First trip to Australia, 30 days and Ausi Open

Not only is Australia big, but the climate varies between regions.

In your timeframe, for instance, Cairns is in the wet season. And, stinger season for the GBR. I visited in mid-March, should have been the end of the rains, but my trip(s) out to the GBR were both impacted - from Cairns and Port Douglas. If you do a GBR snorkeling tour, you will be required to wear stinger suits which will be supplied (not a big deal actually.) Darwin and Western Australia will also be in wet season during your timeframe.

I was lucky to have several reasons for different trips to Australia in the 12 months prior to 2020 lockdowns (Thank goodness that's becoming history now!!) I could pick my travel dates to different regions and researched what season was "best" for my locations. If you haven't thought in those terms, it might be useful to take a look at weather expectations and the activities you enjoy.

Getting around - I flew between Melbourne and Sydney and Canberra and Brisbane. Not all at once or on one trip! But, that seemed the most efficient means of transport form my various jumping around needs. I didn't want to rent a car, but in someplace like Cairns, it would have been quite nice to be able to drive myself to the Daintree Rainforest and the Atherton Tableland, for example. You could consider renting a car from a city to tour outlying sites, then returning to that city. (Melbourne has an interesting traffic pattern - the Hook Turn - that I was happy to avoid.)

The above said, I was able to find shuttles, day tours, trains to outlying areas from Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane very easily to sites I wanted to visit.

Two thoughts - without knowing all your interests, I enjoyed Canberra, the capital, very much. Seems an overlooked location by Americans. I also enjoyed Brisbane. I haven't been to Adelaide or Darwin.

Looks like the National Parks are a strong interest - I was more city-based but easily made it to the Blue Mountains and beaches near central Sydney, Sherbrooke Forest near Melbourne, and other spots for hiking via public transport. I'm sure others will have great suggestions for accessing Parks with a car. Good luck on the planning - it is a lot.

From Melbourne - I found Healesville Sanctuary to be the best animal sanctuary or zoo of the many I visited if that is an interest. Healesville is located in wine country. Wine tasting isn't an interest of mine, so can't follow up. Another unique experience out of Melbourne is the Phillip Island Penguin Parade.

From Cairns - Atherton Tableland is wine country also, but no experience.

A few things to consider.
January is school holidays, expect accommodation to be in short supply particularly in coastal areas.
Adelaide to Darwin, if you were thinking of driving you need to be aware it is over 3000 kms through very remote regions. Darwin to Cairns is I think 2700/2800 kms.
It will be wet season in the north. Wet season is very often very, very wet.
Purnululu NP (actually in Western Australia not the Norther Territory) is a long side trip from the road to Darwin. You will need a 4WD for the access road to the trailheads, 50ish kms but allow 2.5 hrs minimum.
Coastal roadtrip Sydney to Melbourne. A favourite area of mine is Batemans Bay and surrounds. Beautiful spot but will draw holiday makers particularly from Canberra in January.
Coming up through South Gippsland once in my state (Victoria) there are many beautiful areas. Wilson's Promontory NP is at the top of my Vic National Parks list. It has very limited accommodation options within the park at Tidal River. There are options just outside the NP but again this is peak season on the coast.
Closer to Melbourne you pass Phillip Island which is where the famous "Penguin Parade" takes place. Phillip Island will also be very busy in January.
Access to the tennis is very easy by train and or tram.

@Eatsrootsandleaves, thank you so much for the information. Sounds like I need to rethink some things. When you say "north" in terms of the rainy season, are you talking Cairns and Darwin, and how far south? We were interested in the coast along the Great Barrier Reef, and possibly Daintree Rain forest. It looks like the sights you mention from Sydney to Melbourne, require a rental car?
@OrdTraveler, had to look up "stinger" though I had a pretty good idea what you are referring to. Cairns sounds amazing, waterfalls, rainforest, etc. and VERY,VERY wet.

I will watch for additional responses and start reading the guidebooks. I think I need to think less in terms of a "road trip" and look at which geographic areas we'd like to explore, and then determine how to get between them.

I think that approach will be good. I was so glad I could make 3 different trips within 18 months to avoid bad weather conditions and to spend time in each area I visited.

Cairns (and Port Douglas) were wonderful. So much to see. Loved the Daintree as well as GBR. Much tourist infrastructure made logistics easy. But, I would avoid wet season! I learned a lot about crocodiles!

We are lucky to have poster Eatrootsandleaves! Always knowledgeable and helpful- thank you!!!

Lots to see around Melbourne - as indicated. I enjoyed the area a lot (more than Sydney, but that’s just me. Sydney has lots in and about also).

When I traveled, pre-Covid so check, I found flights to be generally convenient for my needs between cities.

Touristy though it is, I loved Hartley's Crocodile Farm in Cairns and definitely see those cute little penguins near Melbourne.

I did a 30 day trip to Australia about 2 years ago. To get round, we did 6 (six) internal flights. There were also some long road trips.

I really liked Sydney and would have liked more time there (we had 4 nights total, ie 3 days on the ground), another night would have been good. Also liked Adelaide, from where we went to Kangaroo Island - got to the island mid morning by ferry, had the rest of the day there, stayed overnight, had most of the next day and then back to Adelaide. Wasn't a fan of Melbourne (or Phillip Island).

From Darwin, we did a sort of circular road trip and had two one night stops - near Katherine Gorge and near Kakadu.

I also liked Cairns a lot - not so much the trip to the Barrier Reef, but Daintree etc.

It was very full on .....

2nd vote for both Cala’s mentions.

I was lucky enough to spend a day on Philip Island- saw my first sheep herding dog live demo, Victorian farm (I’m a sucker for living history stops and such things as this) several penguin nesting areas, beaches. Penguin Parade at night. I found it fascinating.

