LinziC Posted October 3, 2016 Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 Hi All We are planning on activating our visas in July 2017 and using this two week trip to decide where we want to settle when we move over. We plan to visit Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. Does anyone have any recommendations as to how we should plan the trip or an itinerary that's worth following or that can be amended to suit our needs? Any advice / pointers that we should consider whilst on the trip? We will be traveling with my son who will be 2 years old. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanLJ Posted October 3, 2016 Report Share Posted October 3, 2016 Can't help much with the itinerary but: At Perth airport you can buy a sim (I bought a 500mb/day 2 week long sim for very cheap). I used this for planning trips on Google Maps and for using Uber. In Perth and Melbourne the public transport schedules and routes are integrated into Google Maps. I presume it is the same in the other cities. I used Airbnb exclusively for accommodation and it worked out very cheap. The apartments I stayed at were all very nice. In Melbourne you may need to use the Skybus ($40 pp I think) to get to the city (Southern Cross Station). There you can buy a Myki card which you can use on trams, buses and trains. Melbourne has a very efficient PT system which you get the hang of very quick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted December 21, 2016 Report Share Posted December 21, 2016 Two weeks would be a tight fit to visit 4 cities. If you deduct your travel days, which usually is a right-off for much else, that will leave you with only 9 days to divide between 4 cities. With a 2 year old in tow who would soon be over the trains, plains & automobiles, it may end up being a nightmare which would defeat the object altogether. Why not visit 2 cities and enjoy a more relaxing time instead? Australia is Australia and there is not that much difference between the cities which would make any significant impression during a 2 day observation and it would be pretty much impossible to make a life changing decision based on only that. I’d recommend you research these cities (weather, cost of living, housing market, job opportunities etc) and shortlist your top two. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skapie Posted December 21, 2016 Report Share Posted December 21, 2016 Just my two cents worth: Did Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne in September, with a 3 year old and a 18month old baby. Also for two weeks. Drove from Melbourne via Canberra to Sydney. Was dead tired. Kids were impossible. I felt like we hardly arrived at a place, and then we had to leave again. Would definitely not recommend it. Rather focus on your main two choices of cities, and focus your time and energy there. I was so impressed by Canberra, but honestly had no time to really explore. My kids didn't want to drive around in the car the whole time, they wanted to be at the parks! And we had wet weather to boot. Made for very unhappy kiddos. Regardless, I still got a good feel for all the places, and knew afterward where I wanted to hone in on. But I almost feel that I cheated some places because I couldn't really give a realistic amount of time to each destination in order to make an educated decision. Also, what I would suggest, is that you plan your entire trip with detailed precision beforehand, since your time is so short. Something I didn't do. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted December 22, 2016 Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 Yup, I 'third' the option of narrowing it down to two cities. The internet these days is totally amazing. Look at Work, Weather, Public activities, Friends/relatives....pretty much in that order, to decide where you are most likely to be happy, all other things being equal. And just compare your top two cities, in person. Once you are here for the long haul, you can look at the other cities and decide whether your third or fourth choices might have been better, then you have loads of time, and it will be pretty much like deciding to move from Johannesburg to Pretoria, or Bloemfontein or Cape Town. Planning your trip is a very good idea, I would just suggest that you plan by making a list of things that you want to see, maybe plot them out on a map to get a feel how far apart they are, and then leave the details of exactly when/how to sort once you are here. (I have heard that small children have way of derailing plans, so in this way at least you will be flexible and not feel pressure to keep to a set schedule) That's my 2c. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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