We (middle-aged outdoorsy couple) are planning a 3 week trip (first time to Australia) for late October - early November 2009. We are not really "slow travellers", but do value the opinions of those who have spent time where we're going to be with our more limited time frame.

We are booked to fly into Cairns on Oct 23 and home from Sydney on November 11. Other than that we have not yet committed to any domestic flights or accommodations reservations. We travelled around New Zealand a couple years back in a rented motor home and loved it, but realize that Australia is huge, and we will have to both limit the areas we visit and the time spent driving between places.

We are wondering about campervan rentals in the Cairns area, and also in the Darwin area. Does not having 4WD limit what we can see very much? Particularly in the Darwin/Kakadu area? We plan to rent self-sufficient campervans with toilet and shower, and are wondering if "free camping" is possible or must we stay in organized camping grounds in many places? Do any campers with Shower/Toilet also have 4WD - if so, I haven't been able to find them searching the rental websites.

How to divide our time? Current thinking is about a week in Cairns/Daintree/Cape Trib/reef area with one campervan/motorhome, then fly to Darwin for another week in another campervan/motorhome in the Darwin/Litchfield/Katherine Gorge/Kakadu area, before flying to Ayers Rock for 3 nights (is that too many?) and onward to Sydney for the final 2 nights (not enough for some folks but probably about right for us).

I am wondering if we are not doing justice to either area by spending only a week (6 full days of sightseeing) to see all the sights we hope to see. But I can't imagine going to Australia and not seeing Uluru and the Olgas (Kings Canyon is optional for us, since we hike in Utah a bunch and believe they are somewhat similar).

Does anyone have any advice for us before we lock in domestic flights and motor home rentals? Basically, should the two areas - Cairns and top end - get a 50/50 split, or is one "worth" more time than the other?

Our preferences are nature, hiking, camping, views. Cuisine and cultural events not so much, though a bit of aboriginal interpretation and rock art would be nice. Nightlife not at all.

Thanks for any help you can give us.

Okay...3 weeks. For the areas that you wish to see, a 4wd is not necessary. My suggestion is to fly into Cairns and do as you suggest....very doable in one week.

Return your motorhome and fly into Darwin from Cairns and rent another there.

Darwin to Katherine via Lichfield and Kakadu also doable in one week. If possible continue drive to Alice Springs and Uluru. Return motorhome at Alice Springs and fly back to Sydney from there.

I would definitely rent a motorhome with shower and toilet because most of the areas you wish to visit are National Parks. They do have facilities, but I have always preferred my own as a matter of convenience when stopping along the way.

National Parks have minimal camping fees, sometime only an honour box. Kakadu also has a park entrance fee and a map is given of camping locations. You can drive in from Darwin end and without having to retrace your steps, exit Katherine end. There are some other places along the way to Katherine that I wouldn't miss, eg. Edith Falls. After Katherine, Mataranka is a great place to stop also.

You are actually going to places that we have visited many times over the years, so any help with your itinerary would be a pleasure for me to give.

There are a number of books on free camping in Australia, but the one I consider to be the best is 'Camps Australia' as it gives information about caravans, campervans and other forms of accessibility for the size of the unit you have. Also lists approximate prices of cheap caravan parks, should there be no free camping in the area you wish to visit. You can buy this and any other books at any newsagency.

Go for it and have fun.

Elly

Thank you Elly for your helpful reply.

I have about concluded that in our short time frame, we can less afford the time it would take to drive to Alice or Uluru than the money it would cost to fly/stay there.

Have you done any tours from Alice to Uluru that include the Rock and Olgas? We are not as interested in Kings Canyon, partly due to the distance from Uluru, and the time it takes to get there and back, but also because it seems like it might be similar to Utah where we hike a lot.

Someone on another site warned it would be beastly hot in the Top End, especially Kakadu, in November. Do you concur? And that Jim Jim and Twin Falls either won't have enough water going over them if it hasn't rained, or if it has rained, the roads will be impassable, even for tours. Is this likely to be true? In that case, is there any reason for us to go to Kakadu? I've heard some pretty negative things about onerous regulation due to the handover to the aboriginal owners. But yet it's still on most people's Top End must do list....

