My bride and I will be heading down under in November for a three week trip. Being from Alaska we plan to stick to the south to avoid the heat. We've pretty well settled on sticking to Sydney for the first five days or so after we land. Then plan to spend several days driving down the coast and on around to the great ocean road. Then we'll spend a day or two in Melbourne and then back on across to fly back out of Sydney.

So my questions are:

For landscapes along the coast as described, other than the great ocean road end of the trip, what spots along the way are "must see" spots and what time of day is best to be there for photos. We're not urbanites so mainly interested in natural wonders. Or boats.... And beaches....

Are there any spots along the way as described with a reasonable chance of some decent bird/wildlife photography without making a major safari out of it? My plans are to be packing a Nikon D7100, 300mm f4, and 1.4x. So ranges equivalent to 600mm full frame would be reasonable. Our idea of a perfect outing is a walk on the beach where I can crawl around on my belly taking bird photos while my bride walks a few km without risk of being kidnapped and held for ransom.

Thanks in advance for any advice.