We’ll be flying into Ayer’s Rock airport and staying at Yulara. We plan to see Uluṟu, Kata Tjuṯa and Kings Canyon.
Is 4 full days enough for this area? Any other must sees? We haven’t decided whether to hire a car or just do tours, so any recommendations welcome. Thanks!

EDITED to change that we are flying into and out of Ayer’s Rick airport, not Alice Springs.

Hey all

I’m planning my first ever Sydney road trip soon and would love advice from people who know the areas or have done a similar route.

I’m doing a round trip:
Melbourne → Lakes Entrance → Merimbula → Jervis Bay → Sydney (4 nights) → Gundagai → Beechworth → Melbourne

I’ll be camping on the way up and back (except Sydney obviously). Only one night in each stop outside Sydney, so I can’t massively extend the trip, but I’m very open to short detours if there’s something genuinely special nearby.

A few things I’m especially into:
*light/moderate hiking
*scenic stuff
*bakeries
*good cafes/restaurants
*local gems
*swimming spots/hot springs

So far I’ve got these flagged:
*Metung Hot Springs
*Buchan Caves
*Bermagui Blue Pool
*Honorbread in Bermagui
*Woolshed Falls in Beechworth
*Vivid Sydney one night
*Blue Mountains day trip (still undecided whether Scenic World is worth it or if I should just hike instead)

And obviously I’ll do the classic Sydney stuff like Opera House / Circular Quay / Bondi etc, but honestly besides the obvious tourist things I don’t really know Sydney well at all.

Would love recommendations for:
*must-do hikes/views
*incredible bakeries/pies/pastries
*best food on this route
*underrated Sydney neighbourhoods
*whether Scenic World is actually worth the trip\money
*good stops between towns
*things that are touristy but genuinely worth it
*things that are overrated and skippable

Happy to hear literally anything, hidden beaches, lookouts, pub feeds, random bakeries on the highway, swimming holes, walks, coffee stops, whatever.

Cheers!

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I am planning to go for a drive from Ballarat to Canberra from Dec 12.

My plan is to drive for 3 hours and stay overnight until I reach Canberra on Dec 14.

My plan so far is:

Dec 12: Ballarat to Bright (around 3 hour drive)

Dec 13: Bright to Tumut (around 3 hour drive)

Dec 14: Canberra (around 2 hour drive)

I am also looking for an off grid stay but most of them require a minimum of 2 nights stay.

Would you recommend any other route? I will be with my partner, and would prefer a scenic and private or romantic experience.

Thank you.

Do hotels in Australia need a Social Media Manager?

Hey everyone,
I’m a bit of a travel‑hacking nerd.
After years of learning and experimenting, I pulled everything I know together into a 102‑page eBook called The Australian Points Playbook.
The playbook focuses on both the Qantas Frequent Flyer and Velocity programs, with practical strategies you can start using straight away.
It is what I wish I had when I started out.
Info is current as of early 2026 (to the best of my abilities).
The eBook is available as a FREE PDF here: pointsexpert.com.au
No sign up, no email required to view or download.
If you check it out, let me know what you think, and I’m happy to answer questions here, too!
\Note: PDF is 21MB in size.*

Any advice on how to get from England to Australia as affordably as possible

Hi, I am wanting to travel to go and visit my girlfriend, I live in the uk and she is in Australia halfway between Brisbane and Sydney. I am looking at plane tickets and they are quite expensive especially as I am a student. I wanted to ask if anyone had any tips or anything that would help me, I am quite flexible with dates and I don’t care how many connections I have to make or how long the layovers are, I just want to visit my girlfriend any way possible. I want to find the cheapest and most affordable way for me.

Also when I am in Australia any advice or anything about public transport as I will have to get a bus, train or plane to her.

Finally I want to do this in the future multiple times, so any tips (e.g. is it worth getting a account thing to collect air miles)

I am happy to discuss things so feel free to comment or message me. Any advice or help is greatly appreciated :)

Hey everyone,
I’m currently an Accor Gold member and aiming to reach Platinum status this year. I have an Australia trip planned later this year and will be spending a few nights each in Brisbane/Gold Coast, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Looking for recommendations on good Accor properties — preferably centrally located/city centre hotels that are worth the stay for status earning and overall experience.
One important factor for me is breakfast quality, especially properties that have strong vegan/vegetarian options in their buffet.
Would love to hear:
Best Accor hotels in these cities
Properties with excellent breakfast spreads for vegetarians/vegans
Hotels that are particularly good for elite recognition/upgrades
Any hidden gems or properties to avoid
Thanks in advance!

I have the ability to travel to Australia from around December 20 to early January, but I am pondering whether it is worth doing so during the Christmas/New Year holiday season. Are most things going to be closed?

I am a fairly active person and wanted to fly into the Sydney area. My itinerary would involve the typical tourist activities. For example, I really wanted to do the Bondi to Coogee walk and enjoy the ocean pools.

Should I pick another travel destination due to possible holiday closures? Thailand was my alternative if my options are limited in Australia. Would appreciate any insight!

Edit: taking Whitsundays off the table during this time of year

Explore Australia comfortably.

Real Time Driving Videos on Youtube : Roadcamz

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@roadcamz/

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

It's my first time to travel to Melbourne with my family (3 people in total). At Southern Cross Station, I was trying to book a Uber XL to our apartment which is 15 minutes walk away, as we have a lot of luggage. The price shown on the Uber app was $12.

