Australia itinerary

Wow Kerri, that’s a bit busy, but if I was going to try to fit in all of that, based on direct flights, and minimising hotel changes, I would probably look at
Perth
Indian Pacific (depending on your arrival time in Sydney an evening flight out that day might be doable)
Melbourne
Cairns
Uluru
Sydney
You might want to have a play around on webjet.com.au or something similar to see how it might work.
Happy planning

We visited Perth in 2013. Enjoyed our visit, which was two days. I can't imagine spending 10 days there. What will you do in 10 days?

I researched doing the train from Perth to Sydney and the consensus was that you get to see a lot of dried up desert outback. Didn't want to waste three days on that.

We have spend a good bit of time in Melbourne, Sydney, etc. Both are great. You need some days in each, there is a lot to see.

From Melbourne, do a Vineyard tour. Also, to The Great Ocean Highway and Philip Island with the wonderful little penguins.
In Sydney, there are several great museum. Also, climb the famous bridge tower. go to the zoo, the beach, do a harbor cruise and see the Blue Mountains.

In Carins, do some snorkeling.

Easy to check flights. I’ve done direct between Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns - different combinations. Just lay out several possible itineraries and do some searches. I flew Quantas.

Will you rent a car?

Agree with above post on activities!

Direct flights available on all those as far as I am aware.

10 days in Perth? Hopefully not just Perth.
This time last year we were doing a 3 week SW of WA roadie starting/finishing in Perth. We spent virtually no time in Perth itself (too many other things to do) but a bit of time in Freo. If you are planning on doing a bit of exploring from Perth I can give you a few ideas. I have family there so do get the inside scoop on a few things.

Melbourne, I was born and raised there. Obviously if you doing GP stuff you'll want to be near Albert Park. If you have free time though I would strongly suggest getting out of there and seeing some of the beauty of my wonderful State of Victoria. It's a pretty small state so you can see a few things in a short period. Again I am happy to throw you a few ideas. I always think the best view of Melbourne is in my rear vision mirror but tourists often like it.

I won't offer any tips on Sydney, Cairns or Uluru.
Cheers.
PS. Victoria has a monolith 1.5 x bigger than Uluru, it is located just near the tiny town of Tintaldra. Pine Mountain in the Burrowa Pine Mountain NP. Not quite as photogenic as Uluru though.

Bookmarking, thanks for the input here so far

The Qantas low-cost affiliate JetStar is an efficient and relatively cheap way to get around the country. It's no-frills but will get you where you want to go.
It's your trip and your choice, but I personally wouldn't waste 3 days of my trip on a train ride across the country.
Adelaide is a beautiful city and a personal favorite and is worth a few days if you have the time. The nearby Barossa Valley wine district is worth a day or two by itself.
The Gold Country near Melbourne centered around the towns of Ballarat and Bendigo is worth a detour while you're in Melbourne. Victoria in general is quite pretty and is tailor made for meanderings by car.
Getting a car and driving one-way from Adelaide to Melbourne would be a very pretty way to go, especially if you take the Prince's Highway along the coast. The Great Ocean Road is one of the world's great scenic drives.
You won't need nor want a car in Melbourne ... or Sydney for that matter - just too much of a hassle - especially in central Melbourne which has one of the strangest rules of the road that you'll encounter anywhere. Can Google "Hook turn in Melbourne" for an entertaining description of what's involved. Even Aussies from other parts of the country shudder at the prospect of driving in the city center.
Ensure that you book your flight into the airport at Uluru versus Alice Springs, which is a 6 hour drive away. That said, you can pretty much see what there is to see in and around Uluru in a day unless you want to drive over to Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) about 45 minutes away. If you do drive around the outback in the vicinity of The Rock you're likely to encounter the largest herd of wild camels on earth - descendants of the ones that were released into the wild after completion of the Ghan railroad.
Personal opinion only, but I think you're short-changing your time Sydney. There's enough there to keep you busy for weeks, including side trips to the Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley and the beach suburbs of Manly and Bondi. One of life's great pleasures is just being in the vicinity of Circular Quay on a sunny day, and riding the ferries across and around the harbor to visit some of the hidden little suburbs is one of our most pleasant memories from frequent visits to our favorite city on earth.

Thanks for the replies, they're much appreciated. One of my closest friends lives in Perth, hence the long stay in WA. So, some time to visit, get adjusted to the time zone and do some minimal sightseeing before the busyness of the second half of the trip.

I had a little chuckle when I read the various train comments. The timing of the trip is based on the train! It's not just a three straight day trek across the country. There's the whole experience of train travel and daily excursions, including to the Blue Mountains. I suspect I'll get to see a lot of the country that many Australians never will. I'm looking forward to seeing the remote parts of the country as well as the more frequently visited ones.

I have always fancied doing the Indian Pacific train journey, just the cost has held me back. One day.
Anyway I think that is a great option as you will see some of Australia most tourists never see. There are some interesting off train options too.

