Hi, I just booked the aussie explorer for April 2010, I'm super excited! I also booked 1 night pre tour in darwin & 2 nights post tour in sydney. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice of what I absolutely shouldn't miss while in either of these cities with my limited amount of time. I'm especially wondering about sydney since i'm guessing i will probably just be recovering from jet lag in darwin. also, if any one had any insight of what the weather will be like mid april to mid may it would be much appreciated. thanks!

Hey Danielle,

I can only talk about Sydney because I unfortunately didn't go to Darwin, but it really depends what you're into.

The weather in Sydney might be cool at this time - when i was there it definitely wasn't beach weather at this time, but should be hovering around the mid-to-high teens.

I decided to treat myself and stay in the Hilton sydney, and it was totally worth it - nicest hotel I've ever stayed in, and amazing after that long in hostels.

I also treated myself to a meal at Finger Wharf - a whole bunch of restaurants on a pier, all of which are amazing.

As for what to check out, I heard lots of good things about the clubs/bars in Sydney, though I didn't actually venture there myself.

A day trip to Bondi or the Blue Mountains is always recommended. Harbour Bridge climb is pretty cool too, and I heard that the Opera House tour was decent.

Hope this helps - there's lots of information once you're actually there too.

the weather in Darwin during april and may is a high of 33c degrees / 91F during the day and a low of 23c degrees / 73F during the evenings.

1 night pre darwin won't let you see darwin. i did the 1 pre night and by the time i arrived (around 5pm) got to hotel, found somewhere for supper, and crashed of jetlag, and tour started at 730 the next day. therefore missed out on seeeing darwin which was unfourtante. if you can do longer i would do an extra day there for sure, even just to walk around.

in sydney i found 5 nights aftter to not be enough, didn't get to do everything i wanted to. if you only have 2 days for sure go to Bondi- it has the beach and great shopping, easily accesible by train. also go to Patty's market in chinatown- and while there see Darling Harbour. thre is tons to do in Sydney so get as much in as possible.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Alyssa, I noticed that you just finished this tour & I was hoping that I could ask you a few questions. First of all, I was wondering how many couples were on your tour. I'm going with my boyfriend & it seems like most people travel alone so I'm hoping that we won't be outcasts just 'cause we're a couple. Second, I saw that you went in winter & I was wondering if it was still a good time to go to Bondi weather-wise or if you just went there to hang out, not actually swim/sunbathe. Also I was wondering which optionals you would/wouldn't recommend, what you thought of the accomodations, & how much you spent per day. Thanks so much, & I hope you had fun on your trip.

hey,
In sydney I recommend catching the ferry from Circular Quay (its the ferry wharf and right at the train station so easily accessible) into darling harbour. This ferry trip takes you under neath the harbour bridge and makes for some great photo opportunities for a cheap price. Once in darling harbour you can hang out and walk back into the city via market street which takes you past the queen victoria building and pitt street mall where all the best shopping is. I live about an hour out of sydney and just spent the weekend in the city. doing my ferry ride and shopping walk never gets old...

Hey, I did an east coast tour this April, so I can report that the weather is quite variable! I started in Cairns and it was blissfully warm, in the low 30s. But as we moved south, the weather got cooler and, on a couple of days when we were travelling to fraser island etc, it was torrential rain. Sydney was really quite sunny, but it was more jeans than shorts weather. Overall, I was quite lucky with the weather - you just need to be ready for all eventualities!

I had just 1 day in Sydney at the end of the tour before going to Melbourne, so I also had to cram stuff in! I'd highly recommend the open top bus tour that goes around the city for your first day. First bus leaves about 8.30am and it takes you to all the best places, plus there's a line that takes you out to the beaches (although I didn't have time to explore these, I've heard everyone say that Bondi isn't all that - try Manly Beach instead...)

If you're lucky enough to be there on a Saturday, make sure you check out the market in the Rocks area (near Circular Quay) - it's brilliant. Fulls of arty stalls and street musicians. For a chilled out walk, the Botanical Gardens (up the road from the opera house) are pretty hard to beat.

Don't know how you are with heights, but my fave thing in Sydney was climbing the harbour bridge at sunset. If you can afford it (or get it as a christmas present, like me!), it'll be something you'll never forget. You can book the climb on the contiki tour, but if you want to do it at sunset, you really need to book it beforehand as it's the most popular time. If you're not bothered about sunset, then you can book on tour and walk up with other people from your group!