Anyone else want to chime in?

Kimby, we have never done any tours as we always travel by car & caravan to these places. I'm sure that there would be several tours from Alice Springs to Uluru and The Olgas.

Weather wise, yes it is the beginning of the 'wet season' and will be hot and humid in the top end. But our vehicles do have air conditioning as does our accommodation.

As for Jim Jim Falls, we have lucked out only once. You would need a 4WD for the trip in, but otherwise there are tour operators from Yellow River that go out there. For me, Kakadu is a special place with lots of rock paintings, wildlife and just peaceful. There should always be respect for the traditional owners of these places, but we have never had any problems and have never heard of anyone having any trouble. There are always rangers in the park and most are Aboriginal. The same are present in Uluru.

Here's a website that might help you with tours and/or information

Elly

Kakadu vs. "Kakadon't"

This article from the Australian is what I was referring to.

Thanks for the further info, Elly.

Wow, that's quite a damaging report. We've come across people travelling who have said that they wouldn't go to Kakadu and called it 'Kakadon't.'

Most often these people have come from Victoria (sorry Vics), a state largely different in demographics to Northern Queensland, North West Australia and Northern Territory.

Maybe it's because we know where to go in Kakadu, that we have never experienced any problems. Ubirr is definitely one of the better places to see 'natural' rock art, but not the only place. Aboriginal rangers are the best guides within the park.

I can't really advise you either way except to say that you are coming a long way to visit Australia and only you can judge what is of importance to you.

I know that when I have travelled overseas, I've always kept an open mind about what other people have said negatively about places that they've visited.

Motto here is: 'Have no expectations and you will have no disappointments.'

Elly

If we are using a campervan/motor home for the Top End during November, am I correct to assume that the air conditioning will function only when the motor is running, so we may be very uncomfortable trying to sleep at this time of year?

I'm getting fairly spooked about going to NT, at least on this trip.

So now I'm wondering if it would be better to spend more time in Queensland, e.g. pick up a camper/motorhome in Cairns and return it further south, if possible. OR we could substitute a week in the south somewhere, where summer will be pleasant, for the week in Darwin area where we could be miserable.

What to do?

You are correct in that air conditioning will only work when the motor is running should you wish to stay in an unpowered site area. Otherwise you would connect to the power outlet on the outside of your campervan to the site power.(eg caravan parks)

Northern Queensland is also tropical and hot at that time of year. If heat and humidity will make you uncomfortable, then I would go further south either by driving or flying, depending on what areas you wish to see.

The Whitsundays are the best location (in my opinion) for snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. Airlie Beach is the town's actual name. You could probably start in Cairns, drive to Cape Tribulation and then start the trek south towards Brisbane. It is quite a hike and there will be places you would have to drive past rather than stay for an extended time.

However, there are many places in and around Cairns that can keep you occupied for the entire time. eg. Kuranda, Atherton Tablelands, Mossman Gorge, Yungaburra and the many lakes and waterfalls in the area.

A little further south and you have Innisfail, The Boulders and Mission Beach (where you may be lucky enough to see Cassowary.)

Plenty of island boat trips off Cairns to Fitzroy and Green Islands to name just a couple. Swimming in Cairns itself is not recommended, however the town has a beautiful and very large lagoon pool right by the ocean and best of all....it's free!

You have plenty of choices really, it is just a matter of what makes you most comfortable.

Elly

Wow! Great information Elly. I'm taking notes for a future trip. We visited Sept/Oct in Western Australia for the wildflowers and it was starting to warm up especially as we traveled North. We only went as far as Kalbarri in WA. It will be milder as you go farther south. It is Spring and a great time to travel.

You may want to spend a little bit more time in Sydney and New South Wales. We spent 5 days in Sydney and we didn't have enough time to see everything we wanted to see. We did not get a chance to get out of Sydney to see more of NSW. We really wanted to see the Blue Mountains. We spent most of our time in Western Australia and did not go to Uluru.

Have you checked the flying time between your Australian destinations yet? Don't forget to add on flight days especially flying east. It is similar to flying in the US for both distance and time.

