Kimkim Trip Reviews for Australia

This was an excellent hotel in the middle of our trip that was beautiful, relaxing, and energizing for us. We loved being in front of a quiet bay and enjoyed lots of ocean time, which was much needed. It felt like we were on a Tahitian vacation right in Australia.

Completely fascinating! We loved it and was able to hear someone practicing the pipe organ while we toured the concert hall. We loved learning the history behind this gorgeous edifice. It is so stunning in person.

We enjoyed our tour group and guide. They were a wonderful group and we all enjoyed getting to know each other. The Daintree Tour was educational, relaxing, and interesting.

The hotel could use some upgrading. The bed was comfortable, our view of the lake was nice. The amenities were fine, but you pay extra for everything.

Really nice, modern design with plenty of space to have breakfast, a drink or just relax in the lobby. The rooms were comfortable and had everything you need.

Good location for walking about Melbourne. Breakfast was varied and good! The rooms are small, but clean and comfortable beds.

Nice rooms and comfortable beds. Great amenities like laundry to free! Convenient to the whole resort. Pool was on the chilly side.

We loved having a place to cook a meal ourselves. The pools were nice and private. Laundry was convenient. Location in the middle of town was very convenient.

Definitely gets you a feel of the city! It's right in the middle of Chinatown, a bustling area with lots of shops and restaurants, and ambience. Close to transportation options.

We arrived late in the evening and the receptionist was helpful in directing us to restaurants nearby. The rooms are comfortable.

Mt Terawana crater hike was a great experience - maybe almost half the fun what the wild ride in and out. The crater hike was amazing, terrific views, quite windy at the top and the path down to the crater bottom was unexpected but also quite fun. The guides here definitely patient with our group as some folks had a harder time, they informed us about the geology of the area, and always gave us time to remove the "gravel" from our boots.

What a day - one of the real highlights of the trip. The day started out overcast but by the time we got to the Sound it was beautiful and clear (apparently not the usual experience for a place that measure rainfall in the 10+ meter/year). Again, we had very good guides from the driver (Chou) from Queenstown to the guide on the boat tour on the Sound. The scenery was truly amazing everywhere you looked! We were able to see dolphins and seals in the Sound.

Dan was our guide and gave us the opportunity to experience just a hint of this Great Trail - it makes us think we really need to come back and do this whole trial! While this wasn't a Lord of the Rings tour - he pointed out some of the sites used for filming and explained how Queenstown has become a filmmakers - "go-to location". Wonderful tour and really funny conversation with Dan and Adrian - time as too short.

Visited four wineries and tried some tasty varieties. John was our guide - he was friendly (what would you expect from a Canadian - also made for an interesting discussion of the Stanley Cup playoffs just underway), knowledgeable, and made sure we stopped for some great sites for photos.

We took the gondola ride at dusk and got to see the beautiful views as the sun set and stars came out - we also ended up signing up for the buffet as we were told it was the best buffet in town.

Wildlife Habitat private tour was lovely the way they made a natural habitat and the Lily was a great guide and made us very much feel like VIPs. It was wonderful to get a close up view of some of the beautiful birds, had another koala encounter (can't get enough of those), but also had encounters with a black cockatoo and a frogmouth.

We had our formal Opera House tour next, and it was really a wonderful way to learn more about this extraordinary architectural achievement. Our guide was great. I can't remember the name, but he had recently won an employee photography contest. It is easy to see why a tour of the Opera House is a "don't miss" experience as the thought that went into each space (including the restrooms) is clearly evident. We spent some of our free time after this walking along the harbor to the botanical garden and you can take classic photos of the Opera House along the way.

The Phillip Island Go West Tour with guide, Chris R. was fantastic! He was funny and personable with plenty of information on the area and animals. Our favorites were the Moonlit Sanctuary, petting the koala was well worth it! Phillip Island was beautiful - the Nobbies were truly beautiful and the penguins, so so cute. We hit it at molting season, so there weren't as many penguins coming in a night, but it was still amazing!

The Hidden Gems Arcades and Lanes tour was such fun! Fiona was a great guide, she knows so much about Melbourne that we learned a lot. It was also a great way to see parts of the city we might have missed if we hadn't done the tour. The chocolate was a nice treat along the way!

