It’s a dream for many travellers to travel Australia. With ancient landscapes, pristine national parks, lively cities, charming beach towns and dozens of spectacular wine regions, there is so much to love about visiting the land “down under.”
Whether you’re all about enjoyed the greater outdoors or indulging in world class restaurants and cultural experiences, you won’t forget your first visit to this beautiful country.
The long travel time for most international travellers means you’ll want to spend at least two weeks here, but three or four weeks would be even better. It’s important to remember that it’s a big country, and to factor in travel times. To really cover some ground, plan to fly rather than drive or train (our train system is nowhere near as useful for travellers as those in Europe or the US).
From coast to coast, there are countless destinations to choose from. Whether you’re looking to beach-hop down the east coast, stopping at major cities like Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne on the way, or you’re looking to experience charming country towns or the Red Centre, the hardest part will be narrowing down your itinerary!
Some of these experiences or moments are “big” and others are seemingly “small”, but looking back at 2014 these are the most special ones that made it such an exciting year. Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef If it wasn’t bad enough that for 21 years I’d lived in Queensland yet never visited our most important icon, I also spent one of those years working for … Continue reading Top 5 Travel Experiences of 2014
Travel in Australia has a reputation for being expensive, especially when you compare it to many nearby Southeast Asian countries. I recently spent a week traveling in Tropical North Queensland with my best friend, Chloe, and I wanted to share my budget for the trip, and hopefully convince a few more travelers that Tropical North Queensland should be on their list. For flight, buses, accommodation and … Continue reading Travel Budget: 1 Week in Queensland
It makes sense that this larger-than-life slice of Queensland is also home to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, which is the biggest butterfly sanctuary in the world. Cairns & Great Barrier Reef is no stranger to extremes. It’s home to the Daintree Rainforest, which is the oldest living rainforest in the world and 80 million years senior to the Amazon. The region’s capital, Cairns, is the most … Continue reading Visiting the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary in Kuranda
“The best beach in Australia” is quite a claim in a country famed for its beautiful beaches but Whitehaven Beach is no ordinary patch of sand. The bright white beach in northern Queensland is one of nature’s most beautiful accidents, more than a million years in the making. Whitehaven Beach is on Whitsunday Island, a treasured national park and the biggest island in the Whitsundays … Continue reading Whitehaven Beach: The Most Beautiful Beach in Australia
Before this trip, Northern NSW was a bit of a mystery to me – despite its proximity to Brisbane, I had no idea what lay across the border except for Byron Bay and Sydney and some nice beaches. I really knew nothing about Tenterfield; where Australia’s federation movement was born, Armidale; Australia’s highest city or most shockingly, Waterfall Way; the most beautiful drive in New … Continue reading On the road to Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way is a scenic drive in northern New South Wales, which is dotted with beautiful waterfalls, national parks and charming country towns. It is one of Australia’s best kept secrets, and I’m surprised at how I have never read about Waterfall Way or seen it anywhere else on the Internet, in guide books, etc. I took a four-day weekend this week and went on a … Continue reading The Best of Waterfall Way, NSW
A year ago this month, I returned from an amazing adventure through France, Italy, Greece & Turkey with my best friend. It seems fitting that this month, I enjoyed more of Australia. I loved every minute of my third trip to Europe, but upon returning home I promised myself that I’d see more of Australia in 2014. This month I’ve enjoyed the warmer weather with … Continue reading September Recap
We spent a weekend away from Brisbane, in the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Halfway between Maleny & Montville at Balmoral Lookout, Roseville House enjoys beautiful views over the hinterland out to the ocean. The federation-style Queenslander has been beautiful preserved, with wide verandahs wrapping around most of the house, beautiful communal dining and living rooms and immaculate, flower-filled gardens. We stayed in the Grevillea Cottage, … Continue reading Stay in Maleny: Roseville House B&B
I’ve wanted to visit the Strawberry Fields Farm at Palmview on the Sunshine Coast for ages, and the perfect opportunity arose on our drive up to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland this past weekend. David & I were taking a long weekend in the mountain townships of Montville & Maleny and the fields are only a half-hour detour. I acknowledge the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples … Continue reading Strawberry picking on the Sunshine Coast
Like clockwork, the 1st of September turned up the sunshine in Brisbane. It couldn’t have come sooner, I love warm weather! Already it’s so much easier to eat well, exercise and get outdoors. To be honest, Brisbane’s sub-tropical climate means we enjoy pretty beautiful weather all year round but the start of the warmer seasons puts a huge smile on my dial. I’ve had a … Continue reading Travel Plans for Spring 2014