Thanks Elly, this is most helpful.

As we tend to like "free camping" rather than RV parks, we will likely be "off the grid" much of the time. Could make for very uncomfortable sleeping conditions, particularly if the windows don't have insect screening!

Thanks, also Marta. Looks like we may be flying North South more than East West, except for Uluru.

quote:

Originally posted by Elly:
Northern Queensland is also tropical and hot at that time of year. If heat and humidity will make you uncomfortable, then I would go further south either by driving or flying, depending on what areas you wish to see.

The Whitsundays are the best location (in my opinion) for snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. Airlie Beach is the town's actual name. You could probably start in Cairns, drive to Cape Tribulation and then start the trek south towards Brisbane. It is quite a hike and there will be places you would have to drive past rather than stay for an extended time.

So it seems like a reasonable plan to rent a camper one way from Cairns to Brisbane, run up to Cape Trib and Daintree then head south, cruise in the Whitsundays, and do all this in two weeks?

We could then fly Brisbane to Alice or Uluru and onward to Sydney for our departure flight.

Hi Kimby,

I think you need to reread Elly's excellent comments and review what you really want to see. The best time of the year to visit northern Australia is mid year during the dry season. As I assume you are locked into your dates then an option could be to do the Cairns area as Elly suggests then maybe fly to Darwin and take a guided tour of Kakadu to see if you would like to return on a self drive camper van tour.

Cairns to Sydney is a long way - 3 hours plane trip, but there are some great areas behind Sydney such as the Blue Mountains which would be very easy in a camper without the climate problem.

Also keep in mind there may be some penalties for dropping off the camper in a different area from where you got it.

You could go to Alice Springs and use a camper to visit Uluru and surrounds -again some fascinating country. Uluru is I think about 150 miles from Alice Springs and as an option there are many tours out of Alice Springs.

What ever you decide enjoy the visit.

Cairns to Brisbane in 2 weeks? No way would I do that. 3 weeks at a stretch.

2 weeks will probably get you to Townsville without missing too much. If heat is a discomfort for you, then scrap Northern Queensland and Northern Territory all together and opt for Sydney and Brisbane. It is really hard to judge what would suit you weather wise and how you would cope.

John from Aus once posted a comparison map of Australia to USA.

Hopefully I have linked it correctly.


Elly

It's too bad that map isn't flipped for hemispheric differences, so that the tropical Cape York would overlay Florida, instead of Canada!

Since our non-refundable tickets have us flying into Cairns, skipping N. Queensland isn't really an option. But skipping the top end and spending more time working our way south in Queensland is.

We are intrigued by the Whitsunday Islands, and might try to do a 3-day sail there. Wondering if we should try to keep the campervan and drive to Airlie Beach, or return it in Cairns and fly to whatever town has the airport for the Whitsundays.

We still want to visit the Rock, but uncertain if it is best done from Cairns or the Whitsunday area. And whether we should fly to Alice or direct to Uluru. We really HATE the monopolistic expensive hotel options at Yulara, but a 3 day camping tour out of Alice isn't any less expensive.

Our return is from Sydney, since we have non-refundable tickets home from there, on the 20th day of our trip (with Day 1 the first full day on the ground; I'm not counting travel days.)

Thanks for all the advice!

Hi Kimby,

From memory, the closest airport to Airlie Beach is situated in the town of Proserpine. Maybe you can return your campervan at Airlie and fly out of Proserpine.

Sorry about the expensive accommodation at Yulara, but even we Australians don't have a choice. The caravan park there is also not the best as far as accommodation is concerned. I would opt for the hotel/motel.

So...you now have even more time to explore Northern Queensland now that the Northern Territory part of your itinerary has been expended with. I think that's probably a wiser move and 3 days sailing the Whitsundays...WOW!

With that extra time, don't skimp on areas in and around Cairns before travelling south to Airlie.

Elly

Now the problem is finding a campervan rental company that rents units with shower and toilet that will let us pick up in Cairns and drop in Airlie Beach.
The only one I can find is Camperman, and they have gotten some pretty terrible reviews.

Any advice, anyone?

