r/AskAnAustralian • u/Ok_Possible_5702 • 2d ago

~3 weeks vacation to Australia

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?)?
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u/InadmissibleHug Australian. 1d ago

Absolutely no one seems to have highlighted that it’s going to be our summer.

I hope you’re comfortable with Arizona desert summer heat and the Deep South summer heat as well. Plus/minus cyclones.

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u/Ok_Possible_5702 1d ago

I love the scorching heat, which is also why I am purposefully avoiding Tasmania (or New Zealand like other friends suggested - yes, I know it's another country) - those places are too cold and the cold-weather flora gives me depression.

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u/InadmissibleHug Australian. 1d ago

Well, good luck! I like the heat too, which is why I live in NQ- being from Melbourne to start with.

I found Uluṟu in September to be too hot to do much during the day, myself.

And December on the coast of NQ is pure air soup.

I just like to remind people, because you’d be amazed how many tourists don’t research well