The Great Barrier Reef snorkeling adventure was an adventure! We had very choppy waters and it made for a rocky trip to and from the reef. The guides, especially Isaac, were accommodating and helpful. They knew I was not a strong swimmer, so they kept and eye on me and helped me out when I needed a boost. Seeing the reef was a highlight of the trip. Amazing to view it with my own eyes!

The Great Ocean Tour with Terry, from Go West. We enjoyed the stops along the way and the scenery was stunning. We actually saw a koala in the wild, but not where we thought we would. The evening at Twelve Apostles was beautiful, with a sunset view and a quick trip down to the beach, it was amazing.

was Bondi Beach with James from the volunteer life savers group. Our beach day was windy and rainy so it was fun to hear about the history and just stroll along and see the sites. The weather was windy, so we didn't swim, but the walk was one fantastic view after another. The "city art" along the beach was everything from fun to amazing.

Sunset tour and BBQ with guide, Hayley was amazing. She was able to teach us about the Ananu people, and the stories they would share with us. The short walk to the watering hole was a highlight. Sunset vista was amazing. The BBQ was so nice, meeting people from all over the world. The food was great and plentiful.

Hike in Kata Tjuta also had stunning views and amazing conglomerate rock. We got great snacks to bring along and eat at the viewpoint. Our guide set the pace was a little too fast for me, we just didn't have enough time to look around, and really enjoy the views around us. There was a definite split in the group where the faster ones went ahead, waited for us, but then moved on as soon as we caught up. I'm not completely out of shape either. That made it a challenge, but the it was worth doing.

Mossman Gorge Adventure with the walk and river float was a tremendous experience. Francisco was a great guide - he was fun on the river float - highlighting the plants that are trying to kill us and the beauty of the forest. The spiders were something else - amazing to see and the rainforest was amazing. The smoke ceremony with Tim was educational and a great way to start the forest walk. We stopped for lunch in a cute little town with good food and parrots all around us! They provided some snacks along the way for the hike.

The dinner and Harbor cruise - a beautiful evening with great views of the city, Harbor bridge, and Opera house. This cruise in the harbor made for a very pleasant evening - service was great - Philip had a hard time staying at the table as the sites along the harbor were better outside. Food was good. We did have to change this reservation so we didn't really have a window seat - part of the reason Philip kept going outside.

The evening drone show was cancelled due to wind. But we did get a lovely wine and cheese basket and enjoyed a laser light show. The location is very nice and the staff gave great customer service.

Early morning at the Field of Lights was spectacular! The glowing light of the rising sun, the beautiful lights stretching out in front of the amazing Uluru. Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. The guides were pleasant and provided coffee and treats as the sun came up.

Drive from Cairns airport to Port Douglas was scenic. Driver was not super talkative, but that's fine.

Our tour of the Blue Mountains with Steve. He commented on how the traffic in the city was pretty minimal that morning - maybe because everyone was already on the way to the Blue Mountains. It was a holiday and quite crowded which decreased our enthusiasm as the short hikes felt a bit more like being in a queue. Nevertheless, there were some lovely sites, but living with mountains very near, we could definitely see the appeal of hiking out into the park to better enjoy nature.

As Lord of the Rings/Hobbit fans, this was a truly enjoyable way to spend some time on a rainy day. This day almost didn't start off well as there was some confusion about the pickup location but luckily one of the van drivers spotted us and caught us up with the correct van for the trip to Hobbiton. Hobbiton was charming, even in pouring rain. The detail in the hobbit home that we could walk through. We could've spent a lot of time looking around.Lunch at the Green Dragon pavilion was delightful.

The glow worm kayak tour was very fun and the glow worms were just amazing but mostly we were glad that we weren't the kayak that tipped over - the guide was great about helping everyone out and it was some considerable work The glow worms should not be missed if you're in New Zealand.

The Whirinaki forest walk was up next - this was very much one of the most memorable and enjoyable parts of the entire trip. Our guide Tom was perfect for us - full of information and pointed out all kinds of great things along the trail. His 30 years in conservation introduced us to so many amazing things about the New Zealand rain forest and the challenges that New Zealand is facing on the conservation front - just a truly amazing day.