Popular units being driven around are Maui or Kea or Britz

These are the units favoured most by Europeans travelling around Australia.

Elly

Elly, of these three, only Kea has an Airlie Beach return location, but their website isn't showing any motorhomes with Toilet/Shower, which is our preference. So far, only Camperman seems to meet that requirement, but I have seen only BAD REVIEWS for them.
Still looking.

Kea replied to my email that they only have the hitop vans without S/T available at Airlie.

So back to the drawing board. Unless I hear soon of a company that rents - or allows returns - 2berthS/T motorhomes out of Airlie Bbeach, I will have to consider renting and returning in Cairns and flying over all the distance between Cairns and AB. Too bad.

Sorry Kimby, but I have never even heard of Camperman or seen any of their units on the road.

I'm surprised that Britz doesn't have a return there as they are the most popular unit travelling. Will keep trying to source something for you.

Elly

Kimby, Apollo has a pickup in Cairns and a drop off in Airlie. website

Elly

It appears that they don't rent units with Shower/Toilet that can be dropped in AB, though. For maximum flexibility - and the
ability to avoid Campervan Parks - we really hope to find a rental with S/T.

I suspect you can't fly to Alice Springs or Uluru from either Proserpine or Hamilton Island (the other Whitsundays airport)

You will need to do this from Cairns.

Kimby, another reason why hired campervans don't come with shower/toilet in that area could be because the Bruce Highway is not that isolated. There are plenty of serviced towns between Cairns and Airlie Beach. Therefore, plenty of accommodation is available.

Australia is not like the US, where you can park in shopping area car parks overnight. If you are within 12km of a caravan park, then you must use their services. This 12km radius varies from state to state within Australia. There are not that many places other than caravan parks that have sewerage dumping stations.

Perhaps you may like to rethink getting a campervan and just hire a car instead. It may also be a cheaper option.

Elly

Or take the train. If we use the campervan with S/T around Cairns and vicinity (Cape Trib to Townsville perhaps) and return it to Cairns, we can take the train to Proserpine for $100AUD each and bus connection to Airlie Beach for another $12AUD. Might be a better option than rental car and hotels for us.

Hi Kimby,

Our trains are ok, but they are not express, nor very frequent. You will also probably need to make a reservation if my memory serves me well, though it has been some years since I used Queensland Rail.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my thread. We have just booked one campervan out of Cairns for 10 days, fly to Alice Springs where we rent another camper for 5 days in the Red Centre, fly to Sydney for the final 3 nights.

Now that I'm done stressing about the reservations, I can get excited about the trip!

And now that we're back, I can say that we had a wonderful time and got lucky with both the weather and our wildlife sightings (2 playpus and 3 cassowaries, plus 75+ kangaroos south of Mission Beach along the Kennedy Trail). And 2 dingos and 3 feral camels and a kangaroo on my birthday in Kings Canyon area.

Also, the advice on here and other forums helped us to make the right decision to skip the Top End this time. We ran into a group who had been in Darwin and Kakadu when we would have been and they said not only was it awfully hot and humid (over 40 degrees), but that the birds at Kakadu seemed to be hiding from the heat as well. We arrived at the Red Centre right after an unusual thunderstorm (75 mm rain at Yulara, but only 8.3 at Uluru, so no waterfalls), and the temp had dropped by 10 degrees as a result. It was 33-35 degrees while we were in the Red Centre.

BTW, we loved Kata Tjuta's hikes and the Kings Canyon Rim Hike as much as anything, so are glad we didn't skip the Red Centre as being "too much like Utah". If you like Utah, you'll also like the Red Centre. ;-)

Thanks for all the help. Will post more later, when I get it all sorted out.

Thank you, Kymby, for the update.

Of course, I know that a wonderful trip report lurks behind the update. Can we hope?

So glad that things went well and that you enjoyed yourselves.

Elly

I'm glad to hear that you had a great trip. It sounds like a lot of fun. You had good luck on the 'cooler' weather in the Red Center. I've been hearing about the terrible heat in Adelaide where it has been over 40 degrees C.

And thanks for reporting back. It is great to hear how the planning turns out. If you get a chance, we'd love to hear more about your trip.