OZ questions
Self and Mrs UFO are planning a holiday in Oz. We can only afford three weeks off work, so it will be a little compressed, and we will only be able to do the things that really interest us. We have friends near Melbourne and will be a few days with them, and naturally we will want to be spending a fair bit of time in and around Sydney. Apart from these we are really keen to see Ayers Rock, and the Great Barrier Reef.
So we are looking for advice on :-
a) Pros and Cons of flying to Melbourne or Sydney from the UK. Is one or the other a better flight/cheaper/available from more UK airports? Are some days better for travelling this route than others (eg less pax so more space?).
b) Assuming we travel betweeen Melbourne and Sydney by surface transport (to see a bit of the country independently) we will need a triangular flight from either Melbourne or Sydney to Ayers Rock, Cairns and back to start. Either way round, of course, with a couple of days stopover at Ayers Rock and a few at Cairns. What airlines fly these routes, which is the best starting point, what are the airports like (for example do we need to book pax lounge)?
In addition to the air travel info any other advice re this trip would be appreciated from what is the best beer to drink to sights not to be missed.
Thanks in advance
UFO