Looking for some help in narrowing down the itinerary for June Oz trip -20 days from Sydney.
Any recommends on hostels in QLD? Cairns? Cape York. We love to hike more than do beaches and Cape York sounds incredible.
My wife and I are going to Oz-landing in Sydney in June for 20 days.Virgin airpass seems like our best bet to get around and maybe even squeeze a trip to NZ in. We are planning on going to Laura Fest in Cape York at the end of trip-but thinking of skipping Brisbane and heading from Sydney to NZ the to Cairns-Cape York and back to Sydney. In June should we try to get to NT or anywhere else given the weather? Do we absolutely need a 4x4 for Cape York? We are super bare budget, couchsurfing,using hostels, etc. Open to ideas. Not sure if we shoudl bother with Gold Coast and all the beach areas as we don't surf/dive and we can get our fix in Cairns area.
Reply to this Yup, Cape York is awesome, but it's simply not possible without a 4x4. Even in the dry season with the new road (avoiding the old telegraph road) there are numerous water crossings that a 2WD would struggle with.
If you like thunderstorms, then NT is a must in June. You will have to stick to paved roads for the most part. Try heading up to Kakadu National Park. I know it's a very mainstream choice, but it's well worth it and the bird life is spectacular.
Else you can pop down to Ayer's Rock (Uluru) and the Olgas. The rock is spectacular but boring, while the Olgas have a few trecks around them.
With only 20 days though you won't have time for more than two destinations.
Good idea to give the Gold Coast a miss.
For budget travel, Cairns is a good place to start, with Peter Pan tours and other discount operators. Or if you are feeling adventurous, you could try posting a "ride wanted" ad in a backpackers. I spent a year traveling around Australia in a 4x4 and traveled with several great travel companions this way. It's super cheap, but may take a few days to get a ride.
Cheers.
Peter.
Reply to this Thanks much Peter.
Since we are arriving in Sydney I think flying to Cairns after a few days in Syd will be great for us. We just discovered it's peak season there but still hoping to find some great deals. Seems like either way we'll have to rent a car in Cairns to get around to see neighboring areas/rainforests, etc.
Kakadu sounds great but may be sretching it a bit. We love the forests/wetlands/deserts.
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