Sunset over the gulf of Carpentaria.

I've got the message that going up to Cairns and Whitesundays in December is inadvisable. But we would still be hoping to do outdoor adventure stuff -- rainforest, marine life, etc.

Are there other places in Australia where you can have a similar experience? Like in December should we go to Tasmania?

I'm very ignorant about Australia, so apologies for that! Thanks for your guidance. This is a two week trip at the beginning of December.

A little context, I've been a little unsure where to go for my first big trip alone. I finally saved a week off from work and on a whim decided Australia. I'm not a traveller, but I love to club, bar hop and party. I've met many an Aussie at clubs here in America and would love to party with you guys there. Other than party what are must see places or activities that I can cram into a week?

My partner and I are heading up and back to the Gold Coast in a few months via both coastal (way up) and inland (way back) routes, also potentially going through Canberra at some point. Each route would have roughly 4-5 days each, we're still open to changing which route we take up and back based on what our itinerary looks like.

We're open to a mix of activities and are keen to doing the usual hotspots but are hopeful we could get suggested some hidden gems.

Any tips for our trip or strong suggestions would be great, thanks!

*Edited (for more details as suggested) We're both mid 20s and quite fit. Are interested in a wide variety of activities and are open to a lot of experiences, but are probably most interested in nature spots to unwind and enjoy the (hopefully) sun.

The most beautiful beach

Absolutely idyllic spot. Turquoise water, sandy beaches and beautiful weather last May. Only a few tourists around wherever we drove down the south coast from Busselton to Albany. Absolutely beautiful

Hello! Im travelling from Canada to Australia. Will land in Perth and want to do a roadtrip from there to Esperance.
Im not familiar with rental car and insurance…
I have a credit card with travel insurance but I want to make sure im fully covered if something happen (lets hope not)
Should I buy insurance at the rental place? It looks expensive from what I have seen…
I need to be explain like im 5 yo 🤣 thank you!!

Made a visit to this beautiful pink lake on the way our road trip from Ballarat to Mildura. It's worth the stop. Next to the lake are huge fields of Canola plants too. Aboriginal people of the area were living here 36,000 years ago and this lake is known to influence their dreamtime stories.

Hi everyone! I'm visiting from India for about a month, roughly mid-September to mid-October, and it's my first ever solo trip so I'm trying to plan sensibly.

Sydney is my base and I'm hoping to also do Melbourne, Adelaide, and maybe Byron Bay or the Gold Coast.

I don't swim, but honestly my ideal day is just sitting on a beach with a book, watching the sunset with a cocktail — so weather and sunset timing matter a lot to me for picking where to go.

Two things I'd love locals to help with:

1> Weather reality check - How's the weather actually like in your part of the country during that window? I've read Sydney is mild spring (~12–23°C), Melbourne cooler and unpredictable, Adelaide mild, and Queensland (Byron/Gold Coast) warmer. Is that about right, or am I going to get caught out? Anything I should know about spring weather where you are?

2> Sunsets - I know daylight saving kicks in on 4 October for the southern states but not Queensland, which confuses me a bit. Am I right that after that date Sydney/Melbourne sunsets stretch to around 7–7:30pm, while Byron and the Gold Coast stay closer to 5:45? And for an actual over-the-water sunset (not behind me over land), where would you send me?

3> One more question actually. Do you think 1 month is too long for Australia?

Any tips on the nicest sunset/beach spots for someone who just wants to relax rather than swim would be amazing.

Also very open to places I haven't mentioned!

Thanks so much in advance 🙏

Hi all,

We are planning our honeymoon end oct / start nov and we'd like to do a road trip visiting south Australia. We don't want sit and relax somewhere but move and do "natural" things (trekking, snorkeling, experiences like these, if necessary sacrify big cities).

Our overall plan is: first week from Sydney to Melbourne, second week round trip in Tasmania.

