As it seems to be the season... my husband and I will be joining many of you on a trip Down Under.

I do have a few questions, though and I'd like to throw them out for criticisms or suggestions, please.

We leave Boston on 2/23 and arrive in Sydney on the 25th. We will spend 4 days in Sydney and then after that we'd like to fly to Lord Howe Island to have a 'look-see' as it looks like our kind of island. Also we want to see the Barrier Reef there.

We'll then go on to Melbourne where we will stay w/ friends for a few days, see the City and we all will go to Tasmania for 5 or 6 days to do some hiking in the Cradle Mt Area.

Then... we can't decide. Should we go to see Ayers Rock or go north to the Great Barrier Reef? We're leaning toward going to the Rock, but it's no definite. Any suggestions.

Two questions: What about the weather on the southern coastal cities? in Tasmania - in the Ayers Rock area? Also, I've been reading Ziners posts about 'flies' We've been to New Zealand twice at this time of year and had absolutely no bugs whatsoever. I guess I was deluding myself as I thought, for some strange reason, there were no bugs in Australia this time of year also...

Thanks to one and all, Susie Newton, MA