The Cultural center for dinner and a Maori experience . We had listened to New Zealand history from the perspective of European-descendants and it was great to get some of this from the Maori perspective. Lots of food and an elaborate show after made for a great evening.

This was by far my favorite hotel of our trip. The breakfast is phenomenal for visitors from all over the world. The location is great, near theaters, shopping and great dining. Hotel is gorgeous, rooms are spacious and the roof top pool really was a great convenience to have traveling with children.

Conveniently located near Central station with access to the whole city. Beautiful parks near by and great dining options.

This hotel is a little older but a nice place to stay due to location and generous room size plus laundry machines in suite. This allowed us to clean up after our rainforest trekking and reef adventure. Very short walk to some great sites.

Visiting in winter it was cold and windy and many activities were initially canceled then resumed later in the day. Not much to see on the glass bottom boat maybe due to season… we ended up booking an ATV tour which was not planned but filled time.

Australia Zoo is a place I have wanted to see for decades. It did not disappoint. Beautiful spacious facility. Had a great time with a private guide for Mooloolaba area. Surf Club was a really great chance to learn more about local culture.

This was one of the most amazing experiences of our trip. Absolutely beautiful forest and wonderful guide Jordy.

The reef was worth every second of the bumpy boat ride ( we had a bad weather day) not normally like that. We saw thousands of first and corals, giant clams and sea turtles. Breathtaking experience for the kids.

I would recommend this to any visitor to Melbourne. It was incredible and the wildlife in and around the park was so neat to see.

Have dome balloon many times before, but doing it oer Melbourne with such a good team of pilots was jsut amazing!

Our Guide Jazmin was the best. Patient, knowledgeable and lovely.

Snorkling the Great Barrier Reef, another dream come true.

Great location Unique property taking a jelly factory & turning into a hotel

Very close to the beach Walking distance to the town center We had plenty of space

Views are incredible! Dining room is a bit noisy - go to the upper deck to enjoy the quiet and exceptional views of the harbor!

Great location, well appointed room, lovely restaurant for dinner and nice pool.

Lovely location but buildings and paths need maintenance. Our cabin was comfortable. They had a free laundry that was much appreciated. They were short staffed, so service was quite slow in both the restaurant for breakfast and the bistro. The formal dinner was delicious and we were well looked after.

Well appointed rooms. Lovely pool area with bar. Nice breakfast buffet. Close to waterfront and many eateries.

Great location. No elevator and USB plugs were not working. Plumbing needed updating.

Very spacious and well furnished. No telephones in rooms, no cold water in rooms - you need to go to the main restaurant to fill your bottles. Great food at the restaurant.

Dark and poorly appointed rooms with impractical set up and too much fabric to catch dust, thus making it difficult for someone with allergies. No space for modern clamshell luggage. The restaurant was great for breakfast but wasn’t open on the Holiday Monday, when we couldn’t find any restaurant in the area. We resorted to eating in their bar area but it did not have a comfortable eating area. Poor location. It is a long walk to find a good restaurant.

Spacious suite, beautiful buildings. The buffet breakfast was delicious and in a well maintained older building. Had a coin laundry on site that was very useful.

Wonderful location and beautiful amenities. Our cabin was spacious and very welcoming with included wine and spirits as well as snacks, coffee and teas. The dining room as well as the bistro offered exceptional food with excellent service. It was nice to be so close to a quiet beach.

Well appointed room although all glass walls can be problematic especially in the bathroom! The staff was very friendly and helpful. They dealt with issues very quickly. We were able to leave some of our luggage here for an extended period with no issues. Breakfast buffet was very good.

As we had been advised to arrive early, we were on site before the Sanctuary closed to the public, so enjoyed a stroll around the grounds ahead of the tour. Our very knowledgeable guide took us first to see the reptiles before they got too cold and hid. We then went to feed the Tasmanian wallabies, followed by birds, quolls, possums, Tasmanian devils, an echidna, a baby wombat, and Tasmanian bettongs. In most cases we did guided feeding, with appropriate warnings on how to present the foods. A highly enjoyable and educational outing!

