Expert: Michelle Mangio - 2/24/2007

Question
I wasn't really thinking about staying in three different locations over the ten days I was going to be there.  My thought process was to stay in Brisbane for most of the trip...probably 5 days and within that time I was thinking I would take a day trip to Sydney and on another day take a day trip to Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort and of course another day would be spent at the Australia Zoo.  Then I thought I would fly up to Cairns and upon researching the Quicksilver Cruises you recommended I think I would like to take a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef and go diving.  Does this sound too unobtainable?  I've never travelled much less made all the decisions about what to do once I get to my destination so it is all a bit overwhelming.  Any additional guidance would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Shannon
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
My friend and I will be visiting Australia in October for 10 days.  We plan on going to a few specific places and I need to know if they really are as good as they sound.  We will be staying in Brisbane but plan on heading up north for a cruise and the website I found was called cruisewhitsundays.com...great barrier reef adventure.  I'm curious if this cruise will give me a glimpse of the Great Barrier Reef (I plan on going on a dive) or if there is a different cruise that you would recommend.  I, also plan on visiting the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin resort so we can feed the dolphins.  We will most definitely be visiting the Australia Zoo and also plan on going south to Sydney.  I would love to know your opinions of the different places I listed and if you have other recommendations I would greatly appreciate any information you can give me.  Thanks so much for your time.
-----Answer-----
Hi Shannon!

Brisbane is a great city for a first-time visitor to Australia.  You can see some great wildlife (although not quite in the wild) at the Australia Zoo and the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, and the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort is a great experience for interacting with the dolphins. I think you will really enjoy both!  Cruise Whitsundays is a great company for visiting the Great Barrier Reef from the Brisbane area.  If you head north to Cairns and the Northern Barrier Reef, I highly recommend Quicksilver Cruises and Ocean Spirit Cruises to visit the reef.  Depending on your schedule and budget, a stay on one of the Whitsunday Islands is the perfect way to experience the Great Barrier Reef as well - some of these islands are directly on the reef.  Voyages resorts offers some great combination packages - Reef & Rainforest as well as Reef & Outback.  With only 10 days in Australia, you don't want to spread yourself too thin, however.  Spend at least 3 nights in each destination, if not longer depending on what you want to do.  I'd be happy to offer you some more advice, or help you plan your vacation, if you want to contact me directly at michelle @ magicalecapes.com.  Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you!

Michelle
Magical Escapes Vacations
www.magicalescapes.com

Answer
Hi Shannon!

You can't really do a day trip to Sydney from Brisbane;  the distance is too great, so you'd need to fly, and while you might be able to do an early morning flight there and an afternoon flight back, you wouldn't really have a chance to see much of the city at all.
Here is my suggestion:
You want to either start or end in Sydney or Brisbane, as both of these cities receive international flights to/from LAX.  So, for example, fly into Brisbane. Spend 4 nights/5 days there, including a night at Tangalooma (you'll want to overnight there).  Then go up to Cairns for 3 nights/4 days.  Then down to Sydney for 2 nights/3 days.  Then go home.  (Or do 2 nights Sydney, then 3 nights Cairns, then 4 nights Brisbane).  This will give you a great trip in Australia without being too much travel (though if you could extend Sydney to 3 nights, I do recommend it).  As a Premier Aussie Specialist, I'd be happy to help you plan this vacation directly if you'd like.  Contact me directly at michelle @ magicalecapes.com.  Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you!

Michelle
Magical Escapes Vacations
www.magicalescapes.com