Later ran into the same little penguins in New Zealand and was glad I had the background to appreciate.

But, everyone has their own preferences - it would be a dull world otherwise!

There seems to be a dichotomy of preference on Melbourne vs Sydney - it often comes up in discussions on travel boards. Maybe Eatsleavesandroots has some insight. Both cities have merits, but folks seem drawn to one or the other (my observation, of course).

You folks are really helping!
@Cala, Katy and Ord, I'm super interested in Cairns, but I don't want to be rained on morning to night. I should also add that we "chase" waterfalls and are interested in the rainforest. Could you share what time of year you visited Cairns. I think we'd be there about end of January/February.
@Eatsroots and others, looking at the drive from Sydney airport to Melbourne. We have four full days. We arrive Sydney at 8:30am. I think we'd like to drive to Bateman's and stop for the night (or two?). I'm thinking of stopping at Morton National Park on the way to Bateman's.

Any suggestions from Bateman's to Melbourne? I am thinking about Wilson's if we have time. Or we can visit after the Open. Thinking about Philip Island at some point, as well.

I'm taking the comments regarding climate and weather, and variations by region, to heart. Makes sense, Australia is bigger than the U.S. and the weather variation, between Florida and Minnesota, as an example, is dramatic. I'm a bit concerned about really hot weather in the south and be soaking wet in the north!

We are hoping to visit Australia again, sometime. Its become apparent that each region differs in the best time of year for a visit. If this ends up being our only visit to Australia (we are mid 60s) what are things we should see that are uniquely special to Australia that should be high on our list, taking into account weather issues? And, again, I have guidebooks and I am looking at their "must sees", as well.

We would like to wine taste, at least once.

We did see little blue penguins in New Zealand. It was a special experience, we may try to fit Philips in, but we'll see how the planning goes.

I checked my dates in Cairns and Port Douglas. I was there May 19 -24. My March date above is wrong. I had had help from local colleagues in determining "good" dates. I agree that I would hope for a second trip to focus on better possibilities for good weather. Some of the storms I have followed since being in the region have been truly awful.

Despite the timing to avoid wet season, as I indicated, there were storm remnants in the area that required one of my two GBR snorkeling trips to be delayed. We went about 2 hours later than planned, seas were quite rough on the way out. (not unusual for rough seas on these trips) As always with weather, the best laid plans, etc, etc.

As an aside, do look at Port Douglas along with Cairns if planning a future trip to the GBR region. As convenient as Cairns for the region and each base has its own advantages. I enjoyed both very much.

If you have seen the little penguins in NZ, I agree that other choices could be made. However, the evening "parade" on Phillips Island went far beyond anything I saw in NZ (obviously I don't know your experience there). It is largest little penguin colony in the world, in my understanding, and the nightly home-coming is a unique sight. There are a number of late afternoon, evening tours from Melbourne that make the outing easy. As well, the parking lot is huge for self-drivers. I would just suggest looking into it with a Youtube, perhaps, before writing it off as you will probably be in Melbourne for several days. In the end - we all decide what we would enjoy and how to prioritize.

Adding - Eatsrootsandleaves, can you advise on Yarra Valley wine tasting? I know it's there close to Melbourne, but I didn't explore.

This is only one opinion, and since it’s mine it may not mean anything to anyone else. But if you have limited time and you saw the little blue penguins near the Royal Albatross Center in NZ, and if it was a good time of year, you could probably skip Phillips Island, which was still wonderful. Both are a bit hard to get to without a car, meaning you need a tour, - because I won’t drive in areas like that in the dark. If you do go to Phillips Island, go early and wander by the Nobbies Center for some daylight sightings. I was there in Feb. of this year.

I second the Healesville Sanctuary, and a couple of nights in Healesville itself. If you are interested, I can find and send you the list of things to do that my apartment host sent me. But the most fun I had was at Warnambool Wildlife Sanctuary, if you find yourself driving that direction along the Great Ocean Road.

We went to the Aussie Open a few years ago as an extension of our trip to New Zealand. We flew to Melbourne and stayed at the Victoria Hotel. Our room was small but adequate and we could walk to the tennis matches and other sites. After a few days of tennis, we rented a car at an Avis office just outside of Melbourne city and drove to the Healesville Sanctuary. Then we drove to a motel at Phillip Island, checked in, and went to the Penguin Parade. This was a great day and it was nice to stay nearby that night. Then we spent a few nights driving along the Great Ocean Road and stayed a few nights in the Grampians. The mountains were not impressive (we've traveled quite a bit!). We stayed in a 'cabin' at an RV park that was next to a field with kangaroos, emus, and cockatoos. We loved it! On the way back to Melbourne airport, we stopped for a tour at the J Ward Museum and the Daylesford Covent, which is now an art gallery. We didn't get to see more because we'd already planned a month in NZ!

Re Cairns wet season. Last Feb 520 mm of rain the first week but only 50 mm the 2d week. Rainforests and waterfalls will be at their very best during the wet.
Morton NP, I am guessing the impressive Fitzroy Falls caught your attention.
Batemans Bay will be buzzing with holiday makers in January but it is a good sized town with numerous small secluded beaches particularly to the north toward Durras.
The drive south to the NSW/Vic border has a long list of worthy stops.
Tilba, Bermagui, Bega (do you like cheese?), Tathra, Merimbula, Ben Boyd NP, Eden to name a few.
Once in Victoria you will turn westward. Lakes Entrance the Gippsland Lakes and Ninety Mile Beach are worth some time to explore. Bairnsdale and Sale are good sized regional cities.
From Sale it is a pretty quick run into the outskirts of Melbourne via Traralgon, Moe and Warragul. Melbourne suburbs extend 50 plus kms in all directions. She's a big city, nudging up toward 6 million metropolitan population.
To get to Wilson's Promontory (The Prom to her friends) turn off Highway One at Sale onto the South Gippsland Hwy. You enter the NP via Yanakie. The Prom combines forested mountains, stunning coastline, perfect beaches and tidal rivers. You can expect to see plenty of native critters. Last time we camped at Tidal River we had lots of wombat company.

