camping place brisbane image
Sci Fi Fan
(Australians only please) I think you have a beautiful country, truly one of the most unique places on earth. Would love to see it with my own eyes soon. The way some countries in the rest of the world feel about Americans I'm afraid to go anywhere else. But there does not seem to be as many complaints about us from down there.
Answer
Don't worry. With most of us, whenever we rip off another country, its all in the spirit of fun-especially where sport is involved.
Of the places in Australia to go, if you aren't a regular to skiing, its the start of snow season in the Blue Mountains.
Definitely go to Sydney-lots to see and do there, including the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Centrepoint Tower etc. Plenty of shops too.
Melbourne is another great place to go. The temperature shouldn't bother you too much-our winters aren't as cold as yours. Again, lots of tourism there.
Going even further South, Tasmania has a lot of natural beauty, with magnificent forests and rivers, as well as some historic value if you're into that. Port Arthur is definitely worth seeing if you are.
Back up North, Queensland is a fantastic place. Brisbane is a lot like Sydney, maybe not as great but still fantastic. Loads less traffic, but Queenslanders may not agree =P All along the coast are some great beaches! Before I forget, bring a pair of boardies and sunscreen-you'll need it unless its Winter when you come (which is like, now. Come in 6 Months and you'll die without sunscreen and a hat) Maybe half-way up the coast of QLD, maybe a bit further, is the largest coral reef in the world - the Great Barrier Reef. If you come any time after say, October, check this out. Absolutely breathtaking if you go on a good day. Still pretty good if the weather isn't as planned, but try and coincide it with a day with a good forecast.
If you plan to go up North, see Cairns and Townsville. They are both great places that will help you with both the above (GBR) and below (Islands).
As well as beaches, there are plenty of islands. Fraser Island is a popular 4WDing destination, make sure you go at low tide if you plan on doing that. Plenty of wildlife there. Of course, that isn't the only island. Up top there are the many islands, with great communities too! The Aboriginals are really friendly, I met a guy from Horn Island and from what I've heard its great up there. If you're into meeting people from different cultures, head up there, just North of the mainland peninsula. Another island that has a good reputation is Lord Howe island, but I don't know much about it. A Google search would give you loads of information though.
Just about anywhere in Australia there is bushland. If you're into camping, you're at the right place. We have great sites up here. From beaches to backyards, from the bush to the coast, you can camp just about anywhere.
Back near Brisbane you have the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. Both have brilliant beaches and the Gold Coast in particular some great tourist destinations and theme parks.
Note: Gold Coast is a city, Sunshine Coast is an actual coast
[SORRY, CAN ONLY HAVE 10 LINKS, JUST ADD THE WWW STUFF IN FRONT OF THE FOLLOWING 2 LINKS]
goldcoast.com.au/
tourismsunshinecoast.com.au/
I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you much about Darwin, but in the Northern Territory there are some great natural features. Kakadu National Park is on the World Heritage List, and for good reason. It has some of, if not the most wildlife diversity in Australia!
If you do decided to visit the Northern Territory, there is one place you MUST go. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock/Uluru). Here is a picture of it:
Uluru:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/58973269_8473229393.jpg
Kata Tjuta:
http://travellingboard.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/kata-2d20tjuta-2d20-2d28the-2d20olgas-2d29-2d20at-2d20sunset-2d2c-2d20uluru-2d2dkata-2d20tjuta-2d20national-2d20park-2d2c-2d20australia-2d21-2dsmall2.jpg
Kata Tjuta isn't as heard of, but is still worth the visit.
Stay the night at Ayers Rock Resort. It offers a pretty good view, is close by and it is worth seeing Ayers Rock at both dusk and dawn. As you saw in the photo, it has a great illusion of changing colour.
http://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/
Further South, in South Australia, around halfway between Uluru and Adelaide, is Coober Pedy, the opal mining capital of the world. Good idea to have a stop here, it makes a nice change from the seemingly neverending highway. Pretty interesting stuff here.
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is renowned for wine. Go to a vineyard there and try some wine tasting. Sadly I can't tell you much more, but I'm sure that, once again Google can supply you with the needed information.
Back over in New South Wales, the Hunter Valley also has some great vineyards. Admittedly, there aren't as many tourist attractions here, but if you have the time it can be worth the look around. Newcastle is know as the 'capital' of the Hunter Valley. Some good beaches, Nobbys Lighthouse is an attraction, but sadly, you can't go up to it anymore. You can still walk along the breakwater though.
http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/NSW/Nobbys%20Head/Nobby%20Head%20af%201.jpg
I'm a bit biased, as I live in Newcastle, but its a great place to live. N
Where to visit between Brisbane and Sydney?
