give adelaide a miss. quite boring there. save your money

September is a great time to come here as temperatures are warm in all those cities. 3 weeks is probably do-able - there's not too much in Adelaide but heaps to do in Melb and Sydney and the places in between (will you be flying in between them or travelling by bus/train?). From Melbourne, the Great Ocean Rd is a great place to go - take a surfing lesson in Torquay and chill out at any of the great beaches. There are always festivals happening in Melb too.

I think it's definatly enough time, you are travelling so far, it is best to see as much as you can. Sydney does have a lot to see and do in the city and close by, so maybe you could have a little more time there and a little less in melbourne/adelaide? A lot of people from New Zealand go to Australia for a long weekend so its totally possible! You can sometimes get cheep national flights as well, try www.virginblue.com.au. Flights from NZ to OZ start getting cheaper at the end of January, so February might be a good time to go because the wheather will still be great.

Melbourne and Sydney you will need at least a week in each place. Adelaide is a little less exciting unless the Womad Music Festival is on or you hire a car to tour the Barossa & Clare Valley wine regions a few days in Adelaide at the most is needed. October/ November is the best time to visit Australia. Football season is over & the Spring Racing Carnival and Melbourne Cup is on, so lots of dresses and hats and beautiful sunny days (fingers crossed in Melbourne - 4 seasons in one day!) You could try to get a cheap internal flight with jetstar or virginblue to Cooloongatta on the Gold Coast and check out the best beaches in the world around Byron Bay for a few relaxing days of R & R. You would need to hire a car to get around here and see the most of it though. Melbourne has beautiful surrounds like the Mornington Peninsula, Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island. Sydney has the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, The Hawkesbury River region. Hope this has helped and enjoy :D

You've not indicated what you like to do/see. What kinds of activities do you like? I'm a Premier Aussie Specialist, and when I meet with my clients I try to find out what they are interested in. You've listed 3 cities, all with well-known wine regions within reach. Adelaide is lovely, but you'd also want to go over to Kangaroo Island, go out to the Barossa Valley, or McClaren Vale - two days in Adelaide proper, then out to the other areas. Perhaps you are interested in Opals, then a trip up to Coober Pedy is a must-do. Melboure - well, I love it. I could live there. Great city, vibrant art and theater experiences, great shopping - plus Phillip Island and the Penguins, and some unique experiences - it's the only city you can travel over via hot air balloon! With the launch of V Australia from Los Angeles, there is some great competition for airfare - September is great weather, and this is a doable time frame. Judith Kitzes judith@4cornerstravel.com

I'd give Adelaide a miss....maybe head up north to either Byron Bay or anywhere along the Queensland coast.

I am not sure why you have picked the destinations that you have but i agree that it is better to visit northern queensland area! I have travelled all over australia Cape trib down to melbourne, Perth and Darwin...after all this queensland still remains my favorite. Secondly given the time of year that you are going it is going to be cool down around Sydney, Melbourne area!! Def not good beach weather. It will be warmer and more enjoyable in the queensland area if you are wanting to visit beaches! As far as your time span goes your you will be tight but its doa-ble if you catch cheap flights on Virgin air, Jetstar, or tiger airlines. I def recommend driving the ocean rd from melbourne to adelaide, its beautiful! Hope this helps!

Better to see northern Queensland - stunning that time of year - Sydney and surrounds (Blue Mountains, Port Stephens - 3 hours north, Kiama - south) and then Melbourne. In Victoria and NSW are some terrific wine regions within 90 min drives of the major cities. In northern Queensland, you can get into Townsville and then head to Magnetic Island - paradise - or fly into Cairns and go north an hour to Palm Cove - stunning part of the world. Melbourne is a beautiful city - great shopping, great restaurants and beautiful architecture. Adelaide - well, there is a great wine region near there. Not much else to report.

If you can fit Brisbane and Perth into your itinerary, I highly recommend it. 4-5 days is plenty in each city. Perth is my favourite, it has a completely different vibe than the east coast. Very laid back. :)

Agree with most the comments. There is plenty to do in both Sydney and Melbourne but personally, I'd prefer to go to Brisbane or Cairns than Adelaide! It really depends on what you want to get out of a holiday and what you want to do.