Eatsrootsandleaves, do you know anything about Yarra Valley wine tasting? Is this some place that Jules might find worth researching? Or perhaps you know good vineyards?

Not much of a wine expert despite having worked at the "coalface" in the wine industry. Yep did a few seasons of Shiraz picking in my old home town Heathcote.
Only familiar with 3 of the wineries in the Yarra Valley TarraWarra, De Bortoli and Balgownie. They are all very well known and respected.

Re Phillip Island. As I mentioned pretty hectic typically during January school hols. Plenty to do there if you are staying there but if not a tour from Melbourne might be a good idea as per TTM. It is 2 hours from the city and the little tikes don't make their way home until the evening. They are ridiculously gorgeous. The cost of the visit goes into their conservation. Not so very long ago they were under threat now going from strength to strength.

Wine tour recommendation from my hostess in Healesville (but I only had one day and used it for the Sanctuary):

Customised wine tours: Melissa Gauci (Gauci & Co. Wine Tours) M: +61 401 500 525

Transfers and Tours: Yarra Valley Cars (George Avery) M: 0481 115 405

Beer and Cider Trail: https://visityarravalley.com.au/cider-and-ale-trail

The Yarra Valley, the Yarra Ranges and Healesville Sanctuary are well worth visiting. My youth was largely misspent running the magical forests and mountains in the Yarra Ranges. The giant Mountain Ash and Tree Fern are magic.

A bit late to the conversation, but I thought I’d add my 2c worth.
I’d be cautious about heading to Darwin and surrounds in the wet season. Or if I did, I’d consider some sort of organised/day tour for any places outside of the city, as there may be road closures due to the wet. Also, it’s cyclone season (applies to the whole of northern Australia) so you could be unlucky and very disrupted in travel plans. I definitely would fly between Adelaide, Darwin and Cairns if you decide to go - too dodgy with weather at that time of year, and a LOT of driving - but I expect there are some people more intrepid than me who might do it.

In regards to your trip from Sydney, Moreton national park is definitely worth a visit - we’ve visited both the Fitzroy Falls area, and the area around Bundanoon, and both give a nice look at some bushland areas.
Since you mention waterfalls, the Waterfall Way is not far from where we live, but it is north of Sydney - just in case you end up with some time before you fly out.
https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/coffs-harbour-area/bellingen/attractions/waterfall-way-scenic-drive

Public transport to the tennis is pretty good from the Melbourne CBD area - was even included with the tickets when we went (although that was a few years ago). Accommodation can be expensive, although you have a good exchange rate from the $US. I wouldn’t necessarily try Airbnb if that’s what you mean, can be dodgy in city centres - there are apartment hotel chains (OAKs, Quest, etc) or plenty of hotels.

Most Australians don’t use trains for long distance travel (too slow) but either fly or drive. There are some luxury services, eg between Adelaide and Darwin, but they are expensive and more about the trip than just getting there.

You might want to also consider Tasmania if you enjoy national parks and wildlife spotting. If it was me with your timeframe, I’d probably choose NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and Cairns, skip Adelaide and Darwin. If you really want to see proper outback, and don’t plan on coming back at a cooler time of year, perhaps you can fly to Uluṟu for a day or two (will be quite hot though!).

Watch out for accommodation bookings in school holidays and Australia Day long weekend, particularly in coastal areas. Into February should be easier.

Thank you, Ethel, no not late at all! Still in very early planning stages.

@TexasTravel and @Eatsroots, great help. Sounds like Healesville Sanctuary, is definitely worth some time.

Happy to take any additional recommendations and comments. So many wonderful choices!

@ Jules

Adding to wise words from Ethel and Wombat.

This is summertime. The coastal and nearby land of most of Queensland, all of Northern Territory and top half of Western Australia will have maximum temperatures of at least 30C and humidity of 90% plus. Wonderful monsoonal storms and scary cyclones, as nature replenishes the soil. Many people can not handle this. The desert interior is hot, 40c plus maximums is the norm. Day after day. Actually, high 40c’s are not uncommon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Bar,_Western_Australia. I have grown up with this. Just normal.

I concur that being a tourist in the tropical areas at this time, needs to be carefully considered. May not be all that enjoyable. Frankly, a perfect time for NZ.

Southeastern triangle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide will regularly have maximum temperatures over 30c. Frequently pushing toward 40c. Wonderful! The tennis open is just one of many events that draws interstate and overseas visitors to Victoria. There is a bountiful variety of activities for all ages. And coincides with school and university holidays that run from mid-December to circa second week of February. A vibrant happening time of year to be alive. Accommodation at a premium.

Notwithstanding the distance and expense, you will have outlaid to travel to the great south land, it maybe wise to concentrate on the southeast. I would think, photo opportunities galore.

I feel the need to comment on Purnululu National Park. Wow. I do not know many Australians who have been to the Bungle Bungles. Is in its own category of off the beaten track. Like so many other natural wonders we protect from the world. Time and money are needed. In so many ways unique and need to be protected. Helped by its own isolation. The rays of rising and setting sun creep slowly and playfully along the ancient layers of rock. Yet to see any photographs that can capture this.

