Barrier Reef, and the Red Centre. Maybe 3 days for Sydney and the Blue Mountains, then 5-6 for the Red Centre, and 3-4 for the Great Barrier Reef. Here you can find an itinerary from Alice Springs to Uluru. Fly from Sydney to Alice Springs and then to Cairns – don’t drive the big distances.
Hope this helps.
Hi Jurga,
Hope you do not mind coming into the conversation. I found this site by chance, I been reading all your post great advice. We are couple in our seventies be exact 75 and 74. We like your advice as follows.
If you want to see the ‘best’ of Australia in two weeks, I’d look into combining Sydney, Great Barrier Reef, and the Red Centre. Maybe 3 days for Sydney and the Blue Mountains, then 5-6 for the Red Centre, and 3-4 for the Great Barrier Reef. Here you can find an itinerary from Alice Springs to Uluru. Fly from Sydney to Alice Springs and then to Cairns – don’t drive the big distances.
What do you recommend.
Kind Regards
Denis
Hi Denis, I’m not sure I understand your question… Are you looking for a 2-week itinerary for Australia? In that case yes, you could start with Sydney and the Blue Mountains (3 days), fly to Cairns and visit the Great Barrier Reef (3 days), then fly to Alice Springs and visit the Red Center (3 days minimum, but 5-6 days will allow you to explore more places – see our Red Center itinerary here). From there fly to Melbourne and visit the Great Ocean Road (another 3-4 days).
You can rent a car at all/some of these places, but you can also take tours if you don’t want to drive. For example:
If all this planning seems too much, you can find some small-group tours that cover pretty much everything I mentioned above. Many tours start in Sydney and end in Melbourne. It can be a nice way to see all the highlights of Australia in a short time.
Hope this helps.
Just beginning our planning intending to travel next January or February. We plan to go for about 6 weeks intending to see New Zealand and hopefully a short South Pacific island cruise ( husband is a rugby fan).
Thank you for your information it’s been really useful. I’ve pinned it to use when we’ve reached the narrowing down what we can feasibly fit in stage.
Glad you found it helpful, Gina. Here you can find more ideas with some itinerary suggestions for Australia as well. Just don’t underestimate the driving distances. Also in New Zealand, you need at least 3 weeks to see the main highlights of both islands.
Sounds like an amazing trip. Enjoy it!
I was reading your info on Brugges as we are travelling there in April, and as an Australian wanted to check your thoughts on Australia.
I live in Melbourne and I too love Kings Canyon the Olga and Uluru is just amazing, so glad you enjoyed.
Thanks for the info on Bruges.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, glad you found the info on Bruges useful. And yes, we LOVED the Red Centre in Australia. Hope to return one day now that the kids are bigger and we could do more hiking.
Enjoy Belgium!
I have to plan a trip with my wife for 12days. Kindly let me know which cities to cover.
Hi, it’s a bit hard for me to give any advice as I don’t know how you like to travel and what your interests are. You can find some itinerary suggestions in our Australia trip itinerary.
Here’s just a quick suggestion for you. If you have just 12 days in Australia and are mostly interested in cities, then definitely don’t miss Sydney and Melbourne. You could split your trip in three parts and visit Cairns (Great Barrier Reef), Sydney, and Melbourne. You’ll have to fly between the cities.
From Melbourne, make sure to visit the Great Ocean Road.
From Sydney – the Blue Mountains.
From Cairns, visit the Great Barrier Reef. If you have one more day in the area, you can also visit Daintree as a day trip as well.
Hope this helps.
Actually we (2 family with 7-8 menbers) plan to drive travel from Sydney to Ade lade within 12 days, please recommend.
Redards,
Hi Lu, sorry, but I can’t recommend itinerary for this. I have no time to plan individual itineraries, that’s why I share our experiences and tips to help you plan a trip of your own. Here you can find some of our itinerary suggestions for Australia, it features Sydney, Blue Mountains, and the stretch between Adelaide and Melbourne, as well as Kangaroo Island. My recommendation is to fly bigger distances if you are short on time – it’s cheaper and it leaves you more time for sightseeing.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for these tips! We are flying with our two boys 3.5 and 6.5, in August. Going to Sydney and melbourne (I was born there, and lived there until I was 12). Trying to decide on one addition and considering Ularu or Kangaroo Island. Both kids love animals and wildlife.
Will prob. be doing Phillip Island from Melbourne, Healsville Sanctuary also…
Sydney, will try to squeeze in Blue Mountains, but don’t want whole trip to be about “getting there”…
It’s a difficult choice indeed – Kangaroo Island is definitely better for wildlife, while Uluru has such a unique scenery… We visited and loved both places, you can’t compare them. Good luck with your decision!
Thanks for these tips! We are flying with our two boys 3.5 and 6.5, in August. Going to Sydney and melbourne (I was born there, and lived there until I was 12). Trying to decide on one addition and considering Ularu or Kangaroo Island. Both kids love animals and wildlife.
Will prob. be doing Phillip Island from Melbourne, Healsville Sanctuary also…
Sydney, will try to squeeze in Blue Mountains, but don’t want whole trip to be about “getting there”….
Sounds like you had a nice trip planned! I’ll try to answer some of your questions.
You can see the highlights of Blue Mountains in just a day, so it’s doable as a day trip from Sydney. And definitely worth it! And there is a nice wildlife park on the way there too (Featherdale Wildlife Park). In that case you would probably need more than a day though, but I know that many day trips combine the two.
As for Kangaroo Island vs Uluru. In August I think Uluru is better weather-wise as it’s not too hot and you can do some more hiking (check these posts for some ideas: Australia’s Red Centre Road Trip Itinerary With Kids and Kata Tjuta With Kids). While on Kangaroo island it will be quite cold and wet. On the other hand, you will definitely see much more wildlife on Kangaroo Island. Not sure if you saw this post – Best Things To Do on Kangaroo Island – check it out for some inspiration. It’s a tough choice, as both are amazing places and well worth a trip.
This is a great post – really helpful guide to traveling in Australia. Have pinned it!
Thanks, Soraya! Glad you found it useful.