Our driver/guide picked us up early, as he had received a different itinerary to ours, to start an hour earlier. We had visited some of the proposed sites with friends, so our guide adapted the itinerary to hit new (to us) places. We went to Arthur’s Seat high above the bay for an overview, and visited beach which featured “houses” that store supplies for their owners’ days at the beach. We had a delicious lunch in a converted General Store, and visited wineries in the afternoon. One activity we skipped was a visit to Moonlit Sanctuary, as we had already visited.

We were called the night before by the tour operator to warn of potential rough weather for the next morning. We proceeded with the tour, and were glad we did. The Sky Lounge is the reserved upper deck adjacent to the bridge, and the attentive crew saw to everyone’s needs. Welcome drinks were served as we departed, to head to the Lodge to pick up guests who had booked there. As we sailed south to reach open water, the captain repeated the warning that a gale was brewing on the east side of the peninsula. As we reached the strait, his decision was to divert away from Wineglass Bay and instead proceed to Ile des Phoques (Seal Island). On the way there, several guests felt queasy and were assisted by crew. At the island we saw fur seals and cormorants, but the real show was on the way back north, when a pod of dolphins swam alongside and cavorted in our wake. They were joined by gannets and albatrosses over the boat. We had lunch in a sheltered bay, with generous portions in individual meals, supplemented with lots of fresh oysters. For us, the rough weather wasn’t a deterrent, but there were several seasick guests. Not all expected that they could be seasick. However the crew assisted them all and maintained a pleasant atmosphere for the rest of us.

The roads in rural Tasmania were generally good, but services are sparse. The switchbacks ascending to Cradle Mountain park are narrow and require vigilance.

The car itself was fine, and gave us no problems. The only issues were with the personnel in the airport lots for pickup and drop off. In Hobart I was told to collect the keys in the parking lot from the attendant. She was nowhere to be seen, and my wife and I split up to look for her. This took more than 15 minutes. In Launceston, I saw an attendant across the lot as I pulled in, but by the time I parked she was gone. I took photos of the car for my records and dropped the keys in a return slot.

This tour starts from Downtown Melbourne, proceeds west to Colac (along the highway) then south to the southern end of the Great Ocean Road on the shipwreck coast. A lot of time is spent in the coach, with commentary by the driver, to prepare for the self-timed walks. He also introduced guests to the TimTam Slam at the first coffee break. This stretch of highway features some of the most iconic formations in Australia, the 12 Apostles, as well as Loch Ard gorge, Great Otway National Park, and the seaside towns that were heavily damaged by fire and floods in the 1980s. The Memorial Arch stands as a monument to the work of the Diggers who built the road in the 1930s.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the private tour very enjoyable.

Loved this experience. Meeting other guests. The meal was delicious and seeing the stars and the field of light magical.

Tide was high when we went out so not the best conditions to see the reef clearly.

Amazing experience! Highly recommend this. I wasn’t even sore the next day after riding the camel for an extended period of time. The staff was exceptional.

It was a rough sea day but the staff made the best of a rough situation. We really enjoyed it all.

Mini tour bus was uncomfortable with malfunctioning seatbelts. We enjoyed a more relaxed pa ce than on day one. Not enough time allotted for dinner before the ferry. Service was very slow at the restaurant that was recommended.

Very long time in the 4x4 cramped vehicle, (about 5 hours total travel time there and back) stopping to do all the hotel pick ups and then in Port Douglas where there should have been a restroom break. We enjoyed the tour once we got there.

Lovely slow paced private tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed our day, especially our time at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

Bus to ferry was very cramped for leg space and very long because of multiple pick up points. Ferry did not have breakfast foods available as the supplier had not delivered. We started our day very early and were quite hungry by lunch time. First day tour was in a more comfortable coach. Our accommodations at American River in the Mercure hotel was great. Older facility and the mattresses and rooms need updating but wonderful food and service. We really enjoyed our first day tour but were disappointed to spend so little time at the Animal sanctuary.

