Yank needs travel advice

[NorthernFocus]

My bride and I will be heading down under in November for a three week trip. Being from Alaska we plan to stick to the south to avoid the heat. We've pretty well settled on sticking to Sydney for the first five days or so after we land. Then plan to spend several days driving down the coast and on around to the great ocean road. Then we'll spend a day or two in Melbourne and then back on across to fly back out of Sydney.

So my questions are:

For landscapes along the coast as described, other than the great ocean road end of the trip, what spots along the way are "must see" spots and what time of day is best to be there for photos. We're not urbanites so mainly interested in natural wonders. Or boats.... And beaches....

Are there any spots along the way as described with a reasonable chance of some decent bird/wildlife photography without making a major safari out of it? My plans are to be packing a Nikon D7100, 300mm f4, and 1.4x. So ranges equivalent to 600mm full frame would be reasonable. Our idea of a perfect outing is a walk on the beach where I can crawl around on my belly taking bird photos while my bride walks a few km without risk of being kidnapped and held for ransom.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Cargo]

Hey Dan,
Cant advice on your trip as i live in Nth Queensland, though there will be some on here who can. Just want to wish you happy travels while in Oz and after browsing your website I'm looking forward to seeing some photos taken on your trip here.
Cheers Cargo

[rossco]

in my humble opinion, just drive and keep the ocean to your left, there is a wealth of spots from Sydney to the ocean road that you could not cover in a year of roaming about, look for beaches located on or near national parks, then head inland and explore the national parks and bush walks, all major or decent sized towns have a info centre with very helpful people to push you in the right direction. As for the bride, kidnapping is rare and ransom even rarer as you are in Alaskan dollars, unless they have a taste for salmon, more likely she would be taken by a dingo, bunyip, drop bear, or at worst berated by a person from Melbourne telling her why Sydney is a dreadful place, could be worse in Queensland its the crocs, mossies and electricity companies that have it in for you

[mudman]

as Rossco said, except for the kidnapping bit. i will take Alaskan curancy in in the form of full oil barrels.
i would also suggest a more standard size lens for scenics
you will literally see a hundred or more beaches on your drive, which should give you some good surfing (between the red an yellow flags) and sunrise landscapes. also bring or buy insect repellent as the flys and other insects will be out with the warmer weather. lastly, drive on the left side of the road, it can get a bit exciting otherwise.
happy travelling

[NorthernFocus]

... just drive and keep the ocean to your left...
OK, that was pretty much our plan. We try to wing it as much as possible when we travel. Over the years we've found that for our personalities we tend to be interested in stuff that doesn't make the guidebooks.

I will have a landscape lens and some form of tripod along. Only mentioned the 300 due to asking about the birdies. Good reminder about the driving on the left. You're some tough folks living down there with everything being upside down and backwards. And thanks for the heads up about the flies.

[wmphoto]

and a good macro lens for close ups of snakes :lol::ps:

[Belly]

Congrats and enjoy your trip here, so much to see so little time to see it. For a real cultural experience you gotta come to South Hedland:eek::eek::eek:

Enjoy mate and look forward to seeing your photos.

Cheers
BELLY:D

[aussie girl]

Just be careful when you drive through country areas, especially just as the sun is coming up or just before sunset. You will find many kangaroos in and around the National Parks and they will just bound across the road with out warning. They also frequent many areas along the roads and in the towns as well. We have even seen them in suburbia!! over here in South Australia (saw them along Commercial Road at Seaford Rise for all you Adelaidians) If you see big yellow sign with a picture of a kangaroo on it, be careful, because these signs are put up to warn you of places where kangaroos are prevalent. You do NOT want to hit one, and watch out for wombats as well.

[woononabutch]

This is someone from the area you wish to explore speaking - On leaving Sydney make sure to travel the "Grand Pacific Drive" there are some spectacular areas along the drive for some great seascapes, and then there's the "Sea Cliff bridge" a must walk experience. Taking the coastal route to Melbourne has some magnificent beaches and rural landscapes - but as "Aussie Girl" says watch out for wildlife along this drive.

Cheers and have a great time - Chris

[geoffsta]

I would like to know if you plan to stay overnight along the east coast anywhere. Will you be in a campervan or similar? There are some good fishing villages along the way. Eden and Lakes Entrance between Sydney and Melbourne are just 2 that comes to mind. Grand Pacific Drive as suggested above is spectacular in the right conditions. Between Sydney and Wollongong you could spend a month taking images, and be in a different location every time.
When you do decide on an itinerary, let us know.. We could possibly organize meet ups along the way, which help with your holiday experience.

