Any one been to Australia?

Glaucus · 13-10-2010, 18:15

Been invited to a wedding next year over there. Don't think he was expecting any of us to say yes. But wanted to go for ages and what a good excuse.
However flights for august seem to be around 1100 but most other months seems to be as low as 700. So any ideas how to get cheap flights, I've heard about split flights being cheaper but how do you do that.

Also any must dos thinking 3 or 4 weeks and weddings about 8hr drive from Perth.

BBx · 13-10-2010, 18:32

Wow that seems v expensive :/ especially for August which will be cold!

What sort of things do you want to do?

Went back for a wedding in Melbourne last year - went to Melbourne and Sydney (bro lives in the blue mountain).

3-4 weeks is a great amount of time - depends on what you want to get out of it

That was my second trip to Oz... have also been to Brisbane and only spent 2 hours in Perth changing planes!

BB x

Glaucus · 13-10-2010, 18:35

Ideally a bit of everything nightlife, Holliday, beach, culture, sites/outback.
Tbh not really sure what's out there, did you do any cool things which you would say are a must do.

BBx · 13-10-2010, 18:51

Depends on where you want to go.

Never actually been to Perth but have been told there isn't much to do there really.

Sydney
Obvious sights to see: the Bridge, the Bridgeclimb (isn't actually as scary as it seems but quite expensive for what it is tbh), Royal Opera House (I went to see Carmen there tickets were about £60 back in 2003).

We stayed in the Vibe Hotel - there is a shuttle bus which gets you to Circular Quay (its one straight road and a 20-25min walk all flat so no problem) which is where the bridge, opera house and ferry to Taronga zoo and other attractions are.

The Rocks Market - think this is on a Monday

Blue mountains tour - cable car and train - I would suggest doing this

Going out: I think I went to a club called The Establishment. There is also The Cheers and 3 monkeys bars on Elizabeth Street (I think its that street)

Chinatown, Paddy's Market and the Fish Market are also top sightseeing things to do.

Get a train to Bondi and check it out - nice places to eat there

Darling harbour - loads of places to eat and drink there! It has evolved between my first and second trip and is lively and bustly

There is also the Casino (again)

Melbourne
Melbourne is one of those places that you would go to once - it was nice, but smaller than Sydney.

Went to the Crowne plaza - casino which was good fun

Also went up the observation tower - can't remember what it was called.

We also went to Phillip Island where there is loads to do on there - one of which is a family run animal park - Maru Wildlife park http://www.visitphillipisland.com/se...20Fauna%20Park

We went to the chocolate factory which was also good fun

You can also see the penguins walk out of the ocean and go to their homes - this is a big attraction on Philip Island.

Hire a car and drive on the Great Ocean Road - apparently its brilliant - but we ran out of time.

Luna Park in St kilda is worth a look too - old skool funfair.

We visited ramsey st too!

Brisbane:
My only memory of Brissy was driving a robin reliant to the Lone Pine Sanctuary. In New South Wales you can't hold koalas there because they are slightly different and their bones are more brittle - in Queensland you can, which is why we made the trip!

We also went to the Gold Coast where there are some theme parks - we went to Movieworld because my friend was too chicken to go to Dreamworld which looked awesome!

Hope this helps

BB x

Mark · 13-10-2010, 22:32

Spent a month out there. Would love to do again.

Try looking at one-night stopovers (usually Singapore or Bangkok) to see if that helps with the cost. The plane will refuel there en-route anyway so you're not adding any extra mileage (though obviously you are adding extra hotel costs). This is probably what is being referred to by 'split flights'. 28 hours each way is a bit of a drag!

Perth is the wrong side of the country for most of the touristy bits. Perth is far to the west and the tourists tend to head south (Sydney/Melbourne/Adelaide) and east (Gold Coast/Cairns). If you want to do the touristy bits you might want to look at a round-trip including an internal flight (driving is possible but an order of magnitude bigger than almost anything you'd do in the UK).

Sydney - Mei has things pretty well covered. Public transport was fantastic but it was the year after the Olympics so may have gone downhill in the last 10 years. Ferries are highly recommended (I got a multi-day ticket and made plenty of use of it). Obviously if you're into cricket then the SCG is a must-do.

