Going to the 2018 Australian F1 GP! (& sightseeing) Need advice!

[Carlos]

Hey all, as the title says, I'm going to the 2018 GP! Or that's the planning.. Need help

My dad was born in Sydney, Australia, so when he asked me if I wanted to go on vacation with him the decision to go to Australia was pretty easy. He hasn't been 'back' since his parents took him to the Netherlands when he was a little kid and I always liked the idea to go to Australia, for obvious reasons: the weather, V8 utes and mate. We looked at the dates and March was good for us both, so if it's going to be March then we just had to go to the GP! The GP is 23/24/25 March and we have the time from around March 19 till the 30th.

If I can get some tips from you guys, every bit of help is appreciated! What we want:
Go to Sydney and visit my Dads old home and do a bit of sight seeing (Opera House etc)
Visit Bathurst, hoping we can do a lap around the track or watch some cars race
Visit Melbourne for the F1 GP
A road trip in a cool V8 Aussie car
Enjoy nature for a bit, take photographs
????

@Mike Rotch

 

[Mike Rotch]

Nice one Carlos 👍 Should be able to meet you for a drink too depending on when you are in Sydney! (I have a family wedding in Perth 17th March )

Some random thoughts, am happy to field question via PM too.

You'll want to be booking your Melbourne accommodation now. Limited supply = high prices and it gets worse and worse past christmas. I don't know Melbourne well enough to suggest which areas would be good for AirBnB in terms of being close to cafes / etc, but I think anything in the city/ east/ south east will be winning. The track is a 10 min tram ride from the city centre in a parkland, so it's easy to reach. You might be able to get plentiful accommodation in Docklands, but it is a bit of a characterless area.

On the GP, I thought Saturday was way more fun then Sunday to be honest - tons of support races, things to do, cars on display. Sunday was pretty boring trackside as between 11am and race time there is a track parade and then stuff all else to do.

Sydney/ etc - Bathurst is a good 3.5hrs drive each way from Sydney, so you may want to try BnB it overnight there or something, as traffic during the week exiting the city / coming back in will be tasty. Bathurst is a 60kph road, so just bare that in mind. Heavily policed too with cameras etc.

To be perfectly honest, you only need 2-3 days to see all the best bits of Sydney, and that is throwing in some cool suburbs on top of things like the Opera House / Bondi etc. Traffic is murder getting around so you'll be wanting to do busses / trains/ uber. Not sure if it's your thing, but the Blue Mountains can be nice (day trip) and as you'll be coming in the best weather period of the year (over the humidity of Feb), there are plenty of beaches if that is your thing (Palm Beach is pretty nice, and a bit of jaunt out of the "city").

 

[Shaun]

A road trip in a cool V8 Aussie car
Enjoy nature for a bit, take photographs
????

Great Ocean Road covers all of those and it's a day trip from Melbourne.

If you want any specific info or have some questions just ask and I'll do my best to get back to you in decent time. 👍

 

[Roo]

Get yourself an Opel card for travelling around Sydney on public transport, which is astonishingly cheap. Fares when I went a few years ago were capped at $8 (about €5) a day.

Heard of Bondi Beach? Sure you have. Everyone's heard of Bondi Beach, but it's exactly the same as all the beaches in and around Sydney, except there's more people because it's Bondi Beach. Unless you really want to go just to say you've been there, don't bother.

If you're travelling from Sydney to Bathurst, stop off in the Blue Mountains for a day or two. You'll be travelling through them anyway and they're well worth a visit.

As it's a public road, the full Mount Panorama course is only shut for 4 events a year, but there's other events that don't use the whole circuit. If you're there midweek around March I'm sure the track will be accessable to drive a lap but still check before you go. If you've got time, visit the museum.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Hey if you're there on Saturday, try to find me lol I'm pretty easy to spot. Not because I'm outrageously tall but because I'm in wheelchair...
Heck if you have the chance the week before, go to Phillip Island Historics. It's the biggest and best historic meet in the country. No kidding. The Group A turnout was HUGE and so to were the Group S and Group N classes. In fact, all the classes have huge turnouts. If even your dad says that it's the biggest Group C and A turnout since Bathurst 1992, you know it's a big deal - because he was there fitting tyres.

