Temporary Apartments in Oz.....

We are leaving for Australia in February, but rather than staying in hostels in the big cities, we were thinking of temporary apartments. Are they hard to find? Are they really expensive? We'd just like a place to be able to lock the door and leave our stuff and travel for a week or two, without having to worry. Any suggestions? We are going to be staying in Sydney for sure for a few months, but also possibly Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide.... (our travel plans are not set yet, so we are totally open to ideas).

Cheers!

if you are going to Gold Coast,there's an apartment there which is very clean and at reasonable price.
it is called BEACH HAVEN and is located at the Broadbeach area at Albert Ave.
Just not even 5 minutes walk to the beach area.
The area is extremely for relaxation and quiet if compare to Surfers Paradise.
You can just walk to Jupiter Casino at Conred Jupiter Hotel there.Not so far.Maybe just 15 minutes by walking.
I stayed there for a month and i am very satisfied with the services and security there!
Friendly Environment!

Hi Brianne,
Myself, partner & 2 kids stayed for 9 weeks on the east coast of Oz, using a hire car and booking apartments as we went. The concept is quite normal in Australia. I can recommend this in Sydney:

http://www.waldorf-apartments-hotel-sydney.com.au/

What we found unusual coming from the UK, was that estate agents (realtors?) also handle rental of apartments to us travellers, so don't be afraid to walk in and ask. We stayed in an apartment in Nelson Bay on our way north for a few days. On our way south a month later, we rang up the agent at 4pm on a Sunday and booked the same apartment! A security guard drove over to meet us with the keys!
After our first week, we found it better not to book ahead, but to just arrive and look around. That way you get to 'try before you buy' so to speak.
I would advise that you look ahead at Aussie Events though. We had to leave Sydney because all the hotels were booked for the Rugby Grand Final. We arrived in Surfers Paradise just after the INDY car race and just before 'Schoolies Week' when the town fills with school-leavers. These events would make finding places difficult (or unpleasant!).
You should take the time to visit Noosa.
Please feel free to ask anything more specific.

Wow! Thanks for the advice.... I had wondered about the agents, if they helped with rentals. I've been searching the websites for temp apartments, looks like there is a lot out there.