Hotel Ibis World Square in Sydney had a great location, but unfortunately, it was situated right over a night club, which made it incredibly noisy until the early hours. This was not quite suitable for us as it affected our ability to rest. It was a bit disappointing given our expectations.

The Outback Hotel & Lodge in Uluru was rated as one of the lower options in the area, which didn't quite meet our expectations of a moderate accommodation. It was somewhat below what we imagined for this trip, considering the limited choices in Uluru.

Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. We went out on a catamaran, and the experience was absolutely superb. The underwater sights were breathtaking, and it was an unforgettable adventure. Five stars for this phenomenal experience!

The location of this hotel is perfect. There are shops and restaurants all around the hotel. There is a wonderful promenade to walk and see a lot of the shoreline. Our room had a beautiful view of the marina and it made it easy to get to our excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. The hotel had an amazing breakfast buffet included that we enjoyed every day.

The snorkeling trip to Michaelmas Cay was a highlight of our Australia getaway. The experience was amazing, and we truly enjoyed it. The vibrant marine life and the clear waters made it unforgettable. It was a well-organized and exciting excursion.

They would not allow us to check in early after arriving from a long international flight but when we were able to check in they upgraded us to room on a higher floor with a great view.

Room was fine but we had a long walk to our room from the registration desk with lots of luggage to carry.

Nice hotel with convenient location.

Nice hotel with good location. The upgraded us to an upper floor with a city view.

The view from our room was amazing. Breakfast was very good with lots of selection.

We had a one bedroom apartment that had a washer and dryer but it didn't feel like the room was very clean. I found trash in the area to make tea and coffee. It was a convenient location.

The registration area was very nice but the rooms could have been better. Also the landing outside our room was never sweep while we were there and had lots of leaves. There were no elevators and they put my 83 year old husband and myself on the second floor. We broke the handle on one suitcase trying to drag it up and down the stairs. Also we were told our room was not ready at the check in time.

Very nice hotel with a beautiful view from our room.

This was supposed to be a 4 star hotel but it could barely be called a 3 star at best. The carpet looked dirty, the bathroom needed an update, and you had an overall feeling it was not clean. We were suppose to have a harbor view but 90 percent of the time we were there it was blocked by cruise ships and we couldn't see anything. The one time for a few hours at night the cruise ships were gone it was a beautiful view of the harbor and opera house. The only thing good about the room.

Nice but a long day so I probably could have skipped.

Our guide Peter was very nice. Our tour information said we would have either morning or afternoon tea, but it didn't happen. The lunch that was included was very good at Akaroa. Harbor Cruise with George was nice. We saw hector dolphins, seals and albatroses.

It is a beautiful view from the top.

Enjoyed that you could experience the reef without getting wet.

Nice trip with beautiful views.

Maary our guide and driver was very good. We were supposed to have water and snacks and we did. We were supposed to get back at 6:30 but it was 7:30 before we reached.

Driver was not inside airport but texted where he was an parked so we didn't have to walk at all. He also helped with the luggage and was very friendly.

It was a long day. We were supposed to meet at a bus stop that was not marked. Picnic lunch was very bad. Nature cruise had nice views but only saw a few seals on a rock, no penquins, dolphins or any other animals that were mentioned we would see. Straight 4 hour drive back with one 15 minute stop for coffee.

Herman our guide was good. Enjoyed getting lots of views of Uluru.

Captain was very friendly and nice. We were told we would get tea or coffee and a cookie. We did not get that but were offered water or juice.

Was a nice tour but not anything special.

Guide was nice. We enjoyed Moonlit feeding the kangaroos and seeing the other animals. Penguin Plus was fun getting to see the penquin parade. Sad we couldn't take pictures, but were happy they had pictures and videos you could download. We were the only ones on the tour with dinner included. We were not told that it was an option to not have dinner included and would have liked to have had the option.

Was a fun day. Saw lots of places. Guides were good.

It was very beautiful and I would recommend.

Driver was nice enough. Tours alright especially for Lord of the Rings fans. Were not able to take pictures at the Waitomo caves which was a disappointment.

Worth a visit. We were not told that our tour of Te Puia was not within walking distance of our hotel and we had to figure out how to use uber (we are seniors and had not used before).