When you go to Melbourne, you must visit the Botanical Gardens and the Shrine of Remembrance because, well, it's a great place full of greenery and scenes which you would see in those advertising campaigns. Another place I'd recommend is the Nation Sports Museum at the MCG. Not only will you learn about our "footy" but you will find a host of stuff related to Australian sport. If you're an artistic type, be sure to check out the National Gallery of Victoria. Some wonderful paintings and sculpture are there. The only car museum I can think of which is significant enough is the Lindsay Fox car collection (you know, that ultra rich guy who owns Linfox and has legit purchased a Mercedes Project 1). Some neat rides are there for your enjoyment. In fact, the whole CBD area is worth checking out. And if you have time, go to Mount Dandenong see Melbourne from one end to the other. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Barra333]

Heard of Bondi Beach? Sure you have. Everyone's heard of Bondi Beach, but it's exactly the same as all the beaches in and around Sydney, except there's more people because it's Bondi Beach. Unless you really want to go just to say you've been there, don't bother.

Totally agree. If you are going to hit a beach in Sydney, Manly is by far the best if you are starting from the city. Get on a ferry at Circular Quay (right next to the Opera House) which is on the Opal system. The ferry takes you through a good bit of the harbour and past the heads and drops you 5min walk from the beach. Saves the need for a more expensive harbour cruise too.

 

[Grayfox]

Bathurst is a normal steet most days.
It is 60km/h, I have not driven on it so I cant say if it is one way or two way, but keep left.
Best drive in a small four cylinder, trust me it can be too temping to drive a little faster on mountain straight and conrod.
The police may hide in the bushes or be dressed up as kangaroos.

Try some of the nature parks, but watch out for those drop bears.
Dont go petting the roos, they will beat your ass.

If the MCM crew are in the area you must go see them and you must also bring tofu and a goat.

 

[Sambert]

---

 

[Carlos]

Thank you all for the replies gentlemen. I have learned a lot and tried to put all your information in my planning. If you see things wrong or I have forgotten a 'must see!' then please tell me 👍 This is what I have so far:

(note: 27-mrt: go to Mount Dandenong and then to Bathurst)

As you can see I have 2 days empty, probably better to keep those empty to be safe with the planning With skyscanner.nl I found a Mustang for rent and looks pretty affordable. Drivemycar.com.au has some cool cars too but I'm not sure about renting someones personal car. Seems like a risk..

Now me and my dad need to discuss what hotels we are going to pick and if we are going to fly premium or business. Business sounds tempting but it's twice as expansive, though it seems worth it somehow.

@Mike Rotch Yes a drink would be very nice, do you want some stroopwafels with that?

@CLowndes888 Would like to meet you there! I can't come a week earlier sadly, but if we find time we sure check out the National Sports Museum, I see it's close to the Botanical Gardens.

@Roo I guess you mean the National Motor Racing Museum? Check!

@Barra333 The ferry sounds good, always nice to see the city from the water!

@Samberto I love bikes (recently I bought a Kawasaki too, the one in my profile photo is for sale!) but I think renting a bike is pushing it a bit. Also my dad doesn't have a bike driving license and I'm not sure about driving a bike for just one day with my dad on the backseat...

 

[notsofast]

Bathurst is a normal steet most days.
It is 60km/h, I have not driven on it so I cant say if it is one way or two way, but keep left.
Best drive in a small four cylinder, trust me it can be too temping to drive a little faster on mountain straight and conrod.
The police may hide in the bushes or be dressed up as kangaroos.

Try some of the nature parks, but watch out for those drop bears.
Dont go petting the roos, they will beat your ass.

If the MCM crew are in the area you must go see them and you must also bring tofu and a goat.

The roads that make up the Mt Panorama are heavily policed by the local constabulary thanks to plenty of Craig Lowndes wannabes. People still get caught doing twice the speed limit which is pretty stupid as its a residential area with multiple driveways coming onto various parts of the circuit.

The track is two ways. I went up there once on a grey rainy Sunday morning and there was even some hardly soul on a bike with a sidecar doing laps. Its pretty cool feeling even at the speed limit. Especially the gradient from the top of the track. TV does not come close to showing how steep and how narrow that really is. Check out the museum, its a got a great range of cars and bikes from Aussie motorsport history.

Another vote for the Blue Mountains-very beautiful part of the world.

 

[Carlos]

The roads that make up the Mt Panorama are heavily policed by the local constabulary thanks to plenty of Craig Lowndes wannabes. People still get caught doing twice the speed limit which is pretty stupid as its a residential area with multiple driveways coming onto various parts of the circuit.

The track is two ways. I went up there once on a grey rainy Sunday morning and there was even some hardly soul on a bike with a sidecar doing laps. Its pretty cool feeling even at the speed limit. Especially the gradient from the top of the track. TV does not come close to showing how steep and how narrow that really is. Check out the museum, its a got a great range of cars and bikes from Aussie motorsport history.

