Hi Sanji
I really enjoyed my few days in Sydney on one of my trips down under, though whether I would want to stay a whole month, I'm not sure. It's a lively city with great people, scenery, restaurants etc., lots of interesting things to see and do. I realise though that your holiday would be different to mine as you would be spending time with your son. I would advise a few trips out of town maybe to the Blue Mountains, further afield The Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock and Melbourne all destinations that can be reached by one of the cheap airlines that operate within the country.With a month in country you could visit lots of places.
The flights affect people in different ways but as I know how much you LOVE flying I can only be honest and say I think it would be a bit of a killer for you. My first trip to OZ was in Business Class which is a great way of travelling but the cost is prohibitive though some airlines do a Premium Economy(BA, Quantas, Virgin),still expensive but nowhere near Business prices. If flying economy you have to choose your airline carefully as the seat comfort and service can vary. I would advise a stopover, possibly both ways in Singapore for someone who hasn't travelled to the Far East before, but you are limited by the airline you choose.
If you need more info send me a pm.

Judith

Thanks Judith, I knew I could rely on you.

This is in its infancy at the moment, but my son seems to think that we will be going sometime next year and he's talking about paying for the airfare, and then we rent/pay for an apartment or house for a month, there isn't room to stay with him and TBH I don't think I'd want to be couped up with him for a month, choose how much I love him.
I must have read every word ever posted in here, the advantages of having a stopover somewhere, and others like my son seem to think its best to just get it over with in one foul swoop, then there's the advantages/disadvantages of the diffferent airlines IE: seat pitch, meals, entertainment.
I'll be honest and say that I knew/know very little about Australia until the lad went out there, except knowing the capital is Canberra.

I've had some great pictures of Sydney harbour bridge, the opera house and Bondi beach, and it's swayed my thoughts from thinking never to possible.
I'm thinking that there's the opera house, the bridge, the botanical gardens, bondi beach and Manly to visit, etc etc.
It's daunting thinking about it when both of us have never been further than Europe and I've spent hours trying to get as much info as possible, but it's the thought of the plane journey that dampens my enthusiasm at the end of each day...how do people cope with all that time on a plane.?

This gives me 100 things to do...
http://www.sydney100.com/sydney5.htm

Sanji

Sanji, glad to see you are now seriously considering a trip 'down under'. I would echo Judith's remarks re flying. Doing it in one would be quite a strain and one I've said I would only consider if I could afford to fly lst class. Stopovers should be considered if you've the time, but even then if you fly back via Singapore that's a 14 hours flight anyway. Although I did manage to sleep some of the time, there is no doubt that it is boring. Flight entertainment passes some of the time but you need to have a good book that you can lose yourself in, etc.
As for Sydney, its definitely not 'hyped up', but I would hope you would explore further in the month you are staying. One way to get a feel of the city is to do the 'hop-on, hop-off' bus tour. We stopped off at the Botanical Gardens which are fabulous. Bondi Beach is in some respects no different to lot of other beaches, but hey, how can you go to Sydney and not go and stare at the 'beautiful people' A cruise round the harbour should be a must and take the ferry to Manly. We had dinner at a restaurant on the beach front (sorry can't remember name) and watched as the sun set. One word - magical.
No doubt others will flood you with advice but perhaps as a starting point you could make a list of the things you definitely want to see and then add others in if you have time.

Rosalyn

Thanks Rosalyn.
My initial thoughts were that I'm going to see my son and I don't really care what I see, but I realise to go all that way and not see some more of Australia, would be "stupid".
As the lad has been living/working in Sydney since last September, I was kindda relying on him to give us some advice too, when we got there, although he will be working most of the time.

Another daft question...he says that Sydney prices are similiar to London prices ( depending where you eat) and he lived in London before moving to OZ, so the next daft question is.......we have no idea how much spending money we would need for this trip.
I realise that the amount we spend will be governed by the trips we go on, but as a rough guide, can anybody tell me how much to take please....just spending money, not including the rental of an apartment or house for a month. ?

