A trip to Sydney and Melbourne....?

Travel Info
I will be traveling to Sydney in Middle Jan for ten days. I am facing a problem whether to spend ten days in Sydney area or drive from Sydney to Melbourne... can someone please gives me a suggestion for the best itininery...

My initial plan :
Day one and two - Sydney, Day three Blue Mountain, Day four Wollongong/Canberra, Day Five and Six Melbourne, Day Seven Philip Island, Day Eight Fly back to Sydney early morning, then process to Hunter Valley and northern Sydney, day nine will back to Sydney at late night and leave Australia at Day ten noon....

My friends against the plan as she mentions it seems like a 'quantity' trip rather than a 'quality' trip... she suggest to spend ten days in Sydney area...
Day one/two - Sydney, Day three/four - Blue Mountain, Day Five/ Six - Canberra, Day Seven - Nine - Northern Sydney ...Day ten then leave Australia...

I dun want to miss Melbourne this trip.. but it seems like pretty rush... can someone please advice me?

Travel Tips

Give Melbourne a miss.

Sydney and surrounds for 10 days is ideal

Others
1 day is enough for Philip Island if you are using a tour or if you have a plan and know where you are going. Make sure you see the penguins and the Nobbies!!! 2 days may not be enough for Sydney, it's beautiful and there is a lot to do. Supposedly the world's best aquarium is there (I wasn't too impressed) and I spent more than one day just walking around downtown Sydney and around the Opera House. TAKE A FERRY FROM THE PIER BY THE OPERA HOUSE... it was sooo cool and is pretty cheap, like $5. There are also some free museums, etc. Sydney is beautiful. We spent 2 days in Manly alone, loved it.

I lived in Melbourne for a year, it's a great city. I suppose it all depends on what you want to do in these places. Melbourne has Crown Casino, which is HUGE even by American standards, it is comparable to a HUGE Las Vegas casino. You can walk up and down the water that runs through downtown Melbourne (forget the name of the river) and there are some cute places to eat there. Try to catch a footy game if you can, it's very much a part of Melbourne-life.

I'd skip Blue Mountains... Australia's mountains are not really "mountains" they are more like "big hills". I haven't seen them, but you can see better sites in N. America.

I had a friend from Canberra and he said it was a pretty boring place to go visit so I didn't. If you are into hiking try to take a boat over to Tasmania.

Don't forget January in Australia is summer time and it is going to be VERY HOT, in Melbourne you can get 100+ degree days. Come prepared with lots of sunscreen as the ozone layer is much weaker in Australia. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Consider visiting Wilson's Promentory sometime (it is in Victoria) you probably don't have time on this trip but I did a 40k hike down there and the scenery was spectacular.
It will take you around 10 hours to drive from Sydney to Melbourne without stopping and around 7-8 from Canberra to Melbourne. I think you would be best sticking to your friends plan. Besides 10 days is not a long time to cover these places. If you were to fly from Canberra to Melbourne (around 1 hour) then may be you could fit it all in but I think you would be better enjoying the places you visit rather than rush the whole visit. It will depend on what you plan to see in each place you want to visit.

Take another look at the places you both have listed and work out exactly what you want to see and how long it will take then you will be clearer on how long you want/need to spend in each place.

http://www.canberratourism.com.au/...
http://www.auinfo.com/sydney.htm...
http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/...
http://www.tourismwollongong.com/...
http://www.visitmelbourne.com/
Your friend is correct. Two days in Sydney are not enough. Your proposed itinerary "Day three Blue Mountains, Day four Wollongong/Canberra" is not realistic. You will spend all your time driving from one place to another. It is around four hours drive direct from Sydney to Canberra. Via W'gong? - I've never done it but the time would be at least another two hours.

It's another seven hours drive from Canberra to Melbourne

Her suggestion of a few days around Sydney and two in the Blue Mountains (I might take three) is far more achievable. While in the Blue Mountains region try to see Blackheath, the Jenolan Caves and perhaps the Zig-Zag railway at Lithgow, maybe take a drive along Bell's Line of Road.

Next time take ten days in Melbourne and do a side trip along the Great Ocean Road - that needs three days.
I'd recommend flying to Melbourne and back if you're that desperate to go... it's probably not much more expensive than driving and you won't miss much by skipping Wollongong and Canberra. One day is plenty for the Blue "Hills" and you'll see diverse countryside if you have time to head north.