Your post is rather useless - you need to help us help you.

Answer these questions:

What are "the places"?

What accommodation type?

What accommodation budget?

Are you just staying in Sydney?

If you're not just staying in Sydney, where else are you going to visit? Other than Sydney-Canberra, you can't drive between any other pair of major Aussie cities in a day unless you spend the whole day in the car.

Thanks for your comments. You're right. As this is my first post about this trip, wanted to get some initial advice regarding Sydney and other cities.

Answers to your questions:
1. What are the places - don't know yet. May be Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
2. May be apartment type. But if we do Syd - Can - Mel., depends on the days - we may need to stay a day or two in a city ( Hotel ).
3. Budget for 12 days for accommodation - US$2000.
4. No, we will try to visit other cities too.

Thanks !

Hi Suchda

From your TA post, I think you said you're coming in July, 2018?

That's winter in Australia. As we're in the Southern Hemisphere, colder in the south - but not as cold as most North American winters. It's also school holidays.

You've mentioned visiting our larger cities only & I'd like to encourage you to think beyond that in order to see some of the uniqueness of Australia. Having only 12 days does rather clip your wings, so to speak, but a typical & popular Itinerary for a first visit is: "Bridge, Reef, Rock"

Sydney ( Harbour, Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Beaches, Blue Mountains, possibly a 2 day trip to Canberra)

Cairns / Port Douglas ( Great Barrier Reef, Rainforest, hinterland, "outback")

Yulara ( fly into Ayers Rock Airport) Uluru, Kata Tjuta. The Red Centre.

Have a look at Australia.com, and as others have suggested, the FAQ's & Destination tags on this & TA. A good guide book is Lonely Planet. Get your kids involved in seeing what's available & what they would like to discover & do.

Keep in mind that Australia is a LOT bigger than you think.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/simoncrerar/mind-boggling-australian-maps

You'll need to fly between destinations ( except Sydney to Canberra ) and you basically lose half a day each time you move.

You asked about car rental. You don't need one in Sydney or Melbourne, except for day trips out of town, but you'll need one in Cairns, Yulara & Canberra.

Accommodation: Have a look at booking.com for self catering apartments & hotels.
You might also have a look at Airbnb. You will find Sydney prices about on par with NYC. Except that in Australia, all prices are inclusive of any tax. Unlike the US, there are no nasty tax surprises at the cash register. The price you see is the price you pay - with the single exception of airline fares, but the taxes are included before you get to the "Pay" button.

I think you will need to increase your accommodation budget, but have a look & see what you can find.

We would usually advise an "Open jaw" flight to maximise short Itineraries like yours, but I see you have made your bookings already. Where are you arriving & departing from?

Make sure you have your ETAs well before your departure date.

That's a start. Come back when you & your 3 travel companions have had a look at the links we've suggested & come up with a wish list/ rough draft of what would make the perfect trip for you. I could suggest any number of things to fill your time, but you might be bored to sobs - or frightened out of your wits

Use Google Maps, Rome to Rio - and a decently scaled paper map (!) of Australia to inject a touch of reality when you're creating the wish lists of locations.

You wouldn't believe the times we've had people informing us they are driving from Sydney to Cairns & asking where they should stop for lunch. It's only 2400kms.

That's another thing you'll need to get used to - we use kilometres, Celsius & naturally AUD.

Have fun researching, let us know your dates, arrival & departure ports & thoughts when you've roughed up a wish list - and we'll be happy to help you here and in TA.

I think your accommodation budget is much too low - for 4 people for 12 days. And you need to put it in AUD.

Sydney costs are much the same as New York.

My wife an I leave this Sunday for what we describe as a month long whirlwind taster of Australia and New Zealand. After we're back we'll post more info.

