Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

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roundcircle
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by roundcircle » 27 May 11 11:28 am

Blossom's comment about National Parks is a very good one. There are some good books about the National Parks, with guides to the attractions and facilities at each as well as maps of the park and the area.
blossom* wrote:I traveled around for 6 months in a camper when I was a tad younger and decided where to go by drawing a line in between all the National Parks along a circular route. Many, many of the best natural locations have been protected by making them into National Parks and quite a few of them have fabulous bush camping areas where you'll meet others who enjoy traveling and the outdoors.

There is really way too much to see! You need to decide how long you have and go from there.
Call out if you'd like a specific recommendation.

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MtnLioness
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by MtnLioness » 23 June 11 9:42 pm

I will just add a bit of info about South East Queensland.

I lived on the Sunshine coast for 16 years so I would like to add a recommendation.

http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/de ... t_home.cfm

If you give the Sunshine coast a few days you will have a lovely time and not regret it.
The Hinterland which includes Mapleton, Flaxton, Montville, Maleny and Kenilworth is a beautiful place to visit. The Kenilworth Cheese factory is nice and the Montville Shops are absolutely a lovely way to spend a day wandering around through all the gift stores and handmade candy shop and various other goodies. The Eumundi Markets - http://www.eumundimarkets.com.au/ are the biggest (and best) markets in Australia, and I hear, in the Southern Hemisphere, though I may be wrong about that. They will take a whole day to even get through half of them!
Yandina has the Ginger Factory - http://www.buderimginger.com/consumer/
Nambour has the Big Pinapple - http://www.bigpineapple.com.au/
Buderim has some wonderful views of the Sunny Coast below it.
Cotton tree has some lovely cafes and a nice beach to sit down and have some Fish & Chips
Maroochydore has the Sunshine Plaza for some great Shopping
Noosa has the Famous Hastings St shopping for High end/expensive boutique items.
Noosa also have a beautiful beach and a wonderful National park WITH some nice caches and gorgeous views!
Caloundra has a whole range of pristine beaches and free bbqs along most of the parks alongside the beaches. Bulcock beach has a view of Bribie Island and Pumicestone passage (along with some great fishing!) Kings beach, Moffat Beach, Dicky Beach, Golden Beach all lovely beaches and on the right day, aqua water.
There is Coolum with a mountain to climb and a few caches up there too!
There is also the Glasshouse mountains each with 1 or more caches up them!
There is the Australian Zoo, the home of the late Steve Erwin (and a cache just across the road of the main entrance!)
Then you have the little towns along the foothills of the Hinterland but not along the beach like Beerwah, Landsborough, Mooloolah, Eudlo, Palmwoods, Woombye, Nambour, Yandina and cooroy. These all follow the train line and all have a small collection of nice caches there too!

If you want to know about the Sunshine Coast, I'm your Lass!

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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by *BaJo* » 04 July 11 6:12 am

hi again,

The date is set, we are going from the 6th of may for six weeks. The plan is to go from Adelaide to Cairns.

But we are still not sure what we should do.
We would like to take a camper, but is it safe to park it outside a major city (Sydney/Melbourne/Canberra/Brisbane etc) and take public transport to downtown??? With the camper safe on it's parking spot with all of our belongings inside?
Or is it even possible to take the camper to the city and park it near downtown?

Thanks ahead for helping us!

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Just a cacher
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by Just a cacher » 04 July 11 7:56 am

You won't WANT to try to drive a camper into the middle of any state's capital city, and you will have a lot of trouble finding parking if you do.
I would recommend parking it outside the city and getting public transport. I suggest you ask about the specific cities you are going to visit, and locals may be able to tell you where to park, and what public transport is available.

For Canberra, I would think the safest place to park would be the Tourist information centre, on Northbourne Avenue (on the end of the main road into town from Sydney). There's plenty of parking there for large vehicles, the place is quite busy during the day so it should be safe enough, and there's a bus stop outside. Alternatively, you could park it at our place, although we are a long way from the city. We do have a shower, though, and you might want one by then, if you're camping! Contact me if you want our address and telephone number.

Wendy

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Happy Chappies
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by Happy Chappies » 04 July 11 12:11 pm

*BaJo* wrote:hi again,

The date is set, we are going from the 6th of may for six weeks. The plan is to go from Adelaide to Cairns.

But we are still not sure what we should do.
We would like to take a camper, but is it safe to park it outside a major city (Sydney/Melbourne/Canberra/Brisbane etc) and take public transport to downtown??? With the camper safe on it's parking spot with all of our belongings inside?
Or is it even possible to take the camper to the city and park it near downtown?

