Review: Trip to Australia, Sydney, Tableland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda, Blue Mountains, Opera House

Review by traveler

Thuy G.

12.27.2018

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Australia

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

The overall trip was wonderful. The hotels were in great locations and very nice, especially the Pier one and the Kewara beach resort .

The pick up service was punctual and the drivers were helpful and courteous. The side trips were interesting and enjoyable. The Opera house visit was a must . The Blue Mountain trip with our guide was very personal and delightful.

The Uluru camel ride and sunrise watch were great. We had a little hiccup when the Great barrier reef trip was cancelled at first due to bad weather, but it was rescheduled and we had perfect weather on the day we visited the reef and able to see beautiful corals and fishes.

The Tableland visit was interesting , it was a private tour because there were nobody else but us. It was interesting to spot these native birds and animals in the rain forest. James was very knowledgeable of the rain forest and what live within

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

See above

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

Now are some suggestions to improve the trip if possible in the future :

Sydney: One day on and off pass for the cruise is possible enough. Suggest to have the other day on and off city bus to see the other areas inside the city. Bondi beach and Manning beach are disappointing. Bondi beach probably would be more entreating to young people because of the nightlife

Uluru: No suggestion. 2 nights are long enough for older people that not able to walk a long distance to explore the area on foot in the heat

Cairns:

The Zoo fantastic 5 at the crocodile farm can be omitted unless you have young children who loves to pet the animals. The brochure was including the pictures with the Koala but was not indicated in the itinerary, so we had one done at the Blue Mountain trip.

The time for the skyrails and Kuranda visit was not enough. Should cut the Aboriginal Cultural Park to shorter time. Unfortunately, the train ride to go back down the mountain was cancelled due to the rain the days before.

Too bad we could not swim in the ocean there because it was the season for jelly fish . Swimming in a confine net is not inviting

Travel Company Comments:

We are so pleased that these clients felt that the accommodation, transfer services, and tours were so interesting and enjoyable, and that they had a great trip to Australia. We would like to address the few concerns noted in the review:

SYDNEY: The hop-on / hop-off ferry is only available as a 2-day pass, but travelers are welcome to use it just for 1 day, and spend the other day exploring Sydney by land. We offer the 2-day as it is economical even for 1 day.

CAIRNS: The Zootastic 5 itinerary description actually does specify that guests will be able to hold, feed and take a photo with a koala, so we’re sorry to hear the clients missed that and ended up duplicating the experience. Fortunately the type of koala is different in each area, so it is well worth seeing and interacting with both. We find that clients of any age enjoy the personal interaction with the unique Australian wildlife!

The day tour including the Skyrail, Kuranda and Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park day is with a small group, so the timing and logistics can sometimes vary a bit, as much as the guide tries to stay on schedule and balance the time in each location. We appreciate the feedback on the timing, and will share that with the tour company.

Unfortunately this is jellyfish “stinger” season in Queensland, so the swimming nets are an important safety measure, although we understand they do impact the experience. The area experienced some unusually rainy weather in December, so we’re thrilled that the clients were able to get out to the Great Barrier Reef on a perfect, sunny day!

Photos