Re costs:
We have hotels booked, 1 room, 2 people, mid-range, 3 star level well located, in Sydney for $A 284/nt ~ $US 225 (you could likely do better, ours is in the Rock, apparently one of the more desirable locations), Ayers Rock/Uluru $A 280/nt ~ $US 221 (cheapest hotel there, some are far more), Port Douglas $A 195/nt ~ $US 154 (good middle range), Melbourne $A 209/nt ~ $US 165. They are all standard hotels (we wanted to get away from the work/hassle of cooking/cleaning). I would expect one could find good hotels or apartments for less or more

In our many trips overseas we find that almost everywhere, including this, we book 4 nights (3 days) at an absolute minimum, preferably more, to have enough time to get even a superficial feel of the most important highlights. And we always figure the travel day is a gone day, though usually one can get a few hours out and about.

Australia is huge, almost like the US. You will likely fly a lot. Example: Non-stop jet Sydney to Ayers Rock/Uluru is 3 hrs 40 min., Ayers Rock to Cairns 2 hrs 30 min., Cairns to Melbourne, 3 hrs 25 min.

Figure out what you want to see and what interests you.
Cities? The Great Barrier Reef? The Red Center/Outback/Ayers Rock? The coast? Beaches? The tropical areas in the north (I'd never heard of the Daintree Rain forest 'til we started researching, not its high on our list)? The unique animals?Penguins? Are you "outdoors people"? Like to get out and hike? Or enjoy beaches? Like to just drive by looking at scenery?

When we started looking we were overwhelmed, finally decided to concentrate on things that were most different than what we could see at home, and realized that we like both cities and to get out of doors hiking and exploring.

So we ended up planning on the standard: Sydney, Ayers Rock/Outback, Port Douglas/Great Barrier Reef/Daintree, Melbourne (and since we had more than 2 weeks, a few more)

You can visit Taronga Zoo,Australian National Maritime Museum,The Rocks,Royal Botanic Gardens,Darling Harbour,Sydney Harbour Bridge,Sydney Tower,Queen Victoria Building,Bondi Beach,Sydney Opera House.

Elbegewa -

and that's why the "Bridge, Reef, Rock" Itinerary is a good one for first timers with only a fortnight in Australia.

<<In our many trips overseas we find that almost everywhere, including this, we book 4 nights (3 days) at an absolute minimum, preferably more, to have enough time to get even a superficial feel of the most important highlights. And we always figure the travel day is a gone day, though usually one can get a few hours out and about.>>

Elbegewa - finally! Someone with a similar travel style to mine!

Dear All (Bokhara2, Melnq8, gemmapurcell and others )

I really appreciate all your great suggestions regarding my trip. As we're a group of four with 2 daughters, I prefer not to travel a lot. My plan is to stay at Sydney for 4 nights, visit Bridge, Reef, Rock, trip to Blur Mountains, Maritime Museum, Botanical Garden etc. Then rent a car to drive to Canberra, stay two nights in Canberra and drive to Melbourne. Flying back from Melbourne to Sydney, stay another 2 nights in Sydney to finish all these city sited if missed during our 4 day stay. It will be a total of 12 days, 11 nights trip.
Now, in Sydney, do we need to book a hotel at CBD, on the Rock or we can have cozy nice apartment further from CBD ? Regarding driving from Canberra to Melbourne-- what is the best route will be ? I hear that there are some scenic route along the coastal hwy with beautiful small towns - any suggestions ? Hear that there are some towns where I can make a stopover for a night - any advice ?
Thanks !

Suchda

Just to be clear - you cannot visit "Reef, Rock" in or as a day trip from Sydney.

"Reef" = Great Barrier Reef. You fly to Cairns ( about 3 1/2 hrs)

"Rock" = Uluru. You fly to Yulara ( Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ)

Perhaps you mean "The Rocks", which is an area adjacent to Circular Quay?

The Blue Mountains is 90-120 mins drive or about 2 hours by train. You could do this as a day trip, or stay overnight & include Jenolan Caves. If you want to go to Jenolan Caves, you will need to drive or take a tour.

