What's worth seeing in Australia?

[happy]

I am likely to come to Australia in 2008 - staying for 6 months.

To get a cheap flight I have the possibility to book additional domestic flights in advance.

So what else, beside Sydney, is worth to see? What is a must see?

 

[Tassiemariner]

Well a mariners game is must.

Melbourne is Australia's 2nd biggest city and there is plenty of stuff to do there.
Highly recommend a Melbourne Cricket Ground tour.

 

[happy]

Well a mariners game is must.

That's what I am doing for sure

Melbourne is Australia's 2nd biggest city and there is plenty of stuff to do there.
Highly recommend a Melbourne Cricket Ground tour.

Is the Melbourne Cricket Ground the huge stadium?

 

[Tassiemariner]

Yep 100,000 seat capacity.

Great ocean road outside melbourne is beautiful aswell.
Infact just spend a week or 2 in Melbourne/Victoria.

My home state of Tasmania is great if wonderful scenery and the early history of australia are what your interested in.

Adelaide is good for wine lovers.

 

[bobandbill]

But does happy follow cricket? Not much point if not - cricket is basically unhear dof in Poland - i'd imagine a similar position in Germany. Doesn't the tour mostly focus on cricket? Someone else answer this - I have no idea personally. Melbourne's nice though. The MCG is the huge stadium.

The Gold Coast, or Carins, could be an option if it's sandy beaches and reefs you want to see... particually Carins if you plan on some snorkelling (Great Barrier Reef). Cairns also has the Daintree Rainforest.

 

[happy]

Well, cricket is relatively unknown in Germany. but I've never seen a stadium with a seat capacity of 100,000.

Snorkelling sounds good 

 

[Tassiemariner]

True true but im sure happy could tune out from what the old tour guide says and just take (pardon the pun) happy snaps at the G.

 

[happy]

what about ayers rock?

 

[rosko]

All the landmarks are great Happy... Ayers Rock.. Harbour Bridge Climb... If you want to interact with Dolphins, Sharks, etc, a visit to Seaworld on the Gold Coast... Id love to visit The Northern Territory... An Australian Rules game at the MCG would be a must, especially one of the big games... A ride on a Manly Ferry is a cheap way to have a Sydney Harbour cruise... You need to hassle out Mariners supporters to show you around.. Im sure there would be plenty of volunteers... When it gets closer make sure you ask around..

 

[FFC Mariner]

Climb the Bridge. Expensive but an absolute must do before you die kinda thing.

The Rock thing is so freakin boring it isnt funny - its a rock and that about as good as it gets.

 

[CCM-JAM80]

Where do you want to start?

There is sooo much to see and do here that you will need to be more specific.

Where will you be based?

Will you move from state to state?

Are you working here?

Etc.

Etc.

 

[happy]

Where do you want to start?

There is sooo much to see and do here that you will need to be more specific.

Where will you be based?

Will you move from state to state?

Are you working here?

Etc.

Etc.

If everything works out the way I want it to, I will arrive at the end of July and stay for about 6 months, til mid-January 09.
I will be studying in Sydney.
I'm planning to travel around after the semester, i.e. in December til January.

I don't really want to move around from state to state - just see the highlights

 

[curious]

http://www.visitnsw.com.au/tourism_nsw.aspx

I bumped into a young german couple recently in outback NSW. When I asked what they were doing off the normal tourist trails they said they wanted to see the real Australia, so they hired a car & drove around NSW for 3 weeks.

If you want to see Uluru, do it. It will at least give you an understanding of the size of the country. Aussies take our own landscape for granted.

Two other suggestions if you don't mind travelling very long distances & want to see the outback, (many would say too much of it) are the Indian/Pacific train trip to Perth, & the Ghan train trip from Adelaide to Alice Springs/Darwin.

Just remember, Sydney to Perth is a similar distance as Paris to Moscow.
http://www.gsr.com.au/our-trains/the-ghan/the-journey.php
http://www.gsr.com.au/our-trains/indian-pacific/the-journey.php
http://www.ozhorizons.com.au/train/train.htm

 

[Mariner Girl]

Because we celebrate Christmas in the heat here in Australia, a few years back someone thought up a concept of "Christmas in July" so we could experience a Winter Christmas. Well it has really become popular and one of the best places to visit for Christmas in July is the Blue Mountains, located 90 minutes south west of Sydney.

This would be a great weekend trip for you during your study time in Sydney.

Here is a link for you to check it out
http://www.bluemountainswonderland.com/experience.php?id=4

Also, I am a Travel Agent here in Sydney so if you want me to check prices and things for you, please let me know.  

 

[Pete]

Happy, There's a heap of things to do around Sydney. A lot of us on this forum work in Sydney or have lived there previously, so don't be afraid to ask.

Can recommmend the Bridgeclimb, suggest you pre-book before you come over here, so you can cross that off your list very early on in your visit.

If you are doing study at a Univeristy, they have a Student's Union that could help you out with some info., but you would have to join them to get the benefits. As a foreign student that may be helpful depending upon the level of studies.

Tourism-wise, maybe someone here could suggest which folks to contact on the other A-League supporters forums who might be able to give you some tourist tips for their city.

If you want to just see some highlights, but see a lot of what is Australia, then maybe look at domestic flights for capital cities, to get around in the shortest time, but see a bit. Perth, if you can get to it, is a very different city to Sydney, and south from there is the Margaret River region and Albany.

Melbourne has some great eating places, and if you are a sports nut, the MCG is a good place to start if you want to know why Australian's are so sports mad.

Getting to places like Ayers Rock is best to pre book and get there during the good seasons, same goes for the tropical parts of the country.

And hey, you can always become a Marinator while you are staying in Australia, and come up by train from Sydney for the home matches. You can get to meet many of us here, and see what Football in Australia is like (even become a member and get to go to the post match functions, if they have them again next season). 

 

[ryan]

If you get to the coast The Reptile Park is a good place to go to see native wildlife like kangaroos, koals and crocodiles and of course our very dangerous collection of snake species

 

[skilbeck]

Any bit of the 24,000 km of Australian coastline is a must see IMO especially if you havent been to the beach that much. The best part of Aussie culture IMO is its beach culture so thats what I would recommend. It looks like you will have the time and be in the right location for a Mariners season ticket . In regards to the MCG tour it is mostly cricket and AFL focused but does show how the stadium has fitted into Australian sport and life in general.

 

[happy]

Thanks a lot so far for your recommendations.
I see there is a lot to do in Australia. So I have to plan it carefully.

Some things are fixed by now:
Mariners game(s)
Harbour Bridge Climb
Ayers Rock

 

[adz]

the big banana

 

[~Floss~]

Thanks a lot so far for your recommendations.
I see there is a lot to do in Australia. So I have to plan it carefully.

Some things are fixed by now:
Mariners game(s)
Harbour Bridge Climb
Ayers Rock

+ Barrier Reef / Cairns, etc.