Thanks ahead for helping us!
In terms of parking a camper in Melbourne, it depends a lot on the size of it. If it's just one of the 'van' types then there's no problem taking that into the city (couriers do it all the time!) and parking it shouldn't be too much of a problem. On-street parking can be difficult to get and expensive in Melbourne, but there are a number of off-street carparks (still expensive, although early-bird all day parking is manageable) that would do the job and give you a bit more security. The only thing to watch would be height restrictions - Most underground car parks have limited roof height and anything a bit tall won't fit (I know as our 4WD is two metres high and we always have to park it at Fedaration Square because of that (which has 2.1m height). I've also seen campers parked around the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, but you need to be lucky or persistent to find a spot!

If you have one of the bigger, truck-like campers that would be harder to take into the city and I'd advise against it.

Otherwise, parking a camper at a train station or near a bus or tram stop is possible - But campervans are a bit uncommon around town so it would be a bit conspicuous, which may not be ideal.

Where are you intending to stay overnight while in Melbourne? There aren't very many caravan parks close to downtown, although there are one or two within 10kms and you could leave the camper there and use public transport to get in perhaps.

And as with Just a cacher's offer, we also are happy to let you park the camper at our place. We live in Box Hill which has nearby bus and train access to the city (about an hour at most) and is no problem for on-street parking, security and general accessibility (We're right near one of the main freeways).

Taiko'sFamily
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by Taiko'sFamily » 04 July 11 4:33 pm

We are starting to see a lot of this type of camper around - they are a people mover van size so easy to park most places

http://www.jucy.com.au/

I guess depends how much comfort level you were planning on :D

Jenny

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Just a cacher
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by Just a cacher » 04 July 11 5:47 pm

Yes, ours is a VW transporter. It is 2.1m high, so we DO have trouble with it in Sydney carparks. Other than that, it's great!

Wendy

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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by *BaJo* » 04 July 11 5:50 pm

Dear all,

Thanks again for your replies.
We are still doubting what we should do: go with a camper or with a car.

Camper:
- you have eveything with you and you do not need to pack your luggage every two days
- you do not need to be a certain time at your hotel
- you can cook your own diner

Further we are thinking about the option to have a hotel at the beginning and the end of our journey. And for the travel we use a camper.
When we will go for a camper, we would like to use a one like http://www.reisridders.nl/Fotos/NZ%20No ... a2stnz.jpg

Questions:
1) is Australia safe enough to leave your camper behind if you want do visit for example a bigger city or do an excursion? Because our total luggage etc is inside.
2) Are there some parking places which have 24 hours security?
3) Is it allowed to park and sleep it in every where along the road, or is it only allowed on campings?
4) How safe is Australia in general? In other words is there in genereal less crime in Australia? And what kind of crime?

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Just a cacher
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by Just a cacher » 04 July 11 6:16 pm

I like the freedom of a camper, especially as motels are often full on a Saturday night unless you book.


1. If you're concerned about safety, you could consider parking it at airports. They have a lot of security, although the parking costs a bit. They usually have buses into the city, too. We lock and leave ours all over the place, and it's always been fine, but you never can tell.

2. Yes, airports and parking stations - but you have that problem with height.

3. We use the Camps 6 book, to find rest areas and cheap camping grounds, when we want to stop. Camping is not allowed at some rest areas, but the majority don't mind if you just want to pull over for a few hours. So you don't have to find a caravan park every night. It isn't considered 'right' to camp for the night unless your rest area has toilets, but there are lots of those.

4. We like to think our crime rate is low, but it is increasing, as it is everywhere. Take ordinary precautions, such as locking your vehicle when you leave it, and having a good torch, and taking the really valuable stuff with you. A small bag around your neck under your clothes is essential for passport and money. Don't leave valuables in sight in the vehicle. That sort of thing.

Oh, and look out for the drop bears at night.

Wendy

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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by Dik: » 04 July 11 7:12 pm

If you are used to driving in cities I don't think you should have any difficulty with the type of van you are proposing.

I did a google search on "campervan hire adelaide" and came up with a popular hire company
http://www.britz.com.au/campervan-hire-australia
and got a quote for 6 weeks, and was surprised how cheap it was.

One thing I discovered the other day: I have always known that hire car companies have a high insurance excess, and you can pay extra (a lot extra) to reduce it, but travel insurance can also cover the excess. I am going from Adelaide to Cairns, by planes, trains & automobiles, next month, and I covered the whole trip on travel insurance, including hire car excess, for less than the hire company's excess loading!

I know no one wants to be overconfident with safety, or take the blame if you are robbed, mugged or anything nasty, but Australia is one of the safest countries in the world to travel in.

