Brisbane Travel Forum

Hi,
In February we will be visiting friends in Brisbane, then hiring a motorcaravan for 8 days. I realise we will not see much in such a short time, and wondered if it would be better to head along the coast north towards Cairns, or south. We are in our 50s, and this will be our first trip to Australia. We like national parks, walking etc, but are not into surfing. Any suggestions as to what to see, or other advice, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

I guess you are coming from the winter of the Northern hemisphere to visit us during the hottest most humid time of the year. Heading north after your stay will give you hotter and more humid conditions in the main plus more likelihood of rainy weather. see http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/17/2164829.htm for typical scenes up north each feb.(That's not to say it will not rain in Feb along the NSW coast) Another minus is the fact that you will have to drive looking into the sun as you head north. The sun at noon in Feb is approx 75º above the northern horizon, so during the thirteen hours of sunlight during Feb, you would be driving facing the sun.
I'd be taking a drive to Sydney on the coastal road if given the option. Plenty to see along the way. Do a destination search on "coffs harbour" and check out the pages of numerous posters on that town which is about half way between Brisbane and Sydney. Most posters will have pages on other coastal towns as well.
For national Parks go to : http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks/ to find an interactive map with all coastal parks .

My first advice is to hire a normal saloon car and stay at motels. The driving is much easier, less fuel used, it's far more comfortable all round and the cost will be about the same. There are plenty of excellent inexpensive motels all around Oz.

I agree with the previous answer, I'd head south towards Sydney, but only after looking around the Subshine Coast just north of Brisbane, expecially the hinterland.

Colin offers good advice...I preach the same on Aust Intro page : http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/ae2c2/c48/ Happy New Year de p.

Yep, south to Sydney is the best. There's plenty to see along the way like Hastings Point, Byron Bay, Nambucca Heads, Bellingen, Arrawarra, Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, South West Rocks, Crescent Head, Port Macquarie, Hunter Valley etc. As Colin said, driving by car is more economical. Staying at caravan parks in the cabins is good too - www.big4.com.au - check out their deals.
Have fun!!
Cheers, Ann :o)

Thank you for the very helpful replies. I have now done some research on places north and south of Brisbane, and there seems to be more to see and do in the south, going towards Sydney. I just wondered how the cost of petrol/diesel in Australia and the cost of living generally compared to the UK?

With best wishes for the New Year

Cost of living is much cheaper in Oz, although with the pound collapsing at the moment who knows what will happen. As a very rough rule of thumb we've found that the number on things is much the same, the difference is that it has a pound sign or a dollar sign in front of it - so for example a litre of petrol is 1 in both countries, meaning £1 or A$1.

Petrol prices change by the day and by location. It's much more in country areas than in cities or towns. Friends in Sydney tell me its been around A$1.10 or so a litre recently.

Hi! You didn't say what airport you are leaving from, if any? If you are leaving from Brisbane, then the 8 days would be full just visiting the North & South and Toowoomba area near Brisbane.

I think all the posters have given excellent advice. Brisbane and surrounds, however, does have enough points of interest to keep you fully occupied during your 8-day stay.

Some locations to expand your frame of reference for further research in and around Brisbane include: South Bank Parklands, Roma Street Parklands, New Farm Park, Mt Coot-tha, Colleges Crossing, Mt Cotton Rainforest Gardens, Chung Tian Temple, Redcliffe Peninsula, Bribie Island, Mt Tamborine, O'Reilly's, Glasshouse Mountain, Springbrook National Park, Mt Mee Forest Reserve, Noosa, Tallebudgera Creek etc. etc. etc.