Another vote for the Blue Mountains-very beautiful part of the world.

I really liked lapping it in iRacing so I will be looking forward what it is in real life And I'll behave and keep close to the speed limit!

 

[notsofast]

I really liked lapping it in iRacing so I will be looking forward what it is in real life And I'll behave and keep close to the speed limit!

Its a shame you're not coming a month earlier-the 12hr is on early February and its a pretty cheap weekend if you camp at the track. $200 AUD covers a general ticket and your campsite from Wednesday through to the following Monday. Ive camped at both the top and the bottom of the circuit and its a fantastic event.

F1 at Albert Park is really good-are you going grandstand or just general admission ticket? They both have their pros and cons.

Even with a GA ticket you get very close to the cars in some parts of the track whilst with a grandstand ticket you dont have to make a mad dash on raceday when the gates open for a good spot. I agree with Mike Rotch about Saturday being better and varied in regards to track activities. Thats the good thing about the Melbourne GP, it always has a packed support bill so there's not too much downtime.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Thank you all for the replies gentlemen. I have learned a lot and tried to put all your information in my planning. If you see things wrong or I have forgotten a 'must see!' then please tell me 👍 This is what I have so far:

(note: 27-mrt: go to Mount Dandenong and then to Bathurst)

As you can see I have 2 days empty, probably better to keep those empty to be safe with the planning With skyscanner.nl I found a Mustang for rent and looks pretty affordable. Drivemycar.com.au has some cool cars too but I'm not sure about renting someones personal car. Seems like a risk..

Now me and my dad need to discuss what hotels we are going to pick and if we are going to fly premium or business. Business sounds tempting but it's twice as expansive, though it seems worth it somehow.

@Mike Rotch Yes a drink would be very nice, do you want some stroopwafels with that?

@CLowndes888 Would like to meet you there! I can't come a week earlier sadly, but if we find time we sure check out the National Sports Museum, I see it's close to the Botanical Gardens.

@Roo I guess you mean the National Motor Racing Museum? Check!

@Barra333 The ferry sounds good, always nice to see the city from the water!

@Samberto I love bikes (recently I bought a Kawasaki too, the one in my profile photo is for sale!) but I think renting a bike is pushing it a bit. Also my dad doesn't have a bike driving license and I'm not sure about driving a bike for just one day with my dad on the backseat...

I don't know if my parents will appreciate a strange foreigner speaking to me! You can speak English, right? Hopefully they'll be OK about it though. May at least tell you where I'm seated but I don't think I'll give away anything else. But I can tell you this: I will be hanging around the front straight, both outside and inside the track most likely.

 

[Shaun]

Good choice @Carlos on taking the A1 for the drive from Sydney to Melbourne. It's quicker via the Hume Hwy (M31) but it's also mind a numbing bore fest. I see one of your free days is prior to the drive, consider splitting the drive over two days if you can to take in some more of the scenery and not feel rushed.
It's doable via the A1 in a day for sure but it is around 11 and a half hours of actual driving.
Australia is a whole lot bigger than many realise that come here from Europe etc. Not necessarily saying you don't understand but I had some family who visited from Scotland years ago who, in their words planned on "just nipping up to Ayers Rock (Uluru) tomorrow in the car for the day".

 

[Grayfox]

Australia is a whole lot bigger than many realise that come here from Europe etc. Not necessarily saying you don't understand but I had some family who visited from Scotland years ago who, in their words planned on "just nipping up to Ayers Rock (Uluru) tomorrow in the car for the day".

Victoria is only 2,000mi² smaller than the entire UK.

 

[Roo]

@Carlos

As @Shaun says, looking at you itinerary, if I was you I'd spread the Sydney to Melbourne drive over 2 days. A quick check on Google Maps tells me it's a 1000km journey on a single lane road. It's like going from Rotterdam to Prague, and then 100km more, without using autobahns. Google reckons over 12 hours just driving, assuming you don't get stuck behind a truck (I'm sure you will), then you have to add breaks and fuel stops. I didn't drive when I was out there but I was still warned about how keen the police are on catching people speeding, so don't assume you can make time back if you're help up somewhere. More than anything else you just won't enjoy it if you're tired from driving and feeling under pressure to get to Melbourne.

On that note, relax a bit more! When I went the only bits of my time in Australia I planned beyond accommodation was the travel to and from Bathurst. Everything else I took as it came. I admit I was staying with family so they gave plenty of suggestions, but I didn't force myself to see everything. My cousin and I spent an afternoon just wandering around central Sydney with no particular plan in mind, for example. If you're constantly pushing to get to the next thing, you won't take the time to enjoy where you are.

