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.