Very nice experience. Enjoyed the drinks and snacks while watching the show. Wish we had been allowed to take pictures or videos.

I didn't really feel that we saw much of Sydney.

Great tour would recommend.

I would recommend. Calmsley Hill Farms was great. Really enjoyed getting close with the animals. Beautiful lookouts. Lunch was alright not great. Tour said we would get wine or OJ in the afternoon but only wine was offered, so nothing for people who don't drink alcohol.

Were given a room with no air con. Had to ask four times for help and were eventually reassigned to another room.

Character galore. Old and in some cases very old! Our bathroom had been renovated nicely.

The wineries were great but could have been a better tour if the guide was a wine rather then a beer drinker. One stop was all about chi chi shimmery alcohol; it had no place on a wine tour. BTW, Sandlers Wines was the best of the day! Pucs includud.

I’m not one for big group activities like this, and well the boat, the lunch, on the activities themselves were fine. It was the dive staff that made this truly memorable. One of the female staff helped fit my equipment properly, and then helped my husband as well And accompanied him as first time snorkler to help him get an appreciation of what the reef offered. I couldn’t have been more pleased.

Too touristy for me. Food okay The astronomer who spoke was the best part of the evening. The field of light is too contrived.

It was fun if you like being bumped, jostled and bounced to the point of disbelief.

Fundamentally important to trip Would reccommend to be part of anyones tour and think timing as part of first day of trip was good way to start trip Sidney rock as iconic part of Sydney harbor and simultaneously “holy” Aboriginal ground was particularly important! Speaker was good but not inspired Meeting spot waspoorly indicated, hard to find and should be less ambiguous

Scenery in Mossman Gorge phenomena Gondola over rainforest excellent But Train ride thru Barron falls even better Not to be missed!

Guide excellent! The start at the library to give us some cultural background, the places chosen, the order in which we experienced them and the information we received exceeded our expectations. The food choices were all excellent.

Most beautiful drive ever. Terrific guide who knew the route and shared so much interesting information about the areas we were seeing.

The driver was knowledgeable and friendly, knew the industry and vineyards very well and was a huge asset to the tour.

Great location, friendly staff, newly renovated.

Beautiful views … a bit long, but lots to see and do.

Fun way to visit sights and learn the history of Sydney.

Nice harbor views at sunset with a great dinner and entertainment to end the evening.

Great informative tour.

A long day or touring that culminated in the Penguin Parade. Worth the time Lots to see and do. The animal zoo we visited in the morning seemed a bit sparse compared to another we visited outside of Sydney.

Beautiful evening adventure.

Love the sunrise, history and traditions shared.

Beautiful presentation …. Nice meal.

Snorkeling was fun…. Was hoping for more aquatic fish, creatures, etc. Lunch was good.

Fun while exploring the outdoors. A good combination of river floating, hiking and culture.

A walking nice tour our many sights and attraction in Melbourne.

This was the highlight of the trip. The accommodations are luxurious and you do literally look out over the ocean like the pictures show from your room. The staff (Jane, Yasmine, Tomas, Paul and the others) are all such welcoming and positive people and made us not want to leave. Part of the Sea Dragon experience is the full day nature tour. I will say it's a lot of driving (the island takes about 90 minutes to get from east to west) but it's broken up nicely with a stop at a popular koala hangout spot (we saw about 10 in the trees), a brief stop to stretch your legs at a surfing beach, a stop at a natural arch where the seals come to rest, a lunch in a nice covered picnic area, and a stop at the sea lion sanctuary where we were just a few feet from sea lions. Some of the shorter activities are on-site (honey tasting and gin tasting) and the lighthouse is just a 20 minute walk away. The sheep shearing is a 20 minute drive. We didn't do the wine tasting trip or any of the other options due to lack of time but you could easily fill 3 days worth of time while still having some quiet time to just sit and look out at the water from your patio.