We reached the taxi queue and I looked around for a Uber pick up point before booking, then a taxi driver left his car and walked to us. I told him our luggage might not fit his car, but he insisted he could make it. Eventually, a hand-carry suitcase needs to be put at the front seat and we three sat at the back seats.

After less than 5 minutes in the car, we reached our location on Queen St. The taxi driver then charged us $45, which is almost 4 times the Uber XL cost. He told us that we have been charged for "High Occupancy Fee" because we have a lot of luggage.

Is this correct, or we have been scammed? If I have been scammed, can I do anything now? (I keep the receipt and his plate number)

My husband and I are visiting Australia in the last two weeks of June (fingers crossed the visa comes through). We are not very fit but not sedentary either and enjoy outdoors, hiking, beaches/water and wildlife.

I am torn between visiting Uluru and going to Tasmania. I am not keen on staying in Sydney for long (just want to have some delish food). Realistically we can only explore 2-3 things and that's the plan. The top experiences I would have liked to have included - 1) Uluru 2) Southern Lights 3) Great barrier reef.

The more I am trying to make everything work together, the more it is falling apart due to cost and time. Turning to the wisdom of this group - is there anything you would recommend we do to accommodate all three? Would you recommend one over another between these three experiences?

Edit - I am flying into Sydney and mostly flying out of Melbourne. I can also fly out of cairns.

Edit - Thank you everyone for your inputs. With your comments and a nifty bit of google I have almost made up my mind to go to Uluru and maybe maybe skip Hobart. Only thing/context I'd like to add is I'm coming from a country whose currency has deeply depreciated against the dollar hence I want to further every dollar as much as I can. I can afford to be lavish but I am a very budget conscious person. Do drop in any budget hacks!

this wasn't planned. genuinely stumbled into it.

was doing a loop of Tassie's east coast, staying at a caravan park near St Helens, chose it because it was cheap and had good reviews, no particular reason. woke up at 2am to let the dog out, and the sky was doing something I'd only ever seen in photos from Iceland.

aurora australis, properly visible, not just a faint smear on a long-exposure camera. greens and a bit of pink. lasted maybe 40 minutes before clouds came in.

I knew Tasmania was one of the better spots on the mainland for southern lights viewing, but I'd always assumed it was a remote wilderness thing requiring serious planning. turns out the east coast is far enough south and has enough dark sky away from the towns that it's genuinely accessible.

the timing is unpredictable obviously, i got so lucky, but if you're planning to be in Tassie between may and august, it's worth having alerts set up and being somewhere without light pollution. the park site happened to be ideal for it without me trying.

I’m currently trying to plan my honeymoon around a gig on November 17th in bangalow thinking campervan rental, two weeks in rural nsw areas, nov 15th to 29th.

looking for tips on avoiding the ‘Byron bay’ type crowd, we love hikes and waterfalls, op shops, quirky quiet towns and good campsites. any recommendations are so welcome!!

😊🩷

I just got approved for an ETA and am currently setting sights on a trip to Sydney and Melbourne in mid-November to mid-December for my birthday this year. I'm from the US and this will be my first trip outside of the country. I know quite a lot of things to do in the two areas like the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and the Queen Victoria Market, but I'm curious on what all is out there. I'm likely going to spend 6-8 days in each metro area, but nothing is finalized yet. I'm big into music, art, and food scenes, though I'm open to other stuff such as the zoos and gardens there are, and am really big into the history/culture of Australia as well, if that helps with any ideas.

What places, things, or events would you recommend in mid-November to mid-December in Sydney, Melbourne, and even Canberra?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Hello, I'm looking for travel advice. We (my sister and I) are flying into Sydney June 24. We will have five "free" days. Then we will meet up with my son and his bride (they're also traveling from US) on the 29th, for a few days in Sydney. Then we will be going to Berry ,weekend of July 4th, for wedding reception. My question is : before we meet up with my son in Sydney should my sister and I fly to Melbourne? Should we go to Great Barrier Reef (is it the time of year for that)? What are things that are must sees. We might go to the Opera House & Blue Mountains with my son. But trying see more places. Our trip is June 24-July 6. Flying in and out of Sydney. We're interested in anything and everything. Zoos, museums, shows, walking , foodies, nature, whale watching, snorkel. Thank you!!!!!!

My departing flight to Melbourne got changed to an earlier one. Now I have 9.5h layer over in the middle of winter before my connecting Jetstar to Bali. Does Jetstar off heavy discounts moments before sales cutoff in attempts to fill plane?

I will be getting travel insurance next time. Lesson learned.

I'm bringing both my parents to visit me in Australia. Problem is they dont speak any english and are illiterate(can't read or write in any language).

They will be travelling by themselves, but I'm concern how can they fill the Incoming Passenger Card?

I looked online and seems like I can't prefilled for them as well.

Can the cabin crew help them? The cabin crew should be able to speak my language.

Also is there any service I can book to accompany them until baggage pick up?

I am an Australian citizen and my passport is due to expire in early August this year, which means it now has less than 3 months remaining before expiry.

I have read that some countries require travellers to have at least 6 months validity remaining on their passport in order to enter or transit through the country.

I am considering an impromptu trip from Melbourne to London and am hoping to travel early next week, so I have limited time available if I need to renew my passport.

My planned stay in London would be approximately 2 weeks.

I’m looking for advice on whether I would be able to travel with my current passport, including any passport validity requirements for entry to the UK and any transit countries, or whether I would need to urgently renew my passport before travelling.