Hi unsub,
I have done a few holidays in Oz of in or about that length (17 days). I always work on the principle that while it might be very far away, it isn't going anywhere else fast and I can always go back again to see something else
Do you have 17 days there or does that include your travel time as well? Guns n Roses is correct, it takes, I think, a minimum of 21 hours travel time from here to Perth and a minimum of 25-26 hours to the East Coast cities.
Irrespective, the important thing is planning and trying not to do too much. You will better appreciate where you do visit if you do that.
One important thing is try landing in daylight and absolutely do NOT go to sleep when you get there. Get straight out of the hotel and do something gentle but active for the day (like walking around the city). That way you will minimise your jet lag and reset your body clock more quickly. Try and eat at the right times for the place you are in and try and not go to bed before 9pm. You will be tired but you will be better set up for the next day and you won't be battling jetlag for a week.
In terms of the flights and leg room, last time I travelled there I booked premium economy. It was definitely worth it. I flew via London and Singapore with BA and Qantas. On both planes I got appreciably more room, both on the elbow and in the leg department. In fact when I compared the seats. I noted that the seat width was actually the same offering as in the Business class, the leg length was less but would be plenty for someone of your stature
The food and the service was also a step up from the usual economy fare. Not all premium economy offerings are the same so I would investigate carefully each one. Expect to pay quite a bit more but the comfort was definitely worth it.
If that isn't an option and the cost is prohibitive, then plan your seating carefully. I always check the planes out on the
Seat Guru website before selecting my seat. Some airlines charge extra for an exit row seat but in your case I would definitely recommend it as you would be able to stretch out - the downside would be people tend to congregate in those areas when they get up to walk around and you will most likely be near toilets or galleys.
As for the meat of your trip. I would suggest choosing one or two states and planning trips within them. So far I have visited Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia - and I have plenty more to see in each of them. I have also taken the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth which (if you do it right and don't opt for the <shudder> red class seater) is an amazing way to see a lot of Australia in one go at leisure. I will warn you though - it is both awesome and a little boring, Australia is extremely flat and crossing the Nullarbor is quite breathtaking but you are very glad to start seeing signs of something other than desert when you eventually start to emerge from it. However if you do it right and go Gold class - you have the enjoyment of a nice bar carriage and the wine and beer is included in the price of the trip. As Guns n Roses pointed out, it is an eight hour flight East to West, you spend three nights on the train crossing the country (and you actually get to three coasts as it takes a massive detour down to Adelaide (so technically I have also been into Victoria and South Australia and had a brief tour of Adelaide).
I would be inclined to plan it myself rather than avail of a tour package, part of the enjoyment of a holiday for me is in the planning. Getting the travel guides and marking out things I would be interested in and then planning an itinerary (which I almost never stick to!). Try not to do too much - you want to enjoy the place, not frantically tick off a shopping list. Expect it to be expensive. Accommodation in Sydney in particular is pricey, Australians have been experiencing a boom for the last few years and things have got more expensive.
Other than that...
Include a trip to some zoos or animal parks. While it is very easy to see some of the iconic animals once you get out of the cities (have seen wallabies grazing peacefully at dawn, and the cutest wallaby ever - the quokka on Rottnest Island, kookaburras, cockatoos, ibis, water dragons, goanna, snakes, spiders and skinks and geckos, possums and loads of birds in the wild) but some are very hard to spot in the wild or are rare - koalas and tasmanian devils for example. Lone Pine Koala Park in Brisbane is particularly good (loads of koalas and wombats in particular) and you are allowed to get a photo holding a koala which isn't allowed in some states, Sydney's Taronga Zoo is excellent and well worth a visit though to see the Tasmanian Devil I'd definitely recommend Tasmania.
I'll roughly cover some thoughts/suggestions about four cities (Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart). Try and get away from the cities for at least a couple of days though - I have given some suggestions for each city.
