Heidianna's Oz Holiday

My wiki user name: heidianna	Length of trip: about three weeks
Time of year: Early November Flights: into Melbourne, out of Sydney.	Type of travel (independent, group tour, etc): Independent, but arranged through Qantas with all transfers, in-country flights, hotels, etc. (Highly recommend it!)

General itinerary:

• Melbourne for 6 days
  
• Alice Springs: 2 nights
• Uluru: 2 nights
• Cairns: 4 nights
• Sydney: 4 nights
  

Trip highlights:
There were so many, but here's what sticks in my mind two years later:

"Absolute must-sees" to pass along:
1. Red Centre! Yes, it's out of the way, but worth the extra miles to see this amazing place.
2. Everyone MUST go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. I've snorkeled in a lot of places, but this was hands down the most colorful and active reef I've ever experienced. Even saw a sea turtle or two!

Best wildlife encounters:
Beautiful parakeets (aka budgies) just flying around the trees during a roadside stop; petting a koala at the zoo in Melbourne; snorkeling with massive schools of fish on Green Island and the outer reef.

What surprised me most:
The distances between places--australia is big!

What I'll never forget:
How cold it was in Melbourne the first few days we were there, but then how the sun finally came out as we were driving the Great Ocean Road--it was breathtaking. And warm. finally!

Best hotels: (link to them so others can check them out!):
Palm Cove, north of Cairns. At first I was skeptical about staying so far out of Cairns with no car, but it was the best decision. The hotel was near the water, had a swimming pool, a couple restaurants, and was only a short walk from town. (I'll try to remember the name of it!)


Favorite meals: (be sure to include the restaurant name and city!)



Photos from my trip: (Click EasyEdit, then select "Image")

Cuddly koala at the Melbourne zoo.	Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne	Swimming the outer reef from the Quicksilver Catamaran--crowded by amazing nonetheless