Australia Travel Planning - Part 1: Deciding What to See and Do

10 Weeks in Australia – Here’s how I am planning this epic adventure.

From the Great Barrier Reef to the Outback, the incredible beaches, and everything in-between, Australia is one of the most desirable vacation destinations in the world. If you are wondering why, I have previously written about some of the best reasons to visit.

Reasons Why Australia Should Be Your Next Vacation Destination

For many, Australia is usually high on a “bucket list” but, due to its location “on the other side of the world”, it often gets dismissed and pushed down the list when a more economical destination is offered. Considered an epic adventure, a vacation to Australia requires much more careful and meticulous planning to be able to see everything while staying within a reasonable budget.

12 Apostles along the Great Ocean Road (Photo by Colin + Meg on Unsplash

In this post, I’ll discuss the initial steps of Australia trip-planning which include:

Deciding what to visit,
When to travel, and,
How long to stay.

I am currently planning my own trip (retirement gift to myself) and I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the strategies and resources I use. I will discuss and use my itinerary as an example.

As I have been to Australia twice previously, this trip will incorporate some regions I have not been to before, as well as and the required visits to Queensland to see friends.

By sharing my process, as I did with my trip to Scotland, I hope to give you some ideas on how you can save money traveling and make planning your vacation a bit easier.

Crucial decision-making early in the planning process can significantly influence its progress. If you do not research thoroughly, you may miss out on some amazing experiences. Similarly, if you don’t budget enough time for your vacation, you may be forced to skip some of the incredible activities you investigated.

Conversely, if your vacation is too long, you may spend more money than necessary. It’s all about finding the right balance.

For my trip, I plan on spending ten weeks in Australia so my list of what to see will be comprehensive and cover many regions.

Deciding What to See and Do

One of the first steps in creating an itinerary is deciding what you want to see and where to start. This necessitates extensive research on the cities and regions you will be going to determine what appeals to you. You will discover many recommendations but not all will be to your liking. Put all of these places, activities and experiences on a list. I usually use a Word document but digital versions and apps exist.

Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia (Photo by Tobias Keller on Unsplash)

Once you have this list, you can start narrowing down the things you want to see and do on your vacation. This will help you decide when to travel, where to start and how long to stay.

Finding Great Resources

I’ve included some websites I utilized for my upcoming Australia trip to give you a sense of where I turn to research a trip. Plenty of travel blogs are available on Google and your local library or bookstore will have various print versions.

My friends Mike and Hannah at Mapping Memories have also written a post about resources called Master the Art of Travel Itinerary Creation.

Creating a Wishlist

Using the resources above and having been there twice previously, I narrowed down the cities in Australia I wanted to visit. Since I have not been to Western Australia, Perth, or Melbourne, I will concentrate on those areas in the first part of the trip.

Sydney is a required stop as I have cousins there. The remainder of my trip will focus on different regions in Queensland where I have friends: Cairns, Mackay/Airlie Beach, and Brisbane / Gold Coast.

If you have never been to Australia or only have a few weeks, I would concentrate on the coastal cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns.

If you have more time, you can include the West, the Centre or Tasmania. Keep in mind, distances are very great in Australia.

Iceberg Pools in Sydney (Photo by Jared Lisack on Unsplash)

Below is a sample list of things that I want to see when I visit Australia. This list will help me determine how much time I will spend in each area and help me fill out my itinerary.

