2006-12-08 19:23:43 · 7 answers · asked by rlou 1 in Travel ➔ Australia ➔ Sydney
the barrier reef starts down just south of bundaberg which is 4 hours north of brisbane.
I suggest however that you fly to cairns or townsville the reef is more vibrant (colourwise) the warmer the enviroment,
you can fly to cairns or townsville directly or via brisbane, the options are bus and train.
generally if you book well in advance the airfares are the quickest and cheapest way to travel
check out
www.virginblue.com.au
www.jetstar.com.au
or www.qantas.com.au
once you get to cairns or townsville you there are operators to take you to the reef for the day. expect to pay around 200 per person which will include your lunch and snorkelling gear.
hope this helps and enjoy our precious reef
2006-12-09 06:59:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It really depends on the time you have available. The drive up the coast from Sydney to Cairns is one of the greatest coastal drives in the world, maybe the best in the world. And ive made a point of doing some world class drives, still do, its my way of holidaying. Actually, the same can be said of much of Australia! I would recommend checking with some motorhome rental companies, finding out what direction motorhomes needed to be returned to, - generally they need to get them back to sydney, then book a "relocation special". This will be extremely cheap - I tend to pay $1 day including insurance (but no waivers), with the first tank of juice free (dont need to refill relocators), with a time limit of how long you can take. They tend to view you as driving 5-600km a day,, which is fine,, around 7-8hrs max, roads are very good condition throughout. So cairns - Sydney, u may have 6-7-8days that you can take to get it back. You will need a 21+ license and a credit card.Then get a cheap flight Sydney to Cairns. If not driving, then fly both ways, perhaps stopping beautiful Brisbane or Gold Coast for a couple of days beach R&R, surfing, swimming. The train is expensive and not as great a trip, except for rail boffins. Either way, head for Cairns, get in at the good warm northern end of the reef, check out the amazing rainforests, drink good cold beer and great red wine, eat the best seafood and fruits in the planet, - its no suprise that its the number one 'most wanted to visit' country in the world. And the aussies are generally pretty good, we give them sh!t, they give us sh!t, but we love them really! Hope this helps.
Visit New Zealand while you are in the area, its a pretty wee spot too, with more challenging but even more beautiful drives! And our beer and white wine rocks! Also, relocations to Auckland or Christchurch are generally available.
2006-12-09 22:28:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fly to Cairns with Virgin Blue or Qantas. NEVER FLY JET STAR!!!!!! or if you want Island paradise, fly to Hamilton Island but only Virgin and Sh*t Star fly there. Here are the websites for the airline.
You can drive or bus but the drive is nearly 3000kms from Sydney so I dont recomend it!
If you have a friend in Brisbane that you can see, fly to Brisbane and catch the hight Speed Tilt Train. It get to Rockhampton in 6 hours, it goes to Cairns but I dont know how long from Rockhampton to Cairns!
2006-12-09 19:05:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The "BEST" way is to fly. Driving will take at least one day from Sydney to Brisbane - depending on how fast and how constant you drive (which is NOT recommended!) but it is cheaper to fly considering the cost of petrol these days.
2006-12-09 07:00:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
fastest fly 3 hours
the interesting way(to see a lot on the way) drive 3/4 days
2006-12-09 04:20:02 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Catch a flight or drive up to Cairns......
2006-12-09 06:01:34 · answer #6 · answered by tureeza 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure, but watch out for the sting rays on the way there.
2006-12-09 03:32:00 · answer #7 · answered by higg1966 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