We highly recommend flying into Hobart as you enter Tasmania and flying out of Launceston as you leave. Area 3 Melbourne, The Yarra Valley, Great Ocean Road and Ballarat - Allow 3 to 4 Days Much of the countryside around Melbourne is very similar to Tasmania in nature, so we suggest that you concentrate on the areas of real difference, the city itself, the Great Ocean Road, Ballarat and the Yarra Valley wine areas. Melbourne is a great city in which to walk and has wonderful shopping areas downtown. We suggest not renting a car if you are planning to stay only in the city itself. An absolute must if you are into unusual restaurants is the Tramcar Restaurant, a streetcar that serves excellent food and wines while cruising around the city streets.
Bookings are essential.
The Tjapukai Aboriginal Complex just near Cairns also gives you a good opportunity to come to grips with Australian Aboriginal Culture. Cairns itself is mainly an accommodation centre and serves as the focal point for day trips out onto the Reef, up to Kuranda and to the Daintree Rainforest. To get a good feel for what tropical Australia has to offer in a general sense, day trips to various areas will suffice, but to really come to grips with the rainforest it is a good idea to spend a few nights at Kuranda or up in the Daintree itself. If you are not really into scuba diving or serious snorkeling, then a day trip to the Reef from Cairns will usually be enough. If you wish to explore the Reef in more depth, an ideal way to see it is to spend some time on any one of the Barrier Reef Islands shown on the map.