Wine, A topic of its own. A good place to start. An International Master of Wine, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/australia?destination=/learn/wine-regions/australia
I grew up with the development of Margaret River area. Remains my favourite. Not many people know that Victoria produces Prosecco that the Italians are jealous of. https://www.winesofthekingvalley.com.au/king-valley-prosecco-road/

Regards Ron

Belated checking in. Husband worked out of Brisbane and Perth for several trips.

We loved Brisbane along with Adelaide into the Barossa wine country area. We did visit Melbourne with our children in early 2000, but not high on our list. We rented a caravan and drove down from Cairns to Brisbane. We also took a trip to Kangaroo Island from outside of Adelaide.

We’ve spent time in Noosa Heads, Townsville, Mt. Isa.

If you have any questions, send me a PM.

@Mother Duck and @Tassie, Thank you. Definitely not late, I'm researching all the responses along with going thru guidebooks.

OK, back to Australia plans.

We will arrive Sydney airport at 6:30am. We need to be to Melbourne in two days. One of the options we are considering is a train/bus to Canberra, stay the night. On the second day, train or bus to Melbourne. Looks like there is a change on the second leg. Google is telling me the first leg is $50 (USD??)/per person. I don't see a price for the second leg?

Thoughts?
Would this ride be pretty?
What is a good source for public transportation options? Is there something that would have all trains and buses on the same website.

Thanks!

Hi Jules, my short answer is forget trains and buses and fly to Melbourne and enjoy a couple of extra days there. The flight from Sydney to Melbourne takes 3.5 hours and there are lots of flight choices. There are not many departure options by train for Sydney to Canberra and Canberra to Melbourne. The earliest train that you will be able to get to Canberra is a little after 12:00, it takes a bit over 4 hours to get to Canberra. Not sure what you had planned to do there but depending on the day of the week etc you may be limited to checking in to your hotel, a walk and dinner. The train to Melbourne leaves at around 7:00am and takes 11 hours.

Thank you Helen. It sounds to me like we should drive along the coast, or fly. Are flights Sydney to Melbourne, expensive purchased day of? I don't love the idea of gambling on arrival time in order to purchase in advance.

The drive along the coast road from Sydney to Melbourne is lovely, roughly 1,030 Kms (640 miles) long and certainly not doable in 2 days especially just after a long haul flight. Can’t comment on airline tickets booked on the day of the flight. It would be worth you checking Jetstar and Virgin our budget domestic airlines to get an idea of ticket costs both advance purchase and last minute purchase.

Sydney to Melbourne flights take 1.5 hrs not 3.5 hrs I think Helen miswrote.
On the day flights can be up to 400 US or as low as 80 US luck of the draw. If you are arriving early Sydney why not just book a flight to Melbourne for the next morning? Have you figured out where in Melbourne you are staying?

Lord Meek, thanks for picking up on my rather significant typo, yes about 1.5 hours Sydney to Melbourne, flying looks even better!

@Lord Meek, International air travel is so unpredictable (cancellations, delays, etc.) so that it would be a rare situation for me to purchase air or train travel for the arrival day. You never know for sure the arrival time. For the next day, maybe, but then I would have a whole arrival day in Sydney, then have to pack up and head back to the airport the following morning.

It might be best to rent a car, drive a few hours the first day, and then finish the following. We could drive along the coast. Driving was the original plan, but I miscounted days, and I have one less than I planned on.

Right now, the plan is to spend 5 nights in Melbourne at the Oaks Melbourne on Market Hotel. I hope this is a good one, I bought with Chase points.

We have visited Australia twice and loved it.
The first trip we did a cruise "Over the Top" from Perth to Sydney, stopping at several ports on the way, included two days in Bali.
It was a great way to visit out of the way places like Perth and Darwin. Also, we did Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney.
The second trip we spend a lot of time in Victoria. Melbourne is great. Also, did a local wine area and a tour that included The Great Ocean Road and Philip Island. DO NOT MISS the last two items.

From Sydney, we visited the Blue Mountains and another wine area north of the city. Loads of things to do in Sydney. Several great museums, the Botanical Gardens, a harbor cruise, the opera house (saw an opera there), climbed the famous bridge pillars and visited Bondi Beach. Also, loved the zoo.

I researched traveling from Sydney to Melbourne by land and declined, it is a long trip and no good rail available.

Sydney to Batemans Bay is about 4 hours. It is about another 9 hours from there to Melbourne either via the coastal route or if you go inland via Canberra. It is a much quicker drive straight down the Hume Highway. That's about 9 hours total drive time, although I always have taken well over 1. It is certainly not as scenic but a more practical option given you have a tighter schedule than originally planned.

Thanks for the feedback. Is there anything of interest on that route other than Canberra?

@geo, what company did you use for the cruise? And on your second trip, how did you get around?

If you take the Hume you bypass Canberra. Canberra can be detoured to from either just past Goulburn or from Yass but that's going to add a lot more time to your journey even without any time spent sightseeing.

Sydney has a metropolitan population of 5.5 million (Melbourne about the same) so it can take some time just to get out of the city. If going down the Hume probably worth considering stopping in Goulburn for that first night. It's a couple of hours down the road and is pretty big. You will be pretty knackered I reckon and by the time you clear customs, pickup the rental and get clear of a massive chaotic city whilst driving a car on the "wrong side".

I have no idea of the quality of your Melbourne hotel but it is a very practical location.

If you only have 2 days/1 night (if I’m reading your plan correctly) to travel between Sydney & Melbourne, I’d be inclined to fly as you won’t have much time to stop and sightsee. Could be a bit of a slog after a long flight.
Webjet.com.au is a good website to use to get an overview of flight times and prices for flights across the major airlines. You can see they are frequent between Sydney and Melbourne Tullamarine. Jetstar is often the cheapest - they charge extra for luggage, seat selection etc. and have strict carry on rules. Unless you are travelling at a very popular time eg on a long weekend/end of school holidays, it might be worth looking at purchasing a fully flex ticket on Jetstar and changing the time if you need to. Do you have a date of arrival in Sydney?