We had a very spacious 2 bedroom apartment. It's right on the main drag but it's set back from the street (not that there's much road noise anyway) with a large courtyard flanked by two swimming pools. It's not your traditional hotel so you don't get daily cleaning service but that's fine. We had a kitchen so it let us buy some groceries at the local grocery store (a legit full sized grocery store is only a couple blocks away) and keep everyone fed and happy throughout our stay (4 nights). They provide beach towels that you can take to the beach or on your snorkeling trip so that's a nice minor extra. It's a short walk to the dock where the boats depart and all of the shopping and restaurants are within walking distance. The only area for improvement is that the room was rather dimly lit.

We somehow got upgraded to the penthouse suite which was certainly unexpected and gave us an amazing balcony with skyline views across the river that can't be matched. As you might expect, it was a cavernous "room" with three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and dining room. There may have been other rooms that were in there that we didn't find because it was so large :-) The staff was friendly and welcoming and the room was clean. However, even the penthouse suite was a bit tired (couches were a bit worn, carpet looked a bit dirty, and the soap dish in the shower and other fixtures were a little wobbly) and during certain times of the day, there were food smells in the hallway. There was nothing wrong with our stay and given its convenient location, we'd probably stay here again but it wasn't anything particularly remarkable.

We booked our own stay at A by Adina right in the center of the CBD because it was one of the few hotels that offered two bedroom suites and we had stayed in another Adina in Berlin and loved it. Liz wasn't able to book it so we booked it directly. We were very pleased with the room and it had everything we needed and expected. The washer/dryer was particularly helpful since we had rain on our second day in Sydney and needed to dry everything out upon return to the room. The bedrooms aren't terribly spacious but that's fine since there's a living room with a couch and table/chairs to let you spread out and catch up on reading and whatnot. We'd stay here again as the location was perfect for reaching all of the primary tourist spots with short walks. It was clean and comfortable.

This is the one activity that we might recommend against. It's a long day from pickup to dropoff. The day consists of 4 main parts: * Skyrail (cable car) over the rainforest canopy from sea level up into the hills -- lasts about an hour with two stops along the way to change cars and take a short nature walk between getting off and getting back on. The views are clear and 360 degree and you see the waterfall both from the cable car ride and at the second stop (boardwalk). * Walking around Kuranda Village at the top (tourist shops, mostly, and some food/ice cream options). In Kuranda Village is the butterfly sanctuary which is small but very nice (maybe 20-30 minutes total). * Transfer to Rainforestation Nature Park for a 3 hour visit. This was the part that we definitely wouldn't repeat. It was crowded and touristy and somewhat contrived. As you'll see we did a bunch of other activities on this trip where we saw kangaroo, koala, crocodile and wallabies in the wild so the confined spaces here weren't our cup of tea. The aboriginal presentation was with an audience of like 300 people and the duck tour was on a caravan with 3 other duck boats all packed full so you felt like you were in Epcot Center on an attraction rather than out in nature. * Return to Cairns via the Kuranda Scenic Railroad - the reason this was a let-down is that the only views are on the gorge side of the train so if you don't have a window seat on that side of the train, it's largely just a hot and slow 90 minute train ride without much to see.

This is as expected. A lot of history (some interesting, some not so) and you get to enter each of the main performance halls. You can take pictures outside and in the hallways/corridors but not within the performance halls themselves (which is a little peculiar since these spaces see thousands of concert/theatre goers each year). It's only an hour long which is about right. The group size is about 30-40 people and you wear a headset so you can hear the guide regardless of how far behind you are. You probably should do this.

The reef sail was via Sailaway and they are a professional outfit. The boat is huge and clean and very well equipped. There were 50 passengers on our trip and it didn't feel crowded. The crew aboard and in the office are all very pleasant and polite and welcoming. The boat is loaded with food so if you're the type that can eat while out on open water, you'll have plenty to snack on and eat during lunch. I'm not that adventurous so I could only eat with my eyes. It's a 2 hour sail from port to the first snorkel site so you'll spend some of that time just watching the horizon, some time learning about the biology of the reef from the marine biologist crew member, and some time getting fit for your stinger suit (full body suit to protect against jellyfish), flippers and snorkel/mask. Once you get to the dive site, you have about an hour in the water. We saw amazing coral and a sea turtle and a million fish. No sign of Nemo though. Definitely an experience you need to do once in your life. There was a medical emergency with one of the other passengers during the first snorkel (he ultimately appeared to be fine by the time we reached port) so we had to head back to port directly and didn't do the second dive. Sailaway handled the situation well and gave us a full refund (after first trying to rebook us on a new trip -- but it wouldn't have worked out due to our other activity schedule) so they should be commended for doing the right thing.

