Australia (NSW, NT & QLD)

October is a good time to be almost anywhere in Australia. You'll need to bring layers of clothes because it will still be chilly at times in the South and warm in the North and Center.  I should have asked how many actual days you will have in Australia so we could determine how many places to try and visit.  With your time constraints (less than 2 weeks), you should probably focus on a small number of key places.   In order to get a good initial taste of the country you definitely want to start in Sydney.  Try to stay in the area around the Rocks if you can.  You will want to explore the whole Rocks area, which is a bit touristy, but not to be missed.  Do tour the Opera House but don't go for the package that includes dinner - it's not a good value and you'll get better food elsewhere.  The view is great though, so it might be a good spot for a drink.   If there's a performance at the Opera House that appeals to you, try to go, it's a real treat.  The Circular Quay (pronounced "key") is where all of the ferries and water tours originate and it's near the Rocks and Opera House.  You can catch a ferry to the Taronga Zoo from there, which I wouldn't miss.  There's also a big park near there, I think it's called the Domain.  You'll want to tour the Darling Harbour area which has

lots of interesting sights.  We really enjoyed Elizabeth Bay House with its lovely colonial architecture, plus it's in a very pretty section of Sydney.

Nowadays you can walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge (locals call it the Coathanger) which will afford an amazing view if you have the stamina, which should be no sweat for you and Hedy with all the workouts you've been doing.

Everyone talks about eating at Doyle's for the seafood, but it's not worth the trip (it's in a far bay), the food is nothing special and it's a pain to get to.

The most famous beach in Australia is Bondi (pronounced Bond-eye) - it's for the party crowd.  A slightly less rowdy, but attractive alternative is Manley Beach.  I'm pretty sure that you can get there on a ferry. 

You'll want at least 3 days in Sydney. One thing that Stu and I didn't have a chance to do, (but will plan for next time) is a trip to the Blue Mountains.  It's supposed to be some of the most beautiful scenery in Oz with lots of hiking trails, horseback riding, etc. I have a feeling though that you'd need to do an overnight - I think it would be too far for a day trip.  I'm sorry that I can't recall the name of the gay section in Sydney (Darlinghurst?), it's really great with wonderful bookstores, cool shops and reasonable restaurants.  Stu and I found the ANZAC Memorial to be extremely moving.  I'd recommend watching the movie "Gallipoli" before you go - you will really appreciate the memorial as a result.  

On our last visit to Sydney, we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, which was fabulous - we had a terrific view of the harbor and the Opera House.  If this exceeds your budget, try to find someplace small and charming rather than opt for a Holiday Inn type of experience.

You have several choices for the outback.  Ayers Rock and the Olgas are terrific, especially sunrise and sunset, when the Rock changes colors.  It's one of life's mystical experiences.  I'd recommend the Aboriginal tour around the rock also to get a grounding in the dreamtime mythology.  A great book to read prior to going would be Bruce Chatwin's Songlines, which provides an interesting introduction to Aboriginal tribal lore.  We missed the Olgas because there was a rainstorm that flooded the roads just before we arrived (also caused lovely desert flowers to bloom though), but if you visit the Rock, plan time to visit the Olgas as well. Plan if possible to arrive in time for the sunset, view that, overnight and spend the next day at the Rock for sunrise and the tour then afternoon at the Olgas.  If a flight is available I'd fly out that evening to save time.  Not much more to do in this area.  Alice Springs is the heart of the outback and there are interesting camel treks and 4-wheel drive excursions that you can take from there - particularly to Palm Valley which is a great day trip.  Some of the best aboriginal art can be found in Alice.  One of the most interesting things to see in Alice is the Royal Flying Doctor Service - a system of doctors in planes who service the remote stations and settlements.  The motel we stayed at in Alice was awful so I won't even mention it.  I'm not sure what's available now, but I'll bet there are some nice places.  In Ayers Rock, I recall a nice, simple place with sweeping sun sails (you often see these in the outback as a sun screen - big canvas sheets that look like boat sails), but I can't recall the name.  That was so long ago that there must be good places to stay now.