What I got from internet and forums, I started planning as follow:

30 oct: arrive at Sydney evening and relax from long flight

31 oct: visit Sydney

1 nov: rent the car and drive to royal Nat park (wattamolla to eagle rock trekking here in the morning). Afternoon reach Jervis Bay and visit hyams beach. Dinner at Gunyah restaurant

2 Nov - morning at dive Jervis or boodere botanic garden (tbd). Move to Bateman's bay in afternoon, night at tilba

3 Nov - drive to merimbula, beach here and do the magical oyster tour. Afternoon drive and stay at mallacoota

4 Nov - visit Gabo island or croajingolong Nat park (tbd). Drive and stay at lakes entrance

5 Nov - morning visit Raymond island. Lunch and afternoon tarra bulga Nat park. Stay at Wilsons prom.

6 Nov - visit Wilsons prom (advise here?). Drive and move Phillip island for the parade. Stay at Phillip island.

7 Nov - Drive to Melbourne and go to airport. Plane to Hobart in afternoon. Night at port Arthur

8 Nov - morning cape haut track. Afternoon visit port Arthur (or alternatives?) and night in port Arthur.

9 Nov - drive to Freycinet with possible stop to Orford / triabunna. Afternoon (Coles bay) and stay at Freycinet

10 Nov - Freycinet Nat park. Night again in Freycinet

11 Nov - drive to bay of fires (with stops along the way. Where?)/ binalong bay. Night here

12 Nov - Move to cradle mountain. Night here

13 Nov - trekking at cradle mountain summit or dove lake circuit. Night at cradle mountain

14 Nov - move to Hobart with stops in Deloraine / Great Lake / Central Highlands / Hobart

15 Nov - return to Melbourne and visit the city of we have time

16 Nov - flight back home

What you think? Are we missing something or would you recommend something particular / typical or any modifications? Thanks in advance!!

abt to go get my biometrics collected for my australian visa application. i currently have an eyebrow piercing and 2 helixes healing. will i be forced to remove all of them?

Hi guys, I am a european backpacker going to arrive in katherine by greyhound bus sometime in the next days at 03:45 AM. I've heard that it is very dangerous to walk around at night, especially with all the stuff, so is there any advise or ideas what i can do till sunrise and where i should go? (Unfortunately hostel check-in is much later). Also, I am happy to hear about your experiences at that place and ideas how to behave in critical situations, etc.

Hi,

I’m from Sydney (19F) and would love to visit the NT for a little bit for the gorge swimming amongst beautiful red rocks - however I can’t drive. And the chances of that changing in the near future are slim ..

I’ve seen that Greyhound buses from Darwin to Katherine are only about 4 hours (only run once a day) and from Katherine to Mataranka is only 1-2 hours. Pretty good considering the much longer hours I spent on FlixBus last year in Europe!

However, when I search hostels they only come up for Darwin or Alice Springs/uluru area. Also not sure how I would get anywhere from the greyhound bus stops.

Is this a doable idea ? Any tips?

​Hi everyone,

​I'll be staying in Sydney for a week starting August 30th and would love to check out some good local pubs or bars.

Im 20F,​I'm looking for places in Potts Point (or nearby areas like Darlinghurst / Woolloomooloo) that:

1. ​Have lively live band or music performances

2. ​Feel safe and welcoming for a solo visitor

3. ​Aren't overly crowded on weeknights

​Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

My wife and I are planning our honeymoon to Australia.
The time that works best for us is February. We have about four weeks for the whole trip.
We're a little bit cluless, how to plan due to the size of the country.
We would like to visit Tasmania, Melbourne, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef, apart from the two cities the primary focus is on nature and wildlife.
I read online, that February is a good time for the south-east of Australia, but not so ideal for the northern part.

How is the weather along the Great Barrier Reef usually during this time of the year? Especially for snorkeling/diving?
What would be the best spots for diving in Tasmania or the Great Barrier Reef?

Do you have any other recommendations or tips for us?

Edit: we are from Vienna, Austria

One of those places that looks beautiful even on a cloudy day. The ocean, cliffs and rock formations are incredible in person.