I am sure your Perth pal will steer you well. Do try to get to the wonderful Shipwreck Museum in nearby Fremantle, the Batavia collection in particular. Also the obligatory trip from Fremantle to Rottnest Island is well worthwhile. Not just to meet the impossibly cute quokkas but also great coastal scenery. We hired bikes and did a 25 km loop of the island. A tour of the old gaol at Freo is fun too. Do you like caves? The Margaret River area has great caves (along aptly named Caves Rd) as well as great surf beaches and coastal scenery, also a food and wine haven.
Cheers.

@ Kerri

Late summer is idyllic weather in the southern states. Temperatures in the high 20’s, brilliant blue skies, and scarce rain. Someone has advised you wisely.

Perth is isolated and not the usual place for tourists to target. I know a lot about Perth, and it’s surrounds. My hometown, and still spend a lot of time there through my investment in mining. Early March sees mid to high 30’s, occasional 40, early morning followed by a bustling sea breeze around mid-day quickly dropping the temps to mid-20’s. Frankly Perth has developed around the hedonistic pleasures of the locals. Not geared to tourists as in Europe. Wealth has come from agriculture and mining.

Rottnest Island (Wadjemup in the Nyungar language, who are the true owners of the island). Rotto is one of the preferred long weekend and holiday getaway for the locals. A great place for fun and relaxation. 18kms offshore. In my youth, my mates and I enjoyed sailing to and anchoring in one of the bays. Swimming/snorkeling is completely relaxing. The reefs, bar one, are old limestone rocks, not coral. (One needs to go 1300kms north to Ningaloo Reef for the Indian Ocean coral and tropical fish). Do not be alarmed by many of the local young women/girls dispensing with the bikini tops in order to absorb as much vitamin D as possible. Is quite acceptable.

The island offers variety of accommodation for both short and long stays.

The commercial catamaran options are all good. Only been on them once. Escorted the board and important shareholders of a large Japanese company who had endured a number of hot days in the eastern mining region looking at Nickel mining sites. All were thrilled. The excitement and enjoyment shown by the normally culturally reserve men made me realise what magical effect little quokkas had on people. I had grown up with them and taken them for granted.

Indian Pacific one of the great transcontinental train journeys.

Regards Ron

It sounds like you won’t, but I wouldn’t give up the Indian Pacific for anything . I did the trip 15 years ago and it is still one of my fondest travel memories. Long distance train travel is a relaxing trip and, you’re right, a great way to see parts of the country that many people don’t. Savor this once-in-a lifetime experience. I predict that after it, you’ll soon be making plans to take The Ghan!

geovagriffith mentioned the zoo in Sydney. Has anyone also been to the aquarium there, and if so, does anyone have a thought on which one is better if you only have time to do either the zoo or the aquarium?

Re Taronga Zoo versus the Aquarium: both are terrific and are worth a visit. A trip over to the zoo has the added attraction of the ferry ride over from Circular Quay, as well as a chance to walk part of the very pretty shoreline trail that constitutes Sydney Harbor National Park. If you're particularly ambitious you can walk along the trail in either direction to the next ferry landing and return across the harbor from there.
You can see the aquarium in a couple of hours (max), while the zoo is more of a half day excursion ... if you're pinched for time.

Robert, thanks so much. We might be able to see the aquarium on a free afternoon.

The aquarium is conveniently located in the heart of the city, so it won't take up much travel time, allowing you to make the most of your afternoon. Consider booking tickets in advance to avoid any potential queues.

The zoo is absolutely worth your time!! Ferry ride over, wonderful exhibits of Australian animals (and others - but we tend not to see so many Australian animals at least in my experience of US zoos), attractive property. If you like walking/strolling/easy hiking, there are some paths just outside the zoo that are pleasant to walk.

The aquarium is a chain - Sea Life. I find these aquariums to be more focused on entertainment than some of the non-profits that we have in the US. In general, I found Sydney's Sea Life version disappointing. However, as noted, it is convenient to center city. If you haven't ever seen dugongs, there is a dugong exhibit. Similar to manatees if you're familiar with them, in may opinion, the aquarium could be skipped. There was quite a line when I went, off season. I was there 2019 - things change, so I would check current reviews on TripAdvisor.

I visited WildLife Sydney which is next to the aquarium. The reviews at the time I went were quite mixed, but I enjoyed it first thing in the morning. They have only Australian animals. I stayed for several "animal encounters" which I enjoyed. Many people seemed to race through and were ultimately disappointed, I took my time and backtracked. I'm just mentioning this as a possible alternative to the more extensive zoo if your time is limited, but you want to see Aussie animals. Again, check the current reviews. It does get crowded, but off season, first entry I found it a fine experience.

As noted above, if you visit either, I also suggest purchasing an online ticket in advance. The ticket lines were long.

The Aussies are rightly proud of their unique animals! I've been very impressed with animals attractions throughout the country - as well as encountering kangaroos and flying foxes in the wild. What a treat!!

ORDtraveler, thanks for the indepth review of the aquarium. Sounds like we can skip the aquarium. We have set aside a day for the zoo-it sounds perfect. Thanks for the reminder to get tickets online.