However, I'd skip both, or see Ayers Rock and skip Alice, and go to Kakadu National Park if time permitted (see 3rd Oz trip notes).  There are 2 items though which you should take into consideration:   time to get there (it's way up north near Darwin) and the weather.  October is the transition between the dry season and the monsoon season, which I believe begins around November.  We'd been told that the transitional times are the least comfortable - high humidity and temperatures (imagine how it feels in summer just before a big thunderstorm).  However, as it will be the end of the dry season, water pools will have shrunk which makes it much easier to spot wildlife as they cluster around the few remaining pools of water.  If you choose to go, spend no less than 3 days and be sure to schedule the boat trip on Yellow Waters for the very first one of the day.   More animals and birds will be active at that hour, plus the temps will be slightly more comfortable.  The excursion to Twin Falls and Jim Jim is refreshing because you get into the water and it's just beautiful.  The aboriginal rock art at Nourlangie is worth seeing. I'd stay at the Crocodile Hotel again if I went.  It's not expensive, it's a family-oriented place.   I'd

skip Arnhemland and if you have a day, take a trip to Katherine Gorge.  We skipped Katherine because we'd just visited all of the spectacular gorges in the Kimberly (Windjana and Geike) but a trip though the gorge will be a very special experience.  There is a cattle station (ranch) near Katherine that is supposed to be really nice (forgot the name) and that would give you the experience of staying at an outback station in addition to the gorge trip.  You can get to know a young jackeroo or jillaroo.  Darwin is a surprisingly cosmopolitan town with a strong Asian influence.  I'd skip it though in order to have more time for the outback.

Finally, you might want to spend some time on the Great Barrier Reef. This is not box jellyfish season so you could enjoy the water.   I would avoid Cairns except as a flight connection if necessary - it reminds me of Ft. Lauderdale during spring break.  It takes forever to get to the reef from the mainland, and it is a very rough ride over turbulent seas out to the outer reef.  Once you get to the outer reef, the seas are flat calm, it's just the trip out from the inner reef or the shore that's miserable.  It's best to stay on an island and even then, most islands aren't on the reef and require long boat trips to get to the reef.  Among the few islands right on the reef are Lizard Island, Lady Elliott Island and Heron Island.  Lizard is very upscale and might be quite pricey.  Big-game fishermen and scuba divers like this place.  Heron is modest and probably not very expensive since the lodgings appear to be basic.  However, this island is considered a wildlife refuge and the diving is supposed to be superb as are the bush walks on the island itself   You'd have to check to see if snorkeling is also good - sometimes places are good for diving but bad for snorkeling (or vice versa) and some are good for both.  We considered Heron but opted for a liveaboard dive boat instead.   We had a stopover on Lizard and the beaches are magnificent.  If you could afford it, this would be a real treat and the nearby reefs are very good for snorkeling or diving.   If you'd like to visit Queensland but stick to the mainland, you might want to consider Palm Cove but I don't think it's special enough for a dedicated visit. There is also the "Gold Coast" - the strip near Brisbane.  As I understand it, it's like Atlantic City and Miami Beach rolled into one.  Definitely not our idea of a great place to visit but for 2 wild and crazy single gals, it might fit the bill.  On our first trip to Oz, we stayed on Dunk Island, which is just gorgeous but it's a long boat ride to the outer reef from there plus it's not cheap either.

A few more items:  Take a look at the Harbour Rocks Hotel in Sydney, it's small (55 rooms), well located and good price.  You can get a Twin room for 178 AUD which would be about 93 USD or you can get a room with a view of the Opera House for about 120 USD (231 AUD).  The rooms seem nice and have all the amenities - color TV, hairdryer, en-suite bathroom, etc.  http://www.travelmarket.com.au/hotels/Sydney_harbourrocks.htm

For restaurants in Sydney check out http://www.eatstreetsatnight.com.au/

Yesterday I was going to recommend the Powerhouse Museum, but I wasn't 100% sure that it was in Sydney. I confirmed that it is and it's really interesting.

Also check out this site

http://sydney.sidewalk.ninemsn.com.au/sydneyguide/OfficialSydneyGuide.asp  Lots of excellent links and advice.  Check out the excursions link

I'm also pretty certain that Darlinghurst is the gay section.  I forgot to mention King's Cross - it's the red light district but it's more cute than sleazy (at least when we were there).  It's not worth a special trip to the area but we thought we'd mention it in case you wondered.  It's not depressing like Amsterdam.

I found that the hotel at Ayers Rock with the sun shades that I recalled is called Sails in the Desert.  If I'm remembering correctly, the restaurant there was very good.

Take a look at www.northernterritory.com which lists sights in the Northern Territory including Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Kakadu, Katherine Gorge and other places of interest.  Look in the Visitor Information section for detailed info on the weather.

By the way:

Snorkelling, looks to be good at Heron Island.  Check out www.heronisland.com for more information.  I didn't find pricing info though

You might also want to see http://www.ladyelliot.com.au/ about Lady Elliott Island.  It looks very interesting.