simonyoung3034

Yet another one asking for advice.....
My wife and I (57-59 yrs old) want to travel from Sweden to northern Australia July 2025. The very rough idea is to fly to Singapore and then on to Darwin after 1-2 nights. There the idea is to see Kakadu NP either by taking a tour from Darwin or travel to Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel and do one or two day trips in to the park from there. After that we fly to Cairns, spend 3-4 days there to see Daintree, Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation and/or Kuranda. After that using a Queensland Coastal Pass we travel by train to Townsville and Magnetic Island where we would like to spend 2-3 days. Travel then continues by train to Prosperine/Airlie Beach where a trip to Hamilton Island or the Whitsunday Islands för 2-3 days would be nice. Alternatively, we would head down to Rockhampton and Great Keppel Island. After that the train journey continues down to Brisbane where we either catch a flight, train or bus to Sydney where after 2-3 days we fly back to Sweden. Total the trip will be spread over ca 30 days depending on how much holiday we can take.

1. Darwin. Would it be better/cheaper to stay in Darwin and book a 2-3 trip to Kakadu or travel to Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel and do day trips? Is 2-3 days in the area enough?
2. Cairns. Apart from a day trip with the Kuranda railway can trips to Port Douglas or Cape Tribulation be booked from Cairns? What about renting a car to travel up to Port Douglas and then do a day trip to Daintree?
3. Cairns to Brisbane. Magnetic Island, Hamilton Island, Whitsunday Islands and/or Great Keppel Island? Other suggestions? Time to spend on the islands?
4. Travel from Brisbane to Sydney? Found the following “fly which takes ca 3h and costs $70 - $240, bus which costs $65 - $200 and takes 14h and train, which costs $55 - $90 and takes 14h”.

Thanks for any advice/help.

KayF

It's so nice to see another question on the Australia forum, it's been very quiet. I've not heard of the Qld Coastal Pass but hopefully you've checked out the cost to see if it's financially worthwhile. In general in Australia, people fly between states and drive a lot but trains and buses for long-haul travel are not popular because it takes so long and is not cheap. Government money is poured into roads but not public transport (except maybe for inner-city areas in capital cities).

I haven't visited the Northern Territory for a long time but when comparing costs, you'll see that there will be a lot more choice of accommodation in Darwin than in Kakadu, so that will affect costs.

Cairns and Palm Cove and Port Douglas are all popular places for tourists to stay. They each have a different feel. Personally I like Port Douglas, it is more expensive than Cairns but has a lovely beach (not always available for swimming but you can walk along the beach) and if you stay close to the main street, places to eat and shop are walkable. I can fish out the names of where we stayed if you like, there is a lot of accommodation there but it does get booked up in peak holiday periods. You'd be able to book a trip to Kuranda or Cape Trib, Daintree from either Cairns or Port Douglas but check mileage on Google Maps, it can be further than you think. You could hire a car at Cairns airport or you could stay in Cairns and just book day trips. You can also get a bus/shuttle transfer from the airport to Port Douglas, check costs.

My husband and I stayed on Magnetic Island a few years ago and loved it, the hikes were great and we saw some wildlife. I don't know what's happening on Great Keppel but I think there's very little infrastructure there (used to be a popular resort). Hamilton Island has an airport and a permanent population as well as being popular with tourists. Airlie is a nice town to spend a day or so, Rockhampton is a fair way from the coast and not somewhere I'd say is a must-see.

The train from Brisbane to Sydney is not straight forward, the rail gauge is different in Qld to NSW (old state rivalries) so you must change somewhere over the border to a different train or bus or something.

Here are two trip reports I posted a few years ago, have a look if you like and happy to help further.

Far North Queensland by train, plane, car and ferry (photos)

Driving trip along Queensland coast (& photos)

simonyoung3034

Brilliant, thanks.
Just a quick note. The Coastal Pass costs ca $209 and includes free seating during a month in either direction (Brisbane to Cairns or vice versa).Seating must be booked in advance. Even railbeds or sleeper beds can be booked at an additional charge.
Most likely will fly from Brisbane to Sydney, seems the best option.
I will have a larger think as time goes by, but thanks again for the comments.

crellston

It is a while since we visited that part of Australia and I had to look up our old blog to refresh my memory.

FWIW we rented a car from Darwin to drive to Kakadu , stayed in a hostel in Jaibiru ? and took days out from there. 2-3 days would be enough but we took the opportunity to also visit Katherine Gorge and I think Litchfield . in all we had around a week in the region. NB . I would spend as little time as possible in Darwin which was our least favourite city in Australia.