It's not essential to stay around Circular Quay/ The Rocks. We often suggest this area to visitors on a short visit, because of the proximity to ferry, train & buses - as well as being within easy walking distance of a good number of the other places of interest.

You might have a look at Sydney Harbour Bed & Breakfast. It's in a heritage listed building in Cumberland Street, The Rocks. They have two bedroom suites, with a sitting room, and include a very generous breakfast in the tariff. I stayed there recently & was very impressed.

The thing about staying further away from the CBD is that time & travel costs can add up when you're on a tight timeframe & budget. That said, with Opal cards, your daily travel costs are limited to <$20/per person for adults.

As suggested previously, have a look at Airbnb and Booking.com for apartments. Maps are attached to all properties.

As well as the CBD, you might have a look at Bondi Junction, Potts Point, Ultimo, Chippendale, Newtown & on ththe North Shore, Milsons Point, Kirribilli & Neutral Bay. All have excellent transport, good choice of restaurants & cafes.

It seems pretty clear you don't know all that much about Australia -- so the very first thing I'd do is get a guide book or two. Plus ask here of course since there are some real OZ experts (some of whom have already responded to your thread).

I have not toured Australia so am far from an expert. Have only been to Sydney for a long weekend as part of an Asian trip. But I do know you are traveling in their winter, cannot drive between some of the places you want to see, and have a VERY short time for a country the size of OZ.

>>My plan is to stay at Sydney for 4 nights, visit Bridge, Reef, Rock,<<

In case Bokara's post wasn't clear (which it would have been if you had a guidebook) . . . Bridge-Reef-Rock is NOT a place. It is how someone would describe a typical first timer's itinerary. 'Bridge' means Sydney since most people identify with either the Opera House or the iconic bridge. 'Reef' is the Great Barrier Reef more than 1500 miles from Sydney. 'Rock' = Ayers Rock/Uluru , another 1500+ miles away.

Get to a book store/library and check out a guidebook(s), map

Thanks Bokhara2, Melnq8, gemmapurcell,janisj and all of you who found some time to respond to my request. Now, I'm thinking to keep my plan simple ( don't know if it is simple ): Sydney 4 nights, Blue Mountains 1 night, Canberra 2 nights, Reef 2 nights , back to Sydney ---rest of the time before our return flight to JFK. Any suggestions with this sequence ?

During Sydney stay, we will try to visit ( copied from CultureClub)

Blue Mountains tour
Manly beach
Coffee to Bondi beach walk
Harbour cruise
Opera house dinner & drinks
Shopping in 'the rocks' area
Dinner at Doyle's fish restaurant
Botanical gardens

Opera house dinner & drinks
Shopping in 'the rocks' area
Dinner at Doyle's fish restaurant
Botanical gardens

Those are all within the same area. The Botanical gardens go up to the water's edge and lie just east of the Opera House. Doyle's is ... pricey.

Sydney hotels are not inexpensive, but there are a LOT of vrbo/flipkey/airbnb options, which makes Sydney very different from NYC. You don't have to state a budget in Aussie dollars, you can convert easily enough (and so can anyone trying to help you) by using xe.com or oanda.com.

And yeah, you need to click to the lingo. There is no Reef in Sydney; the RockS are an area of town, the Rock is 1500 miles away from Sydney.

Hi Suchda

Your plans are coming along nicely!

Just a couple of comments

Coogee to Bondi walk.
You could take a bus from Bondi Beach to Watson's Bay afterwards. This is a lovely area & you might have lunch at the Watson's Bay Hotel, or Doyle's take-away on the jetty.

I just want to say something about Doyle's here. Doyle's on the Beach is a restaurant in a great position practically on the sand at Watson's Bay, which is touted in just about all the tourist brochures & websites. Unfortunately, it has long ago lost the quality for which the family was justifiably famous - and become an over-priced tourist trap where the quality of the food is underwhelming in the extreme, IME.