[ricktas]

I agree re the above. The eastern seaboard is generally the 'green belt' and there are some wonderful places for photography, visit the national parks for stunning views, animals, so along with beaches and coastal areas, go inland a bit and hunt out a waterfall or two as well.

As for staying south for cooler weather, remember that Australia is a country of extremes and you might find you get high 30s (35 celcius = 95f) in Sydney and Melbourne. Staying south does not mean cooler at times, where the southern states can be hotter than the northern parts of the country.

Once you have the basics of your plan laid down, we could specify more detailed information about particular places to visit along your route, and around your overnight stay locations.

[mudman]

and a good macro lens for close ups of snakes :lol::ps:
if you let them close enough you need a wide angle not a macro:D
you don't have to worry too much about things biting you, it's when they swallow you have a problem.
as stated above, if you have questions just ask. we should be able to give you the info you want?

[ricktas]

snakes, spiders, sharks, jellyfish, insects... stay calm and carry on! :D

[Kym]

Read these :)

http://www.postcardz.com.au/dangers-of-travelling-in-australia.htm

http://www.australia.com/plan/while-your-here/tips-hazards.aspx

http://www.sydney100.com/snakes-spiders-sharks.htm

http://asiancorrespondent.com/94190/australias-snakes-and-other-deadly-critters-do-you-believe-the-hype/

http://www.crypto-world.com/Australia/aus4yankees.html <<<<< VERY important!!

[NorthernFocus]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. Sounds like we are going to need to slow down a bit. There is precious little in any books we've found to-date about the southeast coast. If there are that many beaches we can spend the whole vacation there :) We won't be traveling via caravan. Auto and staying in whatever accommodations we can find along the way. We're not too picky though poisonous bugs in the bunk would stretch our comfort level a bit.

snakes, spiders, sharks, jellyfish, insects... stay calm and carry on! :D

Sharks and stinging water critters aren't a problem. I used to fish for a living and don't plan on getting in the water and offering them the chance to settle the balance sheet. Grew up in the southern US so snakes don't bother me that bad. It's the bugs that I don't like :o What is it about warm climates that everything living want to have you for lunch?

And as to the heat, one good thing about being on vacation is that we don't need to move faster than a slow walk or lift anything heavier than a knife and fork. By the way, do you folks call it vacation or do you say holiday? or 'oleedie or something such?

Those kangaroos sound like a real problem. All we have on the road here are moose. If you steer the car quick enough you can dodge between their legs. Granted the small ones bellies will dent the roof once in a while but that usually won't even pop the air bags. A bigger problem for us is raising the garage door when you come home and finding a bear in the garbage. I guess that's the bin to you? We keep it in the garage to keep the bears from spreading it around but sometimes if you've had fish for dinner they get bold and come on in when you're not home.

We'll give it a bit more thought and then I'll ask more specific questions. First order of business it so ditch the travel books and pull up Google Earth on the computer and look for beaches :)

[Kym]

There has been a good dose of Aussie humour in this thread - get used to it :lol2:

[NorthernFocus]

There has been a good dose of Aussie humour in this thread - get used to it :lol2:
I gathered :) I've had a few opportunities to work with a few Ozzies over the years. I usually get the joke a few minutes late :o It's a bit easier this way.

Thanks for all the links.

[I @ M]

First order of business it so ditch the travel books and pull up Google Earth on the computer and look for beaches :)

Hmm, beaches, birds, bugs ( limited in Nov ) bunk beds and bush but NO bears --- that kmz will put you right in the middle of all the aforementioned attributes.

[ricktas]

And as to the heat, one good thing about being on vacation is that we don't need to move faster than a slow walk or lift anything heavier than a knife and fork. By the way, do you folks call it vacation or do you say holiday? or 'oleedie or something such?


Knife and Fork?? .. fingers are best :D

We tend to call them holidays, leave, hols, or days off.

Most people when they come to Australia miscomprehended the distances between places. Sydney to Melbourne taking the coast is over 1000kms, when you want to take in the views and enjoy the towns along the way, it can be a leisurely drive for a week.

[Warus]

I would suggest after you do the GOR you get over to Tassie and get up to Cradle mountain and see a bit of it and fly back to Sydney from Hobart on your way out rather than hoof it back to Sydney by car along the highway.

[aussie girl]

Just about the whole coast of Australia has nothing but beautiful beaches. If you go to the famous ones, like Bondi, you will barely find room to put your towel down, especially in summer. As you travel along the coast, you will find many beaches, where you will have heaps of room to roam. We DO have some nasties in our oceans and in amongst rock pools, so never pick up anything and place it on your hand. A harmless looking shell, could have a stinging creature in it, and we have a very small brightly coloured octopus, the blue ringed octopus that is deadly, one sting and you have a 99% chance of dying. We used to find them as kids along the rocks near Port Lincoln's Curtin Point caravan park. That was before the newspapers reported on a man that died after he put one on his hand to look at it and got bitten. Hopefully you will be too busy taking in the wonderful scenery to be too engrossed in the smaller life forms that live on the beaches.