Hey.. September is nice but it can still be cold (what we call cold probably very warm for you). I would probably skip Adelaide but do Queensland instead, either the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast or if you have the means get up to Cairns or the Whitsundays. Adelaide is nice too but I guess it depends on what you want to do. That's not too much to do in 3 weeks at all. I work in travel and as far as cost, it really doesn't vary much in price from 1Feb-01May and then from mid-june till Nov so it won't matter when you come.

Blu Horizon Bar, Shangri-La Hotel Sydney. We always take overseas guest here. The view of Sydney Harbour at night time is breathtaking. Not cheap but you only have to have one drink to see the city lights.

Don't forget about Queensland - there's heaps to see and do up here as well!

September will be nice. Like some of the other comments below Adelaide wouldn't be high on my list if I only had 3 weeks unless planning to get out of the city - Queensland and Tasmania are worth considering. Melbourne and Sydney are both great cities and quite different - you won't have trouble finding lots of great things to do in both.

september is not the best time for swimming as the water is still very cold, although the days can be warm in each of the cities (but still bring warm clothes). if you are intending to fly between the cities, then three weeks might be enough - adelaide is great for its vineyards, and both sydney and melbourne are very busy cities(and if youwant to return home tired), but if you intend to drive or travel overland, it takes quite some time between each of the cities. as for the cheapest time to fly?? check the shoulder season at your travel agent (but youdon't have to book with them).

It is easy in three weeks to see the cities. The weather will be warm but not quite full summer so should be comfortable. As others have given some answers I would just suggest a few icons worth seeing. In Sydney spending some time in Darling harbour is a must, also the obvious like the opera house and the bridge. You should consider doing the harbour bridge climb which is a bit of a novellty. Also might want to visit Doyles fish cafe which gives a great panoramic veiw of the city. Im Melbourne just walking around the city you can discover many hidden wonders. Melbourne is the type of city where a number of unique clubs are hidden down alley ways so dont be afraid to explore. The casino complex is worhtwhile looking at... unless you have been to vegas already lol. In adelaide although people suggest there is not much to do i would disagree. Adelaide is a city where you need to meet some locals to trully find all the best places. Barossa valley is definatley a must see if your a wine drinker. Every where you go there are botique shops, eateries and cafe's. I an all three cities you will find a high quality of food, friendly people and plenty of entertainment depending on what your likes and dislikes are. Dont forget to visit the country regions fo each state either. It may be worth your consideration to hire a car and drive from city to city. The great ocean road in VIC is worth seeing... there are also many cave systems between adel and melb. Dont forget the beaches either. Bondi in NSW, Bells beach in Vic, Glenelg in Adelaide. Have a great trip

3 weeks is certainly enough time to visit Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide although it does depend a bit on what you want to see outside of the actual cities. If it was me I would get out of the cities as much as possible and try to see some of the countryside. Sydney's great, the harbour's beautiful, the beaches are amazing and the nightlife is awesome but at the end of the day a big city is a big city anywhere in the world. From Sydney a day trip to the Blue Mountains is easy, worthwhile and will enable you to see a bit more of the natural beauty Australia is famous for. Melbourne's great, a lot of fun, good restaurants and a trendy art scene, personally I prefer it to Sydney but that all comes down to personal preference. The coastline around southern victoria is spectacular, I think some people below have mentioned the Great Ocean Road and that's definitely worth a trip if you get the chance. I'm not quite sure why you included Adelaide, it's an unusual place to include as most tourists with limited time opt to head north towards Queensland rather than around to Adelaide. I'm not such a fan of the city of Adelaide but the wine regions surrounding it are fantastic and definitely worth a look. I guess it really depends on what you're hoping to see in Australia, if you're more interested in cities and nightlife or in the countryside and bush.