I have traveled a lot, alone, and parked my car overnight while doing multi-day hiking, and nothing bad has ever happened to me. Maybe I am lucky.

Probably the safest place to park is in the main street of a small town. Everyone is watching, and the people are, on the whole, more friendly than in the cities.
I avoid places where criminals know anyone parked there will probably be away for a long time, such as bus stations.

I would happily do the trip you are proposing with no concerns about my safety from a crime point of view. Don't leave valuables where they might tempt the opportunist, drive carefully, and don't drive at night in areas with a lot of wildlife.

And you will meet lots of nice people who will hapily share local knowledge with you on the road.

Enjoy the journey

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roundcircle
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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by roundcircle » 04 July 11 8:22 pm

*BaJo* wrote: Questions:
1) is Australia safe enough to leave your camper behind if you want do visit for example a bigger city or do an excursion? Because our total luggage etc is inside.
Yes. Common sense is required. Insurance helps if there is an problem.
*BaJo* wrote: 2) Are there some parking places which have 24 hours security?
There are in bigger towns and cities.
*BaJo* wrote: 3) Is it allowed to park and sleep it in every where along the road, or is it only allowed on campings?
If it's not allowed there will be signs. On the coast you'll probably need to stay in a camping ground. I don't think you'll find this to be a problem.
*BaJo* wrote: 4) How safe is Australia in general? In other words is there in genereal less crime in Australia? And what kind of crime?
Safe.
Of course we still have crime. Australia does have a lot less guns than many other places.

Starting and finishing in a hotel sounds like a good plan. A hotel's going to be more comfortable than a camper van.

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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by nutwood » 04 July 11 10:32 pm

Sad to see the whole West of the country has been disregarded! Seriously though, I've driven the route being discussed here and there's an awful lot of Australian GBA (Great Bugger All). Day's of driving through scenery that doesn't look all that different to yesterdays. Mind you, for a once in a lifetime, honeymoon experience it might be just the ticket. Just as long as your taste runs that way.
Prior to moving to Tassie, we were in WA and did several one week trips which covered in excess of 5000km's and we had a ball. Lot's of night driving though. Basic breakdown is 1500km's first day, 1500kms last day. Remaining K's covered gently exploring the area. I've found this to be a good tactic for exploring Australia with limited time. Sacrifice a day to driving. Alternate drivers, stop for fuel and nothing else. Then take it easy, explore, enjoy. Then hit it hard again.
The very serious downside to this, is that, unless you're accustomed to long hours behind the wheel, it can kill you. Falling asleep at the wheel is a far more serious risk than crime on the trip you are proposing.
On the camper-van question I must confess to being undecided. I've always been a camp out sort person but some recent trips have made me wonder. Assuming the budget would stand it, a fast comfortable car, motel every night? Mmmm, it has it's appeal. After all, relatively, you spend so much time behind the wheel on these high mileage trips. Perhaps it'd be better to make that as quick and comfortable as possible, pay someone to cook you food and make your bed, whilst you concentrate on your holiday.
Sorry, I've probably confused more than helped but it really comes down to what you want. Just don't underestimate the distances involved!

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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by *BaJo* » 04 July 11 10:58 pm

Dear all,

We are still thnking and planning and therefore every advise or support is more then welcome.
As we will make this trip due to our honeymoon only once (that is the idea what we have for now) we would like to have good impression of Australia. But it is soo big.
On the one hand we would like to see a lot of interesting places but of course we would like to relax also a bit and enjoy the environment and eachother.

We have made already an excel file with some things we thinking we need to do or see, to get really a good experience of Australia.
For us is very clear that we are not a couple that loves to sit 14 days on the beach without doing anything. We love to cache and do a lot of sightseeing but of course sometimes a day of just doing nothing is also a wish.
Furthermore we love to eat delicious food (with a lot of variarity) and to get acquintanted with the locals.
Backpacking and survivalling is not really our point of interest.

In the travel journeys we have recieved from the agencies, we see a lot of organised travels for about 3 weeks. We will spend double time, so we are thinking we are okay, but to be honest it is our first time, so long and far away. Therefore, again, every advise is welcome and will be read carefully.

Maybe this evening we will upload our planning and then you can revise it and give us some honest feedback.

But separate from our travel and way of travelling we are also interested in more geocaching related topics like:
A) is there an event planned in May/June
B) which caches are so famous in Australia, that we should do it?
C) who can gives us some tips about geocaching in Australia?
We already discovered already that geocaching in different countries is very different from country to country. For example in general in
the Netherlands the places are not too special, but the hiding methodes, are very nice. It is not just a micro behind a sign.
D) And as already posted in our first post, we would like to place also a own cache over there. We know that we need to find a lcoal which
can maintain our cache, but are there also other requirements, like having written permission etc, to place a cache?