We visited Australia, briefly for a week after spending 3 weeks in and around NZ on a cruise in February 2020. We were based in Melbourne and took great day trips from there, arranged on the spot to wineries and wildlife refuges. We saw the little penguins on our own on the harbor at St Kilda but we understand that the viewing area is undergoing a renovation. We transferred from Sydney to Melbourne by an inexpensive flight. The tennis stadium is very easy to reach by foot from the CBD or train from other locations as there is a stop right at the stadium and extensive sports complex.

@ Jules. His Lordship has covered the driving quite well, and Ethel the air transport. Only you know the quality and scope of your driving skills.

Trains. https://transportnsw.info/regional-travel/travelling-onboard/xpt-regional-trains
Have never travelled this route. Looks to be sleeper car for overnight.

At Gadigal (Sydney) airport the international arrival terminal is on the western side of the main runway, and the domestic terminal is on the eastern. I believe there is transport between them but have never used it. Do not know types, train/busses, or times. No idea how long it takes for non-Australian entry lines to clear passport and biosecurity checks. Flew in from LAX June last year but did not look around at the other lines.

I mention this if you consider arriving and then flying on to Tullamareena airport. (Melbourne), without a day stopping in Sydney.

Over the years I have flown the Sydney/Melbourne corridor frequently which is allegedly, 5th in domestic traffic in world numbers.

Not so much now. Sitting on my deck in the sunshine and zooming is so much more convenient. My sons manage our costs in one of our family trusts. I am told by my travel arranger that the cost does increase the closer to the flight time and as the plane fills up. Hearsay, but the best I can contribute. Qantas is our go to. Virgin competes with Jetstar. Low-cost market segment. Virgin went into voluntary liquidation in 2019, and its remains have been purchased by private equity firm Bain Corp of Boston.

All the airlines are good and held to the highest safety standards of any country in the world. Or wokeness in the language of the old man and his backup, the lounge lizard. No doors blowing of Boeings or defence helicopters flying into commercial planes.

Regards Ron

Hi Jules,
One more idea. You could book a flight from SYD-MEL departing a few hours after your arrival in SYD. We did this in Qantas Business Class (I just looked; in Jan 2026, 20K miles on American Airlines' website if you have miles), which allowed us to use the Qantas Business lounge, shower, have a big meal, and relax, before our connecting flight to Perth.

Tall Girl, appreciate the suggestion. I don't want to gamble and pay for airline tickets when there is a decent chance our flight could be delayed or cancelled. I don't have points with any airline other than Delta.

Ethel, I will look into your idea of a fully flex ticket

OK, I'm back. Thank you all so much for your input!
So, more itinerary work. After the Ausi Open, two priorities are Kangaroo Island and the Great Ocean Road and I have an assortment of questions. After Adelaide, we will likely fly to Brisbane or Sydney.
*Is Philip Island recommended if we are going to Kangaroo Island?
*If self driving, how long should we budget for The Great Ocean Road? It looks like without stops it would be 4.5 hours. Does two days sound good? What would be a good stop?
*At the end of Great Ocean at Port Fairy, what do you recommend? return car to Melbourne and Fly to Adelaide? Or continue driving to Melbourne? Are Robe and Mount Gambier worthy stops?
*Sounds like we would want a car on Kangaroo Island. Better to rent on the Island or drive onto the ferry?
*Is two days at Kangaroo Island good? Where is a great area to overnight?
*Other than Kangaroo Island and Adelaide, I haven't researched the Adelaide surrounds much. Any recommendations?
*I'm inclined to just spend one day in Adelaide, itself. If we are interested in exploring a couple of the wine areas, should we do that from Adelaide or stay elsewhere?

Thank you to all you Australia experts!

Hello again Jules, how long will you have between leaving Melbourne and your departure from Adelaide to Brisbane or Sydney? Having some idea of this will make it easier to give you some sensible suggestions. Your plans include some of our favourite spots, so with a bit more information from you I can offer a lot more local information. A couple of points to think about, you will be in Australia during the summer school holidays, schools usually go back at the end of January. Accomodation at popular beachside locations gets booked up well ahead over this time, so “winging it” in terms of accomodation is not a good idea. Australia day is a national holiday celebrated on January 26th, being a Monday I would expect a very busy 4 day weekend. Some other quick thoughts, Phillip Island is an interesting place to visit but if Kangaroo Island is a must do for you back tracking to Phillip Island doesn’t make sense. Adelaide is surrounded by wine growing regions, McLaren Vale could easily be visited on the way to Kangaroo Island.

Hi Helen, We have a bit more that a month for all of our travel in Australia. The days we want to be in Melbourne are fixed. After Melbourne, we will just cover as much as we can at a reasonable pace. Sydney is a must. So if we use up a lot of days between Melbourne and Adelaide, we'll just go directly to Sydney and skip Brisbane. I'm not sure how much time we'd need for Sydney, haven't gotten that far. I would imagine at least 3 days. So, the Great Ocean Road and Kangaroo Island are musts, but we can add other sites. I am considering Wilsons Promontory and Philip Island. We love waterfalls, so i'm taking a look at Grampians National Park. I would do those sites before doing the Great Ocean Road and Kangaroo Island. I think we'd pick up a car in Melbourne, then do whatever we've picked southeast of Melbourne before heading to the Great Ocean Road. One thing I'm trying to figure out is, do we return to Melbourne after the Great ocean Road, return the car, and fly to Adelaide or do we drive from Port Fairy on to Adelaide area? And if we do keep the car and drive to Adelaide, is there parking in Adelaide proper? Or do we stay on the outskirts?