If you only have 3 weeks....anything is doable and i do think you can do it in 3 weeks. Your time will be jam packed with sight seeing and trips but it will be all worth it!!! I'm from Melbourne so i can give you the most advice on my hometown. Spent a couple of days walking around the city to see all the sights. Flinders street station, the docklands, federation square, take the free city circle tram around the CBD, go up the Eureka tower to see an amazing view of the city, the best place to do tourist shopping in Melbourne is at Queen Victoria Market (you will love it), the Southern Star Observation Wheel will be open by that time (like the London Eye), visit St Kilda and Luna Park, you will get a great view of Melbourne from Williamstown where you can see one of our existing world war warships along the pier. Williamstown has an amazing cafe atmosphere and you can get some amazing ice cream there too if your up for it!! Outside of Melbourne there are 3 trips that you have to do. Head to the Dandenong Ranges to feed the colorful parrots in the wild, go to Ballarat to feed and pat kangaroo's and koala's at the Ballarat wildlife park where the kangaroo's roam around you in the park (i took some friends there from Lithuania about 2 months ago and they spent about 4 hours there and loved every second of the time), and also take a trip along the great ocean road to visit the twelve apostles (this is a full day trip). If you have extra time i recommend taking an organised tour to Philip Island to see the penguins. As far as Sydney goes, there is the harbour bridge to see, the Opera House, and Bondi Beach. I recommend taking the walk over the Sydney Harbor Bridge if you have the money to spend.

If you only have 3 weeks....anything is doable and i do think you can do it in 3 weeks. Your time will be jam packed with sight seeing and trips but it will be all worth it!!! I'm from Melbourne so i can give you the most advice on my hometown. Spent a couple of days walking around the city to see all the sights. Flinders street station, the docklands, go up the Eureka tower to see an amazing view of the city, the best place to do tourist shopping in Melbourne is at Queen Victoria Market (you will love it), the Southern Star Observation Wheel will be open by that time (like the London Eye), visit St Kilda and Luna Park, you will get a great view of Melbourne from Williamstown where you can see one of our existing world war warships along the pier. Williamstown has an amazing cafe atmosphere and you can get some amazing ice cream there too if your up for it!! Outside of Melbourne there are 3 trips that you have to do. Head to the Dandenong Ranges to feed the colorful parrots in the wild, go to Ballarat to feed and pat kangaroo's and koala's at the Ballarat wildlife park where the kangaroo's roam around you in the park (i took some friends there from Lithuania about 2 months ago and they spent about 4 hours there and loved every second of the time), and also take a trip along the great ocean road to visit the twelve apostles (this is a full day trip). If you have extra time i recommend taking an organised tour to Philip Island to see the penguins.

You can do loads in 3 weeks - but you could also stay for 3 months without getting bored!! Its a matter of making the right choices! I would recommend flying in to Adelaide. See the city, maybe go to one of the vineyards. Go to Kangaroo Island for 2 days, drive great ocean road - stop along the way. Nice beaches, and nice villages. Random sight seing stuff like salt pink lake, very blue lake, high trees.etc..its on every map, and you just stop as it suits you (and depending on the weather - I had rain the whole way, but still pretty!) The 12 apostles and london bridge is a must see of course Then see Melbourne before flying to Sydney. In Sydney you have to see the Opera house, harbour bridge, the beaches ( I recommend the coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi beach (eastern suburbs) A 2 day trip to Blue Mountains is also nice. Both echo point/Three sisters and also Janolan caves close by. Just send me a message if you have any questions!

You could do a 3-day bus trip between Adelaide and Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road. 3 weeks is heaps of time, as we say.

I would say that you might be trying too hard to fit too much in. I know how buggered I was when I got to Vancouver, so you can wipe out two days at the beginning of your trip. I think that I would do either Sydney & Melbourne (a 50/50 split) or Sydney & Adelaide (two weeks in Sydney, one in Adelaide). Melbourne's great, but if you've been to Toronto you've seen Melbourne! Adelaide is a beautiful city and often misses out in the 'places to go' race. Also, if you do go, make sure to head into the hills and the Barossa region.

I would say that those 3 cities in 3 weeks is a bit optimistic - I can stay 2 weeks in Sydney alone and not get bored! And do those 3 weeks include travelling between Aus and Canada, or is it 3 weeks from when you arrive in Aus? You need at least 2 days at each end of your trip for travelling and recovering from jet lag so on a 3 week vacation you will have maybe 16 useable days in Aus, and I would say that you can't do 3 cities in that time. I can't advise on prices as I live in the UK and our pricing seasons will probably not be the same as yours, but January is usually very cheap from UK to AUS (it is also the height of Aus summer and can be very hot).