Much better value - and quality - Doyle's on the jetty - the take-away version. It's cheap, casual and if you don't mind foregoing China plates, much better value than the Restaurant. It's licensed & you can buy drinks, coffee etc.
There is an area with tables & chairs behind and at the side of the counter where you order at Doyle's.

There used to be a Doyle's under the Overseas Passwnger Terminal at Circular Quay, but as far as I know, that closed some years ago when the OPT was renovated.

The Watson's Bay hotel is also a good option for a casual meal with great views & atmosphere.

You mentioned a trip to Manly on the ferry. Great idea! Here's another one that you & your kids might enjoy.

From Watson's Bay, take the Eco-hopper fast catamaran to Manly.
This is not part of the Opal Card system, but the fare isn't much & I think it adds variety as well as saving a bit of time if you're on a shortish time limit.

At the end of the afternoon - take the normal Manly ferry back to Circular Quay. If you time it right, you will get a gorgeous sunset.

For dinner with a view, have a look at Ripples at Milsons Point https://www.ripplesmilsonspoint.com.au
If you like the look of it, book early. You can always cancel - but it's a busy spot, popular with locals & visitors alike.

I was a bit concerned about allowing only two nights for the GBR ( Great Barrier REEF ), but if you get an early morning flight up to Cairns & the last flight back,it would work. Have a look at the flight schedules on webjet. Book direct with the airline.

With a tight schedule & no flexibility, I'd book your Reef trip well in advance.

Although it will be cooler in the South I would be inclined to spend time in and around Sydney and then hire a car and drive north to Brisbane taking in Port McQuarie, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay. It will make for a much more relaxing holiday and will keep the budget down. Your timeframe is tight and there is so much to do in Queensland aside from the reef that I think you would be missing a lot by only having 2 days there.

Thanks bokhara2 and CultureClub

Just spoke to one of my friend's son who is residing in Sudney. He mentioned that Canberra is a dead city, nothing to much to do there with kids. After listening to him, my preliminary plan is as follows - Sydney 4 N, flight to Melbourne for 3 N, flight from Melbourne to Cairns 3N, flight to Sydney , stay for 2 N and return....

Please give me your suggestions !

<<There used to be a Doyle's under the Overseas Passwnger Terminal at Circular Quay, but as far as I know, that closed some years ago when the OPT was renovated. >>

Mea culpa. That's the one I ate at ages ago although I thought one still survived last time we went.

If you're going to Doyle's at Watson Bay, go to the informal takeaway version, not the full resto. Seems daft to pay double the price for fried fish.

Suchda

Your friend's son could not be more wrong about Canberra!

Just. Completely. Wrong.

It's a view held & perpetrated by many, the vast majority of whom whom have never been there, have been there only for a day on business. I thought it myself until I took a day to look beyond my business appointments on London Circuit. Since then, I have visited at least 30 times and always find something new & interesting.

Canberra is a gem. Apart from the fact that it is Australia's National Capital, our youngest city & specifically designed by Walter Burley Griffin, surrounded by National Parks - it has something for everyone. Well, perhaps not those whose interests are limited to theme parks & shopping malls.

Our family visits to Canberra often coincide with a special exhibition at one of the art galleries, museums or War Memorial. Last year's "100 treasures of the British Museum" was a hit with the kids as well as the 4 adults - and as usual, the kids had a hit of Questacom.

So was waking up to the sight of 5 or 6 hot air balloons gliding silently past our windows. We adults have done it in the Hunter Valley, but put it on our Canberra list for Master 9's next trip.

An early morning walk or bicycle beside the lake is wonderful for visitors, for whom the early morning bird calls, the trees & other vegetation a novel discovery. You can paddle, sail, row or wind sail on the lake.

