Middlesex County, Ontario | Rent the car and do what you want to do!
You can rent camper vans for not much more than a sedan. Camper vans are anywhere from minivan to single axle motorhome size. The prices between the different sizes of camper vans isn't all that much but the fuel use and getting around maneuverability is (you have to take the thing grocery shopping too and be able to park downtown too). You can park at most hostels for a reduced rate and use their facilities while still maintaing some privacy since you're in your own van in the back corner of the camping section.
Do you want to see outback and crocodiles or do you want to see civilization, beach, and some of the better crop areas? If its the latter then 3 weeks is enough to do the gold coast. You won't have time for everything but there's never enough time anyway.
Fly into Melbourne. Get your bearings there, get used to the time difference, see a little bit of city and beach, and book a camper van. While you're there book a bus tour to see (part of) the Great Ocean Rd. The bus will be an all day thing, you'll see the interesting parts, see and learn about the wildlife, listen to Australian folk and children's songs on the bus, etc. Sometimes tour guides make the trip. You might have to book that trip out of Geelong. 3 day bus tours are available but there's lots more to see than the Great Ocean Rd.
While your still in Melbourne area this would be the time to see Tasmania if you had the time. It takes about a week to drive all the way around the island and make most of the stops. Its not worth your limited time, but hiking an hour to Wineglass Bay and seeing Dolphins! Its one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Melbourne to Sydney isn't much to do. Lots of beach and pretty road to see. Philip island has penguins. Bateman's bay is okay. Instead of taking the coastal route you could take the inland route and see some rural Australia, there will be plenty of coast to see. You could start the tour in Sydney if you wanted.
Sydney you'll have to make reservations for or you will end up camping outside of town. Its a pretty city to walk through and its a very simple outlay. Check out the Sydney opera house, see the harbour, the botanical garden, casino's, street performers, take a boat harbour tour, etc. City stuff.
Out of Sydney you'll want to go see the Blue Mountains. Its like the grand Canyon full of trees. Really cool. Day trips available. I only camper vanned on the rim of it for a night.
Drive along coast, next big stop is Gold Coast. The tourist scene I saw there was total college bar scene and it wasn't worth anything but seeing skyscrapers along the beach was really cool.
Just a little further is Brisbane. I'm sure there are things to do but we didn't find much. Its only going to get better from here.
Steve Irwin Zoo! Run by the crocodile hunter's wife. They put on some amazing animal performance shows featuring birds and of course big crocs! There are lots of kangaroos here as well, you'll probably get to pet one.
Hervey Bay is a worthwhile stop but you will have to take a 3 day tour of Fraser Island! Its the largest sand island in the world and there are very few roads, everything is sand trails and beach driving. The tours are typically a guide in a Ute with all the supplies and the the tourists take turns driving a couple of old Landrovers. Driving that old landrover down the beach with the window down and a ship wreck appearing on the horizon is just great. There are various sand dunes, inland lakes, and cliffs to see and you will probably get to see sharks as its one of the largest (tiger?) shark breeding grounds.
Mackay is just a little further ahead. There's cool things to see but not much tourist oriented. We're in sugar cane country now, good place to see some back roads and agriculture. You might see cane railroads used by farmers if you go at the right time of year, they appear to haul right out of the field on them. They have a big harbour used to export sugar and coal. Lots of big ships.
Townsville. We're at the center of the Great Barrier Ridge now so here's where you would want to take your charter scuba tours.
Innisfail, getting tropical now. You can take island charters tours on little pleasure boats.
Cairns will probably be the end of the line for you. Rest up, see the tourist town, take a day trip to Barron Gorge. Ulysses butterfly will take you by surprise, random flashes of bright blue light in the forest. There's bungee jumping and hang gliding if you are into extreme stuff. You can leave the van here at one of the rental places here and catch a flight back to Melbourne or Sydney. There's a million little things to see and people to talk to
It costs a little more to do things the camper van way but its always nice to have wheels. You get to avoid carrying luggage on and off trains and busses and charters and trying to arrange everything. And you can pull over and camp pretty well anywhere dark outside of city limits. Tour guides always really make the trips for me and I encourage you to take many guided day trips.
Edited by WildBuckwheat 9/1/2014 20:53
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Travel to Australia