Melbourne - not been

Adelaide - only really worth it en-route to somewhere else (which is what I did).

Uluru/Ayers Rock. It's quite some rock (over 9 km around the base - I've walked all of it!) Can be climbed but it's quite the challenge apparently. Only problem is it's pretty much bang in the middle of the country (so lots of distance away from anywhere).

Cairns - almost into Tropical Rainforest climate so looks very different to much of Australia. If you're there, do go visit the rainforest. And of course, the great barrier reef.

Finally, check out the AAT Kings tours. Obviously you can only go where they go, but it saves driving. Did a 15-day tour right up the middle with them.

BBx · 13-10-2010, 23:18

Perth has nice beaches... so I heard.

Our flights were £974 and that was Booking in Jan for travel in April - so quite late. We also flew into Melbourne, MEL > SYD and SYD to LHR so was more expensive.

As Mark said you probably could look into the the East Coast trip (have never done it) but Whitsundays, Fraser Island and Great Barrier reef - look them up.

We flew Quantas/BA on the new A380 = it was lush!

As mark said you will have to refuel or transit at Malaysia/Singapore/Dubai depending on the airline.

BB x

Mark · 13-10-2010, 23:46

Yes, east coast! Fixed!

PS - Qantas.

Will · 14-10-2010, 07:10

About 10 years ago I spent about 3 weeks there, but only really remember a little of it. Spent most of my time in NSW. BBx has much more up to date info!

BBx · 14-10-2010, 13:37

http://www.australia.com/campaigns/n...pageadunit-lon

From a FB ad - Emirate fly to Perth you might want to check out.

Otherwise:

Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Qantas.

BB x

Glaucus · 14-10-2010, 18:14

Cheers guys gives me a lot to look at and search when I get home and can get on proper internet.

13-10-2010, 18:15	#1
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	Any one been to Australia? Been invited to a wedding next year over there. Don't think he was expecting any of us to say yes. But wanted to go for ages and what a good excuse. However flights for august seem to be around 1100 but most other months seems to be as low as 700. So any ideas how to get cheap flights, I've heard about split flights being cheaper but how do you do that. Also any must dos thinking 3 or 4 weeks and weddings about 8hr drive from Perth. __________________

13-10-2010, 18:35	#3
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	Ideally a bit of everything nightlife, Holliday, beach, culture, sites/outback. Tbh not really sure what's out there, did you do any cool things which you would say are a must do. __________________

13-10-2010, 18:51	#4
BBx Reverse SuBo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: London Posts: 8,673	Depends on where you want to go. Never actually been to Perth but have been told there isn't much to do there really. Sydney Obvious sights to see: the Bridge, the Bridgeclimb (isn't actually as scary as it seems but quite expensive for what it is tbh), Royal Opera House (I went to see Carmen there tickets were about £60 back in 2003). We stayed in the Vibe Hotel - there is a shuttle bus which gets you to Circular Quay (its one straight road and a 20-25min walk all flat so no problem) which is where the bridge, opera house and ferry to Taronga zoo and other attractions are. The Rocks Market - think this is on a Monday Blue mountains tour - cable car and train - I would suggest doing this Going out: I think I went to a club called The Establishment. There is also The Cheers and 3 monkeys bars on Elizabeth Street (I think its that street) Chinatown, Paddy's Market and the Fish Market are also top sightseeing things to do. Get a train to Bondi and check it out - nice places to eat there Darling harbour - loads of places to eat and drink there! It has evolved between my first and second trip and is lively and bustly There is also the Casino (again) Melbourne Melbourne is one of those places that you would go to once - it was nice, but smaller than Sydney. Went to the Crowne plaza - casino which was good fun Also went up the observation tower - can't remember what it was called. We also went to Phillip Island where there is loads to do on there - one of which is a family run animal park - Maru Wildlife park http://www.visitphillipisland.com/se...20Fauna%20Park We went to the chocolate factory which was also good fun You can also see the penguins walk out of the ocean and go to their homes - this is a big attraction on Philip Island. Hire a car and drive on the Great Ocean Road - apparently its brilliant - but we ran out of time. Luna Park in St kilda is worth a look too - old skool funfair. We visited ramsey st too! Brisbane: My only memory of Brissy was driving a robin reliant to the Lone Pine Sanctuary. In New South Wales you can't hold koalas there because they are slightly different and their bones are more brittle - in Queensland you can, which is why we made the trip! We also went to the Gold Coast where there are some theme parks - we went to Movieworld because my friend was too chicken to go to Dreamworld which looked awesome! Hope this helps BB x Last edited by BBx; 14-10-2010 at 08:37. Reason: Keep remembering stuff!