We always include at a meal or two at one of the sensational restaurants like Aubergine
http://www.aubergine.com.au/site/,
casual & good like the Cafe at the Museum of Australia-or one of the others overlooking the lake
https://www.weekendnotes.com/best-cafes-canberra-lake-burley-griffin/

We generally make a trip to one of the wineries on the way in or out. The little detour to Murrumbateman is well worth it.

https://www.agfg.com.au/guide/nsw/capital-country/capital-country/murrumbateman/listings/wine-wineries/

I could list a page of great things to see & do - but have a look at the links below.
I will just say that the War Memorial is a Must Do for all ages & if you can make it for the closing ceremony in the late afternoon, do so.

https://visitcanberra.com.au/

https://kidbucketlist.com.au/2016/12/18/20-things-to-do-in-canberra-with-kids/

I agree with Bokhara re Canberra - love it. It also has the best Turkish restaurant I've ever been to Ottoman Cuisine.

Ssshhhh Northie
Next time I want a late dinner at Ottoman, I won't be able to get in!

Bokhara2- I first started going there when it was in the original building . Sorrrrrrrrrrry .

Hello bokhara2 and northie

Thank you All !

After reading about Canberra and all it's multicultural cuisines that it can offer, can't avoid to go there. Don't know, how can I put my Great Barrier Reef trip on the schedule. Flying 23-25 hours from JFK, NY, I want to visit as many places as possible within this 12 days trip. Need to rethink about my itinerary.
- Sydney - 4 N
- Canberra - 2 N
- Melbourne - 3 N
- Cairns - 2 N ( not enough, )

What is your opinion about this ?

It's a common first timers' problem, Suchda.

Australia & the times it takes to travel within it doesn't shrink to fit visitors' desire to "see it all" in a fortnight.

Really look at each of the places on its merits for your group - get the kids involved too & be brutal about what you all want to do & see. And be aware that you will be moving a lot.

I think I you might be able to pull this off, though.
But, you will need to look at the airline schedules & probably re-organise your Itinerary to maximise those 12 days.

See if this would work:

Day 1: Arrive in Sydney AM & take a connecting flight to Cairns.

Yes, it's an extra 3+ hours flying, but you're saving more than if you make it a separate trip. Plus, you'll arrive in gorgeous FNQ, no better place to decompress from that little puddle jumper from JFK-SYD.

Days 1-4 Cairns/Port Douglas.(3 nights )
Get a transfer to Port Douglas OR stay in Cairns. ( more about this later)
Evening Day 4 - Cairns - Melbourne (3 nights )
Day 5 -7 Melbourne

Day 8 - early AM fly Melbourne to Canberra. Rent a car at Canberra airport. (2 nights)

Day 10: Drive Canberra - Sydney (4 Nights) (go through Southern Highland towns - allow 4-5 hours with lunch break etc.,).

Day 11 -13 Sydney
Day 14 - SYD-JFK

If you wanted to do a day trip to the Blue Mountains - take the train.
OR - you could drive Canberra to Blue Mountains. Overnight there on Day 10. Then
Day 11 Blue Mountains. Drive back to Sydney pm.
Days 12 & 13 - Sydney

As I said, this is just an idea - and will depend on airline schedules and your group' stamina.

You will not need or want a car in Sydney or Melbourne. You will need one in Cairns BUT NOT on the day you arrive. You need a good night's sleep before getting behind the wheel in a strange country. If your Melbourne days includes a Great Ocean Road trip, I think you'd be best to do a (long) day tour. You don't have time to see Melbourne and so a safe & pleasant 2-3 day self drive trip.

Use Webjet or Skyscanner to check routes & schedules
Or the airline websites
Qantas - full service
Virgin - full service
Jetstar ( low cost Qantas subsidiary - watch out for add-on costs)

I'm not sure of /can't remember your dates - but be aware that we have school holidays in July.

Sorry - wasn't crystal clear about Canberra, Blue Mountains.

Days 8 &9 Canberra

What I should have said was that you could drive from Canberra to the Blue Mountains if you had BM on your Itinerary. If you go via the expressway, it's about 30 mins longer than Canberra - Sydney.
So about 4 hours. Google is too optimistic in its timings IME.