As for our sun, as many have already warned, it is deadly here. 15 minutes in the sun and you WILL be burnt, even if the weather is cloudy. It is absolutely essential that you equip yourself with a decent hat, sunglasses and good quality suncream, SPF of 30+ or more, and a decent shirt. You can find some lightweight longsleeved cotton fishing shirts fairly cheap that will keep you cool but stop you getting fried.
You can find cheap accomodation in many of the smaller places along the way, but if it is a touristy place expect to pay a decent rate, anywhere from $90 - $130 per couple per night. Caravan parks are about the same for a self contained cabin, a caravan may be a bit cheaper but you may have to pay for linen if you dont have your own, which you probably wont. If you drive inland to a small town just off the coast you may be able to get a room at one of the pubs for a reasonable price, but it may have a shared bathroom rather than an ensuite. We have payed between $50 and $70 per night per couple at some country pubs and the beauty of this is that many of them serve meals for a decent price and you can have a drink or two and then wander upstairs to sleep, you wont have to drive home, and some of these old pubs are unique. They may be a bit dated, but they have character and some of the staircases inside are beautiful.
I am sure, with the help of the people on this forum, you will be able to have a decent and reasonably cheap holiday and you will get to see things that the other tourists do not get to see, with less people there to block the view. You dont think that we want tourists to see ALL the good stuff do you??:D

[mudman]

worst times for roos are early morning and late afternoon. these are the times they are feeding and watering.
you will always get the ones that don't conform to this paradigm so you need to be alert.
that said i have only made contact with one roo. and that was out the back of Canberra here (worth a look on your drive back to Sydney). not bad for 52 years of driving.

- - - Updated - - -



Those kangaroos sound like a real problem. All we have on the road here are moose. If you steer the car quick enough you can dodge between their legs. Granted the small ones bellies will dent the roof once in a while but that usually won't even pop the air bags. A bigger problem for us is raising the garage door when you come home and finding a bear in the garbage. I guess that's the bin to you? We keep it in the garage to keep the bears from spreading it around but sometimes if you've had fish for dinner they get bold and come on in when you're not home.

We'll give it a bit more thought and then I'll ask more specific questions. First order of business it so ditch the travel books and pull up Google Earth on the computer and look for beaches :)

if your moose are as big as you say ( i think There may be a bit of exaggeration there), i would hate to see the size of your cats

[NikonNellie]

If we know when you are arriving in Sydney we may be able to organize a Meet - maybe a sunrise at one of the northern beaches or a night time shoot in the city. :)

[Kym]

Hmmmm do we tell him about the Drop Bears?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gXbQBUBdX6Q/TV4kfJzW0XI/AAAAAAAAAbs/0gzbhes9ORA/s400/drop-bear_01.jpg

[I @ M]

Hmmmm do we tell him about the Drop Bears?


Sssssh, keep it a secret I reckon and lure him to 102678


Check out the claws on this one ready to pounce.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9582534/db3.JPG

[wedgtail]

And in true Ozzie spirit yust watch the water running backwards down the sink for 5 minutes :)

[bricat]

Melbourne is the culture centre of good old aussie and also the food capital oh and more important the SPORTING capital. Pity you missed the aussie rules football season too. If you like animals the Melbourne zoo particulary with the butterfly enclosure is great with them landing on you. And the Great Ocean Road you will see little signs to waterfalls heading inland that make a great walk with varying times to travel in/out. Gives you a chance to stretch the legs as you appear to be doing a lot of driving. As stated this is a big country. Don't worry about the redback spider or funnel web spider as I have lived to 63 and not been bitten.(YET) The mozzies do bite as do sandflies. Some of these mozzies are reported to be as big as a jumbo jet. hahahahaha cheers Brian Did I say I'm biased and live in Melbourne

[horizon]

Hope you have a great holiday mate, watch out for the grasshoppers, and dont try to pat them, even if they appear tame, they do have quite a kick and many a tourist has found out the hard way.

Regards,
Craig

[Lance B]

As a Sydney-sider, I am more than happy to show you round some of the areas of Sydney once you get here, I have done this quite a number of times for other overseas photography guests and it gives me an excuse to get out and photograph as well as show you the sites. There are many beautiful spots that I can take you to that you might not otherwise see and you can get to see some of the local wildlife as well as some lovely scenery. I really enjoy showing people around and it is not an issue whatsoever, so, if you would like to take up the offer, just let me know.