Sanji

Sanji
I've just arrived home after spending the last two days driving through France and Germany on my way home from a visit to the UK so I've only just caught up on HT posts.
Sorry I can't give you much of an idea about prices as it is seven years since I was last in Sydney and at the time I found prices cheaper than the UK. I went to Australia again in 2005 (not Sydney) and found prices had increased though probably they were then at the same level or a bit less than the UK.
I think your best plan would be to choose a few places to visit, not too many though as distances are huge and you don't want to be travelling all the time. Once you have decided on an itinerary check out internal flights for routes and prices. Budget Airlines that come to mind are Jetstar and Virgin Blue and of course the national carrier Qantas does internal flights. If you Google hotels in the various resorts/cities you will get some prices. . This should give you a loose idea of how much money you will need. If you don't feel like arranging any trips yourself there are some good tour companies within Australia such as AAT KIngs or ATP who do excellent short or long coach tours, though they can be pricey. Hopefully someone who has visited Australia recently can give you more up to date info . If you are staying in an apartment you will need pretty much the same as you would in the UK for living expenses, plus something extra for restaurant visits and drinks. It's hard to give an amount as everyones needs are different. You can spend a lot or a little. For a lot of people it's the holiday of a lifetime so they stretch the budget a bit. When I travel with my husband we usually spend less than when I travel with a friend or on my own. I use my debit card to obtain cash everywhere without any problems. I realise this is a new experience for you going longhaul so you may want to set yourself a budget and then see what you can accomplish within it's restraints. A travel firm such as Trailfinders are pretty good at helping plan itinerarys and once you decide what you want to see you could ask them to price something up for you, though I'm sure your son will be able to arrange trips for you within the country.. Australia has pretty much something for any interests, scenery,wildlife, restaurants, bars, theatre. Get a good guide book of the country(I also bought the AA Citypack for Sydney which gave me loads of ideas).Like Babs I found Manly a better beach to visit than Bondi, catching the ferry back after dark and seeing all of the lights of the city was magical.
As to the question of a stopover, you will most probably be shattered whatever you do but remember your son is a young person and a long tiring journey probably wouldn't affect him the same way as we of a more mature age and a stop over as well as being a break is also good for the opportunity of seeing something of an other country you probably won't ever get the opportunity to visit again.

Judith

Thanks once again Judith for your detailed reply.
I apologise for being so vague, but as you say, this is a one off lifetime adventure and if we are going to do it, it has to be next year or 2011 at the latest before my OH reaches 70.

You know what these young un's are like, the lad just jumps on a plane and sorts it out at the other end.

If you don't feel like arranging any trips yourself there are some good tour companies within Australia such as AAT KIngs or ATP who do excellent short or long coach tours,

Thanks for that...I don't really want to fly any more than necesssary and we have decided to stop over for a few days, but I don't know where at the moment.

I suppose we will be doing all the usual touristy things like visit the Opera House, cruise around Sydney harbour, Botanical gardens, Bondi beach, Coogee beach, the rocks and Manly.
I think it's back to more research, but I've got my OH saying "How much is this lot going to cost us"?
I've just told him there's no pockets in shrouds.

Sanji
Edit for typo error.

Good luck trying to sort it out Sanji. We spent a month in Oz but only 4 days in Sydney. How about a trip up the Blue Mountains and a visit to one of the vineyards? Breakfast at the fish market, maritime museum, Darling Harbour with some brilliant eateries. You can do a trip round the city on the monorail and a nice little snack in the pub at the bottom of the ramp near the Monorail Station at Darling. That's just for starters in Sydney! Victorian Arcade, the Tower, .......

Try and spend a few days in Brisbane as that place is just as bad! We're off for 3 months next year and am looking at going up to Cairns, Townsville and Bundeberg. (just to test the local rum.)

When you think of Europe where it takes 4 hours to fly from here to Cyprus, you realise how big Oz is when it takes you that log to fly from Darwin just down to Brisbane!

Thanks Parky for your reply and suggestions.
I'm just trying to get as much information as possible at this stage because we will be left to our own devices when the lad is working....and the best advice is always from those who have done it.!

Sanji

If you do get to Brisbane Sanji, try the ferry from Bretts Quay out to Regatta which is the stop before the Uni. It's a good hours trip stopping at all the places you won't see in a weeks walking. The Regatta is a nice pub with a bit of history about it and a lot of it is shown on the walls. They do a nice bar snack as well!