We very much enjoyed this full day tour despite the fact that it varied from damp to sprinkles to showers to full on downpour throughout the day. Our tour guide (David) was very good and adjusted the commentary appropriately so the kids could participate. The day consisted of an hour drive from Port Douglas to the Daintree River where we stopped along the way to see a massive colony of fox bats hanging from the trees. The boat ride on the Daintree River started with an absolute downpour but it tapered off halfway through so that we could see a few mother crocodiles and some of their baby crocodiles along the shore. We then continued on into the rainforest and stopped at a boardwalk trail where we David talked about the different types of plants and trees. Dinner was at a lodging/restaurant venue within the park and was very good (kangaroo steak for some of us .. I can't remember what others ordered). We then did the nighttime tour along a different boardwalk where we saw spiders and other insects galore that were huge and not terribly visible during the day.

Our two days at Sea Dragon were awesome. I covered the nature tour (day 1) and the smaller activities (day 2) in the review of the accommodations so I won't repeat it here.

Excellent experience. They get you suited up, give a briefing on how the time in the water is going to go, and out into the water you head. The waves on the day we were there were about 2-3 feet so we were able to mostly wade out to the starting point and still touch the bottom. They offer lessons to all levels of ability so even if you have surfed before (we had not), they can tailor the experience so you get something out of it. Super bedside manner by the instructor (Tom). I had no interest in ever surfing but it was great and both kids had a blast.

This is indeed a very unique experience. When darkness falls, dozens of little penguin come out of the ocean and march up the dunes to their boroughs. However, it's a long day to get here for what amounts to about 45-60 minutes of watching small groups of 5, 10 or 15 penguin exiting the ocean. We heard about how great this was from other tourists we saw on the trip and might have expected too much. I expected a swarm of hundreds to come pouring out all at once but it was just dribs and drabs. Also, it's absolutely a tourist attraction. There are probably 2000 people sitting on bleachers waiting for the penguins to emerge so it's not private or particularly special -- so that kind of detracts from the experience. Lastly, it's a solid 2 hours from downtown Melbourne so you're spending a lot of time in the car and getting back to your hotel late. Bert was our driver/guide and he was a great conversationalist so it made the time pass in the car pretty quickly. We unfortunately had rain pretty much throughout the day so we skipped a couple of the lookout points along the way since it was too cloudy to see much. We did get lucky and the rain cleared just at dark so we didn't have to sit wet puddles while waiting for the penguin.

Great overview of the city -- easy biking on mostly flat terrain. A few short stretches on roads but for the most part, you're on pedestrian/bicycle lanes. We had a rainy day so we ended up pretty wet but it was still interesting and the guide was very good to stop and explain what we were peddling past. There is one minor uphill stretch toward the end that some folks had trouble with but if you use a bike ever, you'll be fine. And toward the end, you'll need to walk your bike through the botanical garden (about a 10 or 15 minute walk) since you can't ride bikes in the gardens. The 2.5 hour trip is about the right amount of time to be on a bike.

What a ludicrous concept! Climbing a bridge with cars and trains whizzing under you. Never would that be permitted in the US! We had rain for the first part of our climb (they climb the bridge unless it's crazy wind or lightning) but then it stopped about halfway up, cleared and made for some great pictures with the tops of the buildings in eerie clouds. The actual time on the bridge is about 2.5 hours with the first 30 minutes being safety briefing and changing into the full set of gear (full jump suit, harness, audio rig, etc.). You do a mini practice climb indoors so you understand how the cable that you're going to be tethered to works on ladders and whatnot. The photo package was actually priced fairly -- all pictures that they take of you and your group are sold to you in digital format for $35 USD (50 AUD) per adult. So if you're a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids), it's $70 USD. That's fair enough considering how high some other attractions price their photos.