The Pinnacles (Perth)
Margaret River (Perth)
Rottnest Island (Perth)
Hidden laneways with vibrant street art (Melbourne)
See the penguins on Phillip Island (Melbourne)
Great Ocean Road / 12 Apostles (Melbourne)
Yarra Valley Wines (Melbourne)
Bondi Beach / Iceberg Pools (Sydney)
Sydney Opera House (Sydney)
The Blue Mountains (Syndey)
Manly Beach (Sydney)
Bondi to Coogee Coastal walk
Great Barrier Reef (Cairns)
Atherton Tablelands (Cairns)
Port Douglas Beaches (Cairns)
Lizard Island (Cairns)
Airlie Beach / Whitsundays (Mackay)
Cape Hillsborough Kangaroos (Mackay)
Brisbane / Gold Coast

When To Visit

Once I examined my list of what I wanted to see and do, I needed to determine when I would take the trip. Since I will retire in December, I know it will be after that. I also know that I want to avoid traveling during the school holidays as prices are higher and the availability of accommodation and activities can be limited.

Furthermore, I want to take advantage of leaving a cold Canadian winter behind. This means that I will travel from the end of January through to the end of March. You may wish to travel during the shoulder seasons which tend to be less expensive. Keep in mind, their seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere.

To decide the best time to visit each segment of this trip, I charted out some key factors (temperature, rainfall, humidity) for the locations I will visit and then look for a time when conditions will be favorable for all locations. Prices and availability are one thing, but temperatures and rainfall patterns can also play a role in enjoying your stay in Australia.

Cairns Lagoon on the Esplanade (Photo by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash)

Knowing that January tends to be stormy in Cairns, I will complete that segment later in my itinerary. I will start in Western Australia (Perth) and then move to Melbourne during the heat of February, followed by Sydney, Cairns, Mackay, and Brisbane. It will still be warm in Melbourne but with its southern location and proximity to water, the temperature should moderate slightly.

Regarding costs, once I plug rough dates into flight and accommodation booking websites past the summer school holidays, the costs are more reasonable. Costs of day trips are similar year round but their availability increases outside holiday time periods.

If you plan to travel around Easter, keep in mind that it is a major holiday in Australia, and schools are usually closed for two weeks. Many families take vacations during this time so prices are high and availability is low.

How Much Time to Take

Once I determined the activities of my trip to Australia, the next step was to choose how long I would spend there. I chose to take ten weeks on this trip, so I needed to determine how to split that time between the various cities.

Based on my research, my plan will look something like this:

Perth and Western Australia – 14 days
Melbourne – 7 days
Sydney – 6 days
Cairns – 8 days
Mackay / Airlie Beach – 8 days
Brisbane / Gold Coast – 30 days

Part of my stay will include an extended time in Brisbane / Gold Coast where I have friends to visit.

If your vacation has less time, you will need to determine your attraction and entertainment priorities. For the most part, city stays can be enjoyed in 4 to 7 days. Don’t forget to plan for a travel day when going between cities.

Most itineraries to Australia should be at least two weeks. The longer time you have, the better. If you only have two weeks, I would suggest Brisbane and Sydney. A three-week itinerary could include the East coast from Sydney to Cairns, while four weeks or more, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Alice Springs could be added. I would not plan on heading west unless you have at least six weeks.

My Rough Itinerary

As soon as I established the time of year to visit, the next step was to create a rough itinerary for my trip and decide which cities I want to arrive and depart from. They can be the same or different depending on your time, interest and budget.

After reviewing different options for arrival and departure cities for my trip, I decided to arrive in Perth and depart from Brisbane.

Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast (Photo by City of Gold Coast on Unsplash)

Travel for my stay will have me arrive in Perth, fly to Melbourne, train to Sydney, fly to Cairns, and bus down the Queensland coast to Brisbane. I will use public transportation as much as possible and therefore travel days between places must be factored into the itinerary.

This concludes the first phase of planning a trip to Australia. By considering options of what to see, when to visit and how long to stay, you can create a memorable and enjoyable visit to this beautiful country.

Next Article on Australia Travel Planning –

Australia Travel Planning – Part 2: Booking the Flights

Once you have decided on your rough itinerary, list of places to visit and time of year, the next step is to book your flights. There are several things to consider at this point to make your long journey more enjoyable and cost effective.

The next Australia travel planning article will assist you with what to consider when booking your flights.