Sydney has an amazing setting, definitely make use of the ferries to explore the bay and get away from the main city, I'd recommend taking the ferry to Manly and exploring around there, take the ferry to Watson's Bay for a stunning sunset view of the city from the balcony of Doyle's while partaking of their seafood (bus, bus/train or taxi back). Do the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee, it is only 6km and it is not difficult but the scenery is superb (bus/train back to the city). Explore the Rocks, do a bridge walk (if you have the head for heights), definitely visit the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Domain - easiest way to see the Wollemi pine as the site where it grows wild is not accessible and is closely guarded. Opera House of course. Australia Museum and the Powerhouse Museum are both well worth a visit. A night out in Sydney (or rather several nights out
) definitely a must. Get up to the Blue Mountains, the train ride to Katoomba is about two hours and the town is definitely a bit of a tourist trap but the Blue Mountains themselves are amazing, there is a good selection of well marked walking trails that you can take (best follow them by the way!) Also considering visiting the Hunter Valley if wine is your thing.
Brisbane is known colloquially as Brisvegas and it does have a bit of a swagger to it. Again, Botanic Gardens, there is one in the city (including a walk through a mangrove swamp in the heart of the city) and then another out at Mt Coot-tha (bus ride away) where there is also a forest park, a stunning viewing point for the city and a planetarium. Lone Pine I already mentioned (you can get there by bus or by citycat ferry). Definitely take a ferry trip on the Brisbane river, and definitely take another one at night. Fortitude Valley (or just "The Valley") and Chinatown are worth a visit - see can you spot the street names as Gaeilge. Climb the cliffs along the Brisbane river (seriously, there are some in the centre of the city). Go lawn bowling (a big thing in Brisbane, especially barefoot) Merthyr and Norman's Park are I think two well known ones (accessible by citycat, bus and train). Head out of the city, down to the Gold Coast if gambling, surfing and theme parks are your thing. Head north to the Sunshine coast if they aren't. Go to Fraser Island, spend a couple of days there. Further north are the Whitsundays (haven't visited yet) and the Great Barrier Reef (still on my list of things to do)
Perth, gorgeous city - so far from everywhere else (it is closer to Singapore than Sydney), and it has a distinct characteristic all its own. If you are in Western Australia in spring apparently the wildflowers are amazing (or so I am told). Perth itself is full of gardens and they are definitely worth wandering through, especially along the Swan river and the extensive King's Park (which also contains a Botanic Garden). The Western Australia Museum and the Perth Mint are both worth visiting. Take a ferry to Perth Zoo. Visit Freemantle and definitely get out to Rottnest Island about half an hour out by boat in the Indian Ocean from Freemantle (think Connemara with glorious sunshine, salt lakes and quokkas popping up everywhere). Head inland to Kalgoorlie, a gold-mining town based around the largest open cast mine in the world. Take a ferry trip or a coach trip upriver to the wineries on the Swan River (try getting one that includes the Lancaster winery - they don't ship abroad though and they don't sell in shops so if you want to bring some home you'll need to buy it there). Head down to the Margaret River wine-producing region - one of Australia's best.
Hobart is a small city of about 1/4 million so it is very easy to walk around, and that is a good thing to do in this city, wandering the pleasant little suburbs, especially Battery Point. It has a very different feel to other Australian cities, partially down to the weather (it is definitely cooler) and is probably the most laid back city in a laid back country. Visit the Salamanca Market on Saturdays but Salamanca Place is worth visiting on other days too. The Theatre Royal is worth visiting, especially to see a show. Mount Wellington forms the backdrop to the city and if the weather is right is definitely worth visiting. Travel down to Port Arthur for an experience of the convict past. Take a boat trip along the coastline and view from below (and very up close and personal) the towering cliffs that are the among the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere as well as spotting whales, seals and other wildlife. Visit a Tasmanian Devil park (unfortunately the wild population is currently being decimated by a cancer that can be transmitted from devil to devil so the best way to see them is in a park - also they have an utterly vicious bite and a tendency to use it so probably best not to encounter them in the wild). Hobart is a lovely city but you will get the measure of it in a day or two, if you go to Tasmania, best to get to see more of the countryside. Aside from the suggestions above, head into the interior and go north to Launceston or west to the Wild Rivers National Park.
Anyway - whatever you decide to do, enjoy your visit and just don't fret about not seeing the whole of Australia, you wouldn't even if you spent a year travelling!