~3 weeks vacation to Australia

[u/Ok_Possible_5702]

I (36M) will be traveling to Australia for ~3 weeks, between October and November. I took 2 weeks off from work, and one week I'll be working remotely.

Interests: culture (*not* art), history, foodie. Preferred landscapes/scenery: beach and deserts.

My high-level plan is, in some order:

• central Australia/Outback: Uluru or (less likely) Alice Springs. 3-4 days
• Cairns/GBR: beach-time and sightseeing. 3-4 days
• Sydney + Melbourne rest of the time (this is when I'll be working, so I won't have all day to sightsee and visit)

I don't drive, so I don't plan on renting a car to move around, which limits my options (I know it's strongly discouraged for a tourist to drive around alone in the Outback anyway). I am happy to partake in small group tours and use public transports (flights, trains, buses) as needed. Budget is pretty flexible, I'll prioritize speed over price for travel between locations, and I'm looking for accommodations that are clean and decent (think ~3 stars hotel, not a hostel but no Four Seasons either).

Questions:

• Uluru
  • is 3-4 days enough? too little?
  • I see most tours do the whole "camping under the stars". Is that recommended? Is that the best way to experience the landscape's uniqueness? I used to go camping as a kid/teenager but haven't done it since.
• Cairns/GBF
  • 3-4 days sounds good?
• Sydney + Melbourne
  • looks like I'd be spending a week and a half between the two cities. Is that too much time? Should I try to fit in another destination (Brisbane? Adelaide?)?

[u/Vegetable_Standard37]

If I was you, I would definitely see Uluṟu, it’s a beautiful, sacred and ancient place. Camping under the stars will be amazing and I wouldn’t miss it for the world! Cairns is beautiful too… stay by the beach but definitely take the time to go up to Kuranda and catch the sky rail back, also make sure to visit the botanic gardens there. There’s also Port Douglas which is lovely and is further north. I would pick Sydney over Melbourne, stay in the city to go all the sights and then ferry over to Manly. Don’t miss the art gallery, botanical gardens, the harbour bridge & opera house of course and then all the amazing restaurants. If you do go to Melbourne stay near the Vic Markets and try and visit there on a Saturday…those markets are amazing! We are in sleepy Perth but worth it to come to WA for a separate trip as we have so much to see and a it is such a vast state! Beautiful beaches and amazing forests plus the north of the state is rugged and wild. I hope you have a really nice trip to our beautiful country!!