What would you recommend for a first time traveller to Australia?

Have a look at the Qantas Travel website if you haven't booked yet, I got some great deals with them with the Aussie Pass deals they have, gets you to other capitals cheaply.

While in Sydney, you will not need a licence, they have a great public transit system. Get to Circular Quay, and you can get harbor cruises for pretty good rates. Also across from the Quay on George Street North, outside what was known as the Maritime Services Building, a number of tour coaches leave from there, headed to the Blue Mountains, and other day tours pretty cheaply.

In Queensland, I think they were called Sunshine Coaches, that run a service from Brisbane up to the Whitsundays, but your better off with the Aussie Passes to Townsville and do the short leg down to Airlie Beach and Shute Harbor. There is an area there called Wanderers Paradise, and have very economical accommodation.

In Sydney be sure to take the bridge climb. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity

http://www.bridgeclimb.com/

Be sure to get the Sydney multi day transit pass. You can use it on all of the ferries on the harbor. Take it to Manly, hop a ferry to visit the zoo, it's even good on a nighttime cruise around the harbor. The trams, buses and ferries take you everywhere you want to go, no car required.

http://www.sydneytrains.info/tickets/which/mymulti...

Other places to see are the aquarium's Shark Reef, Bondi Beach, the Tower Eye, the Opera House, the Powerhouse Museum and the Australian Museum (great gem and mineral collection).

http://www.sydneyaquarium.com.au/

http://australianmuseum.net.au/

Visit Melbourne and see their fantastic Royal Botanic Gardens. It's one of the best botanic gardens in the world.

http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/visit-melbourne/attracti...

See the Penguin Parade

http://www.penguins.org.au/attractions/penguin-par...

Take a tour from Melbourne and visit the Great Ocean Road and see the 12 Apostles. This should be on everyone's bucket list.

http://www.greatoceanroadtour.com.au/

Melbourne also has one of the world's largest casinos and more original Victorian Architecture than London.

Then of, course, there is the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest in the North.

Ride the Kuranda Scenic Railway and the Skyrail

http://www.cairnsattractions.com.au/cairns-skyrail...

Go to Quicksilver's floating platform in the middle of the reef.

http://www.quicksilver-cruises.com/obr_platform.ht...

I recommend the three city tour of Sydney, Cairns & Melbourne.

http://www.qantasvacations.com/bestofaustralia/cit...

We did Aus. a few years back. Be sure to do the Great Barrier Reef!!! Our trip was set up by Down Under Adventures in Washington (state). Assume they are still around. We'll use them again when we go back for more Aus and NZ. We were there just before Christmas and it was funny for it to be summer with all those decorations.

We don't have time travel in Australia sorry.

All the advice already given is worth noting . Best time for you to travel would be either April / May or Sept / Oct ...pleasant weather & if you want to visit the tropics to see the Great Barrier Reef & experience something different , there's no restrictions .

Where you go will largely be determined by the length of your stay & budget . Nothing is cheap here & my advice would be to buy a package deal that includes transport , accommodation & a lot of your tours .

Fruitsalad's suggestion for an itinerary is a good one , depending on whether you wish to experience the tropics or not . Personally , as a first timer I would rate our North as a must see mainly because it's so different from most parts of the world .

A great time of year to visit a range of areas is March, and you can avoid school holidays to keep costs and crowds down.

Places to visit:

Sydney - you don't need a car, you can get around with walking and public transport. Plenty of beaches and history.

Tasmania - full of history, scenery and wildlife, highly recommended. By far the best way is to self drive, but it's not a scary place to drive at all, very peaceful.

Gold Coast - beaches and tourist activities. A car is not essential.

Cairns - Great Barrier Reef tours, Daintree Rainforest. Hot all year. Car not required.

Uluru - Desert scenery, Aboriginal experiences. Car not required.

Canberra - the capital city, museums and galleries. Car not required. Quite interesting for a short stay.

May I suggest you consider the Gold Coast, Sydney and Tasmania for a two week stay. Visit more of the others if you have a longer stay and finances allow. Don't be afraid to drive as long as it isn't in our biggest cities, you really will get more out of it that way.