Otherwise, you could do a day trip via train from Sydney. You can't get a direct train from Canberra to the Blue Mountains.

See my notes about school holiday dates, because if your dates coincide with the last days of the holidays, traffic coming back into Sydney can be very heavy.

School holidays here

http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/special-dates-and-events/school-term-dates

If you give us your dates, we may be able to help with more suggestions

Thanks bokhara2 for such a great idea. I think it will fit my present plan as you mentioned. By doing this, I will have enough time to visit those sites in one trip..although from Sydney-Cairns after 15 hours flight, a little bit too long. But, on the other hand, we will save some time doing this. I really appreciate all your help.
After talking to kids and changing some time with my travel agent, we finalized our arrival date at Sydney on August 6, 2018 at 7 am and return from Sydney on August 18 at 2:30 pm.
Please suggest....

Dear bokhara2

I've going over the finalizing my trip to Australia in next summer. Arrive at Sydney at 9 am. Rent a car at the airport..
Driving to Blue Mountains - spend 1N
Driving from BM to Canberra - spend 2N
Driving from CAN to Gipsy Point - spend 1N
From GP driving to Philip Island - spend 1N
From Philip Island driving to Melbourne - spend 3N
Take a flight from Melbourne to Sydney - spend 4N before our departure.

Now, I need to decide whether I should spend 2N while driving from Canberra to Melbourne on the scenic oceanic route or take a flight from Canberra to Melbourne and spend these 2N on Great Ocean road trip.

Thanks !

As per the advice on TA - please DON'T walk off your long international flight & into a rental car.

Strange country, driving on the left, new road rules, unaccustomed car & driving position + jet lag = Very Bad Idea.

Either take a train to the Blue Mountains or spend the day & night in Sydney.

I would fly Canberra to Melbourne. If you get a flight to Avalon airport instead of Tullamarine, you're an hour along the road to the Great Ocean Road.

Dear Dear All (Bokhara2, Melnq8, gemmapurcell and others )

I've few questions for you :

1. Found that Greyhound Australia services directly from SYDNEY airport to Canberra. Will be a good idea to take this bus for my family to go to Canberra after arrival at SYD at 9 am. or should I go to Sydney city and spend a night over there before take the train/bus to Canberra ?

2. As we're visiting in the Australian winter time, should we skip Melbourne and visit the warmer northern Cairns (GBR) instead of GOR in the South ?

3. If we take the Great Ocean Road trip for 2N3D from Melbourne - where we should make our 2 nights stay on the way of GOR trip ?

4. If we include the Philip island visit, is it possible a day trip or need to stay at Cowes for a night to see the Penguins Parade ?

Any other suggestions for this 11N12days trip for our family to Australia in the summer of 2018 ?

Thank you All.

I would personally skip Melbourne and spend more time in the North but I hate cold weather and just got back from an awesome week in Port Douglas so may be somewhat biased.

I would go with the plan Bokhara2 put above

Day 1: Arrive in Sydney AM & take a connecting flight to Cairns.

Days 1-4 Cairns/Port Douglas.(3 nights )
Evening Day 4 - Cairns - Melbourne (3 nights )
Day 5 -7 Melbourne

Day 8 - early AM fly Melbourne to Canberra. Rent a car at Canberra airport. (2 nights)

Day 10: Drive Canberra - Sydney (4 Nights)

Day 11 -13 Sydney
Day 14 - SYD-JFK

But maybe drive to Sydney via the Blue mountains.

This trip allows you to see a lot of the East Coast of Australia and isn't too rushed.

Re penguins - they come in at dusk so depending on time of year. We were there in March , penguins came in about 7 and it rained so heavily we were soaked . It's 2 hour drive - you can drive yourself or go in a tour bus - either way it's 4 hour travel.

Thank you all for your great suggestions and comments.
I really appreciate your help.