Hey Jill!
I'm presuming you mean you want to travel down (or up) the east coast? That's a great idea, but it will be expensive- however, if you're not working on a super tight budget then hiring a car or campervan would be a great way of getting around and it will allow you much more flexibility and get you away from the touristy areas. You'll also be able to stay in caravan parks, which will be cheaper. So I say do it!
You haven't said where you want to go exactly, so I'll give you a few ideas:
Melbourne is a must- such a cool, quirky and generally awesome city
Sydney- a bit more clean and classy than grungy melbourne but still a beautiful city- besides, you can't come to Australia and not get photos of you in front of the opera house and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Byron Bay- a really cool town on the NSW/QLD border
Brisbane- chilled out and relaxed city
Sunshine Coast- for some R&R on the beach
Unlike the above poster, I'd advise you to skip Gold Coast- I've been many times, and maybe I'm just getting over it, but it's just way too touristy with very little atmosphere- the only things worth doing there is shopping, partying and lazing on the beach- and you can do that anywhere. It has very little else going for it, but that's just my opinion. I would however recommend the theme parks, especially Wet n' Wild (in summer) and Dreamworld, which are both usually accessible from Surfer's on the Gold coast- but if you have your own transport, you can just drive yourself there from Brisbane or wherever. If you do go to the theme parks, aviod school holidays and weekends and get there as soon as the gates open because spending the whole day in lines isn't much fun....
Keep in mind that as awesome as the East Coast is, Australia has a lot more to offer if you have the time- every state has something great to see/do.
Also keep in mind that Australia is a big place- driving overland will be a great experience but it will take time and be expensive- there are plenty of budget airfares available and flying from city to city is a time-efficient and cheap way of getting around.
As for when to go.... well! Not to brag, but we Aussies have pretty awesome weather most of the year 😊 Yes, it is cold in Melbourne in winter, but luckily we have a short winter and spring and autumn are both mild and pleasant. (For example, in Adelaide where I live, we have an almost identical climate to Melbourne and the first week of spring has me in jeans and a t-shirt, enjoying the sunshine).
It can get hot in summer though- if you're used to hot summers you'll be fine, but if your from somewhere that has pretty mild summers maybe you'll prefer to come in spring or autumn- although December, the first month of summer, isn't usually too hot yet.
As for the wet season, yes, it's over summer, but it's not too bad. I haven't been to northern QLD in the wet season so I can't comment, but in SE QLD (like, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast) it's muggy and sometimes rains in the afternoon, but it not so much that it will ruin your stay.
Sorry to ramble on! Hopefully you'll find a couple of tidbits of useful info in there somewhere!
Enjoy your trip!
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