MSA
I may be relaxed but I'm not drunk....
Ostensibly a trip to see our new grand-daughter, I managed to sneak in quite a bit of birding this time around, including three nights at O'Reilly's, and the following report summarises the highlights.
We flew with Cathay Pacific, and I can thoroughly recommend them - my wife requires assistance, and this was amply provided throughout (albeit with a little prompting on the return journey, which is typical in our experience); seats were as comfortable as economy can be, and the food was of a high standard. The price was also very reasonable, at just under £700 each.
Car hire was via Red Spot. The car itself worked fine, but was clearly "well-used" and I had to notify many scratches/dents not highlighted in the initial paperwork; odometer was showing over 80k km, so not too surprising that it was not in pristine condition. Subject to any arguments about extra charges (had to do a key drop, so cost not yet finalised) this was the cheapest option, at just over AU1,000$ for 3 weeks.
Accommodation was mostly with the kids, but also stayed at O'Reilly's and Hervey Bay. O'Reilly's is rather pricey, but you can book last-minute in the two weeks prior to your stay (or just turn up) and save about 35%. When I was there, the place was practically empty, and had I known about the savings I could have delayed booking, or booked then cancelled and re-booked (no penalty if just over 2 weeks to go before your holiday). At Hervey Bay we stayed at Sanctuary Lakes, Urangan - nice setting, and reasonable price, but rather "tired" accommodation, probably due to the fact that the owner had just sold the business.
The following report covers three main "areas" - O'Reilly's, Hervey Bay and Brisbane. It may take a while to compile - jetlag on the return leg seems to be quite a problem, and despite having been back for 3 days, I still feel quite spaced-out!
We flew with Cathay Pacific, and I can thoroughly recommend them - my wife requires assistance, and this was amply provided throughout (albeit with a little prompting on the return journey, which is typical in our experience); seats were as comfortable as economy can be, and the food was of a high standard. The price was also very reasonable, at just under £700 each.
Car hire was via Red Spot. The car itself worked fine, but was clearly "well-used" and I had to notify many scratches/dents not highlighted in the initial paperwork; odometer was showing over 80k km, so not too surprising that it was not in pristine condition. Subject to any arguments about extra charges (had to do a key drop, so cost not yet finalised) this was the cheapest option, at just over AU1,000$ for 3 weeks.
Accommodation was mostly with the kids, but also stayed at O'Reilly's and Hervey Bay. O'Reilly's is rather pricey, but you can book last-minute in the two weeks prior to your stay (or just turn up) and save about 35%. When I was there, the place was practically empty, and had I known about the savings I could have delayed booking, or booked then cancelled and re-booked (no penalty if just over 2 weeks to go before your holiday). At Hervey Bay we stayed at Sanctuary Lakes, Urangan - nice setting, and reasonable price, but rather "tired" accommodation, probably due to the fact that the owner had just sold the business.
The following report covers three main "areas" - O'Reilly's, Hervey Bay and Brisbane. It may take a while to compile - jetlag on the return leg seems to be quite a problem, and despite having been back for 3 days, I still feel quite spaced-out!