Australia for a week?

JohnK

Right then, I need some objective feedback - am I absolutely bat**** insane to be thinking of going to Melbourne for a week (6 days to be exact)? I'd be coming from Cork in Ireland btw :eek:

Cost-wise its not all that much more expensive than spending a week in London as I can sort all flights and accommodation for around about €1,000. Granted that assumes a London trip where a hotel would be around €100 per night plus return flights so lets call that €650 ~ €700. That puts it in the neighbourhood of only €300 extra to do the same thing in Melbourne so it doesn't seem all that unreasonable to me. True there would be about 4 days of hell while I'm cramped up in a plane but I've got a good book...

So honestly, opinions?

chughes

Two years ago I went to Melbourne to visit my brother. The trip lasted 2 weeks. If you can travel with the fewest possible stops it maximises your time out there. I had been told before I went that Singapore Airlines was the most comfortable and I did travel with them. This was before the A380 was in service. The hostesses are certainly easy on the eye
I think Etihad Airlines fly Dublin-Adu Dhabi-Melbourne but it's not cheap.

Reginald P. DuM

Its not completely mad but I wouldn't personally do it.. lots of travel within polar opposite time zones in 6 days is too much of an ask, and not fair on your body!! My advice go for 2 weeks min, if this is not possible now wait and do it properly as soon as it can be sorted. How much can ya do in such a short time? Tis all about value and you aint getting much!

The Sweeper

Wow. Well, the flights will take somewhere between 23 hours and 28 hours if you minimise your stopovers. You'll also lose a day on the time differences - so say you fly out Sunday night. You'll probably arrive at Tullamarine International Airport around 6am on Tuesday morning. You can get transport to be in the CBD by 8am. You can wander about the CBD feeling dazed and disorientated for a few hours before hitting one of the cafe strips for lunch. Eat lunch late, because you'll usually crash and burn by 6pm on day one. If you have alcohol, that'll end up earlier.

First night, you've fallen asleep at 6pm, you'll probably sleep until 5am Wednesday morning - exhaustion brings long sleep.

Wednesday - sight seeing - museums, aquarium, so on. Crash and burn by 8pm.

Here's the bitch - you'll wake up by 4am Thursday morning. By now you're totally disorientated. Go out and find an all night bar. Get sloshed. Return to the hotel at 8am and sleep until 1pm. Wake up and feed your hangover a damn good lunch from Chinatown. Get organised and take in a show on Thursday night about 8pm.

Back to hotel at midnight Thursday, feel like you've been hit by a wrecking ball. Pass out.

Wake up 8am Friday morning. Go out to the eastern most side of the CBD for breakfast in one of the excellent cafes. Spend the day at the zoo. Go to sleep at a normal time after visiting Crown Cinemas (Gold Class) for a beer-n-food cinema experience.

Wake up Saturday morning at a normal time. If you want a week in Melbourne, you'll be flying out tonight to return to Ireland by Sunday night. Spent Saturday staring goggle-eyed at how much money you've spent on food, museum entry, zoo entry, transport, sight seeing and the cinema. Crawl to the airport, dreading the 28 hour trip home. Buy a book in the airport. Weep because it costs about $30. Eat a Hungry Jacks and debate whether or not its better than Burger King. Return to Ireland.

Spend two weeks recovering from the disturbance to your sleep patterns.

...then again, it might not go like that at all, who knows...

JohnK

Eithad was one of the airlines I'd been looking at chughes with the other being Malaysian and its surprisingly reasonable at about £550 in total for the flights if I go from London. Add to that a €50 return flight with Ryanair and you're still only in the region of about €700ish for return flights from Cork to Melbourne. Admittedly the timings I was looking at include a stopover in London for a night on each side of the Melbourne leg but for that I'd cheat and stay at my sisters so it wouldn't cost me any extra.

The flight times I was looking at leave London on a Wednesday at 9am and have me in Melbourne for 6pm local time the following day so at least I could pretty much go straight to bed once I arrive rather than wandering around the city in a daze which is probably a good thing

I actually did just shy of two weeks in Sydney once Reginald and I managed to fit a good bit in so I'd be optimistic about what I can to in 6 days so sure its a hell of a long way to go for such a short time but I'd be getting to meet up with a good few friends I haven't seen in a while so theres always that to nudge up the value a bit

Nice itinerary Minesajackdaniels, speaking from experience are we? To be honest I'd probably be spending quite a bit of time in the pub although I should have a day or two free to see a least a bit of the city . In fact it'd probably be nearly worth the flights just to experience the gold class cinema again

I suppose what I have in my favour is that I've done the trip to Oz twice now so at least I sort of have an idea of how the travel would effect me - hopefully I'm immune by now!

