Going to Australia!

[mcbg1]

Got a great deal from Qantas so I'm going to Australia for the first time in August. I'll be spending a week in Sydney and then a week in Cairns. Does anybody have any suggestions/tips on things to do/visit?

Thanks!

[asdfvcx]

For Sydney I'd suggest the standard tourist things you can find in a guidebood or website, except I hope you are aware that August is not beach weather in Sydney. (Although Cairns may be fine, I'm not sure)

As well, the Blue mountains near Sydney are normally a nice trip. But I'm not sure what the weather will be like in August.

[mcbg1]

For Sydney I'd suggest the standard tourist things you can find in a guidebood or website, except I hope you are aware that August is not beach weather in Sydney. (Although Cairns may be fine, I'm not sure)

As well, the Blue mountains near Sydney are normally a nice trip. But I'm not sure what the weather will be like in August.

It will be a very cold 15-20 degrees in August in Sydney lol. I can deal with that haha. I'll wait until I'm in Cairns to swim. It'll be around 27-28 degrees there and it's their dryest month so hopefully I don't get any rain. :)

[snplow]

I'm also doing Australia in the July - August time frame, though for the 1st 2 weeks I'm doing it through Contiki,

[bob_blah]

Sydney is like Toronto in that its a 'new' city', so there aren't that many 'sights' to see (as opposed to say London or Paris). You haven't mentioned a budget, but here's a few of my favourites in Sydney:

The Obvious

- Opera House
- Harbour Bridge (you can either just walk across it at the road level (free) or do the Bridge Climb, where you actually walk up to the top of it (expensive but not something you do every day)

Not so obvious

- The Rocks area - touristy area with colonial-era buildings, paved streets and markets
- Bondi Beach - not the best beach in Sydney, but a lovely place for a picnic in the sand
- ferry trip to Manly - cross the harbour to the sea-side suburb of Manly, another lovely beach
- botanical gardens - gorgeous parkland right in the heart of the city, great to get out of the bustle with some superb views of the harbour
- Sydney Tower - think CN Tower - good views of the city from on high, but if you choose to do the Bridge Climb, this is a bit redundant

Hope that helps.

[heymikey]

There's a really nice coastal walk (http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/council/parks/coastwalk.pdf) between Bondi beach and Bronte beach.

Yeah, take the ferry to Manly. You'll get amazing views of the harbor and I actually prefer Manly over Bondi.

The best view of the harbor without taking a ferry would be Mrs. Macquarie's Chair in the Botanical Gardens.

I've never been up to Cairns but I figure it's where you can get scuba diving trips to the Great Barrier Reef.