Sounds like Philips Island and Kangaroo Island are quite different and perhaps we should do Philips. I will take a look at McLaren Dale.

I am not a fan of winging it. I have to know where I'm sleeping at night. I will have a set itinerary and all accommodations booked before we leave, hopefully by September, if not earlier.

Jules, sort of echoing your thoughts above. I’m wondering what in Brisbane is of particular interest? No need to answer, but given the rest of your itinerary which is largely outdoors and nature interests, I’m wondering if you would enjoy more of that in lieu of Brisbane. Perhaps the locals can weigh in.

I have spent time in Brisbane and liked the city very much. I am generally, however, more drawn to cities than rural when traveling.

I wish I could compare Phillip island with Kangaroo Island but I haven't visited the latter. I can say that Phillip Island was one of my personal highlights - not just the penguin parade which is unique, but the huge colonies on the island. I you have a car, several options for other sightseeing as well. I enjoyed a Victorian farm with sheep dog demos, sheep shearing, etc. (You may have done that in NZ - I found such demos there also but enjoyed all venues) Churchill Island Heritage Farm: https://www.penguins.org.au/attractions/churchill-island/

Too much in Oz - even for one month. I need to return and visit Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. Along with Darwin, Perth and Rottnest Island. Uluru, on and on!!!!!

One more thought - probably not helpful, but....

I took day trips from Melbourne to Bendigo and Ballarat. I was limited to train as I didn't have a car, but I think that visiting some of these smaller towns can be done in a circuit by car. I enjoyed both - lots of venues related to the area's gold mining history, some art galleries, architecture reminiscent of Main Street Midwest US but somehow more "intriguing" to me, some interesting small museums.

Probably not the "major" sites when considering the broad area you will be able to visit, but I thought I'd mention the possibility of something like this if you enjoy that sort of thing.

No need to respond.

@ORD, appreciate the comments. I've only briefly looked at Brisbane. I'm sure we'd only spend a day or two. What we more likely are interested in is the drive along the coast Brisbane to Sydney. I do like to mix in smaller towns, so I'll take a look at Bendigo and Ballarat.

I'm awaiting comments, but I'm leaning toward renting a car when we are done with urban Melbourne, to travel the area, and then drive up to Adelaide. I feel like if we are driving the great ocean road to Port Fairy, we may as well continue on? Thoughts? One caveat, is it looks like the ferry to Kangaroo island for a car is expensive. But, if we then would have to rent a car on Kangaroo Island, anyway, maybe it makes sense to keep the one we have?

I'm seeing Adelaide has free public transportation. Yes? Maybe there is a place to stay on the outskirts of Adelaide to visit both urban Adelaide and the outskirts.

We are interested in the coast and the views, and less so, "beachy" activities.

I am looking at spending some time at Flinders Ranges before flying to Sydney or Brisbane. If we go to Flinders, likely we'd have to skip Brisbane and the coast to Sydney. We could get that at another time, but I'll see how the itinerary looks after adding our rural interests around Adelaide.

Since you are flying into Sydney, I recommended spending a few days there. A day trip to the Blue Mountains is nice, exploring and having dinner at The Rocks (near the Opera House) is fun, a day trip to Bondi Beach, and exploring Sydney via their amazing ferry system is a must. People are very friendly. Hotels are reasonable. Find a hotel near the Rocks (docks/Opera House/parks/open market are right there) for a couple of days. The train from the airport to the Sydney Rocks is fast, cheap and easy. You can easily spend days on foot in Sydney.

Poppi

Poppi, Thank you so much for your suggestions for Sydney! We will be visiting at the end of our trip since we have to get to the Australia Open at the beginning of our trip. Do you recommend any particular hotel?

Hi Jules.
Great Ocean Road.
It starts at Torquay south of Geelong so already more than an hour from Melbourne. It is a very beautiful stretch of road and there are many places you will want to stop all the way along. Most famous and popular area is between Princetown and PortCampbell. Overnight stops? Plenty of options but Lorne and Apollo Bay and anywhere in between if you wanted to stop in the first half. Port Campbell, Peterborough, Port Fairy or the larger regional city of Warrnambool further on. You need at least 2 days between Torquay and Port Fairy but you would easily fill 3.

Further west along the highway from Port Fairy is the regional city of Portland. It is quite underrated in my opinion. Nearby Cape Bridgewater and Cape Nelson are impressive. Another hour or so West along the coast (Discovery Bay) rather than the main highway is Nelson a sweet little village on the Glenelg River just before the Vic/SA border. If you were heading to Adelaide this way your next stop once across into South Australia is Mt Gambier.
Is Mt Gambier worth visiting? I would struggle to think of an Aussie town I like more. Beautiful, historic and geologically amazing. Unfortunately I have never driven on past Mt Gambier toward Adelaide so can't help with that section.

SE of Melbourne.
Phillip Island and the famous penguin parade is the obvious one. The penguins arrive home at dusk so you will be out pretty late at that time of year. It is a 2 hour drive back to Melbourne so it would be sensible to stay on or near the Island. There are plenty of things on the island besides the penguins so it is worthwhile to spend time there. From Phillip Island it is not a big trip to reach Wilson's Promontory NP. It can be tricky getting accommodation in the NP itself but there are options just outside the NP.

Cheers.

