Traveller's Checks

Traveller's Checks

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 24, 2006

by Lonely Planet

Q My wife and I want to travel to Western Australia next year to celebrate her 60th birthday. We have encountered enormous difficulty in finding a company to organise our desired itinerary. Our plan was to depart Sydney in early April and spend five days in Perth and the Margaret River area. We wanted to go to Exmouth and Ningaloo for three or four days to swim with the whale sharks, then to Broome for a week (at Cable Beach Resort). We then want to visit Kununurra and the Bungle Bungle ranges, again for about five days, then Darwin before heading home. Can you suggest a means of organising this as a package or do I need to arrange each section individually?

Geoff Longhurst

A Tours and package deals rarely give you the flexibility to spend several leisurely days in one place, or to choose the order of sights. To organise the trip that you really want it's usually best to do it yourself. Ordinarily, a self-drive holiday would be fine, but Western Australia's distances are eye-watering and perhaps don't make for the relaxing trip you're envisaging (Perth to Broome is 2229 kilometres). You could also try to customise your holiday through a specialist travel agent such as Discover West (www.discoverwest.com.au), which has a range of packages, from fly-in deals to four-wheel-drive safaris, self-drive packages and bus tours. However, they're mostly for short periods, from one to five days, so your best bet might be to combine a few deals.

You can arrange the three- or four-day trip south from Perth to Margaret River, by hopping on a bus (about $30 one-way), hiring a car, or by taking the three-day Tastes of Margaret River trip through Discover West for $599 a person. Heading north, there's the option of a four-day Discover West safari tour taking in Kalbarri, Hamelin Pool, Monkey Mia, Ningaloo Reef and ending in Exmouth ($545 a person). For the next leg, Discover West has a five-day Exmouth to Broome air safari ($2249 a person); or a Greyhound bus can get you there in 18 hours (www.greyhound.com.au; $214 one way) or you can fly, usually on Sundays only, with Skywest (www.skywest.com.au, about $250 one way). For your accommodation in Broome at Cable Beach Club Resort (www.cablebeachclub.com; rooms from $348 high season) you can try www.wotif.com or www.lastminute.com.au for specials. And for your final leg, a seven-day self-drive Broome-to-Darwin package through Discover West costs $1583 a person, driving a LandCruiser and with accommodation in Fitzroy Crossing, the Bungle Bungles, Kununurra and Katherine. As for a complete package, heading north at least, a close match is WesternXposure's (www.westernxposure.com.au) 10-day tour from Perth to Broome via Ningaloo Reef and Karijini for $1449 a person. It includes two to three days in the Exmouth area, as part of the following itinerary: Perth-Kalbarri-Denham-Warroora-Exmouth-Karijni National Park-De Grey River-Broome. You can add a nine-day Broome to Darwin tour, including the Bungle Bungles, for $1535 a person. There's also a 21-day west-coast explorer tour, beginning in Perth and ending in Darwin and including the Bungle Bungles, for $2999 a person. WesternXposure's tours are eco-friendly but not luxurious. Air fares from Sydney to Perth start at about $430 return through Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Blue. A one-way Darwin-Sydney fare starts at $350.

Q My husband and I will be in Dublin for the Ryder Cup in late September. Before the event, we want to hire a car for about eight days to tour Ireland. Can you suggest an itinerary where we are not changing accommodation every night?

Lesley Fitzpatrick

A Ireland is relatively small, stretching 486 kilometres north to south and 275 kilometres east to west, so you could easily base yourself in one or two locations and take day trips. With your own wheels, getting around Ireland is short and simple, as roads are good; it would not be the same if you were relying on public transport, however, as buses and trains can be infrequent and expensive.

Having a base can be more relaxing than checking in to new digs each night, but the drawback is you could be backtracking at the end of each day, rather than moving on to new pastures. To limit accommodation stops, try basing yourself for a few days in the south, for example at Waterford, from where you can go to Wexford, Kilkenny, Lismore, Cork (also a base), Kinsale and Rock of Cashel. Then perhaps move on to Bantry, on the south-west coast, for Killarney, the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. Follow this with a few days on the west coast's Galway Bay, a base for Connemara, the Aran Islands, the Burren and Cliffs of Moher. When you go into the countryside from Dublin, don't miss Enniskerry and the gardens and Georgian mansion of Powerscourt Estate ($22). The lakes and monastic ruins at Glendalough are also worth a stop. Heading back to Dublin from the west coast, make sure you take in the best monastic ruins in Ireland at Clonmacnoise ($9).

For accommodation in County Waterford try Parkswood Country House (www.parkswood.com; $100 a person a night); Dooley's Hotel (www.dooleys-hotel.ie; from $80 a person) in Waterford; and the Coast Townhouse (www.coast.ie; suites from $135 a person). Bantry's best B&B options are the Mill (www.netctrl.nl/the-mill/millbandb.htm; doubles from $45) and Atlanta House (027 50237; double rooms from $150). In Galway City try St Judes (www.st-judes.com; $145 a double) or the historic Spanish Arch Hotel (www.spanisharchhotel.ie; doubles from $170).

Q I would enjoy a short cruise but, being a chef, the cruises I am interested in are during my busy summer period. I've always wanted to sail on the QE2, but the segments are too long. I noticed recently, however, that the Queen Mary 2 sails from Sydney to Auckland. Would it be possible to travel on her Auckland-Sydney leg (fly to Auckland, sail to Sydney)?

Michael Deauchamp

A The Queen Mary 2 will include Auckland and Sydney on its 81-day World Cruise and its 14-day South Pacific Cruise in February 2007. It will be the liner's maiden call in Sydney. The Auckland-Sydney leg takes three days, departing February 17 and arriving February 20. The problem is whether you'll be able to buy a ticket for that one short leg. At this stage it is not possible. If it looks as if the line will end up with empty cabins between Auckland and Sydney, it will advertise this leg but that won't happen until much closer to the time.

At this stage there is no indication of whether it will happen or how much it will cost. We recommend you contact a travel agent such as Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com.au) later in the year. If the information is available, it will be able to make bookings for you. One-way flights between Sydney and New Zealand can cost as little as $220.

Other cruises incorporate trips from Auckland to Sydney or vice versa, though these include other stops and usually take longer than three days. To give you an example, www.travelforce.com.au has packages aboard Holland America's Statendam this year and early next year. You can travel in either direction and the package includes one-way air fare, two nights in Auckland and a 14-night cruise from $3349 to $5380 (balcony room).

Send your questions, marked "Traveller's Checks", to Lonely Planet at Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Victoria 3011, email travchex@lonelyplanet.com.au or send a fax to (03) 8379 8111. Lonely Planet cannot answer personally.