13-10-2010, 22:32	#5
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Spent a month out there. Would love to do again. Try looking at one-night stopovers (usually Singapore or Bangkok) to see if that helps with the cost. The plane will refuel there en-route anyway so you're not adding any extra mileage (though obviously you are adding extra hotel costs). This is probably what is being referred to by 'split flights'. 28 hours each way is a bit of a drag! Perth is the wrong side of the country for most of the touristy bits. Perth is far to the west and the tourists tend to head south (Sydney/Melbourne/Adelaide) and east (Gold Coast/Cairns). If you want to do the touristy bits you might want to look at a round-trip including an internal flight (driving is possible but an order of magnitude bigger than almost anything you'd do in the UK). Sydney - Mei has things pretty well covered. Public transport was fantastic but it was the year after the Olympics so may have gone downhill in the last 10 years. Ferries are highly recommended (I got a multi-day ticket and made plenty of use of it). Obviously if you're into cricket then the SCG is a must-do. Melbourne - not been Adelaide - only really worth it en-route to somewhere else (which is what I did). Uluru/Ayers Rock. It's quite some rock (over 9 km around the base - I've walked all of it!) Can be climbed but it's quite the challenge apparently. Only problem is it's pretty much bang in the middle of the country (so lots of distance away from anywhere). Cairns - almost into Tropical Rainforest climate so looks very different to much of Australia. If you're there, do go visit the rainforest. And of course, the great barrier reef. Finally, check out the AAT Kings tours. Obviously you can only go where they go, but it saves driving. Did a 15-day tour right up the middle with them. Last edited by Mark; 13-10-2010 at 23:45. Reason: Need a compass! :)

14-10-2010, 07:10	#8
Will BBx woz 'ere :P Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 2,147,487,208	About 10 years ago I spent about 3 weeks there, but only really remember a little of it. Spent most of my time in NSW. BBx has much more up to date info! __________________ *No No!*

13-10-2010, 18:32	#2
BBx Reverse SuBo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: London Posts: 8,673	Wow that seems v expensive :/ especially for August which will be cold! What sort of things do you want to do? Went back for a wedding in Melbourne last year - went to Melbourne and Sydney (bro lives in the blue mountain). 3-4 weeks is a great amount of time - depends on what you want to get out of it That was my second trip to Oz... have also been to Brisbane and only spent 2 hours in Perth changing planes! BB x

13-10-2010, 23:18	#6
BBx Reverse SuBo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: London Posts: 8,673	Perth has nice beaches... so I heard. Our flights were £974 and that was Booking in Jan for travel in April - so quite late. We also flew into Melbourne, MEL > SYD and SYD to LHR so was more expensive. As Mark said you probably could look into the the East Coast trip (have never done it) but Whitsundays, Fraser Island and Great Barrier reef - look them up. We flew Quantas/BA on the new A380 = it was lush! As mark said you will have to refuel or transit at Malaysia/Singapore/Dubai depending on the airline. BB x

13-10-2010, 23:46	#7
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Yes, east coast! Fixed! PS - Qantas.

14-10-2010, 13:37	#9
BBx Reverse SuBo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: London Posts: 8,673	http://www.australia.com/campaigns/n...pageadunit-lon From a FB ad - Emirate fly to Perth you might want to check out. Otherwise: Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Qantas. BB x

14-10-2010, 18:14	#10
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	Cheers guys gives me a lot to look at and search when I get home and can get on proper internet. __________________