Agree with KayF re Cairns v Port Douglas and much preferred PD. Again, we rented a car to drive to Cape Trip. Daintree etc. It was the right choice for us as we love the flexibility your own transport affords but not for everyone. Some of the distances can be vast and the roads dead straight and boring. In some areas , you are not allowed to drive a rental after dusk due to the risk of hitting wildlife. Our son found this out when he hit a kangaroo which wrote of their rented camper van. In Daintree we stayed in a tent in the rainforest at a youth hostel. A wonderful experience with all the wildlife close by but possible one of the most uncomfortable nights in terms of bug, humidity and har mattresses on the ground!

Didn't make it to Magnetic Island but we did spend a few days in a tent in the rainforest just outside of Townsville. Again a great experience but I am getting a bit old for that these days!

Finally, I love train travel but frankly would just fly the longer distances in Australia, especially if you are short on time.

Bokhara2

Hi & Welcome to the Australia forum.

Great advice above - I'll just add this map of Australia which may be useful in understanding our size & the distances involved.

I agree with the others & recommend flying between your various major destinations, renting a car once you're there to explore. A month is a good amount of time, but it can slip by fairly easily when there's such a lot to see & do in a country the size of ours.Australia – size map: https://www.virtualoceania.net/austr...ustralia.shtml

You will need Visas. Use this link to find the appropriate one for you.

Visa Finder: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visa...sa/visa-finder

simonyoung3034

Thanks again for all your advice. I am aware of the size, travelled by Australia Bus as a backpacker in 1990, Melbourne- Sydney-Cairns-Alice Springs-Adelaide-Melbourne during 2 months.
The train journeys Cairns-Brisbane are only 4-6 hrs which is ok, are not losing that much time compared to flying. Brisbane to Syney is a no-brainer on the other hand.
I might be living in Sweden and have a Britsih passport but I am aware that we will both need visas. Lots of time to get them, will not be travelling until next summer.

Bokhara2

Hi Simon

You may want to check the source of your info re train journey time between Cairns & Brisbane. It’s 1700kms. I’ve travelled Brisbane to Rockhampton by train twice and that took around 7 hours for the 635kms. There I is no possibility that a train will take 4-6 hrs Cairns to Brisbane.

Don't be offended that we check if people hew their Visas. You would be astonished at the number we see who don’t bother to check if they are required and consequently get caught short.

KayF

The train journey between Cairns and Brisbane takes 25 hours. Not 4 - 6 hours. Perhaps you meant two different cities. I couldn't really recommend the train journey between Cairns and Brisbane. Too slow, not a lot to see and not particularly cheap.

KayF

Bokhara we were posting at the same time. Reading through this again, I think OP may have meant each sector of rail (eg. Cairns to Townsville) between those two cities takes 4-6 hours, not the entire lengthy journey.

simonyoung3034

First of all, I apologize to Bokhara2 if it was thought I was offended about the visa comments. I was not and I fully understand the thoughts from you guys about helping other travelers.

Second, as KayF surmised I was talking about 4-6 hrs for different legs between Cairns and Brisbane. I think it is ca 6 hrs between Cairns and Townsville (to access Magnetic Island), 3 hrs between Townsville and Prosperine (to access Hamilton Island and/or Whitsunday Islands and 6 hrs between Prosperine and Rockhampton (to access Great Keppel Island). The advantage with train over bus is that during the hours you can get up, move about and even go and have something to eat. Obviously flying would be faster but those hours spent on a train are not a huge loss and since the train pass is $209 it is not overly expensive. Note this pass can only be bought by non-Australians and all reservations of seats is free. Sleeping beds and upgrades to say business class seats are additional.

Originally, I thought we could buy sleeper beds on the Rockhampton-Brisbane stretch för ca $92 each and there my thinking was that we could take a night train (11.50 pm – 9 am) instead of spending extra money on a flight from Rockhampton and having an extra night at a hotel. But since it turns out that there are no sleeper beds on this stretch and I have been advised that there are only 2 trips which are 6.45 am - 2.50 pm or 11.50 pm - 9 am that stretch (or even Rockhampton to Sydney direct) we will be flying.

simonyoung3034

Just a quick update on our plans.
1. Sweden to Singapore and then after 2 days there fly to Darwin.
2. Book a Kakadu trip for 3 days with a local travel agency that includes Kakadu and Katherine.
3. After a night in Darwin, fly to Cairns, rent a car and drive to Port Douglas. 4 nights at By The Sea.
4. 2 nights in Cairns to see eg Kuranda.
5. Travel by train to Townsville and Magnetic Is where we spend 4 nights.
6. Travel by train to Airlie Beach and after one night there spend 3 nights on Hamilton Is (train arrives late and might not get out to the island same day)
7. Fly to Sydney from Hamilton Is and after 4 nights fly home to Sweden.

