I know you like the warmth but I suggest you visit in our Spring ie September to November. Otherwise you need to choose your destinations first to find the best time of year to visit.

Northern parts of Australia like Cairns in Queensland and Darwin in Northern Territory are tropical, that means very hot and humid and wet, and are definitely best for a winter visit. Tasmania is just beautiful, a lot of stunning wilderness, but much colder so would be good to visit in our summer.

I haven't been to Steve Urwin's park but it's in Queensland somewhere, I'm sure you can find it with an internet search.

Of course you must come to Sydney (I'm biased) but as well as our iconic sights and beaches, just 2 hours west we have the magnificent Blue Mountains, and on the southern outskirts our National Park with beautiful coastal scenery.

Depends how much time you have but a good over view would be Sydney, Uluru (outback), Darwin, and Cairns, maybe the hinterland behind the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in Qld. As someone else said distances are great so best to fly between cities. If you can also include Melbourne then you can do the Great Ocean Road drive (towards Adelaide) to see the remaining 12 Apostles. Also Phillip Island for the penguins. Also a nice trip is to drive around the coastline from Sydney to Melbourne but it is a long drive and would be best taken over a few days.

Then again there is Perth and the Kimberleys. Mullumby who puts up "photos from Aus' on UHH could tell you about there but it's way on the other side of the country. 5 hour flight Sydney to Perth.

Not to leave out Adelaide and the hills, and Tasmania. Love Tassie, hubby and I did a great trip out of Hobart to Bruny Island where you can go on a jet boat ride to see the seals and albatross. It was great.

You see I could go on forever there is just so much to see.Probably the person who said you need several visits is right.

Good luck with your plans. I'm visiting your way next May and had a very difficult time choosing how much we could fit into 3 weeks. Can't wait. Settled on LA, San Fran, Coach from Denver to Las Vegas via lots of NPs, then Disneyland and San Diego.

Western Australia is the largest state, and Perth is its fast growing capital.

If you love wildflowers, W.A is the place to visit in the spring. We have the most prolific variety and quantity of unique flora.

If you like to go to the beach and enjoy hot weather, come in December thro to March. Travel to Margaret River and enjoy the wineries or Pemberton to see giant karri trees. Swim in the cold Southern Ocean on the South coast on a hot day.

If you like pristine wilderness, ancient cave paintings, then visit the Kimberley's in NW WA or The Northern Territory.

Visit Uluru in Central Oz in the winter and climb the largest monolith in the world .

Visit the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland in the cooler months.

And of course the bustling vibrant cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and Adelaide all have there own attractions.

Tasmania is just plain beautiful, best experienced (in my opinion) in the spring and summer.

My husband and I have travelled around the country and up through the Red Centre in our caravan. Nowadays we travel in WA only but would love to head off again some day if health and finances permit.

Hope this helps. I can add more info if required.

G'Day workhorse, firstly congrats on your retirement, I retired 8 yrs ago. Great isn't it. I agree with all of the earlier posts re Oz. Definitely make South Australia a must see. You will get nearly all native birds and animals at Cleland Park, its an easy walk. A bit further afield to Kangaroo Island but the trip is well worth it for scenery. Would suggest a 2 or 3 day trip. Research it on www.sealink.com.au. If you don't mind a glass of wine or two,
Sth.Aust. is brilliant with wineries within 1/2hr drive of
the city.If you want any further info drop me a line at trevorhoward@iprimus.com.au.