Hi Jules, You have also received lots of good advice here , but in the end you only have 30 days in the country and distances are huge, so you might have to rein in your travel plans somewhat. A lot depends on your travel style, are you a tick it off the list traveller which means that you can get a glimpse of a lot of places but no more than that. Or are you a making memories sort of person, covering less ground but spending longer in each place.
In terms of Victoria, Meek has given a great summary of the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island, so I won't add to that. The Grampians are lovely, not sure about chasing waterfalls in January as they are usually dry although McKenzie Falls usually have water all year round but it is a long detour to see a pretty waterfall. However, you could plan a road trip including several of the spots mentioned but you would need to give careful consideration to the distances and the fact that small Australian country towns are indeed small and often a bit remote in terms of accomodation etc and you need to allow sufficient time which you don't have a lot of. It might mean that you would need to save Adelaide and Kangaroo Island for another time.
As Meek said, Mount Gambier is a lovely town to visit and would make an ideal town to visit if you chose to drive to through to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. Not sure what you would want to see in the Adelaide suburbs, they much like suburbs everywhere, houses, schools, shops etc although, a trip to the seaside suburb of Glenelg is popular. There is a free bus that runs around the central business district (CBD) of Adelaide, but beyond that user pays. If you decide to stay in Adelaide and have a car, I would suggest maybe one of the hotels on South Terrace (near Pultney Street) as they at least used to have parking available, be sure to check.
The Sealink ferry to Kangaroo Island goes from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw. Cape Jervis is a bit under 2 hours from the CBD depending on the traffic, not sure how far ahead you need to be there prior to the ferry departure these days and you will need to book ahead. I would suggest a minimum of 2 full days the island, for me Seal Bay and Flinders Chase National Park are musts but there is also much more to enjoy. In terms of accomodation Penneshaw and Kingscote are the main centres.

Oh my gosh, its all so bloody beautiful. Where's a good place to explore Flinders? Also, I'm getting that in Flinders, it could be very, very hot. Probably a dry heat, but still. . .Is this a place where if its too hot for a lot of hiking that there might be scenic drives? to overlooks? I think we are most interested in Mt Remarkable National Park and central Flinders/Wilpena Pound.

For Philips Island, I think we'd like to see some of it and Wilsons Promontory. I'm hoping there is a place central to stay. I sure would love to see penguins. I'm not sure the penguin parade from bleachers is our thing, but I can understand why folks would like it.

Helen, so I will look at staying a night, maybe two in Penneshaw and Kingscote. Is it best to take a car on the ferry or to rent a car on Kangaroo Island.

Lord Meek, Super helpful on the Great Ocean Road. I think we want to take our time on that. It sounds spectacular. And Mt. Gambier a definite must.

Jules - don’t picture stadium bleachers for the Penguin Parade! There are several types of seating. I opted for a covered spot - it is underground with viewing at ground level through windows. I could also leave that enclosure and walk outside. It was a bit more cost, but I bought in advance as I went with a tour bus from Melbourne. I purchased early as I thought the tour might sell out. I couldn’t guess what weather might be at the time I bought tickets and I wanted to be covered in case of rain. (Weather was perfect, I would buy that seating again.)

There are YouTube’s of the experience. I didn’t find it overly touristy (except the parking lot). I thought it was well handled for the number of visitors. Very respectful of the birds and their habitat- at least when I was there. I hope that aspect hasn’t changed!

@ORD, is there ever a time that pictures can be taken? It sounds silly, I don't want a photo from a website, I want something that I take, so I feel like I really was there. Don't get me wrong, we are folks who want to be respectful of the wildlife and we are environmental types (for example, we rarely buy plastic). In New Zealand, we were told, photos were ok for the penguins without flash. It's just that we really enjoy photography as part of our trips. That said, we wouldn't want to do anything to upset the wildlife.

Jules, unless you can extend your trip from 30 days to 6 months, you really need to stop looking at new places to visit, you don’t have time. You need to look more closely at maps to get an idea about distances and at travel conditions and options to get an idea of how long it will take to travel between places. So no to the Flinders Ranges, too far out of the way and probably too hot in January. It would be easiest for you to use a hire car to travel from Adelaide to and around Kangaroo Island. You can get a bus from Adelaide to the ferry and then hire a car at the other end but it will take longer and lack flexibility, remembering that you will need to get back to Adelaide at some point. Good luck with your planning and trip. Oh and no you probably don’t have time to drive from Brisbane to Sydney and visit any of the places along the way.

We stayed at Quays Motel San Remo when we went to the Penguin Parade. It was nice to just drive 30 minutes after the parade. The 'bleachers' were fine for us. The best part was walking back to the parking lot. We were on a boardwalk with thousands of penguins around us, returning to their burrows and calling out to each other. We respected the rules and didn't take photos but it was very memorable. Before the parade, we saw a few kangaroos while walking down.

Hi Jules. I couldn’t remember the situation as regards photos so I looked it up. No photos per the website, scroll down:

https://www.penguins.org.au/faqs/#:~:text=a%20medical%20certificate).-,Why%20can't%20I%20take%20photos%20at%20the%20Penguin%20Parade,frighten%20or%20disorientate%20a%20penguin.

ORD, thanks for the info.

Helen, thanks for your thoughts. I will keep in mind. I'm not necessarily adding everything I'm asking about.

Poppi and others, I'm working on the end of my trip to decide what I can allocate to Adelaide, etc. I like your idea for Sydney, and will look at staying where you suggest. For the Blue Mountains, it looks like a car is necessary to do much exploring? Best base might be Katoomba?

Lucky, me, Delta made a substantive change to our tickets, so we will be arriving 2 days earlier, making the drive to Melbourne more leisurely. We even got a better itinerary so we don't have to fly to LAX and then Sydney via Detroit!

I did a day trip to the Blue Mountains (Katoomba station) from Sydney by early train. I took a taxi (to save time - actually walkable) from the station to the canyon viewing areas (Three Sisters at Echo Point), then spent half a day hiking into the canyon and back out. I found a number of trail guides on line. I didn't expect to try the Scenic World Railway, Cableway, and Skyway, but there were no crowds so I decided to give it a go. The attraction could be considered "touristy", but I did enjoy it. It probably isn't something I would stand in long lines for unless traveling with kiddies.

