ex reg

Just watching the Jayco Sun Herald Cycling race and the Australian Alps look great.

Anybody got any suggestions of a central town in which we could base ourselves for a driving tour of the Alps?
Is Albury a possibility or is it outside the mountains>

quoll

Bit far away, there really isn't a "central" town but a lot of people like Bright (small town) but whether you'd want to base yourself there is another matter. The Alps cover a pretty big area and you might want to work out which bit you want to venture into - NSW side or Vic side? You could do worse than Thredbo in the summer time (apart from the horse flies)

ex reg

Thanks.
It's difficult to get an idea of how big an area it is just from google earth.
I wonder if there's enough to see to warrant a 2 week stay maybe using two bases say 100 miles apart.
We had a month in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney last year and it was great so wanting another visit to Australia.
I thought the Alps may be without the flies.
If not would November or say March be the best time to visit.

carcajou

Maybe Jindabyne or Cooma.

With some investment (ie, the access roads etc) and imagination, I feel Canberra could be turned into an Alps gateway and winter sports capital. I know it will never happen.

Beoz

Needs more elevation and more snow. Without it, and the crazy lift ticket prices, accom prices, ski tube price (WTF is that all about) and the bind the National Parks have over us, its dying a slow death.

I remember skiing there in the 90's. Lift queues were crazy. Skiied there last year. It was like a ghost town.

Easy access to places like Japan, US, Europe, NZ - Australia needs a new strategy.

quoll

Winter or summer? In summer the March flies (nasty big biting brutes) are horrid, they can bite through two layers of socks! In winter it'll all be too expensive and very snow bunny focused.

Wouldn't think you'd need 2 weeks for it unless you are into serious bushwalking. We did a leisurely Cabramurra to Kosciosko and back in less than a week with two small kids. I guess it all depends on what you actually want to do while you are there. Just sightseeing - you'll probably have had enough after a week. The gateway towns aren't huge attractions really but as Canberra had been mentioned you could have a few days there then head down through Cooma, Jindabyne, then the Alpine Way - it's an experience - then across to Albury and down through Bright, Mount Beauty, Falls Creek, Omeo and down to Lakes Entrance if you wanted some sea side. It'd be constant moving though, not staying in one place and heading out each day. As I said if you just want to "see" then you might as well drive, if you want to walk you need to be well equipped cos there's not much between places.

ex reg

Thanks quoll.
I think that's put the mockers on it.

Anyone any other ideas for a month in Australia.
Done Perth, Margaret River and south of there and last year Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney

Not keen on laying on beaches but don't mind the sea side.
Not really interested in the GBR etc.

quoll

I didn't mean to deter you! I thought that would be a reasonable couple of weeks! And Canberra is good for a few days! If you "tour" you can head in the general direction you want to be in and stay wherever takes your fancy. If you avoid school holidays you can usually find accommodation. Bushfire risk probably worse in Feb/March but no guarantees so November might be a better option.

carcajou

ex reg, I live in Regional WA.

Last year we went north to Ningaloo (Exmouth), Karijini (Tom Price) and the Kennedy Ranges (Carnarvon). If you add on Millstream-Chichester NP and Karratha that could easily take up a month. Everything accessible in our 2WD but when you hire a car make sure you can drive it on unsealed roads.

You can also drive east from Perth to Kalgoorlie and do the Goldfields loops, then go down to Esperance, coming back up to Norseman (Kalgoorlie and Esperance are 4 hours apart, Norseman is right in between) and then drive through the Great Western Woodlands on the Norseman-Hyden road which will put you out at Wave Rock. Also all done by 2WD.

Sometime in the next year or two we want to go to the Kimberley, Broome to Kununurra.

Also on our list is Adelaide-Darwin, through Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Uluru, and Katherine.

You are spoiled for choice here in your holiday options.

Pollyana

Check out Tasmania

carcajou

We loved Tasmania. We did give thought to moving there when we arrived, but did not due to our concerns about the economy there. There are some Tasmanians where we are now who came to WA purely for the better employment prospects.

ex reg, a few other ideas - WA has a spectacular wildflower season every spring up around Geraldton and that may be an idea to tack on to what I mentioned earlier. In the Eastern States, I just came back from a business trip to Canberra a few weeks ago and had an opportunity to spend a half-day in the Blue Mountains - lovely. Perhaps start there, continue west through Jenolan Caves and the wine region around Orange, and then circle back north through Tamworth (country music) and the Waterfall Way, and end up in Byron Bay/the Gold Coast. Or continue on west from Orange to Broken HIll and then down through Mildura, along the Murray into the Barossa Valley and depart from Adelaide.

Beoz

I did that drive many years ago. I thought it was superb. Would love to do it again in summer - maybe with a campervan for something different. After the Alps get to Lakes Entrance and do the coast back to Sydney. There's some beautiful spots between Lakes Entrance and Sydney.

ex reg

Thanks for all the ideas from everyone.
Tasmania maybe is a cooler than we want.
Did Blue mountains last October.
Akchewlee we aren't looking to do many miles driving but to base ourselves centrally somewhere and do day drives from there.

Just a question on Agapanthus.
We have quite a few in our garden in UK.

They never flower earlier than late summer in UK.
But when we were in Adelaide and Sydney last November, Australian spring, they were all out flowering.
Any ideas why the difference in flowering season.
Ditto the 30,000 roses at Chateau Barrosa just north of Lyndoch which were just over the top flowering in November.