Taking a trip to Australia this summer

Go visit my sister and her family in Melbourne. Tell her I wish I could come myself, but it's too expensive to fly halfway around the world, so I sent you instead.

 

there's a good koala park zoo type thing in Brisbane that I went to. Worth seeing if you're there.

In Sydney, I did the bridge climb which is one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life, which is saying something.

Decent but not great wine country near Sydney called the Hunter Valley. Good if you're a wine fan.

 

I live in Brisbane.. but really there's not much to do around here.
Where you really want to go are the Theme Parks at the Gold Coast, Australia Zoo and Surfers Paradise

 

You're probably going to get bit by a spider whilst asleep.

 

there are some amazing beaches in Sydney, the likes of Bondi and Mainly, but it's since winter here,,,, could always do the walk around Opear House/ Darling harbour, harbour cruise is good, I agree the bridge walk is awesome, would be better if they allow bungee jump off it haha. If you like caves there are some in Blue Mountain just to the west, it's not bad

Havnt been to Brisbane, but most attractions are near Gold Coast, I'm not a fan of movie studios though

in Melbourne do the tram and visit Yarra Valley. Melbourne is also said to be the food capital of Aus or the southern hemisphere, there are some good greek cuisine there, moving a bit inland there are some historical settlement from the gold rushing days.

now i'm gonna stop pretending to be an Aussie, New Zealand is much better ;p, just time for the skii season too

 

yeah New Zealand is the t***

Queenstown FTW

 

I was in Perth and the Southwest coast in January but didn't make it out to the East Coast. If you make it out to Perth by some chance will be happy to pass on some info.

 

Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, on par with San Francisco. I like wandering around in Chinatown, especially weird little warrens like Dixon Street. I like looking into the various downtown arcades which are sort of small, Victorian shopping malls. My absolute favorite bookstore on the planet is in Sydney, Kinokuniya on George Street across from the Queen Victoria Arcade. But what makes Sydney so special is its relationship to the water. You should definitely check out Bondi Beach. It's a good place to go regardless of the season. Definitely take some ferries from the Circular Quay. Those area a great, inexpensive way to get a gorgeous look at the city. Go out to Manly as another poster suggested. I say you should also take a ferry to an inner suburb such as Balmain and have a walk around on the main streets and back streets, too. I really like Sydney's residential architecture, its terrace houses, so I like walking around in places like Balmain, Rozelle, Surry Hills or Paddington. Things tend to close down surprisingly early in central Sydney (Chinatown stays open very late) so you may find yourself in one or another inner suburb at night, Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, something like that. There are plenty of places to hang out at night, you'll just have to leave the CBD.

I like Brisbane a lot more than most people. In fact, I love it there. It's a very Asian city and very modern. I like walking around in the inner areas such as Fortitude Valley, New Farm and Spring Hill. The Botanic Gardens downtown are beautiful and New Farm Park is a great place to hang out, too. Definitely take the City Cat ferry service up and down the river. I second the idea of a trip to the coast but I'm not at all crazy about Surfer's Paradise. It's far too South Florida for me (I like South Florida just fine, I just don't need to encounter it in Australia). I recommend heading north to Noosa.

Melbourne is not a pretty city by any stretch, not like Sydney or even Brisbane. Its stretch of water is totally unremarkable and it's flat. Yet it is by far my favorite city in Australia and one of my three or four favorite in the world. It's hard to explain why. There's just an energy there that I find exhilarating. I guess it's comparable to Chicago or Toronto in certain respects. I love walking around downtown. It's full of weird little alleys that will lead you to coffee shops or arcades or who knows what. I could do only that for days on end. Unlike Sydney downtown Melbourne stays open late. There are loads of pubs and bars and restaurants. But I also take great advantage of the city's most excellent tram system. You can pick a tram more or less at random and it will take you to some interesting neighborhood or another. St Kilda, Richmond, Carlton, Fitzroy are all places that offer all sorts of interesting things to see that are an easy tram ride from central Melbourne.