There is a Hop on Hop off shuttle for the area. My original plan (no car) had been to go from Sydney for one day of hiking, then return to HOHO to see some other sites, but I ultimately didn't follow through on that. I'm posting the link - the website lists a number of area itineraries and stops that might give you ideas even if you don't do the HOHO. I found the brochure useful for planning my must-sees. https://www.explorerbus.com.au

Katoomba was kind of a cute town. I did some antique shopping and had a nice chat with a rock/gem store owner. I did look into staying overnight in the area - didn't work out for me, but there were several properties near Katoomba that I thought I could manage to get to without a car.

With a car, you can certainly venture farther from Katoomba - or use it as a base. Lots to enjoy in the area - especially if into hiking.

jules, I am going to drop the link to my trip report here - just for the first half. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/2-weeks-in-victoria-and-tasmania-australia

I didn’t mention lodging, but in Melbourne, I stayed in the Victoria Hotel for 3 nights. On my final night I stayed at the “Alto Hotel on Bourke”, which was very convenient for the bus to the airport (and was perfectly fine) but I like the Victoria Hotel more.

@ORD, we would so love to not rent a car for the Blue Mountains. We like to do as much as possible with public transportation. Thank you so much for the link!
@Texas Travel Mom, perfect, thanks for the trip report

With only 30 days, just concentrate on Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania.
Spending 14 days in Tasmania would be very worthwhile and tick many of your boxes. The state is stunning from top to bottom as well as the interior. The food is amazing and it is safe and welcoming to tourists.
Definitely do a road trip along the Great Ocean Road. Stay in Lorne for 2 nights. If you love waterfalls and scenic outlooks, Lorne is the place with 10 waterfalls within 10km from town and another 5 to 10 in the region.
Another worthwhile place to visit near Melbourne is the Mornington Peninsula, although at that time of year it is the busiest area to visit, although for good reason. On the MP is a famous wine region with over 200 wineries with 50 offering cellar door sales as well as restaurants, art galleries and beautiful gardens. The Yarra Valley also boasts similar plus you can do a hot air balloon ride over the Valley out of Yarra Glen. If interested in historic trains, Puffing Billy is an iconic journey through temperate rainforest in the Dandenongs, close by to the Yarra Valley. One of the posters mentioned Sherbrook Forest, also in the Dandenongs and one place that you could come across a lyrebird. Check them out on Youtube.

Thank you, Yarramar. Is early February a good time to visit Tasmania?

February is usually Tassie's best month weather wise. I have hiked both of the iconic multiday wilderness hikes Cradle Mountain Overland Track and South Coast Track in February.

@Lord Meek and Yarramar, we are pretty sold on going to Tasmania after our time in Melbourne. After the tennis, we'll do the Great Ocean Road (for sure spending a couple nights in Lorne), explore some wine areas and then fly to Tasmania. In terms of how long to spend in Tasmania, it depends on how much we are willing to give up in Sydney. We had planned to spend 4 days or so in the Blue Mountains. Does it make sense to reduce that to two days just to get an overview for later travels, or maybe eliminate it all together? Any recommendations for a nice route from Port Fairy to Melbourne airport, with some possible overnight stops?

I am looking at Mornington Peninsula, geographically, its a bit of a pain, but I'm working on it.

Yes, February is an excellent time to visit Tasmania, however you may be better off visiting Tasmania while the mainland hotspots are crowded with holiday makers. This means January which while busy, will still be far easier to find accommodation and not be stuck in traffic jams while touring. The school holidays are over on January 27 with kids back to school on 28th

No shortage of decent options to get to Melbourne from Port Fairy.
Just a few possible options here.
1. Port Fairy to Penshurst to Dunkeld to Halls Gap to Ararat to Beaufort to Ballarat to Melbourne.
2. From Ararat to Avoca to Maryborough to Bendigo to Melbourne.
3. From Maryborough to Castlemaine to Kyneton to Melbourne.
4. Port Fairy to Warrnambool to Terang to Camperdown to Colac to either Ballarat or Geelong to Melbourne.
All of those routes have points of interest and good choices for overnight stops.
I used to cycle an event called the Murray (River) to Moyne (River) from Echuca to Port Fairy over a 24 hr period. After presentations and Pt Fairy fish n chips we'd head back to Melbourne via that 4th option. I assume our team bus driver reckoned that was the quickest option.

One way of taking in the Mornington Peninsular is to visit prior to your GOR trip. You can cross to Queenscliff from Sorrento by the Searoad ferry. Lorne is only 1.5 hours from Queenscliff but you will want to spend the whole day getting there as Queenscliff is delightful and there is much to see on the way in Geelong, Torquay, Anglesea & Aireys Inlet. There are also many scenic spots to pull over for photoshoots from the road.
It is also a nice trip to Sorrento to go via Port Phillip Bay rather than along the freeway/tollway. To do this you can start in Port Melbourne and just keep driving with the bay always on your right. This way is actually only 30 minutes or less longer timewise and you pass iconic Melbourne sites along the way. Some of these are St Kilda, Brighton Beach bathing boxes and Mt Martha Bathing boxes. Google maps will help to stay on track.

You could also drive to Phillip Island from Melbourne to see the Penguin Parade, then head to Sorrento on the MP the next day.
Again, all these areas including the Great Ocean Road are extremely busy during our school holidays so as soon as you decide what you actually want to do, start booking.
Also make sure that you apply for your ETA 601 before booking anything non-refundable. This is done through the app available on IOS or Android and is only AUD$20. If you are from UK or Europe, it is the ETA 651 which is free.