1 week in Australia...where do you go?

You should visit AussieMeg of course!!

I have no other suggestions other than have fun!

That's a perfect time to be in New Zealand. If I were you, I'd head down the west coast of the south Island. Stop at the glaciers - they're in a rain forest. It's bizarre. Keep going to Milford Sound and stay a few days in Te Anau. Eat lots of pies. Head over to Dunedin to see the penguins, then north to CCH again. If you've time to swing by Mt. Cook, do that, too.

Enjoy!

The very first thing you have to do is swing through Georgia and pick me up!
After that, who knows? 

New Zealand is stunning. We started in Auckland, drive to Rotarua for a couple of days, flew to Christchurch in the South Island to pick up an RV and toured some sights including the Franz Joseph glacier. We then flew back to Wellington - the museum is seriously amazing. The scenery is absolutely spectacular, the people are very friendly and the food is great. We were there during August (winter) so it was pretty cold but you’ll be there during the summer so you’ll have more options.

I'm sad you're not coming to Sydney. On your day off in Perth, go across to Rottnest Island and visit the quokkas. Cute little things. As for extending your trip, New Zealand is gorgeous. They filmed Lord of the Rings there, and you can do special tours that cover all the filming locations. I'll let some Kiwis give you more advice.

Australia is huge, so popping here and there in the limited time you have, it probably makes more sense time wise to find stuff to do in the places where you already will be. Just saying that cause people forget its basically the same size as the United States. Its a 5 hour flight between Perth and the east coast (think NY>LA distance).

NZ is not as big a country, so the options might be to spend more time and see far more there, maybe. I really like New Zealand overall, Queenstown area is my favorite part to visit. Breathtaking.

Well considering I am a huge INXS fan I would love to see Australia and tributes to them! Have fun, be safe!

well, then, you can take all the movies with you, and they'll keep you occupied for those 30-35 hours of your traveling! LOL!!   (just kidding-- but there's 7 movies, and the deluxe director's cut versions are probably all each at least 2.5 - 3 hours long...  and if you watch some of the extra footage and special bonus content, you should be good for your return travel, too!)

My cousin and his wife (and I think some friends) are headed there soon. I believe they upgraded to those 'seats' that look like little cubbies.

I've never been to Australia but my sister used to live there for awhile. Steph, if seeing Australia was your dream trip since you were tiny I'd focus on that during this trip and make it a reality. If your DH can't join you, that's okay. Traveling solo is just as much fun-I did it last year and had a blast! Here's what I know from my sister-Queensland is gorgeous but Perth is less desirable. She lived in both places. 

Extend your trip as much as you can. 1 week extra is good. 2 weeks extra is even better. You won't regret it, you are there already, and you've been wanting this your whole life. You deserve it! When your work part is over (plan all of this ahead of time, of course) hop a plane to whatever part of Australia you've been wanting to see the most. I would suggest:  Sydney, Queensland, The Great Barrier Reef (see this now-the corral is dying so fast all over the planet, over 50% is gone all over the world-see it while you can), Ayres Rock?, check out trip advisor.com and things to do for ideas. Get a travel planning book for Australia (check your local library). I like Frommer's the best myself and the DK books are wonderful for photos. As far as traveling within the country to save time-fly. I don't know about Australia but flights within Europe (the continent) is very reasonable, around $100.00 Hopefully the same holds true for Australia. 

Can you scuba dive or snorkel? Our seasons are reversed so if you are going in November it should be summer when you go. I wouldn't go there and miss a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. I personally can't scuba dive but I love snorkeling. I think if I had a trip like this coming up I'd seriously consider local scuba diving lessons before the trip. Most places have them in local pools. 

I'm so excited for you!!! Congratulations on the work trip and what a great opportunity. 

This is kind of how my trip to Germany came about last year. I joined my mother for a trip to Poland to visit relatives. Then I added on 4 days in Poland for myself, and 16 days in Germany for myself, doing those parts solo. At first I thought I was adding on too much, but then I was so grateful for all of those additional days. 

 

if you fly air new zealand (good airline).. you can see all 9 hours of lord of the rings or the 9 hours of hobbit on the inflight screens. we bid for premium plus upgrade ($500 extra).. and got it one way.. so good!!!