Thanks again, we appreciate all your postings very much.
It contributes already to the joy of planning this wonderfull journey.

Groetjes uit Nederland

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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by Richary » 04 July 11 11:57 pm

Hi from Sydney

There isn't an event planned for May/June (you should come earlier for the mega) but that doesn't mean there can't be. Once your itinerary is more planned we can easily organise an event in Sydney when you are coming through.

As for famous caches, GC3E is Australia's oldest and now a virtual, but worth doing in Sydney simply for historical aspect. There are lots of great caches, lots of average ones and too many boring ones. But I suspect that's the case for everywhere. What is a great cache to me might not be a great cache for you, it depends on the style you like. Do you like one with a nice bushwalk that might take a couple of hours to get there (which means you find less) or do you like urban micros?

As for placing one, if you want to in Sydney I am happy to maintain it. Permission as with everywhere else should be organised if it is on private land, government and council owned areas are generally considered fair game. The exception in NSW is National Parks which have an approval process to go through for new caches.

I was in Paris about 7 years ago, and bumped into a pair of Dutch cachers doing one in a cemetery near Notre Dame.

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Re: Who can help us with our honeymoon planning?

Post by *BaJo* » 05 July 11 3:26 am

Hereby our overview what we would like to do/visit during our journey

Kangaroo Island

Adelaide
Cleveland Nationl Park
Grampions National Park
Twelve Apostels
Great Ocean Road

Melbourne
Melbourne Melbourne gaol - Oude gevangenis
Mebourne Botanic Garden
Sovereign Hill
Swann Hill Pionier Settle Museum
Dan denong rangers - puffing Billy
Philip Island

Canberra
War Memmorial
Huskisson Idyllische stranden

Sydney
Sydney Harbor Bridge
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Beach of Manley
Sydney Tower
Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens
Tour with Boundey Explorer, Sydney Explorer within Sydney
Blue Mountain => here we would like to do a 2 days Excursion starting in Sydney, to visit also the Three sisters

Mooree
Western Plains Zoo
Byron Bay
Dream World - tigers
Lamington National Park

Brisbane
Forest Park
Queen Mary Falls
Morenton Island -swimming with dolphins
Noosa
Fraser Island => we would like to do a excursion and drive by our own with a 4WD through the Island
Catherdrals
Airlie Beach (whitsunday islands) Whitheaven is een must (????) => maybe an excursion of one day with sialing to three islands.
Townsville

Great Bariere Rif Mooiste rif => we would like to do an excursion on a boat to see the great rif
Babinda and de bolders

Cairns
Kuranda Scenic Railway
Excursie outer Barriere Rif cruise Snorkelen en introductie duik

Alice Springs
Uluruh Grote rode steen
Katatjuta De Olga's, 3 aparte stenen
=> we would like to do a excursion of 3 days.
Excursie Bij aankomst in het Ayers Rock Resort genieten we van een lunch in ons safarikamp, waar we ook overnachten. Vervolgens naar de mooie Olga's en een wandeling door Valley of the Wind. U keert terug om de vaak vuurrode zonsondergang te zien boven de imponerende Ayers Rock. vanavond genieten van een traditionele 'Aussie-maaltijd'. U slaapt in tenten op campingbedden. dag 7 Ayers Rock - Kings Canyon, Vroeg begin van de dag om de zonsopgang op Ayers Rock niet te missen. De klim omhoog is een uitdaging, aangezien de rots 348 meter boven de grond uitsteekt Ook bijzonder zijn de grotten met eeuwenoude heilige Aboriginal schilderingen. Na de lunch zet u koers naar Kings Creek Station, waar u wederom in tenten zult slapen en genieten van een 'bush-maaltijd' in een wonderlijke omgeving.

Broken Hill
Silverton

Idea of the global route is:
Fligh to Adelaide - Drive to Kangoroo Island - Drive to Adelaide - Drive to Melbourne - Drive to Canberra - Drive to Sydney - Drive to Brisbane - Drive to Cairns - Fligh to
Alice Springs - Fligh to Cairns - Stay in Port Douglas for the last days.



HERE THE MORE DETAILED ROUTE IN GOOGLE MAPS: http://maps.google.nl/maps/ms?msid=2135 ... 4,28.54248


We are thinking if we should include Broken Hill into our route or not.
We are looking forward to your feedback, suggestions, options, advise etc.

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