What remains is how to spend our time in Port Douglas. With a car Daintree and Cape Tribulation are accessible but also want to send some time on the GBR. Any tips of good trips to the GBR?
Any good hotels in Sydney for ca $300-350 a night?

KayF

We stayed at By the Sea a few years ago and found it such a welcoming place with a great location. On Magnetic Island we saw koalas, rock wallabies and bush stone curlews. Other birds too, one was a tiny yellow bird I'd never seen before.

For Sydney accommodation, it would be helpful to know your budget in Australian dollars. There are loads of hotels in Sydney, is there anything you want to be close to? Do you want a kitchenette or washing machine or just a bed and shower?

simonyoung3034

Hi KayF, I think it was your trips that pushed us towards PD and Magnetic Is .
Just bed and shower in Sydney, budget is AUS $300-350 per night. Preferably near the centre, I have prebooked places like The Sebel Quay West Suites, Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour, Hyatt Regency, Swissotel Sydney, Hilton Sydney, and A by Adina Sydney but just wondering if anyone had any other suggestions that are a bit cheaper than these at AUS $375-500 per night.

Bokhara2

Hi again Simon,
Have you decided on your dates in Sydney for July 2025? It may be a little early for the hotels to have rates firmed up yet, so good idea to make cancellable reservations at places that appeal to you. Keep an eye on rates at www.booking.com - and then as it gets closer to your dates, you can book at the better rate and cancel your previous booking.

If you would like to share your dates with us, we may be able to make some suggestions. "Just a bed & a shower" leads me to think about the YHA Sydney Harbour, which is in a great location and has stunning views from their rooftop terrace. They have ensuite rooms which would more than adequately fill the "just a bed & a shower" criteria - but if you're staying more than a few nights, we might be able to find something better for you.

Australia isn't a cheap destination, which is a moan we locals echo as we look enviously at travel & accommodation costs elsewhere & particularly in Asia. Tyrany of distance, supply & demand and all that, I guess.

KayF

Simon, I haven't stayed in Sydney that often and have not stayed at any of these hotels so make sure to check reviews etc. They are all within your price range, some are cheaper. I just used a random date in July 2025. I was looking for a high rating. For our travels, I initially search on Booking.com or Google Maps but always book directly with the hotel.

The Porter House Hotel Sydney
Mantra on Kent
Meriton Suites Sussex St
Meriton Suites Kent St
The Grace Hotel
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel
The Tank Stream Hotel Sydney

simonyoung3034

, my thoughts exactly Bokhara2, all of the above mentioned hotels I have booked through Booking.com for 3rd to 7th August. Cancellation dates are 1st August, a couple have due payment dates of the 30th July.
When I sais just bed and shower, I will amend that. As I first mentioned back in June we are both approaching 60 and are more ibnclined to have a comfortable stay in a hotel with breakfast possibilities. Youth hostels, shared bathrooms and orms does not cut it any longer.

simonyoung3034

Thanks Kay, I will have a look at these suggestions through Booking.com.

Bokhara2

Hi again Simon.
My favourite Sydney accommodation for a few days is Skye Suites - 300 Kent street.

I always book direct with them and notice their rates are in your budget. Join their loyalty club for any possible discounts. https://skyesydney.com.au/

I would ditch Hyatt Regency, its market is large tour groups.

Bokhara2

Hi Simon,
My favourite for a few days is Skye Suites https://skyesydney.com.au/
It's very centrally located at 300 Kent Street (near corner of King & Kent Streets), has kitchen & laundry facilities, indoor pool and balconies. Excellent staff. I prefer apartment hotels for the extra space & facilities & as you'll see, prices are comparable & often cheaper than traditional hotel rooms. There's myriad Breakfast options just metres away in Clarence & King streets.
I book direct with Skye Suites - and recommend you sign up for their (free) loyalty club to get the best rates. Check with Booking.com as KayF suggests - and if their rate is better, Skye Suites (and most other places) will match/better it if you book direct with them.

The Grace is a good option if you go with a traditional hotel. It has an interesting history and is very well run.Grace Hotel: https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.go...s/view/1918236

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Building,_Sydney
I'm not the world's greatest fan of Darling Harbour for accommodation, and in any case would ditch the Hyatt Regency, whose market appears to be large group travellers.
Quay West would be a good option if it works with your budget.

This map of Sydney may be useful - a bit has changed since you were here in 1990.
It's still very walkable; the public transport is good, with the addition of the light rail/tram along George Street from Circular Quay to Randwick a few years ago and the recently opened Metro.Sydney map: https://goo.gl/maps/PFmeA45BAKXruh4F8

Bokhara2

My post has gone to Moderation - will probably appear in duplicate if/when they decide to release it.
I posted last night, didn't see it this morning & posted again.