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/giganticsquid 1d ago

I camped near Uluru for a few days in the desert just outside the Uluru national park, it was amazing. I hired a car in Alice Springs with camping gear included, and drove/camped through the west McDonell ranges and down to a spot just outside the Uluru national park. All the spots I camped were free, the only trouble I encountered was ppl setting their campervan next to my tent despite having millions of square KMs to spend the night. I spent 2 weeks doing this with the occasional nights stay with family in Alice Springs.

I've also lived in Cairns, you could easily spend 2 weeks camping and see the reef, camp in the Daintree, camp at Petronella park, and go to a place called Chillagoe which I think you would love.

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u/korforthis_333 1d ago

Yes, if you go to Cairns, then there is a day tour from there that goes to Chillagoe

https://www.billytea.com.au/our-tours/1-day-chillagoe-outback

Undara Lava tubes is great as well, but to get there you would need to hire a car and stay overnight (or do a multiday group tour that also visits Undara).