Sarah D
Hi, I am travelling into Brisbane in April and have 3 weeks to make it down to Sydney. Were thinking of hiring a camper van for the drive. Can anybody make suggesstions as to what are must sees along the way or/ and in both Brisbane and Sydney. Thanks.
Answer
Firstly, get in touch with the NRMA (National Road and Motorists Association) and the RACQ (Royal Automobile Club of Queensland). These two organisations have lots of touring guides and maps available for planning your trips.
Secondly, reconsider the campervan. Whilst it is a good way to travel around and have cheap accommodation, you can be restricted to some degree. Rental of a small 4 door sedan will be much, much less than a campervan. Fuel costs will be much less. With a car and a cheap motel/hotel room, you can base yourself in an area and drive around the area in much more comfort and much less parking problems. With the campervan, if you want to do day trips, you have to leave the camping grounds and drive around to return to your campsite and all the associated set up problems. I could think of nothing worse than deciding to go to a meal in a restaurant and having to drive the campervan from the camping grounds to the restaurant then have to drive back at 10pm and back into the camping grounds and set up the van.
There are also many of the smaller, out of the way areas, that the roads aren't brilliant and may be difficult to negotiate in a campervan. You are also limited to staying in camping grounds and many of the areas you visit may not have these available. Also a point to remember, nearly every camping ground has onsite cabins and caravans available for overnight or longer. These are generally a fairly cheap option and you soon get sick of crawling around in the restricted space and headroom of a campervan. The two organisations listed at the start also have a fairly comprehensive book of an Accommodation Guide.
As for places to see and do, the entire coastline is dotted with hundreds of beautiful little towns and beachside villages. A lot of it is going to depend on what sort of things you like to do. There's so much available really, from the glitzy Gold Coast and its tourist traps, and the superb hinterlands areas. You can go visit Steve Irwin's Park, go fossicking for thundereggs, enjoy a magnificent scenic view over the Mt Warning volcano basin, bushwalk through the rainforest to lots of little waterfalls up in the Lamington National Park, visit a glowworm cave, take a boat trip out to a massive sand island, learn to surf.
Then head across the border and check out the beautiful villages of Mullumbimby, Lennox Heads and into the hippy commune refugee from the 60's Nimbin. Also lots of beautiful walks around here. Climb Mt Warning and watch the sunrise as this is the first part of Australian to greet the new day.
Further south, and just off the highway, stop in at Iluka and explore the wonderful rainforest right behind the coastal dunes. Rent a small tinny (little boat with an outboard motor) and try your hand at a bit of fishing, or simply rock up to the banks of the mighty Clarence river and cast a line out. Head down the road for about 10 mins to Woody Head, a delightful little beachside hamlet with a beautiful beach and good swimming. Spend a few hours walking over the rock platform and watching the tiny fish and other critters in the little rock pools. Again, a great place to do a bit of fishing. Catch the ferry across to Yamba and wander around this famous and favourite surfing mecca for generations of Australians. Failing that, drive further down the highway, turn left at Maclean and head out to Yamba, don't forget the compulsory photo of the lighthouse on the headland and a beer in the pub overlooking the beach. You might find you spend a day or two in Yamba also, the camping ground there is very close to the main areas.
South again and a 3-4 hour drive brings you to the Coffs Harbour area. Certainly a bit of a tourist mecca and a bit overdeveloped, but still worth a look as the coastline is truly beautiful. Don't forget the essential stop at the Big Banana and its tackorama and food. As the other poster said, consider staying at Woolgoolga. Or continue further south to Nambucca Heads for a picture perfect camping ground beside the river and the beach. Again, rent a tinny and spend the day fishing on the river. You might not catch anything, but you will see a lot of the wildlife.
For the next stop, I would be making it at South West Rocks. There's heaps to do here and a visit up to the old gaol is worth a few hours. The view from Point Perpendicular lighthouse is superb and the surfing is pretty good too.
From there, head to the area of Forster, Tuncurry, Myall Lakes, Port Macquarie, Laurieton. All very nice areas clustered around each other and difficult to know which one to stay at. Pick maybe Port Macquarie and spend a few days travelling around the area. In the right season, you can do whale watching trips as whales migrate up to their breeding grounds around Fraser Island and the Great Barrier Reef.
Next stop, I would leave the coast and head into the Hunter Valley to stay maybe in Pokolbin. From here I would do
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