I am in the beginning stages of planning an Australia trip in 2009. For some nativs what are some points of interest that are a MUST to see when there? One spot that I want to hit is the Australia Zoo and the Great Berrier Reef.

Any help would be awsome. I am comming in from the U.S.

Keep ya belt on when coming in to land...
Those big planes tend to slide around from all the snakes on the runway....



ROCKMAN

barrier reef is great-do a smaller boat out of port douglas instead of cairns, much better vibe up there. byron bay is my favorite personally for mellowness, great surfing, dolphins etc. down south kangaroo island is superb, tasmania if you have time. near melbourne the great ocean road to 12 apostles is stunning. if you're a keen diver ningaloo reef on the west coast is the only place in the world with pretty much guaranteed whale shark viewing at a certain time of year, manta rays too and its really remote and cool out west. heaps more to do depending on time and new zealand is right around the corner which is a whole nother can of worms....b

Yeah it's a Crawlin' King Snake land down here....





ROCKMAN

I'm not Aussie but I've been there about 5 times. Covered almost all of it.Here's what I recommend (leaning towards the cities - am not a country boy here or there or anywhere):

Since I believe ROCKMAN is close to Melbourne BE SURE to go there RIGHT AWAY (I don't want a knife at my throat someday - haha)

#1 SYDNEY - really is a lovely city. Opera House is fantastic. A lot to see...

#2 CAIRNS/PORT DOUGLAS - Aussie's don't seem to like Cairns (CANS) at all but it's a good gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Green Island is beautiful and you get there from Cairns (day trip). The restaurants and nightlife in Cairns are getting better.

#3 PERTH - a lot of Aussie's never make it to Perth. I love the "outpost" vibe, the warm Indian Ocean (a lot of nice beaches by a 20 - 30 min. bus ride from central Perth). Keep in mind that is isn't a giant city but very enjoyable.

#4 AYER'S ROCK - found it pretty interesting and you make a ton of travel friends on the 5 hour bus ride from ALICE SPRINGS

#5 SURFER'S PARADISE/BRISBANE - Surfer's is a bit Las Vegas but the beach is nice. Brisbane is nice but won't knock your socks off.

#6 Darwin - skip it.

Hey that's about it Hellter....But ya missed The Bunker...

And Gibb bring ya own water or you'll be doin' a Ghandi...





ROCKMAN

gibb76,

A common itinerary is down the eastern seaboard starting North:

Cairns - Barrier Reef & Daintree Rainforest

Brisbane/Gold Coast - Australia Zoo (30 minutes north of BrisVegas) and theme parks & beaches on Gold Coast (about 50 minutes south of BrsVegas)

Sydney - Opera House, Bondi Beach, etc

It depends on the month you are coming. From top to bottom, there can be a pretty big jump in temperatures.

Cairns is very much a town built on the tourist industry and is very popular. Wearing jeans can be considered overdressing. Some of the more famous attractions:

- access to the great barrier reef. Probably the most popular outfit is called Quicksiver which has fast speed catamarans that run to the reef everyday. It is a really great day out...even those who can't swim will appreciate it.
- tjapukai aboriginal arts center
- skyrail (right next to tjapukai) which is a cable car that runs up a mountain over the daintree forest an into a nice little town called Kuranda...catch the train back to cairns
- Bungee Jumping, skydiving & white water rafting (if that is your thing)
- daintree rainforrest
- Port Douglas as mentioned above is a real gem. It is a 45 minute drive north of Cairns. Many hollywood stars visit this place for a getaway. Bill Clinton has visted twice...once during his presidency and again after he left office...he was in Port Douglas when 9/11 happened.
- A zoo which is on the road between Cairns and Port Douglas...forgot the name of it
- Johnno's Blues Bar which has good live music and nightly cane toad racing

Also if you are considering the great barrier reef, have a look at the whitsundays which is a much more relaxed and romantic option.

If you are bringing kids, you might consider the gold coast which has Seaworld, movie world and dream world. Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo is close to the sunshine coast which is about an hour and a half drive north of the Goldcoast.

If you are young and single you might think of doing a contiki tour with a lot of like minded people from Europe and the States...

many many options...just depends on what you are into

BTW, any Aussie's know the name of that Zoo (?) not really a typical - animals from all over - Zoo but it's close to Sydney and has all the Aussie only animals such as Koala's and Kangaroo's? I remember the Koala area was great cause they just hang around on this tree under some blue/green tarps and you can actually pet them and stuff, great for photography too. About an hour (or less) from Sydney...(I think ROCKMAN might have a "No Limits 2007" Pass, ROCKMAN?) Seriously, If you know the name of the place let me know.... THANKS.....

Guess ya mean Taronga zoo....????



ROCKMAN

That might be it ROCKMAN - sounds right. I just remember all the Koala's hanging around and a Zoo assistant puts them on this wood railing that they just sit on and eat their eucolyptus - man, is that a spelling mess - leaves. They just sit there like NOTHING bothers them (obviously don't watch CNN).... very cool animals. Now THAT was a fun afternoon AND I got some great photo's of the Koala kids. Gotta go back on the next visit, whenever that happens......