The Sweeper

Ah, now, see if you know people here that's different. If you were coming for the first time for just one week, on your own, knowing nobody, that's a bit crazy.

JohnK

Woohoo so I'm slightly less nuts then . I've never been to Melbourne before though so it would be my first time.

Zambia

JohnK wrote: »

Woohoo so I'm slightly less nuts then . I've never been to Melbourne before though so it would be my first time.

Your nucking futs ....get at least an extra week.

Xavi6

Going to Australia for anything less than three weeks is pointless imo.

Beer Werewolf

I wouldn't go overseas for under two weeks. Flights take too long and it costs too much. Think about it; if you spend all that money flying abroad, why only stay a few days? You may as well just pay for accommodation and stay a bit longer, then the flight cost wouldn't be pointless.

I live in Western Australia and I wouldn't even go to Melbourne for under three or four days at the very least.

Take a risk and stay a bit longer. Check out the Blue Mountains, the Crown Casino, Luna Park and the Underwater World place there. Last time I went they had a car full of bloody water and fish. I dunno. Don't ask. It was a car. Full of water, and fish.

If you wanna spend a little more, go up to Brisbane for a week too, or Sydney. I'd suggest Perth but that's a 4-6 hour flight.

Beer Werewolf

Xavi6 wrote: »

Going to Australia for anything less than three weeks is pointless imo.

Oops the thanks was meant to be a friendly agreement. Eh.

res ipsa

I went out on saturday 25th april with ethihad to sydney, back on monday 4th may, took in an internal flight to canberra, did 3 interviews & some sightseeing, no regrets.

watna

Personally I wouldn't do it... until you've done the flight times and experienced the jet lag you've no idea how tough it is. We flew via Singapore/Malaysia and stopped off for two weeks on the way here. The jetlag was a killer and that's with shorter flight times and less of a time difference. It was days before I felt in anyway normal and could enjoy myself.

Maybe you'll be ok though and if nothing else, it would be an experience. I just think for the distance and jet lag awfulness 6 days is a bit of a waste.

JohnK

So I'm back to being a nutter then am I?
Couple of good points there all right!

I'm guessing its more the flight-time is what you all think is nuts though right? I mean if I said I was going to Dublin for 6 days I doubt anyone would think it was mad to be just going for 6 days? Hell even if I had said London, Paris or Berlin for 6 days I dont think it would have people batting an eyelid - sure people do those trips for just a weekend!

I do get that its a long way but I've done the trip from Ireland to Sydney twice before now, direct both times - no stopovers, so I do have an idea of what to expect and how my body reacts to the travel. It is good to get other peoples opinions though so thanks for that everyone

Daithio

I think you'd be absolutely crazy to do this. I flew back to Ireland for 9 days for my sister's wedding, and it knocked the absolute **** out of me. Everyone is different, and some people recover quicker than others, but no matter who you are it will take you at least 3 to 4 days. Add in the 50 hours you're going to miss sitting on a plane, and it strikes me as a really dumb way to spend your week off.

missannik

Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

If you really want to have a good chat with your Melbourne friends then get Skype and video call them... you said you'd spend most of your time in a pub, so really what's the difference?

Beer Werewolf

missannik wrote: »

Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

If you really want to have a good chat with your Melbourne friends then get Skype and video call them... you said you'd spend most of your time in a pub, so really what's the difference?

There's a HUGE difference! The energy from everyone else, footy season especially, music, other people to meet, etc! It's a totally different atmosphere.

Depends on the budget though, mate.

Reginald P. DuM

JohnK wrote: »

So I'm back to being a nutter then am I?
Couple of good points there all right!

I'm guessing its more the flight-time is what you all think is nuts though right? I mean if I said I was going to Dublin for 6 days I doubt anyone would think it was mad to be just going for 6 days? Hell even if I had said London, Paris or Berlin for 6 days I dont think it would have people batting an eyelid - sure people do those trips for just a weekend!


Good guess bro, if you were intending to go to London, Paris or Berlin this thread wouldn't exist.. You posted it for a reason, and you knew the reaction you would get.. What your proposing is nuts IMO but if you go ahead I wish you all the best.. Actually it sounds like something that someone would do in the height of the madness of the so called Celtic Tiger.. Now we are a little more reflective.. Don't do it man!!!!! :eek:

Beer Werewolf

Yep it's the flight time. Not the country.

Preset No.3

res ipsa wrote: »

I went out on saturday 25th april with ethihad to sydney, back on monday 4th may, took in an internal flight to canberra, did 3 interviews & some sightseeing, no regrets.

Nice flight to abu dhabi and then on to sydney. Nicer if youre a short fella and you get loads of legroom to stretch out on!