Edit: Same goes for the Melbourne to Bathurst leg. That's over 800km. If you want any time to stop at Mount Dandenong, I'd do that in 2 days and bump Bathurst back a day. It's 3 hours from Bathurst to Sydney so that you can do on the afternoon of the 30th.

 

[Shaun]

Victoria is only 2,000mi² smaller than the entire UK.

What's that got to do with driving from Sydney to Melbourne?

Edit: Good advice from @Roo, try not to rush around too much Carlos.

 

[Grayfox]

What's that got to do with driving from Sydney to Melbourne?

Edit: Good advice from @Roo, try not to rush around too much Carlos.

Was mentioning how big Australia is as you're right, not many people know how big Australia really is.

 

[Shaun]

Was mentioning how big Australia is as you're right, not many people know how bad it g Australia really is.

Ah ok gotcha 👍, somehow I didn't pick up on that.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Thank you all for the replies gentlemen. I have learned a lot and tried to put all your information in my planning. If you see things wrong or I have forgotten a 'must see!' then please tell me 👍 This is what I have so far:

Apologies for a tardy response matey

Random thoughts:
Arrival at Sydney. That's an ok time to arrive, avoiding peak travel times. If you are staying in the city, you have 2 options to get in from the airport assuming you are not renting a car (which i do not recommend - see my comment later about roads and the city). Train and cab. A cab will run you $50-60 vs a train ticket of $18 pp (with a lot of stuffing around with bags).

The sydney CBD (assuming you will stay there) is in a bit of a sucky state - they are laying a tramline through the heart of it closing off many roads and as a result a lot of shops have closed until it is finished. Rocks is unaffected....Darling Harbour is ok, a bit of a tourist trap but a nice bayside walk. Go to the Lindt Cafe

I would recommend you fill a morning or afternoon with a ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly (20 mins ea way). Nice trip, destination has a lot of cafes and a busy, but massive beach with lots of activity. The other options is to get the ferry from CQ to Watsons Bay (also about 20 mins) and check out the clifftop lookout's over the pacific. Good fish n chips place in Watsons Bay too (Doyle's).

The other options is to get the train from wynyard or martin place to Bondi Junction (10 mins) and then bus to Bondi Beach. Lots of cafes/ bars and the beach of course. Coming back can be time consuming though in the late arvo.

Your 20th March plans - i would suggest you walk across the Harbour Bridge from the Rocks to Kirribilli (20 mins). Postcard views back of the city and opera house, plus a few cafes for lunch or a coffee in kirribilli. You can catch the train back to the city (5 mins).

Powerhouse museum - chock full of kids all the time FYI so mighty suggest a buss to Newtown and wander around there as its quite eclectic and bohemian....Taronga....never been, hear it is awesome, but $42 per ticket....

 

[Carlos]

We arrive a little bit earlier in Sydney, at 07:40. This is probably a peak time (?) but we'll see, we don't have to rush for anything! We can pick up our car from 12 close to the airport, an Holden Commodore SV6 Awwwyeaazzz!! Accommodation for Sydney and Melbourne is also set. I let my dad chose the locations and he is a genius; our hotel in Sydney is Alpha Hotel Eastern Creek. I checked it on Google maps and it is opposite to Sydney Motorsport Park Our hotel in Melbourne is Brighton Savoy, close to the beach @Mike Rotch I'm guessing Eastern Creek is not the CBD?

Our plan is to walk much and do some traveling by train and cabs. We only really need the car for our drive to and from Melbourne. 100% going to walk over the bridge and make photos, I have Nikon D7100 so I'll try to make some postcard photos I actually want to walk as much as I can but I don't know how much my dad can handle..

$42 for a ticket sounds like a lot but it's nothing compared to what this trip already costs me

 

[Mike Rotch]

I'm guessing Eastern Creek is not the CBD?

Depends on your priorities....

That is quite a way outside they city - over and hour on public transport and probably the same in a car, (which you'd pay through your teeth to park in the city) so you'll really limiting your exploratory options by staying out there. A cab ride for that could be $100 one way easy. There is really nothing much out there from a tourist perspective other than the Blue Mountains still further west.

 

[Carlos]

Depends on your priorities....

That is quite a way outside they city - over and hour on public transport and probably the same in a car, (which you'd pay through your teeth to park in the city) so you'll really limiting your exploratory options by staying out there. A cab ride for that could be $100 one way easy. There is really nothing much out there from a tourist perspective other than the Blue Mountains still further west.

Exactly what I said to him, but he really wanted to stay there. He doesn't mind.... So now I also don't mind